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White Blossoms From Black Roots

by Larry Norman

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1.
OK roll it One two one two three [Spoken] ​Well a blind man standing by the side of the road He was a blind from birth, it was a heavy load And though he lived a good life he could not see Up walked the man from Galilee He touched those eyes and he made that blind man see There ain't never been nobody like the man from Galilee Lazarus died and for four long days He laid in the grave and he did not raise His sisters kept saying how can this be Up walked the man from Galilee He said Lazarus come forth and he was set free There ain't never been nobody like the man from Galilee You got to stand on the rock to get your name on the roll Do not stray, do not stroll If you're all messed up and don't know what to do Then brother I am talking to you You got to stand on the rock to get your name on the roll Do not stray, do the stroll If you're all messed up and don't know what to do Then brother I am talking to you Well they nailed him to the cross, they laid him in the ground They put soldiers at the grave and there were people walking round Saying this is the end of christianity Up rose the man from Galilee When I die I know where I want to be Standing in the presence of the man, yeah There ain't never been nobody like the man, yeah Never been nobody like the man from Galilee And this is just the beginning
2.
Looking for the footprints of the man who wears the sandals Ah ah ah Looking for the footprints of the man who wears the sandals Ah ah ah Ah-ah-ah
3.
Pardon Me 03:37
​Pardon me Kissing you like I'm afraid But I know I'm being played with And you'll leave me when you get the chance Off you'll go In the darkness of the night Like a bird in freedom's flight You're thinking only of deliverance Close your eyes And pretend that you are me See how empty it can be Making love if love's not really there Watch me go Watch me walk away alone As your clothing comes undone And you pull the ribbons from your hair Pardon me
4.
Soul On Fire 05:03
Ow ow ​ When I was a little boy In a all black neighbourhood Well it was rough and tumble in a concrete jungle Hard to do the things you should But I walked the straight and narrow I kept looking higher Because Jesus He set my soul on fire And when I was a young man Temptation was all around And when the darkness finds you It slips up behind you Tries to knock you to the ground But I just kept on going I was so inspired Because Jesus He set my soul on fire One day a light from above shone down on my face (Ooh ooh) And lifted me up to a heavenly place (Ooh ooh) I heard voices of angels on a distant shore (Ooh ooh) And Jesus healed me (Ooh ooh) And brought me back to life once more (Ooh) Now I am a grown man With a vision locked inside my heart And I speak to men of their pride and sin And the need to be set apart And I can run like a lion I do not tire Because Jesus He sets my soul on fire Soul, soul on fire [x2] Soul on fire [x3] Soul on fire (Soul on fire) [x5] Soul on fire I can run like a lion And I do not tire Jesus set my soul on fire Soul on fire (Ah ah) Soul on fire (Tch ah) Soul on fire (Yeow) Like a lion Aaah Ugh Yeah yeah yeah lion Aaah Ugh Like a Lion ​ Ah ah (Lion) Ah ah-ah ah ah Ah ah-ah ah ah ah [x2]​​
5.
Life was filled with guns and war And everyone got trampled on the floor I wish we'd all been ready Children died, the days grew cold A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold I wish we'd all been ready There's no time to change your mind The son has come and you've been left behind A man and wife asleep in bed She hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone I wish we'd all been ready Two men walking up a hill One disappears and one's left standing still I wish we'd all been ready There's no time to change your mind The son has come and you've been left behind La la la la la la la La la la la la la la la la la La la Life was filled with guns and war And everyone got trampled on the floor I wish we'd all been ready Children died, the days grew cold A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold I wish we'd all been ready There's no time to change your mind How could you have been so blind The father spoke, the demons dined The son has come and you've been left behind You've been left behind [x3] ​(Ah ah ah) [Repeated and harmonised to end]
6.
​Sipping whiskey from a paper cup You drown your sorrows till you can't stand up Take a look at what you've done to yourself Why don't ya, you put the bottle back on the shelf Yellow fingered from your cigarettes Your hands are shaking while your body sweats Why don't you look into Jesus He got the answer Gonorrhea on Valentine’s day, VD And you're still looking for the perfect lay You think rock and roll will set you free Honey, you'll be deaf before you're thirty three Shooting junk till you're half insane A broken needle in your purple vein Why don't you look into Jesus He got the answer Work all night Sleep all day You take your money Throw it all away You say you're gonna be a superstar But you never hung around enough To find out who you really are Ah ah ow-ah-ow ow aw ah wow Ah ah ah-ah-ow ah ah ah uh ooh Think back to when you were a child Your soul was free, your heart ran wild Each day was different and life was a thrill You knew tomorrow would be better still But things have changed, you're much older now If you're unhappy and you don't know how Why don't you look into Jesus He got the answer Why don't you look into Jesus He got the answer Why don't you look into Jesus He got the answer Yes he does Why don't you look into Jesus He got the answer Check it for yourself Why don't you look into Jesus He got the answer Why don't you look into Jesus He got the answer He got the answer Take a look, take a look​
7.
​​You can be a righteous rocker Or a holy roller You can be most anything You can be a Leon Russell Or a super muscle You can be a corporate king You can be a wealthy man from Texas Or a witch with heavy hexes But without love You ain't nothing without love Without love You ain't nothing without love You can be a brilliant surgeon Or a sweet young virgin Or a harlot out to sell You can learn to play the blues Or be Howard Hughes Or the Scarlet Pimpernel Or you can be a French provincial midwife Or go from door to door with a death knife But without love you ain't nothing You ain't nothing without love Without love you ain't nothing Without love (Without love you ain't nothing) (You ain't nothing without love) Without love you ain't nothing Without love Ooh ooh ooh ooh An' you can be a woman feeler Or a baby stealer You can drink your life away Or you can be a holy prophet Get a blessing off it You can fast for fifty days You can shake hands with the devil Or give your life to God on the level But without love You ain't nothing without love Without love You ain’t nothing without love, love Without love you ain't nothing (You ain't nothing without love) Without love you ain’t nothing Without love Now you could be a righteous rocker (Without love)
8.
​One two a one two three I want the people to know That he saved my soul But I still like to listen to the radio They say rock and roll is wrong We'll give you one more chance I say I feel so good I gotta get up and dance I know what's right, I know what's wrong I don't confuse it All I'm really trying to say is Why should the devil have all the good music An’ I feel good every day Because Jesus is the rock and he rolled my blues away They say to cut my hair They're driving me insane I grew it out long to make room for my brain But sometimes people don't understand What's a good boy doing in a rock and roll band There's nothing wrong with playing blues licks Well if you've got a reason, tell me to my face Why should the devil have all the good music There's nothing wrong with what I play, aaaah Jesus is the rock and he rolled my blues away ​Allright I ain't knocking the hymns Just give me a song that has a beat I ain't knocking the hymns Just give me a song that moves my feet I don't like none of those funeral marches I ain't dead yet Wow Jesus told the truth An’ Jesus showed the way There's one more thing I'd like to say They nailed him to the cross And they laid him in the ground But they shoulda known you can't keep a good man down I feel good every day I don't wanna lose it All I wanna, all I wanna know is Why should the devil have all the good music I been filled, I feel okay Jesus is the rock and he rolled my blues Ah Jesus is the rock and he rolled my blues Ah Jesus is the rock and he rolled my blues away, yeah​
9.
One two, one two three [Spoken] ​Some say he was an outlaw That he roamed across the land With a band of unschooled ruffians And a few old fishermen No one knew just where he came from Or exactly what he'd done But they said it must be something bad That kept him on the run Some say he was a poet That he'd stand upon the hill And his voice could calm an angry crowd Or make the waves stand still That he spoke in many parables That few could understand But the people sat for hours Just to listen to this man Some say he was a sorcerer A man of mystery He could walk upon the water He could make a blind man see That he conjured wine at weddings And did tricks with fish and bread That he talked of being born again And raised people from the dead Some say a politician Who spoke of being free He was followed by the masses On the shores of Galilee He spoke out against corruption And he bowed to no decree And they feared his strength and power So they nailed him to a tree Some say he was the son of God A man above all men But he came to be a servant And to set us free from sin And that's who I believe he was 'Cause that's who I believe And I think we should get ready 'Cause it's time for us to leave
10.
If I could find someone who really cared for me Someone to share my love and keep me company If I could find someone, I'd let them take control And in exchange for love I'd give my very soul It's such a lonely life, I almost cry each night 'Cause fate has put me on the shelf I get so lonely, so lonely by myself If I could find someone who really loved me right They'd make my life complete, they'd make my soul shine bright I've looked around the world, I've walked down every street Still I can't find no one to give me what I need It's such a lonely life, I almost cry each night 'Cause fate has put me, fate has put me on the shelf I get so lonely, so lonely by myself I get so lonely, so lonely So lonely by myself Who can I turn to, is there anybody there Doesn't anybody care Oo-ooh, doesn't anybody listen Doesn't anybody care
11.
It ain't no good to lay in bed at night And worry 'bout the past About how you could have done things differently But things just happen way too fast Go on, close your eyes and fall asleep Let the angels guide your dreams And let that pain unwind behind you And float away on silent streams You must live your life the best you can Though you'll sometimes do your worst And learn to laugh when you fail It's not the end of the world Your life's a play you can't rehearse Don't make big plans for tomorrow You can't control what lies ahead You must try to live each moment As it comes instead There's no use dreaming of a perfect future Or regretting a troubled past It's only today that counts Live it like it might be your last It's only today that counts Live it like it might be your last Da da la da da la la It never helps to worry It never hurts to pray Tomorrow will come soon enough Try to take care of today Just relax, trust your life to God The future is in his hands And only faith will help you face your life's demands There's no use dreaming of a perfect future Or regretting a troubled past It's only today that counts And this might be your last It's only today that counts So live it like it might be your last Live it like it might be your last So live it like it might be your last
12.
A thief fell out of heaven with some loaded dice But the lamb rolled a seven back to paradise The bread was finally leavened so I had a slice And the sun began to rain Water swelled from fountains and then turned to wine Rocks fell from the mountains in a chorus line He came in tails and top hat and he looked so fine Yes the son began to reign A fox snuck in to steal away the grapes But the man who ran the vineyard shut the gate So he could not escape And now we'll live forever in another land Everything is ending like it first was planned Did you get your invitation to come play in the band And let the son begin to reign​
13.
Mo' guitar [Spoken] Mmm, mama killed a chicken, she thought it was a duck She put it on the table with his legs sticking up Papa broke his glasses when he fell down drunk Tried to drown the kitty cat, turned out to be a skunk You gotta watch what you're doing Didn't you know Yeah you gotta watch where you're going Didn't you know Little Joe Billy went fishing for trout Played hooky from school 'til the cops found out Didn't have a father, was an only child His mama never beat him so he grew up wild You gotta watch what you're doing Yeah I knew a girl, sweet as could be But she fell for a man like a chain sawed tree She listened to his lies, was fooled by his charms Now she's sitting with a baby in her arms You gotta watch what you're doing Didn't you know You gotta watch what you're doing You oughta know that You gotta watch out Watch out Well everything's fine till things get bad Then you sit around thinking 'bout the good times you had But it ain't no good to lead a life of sin If you don't shape up you know you'll never get in You better watch what you're doing Ah don't you know You oughta know where you're going Do you know Some folks smile, they seem alright Then you later find out it was an angel of light Try to love everybody but don't be blind 'Cause some kind of people try to mess your mind You gotta watch who you know yeah Some folks say that the good Lord's dead That he doesn't exist 'cept inside your head I wonder how many gonna be surprised When they look straight up and see him coming through the skies You gotta watch what you're doing Don't you know 'Cause he does yeah You know he watches what you're doing Yes he does You better know where you're going (Ooh ooh) Yeah yeah yeaow (Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh) Well well well hutz sut sut Well well well hutz hutz a mutza C'mon pilgrim, you know he loves you He loves you more than he loves this cloven earth Don't make your life bad and start acting like an idiot
14.
The switch is off, the lights are out It took no special wisdom To pull the plug and cut the wires And now you're out of my system It took me years to change the gears I could barely twist 'em But now you're gone the tears have dried, I died Now you're out of my system You're out of my You're out of my system [x2] You led me on with words of love I just couldn't resist 'em baby You never meant those things you said, that's all right You're out of my system Wo oh oh oh You're out of my You're out of my system You're out of my You're out of my You're out of my You're out of my system [x2] You'd disappear until the morning light So many alibis I can't list 'em baby I used to lie awake at night, all right Now you're out of my You know you're out of my You ran around with other men Ooh you made love and kissed 'em baby But now you're gone do what you want I don't care because you're out of my You know you're out of my You're out of my You're out of my system You're out of my You're out of my You're out of my You're out of my system Yeah yeah yeah yeah
15.
Woman Of God 03:37
​I need a woman who doesn't take drugs, don't mess with men Believes the bible, despises sin Lifts me up instead of knocking me down Follows God 'stead of running around I need a woman who's kind and true I haven't found her but until I do I'll be looking for a woman of God A woman with a righteous heart I'm looking for a woman of God Who doesn't easily fall apart I need a woman who knows the measure of what she's worth Stores up treasure but not on earth Seeks God's will in all that's done And keeps her mind on the holy one I need a woman who's kind and true I haven't found her but until I do I'll be looking for a woman of God A woman with a righteous heart I'm looking for a woman of God Who doesn't easily fall apart The bible says a good wife who can find, she's more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband is glad in her. She does him good, not evil, all her days. She reaches her hand out to the poor. She reaches out to the needy. And her children shall rise up and call her blessed [Spoken] I'm looking for a woman like that A woman with a righteous heart You know I'm looking for a woman of God Who doesn't fall apart Oh oh wo-oh-oh Well I'm looking for a woman of God A woman with a righteous heart (You know) I'm looking​ for a woman of God Who doesn't easily fall apart Well I'm looking for a woman of God A woman (with a righteous) a righteous heart Yes I'm looking​ for a woman of God Who doesn't easily fall apart Ye-ee-yeah Well I'm looking for a woman of God A woman with a righteous heart I'm looking​ for a woman of God Who doesn't fall apart
16.
​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
17.
Soul On Fire 05:04
​​Ow ow ​ When I was a little boy In a all black neighbourhood Well it was rough and tumble in a concrete jungle Hard to do the things you should But I walked the straight and narrow I kept looking higher Because Jesus He set my soul on fire And when I was a young man Temptation was all around And when the darkness finds you It slips up behind you Tries to knock you to the ground But I just kept on going I was so inspired Because Jesus He set my soul on fire One day a light from above shone down on my face (Ooh ooh) And lifted me up to a heavenly place (Ooh ooh) I heard voices of angels on a distant shore (Ooh ooh) And Jesus healed me (Ooh ooh) And brought me back to life once more (Ooh) Now I am a grown man With a vision locked inside my heart And I speak to men of their pride and sin And the need to be set apart And I can run like a lion I do not tire Because Jesus He sets my soul on fire Soul, soul on fire [x2] Soul on fire [x3] Soul on fire (Soul on fire) [x5] Soul on fire I can run like a lion And I do not tire Jesus set my soul on fire Soul on fire (Ah ah) Soul on fire (Tch ah) Soul on fire (Yeow) Like a lion Aaah Ugh (Ah ah-ah ah ah) Lion (Ah ah-ah ah ah ah) Aaah Ugh (Ah ah-ah ah ah) Like a Lion (Ah ah-ah ah ah ah) ​ Lion (Ah ah-ah ah ah) Aaah ​Aaah Ugh Lion
18.
​Looking for the footprints of the man who wears the sandals Ah ah ah Looking for the footprints of the man who wears the sandals Ah ah ah Ah-ah-ah
19.
Soul On Fire 04:55
​​Ow ow ​ When I was a young boy In a all black neighbourhood Well it was rough and tumble in a concrete jungle Hard to do the things you should I walked the straight and narrow I was so inspired Because Jesus He set my soul on fire And when I was a young man Temptation was all around Now when the devil finds you He slips up behind you Tries to knock you to the ground I just kept on going I kept looking higher Because Jesus He set my soul on fire One day a light from above shone down on my face (Ooh ooh) Lifted me up to a heavenly place (Ooh ooh) I felt the voices of angels from a distant shore (Ooh ooh) But Jesus healed me (Ooh ooh) And brought me back to life once more (Ooh) Now I am a grown man With a vision locked inside my heart And I speak to men of their pride and sin And the need to be set apart And I can run like a lion I do not tire Because Jesus Set my soul on fire Soul, he set my soul on fire Soul, soul on fire Soul on fire [x3] Soul on fire (Soul on fire) [x5] Soul on fire Soul on fire I can run like a lion And I do not tire Jesus set my soul on fire Soul on fire (Ah ah) Soul on fire (Tch ah) Soul on fire (Yeow) Ah ah-ah ah ah Ah ah-ah ah ah ah [x3]
20.
Mo' guitar [Spoken] Mmm, mama killed a chicken, she thought it was a duck She put it on the table with his legs sticking up Papa broke his glasses when he fell down drunk Tried to drown the kitty cat, turned out to be a skunk You gotta watch what you're doing Didn't you know Yeah you gotta watch where you're going Didn't you know Little Joe Billy went fishing for trout Played hooky from school 'til the cops found out Didn't have a father, was an only child His mama never beat him so he grew up wild You gotta watch what you're doing Yeah I knew a girl, sweet as could be But she fell for a man like a chain sawed tree She listened to his lies, was fooled by his charms Now she's sitting with a baby in her arms You gotta watch what you're doing Didn't you know You gotta watch what you're doing You oughta know that You gotta watch out Watch out Well everything's fine till things get bad Then you sit around thinking 'bout the good times you had But it ain't no good to lead a life of sin If you don't shape up you know you'll never get in You better watch what you're doing Ah don't you know You oughta know where you're going Do you know Some folks smile, they seem alright Then you later find out it was an angel of light Try to love everybody but don't be blind 'Cause some kind of people try to mess your mind You gotta watch who you know yeah Some folks say that the good Lord's dead That he doesn't exist 'cept inside your head I wonder how many gonna be surprised When they look straight up and see him coming through the skies You gotta watch what you're doing Don't you know 'Cause he does yeah You know he watches what you're doing Yes he does You better know where you're going (Ooh ooh) Yeah yeah yeaow (Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh) Well well well hutz sut sut Well well well hutz hutz a mutza C'mon pilgrim, you know he loves you He loves you more than he loves this cloven earth Don't make your life bad and start acting like an idiot
21.
​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

about

Originally released (as part of a series) celebrating thirty years of songwriting and performing by Larry, then revamped ten years later via a truncated re-issue, White Blossoms can be rather confusing given that the cassette and the two CD versions all used different tracks and even different mixes and edits from each other.

This Bandcamp release uses the second CD version as its main source, since it offers the best audio quality. Pardon Me, Righteous Rocker, Lonely By Myself, It's Only Today That Counts and Woman Of God are taken from the first CD release, as is Soul On Fire. (The revamped CD used a different version of Soul On Fire).

Tracks 17 onwards are sourced from cassette versions of the album:

Soul On Fire (from the regular cassette) is mixed / edited differently at the end compared with the original CD version.
Looking For The Footprints (from the ultra-rare pre-release cassette) fades out much less gradually than the CD version.
Soul On Fire (from the pre-release cassette) is different again.
Watch What You're Doing (from the regular cassette) is about eight seconds longer than on the CDs.
Living In The 20th Century (from the pre-release cassette) features different instrumentation and ending.

credits

released January 1, 1989

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all rights reserved

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about

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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