By The Time I Get to Phoenix

November 2025 By The Time I Get to Phoenix by Jimmy Webb; changes by Debra Milligan By the time I get to Phoenix He’ll be rising He’ll find the note I left hanging on his door. He’ll laugh when he reads the part that says “I’m leaving” Cause I’ve left that man so many times before. By the time I make Albuquerque He’ll be working He’ll probably stop at lunch And give me a call. But he’ll just hear that phone keep on ringing Off the wall That’s all. By the

Breaking Free

1 day ago

Something Stupid

1 November 2025 Something Stupid by C. Carson Parks; changes by Debra Milligan I know you stand in line until I think I have the time to spend an evening with you. And if we go someplace to dance, I know that there’s a chance I won’t be leaving with you. Afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have some tea for two And then you go and spoil it all By saying something stupid Like, I love you. You can see it in my eyes That I despise the same old line

Incoming Signals

2 days ago

True Love

All Saints’ Day 2025 True Love by Cole Porter I give to you and you give to me True love, True love So on and on, It will always be True love, True love For you and I have a guardian angel On high With nothing to do But to give to you and to give to me Love forever true. Yes, you and I have a guardian angel On high With nothing to do But to give to you and to give to me Love forever true Love Forever true.

Home Notes

2 days ago

Legend of the West

1 November 2025 I bought a new dress the other day. The garment was advertised/labeled as “Wedding Guest Dress”. I laughed as I pulled the trigger on the online purchase. The thing is semi-backless. You tie two fabric sections in the back to create your own level of special and unique decency, or indecency, at the Sacred Event. Weddings sure aren’t what they used to be. Then again, neither are marriages! I recall my own wedding. One of my much older sisters served

Home Notes

3 days ago

Queen of Denial

31 October 2025 Queen of Denial by Pam Tillis, Bob DiPiero and Jan Buckingham; Changes by Debra Milligan Well, I said he had a lot of potential. He was just so misunderstood. You know, he really didn’t mean to treat me so mean: He wanted to be good. And I swore, One day I’d tame him, even though he loved to run hog wild. Just call me Cleopatra cause I’m the Queen of Denial. I knew he didn’t have any money That’s why he couldn’t buy me a ring. Oh, and just be

Feeling Zen

4 days ago

The Tanya Tucker Defense

29 October 2025 End-of-Year Resolutions: The Tanya Tucker Defense Many years ago, I used to use the Tanya Tucker Defense to explain why things didn’t work out between Me and Older Guy. “Well, he was older than me. I thought he knew what he was doing.” I tossed that one out by the time I was thirty. I moved on to making resolutions, and I soon discovered that the ones I made at the End-of-the-Year were the most dicey. I don’t know if it’s a matter of my instinctive

Ready to Ride

4 days ago

Walk Away, René

24 October 2025 Walk Away, René by Michael Brown, Bob Calilli, and Tony Sansone; Changes and French translation by Debra Milligan And when I see the sign that points one way The lot we used to pass by every day. Just walk away, René You won’t see me follow you back home. The empty sidewalks on my block, they are not the same You’re not to blame. From deep inside, the tears I’m forced to cry From deep inside, the pain that I chose to hide. Just walk away, René

Tales from My Times

Oct 23

Sitting by the Side of the Road

20 October 2025 Sitting by the Side of the Road Original version, Sentado à beira do caminho, by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos; Changes in English by Debra Milligan I can’t stay here waiting anymore for you to suddenly come back to me So many cars and hurried trucks pass me by I am sitting by the side of a never-ending road My gaze wanders into the distance of a sad road Where the sadness and nostalgia of your love still exist. And this Sun burning on my face is th

My Muse - The Car

Oct 20

The Shadow of Your Smile

Halloween 2025 The Shadow of Your Smile Music by Johnny Mandel, with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster The shadow of your smile, when you are gone Will color all my dreams and light the dawn. Look into my eyes, my love, and see All the lovely things you are to me. Our wistful little star was far too high A teardrop kissed your lips and so did I Now when I remember spring All the joy that love can bring I will be remembering The shadow of your smile. One day we wa

Vocal Interludes

Oct 15

Eating the Golden Goose

15 October 2025 There are times when I look at the state of the State of California, and I alternate between laughing and not laughing. I don’t cry because the Golden State is not worth my tears. This vast domain has always been a loony legislative playground for Marxists Under the Dome. The rest of us, the hard-working citizens who live outside of the urban zones, and way beyond the coast, we do our best to ignore the parasites, survive them, triumph over them. The late

Return to L'AUBE

Oct 15

Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo

14 October 2025 Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo Music by Bronislaw Kaper, with lyrics by Helen Deutsch; French translation by Debra Milligan A song of love is a sad song Hi-lili, hi-lili, hi-lo A song of love is a song of woe Don’t ask me how I know A song of love is a sad song For I have loved and it’s so I sit at the window and watch the rain Hi-lili, hi-lili, hi-lo Tomorrow, I’ll probably love again Hi-lili, hi-lili, hi-lo On every tree there sits a bird, singing a song of love

Turning the Page

Oct 13