I don’t exactly believe in reincarnation (the way most people think of it) but I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of lovers tagging each other through eternity. The notion that a reluctant soul (not that I believe in souls the way most people think of them) might be drawn — tricked, even — back to life is an idea I’ve come back to again and again. (Along with half the other hack writers out there.)

I’m afraid this version is a bit on the stiff side. I was really struggling just getting through the darn thing… maybe because I like the song a lot but have always felt that there isn’t that much in the words or the chords and that the song depends a lot on the singer (that would be me, of course) to pull off some melodic and emotional nuances that don’t always get across.

At any rate, the compare-and-contrast crowd will definitely want to check out the ‘produced’ version at the bottom of the download/play links. I’ve always been fond of the recording, myself, because it captures a substantially different aspect of my singing.

AYoS acoustic version:

produced version [soundclick — link updated]

10,000 years

Up against the wall
the moon was in her eyes
I felt her heart beat
I heard her sigh

I touched her cheek
a tear met my hand
I didn’t know it then
but that tear fell to her plan

10,000 years
is not a day too long
since the world began
I’ve been hangin round here
waiting for you to come along

I have seen that shining light
one too many times
I have heard the angels sing
while I riddled the devil’s rhymes

“I have seen your eyes
burn into my soul
I have seen the truth
and I will never again be whole”

10,000 years…

I’d do it all again
and still come back for more
I know how it’s all gotta end
but I’ll never know what it’s all for

Until the end of time
there’s not that long to go
I thought I knew heaven’s secrets
what the hell did I know?

10,000 years
is not a day too long
since the world began
I’ve been hangin round here
waiting for you to come along