Self Portrait

New Songs From Days I Knew

Some new tunes from my band DAYS I KNEW:

Sorrow Field
Moving Thru Time
Lost (The Warmth of the Sun)

The Beach Boys: Smile Mix

From The Vault (Part Three)

Evermore
DIA
Nothing Good Happens at 4am

Evermore

December

Eleanor doesn't keep her face in a jar anymore
She doesn't leave the church with rice in hand, she understands
That her day will come, tho' she doesn't know where from
She believes in fate, no time for hate.

The father doesn't darn his socks in the night no more
He sleeps with the angels who linger by the door
He believes his words, they will be heard
He clings to his faith, it's not too late

ah look at all the happy people
ah look at all the happy people
ah look at all the happy people
ah loos at all the happy people

Eleanor she met a man who did implore
Her to drop all her cares and worries, there's no hurry
He's not the best but he beats all the rest
Those who left her cold and feeling old

In the stillness of the sanctuary, the wounds they do carry
They are but a taste of all that life can erase
And we can be saved at the very edge of the blade
That cuts so deep, that cuts so deep, that cuts so deep

ah look at all the happy people
ah look at all the happy people
ah look at all the happy people
ah loos at all the happy people

Eleanor Faith
Words and Music by William Bates
T21 Music 2009

Dreamland: The Video

Here is a video based on my song Dreamland from my indie
film based on the Dreamland story. The film class at the
Fine Arts Center in Greenville, SC produced the video and
did a wonderful job.

Dreamland Songs

Several years ago I made an indie film called Dreamland.
It told the story of an amusement park in my hometown of
Greenville, South Carolina that operated from the 1920s
to the 1940s. This park was a refuge from the ravages
of both the Great Depression and World War Two. The
centerpiece of the story revolved around the Floyd Family
which owned and operated the park. I also composed and
recorded a song cycle about the park. Here are several
songs from the Dreamland Song Cycle:

Blues Won't Let Me Be
I Hate To Get Up At Midnight
We Went To Dreamland

November gray: afternoon spent in lack of precision
The world of memory and the time well spent.
Regardless, redemption rattles
And spins in tandem to the nights to come.
Life, even with all its imperfections
Is sweeter than the candle dim:
Love, even with all its twists and turns
Is better than to walk this road alone.

Bates Gallery

The William Bates Hotel Podcast (Episode One)

The William Bates Hotel Podcast (Episode One)

Until The Dawn

I have been a fan of Bruce Springsteen for as long as
my adult memory flows. I felt compelled to write a tribute
in his honor. Long Live The Boss...

You Mean As Much

Early 21st Century Music

Days I Knew (Version 2)
I Love To Count The Stars
You Are My Son
Victim #22
Unconditional
The Living Heart of New York City
Three of Hearts
The Missionary Room

Cover Songs: Wm Bates

Marie's The Name (Of His Latest Flame)
Moon River
Bargain

From the Vault (Part Two)

Television X
Rock and Avant (Part Three)
Hot Snuff
Absinthe
The Road I Walk
I Am A Jelly Roll Doughnut (The JFK Mix)

Life Coaching 101

Life is simple. We live We die.
The things that happen in between can either be
controlled or not controlled.
No one "owes" you anything.
Life is inherently
unfair. Stay away (if possible)
from things that hurt you.
Things happen for a
reason. The discovery of these reasons
is called WISDOM. Etc....

A Stroll Thru Thyme

Evening Mask Series

Sorrow Field (circa 2004)
Theme From The Unforgiven Nine (circa 2000)
Greetings From The Wilderness (circa 2002)

From the Vaults

Here's a few songs I found in my archives. This was during my
one man band period...

The Calling
The Calling (Acoustic Version)
Summer Son
Come See About Me
If I Had
KMA
Ghosts
No No No
Don't Come To Me
Just Think There Was A Time
Here Comes The Mailman

I Don't Feel Sad