The Summertimes Portrait Studio

Hi everyone,

While I haven't put my guitar, pen and notebook down entirely, I have been dedicating most of my time and effort to other things this year. I have completed a course in small business management (as well as attending seminars and workshops on marketing, social medial, and a whole lot of other business related stuff), and have been applying everything I've learned to our portrait photography studio.

The Summertimes Portrait Studio originally began in 2009 (as Summertime Photography), photographing babies, families, couples and even a few weddings! Over the last few years, Jane has really focused her skills on newborn portraits and has become pretty darn good at them! While I (Chris) have put my "teacher's hat" on the hook, and refocused my love of working with children to include children and family portraits.

I'd love you to check out our website and like our facebook page!

www.thesummertimes.com.au
www.facebook.com/summertimephotography

I'd also love to invite you to come and experience The Summertimes Portrait Studio for yourself! You may enquire through our website, or give me a call directly on 0431 936 750.

Chris :)

Brown Eyed Girl

Written by Chris Summertime,2007-13. 

Baby come and dance with me,

Put your hand in mine, 

we'll take it slow. 

I hope that you will forgive me,

When you step left, I step right

On your toes. 

But I'm sure, that it's you I adore. 

Baby come and sing with me,

The sound track to our lives,

By me and you. 

The rhythm and the melody,

Remind me of the Summertime,

With you.

Now I'm sure, that it's you that I adore.

So I say, Baby,

It's time to stop telling me maybe,

'Cause I don't know what else I can do,

To show you that I'm totally crazy,

I'm totally crazy about you.

I'd do anything for you,

My brown eyed girl. 

Sha la la la la la. 

Baby come and fly with me,

We'll leave these mountain valleys

far below.

And when I get down on one knee,

I pray to God you feel the way I do.

'Cause I'm sure,

That you're the only one

I'll ever adore.

So I say, Baby,

It's time to stop telling me maybe,

'Cause I don't know what else I can do,

To show you that I'm totally crazy,

I'm totally crazy about you

I'd do anything for you,

My brown eyed girl. 

Sha la la la la la.

Sha la la la la la duh di dah. 

Sha la la la la dah di dah, oh yeah, 

La dah di dah, oh yeah

La dah di dah di dah.

Where have all the good people gone?

Where have all the good people gone?

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of lies,

Four and twenty politicians with fire in their eyes.

When the lies were exposed they change their tune to sing,

“I didn’t know. It’s not my fault. It wasn’t me.”

Where’ve all the good people gone?

I don’t know, I don’t know.

What’s to become of us all?

I don’t know, I don’t know.

I bet the streets of heaven are empty tonight.

Well Humpty Dumpty sat up on his wall

So high above the others, and self appointed as judge of them all.

Well my dear Humpty, I hope that you will recall:

That after pride, there comes a fall.

Where’ve all the good people gone?

I don’t know, don’t know.

What’s to become of us all?

I don’t know, I don’t know.

I bet the streets of heaven are empty tonight.

Mary’s little lamb was once as white as snow.

It followed Mary to the dirty places she would go.

The alcohol and chemicals brought wolves to steal her soul.

And now her heart is black as coal.

Where’ve all the good people gone?

I don’t know. I don’t know.

What’s to become of us all?

I don’t know. Oh, I don’t know.

I bet the streets of heaven are empty tonight,

While the sinners and the hypocrites sit outside.

I pray to God that I might be wrong,

‘Cause I’m not quite sure which side I’ll be sitting on.

Like a Thief

I always start with good intentions,

And somehow they descend into the void and rise in distant memories.

You whisper to my conscience,

But this guilt, my only constant, starts to scream.

You seem as distant as a dream.

As distant as you seem, if you pinch me, I will scream!

You said you’ll come like a thief. I won't lie, I've been hoping

I sleep with one eye open.

The world cries “Peace and Safety!” but on their words they’re choking

I sleep with one eye open.

This song is my last confession, and my latest obession. 

In true form I’ve lost myself in this again.

You said, “Seek not melodies, but seek justice for the needy.”

Break me down,

And make this heart of stone bleed.

Just like a thief in the night,

No time to run, no strength to fight,

There right before your eyes,

The world will meet its demise,

And all our gold turns to rust,

And all our castles to dust,

In your presence.

(c) 2010 Chris Summertime.

This is the latest song that I've completed. I started it, sitting by the fireplace in Ireland just after New Years, 2010, and finally finished it about a month ago. I've run through the song a few times with my mate Josh and it's been mad to play. I can't wait to record it.

Ten Thousand

Ten Thousand

(Words for a Soldier That Will Never Bring You Home)

Ten thousand stars in the midnight sky,    

 but they can’t hold back the dawn.

Ten thousand acres of blue skies,

           but they can’t hold back the storm.

Ten thousand reasons why you should stay tonight,

And still, you say, ‘Goodbye.’

Ten thousand gallons of ocean blue,

          will surrender to the tide.

Ten thousand ships to defend one love,

          while true love is vilified.

Ten thousand secret smiles, in abandon spend a while,

Before you say, ‘Goodbye.’

Ten thousand soldiers together stand,

          one by one lost to the mud.

Ten thousand colours define the land,

          but they can’t obscure the blood.

Ten thousand pages stained with tears I can’t restrain,

Each time you say, ‘Goodbye.’

Ten thousand roses embrace your grave,

but they can’t  bring back the dead.

Ten thousand voices in disarray,

unyielding in my head.

Ten thousand tears are cried, when love and hate and fears collide,

My love, don’t say, ‘Goodbye.’

© 2008 Chris Summertime

Darkness

Darkness,

I feel complete, alone with you.

All my mistakes,

All my iniquities,

All my flaws are covered by your cloak.

I have control, alone with you.

All my actions,

All my choices,

My every move is concealed by you.

And I need not justify them to anyone.

Nobody can criticize me and say

“You should have not done that”

When they know not what I’ve done.

Nobody can question me and ask,

“Why did you do what you did?”

When they’ve seen not what I’ve become.

How I plaster over tiny cracks,

Paint and sand back smooth.

But deny the desperate structural flaws.

Yet…

I know what I have done.

I cannot hide my sin.

I own my guilt.

I own my shame.

I cannot free myself from my pain.

I need God.

God,

I’m so frightened here, alone.

Take this life. Take this heart.

I need You to take this person, I am known.

Break this life and break this heart.

I hand my life over to You.

Let Your light shine right through me.

Let the darkness no longer rule me.

These bitter winds no longer blow right through me.

But hold me close, let Your love pursue me.

And bring me back to You.

Amen.

Something More

You can break my guitar and you can break my bones,

But you're never gonna break my heart.

You can forget the words and where the melody goes,

You can take it back to the start.

You can take the red pill, have your mind set free,

But if you don’t like what you find then don't blame me.

Is that the way it's gonna be?

I'm not satisfied,

There's gotta be something more to life,

Feelings I cannot hide,

I'm lonely.

You can sing about your woes into a microphone,

But it's never gonna be enough.

You can cross the world through every desert known,

But we'll never be far apart.

You can leave behind everything that you've known

Feeling out done and overgrown.

To late to say I told you so.

I'm not satisfied

There’s gotta be something more to life,

Feelings I cannot hide,

I'm lonely

(c) Chris Summertime 2003

Falling Apart

Do you think about tomorrow,
Or are you caught up in today;
Or does the past remind you
That your troubles won't go away,
When it seems your existence
Just echos yesterday
Memories forgotten
Can help you find your way.

He's here when everything's breaking down,
Hes here when all your friends are walking out,
He's here and He hears you calling out,
He'll help you through when everythings falling apart.

When your grip on life is slipping,
Do you watch it all fall away?
Don't you think He'll listen,
If you were to call his name?

'Cos you know that God is faithful,
He's your shelter from the rain,
and whatever life dumps on you,
your debt is already paid.

He's here when everything's breaking down,
Hes here when all your friends are walking out,
He's here and He hears you calling out,
He'll help you through when everythings falling apart.

(c) Chris Summertime 2002

Dark Skies

We live under dark skies.
Or is it just your dark eyes,
That narrow down your vision so u can hardly see?
Seems like that to me.

Like shadows on a dark night,
Cast down by the pale moon light,
They flicker unseen and silently,
But they offer no release from the pain inside of me.

Separate the sun from the shine,
And you too can uncloud your mind.
Once more u can see clearly
And see everything as it was meant to be.
We live under dark skies!
And for that very reason I won't wear no disguise.
I'm gonna live my life by the light that shines,
By the Son who died, whose name was Jesus Christ!

These dark skies,
Your dark lies
Cloud these innocent minds,
But the Son still shines!

Jesus died,
Was crucified,
So I don't have to live under your dark skies.
He rose to life,
He's by my side,
So I don't have to put up with YOU!
DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH YOUR LIES!
GET BEHIND ME!!!
DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH YOUR LIES!
GET BEHIND ME!!!
 
These dark skies,
Your dark lies
Cloud these innocent minds,
But the Son still shines!


(c) Chris Summertime 2002

Ode to the guy next door

The guy next door,
Yeah, he's great guy,
He's my favourite neighbour
And here's why:
He never complains
about the "music" we play,
or calls the police,
when we've been playing all day.
He never yells,
"SHHHHHHHHAAADDDDDDDDUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPP"
You know who you are,
This is an ode to you.

He's got a dog ,
that goes yap yap yap yap yap yap yap yap yap
Its yaps bug me
so I yap at it back "yap yap yap yap yap yap"

He never leans out of the window
and barks at us in disapproval
He never yells,
"OI!!! QUIT BARKING AT MY DOG!!"
You know who you are,
This is an ode to you.

He never complains
about the "music" we play,
or calls the police
when we've been playing all day.
He never leans out of the window
and barks at us in disapproval
He never yells,
'SHUT THE HELL UP!! YOU'VE BEEN PLAYING ALL DAY!! YOU GUYS JUST DONT GET IT DO YA? YOU SUCK!! YOU GUYS SUCK!!! GET OVER IT!"
You know who you are,
This is an ode to you.

© Chris Summertime 2002

Not Another Memory

I sometimes feel I’m heading in the wrong direction,

Walking in a cloud of doubt,  Livin’ life in a haze.

This executive decision to define my own position

In this world - I’m lost, like a rat in a maze.

I’m not amazed that I can’t see the road that lays before me,

Disappears into the mist, and so I can’t see the end.

It seems to twists and bends and then

at every fork I’m forced to make choice again!

Go left or right? Right or wrong?

What’s wrong ain’t right when my rights are wronged.

But what is left in the end, when everything is gone?

Won’t be long before my memory is gone.

Chorus

Not another memory without you.

Not another memory to cloud my mind.

You and I will live forever outside space and time.

Don’t have the strength to fight, or the sight to see

Exactly what it is that you’re asking of me?

What if I took a wrong turn and ended in catastrophe?

What if I ended up here, when I should’a been there?

What if I realised that you never even cared?

I try to weigh up the pros and cons,

Think head strong, but my memory is gone

Don’t have the strength to go on.

I need you to carry me through.

When this haze blows over,

And my mind become sober,

I will see clearly

And I will see you in eternity.

 

Chorus

Not another memory without you.

Not another memory to cloud my mind.

You and I will live forever outside space and time.

© Chris Summertime 2005