From Barely There Studio
Our newest song...
LOVE COMES BACK AGAIN (c) Janus (Foreman Barnes) 2024 LOVE COMES BACK AGAIN Well, here I go again Coming in from the cold I thought love had passed me by And I was getting old But love comes back again Like a long forgotten hymn Broken hearts begin to mend When love comes back again So here I am again Guess I'm still a fool All those years of wasted time And suddenly there's you Love comes back again And things that might have been Never matter in the end When love comes back again It never was easy The things that we've been through I know that you're not perfect Well, I'm not perfect too But then it was easy All my games in vain I could be a vagabond And you'd love me just the same Your love comes down around me Like rainfall in the spring Filling me with life again Like waking from a dream Love comes back again The past is what has been All that matters in the end Is love comes back again
SERENDIPITY
I didn't expect ever to write a love song again. Guess I'm still a fool.
Back Pages
LOOK BOTH WAYS (c) Janus (Foreman Barnes) 2021 Rolled up to the corner and I shifted down Made a right and got clobbered by a speeding clown There's many a stumble in the human race One thing I learned you gotta look both ways Look to the left and the light turns red Look to the right and the light goes dead Don't get caught up in a useless daze I suggest you gotta learn to look both ways Look both ways Look both ways When the world's out of whack and the train's off the track You better settle down When the stars are falling and your life is calling Better take a good look around (Solo) It's a long hard climb in a zero sum game 99 ways to say the holy name 99 ways you can fall from grace My advice to you is learn to look both ways Look both ways Look both ways Keep your eyes open till the end of days I suggest you better learn to look both ways
Title song for the next album. It started as an experiment when a friend said it seemed like we had settled into a guitar/piano mode, so this wasn't. Until the addition of lead guitar and bass at the end of the process, it was comprised of all orchestral instruments. Then, of course, Greg Gero (lead guitar) and Bill Wolfe (bass) spoiled it all. This might be as close to rock as we get.
RAINY DAY SONG (c) Janus (Barnes Foreman) 2022 Listen to the sound of the falling rain Rainy day knocking on my window pane, oh me Rainy day song can't last much longer now Raindrops, raindrops on and on Count the number of days she's been gone from me Rainy day song can't last much longer now But oh I don't know, the rain may turn to snow Or it may never go, never go away And all of the dreams that I've held on to May not see me through another day Listen to the sound of the wind and rain Rainy day howling like a hurricane, oh me Rainy day song can't last much longer now Maybe it will pass like a summer squall Or is the sound of the raindrops all that is left for me? Rainy day song can't last much longer now And no, I don't mind getting cold and wet What I mind is I can't forget about you And all of the trees shake their leaves angrily Like they think I'm too blind to see, ever see the truth Listen to the sound of the pouring rain Rainy day pounding on my window pane, oh me Rainy day song can't last much longer now Rainy day song can't last much longer now
So Mike felt my song Stone Tears wasn't sad enough and went to work. Hope you enjoy this dark concoction. We feel better just being done with it. Oddly enough, we were working on it during the one week of the year when it rains in LA. Thanks as always to our sterling bass player, Sterling Bill Wolfe.
CRAZY LIFE (c) Janus (Foreman Barnes) 2021 Waiting for the sun to shine tomorrow Annie promised it would come again Maybe skies will clear up later All I'm seeing now is rain You search for your love It’s not who you thought Your reach for the stars and Trip on your heart It's a big old world Full of fun and games When the clouds roll in Expect some rain Used to love a lady but I lost her Probably was more my fault than hers Other women came and went their way Not sure what all of that was worth Once loved a woman Now I don’t Said she’d always love me But I guess she won’t It's a big old world Full of fun and games When the wheels fall off You can try again I've been up and down Had my hopes revised Been round and round This crazy life Can’t say I knew what I was doing All my theories seemed to slip away Can’t say I knew where I was going Looking for a hideaway You search for your soul It's not where you thought It has to be paid for Can’t just be bought It's a big old world Full of fun and games When the wheels fall off You can try again I've been up and down Had my dreams downsized Been all around This crazy life I've been up and down Had my hopes revised Been round and round This crazy life
This one was in the chute for a while. It was finished while we were assembling our second CD, and we didn't want to distract from that. If you're a Facebook friend (and if not, you're welcome to ask) you know I posted a link on my page to a copy of the song on SoundCloud. We're trying to figure out a way to get songs out to our friends in a place where others might stumble across it. Something better than a mailing list and Facebook. Suggestions welcome. Anyway, we're fairly proud of this new song. Even if I didn't like the song itself, I think it's the best job I've done producing -- recording, arranging, orchestrating, mixing -- a piece of music. Mike's harmonies are, as always, tight and right, as is his guitar work. Bill Wolfe dropped in with a tasty bass line. My cup runneth over.
ROW - (c) Janus (Barnes Foreman) 2021 The sky was dark and the river was black, but my mind was darker still I rowed my old boat frantically till I ran out of strength and will Then a voice came out of the darkness from a boat even older than mine I asked the old man if he need a hand, but he said he was 'doing just fine' He said "Son, you're lost and troubled, full of distaction and dismay Let me teach you a simple song to help you along your way" And he sang Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream I figured that he was crazy, I knew he must be insane Sitting there singing his silly song on the river in the rain He said "Son, you'd better start singing." I said "I only know the blues." He said "I think it's time to change your tune. What have you got to lose?" So we sang (chorus) We sang that song the whole day long, and we sang it through the night He said "Wherever you row and wherever you go, let your heart be merry and light (Choruses)
This was just for fun. No excuse for it, really. Mike was just playing around and, you know, pretty soon a song came out. We couldn't resist recording it.
EVERYTHNG GETS EATEN (c) Janus (Barnes Foreman) BY SOMETHING ELSE Birdies are flying on a beautiful day Creatures are waking to their children at play But there's snakes in the bushes and hawks in the sky Seems like something is about to die It all looks so tasty they can't help themselves Everything gets eaten by something else The top of the food chain's not exempt from this fate We just won't believe it until it's too late From the lowliest soul to the folks in Who's Who Not thnking about it won't make it less true Everyone among us will be swept off the shelf Everything gets eaten by something else There goes a lynch mob, here comes a war There goes a president rotten to the core They'll steal all your money, your life and your soul Tear you to pieces or swallow you whole Hey Mr Butcher, can you kill me a cow? Hurry I'm hungry, just don't tell me how Violence lurks in an ignorant heart Where compassion is hoping to be give a part In the shadowy places where these feeling dwell Everything gets eaten by something else Zombies are coming to eat you alive Okay, not real zombies, but you still won't survive Consumed in our coffins or eaten by flame No one's escaping due to fortune or fame And while we're all waiting to bid you farewell Everything gets eaten by something else (Inst) Here comes the Reaper to take you for a ride Buddy, you can run, but there's nowhere to hide It's death without taxes, it's pain with no gain And what happens afterward, I can't explain There's no one to save you, not even yourself Everything gets eaten by something else
Here comes the Reaper! Sarcastic, sardonic and downright unsympathetic, Mike's new song is just what the doctor forgot to order. Everything, he reminds us, gets eaten by something else. But you don't have to listen to the lyrics to enjoy. It's a pretty good rocking blues. Special thanks to Bill Wolfe on bass and Greg Gero on guitar, who make the whole thing bite. Enjoy! If you can.
STONE TEARS (c) Janus (Foreman Barnes) 2021 I hope you're doing well Hope things work out fine Yes at first it took my breath away In the end I didn't mind So go and hug your loverman Keep him close in heart and mind You and I we fell apart so long ago It was a different time These days I see with different eyes I'm glad you're still prepared to dare You lost your way and now you're coming back But it's not my place to care Stone tears in the dead of night Old blood in the rain A heart abandoned years ago And never claimed Stupid love's a losing game And not for those who have to win A heart that's bigger than the one you want That winds up empty in the end And I'm so stupid, I have to say It's not her fault but only mine I'm the one who made her walk away Then loved her all this time Stone tears in the dead of night Cold blood on the ground A heart went missing years ago And was never found It doesn't matter that it might have been There's nothing more I could have said I made a life and lived it well Stone tears of regret Stone tears of regret
Finally, another Janus song. Bet you could hardly wait. This one was hard, and life bounced me around in the middle of it -- food poisoning, loss of a kitten, and more. Finishing it feels for several reasons like a graduation. Mike provided guitar, backup vocals (tasty as always) and emotional support. Bill Wolfe played bass, and once again gives the song some needed backbone. Ah, when to the heart of man Was it ever less than a treason To go with the drift of things To yield with a grace to reason And bow and accept at the end Of a love or a season -- Robert Frost
DON’T KNOW HOW (c) Janus (Barnes Foreman) 2021 I wish that I could tell you - just like Cyrano With flowery words of love to set your heart aglow Just how much I love you and let my feelings show But I don’t know how I wish that I could sound - just like a Valentine card Or cherish and embrace you - in a sonnet like the bard I don’t know why each time I try it’s so damn hard I just don’t know how Maybe I’m just helpless without a pen Maybe it’s a direction I just can’t bend (doesn’t mean I don’t love you) I know that you deserve - to be reassured And that I can’t express myself - must seem absurd Don’t think that I don’t have feelings just because I don’t have words I just don’t know how Don’t think I don’t know it’s overdue Don’t think, don’t think I don’t love you (cause that isn’t true) I’m enamored and enraptured - when it comes to you Infatuated, frustrated - fascinated too I tried to write a serenade but this’ll have to do I just don’t know how
Cyrano with a guitar. Mike doesn't write flowery poems like Cyrano, but he sings and plays the guitar better. This is for all the tongue-tied Romeos, or even the Juliets.
RUNWAY (c) Janus (Foreman Barnes) 2022 I'm up here in a rickety plane With a city down below I'd like to set her down But I'm not sure where to go I'd settle for an open field Someplace soft and green I'm slowly losing altitude On these shaky wings And oh it's getting just a little cold up here I don't know how much longer I can steer I need to find a runway on the ground A place where I can finally throttle down Or maybe I could just fly away Fly away It's been a long old ride Some pleasure and some pain Sometimes I'm tired of flying In this beat-up plane But the ride has sure been fine If not exactly clear Maybe I can keep flying Until I disappear I wish us all fair winds and a gentle dawn I hope you find the hope you need to carry on If somehow I just can't seem to find a way I'll just keep flying till I fly away Fly away Fly away Fly away
Another song with a long gestation and slow birth. Other than some lyrics, the original version was nothing like the final. Different speed, different melody. On top of it, the song changed to 3/4 time, and I realized to my amazement that I had never written or played a song in 3/4. I may have sung a few. Mike was almost equally blank. On top of it, the lyric started easy and finished hard. Most of the words are mine, but a significant and crucial part is from my partner, bless 'im. He's also the best harmony singer I've ever worked with. Thanks also to bass player Bill Wolfe who adds his fundamental touch. He was another 3/4 novice, so we all grew some with this one.
LOOK OUT YOUR WINDOW (c) Barnes Foreman, 2022 I couldn't tell if you were telling me lies I never knew with you What you said and did was always a surprise and I didn't know what to do But my fears were foolish Every word that you said was true So look out your window, darling I'm already on my way When I left, I never really left you I never really went away Now I find I was mistaken Now I know that I was blind Now I see that from the moment I left I lost my mind But I know my way back I pray that you'll be there too So look out your window, darling I may already be there I'll be the one with his heart in his hands and a lot of love to spare
First of two. Hand two songwriters the same tune and have each write a song. An interesting challenge that we did to ourselves. One of my tools is a keyboard program that has hundreds of loops in dozens of styles. Normally, when I go looking, I already have something in mind. This time, I just assembled verses, choruses, prechoruses, bridges, intro and outro from here and there, putting the snippets before the tune, so to speak. This is Mike's submission. Mine is already roughed out but I set it aside to finish this. Now I have to try to equal it. Whose dumb idea was this? Thanks to Bill Wolfe for again providing the bass track.
LOOKING BACK (c) Janus (Foreman Barnes) 2022 Looking back to my old home town It was oh so simple then I packed my bags without a second thought And put my life before the wind I thought it was easy What did I know? Had some good times in the bright lights city Had good friends of heart and mind Sometimes, though, I still remember All the things I left behind Little town with farms around Two-lane highways and gravel roads Christian as the rock of ages Autumn leaves and winter snows It wasn't that easy Some parts stay behind Looking down I can see the old town Looking out in the dark of night Looking back to the road I've traveled Looking up I can see the light Had some good times in the bright lights city Had good friends of heart and mind Sometimes, though, I still remember All the things I left behind Looking down Looking out Looking back Looking up
Second of a pair. Two songwriters take the same tune and write separate songs to it. Mike's song, Look Out Your Window, has already been posted. This is mine. It's entirely an accident that both song titles start with Look, and that our new album will be called Look Both Ways. The songs, of course, are completely unrelated. We didn't peek during the writing process. Mine was already taking shape when we undertook the challenge (self-imposed), but I set it aside to work on Mike's. I thought it would go quickly, but life interfered. One car breakdown and one visit from a relative later, we got to work and soon finished. Pity Bill Wolfe, who had to come up with two different bass parts for the same tune. Mine is pretty much pure nostalgia. My 60th high school reunion is coming up in a couple of months. Guess I was thinking about that.
THE STAND (c) Janus (Foreman Barnes), 2023 ---------------------------------------- When the sun comes up tomorrow, they'll be coming in I don't know if I'll get a chance to write to you again Orders just came down that we're to hold them if we can The sky is turning gray You and the kids are somewhere in the south I got a message that you were safely out You slipped outside of the dragon's mouth I'm so glad you got away Stand fast Hold the line Stand fast Hold the line The wolf's Can you lend We didn't ask But we're at the door us a hand? for this war making a stand Freedom! Freedom! Freedom we cry We must fight for freedom Or freedom will die My friend Oleksiy was killed last night Caught in the crossfire of a sudden fight He was a father and it isn't right He was here just yesterday Stand fast Hold the line Stand fast Hold the line They don't They just want If they Guess who care about us to have more take us down they're coming for Freedom! Freedom! Let devils attack We have tasted freedom We won't go back I send my love to you and the children too I hope there'll be a chance for you to come home soon I hope we have the strength to carry through If not, go on alone Freedom Freedom Freeedom Freedom Stand fast Hold the line Stand fast Hold the line
A LONG TIME COMING
Work on this song began more than a year, but it had to wade through health problems, holidays and travel. Maybe it's not too late.
We stand firmly with the Ukrainian people, and especially with their brave soldiers. It is one thing to shake your fist in the air and a very different thing to put your life on the line to repel a bully. Our hopes are with them.
SOMETHING MORE (c) Janus (Barnes Foreman) 2023 Things aren't always what they seem to be We're just two casualties lost to the war We've been trying to pretend That we had something more Just like waking from a dream where You and I are one and finding you are gone It's not like it was before When we had something more Change happens -- Especially in our hearts Things can only stay together till they fall apart One of us must be the first to say It's done And be the one who's out the door Though there's no way to be sure We might find something more So I'll leave with nothing Simply seeking something more
BLEAK
No getting around it. This is not Mike's most optimistic song. Not even second place. It's a goodbye song.
I have been assured that it's just a song, a memory from the past. That's true, I'm sure. I've met his wife, and she's a keeper.
SOMETHING MORE (c) Janus (Barnes Foreman) 2023 Things aren't always what they seem to be We're just two casualties lost to the war We've been trying to pretend That we had something more Just like waking from a dream where You and I are one and finding you are gone It's not like it was before When we had something more Change happens -- Especially in our hearts Things can only stay together till they fall apart One of us must be the first to say It's done And be the one who's out the door Though there's no way to be sure We might find something more So I'll leave with nothing Simply seeking something more
BLEAK
No getting around it. This is not Mike's most optimistic song. Not even second place. It's a goodbye song.
I have been assured that it's just a song, a memory from the past. That's true, I'm sure. I've met his wife, and she's a keeper.
More to come
About:
Two Criminals and Accomplices
Janus is Thom Foreman and Mike Barnes. We'd been recording together as Janus for nearly two years when we discovered we were not the only band of that name. Few thoughts are so clever no one else has had them. Okay, you can think of us as the old farts edition of Janus. Both of us are in our 70s, so don't get too committed to the fan club. We're joined regularly by bass player Bill Wolfe and occasionally by guitarist Greg Gero.
Mike and I have been friends since we were in a (thoroughly unprofitable) band back when, and remained friends when I had to leave. We both earned our livings doing other things, and now we have time to make music. I moved back to LA eventually, but what prompted us to start working together again was the advent of computer-based recording. I began experimenting but soon got tired of recording myself. Mike joined me, we started making songs as Janus, and here we are several years later with three CDs (almost) and a modest fan base.
Barely There Studio is just my bedroom workspace, which is actually the cockpit of my life. What can be done these days within these limitation is remarkable, with tools that -- for home computers -- were little more than digital cassette recorders only a decade ago. It has caused an explosion and democratization of recording. Pro studios still have a key role, but the gap is narrowing.
These are songs from the heart. We hope you'll find a few that you enjoy.
Speak, O Treasured One:
“Without music, life would be a mistake”
-- Friedrich Nietzsche