Story

Searching for something untouched by his brush before, Royal sat down to create his second full-length album A Good Enough Day in 2005. His vision was to create a melodic record built on the holy shoulders of honesty. To accomplish this he planned the effort around a 1950's Steinway grand piano and the melody carrying his most personal lyrics to date. Adding only the instruments necessary, what was created was a journey celebrating love and heartache and the revelations of life.

Self producing the project and being a multi-instrumentalist, Royal choose to record at renowned Reaction Studios in Toronto. Slowly crafting the record one take at time he would first lay down the piano or guitar, then add the vocal, and then slowly build the songs from there like a jigsaw puzzle.

"I remember when the first songs went down. We started with "Juliet", "Safe Haven" and "A Mirror Without" and I knew I was making something special - unlike anything I had made before. The universe was on my side." remark's Royal.

Always a perfectionist and wanting a challenge, Wood also wanted to score his first full string quartet. "On my first recording Tall Tales I used only a cello arrangement. This time around I wanted to dive in head first. It's scary, but the water gets warm quickly if you only swim with the current. "

Royal also invited a few friends to add colour to his palette. They included artists like Hawksley Workman on drums and Kurt Swinghammer on electric guitar.

The final mix of the album wrapped in December of 2005, but it would be another year before it was released on Jan 30th 2007 with Dead Daisy/Outside Music. "I create from an honest and artistic place for no one else but myself. However, once that is done, artists find themselves in a business. It took time to find the right home for the record with Dead Daisy, and then we had to release it with their cycle, so I had to sit on the music for a year. It was difficult, but I have no regrets. They were the right fit."

The result named Royal Wood songwriter of the year on ITunes, multiple national Canadian, US and European tours and the re-release of A Good Enough Day on Rounder in Europe in January 2008.

Credits

Produced by Royal Wood
Written, arranged and performed by Royal Wood
Strings arranged by Royal Wood except "Siren" arranged by Kevin Fox

The guest players included:
Hawksley Workman - drums on "Forever Were Tied"
Adam Hay - drums
Harmony Trowbridge - background vocals on "Juliet", "About You" and "Forever Were Tied"
Kurt Swinghammer - electric guitar on "Acting Crazy (It's A Breakdown)"
Paul Brennan - drums on "Siren"
Michele Gould - background vocals on "Acting Crazy (It's A Breakdown)"
Lina Allemano - trumpet
Karen Graves - 1st violin
Lenny Solomon - 2nd violin
Kathleen Kajioka - viola
Kevin Fox - cello

Recorded at Reaction Studios by Jeff Elliott
Mixed by Royal Wood and Jeff Elliott
Mastered by Fedge

Lyrics

A Good Enough Day

It’s a good enough day to love
It’s a good enough day to love
If not today, then when I say
It’s a good enough day to love

Though the sun may not be bright
The sun may not be bright
If we look inside our soul there’s light
It’s a good enough day to love

Though the blanket’s rags and torn
The blanket’s rags and torn
Turn my eyes to you there’s a warmth there too
It’s a good enough day to love

It’s a good enough day to love
It’s a good enough day to love
If not today, then when I say
It’s a good enough day to love

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Juliet

Follow me down to the edge of the town
The edge of the town where the graves are
Swallowed in weeds in the throws of those trees
The throws of the trees where my heart lie's

You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be my Juliet then
And we can drift asleep in a lover's pose
But never go away
No poison here were safe

Follow me down to the kingdom around
The edge of now where the tracks are
Swallowed in weeds in the throws of those trees
The throws of the trees where my soul lie’s

You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be Ophelia and then
And into the water we will go
But never float away
No never float

I know the bonds will grow with every passing wave
Star-crossed but we’ll never toss the strength of the poet's page
I know…
Juliet…

You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be my Juliet then
And we can drift asleep in a lover's pose
But never know
You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be my Juliet then
And we can drift asleep in a lover's pose
But never close our eyes
No we will survive

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Safe Haven

Walking with you in these wind-swept fields
Does not keep me honest when honest does feel
The furthest most reach from our fingers and I
I look to the stars and they look to your eyes
ALL ALONE

For trumpets are sounding in the distance tonight
And ravens keep winding to their endless sights
To the furthest most from our fingers and I
I look to the stars and they look to your eyes

For surely I know if I flee here tonight
That I’d be alone, a singular fright
And I’m sure that I’d crumble and crease in the weight
It’s safe in your arms, in your arms I will stay
ALL ALONE

For towers will fall and countries will too
With generals left not knowing what to do
And pleading to their Gods with prayers much too late
They will look to your eyes and I’ll not look away

For surely I know if I flee here tonight
That I’d be alone, a singular fright
And I’m sure that I’d crumble and crease in the weight
It’s safe in your arms, in your arms I will stay
Oh surely I’d crumble and crease in the weight
It’s safe in your arms, in your arms I will stay

Oh then maybe we’ll lay down, we’ll lay down
Oh in the safe haven that we’ve made, that we’ve made
Oh…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Mirror Without

I keep on running from the buildings tall
The buildings tall surround
Like in a circus oh a circus tent
A circus tent I’m a clown

What good's a mirror without a face
Without a face

I keep on shelling out my memories
My memories like cash
Except they do not hold a currency
A currency that lasts

What good's a mirror without a face
Without a face
Ahhh
Ahhh

I’d like to lie back in the certainty
The certainty of you
But now I realize there is nothing
There is nothing absolute

What goods a mirror without a face
Without a face
When there are spirits to take our place
They’ll take our place

Ahhh
Ahhh
Ahhh
Ahhh

I wish that I could build a time machine
A time machine and save
All this trouble for my present self
My present self and say

What good's a mirror without a face
Without a face
When there are spirits to take our place
They’ll take our place
What good's a mirror without a face
Without a face
When there are spirits to take our place

Ahhh
I think I miss you even more…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m So Glad

We are on our way
It might be a hard way
But as long as I’m with you
Yes we are on our way
And it may be in harm's way
But as long as I’m with you

At the end of a long, long day
There is not much more to say then love
I’m so glad I met you

We may feel like folding
But as long as love is holding
The hands of me and you
The waves can be raging
For together we’ll be aging
And as long as I’m with you

At the end of a long, long day
There is not much more to say than love
I’m so glad I met you

Do do do…

So winds may be blowing
For surely we’ll be knowing
That as long as I’m with you

At the end of a long, long day
There is not much more to say
Yes at the end of a long, long day
There is not much more to say than love
I’m so glad I met you
I’m so glad I met you
I’m so glad I met you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Siren

Siren, siren that calls the young sailor men
Oh I'm not much of a formidable opponent
Oh mark my words, yes mark my words
Love will wreck me afterwards
But now I revel in its curse
I'm thankful that it found me...love

Siren, siren that brings out the firemen
A three alarm blaze, the flames are arriving
Oh mark my words, yes mark my words
Love will burn me afterwards
But now I revel in its curse
I'm thankful that it found me...
Oh mark my words, yes mark my words
Love will burn
Love will burn

And of all the faith that you decree
Our ways are as the symphony
We play our heartstrings splendidly
Though the music's surely ending...love

Oh mark my words, yes mark my words
Love will burn me afterwards
But now I revel in its curse
I'm thankful that it found me...
Oh mark my words, yes mark my words
Love will burn
Love will burn

And of all the faith that you decree
The ways are as the symphony
We play our heartstrings splendidly
But the music's surely ending...
And of all the faith that you decree
The ways are as the symphony
We play our heartstrings splendidly
But the music's surely ending...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the Garden

Oh we must be alive I see our breath
And I am reassured by our breath
For it was years ago when we met in the garden
I see our breath…I see our breath

Oh we must be and so follow our breath
Into the universe follow our breath
Well oh it keeps me warm
Well oh it keeps me warm

No matter what shall pass
I’ll feel our breath
The splitting of our paths
I’ll feel our breath
Well oh it keeps me warm
Well oh it keeps me warm

As our feet have left a mark where we met in the garden
I’ll feel our breath
I’ll see our breath in the garden
I’ll feel us

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Step Back

The tiniest of things seem to set me off
A hornet nest of things I think all may be lost

Step back It's time to take the garbage out
Step back A day to take stock
Step back Wind all of my watches up
Step back

I'm suffocating the air's too thin to talk
I'm separating the halves are gonna fall

If I don't step back
An exit sign's approaching
Step back Gonna have to now decide
Step back Was there an error in my judgment
Step back

I wanna go home, before I burst in flames
But if I go home, will everything stay the same
There's no place like home
There's no place like home
There's no, no place like home

Step back It's time to take the dishes out
Step back And raise the ticket prices high
Step back Make the work shop into playpens
And get my fingers in the pie
Step back Nine pound and six pence
Step back Arouse suspicion where I can
Step back For all this cleaning of house,
I think I am a better man
Step back It's time to take the garbage out
Step back Another day to take stock
Step back And wind all of my watches up
Step back La da…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forever we’re tied

If our eyes are windows
And the shades are drawn
Well how can we see clearly?
With our blinders on

The ship's on horizons
It’s battle drum sounds
It’s cannons take ready
And our hearts are found

It’s the same way I love you
The reason I try
To keep us together
Despite all the lies

If our eyes are windows
And the shades are drawn
Well how can we see clearly?
With our blinders on

The planes are arriving
The battle cry sounds
Their rockets flare ready
And our hearts are found

It’s the same way I love you
The reason I try
To keep us together
Despite all the lies

If our eyes are windows
The shades are drawn
Well how can we see clearly?
With our blinders on

The armies are marching
The battle charge sounds
Their rifles aimed ready
And our hearts are found

It’s the same way I love you
The reason I try
To keep us together
Despite all the lies
It’s the same way I love you
The reason I find
Ways to keep us together
Forever were tied
Oh forever were tied
Together inside
Ways to keep us together
Forever were tied

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About You

The holiest of words that you’ll ever hear
Are the words that I love you
Upon a welcome ear
Oh oh oh

But I’m seeking asylum from what I have done
I’ve broken the heart of
My dear and closest one
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh

Our routine was nearly perfect but so well rehearsed
Seemingly so flawless
But truthfully coerced

Oh, oh Anne
I’m thinkin’ about you
Oh, oh Anne
I’m thinkin’ about you

But the amber is dead now
No bellows could it save
No forced air or maneuvering
By the most zealest of faiths

Oh, oh Anne
I’m thinkin’ about you
Oh, oh Anne
I’m thinkin’ about you
Oh, oh Anne
I’m thinkin’ about you
Oh, oh Anne
I’m thinkin’ about you

Oh oh oh oh oh oh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Acting Crazy (It’s a breakdown)

We’ve both been acting crazy Anne
Like we just invented love
Here inside these bedroom walls
There reads our message of

Our hands our feet our fingers know
The language that we speak
Tucked away inside us here
Our treasures we will keep

Just because the winds may blow
Our paths a separate way
Recall we knew what love was like
Inside us there we’ll say

Backup
I will not get over you
I will not get over you
I will not get over you
I will not get over you

It’s a breakdown
Not a breakup

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silently

Surely it won’t come to this
Surely there’s a way
If on my knees I ask of thee
Silently

And holy love don’t pass my way
Shine your glory brightly
Realign the stars to say
Silently
Silently
Silently

Well oh love
Holy love
Don’t turn your back on me now
Well old love
Holy dove
Don’t turn your back on me now

For no one has a heart for breaking
No one has a soul for taking
No one needs a love worth faking
Yes no one has a heart for breaking

Well oh love
Holy love
Don’t turn your back on me now
Well old love
Holy dove
Don’t turn your back on me now

For no one has a heart for breaking
No one has a soul for taking
No one needs a love worth faking
Yes no one has a heart for breaking

Silent
Silent

Silently