WRITING & LYRICS
Michael O’Keefe
Books
Book of Poetry
by Michael O’Keefe – Nov 2020
Writing
Hire me! Why this ‘Caddyshack’ star wants to caddie at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot
by Michael O’Keefe with Michael Arkush – Sep 3, 2020
When I auditioned for the role of Danny Noonan in Caddyshack, the producers asked me two questions:
Can you play golf? Can you caddie?
See the series of articles at golf.com about my caddying experience
On saying the rosary over my mother’s dead body
by Michael O’Keefe @IrishCentral – Jul 16, 2020
Actor Michael O’Keefe reflects on visiting his mother Stephanie shortly after she passed away, and how he reverted to Catholic prayers in his final moments with her.
One Day with Bernie
by Michael O’Keefe – Lions Roar – Nov 15, 2018
At the memorial service for Bernie Glassman, longtime student Michael O’Keefe reflects on his teacher’s life and legacy.
Listening Is No Act
by Michael O’Keefe – Mindful.org – Jul 21, 2015
Michael O’Keefe says acting is a lot like meditation: both ask you to give yourself over completely to what is going on.
LYRICS & AUDIO
Before You Live - (Composer: Billy Falcon, Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
He come walking from a distant wood
He come walking to your neighborhood
He come walking soft as morning dew
He go walking, walk all over you
Eyes so wide like a baby doe
Eyes that shine as if they know
What you need to ease the pain
He going to wash you in the darkest rain
Chorus:
Like a bird, a crow so strong
Knows the words to your secret song
He take your hand, you fly so high
Before you live, you going to hear his cry
Before you live, your old life must die
He come walking to your pretty house
He come walking quiet like a mouse
He come knocking you let him in
He been with you everywhere you been
Chorus:
Like a bird, a crow so strong
Knows the words to your secret song
He take your hand, you fly so high
Before you live, you going to hear his cry
Before you live, your old life must die
He going to answer your every question, every question you ask
He untangle, he break the strangle that tie you to the past
Repeat Chorus
Easy to Leave - (Composer: Paul Jefferson, Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
The flower vase shattered on the floor
You turned around and slammed the door
I guess I didn’t deserve anymore from you
The beautiful dream that lies at my feet
Broke long ago when I chose to cheat
And how could you love a man who couldn’t be true?
I’ll be easy to leave
And you’ll forget me
You might think you’re on the losing end
But believe me you’re not ‘cause I am
Easy to leave
I watch from the window as you drive away
You couldn’t hear me now even if I could say
Some word or phrase that might ease the pain I’ve caused
The stars still shine in the patterns they weave
But I can’t believe they don’t dim with grief
Tonight when I don’t find you easy to leave at all
I’ll be easy to leave
And you’ll forget me
You might think you’re on the losing end
But believe me you’re not ‘cause I am
Easy to leave
Emmeline - (Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe, Music: Annette O’Toole & Michael McKean)
From the bottomland in Acadiana to the square at Vieux Carre
Emmeline had the men lined up like ducks on the Cane River Lake
If you come down to Louisiana brother you best beware
Emmeline’s love made many a man vanish into the air
She took me back into the bayou at sugar grinding time
Pulled me close when the wind kicked up and the herons started flying
“Look, “ She said “No wind down there. That’s why they fly so low.
They slip between the wind and the water. Kind of makes you want to go.”
Chorus:
Right between the wind and water that’s where Emmeline lives
Love defying gravity. That’s what Emmeline gives
Just one trick, it’s not a gift and only Emmeline knows
Once in love with Emmeline you go where the cold wind blows
Made Emmeline mine and I could fly over the fields below
Long leaf pines, magnolia trees, acres of Cherokee rose
All within my grasp at last from the love of Emmeline
One glance, one kiss, those lips, that bliss. Man, I couldn’t stop flying
Chorus:
Right between the wind and water that’s where Emmeline lives
Love defying gravity. That’s what Emmeline gives
Just one trick, it’s not a gift and only Emmeline knows
Once in love with Emmeline you go where the cold wind blows
I fell hard for Emmeline, asked her to marry me
The wind came up, called my name, and pulled me off my feet
I looked up and saw Emmeline smiling down at me
Now I can’t come back, trapped forever in that low slipstream
Repeat Chorus
Longing In Their Hearts (Music: Bonnie Raitt, Lyrics: Michael O'Keefe)
Open Secret Music –ASCAP. All Rights Reserved/Used by Permission
Longing in Their Hearts
Let me tell you ’bout a friend of mine
He’s a short order cook
Long on speed, short on spice
He reads his customers like a book
He’s seen this, and he’s done that
Now he’s makin’ fried eggs an art
But there’s one thing he can’t fix no how
There’s a longing in his heart
He’s tried for years to work it out
At the grill and at his home
Well he talks to his friends, talks to himself
He talks the chicken right off the bone
Talks to his woman and she understands
You know they’re always eye to eye
She runs the joint, They live out back
Small House under a Big sky
Well even the stars at night agree
The sky is falling apart
She knows cause she can feel it too
There’s a longing in her heart
A longing in her heart
Longing in her heart
Well now you and me, we’re just like them
We never wanted to be alone,
so we made a pact, sealed with desire
for a happier house and home
Only to find it doesn’t untie
The know where feelings die
There’s a longing deep inside our hearts
And no one to tell us why
Our friends aren’t looking for anything new
They wouldn’t know where to look
Well her, she like running the joint
And he likes being a cook
Together they’re doing very well
They’re might glad they could
But there’s a fire burning towards them now
Coming from a distant wood
And eve the stars at night agree
that the sky is falling apart
We know ’cause we can feel it too
There’s a longing in our hearts
Looking for the Medicine (Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe, Music: Annette O’Toole & Michael McKean
There’s an itch beneath the skin
No one’s sure where it begins
Some say it’s science, some say it’s sin
That started all the trouble we’re in
Everyone loves their ignorance. Bliss is fun for a while
Everything shines on the silver screen
Until you get up and walk down the aisle
Out on the street all the people you meet
Carving paths on the pavement at night
Reaching for a brass ring, craving that something
To get at what’s not going right
Chorus:
Looking for the Medicine
Like a fish to the lure
Looking for the Medicine
Sure they need a cure
Sure they need a cure
Everyone’s made the pilgrimage
To Mecca or to the mall
Everyone tries the sweetest lies
The bitterest truths, we swallow them all
No one wants to hear it is love that they fear
That just cuts too close to the bone
Blame the downward spiral on something viral
It’s better when no treatment’s known
Chorus:
Looking for the medicine
In the dark but secure
Looking for the medicine
Sure they need a cure
Looking for the medicine
Like a fish to the lure
Looking for the medicine
Sure they need a cure
Sure they need a cure
Marriage Made In Hollywood (Paul Brady / Michael O' Keefe)
Copyright Hornall Brothers Music / Standard Glands Music
Rights Reserved/Used by Permission
Jimmy’s not a high concept guy
But he’s front page news, let me tell you why
He’s on the cover of the New York Post
All three networks, coast to coast
All he needed was a hot night in June
‘Cos he had the needle and he had the spoon
When he spiked it bit, and man, he flew
Into America’s living room
Chorus:
We all love tragedy, it loves us too
It’s a marriage made in Hollywood
Between greed and you
All you need to be a star is to die in open view
It’s a marriage made in Hollywood
Between greed and you
Between greed and you
Between greed and you
Loved by women, admired by men
He walked down broadway with his best friend
His brain was wired like a light in a socket
With his old friend in his back pocket
That horse could kick, that horse could scream
Ride you out of here into a different scene
Unrequited love, that makes it fair
But who keeps score when you’re in mid-air?
Repeat Chorus
Like a free-fall chute that didn’t open
He looked down to see his dream was broken
He stared back up at a hot grey sky
Re-run his life and then he died
Well if you jump off a building, brother beware!
‘Cos my friend Jimmy woke up mid-air
No time to smile, no time to wave
They buried him in a media grave
Repeat Chorus
Mobilize (Composer: Andrew Gold, Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
You’re cordially invited to a tepid scene
I’m not as hot as I used to be
This is a party to celebrate that
Gone cold from cool. That’s where it’s at
Going to hock all my jewelry
Suddenly its glare’s not fooling me
Hey this fine occasion is not so sad
I’ve just found out we’ve all been had
Chorus:
Get on down to those bare bones
Downsize to the mobile zone
Too much stuff; man it ain’t no prize
Downsize so you can mobilize
Downsize so you can mobilize
This big grab bag has got to stop
‘Cause we don’t need all the crap we’ve got
Ask yourself “What do I really own”
This life of yours is only a loan
One fine day you’ve got to give it all back
Going to sleep or have a heart attack
And when you do yeah you better know
What did you love before you had to go?
Chorus:
Get on down to those bare bones
Downsize to the mobile zone
Too much stuff; man that ain’t no prize
Downsize so you can mobilize
Downsize so you can mobilize
Oh, you may have an MBA
Or a big career in the NBA
A fancy car or a great big yacht
You’ve got to give back all you got
Repeat Chorus
One Last Breath (Composed: Jaime Kyle, Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
Older than a childhood that you miss
Deeper than a legend or a ancient myth
Brushed by an angel’s wing in flight
Darker than the heart’s darkest night
Held close like a whisper of a prayer
Forged in a hero’s righteous stare
Touched by the one who stays unseen
Locked in the chest of your deepest dreams
Chorus:
One last chance one last breath
One more time to fill your chest
One hill to climb before you rest
It’s coming down to one last breath
Open like the eyes of a soaring bird
Hurting like a memory of an unkind word
Stopping at the edge of an old sea cliff
Lingers like your lover’s final kiss
Repeat Chorus
One Part Be My Lover (Bonnie Raitt / Michael O'Keefe)
Kokomo Music –ASCAP,
All Rights Administered by Bob-A-Lew Songs.
All Rights Reserved/Used by Permission
When he looks in her eyes
He sees only the truth
Telling him he’s been living a lie
Over and over like a line in a song
about all the love he let pass him by.
To her he might be the man of her dreams
To find where she’s been hiding inside
Broken or battered, it really don’t matter
Her heart’s like a wave and he’s the tide.
They’re not forever, they’re just for today
One part be my lover, one part go away.
He’s like a boxer who had to retire
after winning but killing a man
He’s got all of the moves and none of the courage
Afraid to throw a punch that might land
Not too much later she can’t meet his glance
You see her start pulling away
Over and over like fire and ice
One is color, one is grey.
They’re not forever, they’re just for today
One part be my lover, one part go away.
So if you know how
Why don’t you say ’em a prayer
They’re gonna need all the help they can get
They remember too much about what went wrong
It might be they should learn to forget.
Forget themselves in each other
And leave what belongs in the past
Carry their hearts like a newborn child
Cause it’s only the moment that lasts.
They’re not forever, they’re just for today
One part be my lover, one part go away.
Sole Ideal (Composer: Stewart Harris, Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
Well you’ve always been my fascination
And I always longed to see you look my way
I can see so clearly in my imagination
The way you walk baby when you walk away
Chorus:
You’re my sole ideal
More than the sum of all the others
Yeah, my sole ideal
How could there ever be another?
How could they compare to your perfect looks?
The web you weave keeps me hooked
You’re in my dreams, locked and sealed
You’re my sole ideal
You’ve been the picture of love in my life
You’ve got me covered like a well-worn glove
Now, how am I ever going to find that true love?
When my expectations have been so high
Chorus:
You’re my sole ideal
More than the sum of all the others
Yeah, my sole ideal
How could there ever be another?
How could they compare to your perfect looks?
The web you weave keeps me hooked
You’re in my dreams, locked and sealed
You’re my sole ideal
This is a sweet confusion you’ve got me in
I’m going to just sit back and watch it spin
Repeat Chorus
Something From You (Composer: Andrew Gold, Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
Pete’s called four eyes by the guys in town
He knows it’s true so it don’t get him down
Two eyes are open so light can get through
Two are longing for something from you
Chorus:
Something from you, a look or a glance
Something from you, like maybe a chance
A touch on his arm would probably do
It’s not that much but it’s something from you
The sun find’s a way to dawn everyday
Pete helps to see you caught in its rays
And as it breaks a beam comes through
Lighting up all he wishes for you
Chorus:
Something from you, a look or a glance
Something from you, like maybe a chance
A touch on his arm would probably do
It’s not that much but it’s something from you
You say “Good Morning,” as the coffee brews
Give Pete a cup as you come into his view
It’s not that much but it’s something from you
Repeat Chorus
Strike Anywhere (Composer: Angelo and Daniel Tashian, Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
You’re a blue tipped match on a wooden stick
You walk down the street and the air gets thick
And I been struck down by a blinding light
You light me up like the stars at night
Oh, you could burn the whole town down
Chorus:
Strike anywhere within range of my lips
Strike anywhere like an old blue tip
Strike anywhere within range of my heart
Strike anywhere and the flame will start
You could burn me up I swear. Strike anywhere
When the wind blows hard on you I rely
One flick of the wrist and the sparks will fly
Smokey the bear would tear up his hat
Set the forest on fire to get where you’re at
Oh, you could burn the whole town down
Chorus:
Strike anywhere within range of my lips
Strike anywhere like an old blue tip
Strike anywhere within range of my heart
Strike anywhere and the flame will start
You could burn me up I swear. Strike anywhere
Like a man with burning coals to cross
I’ll walk in your fire at any cost
Repeat Chorus
The Movie’s Dim Light (Composers: Angelo and Kim Carnes, Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
Yes, there are times when we fight
And nothing we say makes it right
But there’s one secret place
Where we meet face to face
In the glow of the movie’s dim light
Oh, It’s one of our sweet mysteries
A guaranteed scene of release
We can go to the place
Where our pain is erased
In the glow of the movie’s dim light
Chorus:
And oh, what I see in your eyes
When you turn towards me on the aisle
Oh, your heart is so clear speaking faith to my fears
One glance and I give up the fight
Caught up in the glow of the movie’s dim light
And now that the credits have rolled
Our fight seems ancient and old
We kiss as we stand
To walk hand in hand
Away from the movie’s dim light
Chorus:
And oh, what I see in your eyes
When you turn towards me on the aisle
Oh, your heart is so clear speaking faith to my fears
One glance and I give up the fight
Caught up in the glow of the movie’s dim light
And Oh, how you glow in the night
And everything’s right with the world
Tonight all the things up on the screen
Are really no more than dreams
But if that’s what it takes to open loves gate
Let’s stay in the movies tonight
Let’s stay in the movies tonight
Tie Me to Your Affection (Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
Tie me to your affection. Draw me from the well
Like a small ascension from this private hell
Tie me to your affection like a ribbon in a bow
Get me on solid ground. That seed you’ve sewn might grow
Tie me to your affection. Let me have some slack
Pay the rope out baby. There’s a chance you’ll draw me back
You’ve got to let the line wander. Don’t pull if it gets caught
Shake it when it tangles. Ease up when it’s taut
Between the chase and the surrender
Can we go on and not just end there?
Let’s unravel the knots I’ve tied inside
We might find the heart I had to hide
Might be enough rope for you to reel me in
Tie me to your affection again and again
Throw a loop ‘round this heart of mine. Keep hold of the line
Pull it in your direction. Tie me to your affection
Tie me to your affection. Draw me from the well
Like a small ascension from this private hell.
Will It Be Me? (Composer: Billy Falcon, Lyrics: Michael O’Keefe)
They say there’s a peaceful place
When you reach the other shore
Your deepest love’s there to take your hand
Beyond this worldly door
A resting place for your weary heart
Up where the eagles soar
That may be true but now I wonder who,
Who you’ll be reaching for?
Chorus:
Will it be me that takes your hand,
When you cross to the Promised Land?
Tell me I haven’t lost your love eternally
Will it be me?
We made a pact sealed it with desire
Kept it like a precious stone
The shine came off and you fell away
Left me here on my own
I remember the day that you said “Good-bye”
You looked like you were lost
I still believe we were beautiful
Even now that I know the cost
Chorus:
Will it be me that takes your hand,
When you cross to the Promised Land?
Tell me I haven’t lost your love eternally
Will it be me?
Will it be me?
If there’s no fear, if there’s no pain
You’ll hear me when I call your name
Repeat Chorus