Songs from the Novel Parallel

You probably arrived at this page because you clicked a link in the book, Parallel.

Below are songs that “appear” in the novel.

Back Cover Copy:

After briefly losing consciousness as the result of an automobile accident, Nick Sands feels lucky to be alive. A few hours later he’s not so sure.

Before the accident he was a successful San Francisco lawyer on his way to a deposition in Los Angeles. After the accident, he’s a 40-something faded rock star scheduled to headline a 90’s nostalgia concert later that week in LA. People know him in this alternate world as Nick Sands, the rock star. And while Nick remembers his “real” life in San Francisco, he also has all the memories of the rock star’s life.

Nick desperately wants to return to his life in San Francisco because his girlfriend is about to give birth to their first child. He doesn’t know where to turn for help without sounding like a lunatic.

During his bizarre odyssey in the alternate world, Nick meets people like Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, but they are not rock stars in the parallel world because they made different life choices. Nick is truly through the looking glass when he meets other eccentric characters, e.g., Rebecca, a UCLA parapsychologist specializing in “Parallel Reality Therapy”; and The Thin Man, a secretive tech genius and multi-billionaire who has devised a machine that projects virtual reality images created by the brain, simulating how the mind actually creates reality.

On his journey Nick receives assistance from many sources.

But nothing can prepare him for how that journey ends.

All songs were recorded by the group Shakespeare’s Cadillac, featuring Stephen Smoke.

We hope you enjoy the experience of having the choice to actually hear the music described in the novel.

Redemption

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Redemption

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Verse 1

I saw you leap from a broken bridge

Into a river of tears

The saddest sound I’ve ever heard

Your echoed cries in my ears

Verse 2

I feel you through my dreams at night

At least that’s what I believe

Can I save you this time

Is this my reprieve

Chorus

I’d give my life see you smile

And hold you one more time

I’m haunted by what I could have done

Was there a prayer I did not pray

A word I did not say

I need direction

I need connection

I need a cure for this soul infection

I need Redemption… Oh yeah, oh yeah

I need Redemption

Oh yeah, oh yeah,

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh yeah, oh yeah,

Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah…

Verse 3

I know everyone can’t be saved

And life is rarely fair

If I could have eased your pain

I’d have risked it all, I swear

Verse 4

I read your tear-stained note that night

Your forgiving sweet goodbye

You explained so many things

Everything but why

Chorus

Oh, this darkness pulls me down

I search for reasons to believe

That you and I will meet again

I need a hero for this story

Release from purgatory

I need direction

I need connection

I need a cure for this soul infection

I need Redemption… Oh yeah, yeah

I need Redemption…

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah…

Tone Poems

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Tone Poems

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Verse 1

Sitting here all night long…writin’ tone poems

Messages in a bottle…on a sea of alone

Sometimes I think…I think too much

3 a.m. silent time

Chasin’ mystery rhymes

No one there…to please

Alone but not lonely

Lookin’ for only

Some kind of redemption and peace

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Sometimes the music can get so…dark

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Verse 2

People say I’m just…killin’ time

I feel so alive breathin’ rhythm and rhyme

Sometimes I feel…I feel too much

Darkness gathers

I’m chasin’ mad hatters

I need a dose of the blues

Gives me a calmin’ down

Brings me back around

Reminds me I got somethin’ to lose

But sometimes the music can get so dark

Sometimes the music can get so…dark

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Shakespeare's Cadillac

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Livin’ in my car in the Hollywood Hills

Workin’ as a waiter tryin’ to pay my bills

All day long I play my guitar

Writin’ songs in the back seat of my car

If I ever get outta here I ain’t comin back

Dreamin’ the dream in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Recorded my songs hustlin’ every day

An A and R man says, “I like the way you play”

I grabbed that life line and wouldn’t let go

Now I’m drivin down Sunset’…I’m on the radio

Top down, hair blowin, don’t look back

I’m ridin’ smooth…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

If I could go back and rewrite the script

There’s a lot of things I’d like to flip

But one thing I’d never change when I look back

Is that sweet, sweet ride…In my Shake, Shake, Shake…Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Six months in my song hit number ten

Then I tried real hard to do it again

Barely cracked a hundred, I was yesterday’s news

I was playin’ rock and roll, but I was singin’ the blues

Went down some dark roads, thought I’d never come back

Took a detour…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Dove into a bottle and I almost drowned

Jobs dried up, people stopped comin’ ‘round

Burned a lotta bridges, said a lotta things

Hard to walk among the people once you been a king

Finally drove down a cul de sac

Ran outta gas…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

Now I play the one-hit wonder shows

I play a couple of tunes that people sorta know

I can still get laid, I still get paid

But I’m livin’ in a different world than the one I made

Drivin town to town…tryin’ to get back on track

Me and…Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

Redemption

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Redemption

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Verse 1

I saw you leap from a broken bridge

Into a river of tears

The saddest sound I’ve ever heard

Your echoed cries in my ears

Verse 2

I feel you through my dreams at night

At least that’s what I believe

Can I save you this time

Is this my reprieve

Chorus

I’d give my life see you smile

And hold you one more time

I’m haunted by what I could have done

Was there a prayer I did not pray

A word I did not say

I need direction

I need connection

I need a cure for this soul infection

I need Redemption… Oh yeah, oh yeah

I need Redemption

Oh yeah, oh yeah,

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh yeah, oh yeah,

Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah…

Verse 3

I know everyone can’t be saved

And life is rarely fair

If I could have eased your pain

I’d have risked it all, I swear

Verse 4

I read your tear-stained note that night

Your forgiving sweet goodbye

You explained so many things

Everything but why

Chorus

Oh, this darkness pulls me down

I search for reasons to believe

That you and I will meet again

I need a hero for this story

Release from purgatory

I need direction

I need connection

I need a cure for this soul infection

I need Redemption… Oh yeah, yeah

I need Redemption…

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah…

Tone Poems

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Tone Poems

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Verse 1

Sitting here all night long…writin’ tone poems

Messages in a bottle…on a sea of alone

Sometimes I think…I think too much

3 a.m. silent time

Chasin’ mystery rhymes

No one there…to please

Alone but not lonely

Lookin’ for only

Some kind of redemption and peace

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Sometimes the music can get so…dark

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Verse 2

People say I’m just…killin’ time

I feel so alive breathin’ rhythm and rhyme

Sometimes I feel…I feel too much

Darkness gathers

I’m chasin’ mad hatters

I need a dose of the blues

Gives me a calmin’ down

Brings me back around

Reminds me I got somethin’ to lose

But sometimes the music can get so dark

Sometimes the music can get so…dark

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Shakespeare's Cadillac

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Livin’ in my car in the Hollywood Hills

Workin’ as a waiter tryin’ to pay my bills

All day long I play my guitar

Writin’ songs in the back seat of my car

If I ever get outta here I ain’t comin back

Dreamin’ the dream in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Recorded my songs hustlin’ every day

An A and R man says, “I like the way you play”

I grabbed that life line and wouldn’t let go

Now I’m drivin down Sunset’…I’m on the radio

Top down, hair blowin, don’t look back

I’m ridin’ smooth…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

If I could go back and rewrite the script

There’s a lot of things I’d like to flip

But one thing I’d never change when I look back

Is that sweet, sweet ride…In my Shake, Shake, Shake…Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Six months in my song hit number ten

Then I tried real hard to do it again

Barely cracked a hundred, I was yesterday’s news

I was playin’ rock and roll, but I was singin’ the blues

Went down some dark roads, thought I’d never come back

Took a detour…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Dove into a bottle and I almost drowned

Jobs dried up, people stopped comin’ ‘round

Burned a lotta bridges, said a lotta things

Hard to walk among the people once you been a king

Finally drove down a cul de sac

Ran outta gas…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

Now I play the one-hit wonder shows

I play a couple of tunes that people sorta know

I can still get laid, I still get paid

But I’m livin’ in a different world than the one I made

Drivin town to town…tryin’ to get back on track

Me and…Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

Redemption

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Redemption

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Verse 1

I saw you leap from a broken bridge

Into a river of tears

The saddest sound I’ve ever heard

Your echoed cries in my ears

Verse 2

I feel you through my dreams at night

At least that’s what I believe

Can I save you this time

Is this my reprieve

Chorus

I’d give my life see you smile

And hold you one more time

I’m haunted by what I could have done

Was there a prayer I did not pray

A word I did not say

I need direction

I need connection

I need a cure for this soul infection

I need Redemption… Oh yeah, oh yeah

I need Redemption

Oh yeah, oh yeah,

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh yeah, oh yeah,

Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah…

Verse 3

I know everyone can’t be saved

And life is rarely fair

If I could have eased your pain

I’d have risked it all, I swear

Verse 4

I read your tear-stained note that night

Your forgiving sweet goodbye

You explained so many things

Everything but why

Chorus

Oh, this darkness pulls me down

I search for reasons to believe

That you and I will meet again

I need a hero for this story

Release from purgatory

I need direction

I need connection

I need a cure for this soul infection

I need Redemption… Oh yeah, yeah

I need Redemption…

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah…

Tone Poems

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Tone Poems

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Verse 1

Sitting here all night long…writin’ tone poems

Messages in a bottle…on a sea of alone

Sometimes I think…I think too much

3 a.m. silent time

Chasin’ mystery rhymes

No one there…to please

Alone but not lonely

Lookin’ for only

Some kind of redemption and peace

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Sometimes the music can get so…dark

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Verse 2

People say I’m just…killin’ time

I feel so alive breathin’ rhythm and rhyme

Sometimes I feel…I feel too much

Darkness gathers

I’m chasin’ mad hatters

I need a dose of the blues

Gives me a calmin’ down

Brings me back around

Reminds me I got somethin’ to lose

But sometimes the music can get so dark

Sometimes the music can get so…dark

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Shakespeare's Cadillac

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Livin’ in my car in the Hollywood Hills

Workin’ as a waiter tryin’ to pay my bills

All day long I play my guitar

Writin’ songs in the back seat of my car

If I ever get outta here I ain’t comin back

Dreamin’ the dream in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Recorded my songs hustlin’ every day

An A and R man says, “I like the way you play”

I grabbed that life line and wouldn’t let go

Now I’m drivin down Sunset’…I’m on the radio

Top down, hair blowin, don’t look back

I’m ridin’ smooth…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

If I could go back and rewrite the script

There’s a lot of things I’d like to flip

But one thing I’d never change when I look back

Is that sweet, sweet ride…In my Shake, Shake, Shake…Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Six months in my song hit number ten

Then I tried real hard to do it again

Barely cracked a hundred, I was yesterday’s news

I was playin’ rock and roll, but I was singin’ the blues

Went down some dark roads, thought I’d never come back

Took a detour…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Dove into a bottle and I almost drowned

Jobs dried up, people stopped comin’ ‘round

Burned a lotta bridges, said a lotta things

Hard to walk among the people once you been a king

Finally drove down a cul de sac

Ran outta gas…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

Now I play the one-hit wonder shows

I play a couple of tunes that people sorta know

I can still get laid, I still get paid

But I’m livin’ in a different world than the one I made

Drivin town to town…tryin’ to get back on track

Me and…Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

Redemption

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Redemption

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Verse 1

I saw you leap from a broken bridge

Into a river of tears

The saddest sound I’ve ever heard

Your echoed cries in my ears

Verse 2

I feel you through my dreams at night

At least that’s what I believe

Can I save you this time

Is this my reprieve

Chorus

I’d give my life see you smile

And hold you one more time

I’m haunted by what I could have done

Was there a prayer I did not pray

A word I did not say

I need direction

I need connection

I need a cure for this soul infection

I need Redemption… Oh yeah, oh yeah

I need Redemption

Oh yeah, oh yeah,

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh yeah, oh yeah,

Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah…

Verse 3

I know everyone can’t be saved

And life is rarely fair

If I could have eased your pain

I’d have risked it all, I swear

Verse 4

I read your tear-stained note that night

Your forgiving sweet goodbye

You explained so many things

Everything but why

Chorus

Oh, this darkness pulls me down

I search for reasons to believe

That you and I will meet again

I need a hero for this story

Release from purgatory

I need direction

I need connection

I need a cure for this soul infection

I need Redemption… Oh yeah, yeah

I need Redemption…

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah…

Tone Poems

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Tone Poems

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Verse 1

Sitting here all night long…writin’ tone poems

Messages in a bottle…on a sea of alone

Sometimes I think…I think too much

3 a.m. silent time

Chasin’ mystery rhymes

No one there…to please

Alone but not lonely

Lookin’ for only

Some kind of redemption and peace

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Sometimes the music can get so…dark

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Verse 2

People say I’m just…killin’ time

I feel so alive breathin’ rhythm and rhyme

Sometimes I feel…I feel too much

Darkness gathers

I’m chasin’ mad hatters

I need a dose of the blues

Gives me a calmin’ down

Brings me back around

Reminds me I got somethin’ to lose

But sometimes the music can get so dark

Sometimes the music can get so…dark

Sometimes the music can get so dark

Shakespeare's Cadillac

by Shakespeare's Cadillac | Parallel

Click Here to See Lyrics

Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Smoke

Livin’ in my car in the Hollywood Hills

Workin’ as a waiter tryin’ to pay my bills

All day long I play my guitar

Writin’ songs in the back seat of my car

If I ever get outta here I ain’t comin back

Dreamin’ the dream in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Recorded my songs hustlin’ every day

An A and R man says, “I like the way you play”

I grabbed that life line and wouldn’t let go

Now I’m drivin down Sunset’…I’m on the radio

Top down, hair blowin, don’t look back

I’m ridin’ smooth…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

If I could go back and rewrite the script

There’s a lot of things I’d like to flip

But one thing I’d never change when I look back

Is that sweet, sweet ride…In my Shake, Shake, Shake…Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Six months in my song hit number ten

Then I tried real hard to do it again

Barely cracked a hundred, I was yesterday’s news

I was playin’ rock and roll, but I was singin’ the blues

Went down some dark roads, thought I’d never come back

Took a detour…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Dove into a bottle and I almost drowned

Jobs dried up, people stopped comin’ ‘round

Burned a lotta bridges, said a lotta things

Hard to walk among the people once you been a king

Finally drove down a cul de sac

Ran outta gas…in Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus

Now I play the one-hit wonder shows

I play a couple of tunes that people sorta know

I can still get laid, I still get paid

But I’m livin’ in a different world than the one I made

Drivin town to town…tryin’ to get back on track

Me and…Shakespeare’s Cadillac

Chorus