1. |
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|
Now that you're gone
do you live on in the songs we're singing?
And do you realize
that when we harmonize
we can't hear a thing?
The music's too loud and we're screaming out these
words in your memory,
remembering everything
now that you're gone.
Now that you're gone
there's ghost notes to play
and new strings to wind.
Remind us one more time how you tuned them too tight
and how you broke a chord
strumming to please the Lord.
And now that we're bored
every song is starting to sound the same
over and over again.
When will it ever end
now that you're gone?
Would you hear us now?
Could you hear us now?
Should you hear us now that you're gone?
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2. |
Am I Famous Yet?
03:27
|
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|
Well I woke up one day
and said, "I think I'm going to be a star."
but I had to find a way
so I said, "Hey, I think I'll play guitar."
'cuz you don't need to be good
to be popular.
You just need a lot friends.
Can someone please tell me am I,
am I famous yet or just irrelevant?
Can someone please tell me am I,
am I famous yet or still irrelevant?
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3. |
A Mountain Standard
02:16
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|
I was a baby born on a table down below
where the sun was shining all the time
but the grasses didn't grow.
I took a breath or two and made a life of it.
Just another kid in the middle
growing up lost as an opposite.
I was lost there for a bit.
I was lost there for just a little bit.
I kept to shadows to keep secrets from the Lord.
Afraid that I was different but probably just bored.
Part of me was prophet. Part of me was prostitute.
I'd sell my soul to fill this hole
where I lived to refute.
I'd live to prove you wrong.
I'd live to prove you wrong for much too long.
Now that I'm older I'm not any wiser yet.
I'm still a little stranger, still unsettled, still upset.
And even though I'm up here I'm still looking down instead
to when I was a younger man who lived inside his head.
I want to get back there again.
I got to get back there again.
I want to get back to where it all made sense.
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4. |
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|
I don't mind getting older
'cuz I know the humor's not lost on me.
The days are warm but the nights seem colder.
Maybe that's just what happens naturally.
Take me back to bed.
That's where I want to be.
Creativity is over
and the starving artist is an undertaker.
I won't mind when my sun goes down
and sets itself somewhere in my head
'cuz I know that I'll be concentrating on
forgetting every memory and wishing I'm dead.
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5. |
A Record Skips In Texas
02:59
|
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|
I put the needle down in Texas
to watch that Southern record skip.
I can't hear anything
besides the flip.
I wax the tracks back in Austin.
I feel the beat beneath my feet.
I won't speak anything
I can't repeat.
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6. |
Big King, Little Kingdom
03:15
|
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|
I am the king of this so-called castle.
I make the rules that no one follows.
Not even me.
I am a god in this forgotten kingdom.
I call the shots 'round here
but no one's listening.
Relying on strangers
for new conversations
about the same old things.
My servants are sleeping, tired in the beds.
They had a long day of shitting and eating.
They'll wake from their dreams to be fed once again.
They look to their king
but only when they want something.
Relying on strangers
for new conversations
about the weather again.
Top of the world, Ma.
Top of the world, my ass.
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7. |
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|
My little game
I like to play
called "Take the Lord's
Name In Vein".
Let's cut it out.
Carve out the vein.
Let's break some necks
and make it rain.
I set the sun.
I shun the moon.
Shut off the Earth.
I spoke too soon.
My little ocean
is full of grains
and salty waters
of unheard names.
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8. |
Broken American
01:22
|
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|
Well I'm a Broken American.
A worn and weary man
just traveling down an empty road
in search of the promise land.
My boots are dirty. My jeans are torn.
I wear the weather on my skin.
I think too little and drink too much.
I'm out of touch with the world I'm living in.
And where I'm going's
not important.
It's where I've been that
makes me a Broken American.
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9. |
California Sun
03:23
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|
I'd leave on a Friday,
West on old I-10,
but just for the weekend.
I got a paycheck to spend.
I ain't up for no trouble now.
I'm only down here for fun
and to drown out the desert
with some California Sun.
I'll burn out the stars if
I get stoned enough.
And when I've had my fill
or feel like I'm coming undone
I'll head back home
still high on that California Sun.
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10. |
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|
You're just standing there
with the clouds in your hair and in-between
the colors and the sounds
I have found that nothing's as it seems to be.
You're just staring down,
laughing at me as I'm drowning in your sea
of sirens and the crowds
of strangers shouting loud to see who's listening.
New York, New York you're kidding me
and I am tired of spilling blood for you.
New York, New York you're kidding me
and I am tired of spitting up blood for you.
I can't just leave you there
standing 'round unaware of everything.
It's not like I don't care
but I don't care enough to take you home with me.
I want to make a life
not a living living up to what you need.
I just want out of here.
I want to make that clear before I bleed to death.
New York, New York you're kidding me
and I am tired of spilling blood for you.
New York, New York you're kidding me
and I am tired of spitting up blood for you.
New York, New York you're kidding me
so I am trying to rid myself of you.
New York, New York you're killing me
and I think I spilled enough blood for you.
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11. |
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12. |
Crawl
04:44
|
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|
On every open road a fork ahead.
At first I thought I saw a spoon instead.
I second guess myself
and stop dead in the center.
The left will take me to the other side
but the right will get me there on time.
I'm undecided so I'll wait a little bit longer.
I watch the others come and pass me by.
They go so fast that I don't even try
to see which way they went
and now it's sooner then later.
Now I'm stuck here between rean and rut
and every open door's a window shut.
I throw a rock so hard
that nothing breaks but a mirror.
I watch the others come and pass me by.
They go so fast that I don't even try
to see which way they went
and now it's sooner then later.
I crawl into an empty space
and when I close my eyes
I'm in a better place.
The left will take me to the other side
but the right will get me there on time.
I'm undecided so
I'll wait a little bit longer.
On every road a fork ahead.
At first I thought I saw a spoon instead.
I second guess myself
and stop dead in the center.
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13. |
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|
I'll take my chance
'cuz the devil can dance.
I'll take my chance when I pass on.
Wake the dead and dance my ass off.
No excuses. Let's get moving.
Shake that death off. Come back to life once again.
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14. |
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|
In here we see nothing.
In here we hear nothing.
In here we speak nothing.
In here we think nothing.
In here we feel nothing.
In here we are nothing.
|
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15. |
Down On The Dirty Floor
03:20
|
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|
All my days as a working man
I bit the hand that barely fed me a meal.
All those years I was being jerked around
I was getting the raw end of a deal.
Am I just a bump on a log
sucking life out of a plastic straw?
Am I just a pig in the mud
or a thorn sticking out of your paw?
And I'll be working overtime
even though I know I'm not getting paid.
Every hour counts when you're dead
'cuz every minute past means you were late.
Am I just bump in the road
waiting to be driven over again?
Am I just a bomb to explode
on somebody that I can't stand?
Down on the dirty floor
kicking up some dust
for just a little more.
All my days as a working man
I always thought I'd get some bread.
All those years spent working for the man
I should've quit while I was ahead.
I'm never getting out of here.
I'll be dead before I disappear.
I'm not going anywhere
I got bills to pay and debts to clear.
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16. |
Drowning In The La La
01:27
|
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|
It seems like everywhere I go there I am wandering around wondering where I go to get off this damn busy sidewalk called life 'cuz my feet hurt from stepping over no-good souls who poke holes in my goals. What? Ain't you got nothing better to do with your time? It's not like we're going anywhere anyways. Anyhow, how'd I get here in the first place? I'm turned around in my dance space tripping over my suitcase and falling on stolen footprints.
Slow your role, bro.
You are drowning in the la la.
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17. |
Fly Away
05:17
|
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|
Fly away with me tonight.
We can leave this world behind
and fly away.
There's nothing stopping us
from getting out of here
and leaving life for a little while
to clear our minds from all this
stuff atmosphere
that trivializes our survival.
We'll stay up here
until the sun sets in our heads
and the moon can raise us
from the dead.
Where time stands still
until it's us that turns the hands
towards better days to come instead.
So fly away with me tonight.
We can leave this world behind and fly away.
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18. |
Gingerbread Man
02:52
|
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|
They'll call me the Gingerbread Man.
They'll follow me to the grave.
They'll all be sorry I came.
They'll all be sorry they ran.
I'll give them something to fear.
They'll live in fear till I'm dead.
They'll all be sorry I came.
They'll all be sorry they ran.
They'll call me the Gingerbread Man.
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19. |
Good Co.
01:47
|
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|
Conversation's overrated
and social media is dead
so let's go to the bar instead
and sit together in a drunk silence
while we listen to the DJ play
a song we like but claim to hate
'cuz we are too afraid of the indifference
of our friends.
The bar is closing
but we're still drinking
'cuz we have nothing else to say.
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20. |
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|
This guitar's giving me the blues.
This guitar's going to make me lose you, Babe.
This guitar's going to make me choose
between my husband shoes
and the boots I wear to bed.
You know these songs ain't going to pay the bills
and these records can't make the rent not late.
And I'll be running out of shit to sell
other than myself, girl,
and ain't no one buying that.
But you can't stay mad at me, girl,
'cuz you like my band.
You like my band.
I like the way that you cut my hair.
I like the way you lift me up in your chair, little girl.
I look like the way that I look in your mirror,
like a homeless millionaire.
But you can't stay mad at me, girl,
'cuz you like my band,
my stupid band.
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21. |
Hey, Stranger!
05:54
|
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|
Hello.
Hey, stranger.
I'm here
just waiting
for you
to come and get me.
Take me
away from all of this.
I am ready to leave my
bitter days behind me.
I want to live the way I feel
far away from what is real
where the sun shines on my face
and the warmth gives me a place
where I know that I'm alive.
Hey, you.
Hey, stranger.
Hello.
Goodbye.
My life is
over.
I've written
one last
song then sung
my heart
out even though no one's listening.
I will leave this world behind
for a better state of mind
where I live inside my head
even though I'll end up dead.
And it's cold when I come in
from the rain of my last breath.
No more Winters to endure.
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22. |
Hoopla (Take 1)
02:14
|
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|
I want everything
to be like it used to be
when everyone would just use me
like I was a novelty,
an antique you stored away,
a broken toy that you won't play with
anymore.
I don't know
where to go
so I'll make the best of it.
It's better when I'm upset
'cuz I won't rest until it is.
I guess this is a goodbye kiss.
I don't know where to go.
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23. |
I Drink At Night
03:14
|
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|
A steady job.
a pretty wife,
with pennies to spare,
a couple friends,
two pets,
blue tattoos,
a few stories to share,
but I drink at night
to get through the day
'cuz the life that I wanted
is fading away.
Old habits die hard
and some never will
but I'm not giving up just yet,
not till I've had my fill.
A steady job,
a pretty wife,
a comfortable chair,
a loaded gun,
TV's on,
a bottle of gin,
a note on the stairs.
I drink at night
to get through the day
'cuz life's not worth living,
at least not this way.
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24. |
Little Rabbit
02:12
|
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|
Run, you little rabbit.
Run as fast as you can.
Hide inside a garden.
Hide to save your skin.
Dig yourself a hole and
stay there till it's safe
to come outside again and
run to a new place.
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25. |
Loser Man
02:55
|
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|
There's a letter on my dresser.
It's addressed to me anonymously.
It says "get your shit together".
There's a date marked on the calendar,
December 23.
Happy Birthday.
Will future me remember
that you're a fucking loser, man?
There's a bloodstain on some paper
where you pricked your finger on a string
writing a song that no one else will sing
and you're listening to cars outside
pass your window in the Winter snow.
You wonder where they're all going.
It doesn't matter
'cuz you're a fucking loser, man.
Yeah, you're a fucking loser man.
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26. |
Nashville In A Heartbeat
03:54
|
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|
I fell in love with your face from far away. I always felt like I belonged in your place but I'm over here in outer space where aliens who pretend to be friends just copy and paste.
I hear the sound of your voice calling me out to come on down and rejoice inside the walls of your house where music is religion and that's all they talk about.
But I'm over here and you're over there and I must be blind not to see all the signs brining me to the other side of a story where it all makes sense.
I am a little apprehensive. I don't know why I'm always finding excuses to stay and I'm at the end of my rope. I try so hard to loosen my grip and just let go.
But I'm over here and you're over there and I must be blind not to see all the signs brining me to the other side of a story where it all makes sense. Where my story ends.
I want to be where the songs inspire me to write a new life for myself in the words of someone else.
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27. |
Rattlesneak(s)
02:13
|
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|
Daddy was a strict one.
He would strangle us to death.
He would squeeze the life out of us
till we took our dying breath.
Mom was full of poison
but she bit her tongue instead.
She would rather kill herself than
see us lying dead.
And I couldn't walk away
but I couldn't stay.
I can't seem to find my way.
I just seem to stray.
I want to feel free from here,
to not be afraid,
but I'm not going anywheres
anyways.
I left myself for dead.
I slid under the door.
There's nothing left to do
but crawl back on all fours.
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28. |
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29. |
Spaceman
02:22
|
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|
Spaceman,
come and find me
down here
in the darkness
where the light has all but gone
and the world that we once knew
has all but disappeared.
I'll be waiting here for you.
Spaceman,
come and find me
down here.
I'll be waiting here for you.
|
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30. |
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|
I once was a sailor
in the seas of the desert.
I'm mostly a failure.
It's what keeps me going.
But now that I'm older
I'm still none the wiser.
The air's getting colder.
The wind's picking up some.
And so I'll keep sailing
without any compass.
I'm past going nowhere.
I'm still on vacation.
|
||||
31. |
||||
|
I see the light.
I see the light of Summer.
It's coming on.
It's coming on.
Come over.
I see the sun.
The sun is shining over.
All over me.
All over you
and you were right.
Don't judge me.
I see the light.
I see the light of Summer.
It's coming on.
It's coming on.
Come over.
I see the sun.
The sun is shining over.
All over me.
All over you
and you were right
to judge me.
Don't judge me.
|
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32. |
The Way I Do
04:05
|
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|
I want to live like I was alive.
I want to die knowing I really lived.
I want to give everything that I have.
I want to try and be I should've been
and never gave in.
I want to fight for the rest of my life.
I want what's right for all that I love.
I want to grow old but not lose my youth.
I want to speak only truths when I'm told
to make excuses.
I want the world in the palm of my hand
so I can read every wrinkle again.
I want to learn and not just understand.
I want to turn every page that I can
for new lessons.
I want to live like I was alive.
I want to die knowing I really lived.
I want to leave everything to you.
I want to go knowing I really lived
the way I do.
|
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Ryan Richardson Phoenix, Arizona
Reorganizing this page a bit. Excuse the mess until my OCD is satisfied.
Ryan Richardson recommends:
This makes me want to dream in black and white, and paint reality with no brush. Love everything about it.
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Walk Thru Me
by The Folk Implosion
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Terry Venemous is releasing new music every 3 weeks this year. His latest EP is sumptuous art pop with a wry sense of detachment.
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Springs Eternal
by William Doyle
Narratively focused art-pop from the British musician formerly known as East India Youth; features contributions from Brian Eno and others.
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