Lyrics
some words & some details about the words.
& maybe some charts with no promise of accuracy.
Alibi
"All I know is what I read in the papers..."
~Will Rogers
​
I sat down for a creative exercise & let mind wander from a pun into the next thought without demanding continuity. I don't know what it means, but words are fun to play with.
last week's trip
exposed a bit of what you did-
-not mean for anyone to know,
& now your family isn't
talking to you.
say it was just a dream
composed of trauma mixed with dopamine,
as if you needed more to set the scene,
& murder anyone and get a-
way with it, again
don't tell em bout our alibi.
everybody knows it's a lie.
this ain't conspiracy science,
malicious compliance
that's not what I said,
I know your comeback was rehearsed instead
by all the monkeys typing in your head,
& now they're throwing shit & hoping
all your fans are turned on (so sexy).
deny what you're told.
nobody else was there that knows the show,
so push it over like the dominos
your brother spent a week of setting
up for you to move one piece.
​
don't tell 'em 'bout our alibi.
it's easier a little white,
& not some full blown delusion,
just gaslit confusion.
I'm trying to keep
a little bit together
in a song as deep
as talkin bout weather.
so let's pretend to do a little boogie
while ex- presidents say "grab em by the...hand & shake it
with respect, & hope our moral compass isn't
pointed wrong (or coerced by the shouting)."
​
it's a gullible phenomenon
to believe it in a meme or song.
give bread & give circus.
suppress all them urges
...to tell 'em bout our alibi
if you weren't there, neither was I
Alright, OK
"Dance with the desire to make the world well"
~Dad
​
Sometimes you need a little encouragement to do the very things you've always wanted to do. Fun fact/rumor: my brother did, in mom-lore, learn to skip on the day I was born.
I've been thinking 'bout movin'
this dance to the middle of the floor.
I know you'll find it amusing,
so say less; I'll give a little bit more.
& I'm comfortable right here in the corner,
but I know this song, & the window's getting shorter.
& the flowers on the wall don't have much to say,
& the spirits & the booze have called my name,
so go on & twist my arm,
alright, alright, ok...
my brother learned to skip on the day i was born,
but I don't think you care about that...
I guess I just figured I'd me more used to joy;
I also thought it'd make you laugh
all the spins in my head want to play it safe,
but there's something in my feet I can't explain,
go on & twist my arm,
alright, alright, ok...
it's a little uneasy to move this freely,
don't think i need it, but goddamn I feel it!
& ain't it a shame that we used to blame
this sort of thing on holy spirit?
feels a little like heaven, but more like sex, &
maybe it's just you, & me, & the music.
it's still comfortable right here in the corner.
but I'm gonna skip around this room like my brother,
'cause the flowers on the wall still got nothin' to say,
& the spirits in your moves have called my name.
you've gone & changed my heart,
alright, alright ok
Called it Good
(god made the devil)
"Consequently, if you believe God made Satan, you must realize that all Satan's power comes from God and so that Satan is simply God's child, and that we are God's children also. There are no children of Satan, really."
~Anne Rice Interview with a Vampire
​
My good friend Benjamin & I would have late-night theological convos over black coffee & legally poached eggs at that place internationally known for their thick breakfast tortillas covered in liquid sugar. One evening, we were flirting the Genesis creation stories as one cohesion (rather than viewing the heavens/earth-imagery of creation & Adam/Eve stories as separate). Buy the premise; buy the bit: serpent (inaccurately named devil for creative license)=created thing=good. With this in mind, it seems like a setup from the beginning, as if the author was setting us up with the dualism imagery, then providing an illustration into how so much exists in between. It then goes on to provide some reasons to encourage misogyny, but I think there's something impressively subjective to answering "what is good?"
god made the devil, & he called it good
threw a little party for the neighborhood
gave me everything that I could need,
then sent me off to find a figgy tree
god made the devil, & he called it good.
one more wrong, & we can make it right
run like hell, or put up a fight
if we make it through, then we can come out free
as long as it's at least you & me
one more wrong, & we can make it right
truth comes out, & then the truth sets in
truth knows not of what could have been
& like a flower blooming to share its seed
but gets shew'd away, like a honey bee,
truth comes out, then the truth sets in
love fights hard, but she don't fight fair
love compliments & then cuts your hair
makes demands & then switches sides
she builds you up, & then hurts your pride
love fights hard, no she don't fight fair
god made the devil, & he called it good
taught us love, like a father should
set us up to make big mistakes
drew up lines in every shade of gray
god made the devil, & he called it good​
Carry & Cloak
"Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy."
~Franz Kafka
​
Writers Round Prompt November, 2023
Prompt: Metamorphosis
​
Who can't resist the opportunity for Kafkaesque vibes? At some point in my writing process, (which may/may not have done while dayjobbing) I was looking for some way to throw in a vague portmanteau word-play & maybe have some lyrical metamorphosis...instead, I simply discovered the autological translation of the suitcase: "Carry-Cloak"
hate to admit it
you're too committed to
company time
the shareholder's grind
straight to the top
ladder or box
​
carry & cloak
mirrors & smoke
you don't know how these things have changed
​
the family's business
lay-offs at christmas
blend into the crowd
but no one's around
everything's changed
the hard shell remains
​
carry & cloak
mirrors & smoke
you don't know who there is to blame
​
constant hum of the cubicle's
scripted play-pharmaceuticals
silk & thread around my neck
this cocoon is a losing bet
evolution was just a clue
ain't no one to blame but you
​
it's alright
it's all lies
thinking we'd ever reach the moon.
​
it's alright
it's all fine
just give me my paycheck
I'll be whatever you say next
Come Out
“The creature was utterly strange, not like anything they had ever known, and yet when it looked at them, some kind of recognition passed between them. ‘I know now,’ said Doon. ‘This is the world we belong in.‘”
~Jeanne DuPrau, City of Embers
When this song started in college, I thought it was about one thing, but after revisiting it 15 years later with my added personal baggage, it took on a different mantel inside the practice of letting things go & honoring the path that allowed you to make that choice.
is it enough
to move on now,
from holy ground,
or a hurricane?
it's not giving up
to be all out
of good reasons
to remain.
come out.
it's over now.
we can all move forward.
come out.
it's over now.
we will all move forward.
fear
is a lonely crowd
when you hear
your words out loud.
you've engineered
the long way out.
thank the bridge;
burn it down.
come out.
it's over now.
we can all move forward.
come out.
it's over now.
we will all move forward.
Dammit, I'm Wrong
"You're wrong, brother! I'm going to heaven!"
~guy at bible study after I implied that hell probably doesn't exist like he thinks it does
​
I wrote a song in my early twenties exploring how absurd pride can get, but the only thing I was satisfied about in that song was the hook. Everything else screams lazy writing & forced rhymes now. In an attempt to re-write that song, I sat on the final lyrics of the hook of this song for about 10 years before the rest decided to be born. I'm still fascinated by hyperbolically articulating the rehearsed, intrusive, internal dialogue & illustrating that with a bit more vulgarity than I would ever admit in a face-to-face conversation. Sometimes, writing down my childish/tactless emotions helps shed a light on how foolish those thoughts are & brings me back to something as simple & difficult as saying "that hurt my feelings," then admitting "therefore, I want to hurt yours" so I can recognize how truly idiotic & unproductive that kind of behavior is.
you might need to say it again
now that im focused listening
now that I've heard every word that you said
but ignored what you meant
facing the gallows or a counter attack
cant guarantee how my heart will react
hanging on every word that you say
'bout your noose's intent
& it's a clever way
to appear like you're strong
when you make up the rules as you go along
so now I'm searching for the words
to illustrate it in a song
I wanna start an argument,
but dammit I'm wrong
I wanna start arguing,
but dammit I'm wrong
I can't keep up with the cryptic language
lips don't line up with your speech
I only hear what I've selected
the meaning's just out of reach
If its an honest mistake
then you're lying
please, for the record, explain where you stand,
& I'll come closer to reach for your hand,
offer the few gentle words you expect,
& then hurt you again
Desert Sun
"I was born with the devil in me"
~H.H. Holmes
​
Writers Round Prompt January, 2024
Prompt: Desert Sun
​
I'm probably on some watchlist after doing some research for this song. My mind went on the tangent trail thinking of the desert sun which led to a western film, which led to Quentin Tarantino, which lead to the idea of a serial killer. So I went with the idea of slowly exposing his true nature with escalating manic tones. I had to remove quite a few draft lines because they made me extremely uncomfortable to sing. ie. "you look different when you're sleeping" ...ew
come in, & be patient
let me see your phone
there's no noise in the basement
yes, I live alone
questioning me!!?
oh baby, why the third degree?
​
I've been waiting for a girl like you
never mind the floor
go ahead, & have a drink or two
while I close the door
​
give me your hand!!!
oh baby, won't you take this dance
out here where there's nowhere to run
your mind goes free, you can have your fun
no one cares what you're dreaming about
small town gossip; big city mouths
blame it on the desert sun
get in with the shovel,
the barrel, & rope
don't want any trouble
give me your clothes
​
Micky Finn with the goodnight kiss
that you can't resist
anything to shut you up,
unclench your fists!
​
won't you agree,
"I was born with the devil in me"
blood on my hands from a glasgow smile
no one to hear, no water for miles
no one cares what you're screaming about
small town gossip; big city mouths
blame it on the desert sun
Don't Give Up
"This is Fine"
~KC Green's Melting Question Hound
​
Writers Round Prompt March, 2024
Prompt: Don't Give Up
​
I took a friend's advice & tried to throw some limits at this one: no riffs, just 4 chords per section. Then I treated it like a Pat Pattinson object-writing prompt to only describe the situation. The original thought was to describe a hopeless scenario & just leave it at that, but any time I try to sit in that dark of a space, I remember the good people that make life worthwhile & convince me not to give up on ___.
my mind is dirty, but the floor is clean
the air is heavy from the kerosene
sandpaper scratching off the make-believe
the world dissovling underneath my feet
​
I only notice when I'm breathing in
my chest is tighter than it's ever been
saltware touches underneath my chin
the tide is never ending; when did it begin?
​
it's easier to stay right here & live with it
where hope is just a worry that pretends to quit
because of you, I feel like I can give a shit
​
the ash has settled in the cooling breeze
the house survived another damn disease
tomorrow never promised guarantees
& never cared so much about what you might think
​
it's easier to stay right here & live with it
where hope is just a worry that pretends to quit
because of you, I feel like I can give a shit
Doomsday
"So..."
~Dad
​
Dad had a fascination with this thing where he could figure out what day of the week in which an event would fall. He'd quickly spout off "4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12, 5/9, 9/5, 7/11, 11/7, Valentines Day, 4th of July," then pause at his audience's perplexed face(s)...& explain that those will all be on the same day of the week this year. We later discovered that he was summarizing his version of the Doomsday Rule/Algorithm. Adding to that memorable list is now 10/17: when my family sang a stanza of a Grateful Dead tune as we said our goodbyes.
These lyrics are mostly inside jokes that live happily in my brain daily.
Other things to annoy your friends:
"What's the name of the star closest to earth?" -the big yellow one is the sun
"What was the tallest peak before Mt. Everest was discovered?" -then follow up with the science of how we measure a peak & that sea-level is different at the equator.
"Is it just me, or are the days getting longer/shorter?" -good around an equinox
I miss talking to you
mostly 'bout nothing,
& every possible view
tell me your doomsday technique
& how we could trust
you'd know the day of the week.
surprise, surprise,
we're singing uncle john's band,
something 'bout sunrise
& the crow & the wind,
surprise, surprise,
you guessed what day it would end,
still can't believe it's
so...
next father's day was short
unlike the tale of the martian
eating bread in new york.
ask me 'bout the star
you say is closest to earth,
but I don't know where we are.
surprise, surprise,
we're singing uncle john's band,
something 'bout sunrise
& the crow & the wind,
surprise, surprise,
you guessed what day it would end,
still can't believe it's
so...
now there's a new day for your calendar trick
we marked it down as when you were no longer sick
of course it would fall on a day we'd find quick;
& it's a helluva joke, you sonofabitch
surprise surprise,
we're singing uncle john's band
something 'bout sunrise
& the crow & the wind
surprise, surprise,
you knew what day it would end
so...
Feel This Way
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
~F. Scott Fitzgerald
​
Lauren & I met through our songwriting circles & happened to be working through similar social transitions. After throwing a few topical ideas at the wall about not wanting to feel in/out of love/angry/sad... the struggle of progressing forward in our honest & authentic selves, apart from those around us, was the noodle that stuck.
everyone is different
& I am trying to align
it's as if my soul is masking
& my heart is intertwined
you thought that I was perfect then
I hope you've changed your mind
'cause I've changed mine
everything is dry here
i'm trying not to burn it down
but I'm a fire every other day
& in between, I drown
making noises just to say I'm not
choking on this town
i'll choke it down
I don't
I don't
I don't wanna feel this way
you can't expect me to stay the same
I don't
I don't
I don't wanna walk away
now it feels different
& I don't wanna feel this way
Happier on Your Own
"A ghost can be a lot of things. A memory, a daydream, a secret. Grief, anger, guilt. But, in my experience, most times they're just what we want to see."
~ Mike Flanagan (via Steven Crain in "Haunting of Hill House")
​
Songs live in a vacuum; life does not. I started writing these words as an attempt to see my heart inside each of the 5 faces of grief at the end of a 7-year marriage. I wasn't trying to build a narrative, just be present & allow myself to feel w/o consideration of someone else's feelings. I don't agree with some of the sentiment anymore, but I do remember these feelings, & I'm grateful to move forward because them.
Denial:
seven years of plans for two
seven years gone & I wanna blame you
I hit the road with our campaign team
you filled out the ballot like an absentee,
& set up shop at a new address
while I was running on faithfulness.
Anger:
you think it’s callous when I don’t react,
I thought you needed my strength remain intact.
maybe it’s the pace that I claim the pain,
I’m a little bit slower, but it hurts the same,
still you lost your love & said you can’t connect,
yeah, I shut down, the fuck did you expect?
good grief, where was I
when you’re heart went unsatisfied
with the spotlight set on you
you
Bargaining:
is there still time to convince my love
are you still asking for signs from the lord above.
if I’m honest it feels like “he” gave up on us
I never had doubts, I never lost trust
& I can see my error from your point of view,
but I promise, babe, I got issues too
good grief! I’m reaching out
the only way that I know how
by giving you everything
everything
Depression:
what's the use of moving on?
feel like an Israelite in Babylon
singing songs & casting lots
with folded hands & a silent god.
just counting time in someone else's home.
tell me, are you happier on your own?
good grief, I’ve lost the war
& every battle, falling on my sword
to honor you in happiness
whatever the hell that is
Acceptance:
seven years of plans for two
seven years gone, & I can’t blame you
I'm a coward's spine with a stubborn love
I know I hurt your heart when I don't show up
but I never meant for you to feel alone
tell me, are you happier on your own
I hope you're happier on your own
Honestly
"Feels like i'm all the way back where I belong"
~ Randy Newman
​
A song about a lover realizing they're unhappy in their current situation while knowing there was a better, more honest connection with someone else. It's my attempt at looking at more than my own feelings/narrative to see the other side of "Happier on Your Own," giving the story a better ending than bitterly ill-wishing loneliness.
pretty pictures
in my bedroom
frames of memories
perched like perfume
& honesty
9 years waiting
to return to
long lost secrets
of who loved who
honestly
maybe you're my only way out of here,
only it doesn't feel like escaping;
it feels like home
why'd I leave this
in a good place?
scaring myself
touching your face
never felt this
safe with no one.
never knew my
own emotion,
honestly
maybe you're my only way out of here
only it doesn't feel like escaping;
it feels like home
& I wouldn't change a thing
even if it meant sooner to you
even if it meant less heart break
you can't convince me we aren't
perfect
& I would choose you
10 times over,
light a candle,
kiss your shoulder,
& fall asleep,
& feel at home.
I Don't Know
"I know you are all fighting because you are scared and confused. I'm confused too. All day... I don't know what the heck is going on. But somehow, this feels like it's all my fault. I don't know. The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind. Please, be kind. Especially when we don't know what's going on."
~ Waymond Wang (EEAAO)
​
I wrote this one after a few therapy sessions where I felt emotionally erratic - likely from a subconscious clock that wanted to point at tiny things in the present. By the end of the session, I had calm clarity & my emotions had shifted from being a sad little victim to realizing I was surrounded by beautiful people. This one's a little ode to those folks that stick around reminding us who we are & how great it is to be together.
all of my emotions are on edge
for no fucking reason
I could blame it on the season
blame it on my past
but the truth is
I’ve suppressed these feelings
so they wouldn’t last.
​
I don't know what's going on in your heart, but that's
not an excuse to stop listening to your thoughts
you don't know what's going on in my head, in fact
neither do I...most of the time.
​
taking it out on the loved ones surrounding us
guess it's familiar frontier
we're just reacting to what came before
but you’ve helped me to see it more clear
​
isn't it funny how easy it is to laugh
after we realize anger's a cheap disguise
covering up the embarrassing human things
everyone's bitter 'bout, but we can't live without...
​
taking it out on the loved ones surrounding us
guess it's familiar frontier
we're just reacting to what came before…but you’ve
helped me to see it more clear
​
& we are not the wagon to hitch all our past behind
following the old path through
somewhere the burden of forgiving troubled minds
uncovers old lovers truths
hurt people hurt people too
I guess I’ll stop…
​
taking it out on the loved ones surrounding me
& looking for newer frontiers
I'll quit reacting to what came before
'cause you've helped me to see it more clear
​
yeah, we're all reacting to what came before we knew
how good it is to be here
The Old Town Saloon
"When the Okies left Oklahoma and moved to California, they raised the average intelligence level in both states."
~Will Rogers
​
Writers Round Prompt from August,2023
Prompt: California
​
Friends from my home state will occasionally ask me about what they've seen on their local news about California, & it's usually some biased article about an extremely minor/rare incident blown out of proportion to sound scarier than reality. My response is usually "idk what you're talking about" or I'll question why they love straws or why they aren't already using reusable bags at the grocery store. Meanwhile, I've been asked by folks who've never been east of the rockies whether we live in teepees & assume that all of the south looks like the small sample found on peopleofwalmart.
​
So I decided to go Romeo/Juliet or Tristan/Isolde or Hatfield/McCoy style romance between OK/CA
the papers warned me about you
& all the dumb things that you do
that you cant afford rent
in your one bedroom tent,
you got laws about straws to tend to
meanwhile in my teepee, of course,
next to my buggy & horse,
were deep fryin' butter,
churned from the utter
cause its healthier straight from the source
let's meet at the old town saloon
& drink up like johnny & june
breaking some hearts,
but mostly just family ties
cause truth is that when youre around
were standin on commoner ground
& headlines are bullshit,
all that fear was a lie
​
they tell that me your crimes on the loose
& youve cancelled old Theodore Seuss.
but im safe here at night
cause im privileged & white
but we won't talk domestic abuse
​
but since we're confronting the doubt
it seems we're more similar now
youre less disagreeable
& your worldview believable
when i hear it come straight from your mouth
:
so you get those hurricanes, earthquakes, & climate myths
& weve got tornadoes, & grassfires, & crystal meth.
our land is pumping out liquid gold energy,
youve got south africans selling us batteries.
... but your voice is as sweet as the ocean breeze
maybe well fall in the right side of history
​
down at the old town saloon
where we pretend to be johnny & june
breaking some hearts,
but mostly political ties
cause truth is that when youre around
were standin on commoner ground
& headlines are bullshit,
all that fear was a lie
so fuck it, let's have a good time
People Pleaser
"Do not do unto others as you would have others do unto you; they may have different taste." ~George Bernard Shaw
​
People-pleasing has gotten some street-cred lately with the rise of therapy-speak. I'll admit I fall into that real pattern on occasion because potentially hurting someone else's feelings feels harsher than sticking up for myself; however, sometimes just being objective or courteous in a situation gets improperly labeled as "people pleasing" rather than the practice of basic empathy in this gray world. This song's based on a self-proclaimed people-pleaser just trying to uncover life's nuance but is surrounded by folks that thrive on pushing other peoples' boundaries, taking advantage of kindness/uncertainty. What better way to shake off the PP pattern than to cosplay as an immature asshole for a few minutes in a song?
I don't need to be right
I'd rather not fight
while some things are accurate
maybe your narrative
assumes some things
I'll admit I might be wrong
I know it took me too long,
but now that the facts are clean
maybe you won't be so
goddamn mean
& just admit that we used the wrong words to express
what we think we've seen
but no...
I've gotta pick a side
I'm just a people pleaser
never had a thought of my own
just going through life, wishin'
folks like you would leave me alone
but no...I've gotta pick a side
& you know,
you know that hurts my mind
maybe the devil got a point
maybe it's all just a ploy
to convince the assault that I'm
nice to a fault
but deep down I'm rude
it'd be nice if you tried
to swallow your pride
'cause I don't have the energy
to write up a eulogy
for choked-on views
but No...I've gotta pick a side...
& you know that hurts my mind
I'm just a people pleaser
never had a thought of my own
just going through life, wishin'
folks like you would leave me alone
got no opinions on this,
other than I don't like your tone
defending both sides, 'til I
can prove you've got an empathic bone
but no...I've gotta pick a side
& you know,
you know that hurts my mind
'cause there are two sides to every one of these
where there's some truth to your 2-year degree
don't make me whip out my phd
on some unrelated subject
*you're an unrelated subject...
I'm just a people pleaser
never had a thought of my own
just going through life, wishin'
folks like you would leave me alone
got no opinions on this,
other than I don't like your tone
defending both sides, 'til I
can prove you've got an empathic bone
but no...I've gotta pick a side
Shadow & Light
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."​
~Rumi
​
Writers Round Prompt July, 2023
Prompt: Shadow & the Light
​
When thinking on this prompt, I started with more of a Peter Pan idea which lead to personifying the 2 elements. This formed a tangent into the toxic relationship that they would have. Specifically Shadow's co-dependency on Light -or more accurately: Shadow's dependency on something (ie. drama) existing between the 2 in order to even exist. Most of the song is from Shadow's longing perspective ironically needing that "drama," but not really wanting it. The final verse is from Light's confused perspective that an essential stranger could claim such a strong love without ever truly knowing who it is.
oh
wake me from this slumber
I'm just stuck in constant hunger
waiting for the day
you know
im longing for that moment
like a lonely little neighbor boy
when you come out to play
& there’s always something in between
the glory of all we could be
& there’s always some excuse
it’s not me, it’s not you
as if you didn’t even notice me
on the other side of everything
you can’t tell me it’s not destiny
it feels so right
​
my love
there’s no reason to be shy
your voice ignites the sky
& the whole world listens in
my love
you help me feel like myself
& you shape my personality
daydreaming through the evening’s end
​
& there’s always something in between
the glory of all we could be
& there’s always some excuse
it’s not me, it’s not you
​
as if you didn’t even notice me
on the other side of everything
depending on you despretly
to give me life
​
you
you remind me of someone I knew
but I can’t get past this middle view
& when i do, you run & hide
“we…”
we’ve never met, but I can feel your gaze
the silhouette of a familiar phase
that I don’t want in my life
​
’cuz there’s always something in between
preventing you from seeing me
& you’re blaming an excuse
when it’s not me, it’s just you
​
as if you really ever could love me
from the other side of everything
what an unrealistic fantacy:
shadow & the light
Sheila's Dog
"Are you Sheila's Dog"
~Zac Oyama
​
Writers Round Prompt April, 2024
Prompt: House of Cards
​
I started this one thinking I'd rewrite the 3 little pigs fable to have maybe a 4th house made of cards, but I couldn't figure it out. Instead, I stumbled into quoting a bit from GameChanger
where Zac Oyama perfectly portrays his nat1 charisma check with "Are you Sheila's Dog?"
​
My original intent for the vibe was Jerry Garcia on Dire Wolf, but somehow ended up at Randy Newman ¯\_(⊙_ʖ⊙)_/¯
Wilbur was out mowing grass
ran inside & shouted “kiss my ass!
no way I’d ever let you in!
I don’t want you around
you stir up trouble; you stink like a hound!
lord knows just where them paws have been"
his neighbor built his out of sticks
squealed out loud like a little bitch
& said, “nah man, you can’t come in!”
hurt my soul when he spoke like that
I just wanted a little chat
so I caused them twigs to fall right down on him
​
he said, “Is that Sheila’s dog
are you Sheila’s dog?
or just some other dog entirely?"
as he ran to hide
I heard him cry
“oh Babe…Babe?”
​
next one built shit out of stone
made his house into a home
& kept me out with walls that ain’t so thin
& took in the other 2
I was out of breath; I was turnin’ blue
time to think up sneaky other plans
​
they said,
“Is that Sheila’s dog
are you Sheila’s dog
or just some other dog entirely?”
& I said “Nothing to see
just leave me be
Babe…Babe”
​
so I climbed up to that smokey stack
time to get that bacon snack
didn’t know I’d have to learn to swim
I made a big mistake!
“let me out! for goodness sake!"
whatever can I do to make amends?
​
they laughed & snorted “you’ve been caught!”
as one walked up to my boiling pot & said
“not by the hair on our chinny chin chin!”
​
& sang,
“hey it’s Sheila’s dog!”
hey Sheila’s dog!
you can shove that house of cards back up your sleeve!
just leave us be
rest in peace
okay? "babe..."
Situationship
"it's not me, it's you"
~you, probably
​
I had a few friends tell me stories about their relationship misfortunes where something just wan't clicking: be it timing, location, vibe, life-goals, etc. I decided to grasp some of the feelings in their stories to make this tune. "blah blah blah" was initially a placeholder, but seemed to fit with the confused complacency of the character, so they stayed..
maybe I'll call you - maybe I won't
maybe I'll just think it's better being alone
for a day
or for a month or two
maybe I should kiss you - maybe more
or maybe I should find my things & head for the door
& some day
it's just me & you
finally on the same page
blah blah blah this situationship
given the doubt of our benefit
maybe I'll fall for you - maybe you won't
maybe I'll scroll pictures while I quietly hope
that some day
in a year or two
we're finally on the same page
blah blah blah this situationship
given the doubt of our benefit
blah blah blah, what's this situationship
it never played out to go through with it
quick dancing for a slow song
draggin' our feet to move our hearts along
one's obsessed, one's in bed
one went quiet while the other said...
blah blah blah this situationship
given the doubt of our benefit
blah blah blah, fuck this situation...shit!
it never plays out to go through with it
The Sky is Falling
""We have to warn everyone!​
~Chicken Little
​
Writers Round Prompt June, 2023
Prompt: Sky is Falling
​
How about some apocalyptic language!?
something terrible's burdened my head
confirming conspiracies already had,
the terror of all the things under my bed
barreling down from above
​
clipped wings & rebel kings fall to the earth
the heavens have opened up her judgement berth
dancing, the people mourn unfinished work
questioning their latest love
​
sure as an angry old lunatic dog.
she cries like a wolf, & she's royally wrong
I don't really care what the sly creature says
on the Eve of tomorrow we'll surely be dead
​
there's something wrong in the air
the clouds have never looked this way
there's something wrong in the air
we should all be afraid; we should all be afraid
we should all be afraid; we should all be afraid
​
all the king's horses: white, black, red, & green
couldn't prepare for our jezebel queen,
draped in the sun, the moon under her feet
the dragon, the woman, & child.
​
(I'm a) fish out of water, 'cause the river's run dry
mixed up in metaphors that you can't deny.
sackcloth & ashes clothe this restless why
& i'm just tyin' to survive
​
sure as an angry old lunatic dog.
I cry about wolves, & i'm probably wrong
I felt what I felt; I said what I said.
on the eve of tomorrow we'll surely be dead
​
there's something wrong in the air
the clouds have never looked this way
there's something wrong in the air
we should all be afraid; we should all be afraid
we should all be afraid; we should all be afraid
Those Words
"Don't tell me what I know, Travis!"
~Gideon (Zootopia)
​
I sort of see this as the sister song to People Pleaser. I don't often speak up for myself -usually because I like to chew on my feelings before I express them so that I can be clear about my intentions. This song grew out of an isolated interaction where someone was incorrectly speaking on my behalf of my feelings to someone else, & it irked me. It's somewhat morphed into a bit that I do now when someone uses the filler phrase "you know what i mean?" in which I'll respond, "what do you mean?" as if they had some ulterior motive to an otherwise comprehensible statement. I originally wrote/performed this with The Songwriters Co. in 2015, but I've since added a bridge to show a slightly contrasting perspective from the similar line in People Pleaser.
don't speak for me when I'm quiet
I have no reason just to give you words.
& these thoughts in my head stay private,
interrupted & so seldom heard
& how can you explain
exactly why i'm feeling this way
when you put words in my mouth & start speaking,
I know it's what you think that I'm thinking,
but those words,
they're not exactly what I'm trying to say
those words
there are songs that I hear I agree with,
but I won't go so far to claim harmony.
with each passing day is a new wish
that you would listen to my one melody
& how can you explain
exactly why I'm feeling this way
when you put words in my mouth & start speaking,
I know it's what you think that I'm thinking,
but those words,
they're not exactly what i'm trying to say
those words
so shut up & listen
I don't even know what I want,
& I'm just tryna come clean
emotions are easy,
at least that what you think,
& right now, I just want to be mean
please give me the time
to translate my mind
& try not to pay your two cents.
call off the thought police
I'll concede to keep the peace
'cause you've already written your defense.
& how can you explain
exactly why I'm feeling this way
when you put words in my mouth & start speaking,
I know it's what you think that i'm thinking,
but those words,
they're not exactly what i'm trying to say
those words