B i o g r a p h y (by Marcy Donelson)
Also known for her evocative songwriting and performances with indie folk-rock band Big Thief, Adrianne Lenker's solo material is spare, brittle, and often deeply personal. Featuring only a couple of backing vocalists alongside Lenker's voice and acoustic guitar, her label debut, Hours Were the Birds, arrived in early 2014, the same year she began collaborating with guitarist/songwriter Buck Meek. They went on to form Big Thief, which found critical acclaim (as well as the Billboard Heatseekers chart) with their 2016 debut, Masterpiece. Lenker continued to release solo work as her band's indie clout grew, including the 2020 double album songs and instrumentals. A Minneapolis native, Lenker learned her first few guitar chords from her father at a young age and began writing songs at ten. After her parents divorced when she was 12, she dedicated herself to music, an endeavor encouraged by her father throughout her teens. She released her first solo material as a teen in 2006. Frustrated with subsequent recording sessions in Nashville, cash-strapped, and with no high school diploma, she applied for a summer program at the Berklee College of Music in Boston with help from her dad. That led to a scholarship to attend full-time. Lenker graduated in 2012 and relocated to Brooklyn. Soon after arriving in New York, Lenker ran into fellow Berklee alum Buck Meek, whom she remembered from a brief interaction in Boston, where they had shared the same bill at a show. Fast friends and musical kindred spirits, they released two EPs as a duo -- A-Sides and B-Sides -- in 2014 before forming Big Thief with bass player Max Oleartchik and drummer James Krivchenia. In the meantime, Lenker signed with Saddle Creek, which released her solo album Hours Were the Birds that same year. The quartet's debut album, Masterpiece, followed on Saddle Creek in 2016, a year that also saw them make appearances at the South by Southwest Festival and in support slots on tours with Eleanor Friedberger, Yuck, Frankie Cosmos, and M. Ward. They made their national TV debut with a performance on Late Night with Seth Meyers in March of 2017. Big Thief's second album, Capacity, arrived that June and reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Heatseekers, independent, Americana/folk, and vinyl charts. After touring in support of Capacity, including a headlining run and dates with Conor Oberst, Meek released a self-titled solo album. A solo Lenker followed up with the intimate Abysskiss on Saddle Creek later in 2018. It was produced by Luke Temple, who also performed on the album. Back with Big Thief, a third straight album with producer Andrew Sarlo (Nick Hakim, Hand Habits), the atmospheric U.F.O.F., marked the band's debut for 4AD in May 2019. Punchier counterpart Two Hands followed that October, and both albums cracked the Billboard 200, with Two Hands peaking at 113. The group spent much of the rest of the year touring North American and Europe, including stops at Norway's Oya Festival and the U.K.'s Green Man Festival. With touring cut short in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lenker returned to New York, then learned of a cabin for rent near some friends in the mountains of Western Massachusetts. Taken with the sound of the acoustics in the empty cabin, she invited engineer Philip Weinrobe to join her in the remote locale to record an acoustic album. Written mostly on-site, the resulting, double-length songs and instrumentals consisted of 11 minimally arranged songs and a collection of guitar and windchime improvisations. The set was released in October 2020 on 4AD.
STAGES OF THE SUN Dig Down Come on Put your mind in motion Dip into my well, dive to my depths Feel what I'm feeling, yeah Getting down below me Dare to mine the subterranean me See what you'll find there Underneath the black earth, you will touch unique history Dig down to my heart If you want to know me where I start And if you want to feel what's in my blood Dig yourself down, dig yourself down Dig down Now it's not easy To see what's past my surface Look into my eyes and be surprised See what I'm seeing, yeah Getting down to business Amaze me with your mind, think hard this time And go for the gold Dig down to my heart If you want to know me where I start And if you want to feel what's in my blood Dig yourself down, dig yourself down Dig down to my heart If you want to really play the part And if you want to get what I'm about Dig yourself down, dig yourself down Dig down I've been this way on my own before I've dug a deep well to uncover my source I've tasted my truth and have been satisfied I'm keeping it real and I won't live a lie Dig down to my heart If you want to know me where I start And if you want to feel what's in my blood Dig yourself down, dig yourself down Dig down to my heart If you want to really play the part And if you want to get what I'm about Dig yourself down, dig yourself down Dig down Dig down, dig down, dig down Imperfection Rusty water in this place Cupboards filled with empty space Withered flowers in a vase Pimples on a pretty face Grass that's gone to seed And bracelets with broken beads Gardens filled with weeds And books that no one reads The imperfection of this life It's what makes us perfectly alright Without your every little flaw You wouldn't mean anything to me at all Broken promise to a friend Nothing in your heart to lend Stubborn so you never bend Fearful so you just pretend Smile with crooked teeth Song with broken beat Sun with burning heat And secrets that no one keeps The imperfection of this life It's what makes us perfectly alright Without your every little flaw You wouldn't mean anything to me at all The imperfection of this life It's what makes us perfectly alright Without your every little flaw You wouldn't mean anything to me at all Rusty water in this place Cupboards filled with empty space Withered flowers in a vase World that needs a bit more grace My Bliss Wake up to the sound of my crazy town Wish that I could get away from this People running 'round over sideways down Turning their lives into a mess I remember a time when my mind wondered wild Running through an open field I remember a time, such a wonderful time When I close my eyes real tight I still can Feel the summer breeze fall into the trees Let my senses fill with happiness Shimmering morning mist, don't see clouds like this Don't see clouds like this And I'm gonna keep turning it over Yеah I'm gonna till I find my bliss My bliss I need to wrestle my mind up to the sky It's up to mе to live my dream Only when I find good in what is mine Will I be free And I'm gonna keep turning it over Yeah I'm gonna till I find my bliss I'm gonna keep turning it, turning it Yeah I'm gonna till I find my bliss I'm gonna keep turning it over Yeah I'm gonna till I find my bliss I'm gonna keep turning, turning it Yeah I'm gonna till I find my bliss I'm gonna keep turning it over Turning it over till I find my bliss And I'm gonna keep turning it over Turning it over till I find my bliss Wake up to the sound of my crazy town Wish that I could get away from this When You Lead Me On Met you at the corner shop I got a soda you got a pop, dippidy dop I read the story in your eyes Looked too long got hypnotized, what a surprise Your smile mesmerized me and the things you said took hold of me At first I thought you were so cool Gave my heart and let you rule, what a damn fool You told me things you never meant I thought that you were heaven-sent, you made a dent But then you turned it off and told me we were through Do you feel the way I do, the way I feel when I'm with you Why can't you show it to me Seems so hard to recognize what is truth and what are lies When you lead me on Fickle as a weather vane With every breeze your mind would change and rearrange Cause every girl who came along With low-rise jeans and high-rise thong would turn you on How could you carelessly just turn away from me Do you feel the way I do, the way I feel when I'm with you Why can't you show it to me Seems so hard to recognize what is truth and what are lies When you lead me on If your intention wasn't to stay Why did you look at me that way You're gonna regret it now that I'm gone Wishing you hadn't done me wrong Do you feel the way I do, the way I feel when I'm with you Why can't you show it to me It seems so hard to recognize what is truth and what are lies When you lead me on Do you feel the way I do, the way I feel when I'm with you Why can't you show it to me Seems so hard to recognize what is truth and what are lies When you lead me on Read the story in your eyes Looked too long got hypnotized, what a surprise Stages Of The Sun I wait in the dark for the day to start For the sun to show, for my sight to grow And if it should be an eternity I will wait right here for you A silent choice to hear the voice Rising from my soul, for my heart to hold And if it should bring an awakening I will sing its song with you I become, I become I become the sun I become, I become Oh I become the sun I walk through the day trying to obey What I learned from you and I feel is true And if it should break every step I take I will rise and set with you I become, I become I become the sun I become, I become Oh I become the sun I become the sun, I become the sun From the morning till the day is done I become, I become the sun I become the sun, I become the sun From the morning till the day is done I become, I become the sun The golden glow dims from my soul As the sun dives to the earth below But with each new day I will find My way through the stages of the sun I become, I become I become the sun I become, I become Oh I become the sun Don't Talk So Much Your mouth is moving but noting's being said Blah-blah's on your mind Is that all that's really in your head Why are your thoughts so blind Poverty of consciousness, poverty of mind Poverty of what really matters Shut up will you, eat before you speak Shovel it in before you shovel it out And you've, you've got it, you've got it in your head It's a picture of the universe drawn from your TV set Your mind is running on the lowest setting You're just like all your friends No one bothers to explore the questions Life's just one big dead еnd 'Cause you've, you've got it, you'vе got it in your head It's a picture of the universe drawn from your TV set And you've, you've got it, you've got it in your mind It's the basic misconception that your words can fill up time Don't talk so much that you miss your chance to learn Listen and you'll grow what you know Your life is headed in the wrong direction It's time to straighten it out Find yourself a new affection That's bigger than your mouth 'Cause you've, you've got it, you've got it in your head It's a picture of the universe drawn from your TV set And you've, you've got it, you've got it in your mind It's the basic misconception that your words can fill up time Your mouth is moving but nothing's being said Blah-blah's on your mind So Little Life Leaves are blowing, summer's fading I'm not even hesitating, hesitating So little life to live, so many words to say When I stop and try to say them, everything fades away When I drift out of this dream world, it's usually just in time To realize everything will be fine To realize everything will be fine I wanted the time to move, I wanted the time to think My words drift through the atmosphere before I even speak I wanted the time to feel, I wanted the time to breathe My heart is trapped in time and it won't be released So little life to live, so many words to say When I stop and try to say them, everything fades away When I drift out of this dream world, it's usually just in time To realize everything will be fine To realize everything will be fine Oh dreams have come and gone but my life has just begun Some things in the past are just not worth holding onto I can think about the future and what there is to come But that would only take away from the life I'm living now So little life to live, so many words to say When I stop and try to say them, everything fades away When I drift out of this dream world, it's usually just in time To realize everything will be fine So little life to live, so many words to say When I stop and try to say them, everything fades away And when I drift out of this dream world, it's usually just in time To realize everything will be fine To realize everything will be fine To realize everything will be fine Fine Same As The Beginning I got my spin, got my circle, got my orbit around you Where it starts is where it ends, then it starts again Around and round and round I go Held by your gravity I flow Round and round and round again You hold me close, there is no end Yet I feel so still, feel so stuck, feel so stationary Night after night, though I move like the moon, I'm predictable Around and round and round I go Held by your gravity I flow Round and round and round again You hold me close there is no end I've tried to cycle through Variations on who I am But every time that I do I turn back to you the same as the beginning I'll spin my facts, churn my truth, recycle all my evidence But truth be told, in the end I'm so glad I belong to you Round and round and round I go Held by your gravity I flow Round and round and round again You hold me close there is no end I've tried to cycle through Variations on who I am But every time that I do I turn back to you the same as the beginning Round and round and round I go Held by your gravity I flow Round and round and round again You hold me close there is no end I've tried to cycle through Variations on who I am But every time that I do I turn back to you the same as the beginning Got my spin, got my circle, got my orbit around you Where it starts is where it ends, then it starts again Friends 4ever 4 A Day You seemed beautiful when you came into my life Everything about you shined like the sparkle in your eye Hopelessly I trusted you, I shared my deepest things Then one day you turned on me with animosity Friends forever for a day cause you didn't get your way Where in hell did you learn to be so cruel? Start to give and then you'd take, say you're real when you're fake Turn around and walk away until you learn to be true Tell me what offended you to such intense extremes Was it that I wouldn't turn my heart against my dreams Friends forever for a day cause you didn't get your way Where in hell did you learn to be so cruel Start to give and then you'd take, say you're real when you're fake Turn around and walk away until you learn What I've learned is that as time goes by I can choose how to live and how to die And who I'm going to be inside I choose strength instead of fear, joy instead of hate And now, I'm moving on from here to leave you to your fate Friends forever for a day cause you didn't get your way Where in hell did you learn to be so cruel Start to give and then you'd take, say you're real when you're fake Turn around and walk away until you learn to be true Learn to be true You seemed beautiful when you came into my life Release Yourself Let go, let it all go Leave it, leave it alone No need to worry, there's no time to hurry Life's so much better when you take things slow Just throw all of your fears away Tomorrow is another day You think too hard and live too small Release yourself from it all Throw all of your tears away And choose to live a brighter day You're stuck with how you choose to see Release yourself Breathless from running too fast Lay back and learn to relax No need to worry, there's no time to hurry Life's so much better when you take things slow Just throw all of your fears away Tomorrow is another day You think too hard and live too small Release yourself from it all Throw all of your tears away And choose to live a brighter day You're stuck with how you choose to see Release yourself, release yourself Don't miss the moments passing by, collect them one by one And keep them in your heart so that they'll warm you like the sun Warm you like the sun No need to worry, there's no time to hurry Life's so much better when you take things slow Just throw all of your fears away Tomorrow is another day You think too hard and live too small Release yourself from it all Throw all of your tears away And choose to live a brighter day You're stuck with how you choose to see Release yourself Throw all of your fears away Tomorrow is another day You think too hard and live too small Release yourself from it all Throw all of your tears away And choose to live a brighter day You're stuck with how you choose to see Release yourself Let go, let it all go Graduation Day Everything seems to be changing I feel like I'm spinning around Cause the minute I get it together You come crashing down Look I know that you want me to make it You've got my best interests at heart But there's no way that I'll ever finish Unless you let me start, you let me start So I'll run out this door, I can't take it no more This weight you've put on me is driving me away You say that you've got it together You say that you've figured it out But the second I tell you I don't agree You shut me down, shut me down So I'll run out this door, I can't take it no more This weight you've put on me is driving me away I feel the tension build until I start to spill My bursting soul declares it's graduation day Graduation day I hope you find a place in my new world I want you to share my freedom with me Cause I am not a child no more What do you think my mind is for I know more than you think I do It's time I let my heart renew Time to let my heart renew So I'll run out this door, I can't take it no more This weight you've put on me is driving me away I feel the tension build until I start to spill My bursting soul declares it's graduation day I'll run out this door, I can't take it no more This weight you've put on me is driving me away I feel the tension build until I start to spill My bursting soul declares it's graduation day Graduation day My Life Is Fine First of the winter snow It's falling just in time And it's not too late to go with you again Even if it's the first time And I know that poems don't always have to rhyme And I know that my heart doesn't beat in perfect time But my life is fine Just like the seasons change There's beauty in each one And you and I have been through changes too And I think they've just begun And I know that poems don't always have to rhyme And I know that my heart doesn't beat in perfect time But my life is fine Even when it's dark A year or two or more (a year or two or more) Someday it will be done (someday it will be done) And then this life that you and I have shared Will be setting like the sun And I know that poems don't always have to rhyme And I know that my heart doesn't beat in perfect time But my life is fine And my life is fine
HOURS WERE THE BIRDS Hours Were The Birds I've got something here, it's a chance I'm-a make my changes as I go and the city lights dance away stars I've met all kinds of reasons why the seasons leave their scars I am thin as cinnamon and tarnished like these metal cars That drive along the rivers of tar I am weatherproof as the rain And I've fooled every lover into drinking up my pain I am hanging by the edges of my name, but I am warm So comfortable forgetting 'bout the storm I love Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado too Atlanta and Montana, Nebraska and the moon And you I must have been a traveller inside of the womb Never had a place with a living room You said a house is a tomb Well, zoom, zoom, zoom Here we go, Annie No more planning Isn't this dandy I've got you and you've got me I'm going back to the lake This time of year, it's frozen through Ain't nothing gonna break I'll take you there and show you where I used to spend my time Before working, before leaving, before wine I love Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado too Atlanta and Montana, Nebraska and the moon And you Life is easy come and it's easy go too Hours were the birds and I guess they flew I just can't get a grip on this place, Billy Lou Well, zoom zoom zoom Here we go, Annie No more planning Isn't this dandy I've got you and you've got me Lighthouse Well, I left here in my sleep when I was dreaming Miles and miles away into a place My heart was scheming an escape that love drew from me And I met you on the corner of the seasons Out of winter's reach and into summer's early sun You were the moon and I was only seventeen And now I'm making all these things And constructing all these scenes And I'm stitching at the seams Of the fabric of my dreams And I'm here in my boat And I'm rowing up to shore as you sing Well, I'm ringing all the bells from my lighthouse, dear Time is just an ocean and you're almost here One for the mind, two for the soul Three for the body and the heart that knows That knows I'll never ever let you go Oh silence, the silence a-ringing your bells Singing the words in a whisper Dispel all this noise, bring back the joy Ring the world awake 'Cause if the only whole that we have is a world apart And it's separate and broken and stained from the start My heart will remain and take it anyway Well, I'm ringing all the bells from my lighthouse, dear Time is just an ocean and you're almost here One for the mind, two for the soul Three for the body and the heart that knows That knows I'll never ever let you go I'm ringing all the bells from my lighthouse, dear Time is just an ocean and you're almost here One for the mind, two for the soul Three for the body and the heart that knows That knows I'll never ever let you go Disappear Lose my words Lose my thoughts Lose my dreams A million different pieces A million different things That I can't keep together That can't seem to see As they tumble around me I fall asleep to the sound of the sea A familiar ocean that's swallowing me In a whirlwind of wonder Oh what can it be that I'm missing here And I disappear 'Cause this world, it keeps trying to pull me down But my feet, they won't ever find the ground 'Cause my body is made out of sound And that's all I am Morning will break And the winter will take What it wants of me slowly But I can't complain 'Cause I'd rather be lonely And cold and awake Than asleep in a warm and a comfortable place And oh oh where do I go from here Please, direct the melody in my ear 'Cause I have stepped Deep into a song that I'd like to forget And I disappear Well, this world, it keeps trying to pull me down But my feet, they won't ever find the ground 'Cause my body is made out of sound And that's all I am And I can disappear Just disappear Just disappear Find my way out of here Out of here Out of here I can just disappear Just disappear Just disappear Gone Some days I'll admit it feels a little like rain Feels a little like falling asleep on a train I know that you were right, I couldn't let you in But I held you so tight, your breath burned on my skin And is it near or is it far that we begin To know something's near Not the change in the seasons that scares me, dear It's the sound in the distance that I start to hear Some days in my mind, I see you look the same The way you were two years ago when you came I see you there softly moving, sweet around my pain Fixing my heart and my hands and my brain But we knew we couldn't stay, we couldn't stay You know something's near Not the change in the seasons that scares me, dear It's the sound in the distance I start to hear When it rolls in just like thunder When the storm, it breaks Makes me wonder why you came at all And you're gone, gone, gone, gone And when you leave part of you will Part of me will start to breathe When you're gone, gone, gone, gone Some days I'll admit I don't know what to do You came in, you gave me the deepest parts of you But now I'm falling asleep and I'm falling awake And I don't know now how long it's gonna take No, no, no You know something's near Not the change in the seasons that scares me, dear It's the sound in the distance I start to hear When it rolls in just like thunder And the storm, it breaks Makes me wonder why you came at all And you're gone, gone, gone, gone And when you leave, part of you will Part of me will start to breathe When you're gone, gone, gone, gone Steamboat Well, I'm just a stranger, I'm only a walker I guess I am human, but sometimes I feel Like I'm only a ghost, like I'm only a wall And if you come around, honey I'll probably just follow you home 'Cause it's all that I know how to do I was born by a body, I'll die by one too And places are nothing if they ain't got you And one day I'm-a be a steamboat, baby One day I can be your freight train lady I roll down the river and the miles won't phase me Oh I wish I was better at being alone Still, every night, I call you on the phone Oh I wish I was more than my skin and my bone Well, I've been arranging each of my movements And all of my gestures and trying to fool myself Into thinking that everything's small That nothing has reason, I woke up and cried A convulsion of honesty brought me to life When I thought I was gone But I can't put a lie in the mouth of a song And one day I'm-a be a steamboat, baby One day I can be your freight train lady I roll down the river, and the miles won't phase me Oh I wish I was better at being alone Still, every night, I call you on the phone Oh I wish I was more than my skin and my bone Oh I wish I was more than my skin and my bone Indiana Daddy wanted me to leave it Indiana, Indiana in the cold Said, "You know you really don't need it Leave the fame for the road" I remember when I was leaving I was only six years old Oh how my heart was beating About ready to explode One shot, honey, collect it all The dust inside the rusted souls You should get a ride 'cause you can't control The heart that beats under the bone Come on, my combat chameleon, give it up You've got your life to attend to, buttercup You're entertaining the talk that is told through the teeth of the mouths of the millions dying to meet you Little do they know The Mississippi River won't kill you Unless you stand too close, my dear Take you to Louisiana A long, long way from here And the war's been a long time coming Yes, a long, long war's gonna come We're standing at the end of a story At the foot of a palindrome One shot, honey, collect it all The dust inside the rusted souls You should get a ride 'cause you can't control The heart that beats under the bone Come on, my combat chameleon, give it up You've got your life to attend to, buttercup You're entertaining the talk that is told through the teeth of the mouths of the millions dying to meet you Little do they know Butterfly Butterfly, butterfly burning up my only sky This is your highway, this is your height Never felt more far away than when I fly My heart is a violin And I feel my skin coming over me again Up, up, up, how I flew up, up And forgot about the only things I knew of Oh my God, as I grew up, up, thought I knew you Pulling up, getting down This whole place is crazy town Music bumping and the light's gone down Never felt at home in any place I found Oh I live in a cold, white wind And I feel the chill coming over me again Up, up, up, how I grew up, up And forgot about the only things I knew of Oh my God, as I grew up, up How I flew up, up And the crowd went hush And the wild wind shook And my body was crushed by the loose window Thought I knew you Thought I knew you Snow Song When you walked in, I just stood still I said, "I'm sorry, love, I have no will" If I try to move, I'll break and spill What's left of me, my weight will kill If I die inside this bitter shell It will be upon a frozen lake My knees will break, my breath will swell The snow around my blood will paint Lord, I know my timing's off And all the earth is ragged to the bone Tired is the burning sea That calls me to the bottom like a stone And I'm sinking alone Now inside this blinded bend I'll pour the ink down through my pen In sentences that will defend My misery until the end Lord, I know my timing's off And all the earth is ragged to the bone Tired is the burning sea That calls me to the bottom like a stone And I'm sinking alone I'm sinking alone I'm sinking alone A Love Of Some Kind Hello, look, I can't be sure But I think I've seen you Maybe once or twice before Either way, I need you Will you stay Nothing much in our way And the sky is always bending And I hate pretending like I'm doing fine Would you mind I could use a love of some kind I've read the books, I've tried it all I've lived behind a curtain And maybe life is protocol But I still feel uncertain Every day I get lost in the gray Where the light is ever vying And it finds me trying To find my will and be still And let go my heart to fill I know we're strangers, so it's okay You don't have to say it Strange is better anyway And I think that we can make it I don't have much, but what I've got Is something I can give And I've found that on your own Is no good way to live So what do you say Nothing much in our way And the world is always turning And the light is yearning It'll be just fine Would you mind I could use a heart I could use a home I could use a love of some kind A-SIDES Jonathan John, listen up I'm a wreck, I'm a mess This is not the effect Of a loss or a vex This is you Hand me the key to your door Give me one solid week Give me four years To climb the stairs in pain John, it's time Let me be the moon you shine Let me be the honest home where you can rest your tired mind You know me Knew, knew me well When I was just a girl, only nineteen Twisted in my head So don't try and tell me to help This is not how you help You don't know me now In any way, I said Don't get tired Honey, I won't keep you long I was just calling up to find out if you're still in town Money Sold my love to a laundry man He gave me more than money can He gave me more than money can buy Than money can buy Than money can Sold my heights to Amelia She took me high like helium She gave me more than money can buy When she came by Than money can Money can't buy me love Not your love, honey It's the only I dream of What brings you near to me Well, it feels so funny When you come home tongue tied from the sea And I search your face For one small trace of jubilee And when I do Finally find you Sold the moon for a wrecking ball She gave him once then they took it all She gave him more than money could buy When she stood high like the waterfall Money can't buy me love Not your love, honey It's the only I dream of What brings you near to me Well, it feels so funny When you come home tongue tied from the sea And I search your face For one small trace of honest jubilee And when I do Finally find you I get tongue tied, moonstruck Driving around in a big old truck Oh my, sweet surprise Look so pretty, we felt so high My, my, you're the plane Walked on home in the morning rain My, my sweet surprise Looked so pretty when you felt so high Kerina Sweetest Kerina, give me a sign Still haven't seen you But I'm calling you all the time Calling you all the time Caught in the turning Losing the line But I've learned to believe you When you say it'll be just fine You say it'll be just fine Let me know reasons why we change Why our bodies are more than just breath and veins Yeah I wonder what remains Past the forests and borders and pocket change Wind doesn't blow, baby Just 'cause I want it to You don't want me, honey Just 'cause I wanted you Caught in the turning Losing my mind Lose what I'm learning When I'm calling you all the time But you say it'll be just fine Let me know reasons why we change Why our bodies are more than just breath and veins Yeah I wonder what remains Past the forests and borders and pocket change Wind doesn't blow, baby Just 'cause I want it to You don't want me, honey Just 'cause I wanted you Miss Misty Oh Miss Misty was a stone-skinned girl Well, she didn't stick around in one town for too long 'Cause "too long is too long," she said And she said, "I'll be gone by morning Don't come looking after me Got to get back to that place I've never been Never been before" T-Bone city, up the two-fifteen She traded in her daddy's old Packard Super Eight Sedan For a Vincent black Shadow Machine She opened him up, some fifty horses hot Foaming at their mouths in a dust cloud headed south On down the devil's backbone, down his crooked legs "Fly Away Old Glory" ringing in her head Saying, "I'll be gone by morning Don't come looking after me Got to get back to that place I've never been Never been before" The big magnolia down by Buellers pond In a hand me down sun dress and roper boots I could go on and on With my bolt action twenty-two, I'd knock the blossoms down Misty'd catch them in her skirt before they hit the ground Saying, "I'll be gone by morning Don't come looking after me Got to get back to that place I've never been Never been before Indiana Daddy wanted me to leave it Indiana, Indiana in the cold Said, "you know you really don't need it Leave the fame for the road" I remember when I was leaving I was only six years old Oh how my heart was beating About ready to explode One shot, honey, collect it all The dust inside the rusted souls You should get a ride 'cause you can't control The heart that beats under the bone Come on, my combat chameleon, give it up You've got your life to attend to, buttercup You're entertaining the talk that is told through the teeth of the mouths of the millions dying to meet you Little do they know The Mississippi river won't kill you Unless you stand too close, my dear Take you to Louisiana A long, long way from here And the war's been a long time coming Yes, a long, long war's gonna come We're standing at the end of a story At the foot of a palindrome One shot, honey, collect it all The dust inside the rusted souls You should get a ride 'cause you can't control The heart that beats under the bone Come on, my combat chameleon, give it up You've got your life to attend to, buttercup You're entertaining the talk that is told through the teeth of the mouths of the millions dying to meet you Little do they know Yuki Onna Follow me to the wood Through the dew fields and the bog I'll show you what I saw last November As autumn's curtain closed, something opened Something old No one seems to believe In the stories that I tell So I keep them to myself But you see shadows too, my friend My friend Something is watching us From behind An eye that cannot close Until the morning blinds and burns We are hers We are hers In an evening gown of gray bloom Rose the witch, the bitch The wicked worm With one cold kiss from her black lips We froze We froze Something is watching us From behind An eye that cannot close Until the morning blinds and burns We are hers We are hers I Still Hear You Someday, darling, when you're dead And with this wilting world you've wed And all I have of you to keep God rest your blessed busy head Are words, you tell them to my sleep Someday when your shadows flower Then petals blossom by the hour I'll take my day off to your grave And let the mighty winds devour And give you one triumphant wave God knows that I still hear you Darling, I still hear you laughing But only for a minute And then you're gone the minute And then you're long gone Like the day from the moon Like the child from his high balloon Someday while my mouth's still warm And everyone has been informed I'll think of what you said last May To let them not be long forlorn But buried in some better way Along the Lake Superior shore God knows that I still hear you Darling, I still hear you singing But only for a minute And then you're gone the minute And then you're long gone Like the day from the moon Like the child from his high balloon B-SIDES Angels I step outside and make my way on from Carolina Anyway the weather blows, home is where I find you With the ache inside to ride the mighty wind and nothing more Oh I just want to see you there, sleeping on my floor But I don't really like you, I just want to kiss you I don't know how to love you, but some days I miss you Oh I just want to see you there sleeping on my floor With the ache inside to ride the mighty wind and nothing more And I'm calling on angels now I want them to set me free I hope that they're real 'Cause sometimes it feels Like nobody's listening When I was only twelve years old, my parents went walking I hate those wicked words, they'd say when they started talking He was headed for the open road, she turned and slammed the door Learning love ain't easy child when all you see is war And I'm calling on angels now I want them to set me free I hope that they're real 'Cause sometimes it feels Like nobody's listening And the moon and the sun and the stars shine bright and high And I can't help but wonder the way that the world goes by I hope that they're real and I hope they can hear me cry Pulling all the fences down and pushing on the levies This water's getting raggy and these hands are getting heavy And we are all just hypocrites lying for a shore With the ache inside to ride the mighty wind and nothing more She came and shook me tenderly one night when I was drinking The alcohol was quick as sand and took me down to sinking The sinking took me praying and I fell upon the floor I said, "I'm waiting for my time to go, please, tell it to me, Lord" And I'm calling on angels now I want them to set me free I hope that they're real 'Cause sometimes it feels Like nobody's listening And the moon and the sun and the stars shine bright and high And I can't help but wonder the way that the world goes by But I hope that they're real and I hope they can hear me cry I'm not sure if they're real, but I'll wait for them till I die A Better Time To Meet Never more in love than when I'm leaving Never want you more than when you're gone Never miss the wind that keeps me breathing Till it leaves my lungs gasping for its song You warmed the earth inside me with your bare hands You took me by the heart and slowed its beat The dirt within me turned and became money With your digging and your constant burning heat But you came swiftly as a snowstorm in October Unexpectedly, you turned me into sleet And if I could, I guess I'd love you ten times over It's just I'd choose a better time for us to meet I never feel more found than when I'm wandering I never feel more still than when I'm free But to hear that quiet voice, I'd give up everything To follow the soft sighing of the sea But you came swiftly as a snowstorm in October Unexpectedly, you turned me into sleet And if I could, I guess I'd love you ten times over It's just I'd choose a better time for us to meet Carolina Oh in your hands, in your hands The world beats sweetly Like a heart Or a clock Let's take a walk, take a walk Down Seventh Avenue Like we used to In the snow Where did you go Did you go I've been up late, been upset I regret that I waited so long To sing you this song Now I'm here And you're gone Where did you go Did you go New York City New York City gripped me like a big old machine I went into one side and landed in a dream It stirred me up and made me shout And sometimes i forgot about The way the wind blows in and out of cottonwood trees And oh it's easy to lose your mind I might've lost mine if I hadn't found you The avenues, the boulevards Businesses and schoolyards Shopping malls and motorcars All in one scene The lowest lows and the highest highs The meanest noise and the lullabies The poison and the compromise The unspoken scream And oh its so hard to find your place And I'd never have found mine if I hadn't seen your face And you can be my Buster Keaton I'll be Blossom Dearie We can see the world so clearly You'll cover the gray away I will sing you songs all day The decay will just turn to bloom As we look at the good old-fashioned moon Well, New York City split me like a log in a mill Half of me happy, the other half ill But I feel myself a-warming to the old neon chill I still feel a longing, but it's chased by a thrill And oh it's so hard to find your place I'd never have found mine if I hadn't seen your face And you can be my Buster Keaton I'll be Blossom Dearie We can see the world so clearly You'll cover the gray away I will sing you songs all day The decay will just turn to bloom As we look at the good old-fashioned moon Ringing Bells Isolation calls me in again I see the white bark on the willow tree bend I saw a flash spark, then a hurt heart, then a dead end I don't think I'll be coming back again You held your cup of coffee in your hand Said, "There are things we'll never really understand Like far away, the stars shake the grand plan And soon this place is gonna be a wasteland" 'Cause there's a flood all around, we don't seem to see Water's infinite, our bodies will leave We live till we drown, we're dead till we're free Colorado girl came in like a cold drip Swept up in the wind's grip like a weather vane You were hollow and it followed, she felt the same She'll fill you up like the pouring rain And if you love someone, never let them go, never You're like a tightrope walker tied to a feather And if you fall down, then you fall down forever You better keep yourself up, find something better 'Cause there's a flood all around, we don't seem to see Water's infinite, our bodies will leave We live till we drown, we're dead till we're free Well, I want to hear the ringing bells I want to hear the ringing bells I'll resurrect the heartbeat of an ancient drum Don't rhythm go, please, rhythm stay when the rhythm comes Follow the rays of the light as they run And through the woods I'm starting to see That there's a flood all around, we don't seem to see Water's infinite, our bodies will leave We live till we drown, we're dead till we're free Well, I want to hear the ringing bells I want to hear the ringing bells I want to hear the ringing bells Row Do you know the fastest road to take me to my home I just want to be there for the long December snow I may never see the lines, the lines may never show After turning tables, time is telling me to go Light along and burn ahead I'm breaking like the sea My bed is boxing like a coffin Fast asleep in dreary doe There are things we'll never learn and never understand My heart is like a bowling ball, so heavy in my hand And still, I hope to kiss you when we're seventy years old Sixteen years ago, the place was forest overgrown You pointed to the parking lot that used to be my home The sun is like a tether ball that's ready to implode The prophet burning in my mind is loosening her hold And it seems I'm still here You have got me madly, dear Bound by all the things we said We wish we'd would stay, but sure enough We'll row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream Wallet Hit me once for broke Hit me two for the road But Abilene was a scream and a curse Tell another joke before I go For better or, baby, for worse Back when high was high and low was low And ten cent would buy you the matinee show Give a damn who's the star, the theatre was dark And took you away with a glow But if I had a dollar for every wallet I stole Oh I'd buy this whole town The judge and the pound I'd let all them bad dogs go But I don't, so I'll spend my last on the wind For she runs through my veins like home I took it spinning, love, with the top down Rode her three times down the Highway Nine May have broke a bone, oh I don't know Anyway, I'm still alive A haunted heart don't beat, but once a week The rest is only echoes A parade of ghosts and dirty sheets From Govalle to Jericho Well, if I had a dollar for every wallet I stole Oh I'd buy this whole town The judge and the pound I'd let all them bad dogs go But I don't, so I'll spend my last on the wind For she runs through my veins like home ABYSSKISS Terminal Paradise Warm So warm Screaming in the field As I was born Worm Will you return me To the robin's beak I'll be a bird Terminal We both know Let the rest of me go See my death become a trail And the trail leads to a flower I will blossom in your sail Every dreamed and Waking hour Woman Woman Hold me in your heat Till I re-, don't let me Till I re-, don't let me I remember Terminal We both know Let me rest, let me go See my death become a trail And the trail leads to a flower I will blossom in your sail Every dreamed and Waking hour From No one can be my man, be my man, be my man Be my man, be my man, be my man No one can be my woman, be my woman Be my woman One ear to the ground One dog at my neck One tongue to my tongue Wanting to protect me From From No one can be my man, be my man, be my man Be my man, be my man, be my man, be my man No one can be my woman, be my woman Be my woman One ear to the floor My dog barking loud I couldn't tell for sure Where the screaming sound Was coming From From One ear to your womb Puppy on the floor Baby's coming soon Wonder if she'll know Where she's come From From From From Womb Seven wide years And there's soil to till When you thread your fingers through, I feel quite well We could be the riptide or two mountains growing still When the eye gets heavy in the womb Dripping your tears Like a precious warm spring My heart will always find you when your heart freely sings Mine would never bind you with a diamond or a word When the eye gets heavy in the womb when the eye gets heavy in the womb Woman, mighty woman You're a friend I need When you hold me to your breast, you're bleeding as I bleed Please, reveal the question to me, let the answers leave When the eye gets heavy in the womb When the eye gets heavy in the womb When the eye gets heavy in the womb When the eye gets heavy in the womb Out Of Your Mind It cannot be explained Like a single membrane Same old dream from the pillow Laugh along with her laugh Lying when she's lying She gets angry I, feel so Is it any wonder I get lonesome for you Get out of your mind Demons Demons are the dragons She is not a dragon But I'm afraid of her fire My heart is a wagon My heart is a wagon But I can't push her desire Is it any wonder I get lonesome for you Get out of your mind Annie, my love pulls the trigger on you Get out of your mind And into my arms Cradle Cradle more The hours reel Cradle more How you feel Baby, you're still too proud to come down Maybe I'm still too loud to hear All the waves ascend and disappear Like a storm The air you steal Glacial form The icy heel Baby, you're still too proud to come down Maybe I'm still too loud to hear All the waves ascend and disappear Earth is born To wound and heal Cradle more The hours reel Baby, you're still too proud to come down Maybe I'm still too loud to hear All the waves ascend and disappear Symbol Fly, make flea, make haste, make waste, eight makes infinity Times I've tried to make breaks, embrace for the enemy Meet my face to face, time try to find the diamond Counting time as time counts me, the river to the island Do you not, do you not tell That smile always makes me well Do you see circling through That's how one returns from two Fly, make flea, make haste, make waste, eight makes infinity Times I've tried to make breaks, embrace for the enemy Meet my face to face, time try to find the diamond Counting time as time counts me, the river to the island Do you not, do you not tell That smile always makes me well Do you see circling through That's how one returns from two The symbol of your love is time The symbol of your love is time Do you not, do you not tell That smile always makes me well Do you see circling through That's how one returns from two Do you not, do you not tell That smile always makes me well Do you see circling through That's how one returns from two Blue And Red Horses Blue and red horses on the run I think the angel is jumping the gun Little red lantern watching my son Maybe the angel is jumping the gun I'm a lot of boy with a lot of nerve Do you want to toy with me I'm a lot of boy with a lot of nerve Do you want to toy with me Little red flower on your wrist Maybe the angel fired and missed Little red flower on your wrist Maybe the angel fired and missed I'm a lot of boy with a lot of nerve Do you want to toy with me I'm a lot of boy with a lot of nerve Do you want to toy with me Little red forest in your room I hope the angel is getting here soon Little red forest in your room I hope the angel is getting here soon I'm a lot of boy with a lot of nerve Do you want to toy with me I'm a lot of boy with a lot of nerve Do you want to toy with me Little red flower on your wrist Maybe the angel fired and missed Little red horses on the run I think the angel is jumping the gun I'm a lot of boy with a lot of nerve Do you want to toy with me I'm a lot of boy with a lot of nerve Do you want to toy with me With me With me With me Abyss Kiss Try and get some rest I'll do the rest Think to what the roses find With the arms of passion This is how we fashion War's worried mind In the hour I loved you Like a dream, it was true In the base of my pine Wilderness Vast abyss Will we Ever kiss In her mother's fortress She was brushing horses Manes and tails flicking flies Naked as the window Baby, if it's real So no need to apologize Wilderness Vast abyss Will we Ever kiss Love is on her shoulder Love is on the boulder In the eyes, in the eye Love never leaves Love is the leaves In the sky, in the sky What Can You Say What can you say to remind me How to be loved by you Wave to the winding river It's a view of you For the long grass growing in silence There's an equal knowing inside us Calmly showing for to guide us Pray, you can find me I've been busy turning into More transparent I could look a lot like you For the sharp glass cutting of the cold wind The sharp glass loosing of your best friend The story bruising as it's written Rain in your bedroom This is how I love you back To follow the red moon Follow her and never look back There's a star that's glowing on your eyelash And the wet light moaning as we rehash Oh my darling What can you say to remind me How to be loved by you 10 Miles To die in your arms Your words forming again We kiss very hard and wild To rise in the dark Like birds praying on skin We pray with our oxygen Jo, nothing is real We still have that feel You're closing up the bar I'm warming up the car Ten miles away Two children of ours They came twirling in We laughed very hard for a while But they've grown very far And tall How we miss them Though happy they're traveling Jo, nothing is real But we still have that feel You're closing up the bar I'm warming up the car Ten miles away We set no alarm Eyes wide, six a.m. Wake up on the farm Slowly Walk to the barn Horse feed You take the yarn I'll read, I'll read Jo, nothing is real But we still have that feel You're closing up the bar I'm warming up the car Ten miles away To die in your arms Your words forming again SONGS Two Reverse Lay me down so To let you leave Tell me lies Want to see your eyes Is it a crime to say I still need you Crime, want to feed you Light blue, dark blue, grey Crimson trail Straight through, stay, don't stray Grandmother, Juniper Tell to me your recipe Is it a cry I hear From the deep wood Cry, reappear from The weeds Light blue, dark blue, grey Crimson trail Straight through, stay, don't stray Through the jail See the sun Flat as a knife Cold and white To my home Two rivers through my home Two reverse Is it a crime to do What you ask me to Crime Ingydar Fragilely, gradually and surrounding The horse lies naked in the shed Evergreen anodyne decompounding Flies draw sugar from his head His eyes are blueberries, video screens Minneapolis schemes and the dried flowers From books half-read The juice of dark cherries cover his chin The dog walks in and the crow lies in his jaw like lead Everything eats and is eaten Time is fed Early еvening, the pink ring swallows The sphеrical marigold terrain Sleepily, Venus sinks and hollows The stationed headlight of a plane You are as far from me as memory With fixtures fracture varyingly The juice of dark cherries cover my skin Six years in, no, baby Everything eats and is eaten Ingydar bares a scar like a meteor Crystalline amber guilds her cheek Tambourine of the beech leaves lead her To the raven playing hide-and-seek Drying blueberries, figurines of the angel leans At the head of the bed The juice of dark cherries cover her chin The dog walks in and the crow lies in his smile like lead Everything eats and is eaten, time is fed Everything eats and is eaten Everything eats and is eaten Everything eats and is eaten Everything eats and is eaten Everything eats and is eaten Anything Staring down the barrel of the hot sun Shining with the sheen of a shotgun (shotgun) Carol has a little if we need some Joa has a ride if we wanna come Hanging your jeans with a clothes pin Skin still wet, still on my skin Mango in your mouth, juice dripping Shoulder of your shirt sleeve slipping Christmas Eve with your mother and sis Don't wanna fight, but your mother insists Dog's white teeth slice right through my fist Drive to the ER and they put me on risk Grocery store list, now you get pissed Unchecked calls and messages I don't wanna be the owner of your fantasy I just wanna be a part of your family And I don't wanna talk about anything I don't wanna talk about anything I wanna kiss, kiss your eyes again Wanna witness your eyes looking I don't wanna talk about anyonе I don't wanna talk about anyone I wanna sleep in your car while you're driving Lay in your lap whеn I'm crying Circle of pine and red oak Circle of moss and fire smoke Fan on the ceiling like a wheel spoke Push the clutch and I pull the choke Wanna listen to the sound of you blinking Wanna listen to your hands soothe Listen to your heart beating Listen to the way you move And I don't wanna talk about anything I don't wanna talk about anything I wanna kiss, kiss your eyes again Wanna witness your eyes looking I don't wanna talk about anyone I don't wanna talk about anyone I wanna sleep in your car while you're driving Lay in your lap when I'm crying Weren't we the stars in Heaven Weren't we the salt in the sea Dragon in the new warm mountain Didn't you believe in me You held me the whole way through But I couldn't say the words like you I was scared, Indigo, but I wanted to I was scared, Indigo, but I wanted to And I don't wanna talk about anything I don't wanna talk about anything I wanna kiss, kiss your eyes again Wanna witness your eyes looking I don't wanna talk about anyone I don't wanna talk about anyone I wanna sleep in your car while you're driving Lay in your lap when I'm crying Forwards Beckon Rebound Wow, that's cool Over the Dead Sea keeping you company, thinking I'm unafraid of you now, I'm unafraid of you now Letting my eyes close, shedding my soft clothes Wind blows, wind that howls like a hound Wind that laughs like a clown Mystery of lack stabbing stars through my back Forwards, beckon, rebound Forwards, beckon, rebound Virtual bedroom rise like a full moon Show me pictures that hang in your house Pictures that hang in your mouth Candescent insects, crosses and fishnecks I have nothing to pray to you now Nothing to pray to you now Mystery of lack stabbing stars through my back Forwards, beckon, rebound Forwards, beckon, rebound Pulling your face close, wanting the inmost, show me I'm not afraid of you now, I'm not afraid of you now Villain and violent, infant and innocent Baby, both arms cradle you now Both arms cradle you now Mystery of lack stabbing stars through my back Forwards, beckon, rebound Forwards, beckon, rebound Forwards, beckon, rebound Heavy Focus Cemetery at night And the dog's in heat The grey, grey owl Howls and you're Probably right Believe in Better to be leaving Terrifying like a gun Like a gun store The wind roared Invisible like a blank Ghost blanket No trees bent Shaky like the first dance Shaky like the first time Our palms met In the clam sweat Heavy focus Focus, focus Focus Set the camera to the flash For a portrait of thе spirit Only way it's gonna last To be near it Heavy focus Focus, focus Focus, focus Kiss, focus Focus Half Return Shadow, shadow, what a show Every other strap, there's a crosseyed crow Half return, half return Minneapolis soft white snow Thirty-five bridge, hometown Half return, half return Standing in the yard Dressed like a kid The house is white and The lawn is dead The lawn is dead, the lawn is dead Illinois toll road, Indiana plain Roll the windows down, shoot out the change Half return, half return Honey in your mouth when you gave me my name Tears in your eyes when you pull it likе a chain Half return, half return Standing in the yard Drеssed like a kid The house is white and The lawn is dead The lawn is dead, the lawn is dead Half return, half return Rusty swing set, plastic slide Push me up and down, take me for a ride Standing in the yard, dressed like a kid The house is white and The lawn is dead The lawn is dead, the lawn is dead Come Come help me die, my daughter Walk me beside the river to the beech Take a branch with your knife Take my left with your right Don't be afraid, my girl Take me into the shore I'm not cold, I'm not cold Take my hand, take a hold Let me lie on your arms I'm weightless in the sea Up to my ears the salt sits In a circle around me Take my life into your life Take a branch with your knife Come help me diе, my daughter Zombie Girl What a dream that was I almost couldn't wake because I was frozen in bed with a zombie girl Vacant as a closed-down fair Sleep paralysis I sworn I could've felt you there And I almost could've kissed your hair But the emptiness withdrew me From any kind of wishful prayer Oh emptiness Tell me 'bout your nature Maybe I've been getting you wrong I cover you with questions Cover you with explanations Cover you with music Then the next night Dreaming I could feel your skin But the dream escaped so easily And I wokе up to the road again How your words ring through Something kind of sweet and blue And I knеw that you'd been understanding Everything that I'd said too About emptiness Tell me 'bout your nature Maybe I've been getting you wrong I cover you with questions Cover you with explanations Cover you with music What's on your mind What's on your mind What's on your mind What's on your mind In your mind Not A Lot, Just Forever Through your eyes I see A smile you bring to me To your joy I tether Not a lot, just forever Intertwined, sewn together Like the rock bears the weather Not a lot, just forever My dog barks wildly To protect my infancy From my ex-believer And I try to calm the wolf To remind her I am both Still she tears at my sweater Not a lot, just forever Intertwined, sewn together As the wren sheds her feather Not a lot, just forever And your dearest fantasy Is to grow a baby in me I could be a good mother And I want to be your wife So I hold you to my knife And I steal your letter Not a lot, just forever Intertwined, sewn together As the rock wears the weather Not a lot, just forever So I bash around the house And the poison stains my mouth She comes, I let her And we share a paradise (pair of dice) And I roll them once or twice Can't get much better Not a lot, just forever Intertwined, sewn together As the rock bears the weather Not a lot, just forever Not a lot, just forever Intertwined, sewn together As the wren bares her feathers Not a lot, just forever Dragon Eyes Freezing at the edge of the bed Chewing a cigarette and repeating Shadows of the words I've said I don't wanna blame you I don't wanna blame The stars bloom in the warm summer night They have a clear view Without the bedroom light They don't wanna name you They don't wanna name Dragons have silent eyes Cracked eggshells, fireflies I don't wanna tame you I don't wanna tame When the hot sand burns my feet You have cool hands, you are sweet I don't wanna changе you I don't wanna change Carnations into the vase Unfold your clothеs out of the case I just want a place with you I just want a place As the coastline is shaped by the wind As we make love and you're on my skin You are changing me You are changing Stars bloom On a warm summer night They have a clear view Without the bedroom light I just want a place with you I just want a place My Angel Step over the edge too far Open my hands that catch your wall Nothing to hear but my very own cry Far below the rocks and sky My angel, my angel My angel, my angel Strange as she appears to be Oldest friend invisibly She brushes my hair with a physical hand Lowers my body down to the land My angel, my angel My angel, my angel Beneath the ledge in the morning mist She kisses my eyelids and my wrists Wake to the bleeding of the blade of thе sun Returning to my oxygen My angel, my angеl My angel, my angel My angel, my angel
BRIGHT FUTURE
Real House Do you remember running The purity of the air around Braiding willow branches into a crown That love is all I want I'm a child humming Into the clarity of black space Where stars shine like tears on the night's face With a cool wind Mama, what happened I never thought we'd go this long Now thirty-one and I don't feel strong And your love is all I want When I was seven I saw the first film that made me scared And I thought of this whole world ending I thought of dying unprepared We moved into a real house A wild field behind it I wanted to be an inventor Collected scraps to make a portal I wanted so much for magic to be real So many dreams of flying Rising high over the crowd And they'd go, "Oh man, look at her go" And I'd go Do you remember coming to the hospital when I was fourteen My friends all left me there spinning Dad was angry, but you saw everything And you made me laugh as the nurses undressed me You held my hand as they put the needle in me I never saw you cry Not until our dog died And the whole family came back together We held her body as they put the needle in her And then I saw you cry And then I saw you cry
Sadness As A Gift Two, one, two, three, four You and I both know There is nothing more to say Chance has shut her shining eyes And turned her face away Leaning on the windowsill You could write me someday and I think you will We could see the sadness as a gift and still Feel too heavy to hold Snow falling I try to keep from calling Watch the spring turn to winter Fireflies all frozen The seasons go so fast Thinking that this one was gonna last Maybe the question was too much to ask Been searching for your eyes All I see is blue skies And that old man beats his crooked cane It's time to let go Leaning on the windowsill You could write me someday and I bet you will We could see the sadness as a gift and still The seasons go so fast Thinking that this one was gonna last Maybe the question was too much to ask You and I could see into the same eternity Every second brimming with a majesty Oh kiss so sweet, so fine You could hear the music inside my mind And you showed me a place I'lll find even when I'm old Just leaning on the windowsill You could write me someday and I hope you will We could see the sadness as a gift and still The seasons go so fast Thinking that this one was gonna last Maybe the question was too much to ask
Fool I feel like a fool Yeah, walking downhill with the dogs You keep it cool Watching my fire ignite Heart out of sight Body and mind fist fight Heart out of sight Body like a bat in flight Oh they say when it's right, it's right We could be friends You could love me through and through If I were him Would you be my family too Daddy's advice Hell in paradise Momma's advice Cooking up beans and rice Oh just say what it is that you want Tommy had twins Kenna and Lu-y tied the knot Zoe and B Built their house on the spot We could watch a show We could watch a garden grow We could grow old You could come in from the cold Oh just say what it is that you want Jamie's in L.A. Ali found a five-acre farm Max is gonna play Jon got a clown on his arm Lucky's gonna flip Jer's gonna go for a dip Birds gotta fly I'll love you 'til I die Oh what more can I possibly say So if you wanna go, I say, "Baby, okay, okay"
No Machine Let no machine Eat away our dream Baby, take my hand Let's go together No surprise The wound lives in your eyes A needle shining like a diamond in the desert Don't know what I'd do Don't know what I'd do without you Don't know where I'd go Don't know where I'd go without you Talk to me Tell me everything you see The sun that's shining lighter than a feather And every day the moon just sails away The moon and sun are the keepers of the weather Don't know what I'd do Don't know what I'd do without you Don't know where I'd go Don't know where I'd go without you Dragonfly The clouds are rolling by The wind across my back, I feel the shiver Drive around, live from town to town To the ocean of your love, I am a river Don't know what I'd do Don't know what I'd do without you Don't know where I'd go Don't know where I'd go without you
Free Treasure Do you wanna go to the river I know this spot so deep and green With wild raspberries and apple trees And rocks to climb between Water like a washing machine Do you wanna dance Sometimes I think I try too hard I trip on my shoes and I trip on my shirt Get caught on the dirt in the yard Caught on the dirt in the yard You show me Understanding Patience and pleasure Time and attention Love without measure Love without measure You're cooking dinner It's getting around half past ten I haven't smelled food so good Since I don't know where and I don't know when Where and I don't know Stove light glows like a fire We're sitting on the kitchen floor Just when I thought I couldn't feel more I feel a little more I feel a little Understanding Patience and pleasure Time and attention Love without measure Love without measure There's a guy on the nape of my neck And he hangs out there all day He quantifies my every thought And tells me not to play He tells me not to play We lay around for hours Talk about childhood pain Mom and dad and past lives too I can tell you anything I can say anything You show me Understanding Patience and pleasure Time and attention Love without measure Love without measure Show me Understanding Patience and pleasure The eleventh dimension Free treasure Free treasure Free treasure
Vampire Empire (Big Thief) Watching TV tired, bleeding on the bed The milk has just expired, all the leaves are dead I'm not quiet, you've been quiet, just receiving what you said Reeling, feeding, feeling filled by everything you fed I see you as you see yourself through all the books you read Overwhelmed with guilt and realizing the disease You give me chills I've had it with the drills I am nothing, you are nothing, we are nothing with the pills I am empty 'til she fills Alive until she kills In her vampire empire I'm the fish and she's my gills Falling yeah Falling yeah I see you there rejecting all your earthly power Protecting and dissecting until you've emptied every hour We jump into the pond then we come under the shower You lay upon my pillow and you open like a flower I wanted to see you naked, I wanted to hear you scream Wanted to kiss your skin and your everything I wanted to be your woman and I wanted to be your man I wanted to be the one that you could understand You give me chills I've had it with the drills I am nothing, you are nothing, we are nothing with the pills I am empty 'til she fills Alive until she kills In her vampire empire I'm the fish and she's my gills Falling yeah Falling yeah I walked into your dagger for the last time in a row It's like trying to start a fire with matches in the snow You can't seem to hold me here, can't seem to let me go So I can't find surrender, can't seem to keep control You turn me inside out, you want the outside in You spin me all around and then you ask me not to spin You say you wanna be alone and then you want children You wanna be with me and then you wanna be with him You give me chills I've had it with the drills I am nothing, you are nothing, we are nothing with the pills I am empty 'til she fills Alive until she kills In her vampire empire I'm the fish and she's my gills Falling yeah Falling yeah Evol Love spells "evol", backwards, people Words back, words backwards are lethal Time spells "emit", who can see it Feel says "leef", tips ease is "sea spit" Teach, cheat Part, trap You have my heart and I want it back God, dog Devil, lived The giver takes, the taker gives Dream is "maerd", I'm marred in your mind Four words: forwards Can't we rewind Speech spells "hceeps", you say for keeps To keep me "llehs", a shell to speak through Teach, cheat Part, trap You have my heart and I want it back God, dog Devil, lived The giver takes, the taker gives Kiss spells "ssik", the vacuum feeding Words hold, words hold, words from meaning Teach, cheat Part, trap You have my heart and I want it back God, dog Devil, lived The giver takes, the taker gives Candleflame Every night I close my eyes Another day away You know I love you, I can't explain Crying over the candle flame I feel god here and there People tell me it's everywhere You know I know you can't explain Crying over the candle flame How 'bout that moon looking back Saying, "Glad you're here" When we're together only one thing moves Everything else stays the same I see you pray, I want to too I one, two, one, two, four Four, two, five, six bedrooms So everyone can close a door Already Lost One, two One, two, three, four Already lost beside the line The mirror is your eye on mine The mirror is your eye on mine Trying hard to figure it out of here The center is a hole in the sphere The center is a hole in the sphere Say your name, I hope to get it right You come into my room every night You come into my room every night A thousand years or more And I've never seen this face Never heard this voice before The honey hills and the frosted sun Bluer than the ocean Bluer than the ocean Why do leaves turn yellow and fall And who absorbs it all Who absorbs it all Holding so near, standing so far How slow and how fast you are How slow and how fast you are A thousand years or more And I've never seen this face Never heard this voice before Though my love is riding blind It can always read my mind It can always read my mind Shadows shatter at the edges of a smile We've been down here for a while We've been down here A thousand years or more And I've never seen this face Never heard this voice before Cell Phone Says Cell phone says your name But I don't even hear it ring The July in winter and September spring Where way up north is the warmer weather So, together, we take the call And we hold the line through the static sprawl Though the distances traveled are expanding still We meet in dreams by the lilac river Oh giver of empathy It is a gift so bitter that you brought to me 'Cause I feel what they're feeling And I know that they're free And the freedom they take is the earthly burden Please, deliver their angel eyes On the wings of moths and dragonflies Through the morning and evening, their sun set my sunrise Let them come to me like the breath I'm taking Donut Seam (Feat. Nick Hakim) This whole world is dying Don't it seem like a good time for swimming Before all the water disappears Ever since the day we met I loved you and I don't regret The way we'd pass the time Drinking coffee, drinking wine Oh my heart has holes in it And there you were exposing it How I would lose my mind To get lost only to find This whole world is dying Don't it seem like a good time for swimming Before all the water disappears You came in like some good things do Out of nowhere dream come true And showed me things I never knew What it means to walk that line Like a moth into the sun I flew in front of everyone And burned up in the flame Now it's pouring acid rain and This whole world is dying Don't it seem like a good time for swimming Before all the water disappears Now our love is dying Don't it seem like a good time for kissing One more kiss One more kiss to last the years
Ruined Until I'm brave enough to call you I just fall through every time I wish I'd waved when I saw you I just watched you passing by So much coming through, every hour too Can't get enough of you You come around, I'm ruined You come around, I'm ruined You gave me no answer Nor asked me to lie You just gave me an amethyst From your jewelled vest as you cried So much coming through, every hour too Can't get enough of you You come around, I'm ruined You come around, I'm ruined So much coming through, every hour too Can't get enough of you You come around, I'm ruined You come around, I'm ruined We shared in the basement As the fern bent to the window And we drew to alignment As the water soaked the pillow So much coming through, every hour too Can't get enough of you You come around, I'm ruined You come around, I'm ruined So much coming through, every hour too Can't get enough of you You come around, I'm ruined You come around, I'm ruined So much coming through, every hour too Can't get enough of you You come around, I'm ruined You come around, I'm ruined So much coming through, every hour too Can't get enough of you You come around, I'm ruined You come around, I'm ruined So much coming through, every hour too You come around, I'm ruined Once A Bunch (Bonus Track) Once a buncha times I took it to heart Everything you told me I took it apart I pulled you in, pushed you out right from the start I was leaving before I'd arrived Eyes magnetic, that moldavite flame Stopping the traffic, all six lanes Calling me baby, barely saying my name I was leaving before I'd arrived Half a margarita Have a little dance Let's fine dine the demons And give peace a chance On a Tuesday in August, I was holding your hand Wednesday in August, I was playing with my band Thursday in August, I was making a plan Then I shut like a shutter Friday Your lips are electric like lightning and rain Your tastes are eclectic, multigrain You pull on my shoestrings and you open my bain But I was leaving before I'd arrived Half a margarita Have a little dance Let's fine dine the demons And give peace a chance We could talk for hours, I could buy you flowers We could switch off in movies and switch off in showers We can turn it up, turn it down, watch Austin Powers I was leaving before I'd arrived I can take a small thing, blow it up real big I couldn't fit it in my wallet, I couldn't fit it in my rig I can twist it out and twist it in, I can really dig About leaving before I arrive Half a margarita Have a little dance Let's fine dine the demons And give peace a chance You believe in me some, you believe in me a lot You see all the good stuff I seem to have forgot You can cheer me up, calm me down, you know the spot You say, "Honey, won't you stay a little while" And you can make me smile just by looking around You take me to the invisible lost and found Where I can find a sweater or an old love letter About leaving before I'd arrived Half a margarita Have a little dance Let's fine dine the demons And give peace a chance We can pancake a nickel, we can flapjack a dime We can waffle a tickle, french toast wine We can take in bacon in sunshine Tee off with a coffee and a tan Half a margarita Have a little dance Let's fine dine the demons And give peace a chance Let's fine dine the demons And save all the ants
Non Albums Tracks
Feel Better (Transa LP) Holding onto an idea Verse as being right here It's just an idea We can let it disappear Searching through the night for Someone so dear Doesn't it feel better when You hold me near How fast the time goes We say it all the time Look at the cardinals now Resting on the vine Searching through the day for Someone so dear Doesn't it feel better when You hold me near Doesn't it feel better when You hold me near Who do we think we are Verse as where we are now Who do I want to love Verse as showing my love how Searching all the planet for Answers so clear Doesn't it feel better when You hold me near All love surrounds you Maybe it's always been Doesn't it feel better when You let it in Doesn't it feel better when You let it in