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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of After the City Was Taken, A Crow So Large It Blocked Out the Sun, Sleeping Cat, and The Gang East of the River.
1. |
Wolves at the Door
02:11
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Wolves at the Door
There are wolves at the door
And my friends haven’t come.
And I think that they may
have been eaten.
It’s been ten hours since
That they went out to hunt.
And it’s dark and the snow
Has been falling.
“Let us in”, cry the wolves.
And I found a letter
To one friend from a girl.
And her name is the same
As my lover’s.
In the other friend’s bag,
Was a green folding knife
That I thought I had lost
In the summer.
“Let us in”, cry the wolves.
I stay quiet inside
But the wolves know I’m here.
And they scratch at the door
And the window.
And they call out my name.
They have learned it I fear
From my friends when they caught
Them and ate them.
“Let us in”, cry the wolves.
“Let us in”, cry the wolves.
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2. |
After the City Was Taken
02:54
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After the City Was Taken
Under the stars slept with my neighbors.
After the city was taken
We all had to move to the country.
And the only light we had
At night besides the fire
Came from the moon.
Heard a guy say something like
“At least we got a little more room.”
Probably didn’t want to scare the children,
Though they knew we were doomed.
They’d come again.
They were never real quick.
They took their time about it.
They’d start with asking your name is
And names of your parents.
If you got caught with your wife,
They might ask you how it’s you met.
It didn’t matter your age or your creed
Or your sex.
If you were poor as a dog
Or had real jewels round your neck.
I separated from my neighbors.
Deceived and killed creatures
That I befriended because I was hungry.
I made myself forget about the pets I had
When I was a child.
I had always thought that I was good,
At least I wasn’t all bad.
But thinking that my rivals might be dying
Only made my heart glad.
They’d come again.
They were never real quick.
They took their time about it.
They’d ask you what were your hobbies
And foods that you liked.
What kind of drugs that you did,
Regrets you had ‘bout your life.
The first girl that you loved
And would never forget.
If you liked going to church
Or preferred staying in bed.
I changed relations with my neighbors.
We were stronger in groups
So I joined one and did what they told me.
I became a creature
That I thought I never thought
I could’ve ever become.
Things that I was taught to be important
Only seemed to be lies.
Even a mosquito knows
The only thing to do is survive.
They’d come again.
They were never real quick
They took their time about it.
They asked me if I was gentle
Or cruel as a kid.
The things I liked to be known,
The things I liked to keep hid.
The things I read and the things
That would keep my awake.
What was the name of that girl
That I had screwed by the lake?
My favorite ice cream,
The first time I got in a fight.
Was I forgiving
Or did I remember a slight?
The things I thought I’d forgotten
Remembered instead.
They listened closely,
Released all the thoughts from my head.
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3. |
Underneath the Floor
02:23
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Underneath the Floor
How long can I live underneath the floor?
Every morning I wake
And ask myself the question.
To go outside and see
The sun and sky again
Is just not worth the risk
Of capture, termination.
It still is life
When there’s no voice besides your own.
Dear family,
Don’t turn me out.
I’d rather have no conversation
Than be forced to go above,
Have to explain how come I got here.
Stay alive at any cost.
The clock upon the wall
Is like the cross to Catholics.
An object for to focus with devotion.
Every hour passed
Is like a minor victory.
Each day that’s gone through
Worth a celebration.
It still is life
When there’s no mind besides your own.
Dear family,
Don’t make me go.
I’d rather only think my small thoughts
Than be forced to go above
Be subjected to giant theories.
Stay alive at any cost.
Every day is planned
Every minute accounted for.
No moment for diversion, deviation.
To call it a routine
Would offend me worse than blasphemy.
I’d sooner hear you claim I worship Satan.
It still is life
When there’s no heartbeat but your own.
Dear family,
Ignore the law
I’d rather live in isolation
Than be forced to go above
Die in a group with all my brothers.
Stay alive at any cost.
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4. |
Say You're True
03:59
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Say You’re True
“I got a girlfriend. I know she loves me.
She’d never dream of cheating on me.”
Say it like it’s a prayer.
She’s got a sister
Three years older.
Of the two she’s known as the bolder one.
She doesn’t like me.
Caroline, don’t make a liar.
I say that you’re true
To those who would doubt your love.
Caroline, don’t make me a liar.
I say that you’re true
To those who would doubt your love.
When I visit, sometimes her sister
Asks me to prove I’m a good kisser.
So I show that I am.
Her sister’s boyfriends
Smile and watch me.
They share their beer and act real friendly.
Ask me personal things.
Caroline, don’t make me a liar.
I say that you’re true
To those who would doubt your love.
Caroline, don’t make me liar.
I say that you’re true
To those who would doubt your love.
When together, with no one else round
Like in the woods laying on the ground.
There’s nothing better than that.
I wish her sister
Would run away like
She says she will once Joe gets that bike.
Often pray for the day.
Caroline, don’t make me a liar.
I say that you’re true
To those who would doubt your love.
Caroline, don’t make me liar.
I say that you’re true
To those who would doubt your love.
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5. |
My Gift
04:46
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My Gift
Friends, I live alone.
I keep the curtains closed
To hide from prying eyes.
I will no longer try to keep myself alive.
Should have joined them long ago—
My mom and dad both in their holes.
Friends, I knew this girl.
She was a neighbor
And we used to go to church.
I used to stare at her
Until my mother poked me where it hurt.
Said that I was like my dad
Been locked away ‘cause he was bad.
There is a world behind the one you see.
And I know ‘cause I’ve visited myself
It is my gift.
It’s only there
That you are ever truly free.
You’re gone
But no one notices your missing.
‘Cause true time is concealed
As with a veil.
The floor and wall dissolve
Because they’re nothing,
Than tricks played on ourselves
With our own minds.
Friends, I bought this doll.
I sold the watch I got for Christmas
To this guy.
I said I lost it but my mother
Saw right through me and knew I lied.
I can see the child’s face.
She stroked the hair,
The fancy lace.
Friends, it all was chaste.
We met in secret ‘cause I know
How people think.
She said her mother cried and fretted
And her father would often drink.
Told her some of my secrets too—
My grandfather helped lynch a Jew.
There is a world behind the one you see
And I know ‘cause I’ve visited myself.
It is my gift.
It’s only there
That we are ever truly free.
You’re gone
But no one notices you’re missing.
‘Cause true time is concealed
As with a veil.
The floor and wall dissolve
Because they’re nothing,
Than tricks played on ourselves
With our own minds.
Friends, I didn’t know
That a girl could be so gentle
At her age.
When I was little
Girls were cruel until they forced me
Into a rage.
Was this one that laughed at me—
I smashed her head into a tree.
Friends, I knew she’d change.
It wouldn’t be her fault
But knew there’d come a day
When she would look at me
Real different and would think that
I was strange.
Just all my teachers did—
They called me “Dr. Moreau’s kid”.
Told her how
Everything is junk here.
All the stuff you think is solid is
Nothing more than a prop.
There is a world
Behind the one you see.
And I know ‘cause I’ve visited myself.
It is my gift.
It’s only there
That we are ever truly free.
You’re gone
But no one notices you’re missing.
‘Cause true time is concealed
As with a veil.
The floor and walls dissolve
Because they’re nothing
Than tricks played on ourselves
With our own minds.
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6. |
Years
02:25
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Years
You call me “Dad”, say “Years…”
I used to take you swimming.
We’d go jump in the ocean.
You call me “Dad”, say “Years…”
Afterwards we’d lay in the sun.
You said when you were scared
You would grab my hand.
You said when you were sad
I would comfort you.
But I do not remember
Any of those things.
I don’t know who you are.
You call me “Dad”, say “Years…”
I used to yell and scream
When you’d come home
In the morning.
You call me “Dad”, say “Years…”
I never liked the boys you were with.
You tell me for a while
That you hated me.
You tell me that we reconciled
Long ago.
But I do not remember
Any of those things.
I don’t know who you are.
You call me “Dad”, say “Years…”
I loved your mom and with her
I was gentle and tender.
You call me “Dad”, say “Years…”
I loved her more than anything else.
You tell me when she died
That it broke my heart.
You tell me it’s her picture here
By my bed.
But I do not remember
Any of those things.
I don’t know who you are.
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7. |
Man of Metal
02:44
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Man of Metal
Man of metal,
He came out of the sky
Landed on his feet
In front of Johnson’s Feed.
Man of metal,
We overcame our fear
We shot him in the head
It didn’t do a thing.
He said, “All the stars are mine.
All the stars are mine.”
Walked up to a horse,
Grabbed a little hay,
Put it in her mouth,
Listened to her neigh.
“Satan!”, said Louise
“Knew that he would come
Just like we read.
Now it’s just a matter
Of them rising from the dead.
Finally, it’s end times.”
Man of metal
We never see him eat,
We never see him drink,
He doesn’t seem to sleep.
Man of metal
He comes into our homes.
He watches while we work.
He watches while we love.
He said, “All the stars are mine.
All the stars are mine.”
Hit him with a pick,
Hit him with an ax,
Do it till you sweat,
Doesn’t even crack.
“Satan!”, said Louise
“Knew that he would come
Just like we read.
Now it’s just a matter of them
Rising from the dead.
Finally, it’s end times.”
Man of metal,
He doesn’t even rust.
Standing in the rain,
Standing in the snow.
Man of metal,
People come for miles
To see him for themselves
And maybe touch him too.
He said, “All the stars are mine.
All the stars are mine.”
Politicians came.
Army came too.
Gave him all they had,
Nothing left to do.
“Satan!”, said Louise
“Knew that he would come
Just like we read.
Now it’s just a matter of them
Rising from the dead.
Finally, it’s end times.”
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8. |
Caroline
02:12
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Caroline
Visited my cousins
Had a place down by the sea.
On the beach
there was this young brunette
Looking at me.
I was surprised as I am not
The type to catch girls’ eyes.
I walked over and said hello
Though usually shy.
Told her what my name is
Asked her hers
And ever since that moment—
Caroline
Has stuck inside my head
Just like a splinter.
Cannot be removed
Any more than you can
The cold from winter.
Caroline
When that name
Finally means nothing to me,
Means that I have died
And won’t regain my mind
For eternity.
Walked around hand in hand
Everybody there would smile.
Forgot all my worries,
Felt happy as a child.
There was a secret place she said
Where no one else would go.
These caves up in the hills
Where there were
Mariners’ ghosts.
Asked me if I had the nerve.
I’d follow her to Hell if need be—
Caroline
Has stuck inside my head
Just like a splinter.
Cannot be removed
Any more than you can
The cold from winter.
Caroline
When that name
Finally means nothing to me,
Means that I have died
And won’t regain my mind
For eternity.
Climbed up in the caves
And felt a presence like she said.
She laughed and yelled,
“You ghosts can’t hurt
After all your dead!”
She took off all her clothes
And so of course I did the same.
Afterward she stared hard at me
Her face now was grave—
“Ghosts all had their chance to live
If they’re unhappy…
Well, they should be!
Love of mine
I’d travel any desert, mountain, ocean.
Fight a witches’ coven,
Fight the Army, Navy, Dirty Dozen.
By you side,
I’d suffer any kind of deprivation.
Go without water and food
And lose my soul and reputation.”
Caroline
Has stuck inside my head
Just like a splinter.
Cannot be removed
Any more than you can
The cold from winter.
Caroline
When that name
Finally means nothing to me,
Means that I have died
And won’t regain my mind
For eternity.
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9. |
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The Pills in the Green Bottle
Rescued the kids
And ran back to the pod.
Only four suits,
Five of us now.
Told them,
“Just leave me those pills
In the green bottle there.”
We said our goodbyes.
Watched them take off,
Swallowed some down—
One, two, three, four.
Teenage love,
Feel teenage love,
Feel teenage love,
Feel teenage love
Then sleep.
Braided hair, glasses
And blue-checkered skirt.
East River girl,
Went to her home.
They said,
“There’s nobody here
By that name.”
But this time
I got through the door.
She watched me and smiled
There by the window.
Kissed her and said everything
That I planned to.
Teenage love,
Feel teenage love,
Feel teenage love,
Feel teenage love
Then sleep.
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10. |
Vampire
03:06
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Vampire
Packing up his van—
The singing rodeo-man
That I had seen inside
The hotel bar The Hidden Lagoon.
Songs were all about cowboy life,
Romance and lonesome moons.
Scars along his arm.
And I wondered what kind of harm
That he had gotten into
When he still had his youth.
Bloody fights by the campfire
With knives and fists and boots.
Out in the parking lot
Watched him drive off
Only he, maybe God knows where.
Then it became real quiet
And I listened to the cars
Off on the highway.
Vampire,
You are forsaken
To never feel lonely.
Cursed to damnation.
No devil accompanying me.
Supermarket aisle—
The hairy guy
With the “Three Mile Island” pin.
The one I often see at the zoo.
Chasing pretty, young girls.
Always buying them balloons.
Looked inside his cart.
There were Ring Dings,
Pop Tarts, Entenmann’s cakes,
Beer, Coke, Mountain Dew.
That must be what they like
At the orgies that he threw.
Followed him down the road
To an apartment house
After Lincoln Street.
Watched as a light went on
And I heard the faint sounds
Of a stereo.
Vampire,
You are forsaken
To never feel lonely.
Cursed to damnation.
No devil accompanying me.
Chinese family—
Lived down the street from me.
The father gardened name
Was something like Liu.
Planted larkspur, begonias,
Rhododendrons too.
Got away from Mao.
And I wondered just how he escaped
And bought a house, a car and boat
And everything new.
Was it because of the spooks?
Or who was it that he knew?
I would ride by sometimes
On my way back home during dinner time.
Did they use chopsticks
Or did they use knives and forks
Like us Americans?
Vampire,
You are forsaken
To never feel lonely.
Cursed to damnation.
No devil accompanying me
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11. |
The Follower
02:33
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The Follower
Carolina and Rebecca
Went out berry-picking in the forest
With their tin pails.
Watched them run
Behind my fence.
I thought I’d like
To follow them.
Carolina,
Often dream of rescuing you.
Didn’t want them seeing me
So always kept my distance
And would listen
To hear her voice.
“Look up there!”,
I heard her say.
“Let’s go inside
That witch’s cave!”
Carolina,
Often dream of rescuing you.
Found the cave
And peered into the darkness
But I couldn’t hear
Or see them.
Then crawled inside.
Just how far
I couldn’t say.
They found me dead
Following day.
Carolina,
Often dream of rescuing you.
Carolina
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