Lyrics
Sagan Genesis
the panic starts to drip with sweat, starts to inch in increments / worms itself along, lodges into vertebrae / dangle myself over the edge, an arm’s length across the bed / sprawled out onto the dirty mess of things / the collapsible gap between just out-of-reach pipe dreams / fold in on themselves, still taunting me / i won’t crook when i stand, arch over end to end / rot my mouth when i speak aloud, feel my tongue bend / i burrowed my nails into the back of my head / peeled back each layer until there was nothing left / i did all this so i could start again / i did all this so i could start again / run circles around, dizzied, slow down, vertigo / spin a web i could cling, paralyzed, unnerving / i know i can’t always lean on you / but i stop and i freeze and need to be rescued / when the walls start closing in / i struggle to be a better man / i want to mirror the past but i’m afraid i can’t / fit my feet in the prints you’ve left / i know i can’t always lean on you / but i stop and i freeze and need to be rescued / when the walls start closing in / a spitting image, my father’s son / i hold my breath, glue my eye’s shut / and while they’re closed i’m someone new / i’m someone ready to face the day
Beer Pressure
i had it nestled there, right beside my bed / bound in faux leather, and comfortably set / off to the side of a life largely predisposed to ignoring it / i had it stationed there, ordered not to move / it had pitched it’s creed, what was left to do / well you could sit and you could wait and there was not much else / but tally years as they come, mark them down one by one / stifled dreams of mine, my claustrophobic mind / they get lost and never find their way to you / words without a voice, our holy father’s choice / i want to be used, what good am i mute / i want you to yearn, i want my pages turned / i want to be used, to pledge myself to you / i won’t ever falter, no i’ll be forever your stubborn strength / that is a promise that i’m able to make / i won’t ever falter, no i’ll be forever your stubborn strength / i can forgive you for making me wait / you can’t reject me after all that i’ve done / while you shuffle your feet, twiddle your thumbs / i stand here before you with choice disguised as fate / i give you the world and you shove it back in my face / hadn’t i known that salvation was prearranged / hadn’t i known that sinning was a calculated mistake / hadn’t i known that i was gonna need saving one day / that it’s a destiny that we share / our god-given capacity to err / and our history of fabled opportunity
Bone Voyage
it crawls through the cracks and it seeps in between / it sows itself up and it roots itself deep / gnaws at you incessantly / binds with you, becomes your belief / an echo that’s cursed to repeat / an echo that’s cursed to repeat / you try, but you can’t create / when you speak you reverberate / remarkably you even ache / with a sense of symmetry / quietly you seethe, you boil, blister / quietly you sway, spill over the lip / how quickly you cave in to the weight / how a little sand and dirt can fill the cracks / of the walls of the letters of your name / quietly you seethe, you boil, blister / quietly you sway, spill over the lip / you flare up, you grit your teeth you ball your fists / your blind rage, it comes to you at night in fits / you swing your arms, curse the day you were born / you drip with venom, but your words are well-worn / you throw yourself into your cause, so much that it strips you bare / you strike the earth with all your force, yet you leave no mark / you throw yourself into your cause, so much that it strips you bare / you strike the earth with all your force, so it strikes you back / i’ll commit you to the depths of memory / i’ll remember you if you’ll remember me / i’ll store you safe, lock you away, and swallow the key / i’ll remember you if you’ll remember me
Dream Beaver
if i could wipe the grime away / i’d leave the rest just the same / i’d find a way to skew what’s left / to make it seem it’s for the best / could never, could never see (the seams that needed stitching) / could never, could never see (there’s something that’s been missing) / we march in step, walk straight in line / we march in step, our hands are tied / was there a sieve they could trickle through / and out the other side they’d be someone new / was there a sieve they could trickle through / they could drip and drip, few by few / and i’ve been wishing it ever since / that i could be the one convinced / that it wouldn’t just repeat itself / don’t want their lot in life / how do you expect us not to blame ourselves / was there nothing else, was there nothing else / that it wouldn’t just repeat itself / don’t want their lot in life / how do you expect us not to blame ourselves / was there nothing else, was there nothing else / and all the echoes in my head / they keep me from believing again / they ripple back and forth / preventing me from ever wanting more / a broken home splintered in four that day / i spoke alone when i thought that we’d be okay
Girth Impression
the swollen dreams of each shape and size / i pictured them adorned in black and white / but they bend themselves now instead of bloom / and spend each night howling at the moon / it was a mess but it was ours, it wasn’t emptiness / it was a mess but it was ours, it was ours to fix / (patterns don’t predict) / four hands and feet were tethered in their sleep / untied apart so that our eyes won’t meet / i don’t raise my voice, i don’t stand too proud / i don’t own a shovel, i don’t stir the ground / it was a mess but it was ours, it wasn’t emptiness / it was a mess but it was ours, it was ours to fix / (patterns don’t predict) / i was fixed, i was stuck in place / (you don’t speak too loud) / deaf to all, no time of day / i was fixed, i was stuck in place / (or i don’t hear too well) / deaf to all, no time of day / we’re ten people at once / with ten places to be / just a crisis of youth / just a crisis of youth / four hands and feet were tethered in their sleep / untied apart so that our eyes won’t meet / i don’t raise my voice, i don’t stand too proud / i don’t own a shovel, i don’t stir the ground / it was a mess but it was ours, it wasn’t emptiness / it was a mess but it was ours, it was ours to fix / i inflate your lungs, i remove the doubt / i move the air in and out, in and out / but this sadness will not consume me / i won’t let it, i won’t let it / these are all the nights / i will not forget, i will not forget / i’m old but now we’re young / make the best of it, make the best of it / suspended like a moon above, hanging there / that takes it’s time coming down / these are all the nights / i will not forget, i will not forget
Iceland
city in rust / along the bottom edge / time creeps slow / when you spend it all counting down / city in mud / softened to readjust / make big change / when you live your life day to day / don’t think much / of what i’ve loved / you’re to blame / for all that i will and won’t become / i’m a victim of / the reprecussions / of this place / we’re all that’s been built and been torn down / what tremendous weight you have / burdening your every move / spread out miles and miles / over streets and new concrete / how your shoulders must be sore / and your patience must be tried / i bet you can feel the weight / on every new face you meet / all the sights to see / all the gifts to reap / seems too good to be true / all the bets to place / all the time to waste / seems too good to be true / it’s just a matter of time / before you notice it’s all / smoke and mirrors / the secret’s out / all the fortunate / are the obstinate / they get away / as fast as they can / it’s just a matter of time / before you notice it’s all / smoke and mirrors / the secret’s out / all the fortunate / are the obstinate / they get away / as fast as they can / i’m seeing the best of you / (all i’ve ever known) / when i’m glancing at a map / (is time away from home) / i’m seeing the best of you / (all i’ve ever known) / when i’m glancing at a map / (is time away from home) / all the regrets and fears don’t want to leave / mistaking you for who i’d like to be / find yourself alive without a soul / losing track without a home / i’m washing myself clean / i’m digging myself deep / into a hole i don’t want to be / i’m washing myself clean / i’m digging myself deep / into a hole i don’t want to be / don’t want to see
Greenland
fathoms we’ve sunk / trenches we’ll wait / among the biting cold / and makeshift home that we’ve made / vessels will rust / sunken we’ll stay / fear not of growing old / else we’ll waste away / turn back the hands of time / (risk but we have to try) / anything for a chance to come alive / to return to what once we had called a life / peel back these hands of mine / (make new what once was dry) / and i’ll make sure i never sleep again / i’ll be the last one to forget / we’re already dead / sold our souls to / pay our debts / take a number / alongside the rest / sold our souls to / pay our debts / take a number / alongside the rest / turn back the hands of time / (risk but we have to try) / anything for a chance to come alive / to return to what once we had called a life / time stops, we don’t breathe a word / shell cracks, reflects the choice we made / floor leaks, the water rises to our throats / pipes burst, we await our fate / time stops, we don’t breathe a word / shell cracks, reflects the choice we made / floor leaks, the water rises to our throats / pipes burst, we await our fate / with the new weight in our chests / i’ll see you along the bottom / with the new weight in our chests / i’ll see you along the bottom
Buddy System
the branches bend under the weight of your regret / you sit perched, up on high, it should break instead / though branches are there, i can’t figure why / we have all the while, to live and die / the pendulums are swinging back and forth / we don’t have much without them though / and there’s not a lot of space between / what’s keeping me up, keeping me asleep / we’re all just skipping stones / haven’t you heard the news / we’re all just a bag of bones / haven’t you heard the news / we’re all ghosts of our former selves, haunting our sleep / (can we still dream) / when i could still run for days, in the summer heat / (the rest is sleep) / now all that’s left is some hollow shell, some dried up leaves / (can we break free) / when i could still slide for days, on frozen concrete / (just let me breathe) / the dreams stay the same, but the seasons change, the seasons change / the dreams stay the same, but the reasons change, the reasons change / and all of this i think i’ve lived before / you were here when i just a boy / if i messed it up i’d just try again / nothing was sacred, nothing was certain / when i still had / the whole world in front of me / when i still was / the person i wanted to be / the dreams stay the same, but the seasons change, the seasons change / the dreams stay the same, but the reasons change, the reasons change / i had no choice in this, i took no part in it / but yet here i am / i had no choice in this, i took no part in it / but yet here i am / all the pictures are in black and white / they’re memories of what it felt like / i’m failing to find all the parts to grasp / the photo frames to send our past / you gave it to me just to take it back / decided to strip me of what i had / would it have killed you to be less like me / with all your loneliness, your misery / years have passed but now i am looking back / a sense of belonging that i never grasped / would it have killed you to be less like me / with all your dubious reasoning / you gave it to me just to take it back / decided to strip me of what i had / would it have killed you to be less like me / with all your loneliness, your misery / your dubious reasoning
Sixty Acres
buried beneath the floorboards, beneath you and me / starved for sight, starved to see / oh, for a hint of light, still deprived / oh, for the love of life, it still cries
Meat Wave
was it destiny or was it me / when i was crushed under both your feet / from the depths i was born again / but not the kind that you would expect / for the first time i was free / to view the whole and not just a piece / from the depths i was born again / a binding contract that never bends / but i won’t live the same day twice / i was born and then i lived / and i won’t dwell over why / i was born and then i lived / there’s no plans i cannot break / there’s no choice i have to make / there’s no plans i cannot break / there’s no path i’m meant to take / but i won’t live the same day twice / i was born and then i lived / and i won’t dwell over why / i was born and then i lived / i’m not worried about what comes next / there’s nothing but what i make of it / i’ll make sure that there’s nothing left / and there’s no reason to be frightened / are you thinking all the time it’s all unknown / is it any surprise we’re scared of calling it home / it’s a big place to find yourself wandering alone / i’ve got questions that don’t have no answers, i’ve got things i’ll never know / i’ve got questions that don’t have no answers, i’ve got things i’ll never know / no i won’t live the same day twice / won’t believe in it / no i won’t live the same day twice / won’t believe in it / (fade to black space sounds great / fade to gray okay / fade to white sounds nice / fade to black space sounds great / fade to white sounds nice) / at the edge it’s begun to rip / i spent my entire life afraid of it / and so instead of hiding / i’ll split it open and i’ll jump right in / i’ll cause the biggest rift / i’ll pry it apart and i’ll make it fit / there’s no reason to be frightened / because it’s just dark and that’s all it is / and by the time it’s over / i won’t have noticed / i won’t have noticed
Safety Jobs
bones will break so faith will shake / turns out all i wanted was / some peace of mind, a stretch of time / a place where i can rest my head / sick with age and you share my pain / turns out all i wanted was / the string untied, to lose then find / the meaning of the turbulence / i can leave but the room’ll stay / it never cared either way / what’s a choice without an end / i never knew where it went / knots are tied and the edges fray / i never cared either way / what’s a choice without an end / i never knew what it meant / bones will break so faith will shake / turns out all i wanted was / some peace of mind, a stretch of time / a place where i can rest my head / what’s a choice without an end / i knew never what it meant / waiting for the string to unwind / to run my finger through / what a tangled mess it is, i see it now / now’s the time to rest you said / you’ve done enough / (but where did it go) / with such clarity i see / i haven’t done that much / (but what do i know) / can’t i see i’m waiting most my life / but i was never you / what a tangled mess we are, i see it now / now’s the time to rest you said / you’ve done enough / (but where did it go) / with such clarity i see / i haven’t done that much / (but what do i know) / i’ll hide you beneath the floor boards / bury you in an old shoe box, in the backyard / i’ll hide you beneath the floor boards / bury you in an old shoe box, in the backyard / i forget you’re beneath the floor boards, i lose such track of time / i’m just a fraction of a world, indifferent to your plight / when i pulled up the floor boards, what did i expect to find / there is nothing left to see, when i question this life / won’t you just disappear anyway / won’t you just disappear anyway / we were so important to so few, i run my finger through / (now’s the time to rest, you said, you’ve done enough) / we were so important to so few, i run my finger through / (now’s the time to rest, you said, you’ve done enough) / bones will ache forget my name / remember there’s no such thing as fate / (i’ll take my chances though, i’ll take my chances though) / i’m not afraid just sick with age / remember to sit and wait / (just like my old man now, just like my old man now) / i’ll waste a life i’ll wait my turn / whatever’s left does not concern / (with each passing day, each day i’m less afraid) / afraid i can’t just toy with time / i know now what i have is mine / (nothing will ease this pain, nothing will ease this pain) / and now i’m resting my soul / i’m resting my mind
Dark Obsession
all around, pictures of craters / with crooked necks and teeth / hands glued to glass / sweaty palms gaping through windows / walk slow with cement for feet / straight, cautious steps / paperweights taking up space / littering sidewalks and streets / still so empty / boy you wanted to see everything from above / and you can’t picture it any other way / now you’re fastened to the ground stuck looking up / and you can’t help but feel like you’ve been misplaced / your life’s not half bad / shouldn’t you be thankful for that / that it’s only half / time has passed but you’re still the same / pushing it aside waiting till it’s too late / time has passed but you’re still the same / pushing it aside waiting till it’s too late / forgetting faces, making this one count / turn for the worst, won’t turn it around / forgetting faces, making this one count / turn for the worst, won’t turn it around / this life is finite, it’s days are numbered / was it something less than intended / you’ll figure it out along the way / this life is finite
Snake Plissken
so fast that it all blurred / the days and nights with no end / lines and lights outstreching / i’m always stuck watching where you’ve been / one point to last / we’ll make due with what we have / we moved too fast / we’ll get lost without a map / taking turns taking turns / to forget where we’re from / every direction is something new / when you’d rather die young / tired of the same old bruises / of being content with content / and if it won’t come to us / then we’ll have to go to it / we have our youth and everything we need / never stop moving or get used to routine / we don’t need anything else / if we get lost, make maps ourselves / the most important things i owned i sold to you / i dug my hangs in pockets until there was nothing left / with all that you have / what’s keeping you here / the most important things i owned i sold to you / i dug my hangs in pockets until there was nothing left / with all that you have / what’s keeping you here / our lives entwine, but i won’t contribute to your fear
Flawless Victory
i can see how this will end / in a cloud of dust / in a filthy war / i can see how this will end / where we’re still clinging / to whatever we can find / and all of this i’ve been through before / is a page that’s been torn / from that same old story / and we’re desperate / we’ll tear down the shelves to read a different ending / keep your head down, don’t let them see you / just rest here / keep your hopes high, it can’t be much longer now / can’t wake up / so we sat and waited for it to pass / i’ve been growing old / in these trenches / waiting for the white flag / to be waved / well i’ve been playing it right / right from the script / waiting for the same cue / to slow and just stop / all the lines of my face are filled with dust / and oh how i’ve learned to sleep so well in dirt / all the things i said i meant, but i wasn’t sure / all the words we never kept, but we had to say / it was never a secret / we never kept it quiet / we said what we said and we’ll say it again / this isn’t home / and all of this i’ve been through before / is a page that’s been torn / from that same old story / we’re desperate / and we’ll tear down the shelves to read a different ending / now i’m climbing up and getting out / i’m going home
