1. |
scrolls of doom
02:01
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I make billions in seconds flat
and I stuff it under my cowboy hat
yeah, you punk me and I'm perplexed
but we all know what happens next
so I made a wish on a distant moon
anywhere I could find room
for my flowers trying to bloom
(far away from here)
plastic as far as I can see
and plastic ocean underneath
yeah, I punk you and you eat it up
and overfloweth my plastic cup
I made a wish on a distant moon
anywhere I could find room for my
flowers trying to bloom
(far away from here)
plastic wrapped around a spoon
deep sea scrolls of doom
and listening to Flume
(far away)
I make billions in seconds flat
and I stuff it under my cowboy hat
yeah, you punk me and I'm perplexed
but we all know what happens next
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2. |
sedona
02:20
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she was born in a suburban place
with suburban dinner on her plate
moved to the desert when she was 10
'cause she was allergic to smog
got into acting and she was good
and she acted in all the plays that she could
met a guy in a band and he said
"wanna drive up north to Sedona?"
two kids, yeah, things started to get real
is time a construct or just a feeling?
she turned 40 on the top of a car
and she howled at the moon
and she gazed at the stars
she got divorced, it was an epilogue
to the Spanish-American war
returned to acting and she was good
and she acted in all the plays that she could
looking back at her life and she said
it flows like the creek in Sedona
70 and just starting to feel old
it's the shortest short story ever told
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3. |
shadows
03:59
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shadows moving up the valley
they’re all in my face
packed up my car the next day
and drove out in the rain
into fields of, fields of yellow
fields of, fields of purple
shadows are in my rearview
but what can I do?
up around the corner is spring break
in Lake Havasu
and the DJ said “Nebraska in the house”
now the snow is coming down sideways
as far as I can tell
and I’m up with the radiator clanking
at the Weatherford Hotel
I heard my song on tv
didn’t notice immediately
shadows from the clouds are forming
over the peaks
red is the color of the dust and
the color in my cheeks
crying tears into my huevos rancheros
took a look at the mountain
then drove out of the snow
water flooded down streams
where I went many years ago
shadows in the canyon
shadows, did I mention?
vines on the wall in Tucson
and drawings on the floor
woke up, checked the listings,
and I walked out the door
the realtor asked if I listen
to my intuition
one crow died, fell off the cross,
and one crow is alive
what used to be America
is just a place to drive
shadow forces operating
avatars are levitating
volcano dust and juniper,
my ancient Spirit child
the skulls are dancing, night is young,
the party has gone wild
we are grown, then we're gone
and our fossils are tossed along
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4. |
flowers fading
03:21
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woke up from a dream about Lady Gaga
then took a whiff of my coffee beans
put on some tennies and a sweatshirt
walked out the back door with the dogs
pressed play on West Coast Fog
spoke a little prayer to my god
snow on the mountains, flowers fading
bless all the loud conversations
and restaurant reservations
blessings to all imitations
snow on the mountains, flowers fading
woke up in a brand new situation
with brand new limitations
put in my earbuds and took a vitamin
walked out the back door with the dogs
did my best to tune out thoughts
spoke a little prayer to my god
snow on the mountains, flowers fading
bless overused compression
bless every unanswered question
blessings to all life lessons
snow on the mountains, flowers fading
walked out the back door with the dogs
pressed play on West Coast Fog
spoke a little prayer to my god
snow on the mountains, flowers fading
bless all the loud conversations
and restaurant reservations
blessings to all simulations
snow on the mountains, flowers fading
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5. |
human futures
01:41
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reminiscing on days gone by
I remember rivers, I remember streams
now my optimism is running dry
I remember autumn, I remember spring
and I all I do is worry
when the memories get blurry
we trade human futures in our portfolios
we're on the market, we're on the line
and California is what I know
I remember rain, I remember wine
now the barges are all docking
and the codes, they keep us shopping
and the data's always watching
while the clock just keeps on running out
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6. |
sinaloan restaurant
02:10
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have you crossed the line to Mexico?
my dad died many times years ago
now on the table, staring at the light
I move from grief to joy
alone in a crowded restaurant
looking at the storm clouds rolling in
thinking of the world and the precedent
and the border line
playing at the edge of our awareness
after years of going to that place
I read about it in an article
the Sinaloan restaurant
is closed for good
purchased in a semi-trance
something called fake or real estate
creates a loop of tension
as we project
playing at the edge of our awareness
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7. |
fruitful streams
03:13
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fruitful streams are on the tip of my finger
and I never linger ‘til the end of the song
I took a trip out of the garden of eden
I've been riding that high now for so long
it's just like we blew a fuse
so much to choose
and we all lose
and so it goes
fruitful streams are all I think about
now the world's gone dry
and I've parched my mouth
I keep dreaming of streams and rivers
but we're in a drought
and they can't deliver
it's just like we took a snooze
so much to choose
and we all lose
and so it goes
(reality, I love you babe,
but you've completely gone away,
I tried to get you to stay,
you know the way I need you)
it's just like we blew a fuse
so much to choose
and we all lose
and so it goes
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8. |
airbnb cowboy
02:38
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no more space, no more time,
no more truth, and nothing is real
except a purple beetle buzzing around
this airbnb cowboy
I’ve got my look dialed in
and my bolo tie
and my wide-brimmed hat,
I'm on IG live,
and I’m pouring a hazy IPA
I’ve got nothing to say
I’ve got nothing else I can say
so content in every way,
no struggle, no suffering
I've got a purple beetle by my side
I'm an airbnb cowboy
I’ve got my look dialed in
and my bolo tie
and my wide-brimmed hat,
I'm on IG live,
and I’m pouring a hazy IPA
I’ve got nothing to say
nothing to say
no more space
(how much did you buy for?)
no more time
(was there a bidding war?)
no more truth, and nothing is real
(the “reno” went way over budget!)
except a purple beetle
(sandblasted and smoothed by)
buzzing around
(virtual winds)
this airbnb cowboy
(the matrix is so convincing)
so content
(we’ve been to Miami)
in every way
(we’ve been to Rome)
no struggle, no suffering
(we rented a flat in Barcelona)
I've got a purple beetle
(the pilgrims are coming)
by my side
(the pilgrims are here)
I'm an airbnb cowboy
(what's real is obliterated)
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9. |
we’re going down
02:27
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full moon shimmering on the sea
the cat tried to get the calamari
served up feta and melon slices
left to nothing but our devices
they built a mosque on top of the ruins
grown men shoot guns at balloons
prayer rings out on the patio
time is an ocean and it ebbs and flows
tiles, so Byzantine
Medusa's head is green
sailboats rock on the choppy waves
eggplant salad is what we taste
our life stories in the coffee grounds
things are looking up, but we're going down
in the final days of democracy
I'm swimming with a dog named Lucy
(a spa service to soothe anxiety)
we're locked down, fucked, and we'll do it again
we're going down
tiles, so Byzantine
Medusa's head is green
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10. |
mothers and daughters
02:09
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you gave birth and you raised me
and you let me do my thing
we evolved from crustaceans
into perfectly sentient beings
from heartache to heartbreak
from mistake to mistake
mothers and daughters
I got a phone call
from half a state away
now I'll take good care of you
until you're doing ok
from station to station
can't deny my relation
mothers and daughters
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11. |
flag (into the fray)
02:05
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I'm getting back
a flag is just
a folded cloth
the surface of a thought
against a wall
stuck inside a vault
into the fray, I go
think I know it all,
but I don't know
rumbling underground
I'm down and out
but the sky is so clear
I saw you on my screen
your mind imploding
it's satire and it's so surreal
I miss my friends
I miss the world
I'm forced to deal
into the fray, I go
think I know it all,
but I don't know
rumbling underground
I'm down and out
but the sky is so clear
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12. |
five months on the go
05:38
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five months on the go
and I don’t know
where I am right now
90 degrees at home
out in Twentynine
my world is turned upside down
in San Francisco I
retraced steps that I
took when I was younger
up Noriega and
Haight on the bus
then I stepped out into the fog
El Paso then
drove to Marfa and
stood on the banks of the Rio
cracked mud and it’s
107º and
hoodoo goblins in my rearview
me and my family in
a Dodge minivan
headed up the peninsula
we crossed a river then
crossed another one, then ate a
disappointing pizza
took a taxi then I took a ferry and
I took a train to the hotel
slept four hours then
I woke back up again
to catch a plane across the ocean
five months on the go
chased by my shadow
and never looking over my shoulder
eyes on the road
wheels to the ground
my world is turned upside down
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Dear Nora recommends:
Katy Davidson songs 2009-2010
go to album
Katy Davidson songs 2010-2011
go to album
Just As God Made Us
by Lloyd & Michael
Lloyd & Michael forever
go to albumIf you like Dear Nora, you may also like:
supported by 27 fans who also own “human futures”
Great record. Is the superb essay, reproduced on this site, by Dr. Marianna Ritchey, included in this pressing? Or will we have to wait for the 25th anniversary deluxe pressing for that? Possibly waiting until after society crumbles and we're all left painfully, powerfully alone? A nice, trim, offset printing of the essay included with the lyric sheet would be my preference. Just asking questions here. Thank you
go to album
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
by Big Thief
supported by 26 fans who also own “human futures”
Choosing a favorite track for this one is honestly impossible. 9.5/10
go to album
The gorgeous and gripping new record from Anika Pyle features minimalist folk & pop songs that struggle to make sense of loss.
go to album
