1. |
On the Way Back Down
03:21
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V1:
Climbed the tallest mountain in San Francisco
Looking for a melody
Way up in the canopy
Where redwoods see more sorrow than I could know
Higher than the golden gate
Foggy like a cityscape
But on the way down
I looked down at the ground
And saw a system of roots beneath
The roots under my feet
Were holding up them trees
And bringing the mountain together
C:
And you notice different things
You notice different things
You notice different things on the way back down
V2:
He got a little buzz around his first release
The crowds were getting bigger
So his agent pulled the trigger
And shot him to a stardom he’d never known
Waving like a lighter
His future growing brighter
But as he looked down
At New York on the ground
He knew what fame could never fix
His wife was back at home
As he stood there all alone
Above a city that never sleeps
C:
V3:
You bottled up your pain until it ran all over
Your words were getting sharper
And my heart was getting harder
I wondered if we’d make it through a night so dark
I faced you like a fighter
Then held you that much tighter
And as we looked down
Our tears they hit the ground
Sowing seeds for morning’s mercy
Now we’re digging in the dirt
Pulling out the buried hurt
As a garden grows beneath
C:
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2. |
Anna
03:37
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V1:
You heard a song that made you cry
You don’t know why but it touched something inside
It’d be awhile since you felt alive
You’d closed your eyes
You told me that it’d been six years
Since your family set you up in here
It’d be awhile since you shed a tear
Cause you’d disappeared
C:
Anna, don’t apologize
When you’re feeling so alive
Don’t you fake another smile
Your shell has started peeling
You’ve been stuck on the inside
Where you’re trying to survive
Anna, don’t you dry those eyes
Your tears might be your healing
V2:
Been holding years of grief inside
You buried three lovers in your life
You don’t know why they had to die
While you stayed alive
But, Anna, when you look in the mirror
Who do you see there after all these years?
I see a fighter facing her fear
When you reappear
C:
B:
Your tears might be your healing
Your tears might be your healing
C2:
Anna, don’t apologize
When you’re feeling so alive
Don’t you fake another smile
Your shell has started peeling
You’ve been stuck on the inside
But you’re waking up tonight
Anna, don’t you dry those eyes
Your tears might be your healing
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3. |
Running
04:01
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V1:
You ran out of the fire and into the flame
Seems like the pain you fled had another name
I know you figured by now you’d have come out ahead
You fear your last-ditch hope was another dead end
PC:
But don’t you start to give up the fight
You’ve come a long long way from home
And if you could see who I’m seeing tonight
You’d see a strength you didn’t know
C:
It’s been a long road but you’re running to redemption, honey
You’ve got your sorrows
It’s hard to hide it when the tears keep coming
When you’re running on fumes just trying to forget
All the fears you fear haven’t happened yet
It’s been a long road but you’re running to redemption, honey
V2:
You’re tired of being so tired and giving your best
When all your effort leads to another day’s stress
You try to lighten your load and give love a chance
But holding on’s much harder than simple romance
C:
B:
You fear that the compassion’s got you down
You’d spend all your hope and try to skip town
But won’t you hold your horses till your feet hit the ground
And you see
C:
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4. |
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V1:
Lately you’ve got them clouds in your eyes
Heavy laden, waiting, for some stars to align
Lacey, you’ve been high for a while
In a hazy meditation, lost in your mind
C:
Let your guard down
Like tears on the phone
You’re never alone (I hope you’ll)
Make your scars count
Those thorns on your soul
Could give up their hold
You don’t have to tiptoe
V2:
Tracing all of your pain to source
In a broken family system, you don’t have a choice
Bracing for suppertime civil war
If you float right down the staircase, he won’t hear your voice
C:
B:
Around your feelings
I ain’t gonna let go
I’ll be right here
C: x2
Outro:
Lacey you’ve got them clouds in your eyes
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5. |
Singing at a Restaurant
03:05
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V1:
I said sir I’m not a jukebox
I’m just one man
And it’s hard to pull off Stairway without a band
I would sing it if I knew it
I’m trying the best I can
So please would you try and understand
C:
That I’m singing at a restaurant
And getting kind of blue
It’s not exactly what I wanna do
They say, son, one day you’ll make it
But you’ve gotta pay your dues
That’s why I’m singing at a restaurant for you
V2:
I was halfway through the second verse
When another soccer mom
Asked if I could play Since U Been Gone
Would you please give me a minute
I’m in the middle of my song
And I promise if you wait it won’t be long
B:
Oh but don’t go feeling sad for me
Cause it really ain’t that bad
Though the crowd won’t always clap for me
They sometimes pay my tab
V3:
She was looking a little tipsy
When she asked me for the mic
It was late enough I didn’t try to fight
Then my show turned karaoke
And in the blink of an eye
We had butchered Norah Jones’s Don’t Know Why
C2:
And now we’re singing at a restaurant
And she’s a little out of tune
I’m afraid we might just empty out the room
They say, son, one day you’ll make it
And I hope it’s someday soon
Till then I’m singing at a restaurant with you
That’s why I’m singing at a restaurant for you
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6. |
What'll I Do?
04:37
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V1:
What’ll I do
When every inch of this apartment’s a clue
Every artifact just points me to the truth
That there’s no me without you
V2:
What’ll I do
When every poem’s left me looking for a muse
Every hobby’s just a thing we used to do
But there’s no me without you
C:
So I’ll hold on
Until the morning
Until you break me clean in two
And though you’re gone
Don’t try to stop me
Cause I’m holding on to you
What’ll I do?
V3:
We had a fight
When I drew a line and you stepped out of sight
Then you left your things and walked into the night
But I’m not right without you
C:
B:
And you know you’ve been my covenant since we were underage
And now you’re off chasing your freedom while I’m stuck here in a cage
But I’m chained to our commitments and I cannot let you fade
What’ll I do? What’ll I do?
C:x2
V4:
What’ll I do
when every empty word just bring me back to you
Another shred of hope that’s too good to be true
But I’m not me without you
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7. |
Look for the Helpers
03:20
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There’s a 5-year-old in Carthage, MO
Who couldn’t stay up late for my show
So the next morn he woke up real early
And made his way outside in the cold
Where he found a couple weary musicians
Loading gear in a green Kia Soul
He tried to pick up a box of band t-shirts
But he couldn’t cause the box was too full
Look for the helpers
There’s a woman named Dorothy Johnson
At Green Hills retirement home
For four years she’s been serving as the president
The best one that they’ve ever known
She never misses a resident’s birthday
Sends every visitor a thank-you note
She’ll take your hand and she’ll ask you a question
And remind you you’re not alone
Look for the helpers
Look for the helpers
He’s at the checkout bagging your groceries
She’s at your bedside when you’re sick as a dog
You might not recognize them or remember their names
Sometimes love looks like a thankless job
So look for the helpers
Look for the helpers
Look for the helpers
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8. |
Old Time Religion
03:51
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V1:
It’s on the left, it’s on the right
Hysteria and Facebook fights
We figured out who’s wrong and right
On Twitter and YouTube
They say it’s time for taking sides
And there’s a militance for every stripe
So you grab your phone and start to type
Some bumper sticker truth, or
C:
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Of love
V2:
I heard it on the evening news
From the poets and the pundits too
So I found some preacher singing the blues
And I gave him ten percent
But what if we’re just being used
And the fear is just like heavy booze
That keeps us further from the truth
With a faulty confidence
C:
B:
Would you tell me when it’s time to speak out
Or the time to shut my mouth and listen
Cause making peace ain’t simply walking away
But facing our foes and forgiving
C:
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9. |
Line in the Sandbox
03:52
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V1:
Can I come play with you
on your side of the sandbox with all of your friends?
We could build castles and show our mother,
she’ll smile at the work of our hands
C1:
But you drew a line in the sand
You drew a line in the sand
V2:
End of July on my 19th birthday
I drove all my friends to the beach house
I said I forgot to call you but really
I just didn’t want you around
C2:
I drew a line in the sand
I drew a line in the sand
V3:
Thanksgiving Dinner we met at our parents house
hadn’t seen you in awhile
Facebook posts and November votes
keep us on separate sides of the aisle
C3:
We drew a line in the sand
We drew a line in the sand
I drew a line in the sand
We drew a line in the sand
V4:
Now that I’m old and I sit by the phone
and I muster the courage to call you
I don’t know why but I started to cry,
cause I just didn’t know what to say
As the tears came down,
they watered the ground,
and I watched as the lines washed away
We watched as the lines washed away
V5:
Can I come play with you
on your side of the sandbox with all of your friends?
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10. |
If Lost Return Here
04:08
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V1:
You’d move away to California
Cross the border, never warn us
Cause there’s so much to see beyond this town
The open book’s the better story
And hometown heroes lose their glory
You wanna see what living’s all about
C:
But if you wander far enough
And find you’ve lost your way
Hurry down the long road back
Cause every story started somewhere
And nothing is forgotten
And every weary traveler has a home
So c’mon home
V2:
When you’re running from a broken family
Traveling starts to come in handy
Counting down the days until you're gone
But there are feelings you ain’t facing
And running’s got a price to pay and
There’s still more to life than singing songs
C:
B:
If there are words that you can’t say
If there are wrongs you can’t repay
If it’s an ache that keeps you on the run
Then don’t stay gone for too long
V3:
You thought that you could see the future
I guess God has a sense of humor
Cause everything you knew is upside down
But if you’re looking for an older story
Like the ones that used to bore you
There might be more to see in this old town
C:
credits
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Paul Demer recommends:
Dear Saint Isaac
by Symon Hajjar
pain as a path to holiness
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RIVER HOUSE
by Taylor Leonhardt
kindness and earnest hope
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I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot
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For My Love
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