1. |
Intro (Side 1): Egypt
01:01
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I spent the night sleeping backwards at the foot of my bed
Rearranging the furniture again and again
It was better than nothing, but still just pretend
A place you're tired of can never be new
I never thought I'd be anxious to just get away
It's been a year and a half since I last left the state
I've never been one for travel, that empty escape
But I find myself counting the days
Count me out of your cheap superstitions
I'll leave that horoscope safely unread
If I believed half the things that those things said about me
I'd be too scared to get out of bed
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2. |
Somewhere With Seasons
03:03
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The house looks different now
The paint is new, the porch is gone
I craned my neck to search for the fort
My father built in the backyard
But I can't see it anymore
It's strange, I still can't explain
Why I was so upset last night
As if I'm allowed to cut my ties
To make new friends and to move on
But when you do the same, it's wrong
And I can't say that I blame you for making your escape
Most of all because I can't say there aren't moments
Where I've thought about the same
The maps of all those intersecting freeways
And the towns to which they belong
The siren call of somewhere that has seasons
This summer's lasting months and months too long
But will you miss it when it's gone?
The words and phone numbers
In my old yearbooks gather dust
Full of paragraphs I'm ashamed to read
As if they're not addressed to me
It almost feels like eavesdropping
And I can't say that I blame you for making your escape
Most of all because I can't say there aren't moments
Where I've thought about the same
The maps of all those intersecting freeways
And the towns to which they belong
The siren call of somewhere that has seasons
This summer's lasting months and months too long
But will you miss it when you’re gone?
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3. |
Postage Paid
04:44
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I heard your newest song
Don't worry, it's a good one
All your new ones are
I guess that I've stopped asking if any are about me
None of the new ones are
It's strange to hear your words now
You sing of people I've never known
I wonder if you'll hear this
If you'll take apart the lyrics, one by one
If you think this is about you... well, you're wrong
The coffee is a crutch now
It's true, I guess
This is just me making it through today
I'm asking for your address
The one that I keep losing
I guess I hope each time will be
The last time that I need it
I keep hoping next time won't be out of state
I'm certain that you'll hear this
That you'll take apart the lyrics
You always do
I'm sorry if the things I say will hurt you
I'm sorry that they're true
Well, this could go on all night
Well, this could go on all night
Well, this could go on all night
Well, this could go on all, all night
But the Greyhound station awaits
Will you call me when you get there?
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4. |
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In a parking lot littered with square safety-glass
I park the car, lock the doors, and let the driver's seat back
Shades over the windows, I can finally let myself cry
Pathetic, I know
Yeah, I couldn't agree more
Your phone has been dead for who knows how long
It's been weeks, and I worry, but try to just play it off
I'm filling the hours with stories, two chapters a week
I can sure as hell write, but hell if I can speak
The mountains nearby are grown over with grass
I guess the rain has been good, but nothing ever lasts
We start walking, lose track, and wind up in a strange neighborhood
Where I fill up my camera with shots of the sky
And of indistinct figures in fading sunlight
But get home and the first thing I do is throw the pictures away
And John says
"If reincarnation is true
I might at this point want out of the loop"
On a weather-worn table in the park down the road
My call finally gets through, I spend an hour on the phone
But say nothing at all that doesn't translate
"When are you coming home?"
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5. |
An Ever-Fixed Mark
04:00
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The picture that we took
With that old five-dollar camera
Hasn't once left my mirror-frame
On the bottom strip, next to 8/15/06, I quoted myself:
"What we have is the kind of love they make movies about"
Not every line I ever wrote in every song was true
But that one was... and this is, too
When I am lost, yours is the light that guides me home
The closest thing this side of Heaven to a picture of God's love
My voice always sounds better when you sing along with it
You make me better, you make me worth it
If you aren't perfect then I don't know or care what perfect is
You are the needle and the thread
That knits together all my hours and days
You keep me whole
If I've ever written, spoken, thought, or sung
Anything true about love
It was about you
I have no other honest muse
When I am lost, yours is the light that guides me home
The closest thing this side of Heaven to a picture of God's love
My voice always sounds better when you sing along with it
You make me better, you make me worth it
If you aren't perfect then I don't know or care what perfect is
When I am lost, yours is the light that guides me home
The closest thing this side of Heaven to a picture of God's love
My voice always sounds better when you sing along with it
You make me better, you make me worth it
If you aren't perfect, then no one is
If you're not perfect then I don't know what perfect is
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6. |
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I know nothing you said wasn't true
Believe it or not, I know it better than you
It's just tonight was no night for bad news
And there's a note on the door from someone else I've let down
There's just too damn much of that going around
It's not me — all of this — it's not me
And I swore I'd be different, I swore I would change
Well, sorry
To that shy, brilliant child with glasses too big
Smiling up at the grown-ups with his small, crooked teeth
I'm so sorry
This is all you became
Enjoy your notebooks of stories and your near-perfect grades
Because both will dry up by your nineteenth birthday
You won't notice until it's too late to change
Every last thing I've promised, they've all fallen through
And you can say what you want, but I've failed you, too
Everyone that I've loved, I've let down
And later this month, I will turn twenty-two
And I shouldn't feel scared, but God help me, I do
All that time, all those memories, gone
All that time, and just what have I done?
And to that shy, brilliant child with glasses too big
Smiling up at the grown-ups with his small, crooked teeth
I'm so sorry
This is all you became
Enjoy your notebooks of stories and your near-perfect grades
Because both will dry up by your nineteenth birthday
You won't notice until it's too late to change
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7. |
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We will light torches
We will be safe
Under the floorboards
Hidden away
Let me not be afraid
Whatever morning comes
We are all what you made us
We all are trying hard to be good
In a pub off the freeway
I heard a voice say the words
‘No one will ever die, ever again’
I didn’t know what they were
I didn’t understand
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8. |
Chase the Horizon
04:29
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You said, "If there is something that I miss
More than those high school summers
I don't know what it is."
And I believe you
(No, I can't argue)
Convenience stores have never felt the same since then
But don't think of that
Because those summers are gone and gone and gone
And they're not coming back
So don't do this
(Please don't go)
Don't be another victim to the lure of distance
The lie that somewhere new can equal starting over
When a different town is just a different place
In which to feel the same
("It is futile, you can never—"
"You lie, you lie" he cried
and ran on)
It's not because we want to, it's because we have to
It's not because we want to, it's because we have to
It's not because we want to, it's because we have to
It's not as easy as they always made it seem
You lie, you lie
You lie your head on mine
And as your voice is breaking, you whisper
"Just tell me that it will be okay..."
So sleep, love, sleep
And wait for daybreak, wait for morning
So sleep, love, sleep
Wait for morning
Wait for me
"Listen: it's not exactly what it seems
No, nothing's ever what it seems
Listen: it's not exactly what it seems
No, nothing's ever what it seems
Just please, don't ever not believe..."
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9. |
The Apple of Discord
04:32
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If this is all there is, then count me out
It's headaches and caffeine
It's rationing of sleep
I'd trade an hour of these dreams for one more awake
I'd rather lose the rest than live through one more night of this
But these red lights and stop signs are keeping me still for too long
There's too much time to think but not enough to get anything done
Just kill the lights, and I'll count my losses
There's no point in anything anymore
If I can't take a breath, or make the slightest movement
Without disappointing everyone
There's no comfort in this scripture, or at least not right away
Two dozen books go by before I even recognize your face
Two thousand years of brimstone, and thirty more of perfect love
Sometimes I doubt Moses and Matthew really wrote of the same God
(But I'm more than certain which one's wrong)
But these red lights and stop signs are keeping me still for too long
There's too much time to think but not enough to get anything done
Just kill the lights, and I'll count my losses
There's no point in anything anymore
If I can't take a breath, or make the slightest movement
Without disappointing everyone
Please forgive me for my sins
O God, forgive me what I am
So I say my prayers in secret, I whisper words behind closed doors
"Be merciful to me, a sinner!", said the tax collector to the Lord
When did your church become so prideful?
So quick to trade in love for hate?
They're preaching Sodom and Gomorrah
They hate God's children in God's name
But have not a word to say of grace
("Let he who is without sin be the first to cast his stone")
Just kill the lights, and I'll count my losses
There's no point in anything anymore
If I can't take a breath, or make the slightest movement
Without disappointing everyone
Please forgive me for my sins
O God, forgive me what I am
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10. |
In So Many Words
04:01
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This is the absolute last of my promises
I swear to you, I'm finished with this
I guess it started as sick curiosity
But by now it's just making me sick
I've locked the doors of the house, trading shots with myself
Inventing drinking games to help pass the time
Drink once for inertia, twice for every broken promise
Three for every protracted goodbye
At this rate, I just might drink myself blind
This is the absolute last of my promises
I swear to you, I'm finished with this
With these lists of suggestions of things I could change
To help you stave off your own listlessness
It's a race to the finish, take no losses, take no prisoners
You can't afford to give in this time
Before this cracked and broken canvas, lay a table of your implements
The bottles and the chemicals inside
To help make things right
I will let go tonight
To you it seems like selfishness, this self-preserving reflex
But honestly, to me this is a conflict of interest
I'm no kind of coward, despite my various flaws
I just know when I can and when I can't beat the odds
So take all your questions, all your meaningless games
You and them can go to hell, or at least the hell away from me
So take your mixed signals and your infidelities
You see, I'm better off without you, but you were much better off with me
This is a lesson in self-preservation
You wounded an artist… what did you expect?
(The bow is drawn, make from the shaft.)
This is a lesson in self-preservation
You wounded an artist… what did you expect?
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11. |
Sleepers, Awake!
05:10
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These moments frighten me the most
Is there anything more horrible than the notion of forever?
The very ground a sick and sinking ship
The prayer you left behind you becomes a mantra on my lips
"Our Father, hallowed be your name..."
"Yours is the kingdom and the glory..."
Could there be words more pure than this?
And when I lie, I speak my native tongue
But I am not my own, I'm not
I am a price that has been paid
I have been ransomed, I have been saved
Cut off the hand that makes me sin
Remove these thoughts, don't let me let them in
"You are a man of God, now act like it"
My very doubts fill me with doubt
Can a so-called man of faith be so afraid, and yet devout?
But if Christ himself can beg you from the cross
Asking, "my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Then all hope must not be lost for one like me
Oh Thomas, tell me please... what did you see?
And when I lie, I speak my native tongue
But I am not my own, I'm not
I am a price that has been paid
I have been ransomed, I have been saved
Cut off the hand that makes me sin
Remove these thoughts, don't let me let them in
"You are a man of God, now act like it"
But I am selfish, I am weak
I am a bruised and bitter seed
I am a poor reflection, an echo of Your love
I am brightness stained by dark
I harbor hate inside my heart
Then fingers crossed, I turn and ask You to forgive me
I am selfish, I am weak
I am a bruised and bitter seed
I am a poor reflection, an echo of Your love
I am brightness stained by dark
I harbor hate inside my heart
Then fingers crossed, I turn and ask You to forgive me
And when I lie, I speak my native tongue
But I am not my own, I'm not
I am a price that has been paid
I have been ransomed, I have been saved
Cut off the hand that makes me sin
Remove these thoughts, don't let me let them in
"You are a man of God, now act like it"
Now act like it
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12. |
The World's Last Morning
03:56
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As of this moment
I am sure that I've known hopelessness
I know this cold and empty cavity within myself
The beating heart beneath the floor
But I fear that I don't know You
I fear I've never known You
And it's the worst, most awful silence
As I lift my prayers to You
And ache to hear Your voice
To hear You louder than the whispers
That say I am my failures
That the worst in me defines me
And I'm unworthy of Your love
“Be merciful to me”
The tax collector pleads
I am selfish, I am weak
I am a bruised and bitter seed
I am a poor reflection, an echo of Your love
I am brightness stained by dark
I harbor hate inside my heart
Then fingers crossed
I turn and ask You to forgive me
What if I could believe
What if I could believe
We cannot earn our way to heaven
We were never even asked to
I am loved here in this moment
I am loved for what I am
I will do what I am able
I will try and I will stumble
If I sometimes need forgiveness
There is no end to your grace
When I have faltered, you have faith
I am selfish, I am weak
I am a bruised and bitter seed
I am a poor reflection, an echo of Your love
I am brightness stained by dark
I harbor hate inside my heart
Then fingers crossed
I turn and ask You to forgive me
And you forgive me
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13. |
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I've lost track of time
I swear I've been walking for hours
Through streets lit by TV set windows
I was softly repeating your name
There is nothing to say, so say nothing
I guess that's the game that we're playing
Can it be that you still haven't called?
Where are you tonight?
I've never felt more lost or lonely
I just wish that I felt more surprised
Oh, and for what it's worth, you were right
My timing is always the same
Always too far apart or too late
There's a taste in my mouth
That I can't seem to spit out or stomach
I'm afraid this is making me sick
There is nothing to say, so say nothing
Or were we doing that all along?
Is there any such thing as a time before all of this started?
Where are you tonight?
I've never felt more lost or lonely
I just wish that I felt more surprised
Oh, and for what it's worth, you were right
My timing is always the same
Always too far apart or too late
Don't call, don’t call
If you're just calling late again, please just don't call
And if I seem surprised, don't believe it
I've been practicing playing this part for longer than you know
Rehearsing these lines: "Yeah, I'll be okay"
"I'll be fine", don't worry about me"
And all the while breaking your heart with my casual surrender
And if this is the end, then so be it
This won't be the first or the last time I've written you off
(For you, no truce
No armistice will do
Tonight, you play for keeps
I play for sympathy)
The wish that I made broke every star in the sky
The wish that I made broke every star
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This Glass Embrace Phoenix, Arizona
This Glass Embrace sings wordy indie-punk songs about the human condition.
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