1. |
Houseboat
04:08
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Great wooden ship, old roof of slate
Shining and sailing through the night sky
Anchored on this street, ocean to both sides
With light spilling out, and ash in my mouth
When we had to break up the band
When every shopping list would end with “and”
And Forest Avenue was a river too great to cross
And it's too far to town, we'll have to catch the bus
Turn your eyes to the windows
Are they made of glass or mirrors?
When you see them are you proud?
Tonight you say you're staying in
But are you really looking out?
Oh captain, have we lost control?
Come home, come claim us
Come put us in our rows
To row, to row, through the wind and snow
I gave you sugar for salt
You gave me a seed to sow
And Eddie put the butter into every nook and cranny
But if you're turning on the toaster, well then keep a flashlight handy
Because it's gonna flip the power if it seems there are too many
Of those old space heaters on, those old space heaters on
Water, wine was everywhere
I drank but never got enough
Now swimming ashore, swimming ashore, swimming ashore
Sure is gonna be rough
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2. |
Even In The Drought
04:05
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Our fortunes hang like fruit
The running of the bulls
The breaking of bad news
Leaves a lasting residue
Tendrils reaching out
The teeth left in my mouth
Light breaks on the town
Streets as soft as eiderdown
And the rain makes them shine
And the rain makes them shine
Oxen two-by-two
Valleys full of feverfew
Eleven bronze statues
Every throat an open wound
And the rain makes them shine
And the rain makes them shine
But you knew them in drought
You knew them even in the drought
Thunder, you're too slow
Lightning's gone you know
To the doors of the cathedral
And the rain makes them shine
And the rain makes them shine
But you knew them in drought
You knew them even in the drought
Tendrils reaching out
The teeth left in my mouth
Light breaks on the town
Streets as soft as eiderdown
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3. |
Folding Back Time
04:37
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The hills are awaking
The sky like a stone
Where nothing is taken
And nothing is owed
Standing in place
And folding back time
Marking the days
And holding the line
Where there's a space
For everything you've ever loved
Where there's a trace
Of every single one
You've been trying so hard to
Roll back the tide
And decipher the difference
Between what is and what's right
Standing in place
And folding back time
Carving their names
And holding the line
Where there's a space
For everything you've ever loved
Where there's a trace
Of every single one
And Ricky, faith is allowed
It helps you get old
Without giving out
And Ricky, later on tonight
I'm sure you'll feel wrong
But I know that you'll be right
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4. |
Child's Pose
08:30
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On a morning so bright
We'll call in the day
Curtains, coffee, sunlight
A reason to stay
He moved out, rain came in
She speaks out loud, sounds like him
Remember walking, finding
The bones of a bear
Hanging ornamental
A wreath on the door
Bowing down, chests to stone
Folding now in child's pose
I'm unaware of anything so holy
As bathing in this air of generosity
Rich ripe fruit resting on our table
Every breath a nesting baby bird
On a morning so bright
We'll call in the day
Curtains, coffee, sunlight
Ink on the page
Bowing down, chests to stone
Folding now in child's pose
Folding now in child's pose
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5. |
Shrinking Woods
05:26
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When I arrived my whole body was buzzing
My blood was the loudest thing in these woods
It took me a while to slough off the city
I thought “these mosquitoes are doing me good”
I'd hitchhiked down from Lebanon
Followed the river the whole way
There was a woman I knew who lived on the mountain
With a meal hanging there in her garden
And like sheep I knew we could graze
It was during that time Venus and Jupiter were aligned
And I got lost walking home every goddamn night
And the only thing keeping watch was the quiet
And I loved you with the last of my youth
When you're young you're so sure that you know what is true
I loved you with the last of my youth
Of love after that I have no proof
The sky after the storm
Good news after it's born
When you say something out loud
What kind of ripple does it make?
And is that why we get on our knees and pray?
On the mountain I dreamed clean
Until I woke one night to gunshots
Reached my arms around to hold you
Made my lap into a cradle
Grabbed the sheets so I could swaddle
And then it was new to me again that you were gone
Sing birds, in your shrinking woods
Mourn your home right where it stood
This morning is a reminder
Of how the night don't last forever
And if our love don't last forever
You know I tried to love you well
I truly tried to love you well
Sing birds, in your shrinking woods
For all else that is gone for good
In the morning you are a reminder
Of our love, how we let it linger
And our love, we only let it linger
Because we tried to love so well
We truly tried to love so well
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6. |
Raincoat
06:02
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Shepherd, keep singing
There in the rain
Cause it's never easy
To understand pain
You opened your mouth up
There was dust on your tongue
And you stood there stricken
At who you'd become
Your dancing a decoy
Your face like a mirror
Your shyness a sickness
It's like you're just barely here
But you're not contagious
So don't sequester yourself
You think we would not answer
If you called for help
If you called for help
Front porch, backyard, beech tree, Pennsylvania
Stand of sweet corn, the sands of Carolina
Brick street, sidewalk, raincoat, Philadelphia
Fog and ferns on the coast of California
California
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7. |
Songbirds and Cinnamon
04:35
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Songbirds and cinnamon
And the razor that rests by your wrist
The light is a medicine
Use it well, we must learn to resist
Slow down, pull me back out
From the garden you faithfully guard
Slow down, whisper or shout
Through the halls of a marriage unscarred
In the warmth of your kitchen
Casting spells that would float through the air
You offered protection
You were brave with the heart of a bear
Slow down, pull me back out
As you carry your grandparents' bones
Slow down, drink in this drought
If it's a specter it's one that we know
Songbirds and cinnamon
And an ocean as restless as silk
You'd like to begin again
Where the bottles are only for milk
Slow down, pull me back out
If there's blood here it won't leave a stain
Slow down, unlock your house
To the one who will call your true name
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8. |
Haycock Mountain
06:36
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When Pennsylvania calls my name
I will greet it like an old friend
And if the woods are still the same
My legs will walk them again
I have torn with my teeth
I have knit my brow
With a worry that could wound the whole world
There's a song that is sung
When the lights go down
So I will sleep with my radio on
I will sleep with my radio on
I will sleep with my radio on
Maybe tonight I'll reconcile
What's lost with what remains
The mountain sleeps just like a child
The river hopes for the same
The last time we spoke
It was for the best
That the past was just passing away
We emptied out
What was in our chests
And the moon made us forget our names
Yes the moon made us forget our names
The moon made us forget our names
When Pennsylvania calls my name
I will greet it like an old friend
The dark and the dawn meet everyday
And that's just where the story begins
If there are bells that will toll
When I make my move
Let them ring right and true on the hour
If there is light from the sky
That will shatter through
It's nothing short of a meteor shower
Nothing short of a meteor shower
Nothing short of a meteor shower
Nothing short of a meteor shower
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The Orchards Portland, Maine
The Orchards were the songwriting project of Pennsylvania native Eric Schwan, based in Portland, ME and featuring a revolving cast of musicians adding orchestral and ambient textures and harmonies to his simple, folk-based songs. They released their LP, "Sing Birds, In Your Shrinking Woods" on Apohadion/Burst & Bloom Records with a final show on September 15, 2019. ... more
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