1. |
The Hand Holder's Hand
04:35
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The sky is open
future’s bold
till I awaken,
getting old.
The earth below me,
carbon spun.
Profound and holy,
the taken one.
All ‘cross the city,
textures fill
and vibrant measures,
essence still.
Awaken howling
motors and
the gracious bowing
with glittered hand.
Hooray for seeing,
cry for being.
Feeling for meaning,
the tune of man.
Till I awaken
in the basin
of creation,
living in
the hand-holder’s hand.
The hand-holder’s hand-holder’s hand.
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2. |
Eight Hours
02:41
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I’ve got 8 hours left to make it all up to you,
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
Win back a place in your heart, and in one evening too
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
If you don’t take me back, I don’t know what I’ll do
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
So here is my plea, sung from me to you
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
I was a dummy, I’ll admit that I didn’t have a clue
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
It was only your love that ever carried me through
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
When thing got too heavy, I got scared and flew.
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
Now I regret is all cause I’m sad and blue
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
If you take me back, we can start anew.
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
And I won’t leave your side, I’ll stick around like glue.
7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2
You forget, my friend, I’ve seen my share of men.
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
and they all prove cheaters in the end
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
What about all those letter that you used to send?
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Was your love for real or was it just pretend?
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
You say that I am your only friend
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Now, how much belief must I suspend?
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
And you just love to play “remember when”
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
to bring up all the things you then try to defend
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Now you say you have a hand to lend
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
But it take more than one night for a heart to men
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
it take more than one night for a heart to men
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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3. |
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Hot toast and a cold sashay
We never thought you’d walk away
And I hope I never see the end,
your ray of sunshine ‘round the bend.
Under a marquee you clarified the meaning of New York.
New Year’s Eve, you sanctified the evening with a cork.
I was no wiser, you were twenty too,
always dropping off or picking up a clue.
Jet setters’ sad stories interweave
but we never thought that you would leave
or that one sad sojourn would become two.
Twenty fingers cupped the view.
And I never wanted to see the last of you
in this way, but hey
Hot toast and a cold sashay
We never thought you’d walk away
And I hope I never see the end,
your ray of sunshine round the bend.
Is this real life? Is this real love?
And is this one night a gift from above?
Though I hate to see you walk out,
you came to show us what love is about:
Hot toast and a cold sashay.
We never thought you’d walk away
And I hope I never see the end,
your ray of sunshine ‘round the bend
Hot toast and a cold sashay
We never thought you’d walk away
And I hope I never see the end,
you ray of sunshine ‘round the bend
you ray of sunshine ‘round the bend
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4. |
Fever of Pain
05:58
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I have something else to do
than to be a satellite
than to be an obstacle
than to be a conduit
than to be a receptacle
than to be a messenger
than to be a harbinger
than to be an enemy
than to need a remedy
for pain.
I have something else to do
than to be a receiver
than to be a believer
than to be an achiever
or act as a deceiver
as a conceiver
as a griever
or a perceiver
of the fever of pain.
I have something else to do
than to be an entertainer
an explainer
a retainer
or container
to be a maintainer
or abstainer
to write a disclaimer
as a campaigner
for your pain.
I have something else to do
than to be a generator
to be a trailblazer
an accelerator
an elevator
an Eberhard-Faber,
or prevaricator
for my pain.
Interrogator, authenticator
A disarmer or detonator
Investigator, set decorator
a speculator or resonator
a meditator on the deeper layer
of pain
An attendant
or subordinate
tasked with determining
the coordinates
An accessory
or an aide
A companion
or a maid.
You see, I’m no sidekick
and no friend
to one who’s obsessed with the end
of pain.
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5. |
Statues
01:27
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Statues of you and me
are all we ever want to see
Statues of you and me
are all we ever want to see
Chiseled in marble
made from gold
or bronze, boy we really broke the mold
Statues of you and me
portrayed unrealistically
I’m nearly ten feet tall,
you don’t look yourself at all,
standing there as still as a tree.
And it has crossed my mind
that we’re no longer free
Statues of you and me
all we ever want to see
Statues of you and me
all we ever want to see
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6. |
Propaganda
02:30
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Propaganda
Everything has its
Propaganda
Everything is the same as its
Propaganda
But Propaganda is meant to sell you It
Somehow you’re parting with your money for it
once you see
just a little bit
of that sweet propaganda.
Propaganda
It goes by many names
You can’t stand the
thought of a day without the same.
Propaganda
Don’t want to do a real thing,
we just wanna
talk, sing,
and call it by its name.
Propaganda
Now let’s trade.
Propaganda
The endless parade.
Propaganda
So much more than it seems.
It’s the form and content of your dreams.
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7. |
Bluebird's Bath
01:49
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On the compulsory woodland plod,
gnawing the Rold Gold pretzel rod,
looking back to see where I’ve been,
down to see the shape my new boots are in.
I’m not worried at all about getting lost,
led by an adult and teenage boss.
As the saplings now begin to bud,
everything’s quite covered in morning mud.
‘N I would say hello to the boys
and the girls around me
if I could holler through the noise
of the teachers hounding me.
What are they going on about?
Their presence I could do without.
They’re talking to each other now,
‘bout what they will and won’t allow.
Had all my lessons and facts to learn,
bein’ twelve and bein’ taciturn.
Of all my hope and dreams, there won’t be a dud!
And my bluebird’s takin’ a bath in a puddle of mud.
Oh my, a bluebird’s takin’ her bath in a puddle of mud. . .
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8. |
I Can Understand
02:20
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How long can it be from the end of today
to the beginning of the weekend?
Less days than the fingers on your hand.
Say it this way, so I can understand.
How low is the lowest point
at the depth of the deepest canyon?
Thirteen hundred feet of air beneath your feet,
so that you and the Earth will never meet.
How sharp is the sharpest knife
that was ever forged by hand?
It cuts between the particles of sand.
Say it this way, so I can understand.
How far is the furthest thing
ever seen by the human eye?
How far, how low, how high?
How come? Whose eye? and why?
How smart is the smartest thing
ever thought by a woman or man?
How could you know what it’s smarter than?
Put it this way, so I can understand.
You could do anything you can.
Put it this way, so I can understand.
You can cook three meals in a pan.
Put it this way, so I can understand.
You can try all the things you plan.
Put it this way, so I can understand.
Say it this way, so I can understand.
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9. |
Georgi
02:21
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I know you’ll find the spirit, Georgi.
Well, you know. You know that’s life.
What will cause the old to dwindle
and the young to fight.
I know you’re looking in the mirror,
and you may not like what you see.
But I use the same mirror,
the same doubts are haunting me.
What’s all behind it?
We wanna stay young and fear it.
What’s all behind it?
Can you tell me when you’re near it?
I know you’ll find the spirit
and you will have your day of rest.
So many celebrations
between the bigger tests.
And it’s a long life, Georgi.
Let me huddle up beside that window too.
It’s always a new story
that fades with you into the blue.
What’s all behind it?
We wanna stay young and fear it.
What’s all behind it?
Can you tell me when you’re near it?
Can you whisper when you hear it?
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10. |
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It’s only money.
Silver chips and stinky paper.
The big machine, the sleazy green.
The fruit of our love and labor.
And we used to buy a stereo,
we used to make summer plans.
We used to pay for college
by the work of willing hands.
And we used to feel anticipation,
tote our paycheck to the bank,
Then line up at a gas station
to fill the tank.
But it can’t get you what it used to,
And it can’t get you that much in New. .
Jer-sey
It’s not a living wage,
it’s a farce and it’s a cage.
it’s only Mo-ney.
It’s only a lifetime away.
It’s just a weekend
spent working again.
Just to make eight thousand
dollars turn to ten.
It’s only a year.
But it’s a ten dollar beer
that you’ll be drinking
when this year is at its end.
And you may have enough to eat,
You may make the rent all year.
But what you cannot seem to shake
is just the fear.
Never mind the fantasy of a happy family,
a lifetime satisfaction guarantee,
and no threats of eviction or a mortgage default,
Coke, fries, a quarter pounder and a malt.
Eating where a meal is worth its salt.
But it can’t get you what it used to,
can’t get you what it used to,
And it can’t get you that much in New. .
Jer-sey
It’s not a living wage,
as if we could even gauge,
it’s only Mo-ney.
It’s only a lifetime away.
It’s only a lifetime away.
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11. |
Say My Name
01:20
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Say my name, I want you to be true
Say my name, I want it for you too.
Don’t you want to hear your name said?
Don’t you want to be the center of the universe?
Don’t you want to hear the word that means you?
Why doesn’t it look like you do?
I don’t want to hear my name in that way.
I just want to run and play.
And I don’t care to hear your message in my ear,
not so much, and not so near.
It’s a shame, it’s a shame
that you won’t let me name your name.
It’s a shame, what a shame for you!
And who’s to blame?
who’s to blame?
Now I can’t even say,
not person one, not person two!
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12. |
I Got Scammed
03:18
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It’s a long story.
Gradually details start coming in,
in the middle of the conversation
we’re getting chummy in.
Suddenly we’ve taken a turn
and you should now be shocked to learn
that I got scammed.
Well, how did it happen?
Who all was involved?
When did it happen? and
was the mystery ever solved?
Well, you’ll all just have to wait
as I continue to relate
the tale of how I got scammed.
I got scammed! I got scammed!
I got jacked and hacked and spammed!
I got scammed! I got scammed!
Now it’s a part of what I am.
Well, you know it’s a long story.
The first part just sets it up.
Just let me know if you find it boring,
I can refill your coffee cup.
And it requires exposition.
I’ll have to give you a lay of the land,
so there may be some repetition.
Did I tell you that I got scammed?
I’ll tell you all about the scammer--
you know he came from a foreign land.
And he spoke English with stammer,
(which is a part of how I got scammed.)
At first he was very cordial,
a warm and welcoming man.
And when he sold me a trip to Portugal,
that was the moment when I
the moment when I
the moment when I
scammed.
I got scammed! I got scammed!
I got jacked and hacked and spammed!
I got scammed! I got scammed!
Now it’s a part of what I am.
I got scammed! I got scammed!
I got jacked and hacked and spammed!
I got scammed! I got scammed!
And when he sold me a trip to Portugal,
that was the moment when I
the moment when I
the moment when I
got scammed.
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13. |
Emptyheadedness
03:44
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The whole week’s geared up for a night at the bar
The emptyheadedness
Your whole head was made just to puff a cigar
The emptyheadedness
Inventive in your fights despite
The emptyheadedness
You seem to know your rights despite
The emptyheadedness
Here’s a pat on the back, I enjoyed your act
The emptyheadedness
No ability left to tell fiction from fact
The emptyheadedness
A campaign managed from A to Zed
by emptyheadedness.
And our water’s damaged, Flint’s full of lead
The emptyheadedness
Pretty soon we could all be dead
The emptyheadedness
If I were a bleach blonde, how would the public respond?
The emptyheadedness
And I can hardly tell what page I’m on
The emptyheadedness
I’m the only one rowing a boat upstream,
The emptyheadedness
“A small group of people will know what I mean”
The emptyheadedness
The house is on fire as I stop to change a tire
The emptyheadedness
And I line up my first buyer the minute I retire
The emptyheadedness
Unwitting, unremitting, the blunt and pleasing
Emptyheadedness.
I can feel nothing, nothing but stinging
The emptyheadedness
On a brainless caper, a ride with no guide
The emptyheadedness.
And without any sense, I impetuously commence
The emptyheadedness
Making art as a dullard trapped within the fence
of emptyheadedness.
Oceans divide me from sanity
The emptyheadedness
Useless when I refuse to see
The emptyheadedness
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Julian Cartwright New Jersey
Julian Cartwright is a songwriter, instrumentalist, composer and arranger based in the Philadelphia area. Instagram @julian.cartwright.songs
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