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Habitual Trails

by Julian Cartwright

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1.
I belong to the sky I belong to that spacious sound Never mind the ground, I belong to the blue thundercloud at dawn Cominʼ over the hill well, thatʼs just my love And leavinʼ dusk at his tail, thatʼs just my heart disguised as a dog Oh, my my what a beautiful dog. Oh-ho, my my! What a beautiful dog! I donʼt smell the flowers, just let them do their thing. If I could, Iʼd give ʻem right back to the place you go when you sing. And then Iʼd try to find the singer, everywhere. Singinʼ a tearful song with electric flair I belong to that same sky makinʼ that spacious sound. Never mind the ground, I belong to the blue thundercloud at dawn. Lookinʼ up to the moon like oh what the hell, Is this even real? Or just a mirage? Well Iʼd give you my life for just one feel! Whatʼs the use of water when our mouths will be a jackalʼs meal? When weʼd drown a man just to gain a little more time to steal? I belong to the sight, no matter what I saw I belong to the sage, illuminated like a straw. I feel at home in the trash heap or in a dragonʼs craw I float on a falling leaf in your Arkansas. Cruising habitual trails and when my losing ritual fails I become pure wonder as you lead me on! Through all of my blunders, youʼll be my shining sun. Through all my crazy fun, youʼll leave me feeling strong!
2.
Fat Cat Sun 02:11
Jealous strangers near and far They want to reach into the darkness, rip out the stars. Trying to sweep me off my feet, they’re just gripping my eyes Here I stand to cut them back down to size. Down to size! But I am not a master of anything Whatever has captured me now Is just a bad dream I’m spinning on a crazy, crazy world with you Lookin’ up to the heavens, pay per view The air is spangled with shiny, shiny nets, here in town where the fat cat sun never sets. Never sets!
3.
The Docks 03:13
Down at the docks, itʼs a crazy scene The smell of fish, cigarettes, and gasoline And all I can ask is Where is the Lord now? Can I see him on a severed head? on a tortured brow? Down at the docks they collect their fees, wheeling out carts of stolen car-batteries. They use the ocean as their trashcan for free. But somehow no one spits directly in the sea. I am a fish, I am a man Free as the mussel and the clam who try to carve out their place so close to land. Almost makes me want to do the best I can.
4.
Hazy moon Do right by me Shine your light on down Come on and set me free When I look up there in the sky You’re what I want to see Oh hazy moon Do right by me You know I am a cheater You know I am a thief Kindly offer me succor A respite however brief Won’t you bathe my heart in your soothing balm Strike your harp, give me peace and calm Hazy moon, put me right there in your palm Well, you’ve put me through the ringer, stoking my mind’s disease. But I know that as you linger You can reverse my fate with ease
5.
Steam brakes, trains runninʼ center of my heated head. Church bells play the hour and the yellow fades to red. Head-on collisions, I can hear them from my bed. Lone wolf is wailing, hungry nights all wrong. Searching for his dinner as headlights speed along. See-saw city playground, fear cries, sing-song. Bushes are rustling, stark eyes etched in coal. Shrieks and scratches, she clambers down the hole. Moonbeams gather in pain, shine like soul. City buses, rage is sanctified. In long-heeled limos, stars paint the town as they ride. Under this blood-red rainbow, heads will collide.
6.
This whole street is alive Tell me, oh my Lord. Everyone waits for no one as they live their lives You want a house thatʼs modern, hard-earned, filled with joy. In a wishful mood, you become a peasant. You catch yourself without the passion it would take to arrive at this glorious station. You find yourself without the patience. Holding down employment, itʼs so intense. Holding back enjoyment with a fence. Your head is filled with lines that form a property border. Youʼll haunt a Pac-Man machine in Aberdeen for just a quarter. But this whole street is alive Tell me, oh my Lord Why everyone waits for no one as they live their lives
7.
Look at the crowd they’re all wired to think like you They’re all moving to the beat, taking in the view. Trying to call up what they felt at the same time thinking of someone else. and blinded by these racing thoughts they ignore themselves at whatever cost, Oh yeah, just look at the crowd. Take one look, just look at the crowd. Pretty much shoots down any fantasy, it’s not the crowd I really want to see Oh yeah, just look at the crowd Oh yeah, just look at the crowd We’re cheaters trying to love, fancy-free. scared of the unconditional, thinking “Where does that leave me?” And love might be everything you thought it could not be, This whole time you’re givin’ love the third degree! “True love, oh well I’ll see you later. How would I know true love anyhow? True love, oh well, I’ll see you later.” “How would you know, you’re just lookin’ down at the crowd?” And I say, “I never learned to see, I never learned to be. I never never strove to serve, have I got the nerve?” Oh yeah, just look at the crowd They’re all wired to think like me Oh yeah, just look at the crowd They’re all wired to think like me!
8.
Sailing the currents we fail and fold, riverboat gamblers past the age of old. I donʼt want to play the loser, Donʼt want to pay the winner Oh no Thereʼs a spare dollar underneath my clothes. Two others up my sleeve inside of penny rolls. Saved expressly for the bullies, the trollʼs tolls But I donʼt want to play the loser, Donʼt want to pay the winner Oh no This is a lawless zone Your dog has got me like a bone Iʼm looking for my chance to escape No I canʼt live my life alone but Iʼm no good for your loan. Doing this dance every day is second rate I donʼt want to play the loser, Donʼt want to pay the winner Oh no
9.
In The Dark 04:56
In the dark So peaceful was my mind Deep, deep in the summertime Floating peaceful all the time There’s no line I need to remember I just appear and shine Like a firefly Inside life’s deepest ember Feeling the thorny feel of time Jump and Burn up my final sigh Light up and turn me into your kind of guy In the dark So peaceful was my mind Deep, deep in the summertime Floating peaceful all the time Lying down in your garden I’m observing a world in pain That slips from my delight like a garland sagging in the rain. Oh why is it so That I can only be a part of mercy When I let go? Oh, how can I explain that by staying motionless in rapture I’m a part of change? Part of change.

about

We made this record on a gust of inspiration
and friendship.
Price, as always, is set to $0
But this album was recorded professionally
so there were costs involved.
If you like the album, feel free to give
whatever you can. $9 if possible
Thank you and hope you enjoy the record!
-- Julian

credits

released December 6, 2021

Songs and arrangements by Julian Cartwright
All instruments played by Julian Cartwright
except:
David B Greenberg, drums on all tracks,
piano on Fat Cat Sun, and organ on Hazy Moon
Recorded and mixed by Adam Vaccarelli
at Retromedia Sound Studios in Red Bank, NJ

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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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