- The title of this EP was inspired by a line from Hayao Miyazaki's film "Howl's Moving Castle."
- This EP speaks to the pain that come with caring and the struggles of righteously seeking what is good while trying to maintain harmony in your immediate communities.
- There's no way to know what will happen, but seeing what's going on it's hard not to compare the methods of the opposing groups in our country and see a pattern in the history of the actions of an overpowered executive branch (Police) that's been wielding greater and greater unchecked power, often towards the already historically oppressed and disenfranchised with no repercussions.
- Ultimately this documents my journey through the pain of slowly and truly connecting with the world after being withdrawn from it as a child. The tracks travel:
- 1. Granite City, IL - through the stories of my family's youth
- 2. Pity - Reframing my disgust and self-hatred as pity for what I've been
- 3. Prayer for the Reformed Hoarder - Trying to unpack my understanding of emotional baggage as old worn out luggage I've been keeping in the attic
- 4. Alvarado, TX - Trying to see the beauty and glow during the formative years of my adult life even amidst its hangups
- 5. A Heart is a Heavy Burden - Finally, wrapping up with this track about what might need to be done for the good of the future even if we carry the weight of our mistakes with us through and beyond.
- At the end of the EP is a reprise of the opening track set in a cheeky, a capella traditional folk band style to lighten the mood and send the listener away laughing rather than just commiserating
- At the end of the EP is a reprise of the opening track set in a cheeky, a capella traditional folk band style to lighten the mood and send the listener away laughing rather than just commiserating
- Secret Pre-Release Listening Link
Lyrics:
-
Granite City, IL
I don’t see what all the fuss is about
There was always plenty of food in the pantry
So many ways for us to spend our time
As long as we spent it aloneMy grandmother told me stories
Of apples for pennies fresh from the street corner
And how her husband had bees in the back yard
As the fruits of his labor filled his garden and lungs with bloodFor our bloody gods
Keep the stock option over the broken homes
Settle fevers with a fresh cut of sod
Fill the hole in your heart with your children’s children
-
Pity
Her fingers like ice soothe my furrowed scalp
Like lemonade on a fresh squeezed summer day
Teasing from my mind the fear and worry
Leaving me emptier yet fuller in a funny wayAnd I pity the man who walks alone
I feel the fear of never coming home
Now that I’ve seen what love has shown
I pity the man with the heart of stoneThe razors edge of loneliness cuts the mind
Solitude is only worth how you spend your time
The maw of eternity lies ahead
As the empty spot beside me in my bedAnd I pity the man who sleeps alone
Spending hours trying to find a soul in his phone
The wind outside echoes and calls a weary moan
I pity the man who won’t atone -
Prayer for a Reformed Hoarder
It’s been a few years
But the luggage is still
Dusting in my attic
Really thought I would’ve
Donated it by nowBut nobody wants
Useless broken zippers our
faded, trendy roller bags of shit I couldn’t shakeWhy am I searching
For ways to hate it there
Just a wild imagination
Trying to copeMy god
I’ve never been so close
My god
Help me find a another homeWhy am I searching
For ways to hate it there
Just coming up tired
And empty handed -
Alvarado, TX
They’ve been wondering
When I’m gonna wake up smell the
Roses grandma
kept long after they were foldingThings these days just
Aren’t made like they used to be
The phrases people say
Just leaving reeling andGotta find my own way, no matter where it goes
Where I’m gonna end up, I’ll never know, I’ll never knowFor now just...
Feel the mud squish all up through your toes
Dirt and sunbeams melting all your woes
Let the wind relax you for a time
Waves are lapping softly at your mindCrackling campfires roasting weary feet
Lean against a friend and feel complete
No words as we stare into the coals
Dying embers lighting up your soulLook back down my street
The garbage heaps are gleaming
Sunny highways lined
With all the dying dreams andLittle things could
Make or break your weekends
And the simple truth’s
You’d never see it coming musta beenSomething in the water
Something in the way it moved the trees
Shaking back and forth just like my knees
Stars in your mouth as it opened wide
Brilliant teeth all shining with your liesMoonlight over empty soccer fields
Dragonflies speed for their easy meals
As the phrases slowly make their way
Out of my hand into yours to stay -
A Heart is a Heavy Burden
A heart is a heavy burden
But it’s worth the weight in your packBut the truth is when you’re hurting
It’s easier to turn your back on your own loveWhen well pressed men come calling again
Read carefully the way they treat the least when no one’s watchingWear your love on your sleeve
Your bleeding heart will ever be the source of courage ‘gainst the man andWhen you hold your tongue to not offend
Or make upset just once through starting an uncomfortable conversationThink of Innocent folks out there dying
Empty spots at tables parents, siblings, children all are cryingAnd so when armored vans run rampant on streets
Here is something when you don’t know if anybody’s watchingTry to stay on your feet
I ain’t trying to say it’s anything to kid about an easy breezyBut I can hear the people singing the songs
Of angry men who will not wait so idly by while race and class divide usLong live the courage of the people
Feed the fires and burn those cheap hells
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