Archive for the ‘ Artyfacts Stuff ’ Category

You Gotta’ Lie

I actually don’t want to talk too much about this one.  I think the song is its own commentary. (oh yeah, sorry about the explosive “p’s”.  I liked the feel of the take though it wasn’t perfect soundwise.  Not to mention I had a cold when I was singing.  Luckily I didn’t sneeze into the mic)

You Gotta’ Lie

I will believe if you leave me alone

I’ll phone it in, just hand me a phone

Dedicate it to the people in the back

Tabloids it’s time to face the facts

Only way this gig is gonna fly

Is if they believe the tear in my eye

My formula for success is the sad me

This is amazing, I would like to thank the Acadamy

Who would I be if everybody didn’t tell me how to think?

Who would I be if people didn’t trust in a fake?

If you’re a genius you’d better be a busy man

Can’t think like normal brained people can

They’re gonna eat you if you can’t figure out yourself

You gotta’ lie, it’s the only way to keep your health

Who would I be if my stalkers had no dead time?

Lucky for me they love nothing but my lazy whine

In their minds I’m somebody I’m making up

In my mind I’m out of my mind

Arrogance is the new confidence

We’d worry if we just had the time

If you can make ’em cry you’re the master

If you can make ’em smile you’re the king

Who would I be if everybody didn’t tell me how to think?

Who would I be if people didn’t trust in a fake?

If you’re a genius you’d better be a busy man

Can’t sleep like normal brained people can

They’re gonna eat you if you can’t figure out yourself

You gotta’ lie, it’s the only way to keep your health

2010
02/09
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All She Wrote

This song was inspired by Paul Simon.  I got a book with his songs in it and I sat one night reading it in awe of his talent.  I think Paul Simon might be my favorite overall songwriter.  That night I was paying extra close attention to the way his songs make you feel.  There is brightness and a lift to them.  I can’t listen to a Paul Simon song without stopping everything I’m doing.  His songs fit right into your head so smoothly.  His words are clear and articulate and he has always struck me as a true poet.  There are a lot of songwriters who sound like copies of other songwriters.  Paul Simon is totally original and his music is nothing but brilliant.  I was meditating on his lyrics when I wrote the verses to this song.  It’s not my impression of him.  I wasn’t trying to write a Paul Simon song.  I was just inspired.  I think the chorus came when I sat down with a guitar later on that night.  

All She Wrote

I rarely describe vivid scenes

I use words that are comfortable to me

And if music didn’t make so much money

Would people think it was so great?

The hope of love fuels younger fires

Older one’s know it’s a dance on a wire

Ain’t too easy to forget how to ride

Ain’t so hard to fall off the bike

Hope this is rewarding

Hope it’s worth your time

We don’t have all that much

It’s a little life

And soon the day will be over

Soon the kids will grow

Soon this all will be all she wrote

You wake up every day inside the same thing

You feel a little lost and a little lazy

You loop in your habits

Rest in your routine

You could live your life in your sleep

Why do people get born and die?

Why do they stray far from the light

What’s the point of living?

What’s the point of us?

Do you call good a gift or luck?

Hope this is rewarding

Hope it’s worth your time

We don’t have all that much

It’s a little life

And soon the day will be over

Soon the kids will grow

Soon this all will be all she wrote

2010
02/09
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Little Eye Balls

This one was surprisingly written in a very slow and somewhat depressing-sounding way.  I liked the lyrics but I was afraid it would cause the album to drag.  One day I was wandering through old computer files and I found the rhythm track going on here.  It might have had a different song on it but I can’t remember for sure.  I thought I might be able to use it so I tried a few different songs and when I got to this one it worked in a way I wasn’t expecting.  I think the beat gave the lyrics a different tone that fit better with what I was hoping for.   The chorus was written in my head when I was taking a shower.  Also, this song used to have a different title.  Can you guess what it was?

Little Eye Balls

I’m the only one who knows they’re gonna be let down

End of the story there’s no resolution but I don’t wanna tell ’em now

I’m the only one who knows they’re gonna be let down

All they were waiting for ain’t gonna come, that’s what the lying was about

It’s easy but I can’t defeat it

Tried too hard and I can’t repeat it now

Can’t repeat it now

And all I’ve got are little eye balls

Watching every move I’m making now

They’re watching me now

I’m the only one who knows they’re gonna be let down

Everybody I can see, can’t see how they’ll make it out

I’m the only one who knows they’re gonna be let down

Truth is coming and it’s coming fast, coming without a sound

It’s easy but I can’t defeat it

Tried too hard and I can’t repeat it now

Can’t repeat it now

And all I’ve got are little eye balls

Watching every move I’m making now

They’re watching me now

I’m the only one who knows they’re gonna be let down
I’m the only one who knows they’re gonna be let down
I’m the only one who knows they’re gonna be let down
I’m the only one who knows they’re gonna be let down

2010
02/09
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Song

With all this talk about songs you’d think I’d have already titled a song “Song”, but no.  This one was written when I was experimenting with my new microphone and Garage Band.  I had an idea to try to write a song while recording it.  So I started strumming and tried to let the melody come naturally.  Then I’d listen back and come up with some words that would fit into the raw melody going on.  I’d keep that and then hit “record” again and go a few lines further.  I did that a few times to build the song.  I wanted it to have a flowing melody to it.  That’s what went down on the technical side.

Song

Feel I could change you

But it wouldn’t last too long

I’ll change you for a song

And soon as it’s over

You’ll be back where you were

I’ll have only been heard

All song long I’ll have the answers

Then it’s happily ever after

I may not know you

But here for a few

It’s just like I do

I am singing out of habit

But listen if you would

I will try to make it good

All song long I’ll have the answers

Then it’s happily ever after

Open up my heart and silence their song

But it don’t last long

It don’t last long

2010
02/09
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Hot Cakes

I have been living at my Dad’s house, writing and recording songs and thinking a WHOLE lot about making money from music.  It’s something I think is crappy in a way.  I have tried to get past it but honestly, I can see myself starving on the street and feeling good about my music before I see myself in some mansion.  I’ll probably end up somewhere in the middle.  I used to write songs because I wanted to write a hit and get rich quick but I realized that I was basically going crazy always aiming at something that:  A) wasn’t totally realistic  and B) wasn’t ultimately enjoyable either.  I’m not a person who thinks that artists shouldn’t make money or be successful financially but I AM the type of person who thinks that only pursuing money with your art can corrupt what you are doing.  Money is a factor.  I think my views are pretty abnormal and probably ridiculous but for now it’s just where I stand.  If I had a family I know I would have to make some different decisions, and a lot of these thoughts have definitely affected my choices to put off marriage and all that.  I know some people who can juggle a family and a music career but that’s about a million miles past where I’m at right now, or where I’ve ever been.  I’ve realized that it’s best for me to just focus on the music and for now I feel pretty content about that (as long as everybody leaves me alone)…. anyway, that’s where my head was when I wrote this one.

Hot Cakes

Money is all there is to find

All there is to this long life

It’s 70 years of toil and strife

To make the gold deep in the mine mine

Is there anything left we haven’t tried?

Anybody that doesn’t have a price?

A certain amount of money’s gonna make it right

All your dreams plus a nice flash light

But why do I have to depend on making me a better bet?

Or building a sellable noise?  Do I even have a choice?

What worth is a song if we can’t take it to the market in the Fall?

Put a rhyme on a sugary flake.  I’m selling like hot cakes.

Give me a wife with a plastic face

A foreign car and I’m feeling great

All other guys are gonna think I’m boss

Thinkin’ I’m sipping on a secret sauce

It hits you right when the hiding starts

A shadow over your better heart

You can drink it only so far away

It’s always coming back another day

But why do I have to depend on making me a better bet?

Or building a sellable noise?  Do I even have a choice?

What worth is a song if we can’t take it to the market in the Fall?

Put a rhyme on a sugary flake.  I’m selling like hot cakes.

2010
02/09
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Love Was Only Human

This is a song for romantic idealists, which I am most probably absolutely one.  It’s for people who are always waiting around for Mr. or Mrs. Right even when 10 Mr. or Mrs. Right’s have already come into their lives, got confused and then left their lives.  I guess you eventually have to let go of your dreams a little so they can turn real.  I would call it imaginarily autobiographical.   Sounds good.  

Love Was Only Human

I reeled in all my passion so I could give my cold leftovers 

To some cobwebbed woman.  It’s a grey heaven.

Marry if you’re burning.  But what if you are freezing?

I’ll move into the ice box.  Right next to the Otter Pops.

Gave up on being good enough for this infinite buildup.

It turned real every time you pursued it.

Love was only human.

There’s other fish in the sea for every fish in the sea.

There’s a million fish for every minnow wish.

And it’s gold or junk.  It’s a pickup or a dump.

It’s a hope that flies.  Or a really long lie.

Gave up on being good enough for this infinite buildup.

It turned real every time you pursued it.

Love was only human.

And we’re holding cold hands.

Hoping for hot but settling for warm.

Like, “They don’t rock but at least they’re a band.

They didn’t break up so we’re still fans.”

Gave up on being good enough for this infinite buildup.

It turned real every time you pursued it.

Love was only human.

2010
02/09
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To the one you can’t talk to

It’s confusing when you sing songs who your audience might be.  I’ve written songs directly to certain people and then afterwards said stuff like “Oh, it’s supposed to be a metaphor for something.. it’s not about what it’s actually saying.”  You know how when people are trying to say how they feel to each other and they can’t articulate it?  They’ll put in a certain song and say, “This says everything I wish I could say to you.”  It’s like songs as Hallmark cards or something…. Well, that’s cool for the listener and nice that they can connect to your songs in that way but it’s a strange thing for the singer sometimes.  People will be listening and say, “Hey, man will you shut up and quit talking!  Just sing the song!  You’re ruining the moment!”  And I’m thinking, “What? ! I CREATED this moment, jerks!!!”  But then I have to try to let it go.  It’s just tricky to know how to keep the magic going or whatever… With this song I was trying to imagine a couple who couldn’t talk to each other and try to write “their song”.  It was a consciously backwards way to write.  It’s mainly a bunch of stuff that people wish they could say to each other… if they only had the words..

To the one you can’t talk to

How are ya’ doin’?

Whatcha’ thinkin’ ’bout?

I’m checkin’ on ya’

Though it’s not allowed

I’m criminal

I know you know

I wish we could talk

Not this slow

These are the words that weren’t in your boyfriend’s mouth

This is the way the conversation didn’t sound

And I’m the invisible in between person who says what you wanted to mean

To the one you can’t talk

To the one you can’t talk to

Did you understand me

When we were close?

Did you talk about me?

On a telephone?

So much has changed

I wanna tell you sometimes

It was no line

When I was kind  

These are the words that weren’t in your boyfriend’s mouth

This is the way the conversation didn’t sound

And I’m the invisible in between person who says what you wanted to mean

To the one you can’t talk

To the one you can’t talk to

“I love you but I feel so scared” (X4)

These are the words that weren’t in your boyfriend’s mouth

This is the way the conversation didn’t sound

And I’m the invisible in between person who says what you wanted to mean

To the one you can’t talk

To the one you can’t talk to

2010
02/09
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Profound

I think this was the last song written on Artyfacts.  It wasn’t the last song recorded but definitely the last song written.  I had this nerdy idea on a Tuesday night (I think).  I was thinking about how when I write songs it’s like I’m always trying to go slow and dream up the most profound lyrics I can (which I don’t always succeed at).  Anyway, on this Tuesday I was thinking about how a music album is like a photo album, like it’s a document of something.  I was feeling scrambled creatively because my songs were going in all different directions and I was still stumped about trying to pull them together.  Sooooo, I decided I’d start over completely (see, musicians start over about 30 times whenever they are making records, it’s part of the process).   This time I had a special idea.  I got my microcassette recorder and decided that I would spend one hour talking into it and then I would write songs all connected to whatever I said.  I actually did this.  I talked for an hour and then I spent the rest of the night typing it all out so I could read it.  I was trying to focus on writing songs that were immediate and not “for all time” but for the exact few seconds while it’s playing.  I wanted to write songs that documented an hour and leave it at that.  I thought about calling it “One Hour Inside My Head” (or something like that)…. Soooo, after I typed it all out I got some scissors and cut up phrases and started trying to piece them together into songs.  I think a few of the lyrics came out of the experiment and the rest were inspired by the ones I’d collected.  The basic thought here is how song lyrics are like super exaggerated and highlighted things.  If you put a phrase in a song it suddenly has about 100 times as much meaning.  You’re suddenly listening to each phrase from so many different directions.  The connotation isn’t always understood and even the way the music sounds can effect the meaning of what is said.  So singing songs can make you feel like people are just waiting around for you to say something profound.  And that’s a weird feeling when the stuff going on in your head is mostly bland and uninspiring.  This song is playing around with the feeling a songwriter has that everything he or she says in a song MUST be profound.  

Profound

I’m about to say something very profound

You better listen now

Listen now

I’m about to say something very profound

You better listen now

Listen now

Lyrics are dumb when you want ’em to be so smart

Feeling so safe, want a song to do you harm

Don’t treat me right, it’s the middle of the night

We’re always so good, why can’t we be bad for a little while?

I’m about to say something very profound

You better listen now

Listen now

I’m about to say something very profound

You better listen now

Listen now

I’m so relaxed and it’s stressing me out

Please don’t react to the words coming out of my mouth

Shiver in your soul, do what listeners do

But don’t do that, that’s very weird to me and I wanna leave

I’m honest when I want to be

But I don’t ever want to be

I’m honest when I want to be

But I don’t ever want to be

I’m about to say something very profound

You better listen now

Listen now

I’m about to say something very profound

You better listen now

Listen now

2010
02/09
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Tape

This was written one night when I found a mix tape I made for a trip I took with about 5 friends back when I was dropping out of college every year(3 times total, learned my lesson).  I think I put the tape in my stereo just to listen.  I started to think about the initial excitement you get when you are putting together music to share with people.  I’ve been doing it for a while and I realized that it essentially feels exactly the same now as it did back then.  A lot of my music (especially my early music) was recorded on cassette tapes and given out on cassette tapes so that way of sharing music has always been weirdly dear to my heart.  I probably made about 10 tapes before I ever had my music on an actual cd.  So there is a small group of people who used to listen to my songs when they were just on tape and it’s a cool thing to think about because back then I was actually friends with all the people who listened to my music (which isn’t always the case these days).  When I wrote this song I wasn’t trying to make a tribute to demo recordings but I think I may have accidentally anyway.  Demos are very special thing to musicians.  I like them so much that most of my recordings are really just demos anyway.  This is about that stuff.

Tape

I’m making a tape for an imaginary future car ride

They’re gonna love it, I know they’re really really gonna love it

I can’t imagine a better way for this to happen

I can’t imagine a better way for this to happen

It isn’t easy no, it really isn’t very easy

I really hope, really hope this won’t leave me

It’s all I know, without this I’m really very alone

It’s all I know, without this I’m really very alone

I wanna see you, oh I hope I can tell you

I had a dream and in my dream I dreamed I held you

It wasn’t ugly, sometimes I know it seems so ugly

It wasn’t ugly, sometimes I know it seems so ugly

Don’t move, keep right where you are

Be still, lay down and call it off

Did you know, did you know you never know?

Did you know, did you know you never know?

I’m making a tape for an imaginary future car ride

They’re gonna love it, I know they’re really really gonna love it

I can’t imagine a better way for this to happen

I can’t imagine a better way for this to happen

Did you know, did you know you never know?

Did you know, did you know you never know?

Did you know, did you know you never know?

Did you know, did you know you never know?

2010
02/09
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Somewhere

This song was written just after I got a new USB microphone which had to be the day after Christmas (2009).  I just got back from Best Buy and hooked everything up to try it out.  It was actually a turning point in the making of Artyfacts because before it I was just writing songs off in many random directions.  After I wrote Somewhere I got a focus on what the record could be about.  The lyrics, “Let’s go somewhere where we won’t remember this” became a theme to build the album on.  I have written songs for sentimental reasons and to help people to remember but I suddenly realized that I could write songs about something I  would often rather do: forget.  I started to think about how music can be an escape to new things and then I tried to pull the rest of the material in that direction.

(I’m not going to repeat the chorus when I’m typing out the lyrics since it’s pretty obvious)

Somewhere

Where should I start?

What do you think about?

I’ll say something and

We’ll all feel the same

Some are happy and

Some are not so much

People are similar but

Sometimes very different

Hey, don’t you want to change?

Ever get so tired of your own face?

Well, let’s go somewhere where we won’t remember this

Many choices and

Many reminders

Have come here to live and

Some have died here

But what gives it value and

What gives it meaning 

And what is the difference between

Saying and singing?

It will be right

In a little time

You can cry

But only if you like to

2010
02/09
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