“I See America” by Joy Oladokun – A Song Feature

      Joy Oladokun  performed “i see america” on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show. It was a demonstration of the power of a live performance. We were aware of the song in 2020, but the late night appearance brought the message to life.

 

     Joy Oladokun is scheduled to begin a tour in April 2022. Among the stops is a visit to the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on April 13. The full tour schedule is available at https://www.joyoladokun.com/tour. The bio at that website is well worth reading. She is not a fan of capitalization. We found the following paragraph particularly insightful:

   “the daughter of nigerian immigrants, she was the first in the family to be born in america. after some time in delaware, they moved to arizona. dad’s record collection included hundreds of titles, and he introduced joy to everyone from phil collins, peter gabriel, and king sunny adé to conway twitty and johnny cash. as mom and dad stressed academics, she wasn’t allowed to watch tv on weekdays. on saturday, they would “either rent a movie from blockbuster or watch the thousands of hours of concert and music video footage dad had recorded since coming to the states.” one afternoon, she witnessed tracy chapman pay homage to nelson mandela during his 70th birthday tribute at wembley arena.

   it changed everything…”

 

     “i see america” by Joy Oladokun 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyoladokunmusic/
Website: https://www.joyoladokun.com

Lyrics of “I See America” by Joy Oladokun
I saw God out on the block today
He was darker than the preachers say
With a teardrop tattooed on His face
And dirt in His fingers
I heard angels when He laughed the way
That people do when they have known true pain
For His sins I don't know who's to blame
What choice was He givin'?
In this world that we're livin'
 
When I see you
I see love
I see America
I feel your pain
I share your blood
I see America
 
Said you mother knows a different time
She let's her tongue slip with a glass of wine
Says some things out loud that don't feel right
But you always forgive her
Don't you see the world is changing now?
The blood of the fallen cries out from the ground
Violence and rumors in a southern town
Both start with a whisper
But so does the difference
 
When I see you
I see love
I see America
I feel your pain
I share your blood
I see America
When I see you (I see you)
I see love (I see love)
I see America (I see you, I see love)
I feel your pain (feel your pain)
I share your blood (share your blood)
I see America (I see you, I see love)
When I see you (I see you)
I see love (I see love)
I see America (I see you, I see love)
I feel your pain (feel your pain)
I share your blood (share your blood)
I see America

Hollow Graves Release “Mid-Century Modern” Album

 

      Hollow Graves excel at high-energy, hook-heavy music that features guitar and a vocals with New Wave sensibilities. The Toronto-based band recently released “Mid​-​Century Modern,” an album intended to “capture life during the pandemic, both the struggles and the enjoyment we've experienced during this time.” Hollow Graves explains:
    “Even though lockdown has been long and stressful, you're not alone. There is hope that one day we'll all be back on the beach sipping tequila and listening to our favorite songs with friends and family.”

     There isn’t a weak link among the 10 songs on the album, but we particularly favor “Copacetic” and “Borderline.” But for fans of Tame Impala, “Tequila Sunrise” is highly recommended. The Spotify stream of the album is embedded at the bottom of this post.

     The member of Hollow Graves are Rob Coxford (vocals), Coady McCormack (bass guitar), Nathan Greavette (guitar), and Alex Saragosa (drums). The band’s sound was inspired by the second British invasion

      “Copacetic” by Hollow Graves – ringing guitar carries this single.

     “Borderline” by Hollow Graves – While describing the song, the band said:
  “'Borderline' is an energetic and angst-filled track about a person whose struggles are extending to their community and impacting them negatively. It's about trying to help a struggling friend with the knowledge that you may not be able to affect positive change until they can help themselves first. Sometimes it can feel that the best advice to give someone is no advice at all.”

Hollow Graves Release “Mid​-​Century Modern”

“Garden of Love” by Quiet Hollers – A Song Feature

 

     “Garden of Love” spotlights the power of an intro and its ability to draw a listener into a song. At the start, the intro features the piano, with fast-paced right-hand play and slower, more melodic left-hand play. By itself, the piano is sufficient in attracting the listener’s attention. But after a short fade, percussion becomes the focus. The drums and piano (with some guitar help) carry the song to a somewhat whimsical sound at 0:52, and then the vocals. It’s not immediately clear what instrument is the source of the “whimsy,” until two notes enter shortly into the vocals to reveal the source as a guitar (and not a violin, for example).  
 
     The body of the song from Quiet Hollers doesn’t disappoint after the mastery of the intro. “Garden of Love” is a song of devotion, but with intelligent lyrics that sometimes have a darkness. The devotion isn’t entirely mutual. The voice of Shadwick Wilde is resonant, vulnerable, and committed to the message.
 
      Quiet Hollers is based in Louisville, Kentucky. “Garden of Love” is a single from the band’s recently released album “Forever Chemicals.” The Spotify stream of the album is included in this post. The press materials regarding the album explain:
  Building upon the band's anything-goes ethos, “Forever Chemicals” indulges elements of doo wop, post punk, and arena rock to deliver their cheekiest and most vulnerable songs to date. Wilde handled the majority of instruments along with producer / drummer Dave Chale. Shelley Anderson (QH bassist and world-class mastering engineer) mastered the album.
  Scott Carney of experimental/theatrical rock band Wax Fang contributed Theremin tracks to a song, “Addicted (Relapse)” and also directed its music video, a nightmare trip through an occult variety show.
    
     “Garden of Love” by Quiet Hollers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuietHollers
Website: http://www.quiethollers.com/
Bandcamp: https://quiethollers.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “Garden of Love” by Quiet Hollers (some “best guesses”)
I cannot lie
I wanna be born again into
The pool of warm blood of your love
I wanna be straight and true
I wanna grow gardens that bloom of your love
 
There was never anybody else
I would have let inside
They never held a candle up to you
I only wish you knew
That there was never anybody else
 
In the garden of love
There was never anybody else
In the garden of pain
That you built around yourself
But I'm climbing the walls
Though they are rambled and high
And you're cutting me down
But you won't tell me why
 
I cannot lie
So why do you make me?
I wanna be born again but you
How you do me so wrong with your love
I wanna be straight and true
Ain’t there nothing I can do for your love?
 
There was never anybody else
I would have let inside
They never held a candle up to you
I only wish you knew
That there was never anybody else
 
In the garden of love
There was never anybody else
In the garden of pain
That you built around yourself
But I'm climbing the walls
Though they are rambled and high
And you're cutting me down
But you won't tell me why
 
We compress those in our vacant home (?)
Watch it fall apart
We can draw out all our grand desires
And never make a start
I'd still want to know the little things
That weigh upon your heart
 
In the garden of love
There was never anybody else
In the garden of pain
That you built around yourself
But I'm climbing the walls
And they are rambled and high
And you're cutting me down
But you won't tell me why
 

“My My” by Magic Giant – A Song Feature

 

    Magic Giant deliver energy and chemistry to their live performances, perhaps more than any other band we have seen in concert. Their songs store potential energy, similar to compressed coil springs waiting for release, and that energy is amplified by their performance passion when they perform the songs. Their shared performance passion creates chemistry among the three members of Magic Giant, and the chemistry is contagious as they travel into the audience area for a portion of the concert setlist.

      The LA-based band recently released the single “My My” and announced an EP release show on February 18th at the Peppermint Club in Los Angeles. The single was inspired by a line from “Me and Bobby McGee,” a song written by Kris Kristofferson and made famous by Janis Joplin. Magic Giant violinist Zambricki Li said:
  “The inspiration behind the lyrics comes from the Janis Joplin tune where she sings, ‘Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.’ It’s really a blunderbuss buster anthem about that feeling when you first think you’re an alien, an outcast alone, and then you suddenly realize the power of that. You are free. You have no country to champion, you must champion… yourself.”
 
    Thus, Magic Giant turned the Janis Joplin Blues of “I miss Bobby and I have nothing left to lose” into an anthem of freedom – “I'm running naked through a gun fight / 'Cause I've got nothing left to lose.” Guitarist Zang explained:
   “We’re not just optimistic for optimism sake. We try to be real. Life does have its challenges. But we try to always look on the bright side, and this song is definitely an example of that.”
 
     Lead singer Austin Bisnow provided additional insight:
   “‘My My' is about making the most of the cards you've been dealt, even after you've lost it all and feel like no one cares. A lot of people have lost a lot during the past couple years and that’s been really hard, but now we get to choose which pieces we go find and pick back up and which ones we let go of.”
 
     Bands with a strong stage presence have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic-induced shutdown. Magic Giant laments that their appearance on Good Morning America on March 6, 2020, feels like a lifetime ago. “My My” is intended to symbolize the deep and heavy chasm of the pandemic and the optimism of coming out of it.
 
    “My My” by Magic Giant

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magicgiant/
Website: https://magicgiant.com/

Lyrics of “My My” by Magic Giant
Started from a dream sitting on my throne
No one's ever ready for the fall of Rome
Everybody loves you then you're overthrown
They were blowing kisses, now they're throwing stones
 
And now they're breathing down my back
I think I'm falling off the tracks
And I'm gone
I'm gone
 
And I’m just searching for a sign
Another heart that beats like mine
'Cause I'm gone
I'm gone
 
My My
I'm empty-handed but it's alright
'Cause I got nothing left to lose
Got nothing left to lose
My My
I'm running naked through a gun fight
'Cause I've got nothing left to lose
Got nothing left to lose
 
The city's like a drum ringing in my ear
Walking every street 'til I disappear
I don't understand how to play the part
Looking for a lighthouse in the dark
 
And now they're breathing down my back
I think I'm falling off the tracks
And I'm gone
I'm gone
 
And I'm just searching for a sign
Another heart that beats like mine
'Cause I'm gone
I'm gone
 
My My
I'm empty-handed but it's alright
'Cause I got nothing left to lose
Got nothing left to lose
My My
I'm running naked through a gun fight
'Cause I've got nothing left to lose
Got nothing left to lose
 
My My
I'm empty-handed but it's alright
'Cause I got nothing left to lose
Got nothing left to lose
My My
I'm running naked through a gun fight
'Cause I've got nothing left to lose
Got nothing left to lose

“Be Somebody” by Slimday - A Song Feature

 

     “Be Somebody” reverses the flow of the hypothetical conversation. Instead of envisioning what to tell your younger self, Slimdan considers what your younger self would think of you. The result is not a favorable one. 

     Slimdan said about the single:
  "’Be Somebody’ is a song about me having a conversation with my teenage self. At the time it was written, I was 24 years old living in my parents’ house and musically directing bar mitzvahs. I'm pretty sure I texted my mom to get more cereal before walking into the session to write it, lol. I made this with Ryan Linvill and Noah Conrad and the intro to the song is a clip used from a snoring app that recorded me sleep-talking to my wife."
 
     Slimdan is the moniker of Danny Silberstein in Los Angles, although he is currently studying songwriting at Berklee College of Music
 
     “Be Somebody” by Slimday

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dsilbersteinmusic/

Lyrics of “Be Somebody” By Slimdan
What’s there to worry about
When you’re still at your parents’ house
And you said you’d get off their couch
But now you’re 24 years old
 
You haven’t come too far
You’re playing songs on your guitar
And you’re too scared, so no one cares
I guess it’s what you’re into now
 
And I keep making these
Collect calls
My past life
He wanted to know what become of the prophet, the dreamer
He really thought that I would be somebody
I could hear it in his voice
He was hoping I would be somebody
Never thought I’d turn into no one
 
Take it all in day to day
Sit around and masturbate
Habitually self-medicate
Fall asleep with “The Bachelor” on
 
Now you thought when you were young
The way to freedom’s growing up
You hated feeling 17
Now it’s all you hold onto
 
And I keep making these
Collect calls
My past life
He wanted to know what become of the prophet, the dreamer
He really thought that I would be somebody
I could hear it in his voice
He was hoping I would be somebody
 
I really thought if you say it out loud and it sounds like a plan
Then God would say “Cool, I got you man”
It’ll come, it’ll come if you wait
It’ll come if you wait
 
But now it’s a panic attack every corner I turn
My fears in the backseat driving me further and further away
Further away
 
He really thought that I would be somebody
(Collect calls, my past life)
I could hear it in his voice he was hoping I would be somebody
(The prophet, the dreamer)
Through the static and the noise, he could tell I wasn’t anybody
(Burnout, a drifter)
I could hear it in his voice he was hoping I would be somebody
Never thought I’d turn into no one

“Rain Parade” by Church Mice – A Song Feature

 

     “Rain Parade” was written to express the loneliness and isolation that are common frustrations among artists/musicians. Church Mice explained:
  “Musicians hope to inspire with their unique perspective on the world. When our message is misunderstood or not heard at all, we retreat, sometimes into darker places. Those dark places are frequently where we generate our inspiration for more material. It can be an exhilarating ride, but it can also be hauntingly lonely. The hope is that this song encourages the positive end of this spectrum.”
 
     The lyrics of “Rain Parade” (included in this post) certainly carry that message. The vocals expose the emotion, particular the anguished backing vocals that enter at 1:25. And loneliness and isolation are further conveyed by the guitar and piano “solos” that are in the instrumental second half of the single from Church Mice.
 
           Church Mice states its pride in crafting songs that sound both familiar and altogether new. They identify U2, The Cult, and Pink Floyd as the inspirations for “Rain Parade.” We do hear the Pink Floyd influence in the modulation of the first 20 seconds, but the rest of the song brings Guns N' Roses to mind. At 1:25, the backing vocals possess a timbre similar to that of Axl Rose for songs that have him in the upper vocal range, such as “Sweet Child O' Mine.” And the combination of a guitar solo and a piano solo is shared with “November Rain,” but without the orchestration and other trappings. Church Mice describe “Rain Parade” as a straightforward, three-chord rock progression with thick layers of boomerang guitars.

     Church Mice is based in Detroit, Michigan. The members are Christian Thompson (vocals, guitar), Bill Solomonson (guitar, vocals), Rob Dawson (keyboards), Bryan Frink (bass), and Jason Gittinger (drums).

     “Rain Parade” by Church Mice (on alternative platforms)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchmice5
Bandcamp: https://churchmicedetroit.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “Rain Parade” by Church Mice
Welcome to my confusion
I'm a visionary of circus illusions
 
I hope that it don't rain on my parade
 
The anguish you cannot lessen
In this fortress of wanton, and endless confessions
 
I hope that it don't rain on my parade
 
Marked in the pages of time and space
We've all got something to give to this place
The gifts we besiege upon you - will last
 
And if there should ever come a day
When this song can't clear your skies of grey
I hope you'll join me, in here; way down in here, oh

"Spiders" by Bear’s Den – A Song Feature

 

      The release of their single “Spiders” functions as the equivalent of extended fanfare for an announcement of an upcoming album from Bear’s Den. The announcement describes “Blue Hours” as a reflective album “confronting difficult themes with vulnerability but with a sense of hope and belief, presented more boldly than (Bear's Den has] ever before.” Bear’s Den is also preparing for an extensive tour of Europe and North America.
 
     “Spiders” is a single that launches without a standard intro. Instead, vocals are accompanied by drums and an appealing guitar hook. Instrumentally, the single builds an increasingly rich and more hopeful soundscape using a Wurlitzer and electronic elements that are added by producer Ian Grimble.  The members of Bear’s Den are Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones. "This song maybe sparked a lot of detail that ended up coming out on other songs on the album," Davie said. "The sound of this felt exciting to us both," Jones added.

 
     The lyrics of “Spiders” are included in this post. Davie provided insight into their meaning:
 "I started writing 'Spiders' around the time we left London. In my head, I thought moving would solve lots of problems, like everything will be better - almost like this Neverland vibe. 'Spiders' is a song dealing with the fact that this absolutely wasn't the case. I had this vision in my head that I'd be at one with nature, that I'd be calmer - but all the things that were rattling around in my brain before were still there after the move. The song is about the fact you can't run away from the things that are bothering you."

   Elaborating, Davie said:
  "While making the record we wanted to get across a kind of simmering intensity with the song and the idea of someone trying to keep their shit together while wrestling with these darker thoughts and feelings. We wanted to get across a sense of bravery & triumph in saying, ‘sometimes I can't pull myself out’ of these difficult situations. To celebrate the difficult moments because we all have them. They are a universally shared experience even if it feels sometimes like they're not and you're the only one who feels them."
 

     Dates of the upcoming tour are available at https://www.bearsdenmusic.co.uk/live. The tour includes an October 6 visit to San Francisco. We’ve been to a pair of performances by Bear’s Den and plan to repeat the experience this year.
 
     The album, “Blue Hours,” is scheduled for release on May 13, 2022. Themes on the album include both self-reflection and mental health after both Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones struggled with the latter in recent years. "It's the main over-arching theme with this record," Davie explained. "It probably speaks to our struggles and hopefully many other people's too. Men are not very good at talking. We're not really taught how to - men have no idea how to talk about this stuff, certainly to each other." Despite the album’s challenging themes, it is a hope-filled celebration of music. To pre-order the album, visit https://bearsden.lnk.to/bluehours.

     "Spiders" by Bear’s Den

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bearsdenmusic
Website: http://www.bearsdenmusic.co.uk/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nJaMZM8paoA5HEUTUXPqi
Album pre-ordering: https://bearsden.lnk.to/bluehours

Lyrics of "Spiders" by Bear’s Den
Is it all that you wanted?
Your hair blowin' in the cold breeze
Secrets within the trees that are not revealed to you
 
You're frightened of your nature
Your promises, they escape you
What's one more burden on the back of this beast?
 
I can't take back all the hurt I've caused
Everything I love I have somehow lost
It's 4 in the morning
And the spiders are crawling in my mind
Replaying pictures
All that I can't undo
 
Love, I'm trying
But I can't pull myself out when thе darkness comes
Love, I'm trying
But I can't pull mysеlf out when the darkness comes
 
Is it stain on your conscience?
Is it more like a mural?
A memorial for all those you’ve tried to be
Is it how you imagined it?
In the great wide open
All you've left unspoken now just hanging in the breeze
 
'Cause I can't take back all the hurt I've caused
Everything I love I have somehow lost
It's 4 in the morning
And the spiders are crawling in my mind
Replaying pictures
All that I can't undo
 
Love, I'm trying
But I can't pull myself out when the darkness comes
Love, I'm trying
But I can't pull myself out when the darkness comes
Love, I'm trying
But I can't pull myself out when the darkness comes
 
So soon
My old friend
I hope that I never see you again
 
Love, I'm trying
But I can't pull myself out when the darkness comes
Love, I'm trying
But I can't pull myself out when the darkness comes
Love, I'm trying
But I can't pull myself out of this one
No, I can’t pull myself out when the darkness comes.

“No Unicorns” by theIcon – A Song Feature

 

 

    Concept albums are alive and well in Italy. Yesterday’s post featured the recently released album that traces the life of a person. The album is from The Ghibertins, a band based in Milano, Italy. Just prior to that album release, the collective theIcon unveiled a single from a concept album that will drop on January 27. The song, “No Unicorns,” is the second from the album “Beyond the Universe.”
 
     Rome-based theIcon explain that "Beyond the Universe" is “where the main character is trapped in an alternate universe (ours) struggling to find her way back to her world. She is lost in a crowded Times Square and struggles to stay sane because of our 'new world standards.' It's about consumerism, fake deities and well, unicorns.” The concept album is divided into two acts and tells the story of Emily and Abe, a couple from Montauk, New York, who must “deal with an illogical twist of fate that brings Emily into another universe (ours).”
 
     “No Unicorns” features piano and power vocals. The mixing is interesting in its selection of a greater emphasis on piano over vocals. As the single progresses, it is increasingly more powerful, lush, and orchestral. The credits identify Daria Simonetti (lead vocals), Margherita Palladino (lead vocals), Tiziano Bernardini (lead vocals), Massimiliano Liburdi (acoustic and electric guitars), Adriano Taccoli (piano, keyboards, Sfx), and Luca Fareri (acoustic and electric drums and percussion).
 
     “No Unicorns” by theIcon

Website: https://www.theicon.org
Bandcamp: https://theicon.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “No Unicorns” by theIcon
Day after day I’ve been wondering why
All that I hear is a noise buzzing from inside
As if my heart became a bumblebee
Year after year I’ve been searching for signs
Then I realized I was looking but I was blind
There are no unicorns to be found
 
No fairytales
No epic chase
No other worlds
Nothing but stillness
Nothing’s worth fighting for
 
While after while I’ve been learning to fly
In every piece of a ceiling that is my sky
So I could be and appear as they want me to be
Since there’s no time to take care of my life
How could I furnish my tunnel the way I like?
There are no fairies, no life on Mars
 
Nothing to say
Nothing to change
Nothing but fragments of days that I cannot deny
Even when it was a lie
It was all mine
 
Welcome
Welcome to nowhere
Welcome to my empty cage
Where a dream must come to an end
It was not enough
Welcome to nowhere
I have failed so many times
Trying to find my way out
Out from this nowhere
 
For all this time
I’ve been dying to reach my paradise
Waiting for the moment, waiting for the circumstance
But everyone’s broken, every door’s locked
And I can’t get out
 
All this time
I’ve been sacrificing all my life getting used to failure
In a world of Nobel’s and models
And everybody looks so good
And everybody has to fake a life of happy moments
 
No fairytales
White ties and tails
Acting, reacting, pretending to be on a stage
Wanting to be just a Truman that never finds out
 
Welcome, welcome to nowhere
It doesn’t matter who you are
It doesn’t matter who you’ve been
It was not enough.
Welcome to nowhere
I have failed so many times
Searching my way out of this
Life in a blank screen
 
Well done,
This is not my world
This is not my planet
This is not my world
This is not my planet
This is not my world
This is not my planet
This is not my world
How could I stand still?

“The Life & Death of John Doe” by The Ghibertins – A Concept Album

 

      As we noted a few years ago, during the 1960s and 1970s music lovers would buy an album, drop the needle, and pay attention to each song. If the album was thematic and the songs were well written, the messaging was recognized and appreciated. In comparison, today most of us look for favorite songs from album releases and allow the other tracks on the albums to become disenfranchised. If an album has a continuing theme and communicates a concept, they are unrecognized. Indie Obsessive admits to being part of the problem and not the solution. We cheer for a return to the days of listening to entire albums, but continue to post only “favorite songs.”
 
     We did listen to each song from “The Life & Death of John Doe,” a concept album from Italy’s The Ghibertins. The 11 tracks include a positive and upbeat “Ropes & Kites” and a heart-touching “Walk Away.” The album traces the life of an individual, who bears the placeholder name “John Doe.” The band’s explanation of the album includes:
   “As much as we try to leave a legacy, a sign of our passage on earth, no one will remember us in 200 years. We are all passing through this world, we are all forgettable, we are all John Doe. Nevertheless, the life of each of us is unique and worth telling. The idea behind this album is that there is one song for every decade of the protagonist’s life; from his conception to his afterlife. Intro begins this unique journey that will allow us to see the fall and the redemption of the main character, putting pen to paper all of the band’s hopes and fears.”
 
      The Ghibertins are based in Milan, Italy. The members are Alessio Hofmann (vocals, acoustic guitar) Lorenzo Rivabella (electric guitar) Lorenzo Di Blasi (keys), Marco “Marva” Vaghi (drums), and Luca Losio (bass). It is difficult to associate the band with the style of another band, since the comparison shifts from one song to the next and sometimes within a single song. For example, “20148 – Milano” reminds us of Bruce Springsteen at times and Imagine Dragon at other times. The album also justifies mentions of Elvis Costello, Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, AWOLNATION, and many more.
 
      Talking about “20148 – Milano,” Alessio Hoffman said,
   “While the band was working on the album, I went on a solo trip to Guangzhou, China. After a couple of weeks, I began to develop a certain sense of alienation. One evening I wanted to find the feelings I needed to feel in order to write the track that represents the fall of the main character, so I took a piece of paper, a pen and rushed through the streets of Taojin. Drink and drink again! This was the goal. Why 20149 - Milano? The next day I found on my piece of paper, 20149 written obsessively over and over again. 20149; my home zip code.”    

        

      The most diverse single on the album is “Ropes & Kites.” The song includes strings, brass (including a trumpet solo), and choirs. In talking about the song, Hoffman noted:

   “’Ropes & Kites’ is by far the most positive track on the whole concept album. It represents the joy felt through the decades of the protagonist’s life from his sixties to seventies. We wanted the listener to literally float in the air while listening to this song. I’ve imagined all the emotion you could feel whilst watching your nephews playing on your house’s front porch. I’ve imagined how it would feel, despite all the mistakes, to finally understand what happiness is. That overwhelming sense of awareness, it’s all in Ropes & Kites."

Lyrics of “20149 – Milano”
Tonight, this street will be my bedroom
and my shame my only companion.
Concrete on my face while my head is on fire
And I know I’ve stopped believing there’s no use to keep on trying.
Let’s have a toast to the past, to bad choices, to chance and my failures and if love don’t cost a thing, why are you turning away from me?
 
You, you gave me something you gave me all the time to erase you, you gave me all the time to erase you.
 
I’m ready to cry for what I've done
and I’m ready for all that is yet to be.
People passing by, I must be quite a show!
The man who stopped believing, there’s no use to keep from laughing
Let’s have a toast to the past, to bad choices, to chance and my failures and if love don’t cost a thing, why are you turning away from me?
 
You, you gave me something you gave me all the time to erase you, you gave me all the time to erase you.
 
I feel, this burden is hard to bear.
It’s real, I’m drinking all my life away.
 
Lyrics of “Ropes & Kites”
I must say I was lucky to find something out of nothing
that’s why I’m singing now...
So if I chose to live, defying gravity
would you lie and tell it’s a game I can win?
Best lies stay close to the truth
 
And I feel as high as a kite, waiting for this lightning to strike
You may think it can hurt, well watch me as I burn; I’m alright!
Mmmmmh, mmmmmmmmh, mmmmmmh
 
It’s nice to know these empty roads will always lead me back to you I’ll reach you everywhere you go, I swear I will.
I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know
where are we going through
 
And I feel as high as a kite
you’re the rope that holds me tight
You’re always by my side.
We’ll fly, fly so high.
Oooooooh, Ooooooooh, Oooooooh
 
When I’m lost, in the shadows, when I’m down on my knees
You’re the light, you’re the light, you’re my light
When I’m lost, in the shadows, bring me back and let me see
You’re the light, you’re the light, you’re my light