1. |
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I've had this recurring nightmare from the time that I was ten
I'd wake up terrified, then fall asleep and wake right up again
The kitchen lights were off, some moonlight was lighting up the floor
I'd tumble down the bunk bed ladder
And crawl in bed behind you there
glow-in-the-dark rosary
to focus on ten last Hail Marys
You and Joe B got married, raised four daughters and three sons
Your boys would stay up drinking, singing songs for your husband
One Easter morning you awoke early and scooped up all the eggs
Can you remember any of these things?
I'd crawl in bed, behind you there
glow-in-the-dark shooting stars
to wish upon the bedroom ceiling
I was too young to comprehend your loss of thoughts and wrinkled skin
So let's repeat these lines:
"Over and over, we'll travel back through time"
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2. |
The Attic
04:20
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Stayed up a little too late, may as well wait for the sun to rise
Glaring out the bedroom window staring into the night
Do you remember that story?
The one about friendship gone bad;
One man lost his brother, the other drove himself mad
So, too, do I haunt
in the attic
a chained corpse
Floated out of my body, creeping along a path to the shore
Passed the bones of winter, I swear I've lived this before
The last things I can reference:
flashing a light down inside a well
bricks and mortar, marble ashtrays
the chiming of wedding bells
So, too, do I haunt
in the attic
a chained corpse
Climbing up the drywall, melting into the floor
of a farmhouse that sits on the Head of Jeddore
And there are no tears, no mess, no prayers for the poor
Just a monster tied down to the trappings of lore
There is a boat half sinking, or is it half-way afloat?
Take it from a phantom, give in and let yourself go
So, too, do I haunt
in the attic
a chained corpse
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3. |
Cannon Fodder
03:59
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I will always remember the way we laughed together
At the way the screen door spited the window for its view
You laid there in your cut denim
Your left knee sprouting out
The smell of overturned dirt, freshly spun by my father
But oh, we'd never admit that we were cannon fodder
And so, I remarried to a gas bar waitress
She is good to me, and we are so in love
But oh, there are so many things that we could never let go of
This anchor and chain, held up by all these little birds
Is slowly sinking down toward the bottom of the ocean
I can hear their feathers flapping
Flapping to keep their heads afloat
But even the sparrow knows eventually everything falls apart
I will always remember the way we laughed together
At the way the screen door spited the window for its view
But oh, I just want you to know
I never did get over you
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4. |
A Thousand Years
04:06
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You know, I love the taste of your salted hips
It reminds me of our embryonic bliss
You know, you cut me once when I was just a kid
Well, I had a broken heart but I kept it hidden
From your poachers eyes and wandering thighs
When you ate the apple, did you heave a sigh
For the love of your life being washed away
and the lust it grows fonder every day
I still love the scent of your body bare
It reminds me of our embryonic stares
You know, I cut you once when I was just a kid
Well I should have said sorry, but I never did
You know, it's not that I'm calloused or heartless and cold
If you wrote me in a letter, I'd fall down and fold
Like the walls of a city surrounded by faith
Calling out in the night for your soft embrace
In a time when your love was my enemy
You stuck a dagger in your heart just to see it be freed
From the anchors and chains, tying you to the sea
In an arctic swell of antiquities
Though it's been a thousand years since we last kissed lips
I haven't forgotten your warm eclipsing poachers eyes
And wandering thighs, wrapped around a monster in a man's disguise
No, it's not that I'm calloused, or heartless and cold
And if you wrote me in a letter, I'd fall down and fold
Like the walls of a city surrounded by faith
Calling out in the night for your soft embrace
Oh, look what these centuries have done to you
Your face looks tired and your heart beats too slowly now
To keep us awake, so we'll sleep a thousand years in this heartless ache
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5. |
Drive All Night
03:24
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Drive all night with you by my side
Find a piece of land, which nobody can see
I've got it in my head this is how it's got to be
My dear and only child, you spoke to me in my dreams
Two of us drove here, only one will drive away
And to kill you, I must for to lay my body down
Remember when I lifted you up, told you everything will be okay
And then I held your head down
Now, I wake up at night with tears in my eyes
Covered in sweat and scratching at my thighs
The river washes everything away
My eyes water at the thought of it
Remember when I lifted you up, told you everything will be okay
And then I held your head down
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6. |
Shotgun
03:42
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We spent an evening with a shotgun
We spent an evening with a blowgun
Dipped the tips in blackened poison
And shot those darts into our hearts
You spent your life within the circus
I spent our lives trying to hurt us
How could I ever become undone?
How could you ever trust a shotgun?
I'll admit we had a romance
I'll admit we shared a slow dance
Stepped on feet and cut our lips off
Chewed our tongues to keep out love
You spent your life twisting an old watch
I spent my life within some old scotch
How could I ever become undone?
How could you ever trust a shotgun?
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7. |
Devastation Hill
03:11
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I hopped aboard the only boat to Spain
In hopes that I could find myself a name
Write a postcard for me, my only true love
We fought on top of Devastation Hill
Filling the trenches with the blood of those we'd killed
Say a prayer, a prayer for me, my only true love
Oh I'm down on my knees at the iron gates of hell
Your matador, he's all covered up in sin
The crowd roared to see the animal within
Don't be afraid, afraid of me, my only true love
Oh I'm down with the beasts at the Sunrise Motel
I know my soul won't be saved
and nobody, nobody waits by my grave
They don't send flowers and they don't sing praise
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8. |
Wooden Heart
03:32
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I was born with a wooden heart, and its been broken from the start
For, I've found splinters in my ribs
And there were termites in my crib
By the age of twenty-three, my heart
My heart, had quit on me
For, it had detached from my veins
And only timber wood remained in my veins
They say time will heal all wounds
And though, that may be true
I have waited thirty years and I've only been filled with tears
But I've found all the relief I need
In the company of all these thieves
For, they have taught me how to live as a man with no love to give
I was born with a wooden heart and it's been broken from the start
For, I found splinters in my ribs
And there were termites in my crib
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9. |
Sons
04:20
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I saw a flock of geese just outside Cosnick's field
I'm glad I missed the turn, I've always liked detours
A dried up pond I can never find
Let's blame the lack of rain, we used to walk so far
And now Raymond's dead, so no more greasy fries
And no more late night drives, down the roads back home
It seems they sold the church for some American cash
Just another closure, things shut down so fast
A couple alcoholics and self unemployed
Talking about childhood and the good things they enjoyed
And now David's dead, so no more punching bags
And no more kicking ceilings, my god how we would laugh
Staying up all night; the chain smoking and booze
The inevitable fighting, whenever brothers get too loose
I don't know how to ask it, but... what's the role of a son?
Is it to help out your old man?
Or have him judge what you've become?
And now Joey's dead, so no more jigs and reels
and no more mouth organs, or spinach for our evening meals
I struggle with the thesis, and all the theocracies
You know I hate to say it, but goddamn I miss the old me
Staying up all night, listening to the past
Blowing on cigarettes, just to watch how they would ash
And now Billy's dead, so... what's there left to lose?
Except a feeling of fondness, and the singing of Irish tunes
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Justin Boutilier Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Typically, I play bass in loud bands.
Sometimes I write acoustic music.
Rarely, the acoustic music I write will make its way here.
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