1. |
Motivation
03:54
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Weary eyes look at the floor
Heavy head lusts for rest and a sandy shore
That look in your eyes reminds me of all the times where I have
Tried to train myself to say there is nothing more
Sometimes it’s hard to remind myself that
The only way not to repeat what I’ve done
Is change the whole operation, turn the old into a new one
All I have is inspiration, all I have is heart
All I need is motivation, I just have to start
A crooked stare is in the mirror. Who the hell invited you here?
Tell myself that I want more from music, more from life and
Apathy talks down to me with a deadly sneer.
Will I ever take time to tell you
About the places I’ve been inside my mind?
Will I ever express myself successfully? Am I successful?
If my sanity’s a building, I have yet to lay the bricks
At times I feel I’m ripe for changing
and others time just slowly ticks
I wish sometimes that I was born a different son than I am
Blessed, yet cursed, I’m only human
Why did I expect this would be easy?
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2. |
Chalk Dust
04:53
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I was born with the radio on under a star-lit sky
I was raised in love like the atmosphere
By chance, I found my calling in a second-hand church
And I’ve been chasing it down
Carving stories into the walls that held me here
You can be the sweat dripping down my face and
I’ll be the sun bearing down upon myself
I need a minute to catch my breath
And the sand dripped through the hourglass
Much like a rushing river
And I climbed my towers putting
Hand over hand over hand over blistered hand
Let’s hit the road, my darling. We’ll travel all across the country
She said, “You can do just what you tell your heart to
and I’ll be there catch you if you ever fall down.”
You can be the sweat dripping down my face and
I’ll be the sun bearing down upon myself
I need a minute to catch my breath
You can be the songs that I write about and
I’ll be the chalk dust in my mouth
I need a minute to catch my breath
If you were to open up my skull
If you were to see behind my eyes
If you were to poke around inside
You’d see what makes my heart beat
You can be the one to hold my hand
As we travel to a distant land
I’m feeling like this is the first time that
I see what makes my heart beat
You be the fire, I’ll be the hose. I’m my own worst enemy I know
But you see the light inside the dark and you try to bring it out
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3. |
Fish in the Sea
04:19
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"It’s just one bite", "just for tonight"
"Don’t be afraid to try,”
These are the lies that get us into trouble
I’ve made my deals with spiders and snakes
And I’ve given in ‘cause it’s easier that way, but
Father, I will make you proud
Oh, oh, oh, the apple doesn’t fall far from the
Tree, I ate the fruit but still You
Love me, it seems a little backwards ‘cause You’re
scratching my back while I stab Yours
Oh, oh, oh, the camel isn’t fitting through the
Eye. I need to reexamine
My personal perspective I am just one fish in the sea
I’ve got my dreams, my ends and my means
They all hang like fruit from the top of the tree
When I was younger, I couldn’t reach them
Nothing says “fight” like a still-beating heart
Let's pack all our bags and let's head to the start
‘Cause it can only go up from here— *woo*
I’ve tasted and I’ve seen the nature of
The honest man: a dying breed
I’m not alone, or so the story goes, but I will
Not forget where I came from
No I will not forget where I came from
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4. |
Matter of Time
03:30
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I've been trying to stay focused and learn how to live my life
But it's harder now, oh it's harder than it seems
They told me it just takes practice
And that these things improve with time
But I can't shake this, oh I still see her in my dreams
If I don't think about it now, it's only a matter of time
For me it's never been that easy to talk about myself
But she already knows, yeah she already knows
Everything that there is to know
If I don't think about it now, it's only a matter of time
Before she loves somebody else
I’m alone, she’s alone, we're all alone for now it seems
Where is my home? How far away
Could I possibly get from my dreams
And it feels cold now, but maybe it won't be
I’ll be optimistic, oh, for now
I'll be optimistic but in the back of my mind I know
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5. |
Where Has the Time Gone
04:01
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Tiny holes in the sky take me back to the first time
My eyes used to be filled with wonder
I wonder where the time’s gone
I used to think I could fly
I’d pass over anyone who told me otherwise
My wings were built in my mind
And at the time there was nothing stronger
Can you look me in the eyes
Tell me that I’ve done it right thus far?
No, neither can I
Sometimes I wonder when the lights go out
Where has the time gone?
I’ve seen a million white lines
Chasing each other in a sea of asphalt
Driving me mad with their consistency
Consistency is what I need to thrive
The open road, it tells me where I need to go, but should I
Listen to something that scares me so
Is there consistency? Consistency is how I stay alive
I see myself in the mirror, see my life pass behind me
Sometimes I run from it, sometimes I drown in it
But if my mind is clear, I know without a doubt
I wouldn’t trade my soul for another
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6. |
Major League
03:45
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Now baby, have you heard? I’ll paint it with my words
My eyes are dripping colors
Connected at the lips, that serotonin kiss
You’re not like all the others
See, I got this dream and I know that it’s impossible
But honey, stick with me, you’ll see a miracle
I’m putting all my eggs in a hot air balloon
I built this house up from the dirt
And claimed my territory
And talked myself up like I’m
Major league, like I’m major league
Caught between the ears, my acrophobic fears
My life seen as a sandbag
But maybe one day I’ll begin to find my style
And cut down all the angst that held me back
Got this dream and I know that it’s improbable.
But all my friends just say, “Hey man, you’re doing fine”
Stoke, stoke the fire in my hot air balloon
Someday I’ll find a way, I’ll find it
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7. |
Drive
03:06
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Running at full speed
We chase each other down the hallways
Of our hearts
Enamored with the idea of love, that funny thing
that the cliches tell us can do most anything
Hands entwined, we'll run for our lives
Seat belts, windows down and we’ll
Drive until the morning
All I need is you by my side
Gas tank’s full so we can
Drive until the morning
All I need is you
My heart reaches out for your hand to cling to
Don’t let go
Because I’m filled with desire to show you the whole world
To the moon and back
Let’s prove the cliches right tonight
All I need is you
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8. |
Take Me Home
04:17
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I don't think my words are gonna
Do me any good; they'll ruin my reputation
I don't think my actions are
Really gonna save much face beyond condemnation
I can see a light, its shining
Through me I’m a ghost of who I want to be
I’m afraid of heights and so I
Jump back from the leap I know will set me free
Oh, I haven't found the safest place to hide
Oh, I haven't found a way to get inside
If I wanna be a part of this one
I gotta clean up all the mess I made
If anyone will be the one to save me
I would've thought by now, they would have came
To take me higher, take me higher, so I could be
Above the ground and grave
But I'm still here
I don't know if I could be of
Any consolation, I'm not strong, my dear
I know I've felt lost and cold and
Full of everything I've learned to always fear
I’m full of regret I swear I
Saw it coming but I couldn’t dodge the bullet this time
I know what I know so I'm
Grounded in the present, not the past in my mind
Oh, I gotta find a way back home somehow, but
Oh, I never thought I'd be where I am now
You are probably the only friend I have who will stay with me
Through all the times I've treated You with so much disrespect
I can't fathom all the grace You give to me but somehow it's
Hard to believe all the times You've
Carried me on your back to take me home
But It feels like I'm still here
And I hope one day You'll take me home
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9. |
Magician
04:46
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Fingers clasped in mine, you look out the window
I don’t catch the time, but through the sunroof I can see the stars
Conversation rolls smoother than the evening breeze
Your brown eyes take their toll and I lean into you and you to me
I don't know how
I don't know how you do it
But magician, don't reveal your secrets
Nervous lips brush twice and then retreat rapidly
The stillness of the water matches the stillness of my
Formerly beating heart
It seems I haven’t breathed since the first day that we met
Your spirit's free, your eyes are wide
The ship I'm in has been capsized
Every now and again I try to give to you what’s in the sky
And I’m sorry dear if I’m unclear
But I need you to remember that I’m always here
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10. |
Sell
03:45
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Listen close, you’ll hear the roar
Of thousands of people on the floor
Don’t wake up until you’ve
Had your fun from on top of the stage
Close your eyes and hold them tight
Retain this dream for just tonight
You want it more than you want
Air in your lungs or water on your tongue
‘Cause day dreams have never been enough
It’s the insatiable desire to bluff and bluff and bluff
You gotta fake it til you make it, at least that’s what they say
But when you make it don’t retain the fake
'Cause it might not go away
Don’t let them sell you; don’t be the product on the shelf
I cannot tell you how badly this will hurt like hell
And they will meld you into their mold if you let them
If you let them, so don't let them
Take a breath and close your eyes
Hum a tune with faint surprise
You made it this far
Don’t forget the past that got you to this point
The hot lights burn your squinting eyes
You got your 6-string by your side
You breathe the air as though
It’s the last day of your life
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11. |
I Swear
04:57
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Breathe in, breathe out, breathing gets tiring
Get up, get down, get back to work at the job
I feel is taking me nowhere
Eyes shut, eyes open, I see a corridor
I look left, look right, but I’m looking away from the end
I’m scared 'cause I’ve never been there
I gotta know what I’m made of
Time is ticking away my years
I only know that to get there
I gotta buckle down (here we go)
I swear, I swear, I swear to you that we’re all gonna make it
I swear, I swear, I swear to you that this is no time to fake it
Drop what you couldn’t care less about
Hold tight to all the things that you love
I swear, I swear, I swear to you that we’re all gonna make it
Step one, step two, step three gets boring
A crooked path is the one that’s filled with intrigue
At least it makes a good story
And you may think that I’ve given up
But there's too much heart inside me
To stay in a place I should be putting behind me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When your palms sweat, when you think you’re hopeless
Sometimes the world gets worse before it gets better
And when you’re homeless, take refuge in my shed
And when you’re at your worst
I swear to you it’ll all get better
I swear to you that we’re all gonna make it
I swear to you It’ll all get better
I swear to you
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John Louis and the Midwest Anderson, Indiana
Check out our website for our merch store, show dates, and other various band-related things.
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