1. THE MIGRANT MOTHER

"My sisters and brothers they hated so bad
To see me go west like someone gone mad
To leave all my loved ones and kiss them goodbye
Just hoping I'd see them in the sweet by-and-by."

California promised heaven
(All the leaves are brown)
A heaven we could not deny
(And the sky is grey)
But the dust we're running from still stalks us in the night
And all we've found is a bitter lie

With our lives on our backs, beat a path in the earth
Just hoping that we'd find blue skies and work
The farmlands and sawmills worked fine for a time
But with the father's death came our decline

He that would the daughter win
Must with the mother first begin
Diligence is the mother of good luck
Diligence is the mother of good luck

They don't need to know my name
Hide their faces, spare my children the shame
They don't need to know my name
Hide their faces, spare my children the shame

Where is the children's father?
Sacrificed on or left to the altar
Where is the life I was promised?
Best left unasked and best left unwanted
How did they end up here?
What are they going to do?
How did they end up here?
What are they going to do?

He that would the daughter win
Must with the mother first begin
Diligence is the mother of good luck
Diligence is the mother of good luck

California promised heaven
(All the leaves are brown)
A heaven we could not deny
(And the sky is grey)
But I'll deny most anything
Rags and riches, gods and kings
Just need to feel the wheels underneath me


2. THE CANARY

I was named after my grandmothers in the tradition of my family
I was born after my stillborn sister
Romantic idealistic lies euphemize as fantasy
But the water always bursts first from the blister

Iridescent light leads down a path
That's left me miserable at times
With my heart in my throat still beating, still beating

Amelia, please don't go
Just stay
Don't go
Amelia, please don't go
Just stay
Don't go
Don't go

I remember the first time that I felt
The cool breeze upon my face
I didn't understand it at the time
But the calling of adventure and my heart's increasing pace
It was the ticker tape that I could not deny

I'll cut my hair short
And I'll sleep in my jacket so it appears worn

Oh, I'm no baggage
No willing passenger
Those women who came before me
Ain't nothing like me, sir
Ain't nothing like me

So this time I'll do it, I'll do it on my own
This time I'm going out alone
So this time I'll do it, I'll do it on my own
This time I'm going out alone

Amelia, please don't go
Just stay
Don't go
Amelia, please don't go
Just stay
Don't go

I can hear their pleas and cries falling far behind me
Succeed or fail, this is who I'm to become
7000 miles of ocean stand between me and my destiny
Somewhere beyond it or inside it

"Women must pay for everything.
They do get more glory than men for comparable [tasks]
But they also get more notoriety when they crash."

Women must pay for everything
When they crash


3. FROM THE SKY

Progress versus risk
Chaos and control
A sluggish titan's brisk
Descent international

A completely unremarkable excursion across the ocean
Caught the eye of the world
Technology expanded rapidly with great devotion
From the sky, from the world at large

There's fire on both sides of the door
And fire's a good disciple, but wicked master

Paralyzed in time
Colourized and brilliant
The future paradigm
Would prove to be resilient

A completely flawed analysis of future tech's tenacity
Caught the eye of the world
As their hopes and dreams took fire right before their eyes
Winds of change blow the whole worldwide

With the swiftness of a flash
It was captured in a photograph
When transitory memory became permanent
And we remember always
As they pour us into molds
We remember because
We're malleable as gold

Fireball and tower
Conceal the swastika
Which might have served to sour
Our desired erotica

A completely overlooked detail
Omission is deception
Retract, denied by the world
Emblazoned on the rudders
And plastered on the tail
It might have caught the eye of the world

The bigger things that I cannot remember
The little things that I cannot forget about when I'm alone in bed
A picture might make my memory better
No matter how much I might regret the fact, it gets into my head

So take my picture, I'm decomposing
Make it a solemn silhouette
Cause this time is no different
It might help you not forget my feeble voice

So take my picture as I burn
And print it out for all to see
Because words are wind
But image impacts our collective memory

So take my picture, I'm decomposing
Make it a solemn silhouette
Cause this time is no different
It might help you not forget

So take my picture as I burn
And print it out for all to see
Because words are wind
But image impacts our collective memory


4. HARBORSIDE

(Instrumental)


5. ALL HANDS

The cold finally broke this morning
It's quiet on the dock
The sun feels so close and warming
The air is heavy
I'm dreaming of a life I can't afford

The ground starts to tremble beneath my feet
Feels like my train is coming in
I can hear it screaming in the distance
My train is coming in
Eyes cast towards the heavens
They can tell my train is coming in
All hands, all hands, all hands
My train is coming in

I'm standing here in disbelief
Like how in the hell is this happening to me?
But I'm holding onto this one relief
When my train comes in and crashes into me

It was over my head
Like the sunshine
That it rose up to eclipse
Maybe it's just in my head
Or maybe the sunshine
Never did exist

Sweet taste of death in my mouth
Brings quiet to all of my doubts

Come rushing toward me, black wave
The train that never did come early anyway
(All hands, all hands, all hands)
And it never is delayed
(My train's about to come in)

Come rushing toward me, black wave
The train that never did come early anyway
And it never is delayed

I'm dreaming of a life I can't afford
I'm dreaming of a life I can't afford

The ground starts to tremble beneath my feet
Seems like my train is coming in
I can hear it screaming in the distance
My train is coming in
Eyes cast towards the heavens
They can tell my train is coming in
All hands, all hands, all hands
My train is coming in

I'm standing here in disbelief
Like how in the hell is this happening to me?
Is this happening to me?
But I'm holding onto this one relief
When my train comes in and crashes into me
It crashes into me

And In the aftermath
I'm just a struggling mass
Painted black
Just as everything that was left out on the tracks
And those who pass me by cannot decide
Whether I'm animal or human
Animal or human
Under the black mass


6. THE FIRESIDE

You won't miss the water 'til the well runs dry
Can't appreciate the taste with a bountiful supply
Don't know what it's like to live until you barely survive
I don't know what it's like to feel alive

If you're dumb enough to witness this insipid, wasteful christening
You're dumb enough to listen when they say the water's glistening
And as you scrape the bottom of this desiccated hole
You're told the water's rising and the well's completely full
But it's not without its comforts, like an aching in your side
If you can tolerate the thirst, the thirst eventually subsides

If you're overextended, underprepared
(It will run its course)
What was the time that death was declared?
(It's almost over)
And every day now, it's getting worse
(It can't get worse)
Year after year, verse after verse
(This is full disclosure)
Overextended and under the gun

Put your faith in god, but keep your powder dry
Because god sends nuts to those who have no teeth
Love the son, spoil the rod
Make sure it's satisfied
Cut the ground from underneath your feet

Because we're mired in the depths of this
What we're told is a chrysalis
We're eager for the blissful kiss of death
Because the fireside chats are comforting
While the population's wondering
If suffering's not the only option left
If suffering's not the only option left

If you're overextended, underprepared
(It will run its course)
What was the time that death was declared?
(It's almost over)
And every day now, it's getting worse
(It can't get worse)
Year after year, verse after verse
(This is full disclosure)
Overextended and under the gun

And when they came for the crib
They came for the table and the drapes on the walls
They came for the clothes from the backs on my kids
My god, they came for it all

Ten years of a white flag, waving in the wind
Ghost town, ghost country
No sign of the sleeping
And all we needed was a reason

Ten years in a body bag, waiting in the wings
No god, no country
No sign of the sleeping
And all we needed was a reason

Ten years of a white flag, waving in the wind
Ghost town, ghost country
No sign of the sleeping
And all we needed was a reason

Ten years in a body bag, waiting in the wings
No god, no country
No sign of the sleeping
And all we needed was a reason
And you gave us one

I've got a job for every able-bodied man
Munition factories for women and children
And all we needed was a reason
And you gave us one
You gave us one

I've got a job for every able-bodied man
Munition factories for women and children
And all we needed was a reason
And you gave us one, gave us one

Ten years of a white flag, waving in the wind
Ghost town, ghost country
No sign of the sleeping
And all we needed was a reason


7. SOLILOQUY

You can reach for your service pistol
By the time you get it
I'm betting that this will be over and done with
Leave your badge and your gun
You won't be coming home tonight

Because you're dealing with a man at the end of his rope
And I'll be swinging for the fences on a prayer and a hope
There'll be no celebrations, or banner, libations
Just your sad and lonely wife

You want the glory
Resplendent kill
You want the story of the ill-famed blood you spilled
Because there's a Midwest overcoat
And it's begging to be filled
And if I'm not caught wearing it, you will

You'll have to do better than that
You'll have to do better than that
Because it passed right through the abdomen of this same old lucky cat
Yea, you'll have to do better than that
Fuck it

In 1916 at 7 years old, I shot a kid in the mug with a found pistol
First taste of the bracelets, first taste of the can
Gave him a taste of the grave before his life began
And all we know is all that we've been told

Reformed or refined, as if by design
By a prison system that's all but resigned
When the ideal prisoner should spend his life drifting back and forth
Back and forth
Back and forth

So swaddle me in a Native blanket
You know I can't stand being cold
Leave me out front of the bleeding church
To meet the head of the household

I sold my soul for a handful of kills and a bankroll
I sold my soul

Swaddle me in a Native blanket
You know I can't stand being cold
Leave me out front of the bleeding church
To meet the head of the household
I sold my soul

You want the glory
Resplendent kill
You want the story of the ill-famed blood you spilled
There's a Midwest overcoat
And it's begging to be filled
And if I'm not caught wearing it, you will

Drive, just drive
Get in the car
Just drive away
Just drive
Get in the car
Just drive away

You'll have to do better than that
You'll have to do better than that
Because it passed right through the abdomen of this same old lucky cat
Yea, you'll have to do better than that

Oh, you'll have to do better than that
You'll have to do better than that
Because it passed right through the abdomen of this same old lucky cat
Yea, you'll have to do better than that

Oh no
I think I'm bleeding out
So take the wheel
So take the wheel

Oh no
I think I'm bleeding out
So take the wheel
So take the wheel


8. REVERIE

The wingspan of my exploits is vast as the sea
Familiar commencement, familiar routine
As my Mother lay dying, my Father would scream
"Son, do you dream the American dream?"
Oh no, not me
Not on your life
I'm gonna live on the edge of a knife
And prey on the fools who should handle it timidly

You had your big dreams and planted a seed
You wanted a flower, but turned out a weed
My petals will curl and fall to the ground
You'll whisper my name and you'll spread me around
And as you grow in my supposed image
You won't inherit the truth of how I feel
You'll just assume that it's real

Father, forgive me
For I know not what I do
Father, if I could, I'd chose to be like you

Forget this fucking face
Forget you ever saw it
Empty your pockets, your keys and your wallet
A mere $50, my life was delayed
Locked up and shut down for more than a decade

And so I sew my seed, year after year
I'll be the meanest bastard you've ever seen when I get out of here
And so I sew my seed, year after year
I'll be the meanest bastard you've ever seen when I get out of here

Freedom is incarceration by a different name
I'm free to walk the streets, but I'm financially detained

And so I sew my seed, year after year
I'll be the meanest bastard when I get out of here

There's nowhere left to turn, there's nowhere left to run
So I'll take what I'm owed or I'll eat this fucking gun

And so I sew my seed, year after year
I'll be the meanest bastard you've ever seen when I get out of here

You had your big dreams and planted a seed
You wanted a flower, but turned out a weed
My petals will curl and fall to the ground
You'll whisper my name and you'll spread me around
On the wings of the wind, to the end of the earth
My legend will grow as my story gives birth
To a new generation of violent offenders
Who worship my memory
Hyperbolize my splendor

And as you grow in my supposed image
You won't inherit the truth of how I feel
And as you grow in my supposed image
You'll piss away your precious, fleeting youth
Assuming you know the truth
Assuming you know the truth


9. LITTLE SNAKES

Oh what a typical story
Contested site, the Americas
With treaties broken, the same sad token
Torn and repaired it with paraffin

Disembodied heads
Disembowel the earth
A monument of our arrogance
A monolith of our bloated bunk, self-worth
Disembodied heads
Disembowel the earth

We marred the land with our leaders
Eight eyes to watch "little snakes"
Regal expressions for Native repression
At rest frozen on their faces

We can make an exception
And they can make some concessions
Because there's gold in the Black Hills
Armed to the teeth
We can make an example of every one of these savages
The rights they have we gave to them
And we can take them away without giving a damn

Ain't that exactly how it is
And that's exactly what they did
Oh, you don't think it's right
But that's exactly what they did

What an impressive display
Of complete dissolution
Two fucking faces owned slaves
One supplied the largest Aboriginal execution

Once somebody said,
I don't believe "the only good Indians are dead...
But I believe [that] nine out of ten are..."*
And so they took his head
And carved his eyes into the Native mountainside

We can make an exception
And they can make some concessions
Because there's gold in the Black Hills
Armed to the teeth
We can make an example of every one of these savages
Because the rights they have we gave to them
And we can take them away without giving a damn
Oh yes, the rights they have we gave to them
And we can take em, take em, take em, take em away

Forgotten in the shadows cast by celebrated busts
Lies a site depicting history's ignoble blood lust
There might be flowers in the windows, but only ashes in the streets
Impoverished and broken sings the songs of their defeat
But it's your vacation, your holiday
It's a reminder every story gets sculpted and decayed
It's your vacation, your holiday
You may feel cheated by it's honesty
Just pack the car and drive away
It's your vacation, your holiday
It's your vacation, your holiday
It's your vacation, your holiday
It's your vacation, your holiday

About face
Enjoy the ride
There's a different version of history carved in the mountain side
Your mind's made up
Your hands are tied
But colonialism by all definitions is the father to a genocide


10. MOUNTAINSIDE

(Instrumental)


11. GARDENIAS

The hapless hills of Hollywood
Hide halfhearted happiness
A hardened heroine hangs her head

Hear her hyperventilate
Here her hands had hammered home
Her half-written history

With her heart in her hands
Her hands stopped holding on

A penny for your thoughts
A quarter for the show
The truth should turn to rot
Whichever way the wind blows

The truth, yes a blonde, despondent from her failures
Fury rages claiming innocence lost
That spawned chaotic behaviors

A handbag and some women's shoes
Hidden on the forest floor
Discovered by a hiker on the hill
Haphazardly hanging out was her self-destruction
And her handwritten history

"I'm afraid I'm a coward. I'm sorry for everything."

A penny for your thoughts
A quarter for the show
The truth should turn to rot
Whichever way the wind blows

A penny for your thoughts
A quarter for the show
The truth should turn to rot
Whichever way the wind blows
The truth, yes a blonde, couldn't give a shit about her failures
Suffering in silence of a chemical imbalance
That spawned erratic behavior

The truth, yes a blonde, yes a blond, yes a blonde
Apparent in the night, but absent come the dawn
The truth, yes a blonde, yes a blond, yes a blonde
Apparent in the night, but absent come the dawn

Where is the country I came here to find?
It's running its hands through my hair
It's borders and boundaries are clearly defined
It's forty-five feet through the air
Only the night sky will witness my flight
Without so much as a care
Out past the margins of all that's finite
Forty-five feet through the air

It's forty-five feet from here to there
It's forty-five feet through the air
Forty-five feet to bliss from despair
Only forty-five feet through the air

It's forty-five feet from here to there
It's forty-five feet through the air
Forty-five feet to bliss from despair
Only forty-five feet through the air

It's forty-five feet from here to there
It's forty-five feet through the air
Forty-five feet to bliss from despair
Only forty-five feet through the air

The world rushes past and it's softly obscured
By the quiet and stillness of death
Take from me this body
It's all that I have left

Floating effortlessly
The scent of gardenias in the air
A veil should mask her face
And her short blonde hair


12. HILLSIDE

(Instrumental)


13. RIVET

Once I built a railroad, I made it run
I made it race against time
Once I built a railroad, but now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once I built a railroad, I made it run
Made it race against time
Once I built a railroad, but now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?

And time might run in straight lines
Why does this all seem so damn cyclical?
Time might run in straight lines
Why does this all feel so played out before?

Let's make America great again
Let's make America great again
Land of innovation, land of common sense
Let's make American great again

What separates us now is off by less than six degrees
It's not necessarily character, it's opportunity
All praise be to the new god who speaks so elegantly
Who says, "America is not great, but it can be."

Once I built a tower up to the sun
Brick and rivet and lime
Once I built a tower, but now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once everything was simply falling downward
Once everything was full collapse

Let's make America great again
Let's make America great again
Land of innovation, land of common sense
Let's make American great again

And I know I'm not the first to say it
Not the first to have these thoughts out loud
No country's history is free from bullshit
But everyone just seems so fucking proud

Leap with faith, fly blindly
Through a history gone wrong
Let the people's voices rip through your ears
"I sold my kingdom for a song."
"I sold my kingdom for a song."
"I sold my kingdom for a song."