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GN

by Ratboys

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1.
Molly 04:20
Molly Molly cries in the middle of the ice rink Her friends are paying her no mind The blades are spinning awfully close to the side So I speed to offer her embrace She says, ‘Where’d you learn to go that fast?’ It’s not like I was moving all that quickly But to her, I was on a rocket Passing galaxies of light and wonder And free is what I want to be with her next to me We laid down in the grass one day Speaking nothing, feeling late The clouds were magnets for our sister eyes And then Sue Palumbo swung a club And dragons came and challenged us So I stood up straight, and I offered her this song But, how was I supposed to make A piece of art with that at stake? And what without at least a pen and paper? I am sure that she sees me well Her heart is huge, everyone can tell The days are passing, and there’s no stopping it at all How many times have I fallen victim? Gave myself the answers but never the questions Do you ever feel as I do? Shake your head, and breathe if you want to I just want to love my family Hold my shelter and lie in the symmetry I just want to hold my family I just want to love my family Hold my shelter and lie in the symmetry I just want to hold you, Molly
2.
Elvis is in the Freezer Elvis is in the freezer I got your tail, I’m teasing My lover is all gone And it’s my fault Her little boy is freezing There’s no chance in hell he’s leaving His fate was laid The day they cut his tail off The sunny skies are pleasing As we travel through the seasons To face the day when We are forced to drop him off The time has come to leave him In the care of Father Freedom His flag, it writes in yarn That we should calm down I don’t mean to mistreat you But, the nurse says, ‘Here’s the needle’ His face was grey And it was full of teardrops Seconds make us equals As the medicine destroys him Minutes make us realize He’s long gone
3.
Westside 04:15
Westside Falling over Westside I came home, I let it ride I fall asleep to the memories Of my dreams Never on the ocean I was always a saint You’re telling me I’m not faint I’m just in slow motion I had never loved Another person Until I found your name On a paper plate in the aeroplane I’m falling on the Westside I am falling down deep I’m falling on the Westside I am falling down deep Hopping along To that Westside I felt alive Crying hard and all alone I held on upon the Westside I am far from home Tell me your little Memories from then I’m always far from home I’m never far from Hell On that side, know that Little on the Westside I am broken as a bone On the Westside Little on the Westside I am gone again
4.
Control 04:44
Control I almost saw a train wreck But, then I had to look away Never had I wondered before What happened when metal bent and tore I ran ‘cross manhole covers Toward the center of my Earth Valleys and other landmarks With visions of big machines transformed Walking ‘round in St. Matthews The winds were light, and the roads were wet Those green sloping mountains of earth Leading up to gravel beds My brother Paul was walking aimless My father Pete had turned away Paul was stumbling toward a roaring train track He was only four years old that day Who’s in control? Who’s in control? I barely saw it happen The ground’s monumental shake There must have been two feet between them Before those two hands snatched him safe As we headed home to beat the sunset I heard him crying overhead That night I dreamt we turned the lights out And wandered far away from it Who’s in control? Who’s in control? And now, I’m sitting on a bridge Out in Portland, Oregon The old day begins to shudder And rolling on, becomes another
5.
Crying About the Planets Laying out, upon the ground It started when he vanished The sledge crept up to the mouth Slipping into crevasses A broken lieutenant Strong wind and pale light His body fell into the ice Once or twice, I thought I might Take my life and throw it Into that great abyss But, I must admit I’d be remiss If I didn’t tell you That I can’t quit this Hell is frozen, and it’s relentless Eat my dogs, one by one And cry about the planets In this ceaseless stretch of white Will I ever live to go Back to Australia? The red rocks glow at night It’s tough to recall because everything is white Every last one of them is gone Every last one of them is gone Every last one of them is gone Every last one of them is gone Every last one of them is dead Every last one of them is dead Every last one of them is dead Every last one of them is dead
6.
Dangerous Visions Several homies down by the water We cracked our skulls against the dull lake stones Swimming swiftly out without inner tubes Every single day we get farther Away from scary ditches in our face But, the day she saw through me I was a wreck I had everything, I had I had everything, I had I–I have nothing I had everything Write another postcard It’ll probably end up on her wall Following you down the high school hall Crying hard out in the winter wind Bones of a lunar eclipse mess Will rot again I had everything, I had I had everything, I had I–I have nothing I had everything, I had I had everything, I had I had everything, I had I–I have nothing I had everything
7.
Wandered 04:33
Wandered I had no discretion When I walked outside your door You take my hand and tell me, ‘This is what’s in store’ Mother now, I promise I’m going home some day But, I got news for you: Rock n Roll is my escape ‘Lo I wandered I wandered back home ‘Lo I wandered I wandered back home Take my wrist and Lead me into the light Don’t grab my fist when I tell you, ‘There’s cursive in your eyes’ Now, a physically demanding body Is helpful in a pinch But, I got nothing left I’m going back where it begins ‘Lo I wandered I wandered back home ‘Lo I wandered I wandered back home ‘Lo I wandered I wandered back home ‘Lo I wandered I wandered back home Take my neck and Give it something to say Your mind’s outrun mine I’m giving it all away Our mental connection Is a leash woven through a chain I find I’m wandering back into your arms
8.
GM 04:10
GM On the porch at Kling Thing I was waking up with the Dragon Queen Brushed my teeth in the morning dust Hit the road again, but we left a note Led my boys through the mountain range Never paid a toll, snaked along the back way In Orlando’s outer space The Misfit Toys hoverboarded on stage Late night Wawa trips aligned With white stars above and Mitar’s guitar line I slept in the car that night Liked to be alone, yeah it felt just right Spent New Year’s Eve in Albany Played a blacked-out set at 12:15 High-fived some parents sipping Genny Creams Dabbed out on the deck with Kory Gregory To the man we almost ran over that afternoon I’d like to formally apologize, we turned too soon Won’t ever forget what we put you through Played Addam’s Family pinball at Barleycorn’s Got to hug Nathan K down by the thrift store Turned down loud rockin’ in The Pool I was floating ‘round South Bend like a motorized noodle Living for the day I get to go back to Ames I got so stoned in Minneapolis I laughed for days My heart’s a hundred tiny creatures that live and sway Where I am, but also far away
9.
The Record 03:18
The Record This is a record of my life As it beckons This is a record of my life As it changes Found what I needed Was right in front of me the whole time A subtle echo A chorus amplified No second-guessing, there’s no time It’s not needed I now know exactly what it is I want to do I want to spend the rest of my life Doing everything with you Because the daylight’s only getting brighter With each passing dawn And from the treetops of Ohio I will celebrate you ‘til we’re gone This is my message, you heard right Don’t get it twisted I got all my secrets laid out on the shelf And I think it’s about time That we showed everyone else Our shiny record, the story that we’ve built You’re my home You’re my home You’re my home You’re my home ‘Cause when it’s dark you pull me in and Promise to hold me tight I thank the God of all control that We have found each other, you and I I’m thanking all my lucky stars ‘Cause they have finally got in line I’m thanking all the stars above that I have fallen for ya I’m thanking all the stars above that I have fallen for ya I’m thanking all the stars above that I have fallen for ya Our love is now a song Drop the needle down, turn it on It spins forever Even if we have to leave the room for a little while It’s still spinning By and by, Lord, by and by And there’s nothing that I’d rather do Than hold you close and listen to our life
10.
Peter the Wild Boy How many lives does it take to ruin a single one? I once learned of a boy, he couldn’t sing at all Yet he knew every note of my song Found one day they called him, ‘The Wild Boy’ He’s a mess, he’s a man, what should we do with him? He saw a tree, called it, Mom, and she called him, Son Peter, what makes you sad? And how in the world did you let it get this bad? I knew a person who read up on the likes of him He had no soul, he was young, he was fitting in Peter ate plants, grew a beard and lived with kings But, he couldn’t understand a thing Peter, what makes you sad? And how in the world did you let it get this bad? Peter, how do you know? Your eyebrows are the mountains, and your dandruff is the snow The year that he died, the United States dollar was born And now, when I pay for my lunch I feel tree-bark skin He’s in my purse, in my ears, he makes thoughts begin

credits

released June 30, 2017

recorded and mixed at Atlas Studios in Chicago, IL by Mike Crotty
guitar, lyrics, singing - Julia Steiner
guitar, bass, pocket piano - Dave Sagan
drums - Danny Lyons

trumpet on tracks 2, 4, and 8 - Cody Owens
pedal steel on tracks 2, 4, and 8 - Pat Lyons
accordion on track 8 - Pat Mitchell
cello on track 10 - Adam Gorcowski
violin on track 10 - Mallory Linehan

mastered by Alan Douches at West Westside
cover drawing by Molly Steiner
other art by Dave Sagan

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