1. |
Catskill Creek
03:22
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A 46 mile run down the mountains
to the Hudson, at Dutchman’s Landing.
Catskill Creek sleeps by orange hawkweed.
Its bed a wreath of mountain laurel
I don’t worry.
Away from the city.
I take it all in and let it all go
No need to hurry.
Away From everything.
I think of Dylan watching the river flow.
Up creek in Willow our fire burns low.
We sit under red oak and tall white pine trees.
There at our campsite, under the moonlight,
by the fireside we have all we need
We hike down creek.
We follow the rocky stream to Cairo.
We hold on to the feeling of almost feeling free.
But we need to go back to the city.
So long to the feeling until we retreat
back to Catskill Creek.
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2. |
By Choice or Accident
03:34
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With a crooked heart and a level head,
I’m not a sure thing, but I’m a safe bet.
I’m a son of a gun that gets it done.
I don’t care if it’s fair, It’s fair enough.
He’s a company man in a company car.
A yes Man, that takes it too far.
Another a sinner with a blue eyed soul.
He’ll be better off dead, than he was before.
We meet at dawn, daggers drawn,
Time and time again. Third time’s the charm.
Promise me this is off the record
I’d trust you, but I know better
CHORUS
Let’s not pretend not Everything comes to an end.
Because either by choice or accident
Everything comes to an end.
I go off the cuff right on cue.
To anyone else it seems out of the blue.
But you have to admit that I did my part.
A knife in the back’s a quick way to the heart.
You think I did what I had to do.
I didn’t have to-- I chose to .
I accept the blame because I take the credit.
I saw my chance and so I took it.
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3. |
Crystal Bay
03:16
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My brother Tommy taught me two things:
Don't worry about money, and don't run after planes.
Everyone deserves to make a living.
He’s a player that thinks he’s got it made
We’re sitting pretty in Carson City
When Tommy chimes in:
“This is an embarrassment of riches.
We shouldn't take for granted what we get.”
My brother gets what he wants
And it’s never good enough.
He says “What we made last night
Might as well go work for us.”
Tommy tells me it’s a win win,
Catch some boomers at the Crystal Bay,
Play nice for awhile,
And then triple our stake.
So we take it and we stake it
On Texas Hold’em in Lake Tahoe.
The Sierra Nevadas are nice this time of year.
I like to watch the snow.
Things kind of go sideways,
And I kind of take it hard.
We lose it all, el busto,
On the river card.
It’s not the losing so much as the loss
That’s hard for me to take.
Tommy takes me to the bar
To try to set me straight.
He looks me in the eye and says
"Sometimes things don’t go as planned.
Stand back and take a good look
Not at what we lost, but what we have."
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4. |
Raleigh
03:30
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I can’t figure it out.
You always take the long shot.
I always take the sure fire thing.
And somehow you get it
While i’m left out wandering.
No, I can't figure out why the better road's
Not the better route to go.
You say “There’s really nothing to it.
Memorize it, then forget.
Forget What they told you
Before you take your trip."
Still I can't figure out why the better road's
Not the better route to go.
One day, I’ll go back to Raleigh,
And I’ll see what I’m missing.
One day, maybe i'll slow down,
Take the time to figure out
How Sometimes things
Fall into place that I can’t see.
And then maybe I’ll see how
The better road's not the better route.
Maybe I can figure it out on my own.
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5. |
The Prisoner
04:44
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There will always be a prison.
There will always be a penitentiary.
There will always be a prison,
A cage kept just for me.
Miles of wire, razor concertina,
Gates, bars and towers.
There will always be a prison,
For me in my darkest hour.
So I run, and I keep running,
But the prison bell grows louder.
There will always be a prison
For me in my darkest hour.
I will never be free
From the sentence
Given me.
So I run and I keep running,
But the prison bell grows louder.
There will always be a prison,
For me in my darkest hour.
There will always be a prison.
A cage kept just for me.
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6. |
Jeff Bezos Goes to Space
02:41
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There’s a war for democracy and basic human rights.
A war between the rich and poor and who will pay the price.
Let’s talk about a living wage and the road to unionize,
The right to vote, and who knows best how to fight the fight.
We’re all faced with the crises of this day and age.
Some volunteer their time to help,
Jeff Bezos goes to space.
We are in this pandemic and millions have died.
We’re trying to get through it, vaccinate and mobilize.
The doubters doubt, the haters hate far from the front lines.
Let’s respect the women and men who daily risk their lives.
We’re all faced with the crises of this day and age.
Some reevaluate their lives
Jeff Bezos goes to space.
The world keeps changing as the temperatures rise.
The storms get worse as the sea levels get high.
If we don’t do something big we’re all going to die.
Let’s all face the facts that cannot be denied.
We’re all faced with the crises of This day and age.
Some change their priorities
Jeff Bezos goes to space.
Let’s give our kids the truth and not confuse them with more lies.
Let’s give them food and learning,
Not debt that wrecks their lives.
Let’s give the people homes and health,
And the freedom to be free,
Free to be whoever they are
And not shot down by police.
We’re all faced with the crises of this day and age.
Some try to stay grounded
Jeff Bezos goes to space.
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7. |
Secondhand Heartbreak
04:28
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Shoot, did you all hear?
Jack and Diane broke up this year.
Now they are headed for the great divorce.
I thought that they were happy.
Maybe they were, but it wasn’t lasting.
Now i wonder what it all was for.
It always tears me up,
When, for other folks, the going gets tough.
There’s only so much I can take.
It makes me think of my own problems,
And my friends, how i’m helpless to help them.
It’s another case of second hand heart break.
I’m face to face with second hand heart break.
Don’t get me started on Tom and Sue
There just wasn’t a thing to do.
He left her after a game of twister and a falling out.
I saw them just last Sunday.
Now he’s gone, and she’s left wondering
What it all was about.
It always tears me up
When, for other folks, the going gets tough.
There’s only so much I can take.
It makes me think of my own problems,
And my friends, how i’m helpless to help them.
It’s another case of Second hand heart break.
I’m face to face with second hand heart break.
An open and shut case of second hand heart break.
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8. |
The Rise and Fall of Us
02:40
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Outside of Blackfoot,
A couple in a diner is
Sharing a fresh cup of coffee
In imitation china.
She looks at him
And he looks at her.
"I miss old victor mugs," he says.
Not caring what he prefers
She asks “When can we go?”
He swears "Dammit, Just give me a minute,”
finishes the coffee and doesn’t leave a tip.
Those little moments.
A thousand cuts.
If you look real close you can see the rise and fall of us.
Out on the road
Driving down 15;
Looking out the window but not seeing anything.
“I thought Idaho was supposed to be nice?" She says.
He shrugs “Hell, I don’t know.
I guess there’ll be enough to do when we get to where we’re goin."
Those little moments.
A thousand cuts.
If you look real close you can see the rise and fall of us.
The Shoshone Bannock casino,
in the Fort Hall Reservation,
Holds bingo every Thursday.
The couple pulls up in their station wagon
She gets out of the car and doesn’t look back
He runs after her yelling “Louise, God Damn.”
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9. |
Malingerer
04:16
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I got a busted lip for bad luck
Driving me up the wall.
"You go on do what you want,"
You said.
The moment lingers on.
I don’t know how you do it.
I’m too stoned to start.
"This could be the big one,"
You said.
The moment lingers on.
I’m looking for a souvenir
Then i’ll be on my way.
The sky looks like it’s sinking.
On second thought i’ll stay.
A branch taps on the roof,
And Abraham yawns.
"I'll be back before I go,"
You said.
The moment lingers on.
I could see for miles
If it wasn't for the dark.
You're the necessary evil.
The moment lingers on.
I wonder where the time went.
It doesn’t seem that long.
I reach out to touch the window.
The moment lingers on.
The curtain of the night is raised
By the rose of the dawn.
There’s a glow to things.
The moment lingers on.
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10. |
Thoughts and Prayers
03:24
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A half hearted sentiment.
Half a world away.
Something that’s always said
When someone has nothing to say.
So, let’s have a round of applause
For those sending their thoughts and prayers,
To show you that they notice your loss.
Just not enough to really care.
Let’s hear it for ambivalence,
As they say now’s not the time.
Another hand off to providence,
So they can move on with their lives.
So, let’s have a round of applause
For those sending their thoughts and prayers
To show you that they notice your loss
Just not enough to really care.
Not enough to make a difference.
Not enough to make a change.
Not enough to stand up.
Not enough to keep it from happening again.
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11. |
The Same Mistake
03:42
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Although we all know what we know
We all need a place to come home to
When there’s no place to go to
When there’s no place to go.
You go to him
How do you put up with it?
Such a delicate balance on the head of a pin.
As if it’s nothing,
with the face of a fighter that doesn’t quit.
Not like mine, superstitious.
You could go with me.
Predictable Is comforting,
And I’d try to be what you need me to be.
Even though i’m not, unfortunately,
Maybe I could still be something.
I know It’s not for me to say,
or to decide the choice you make.
I just don’t want you to go and take
The easy way out and make the same mistake.
You could go to them,
Back to your parents and your high school friends;
Smoking cigarettes behind the 7/11;
Living for the weekends;
Hanging out and playing in bands.
Though maybe it’s true.
You can’t go home again.
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12. |
From Going to Gone
04:51
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Six o’clock, the kid is up.
I’m still half asleep.
And half awake, is not enough
To get me back on my feet.
A coffee and a cigarette
Are things I’ve quit, but I need.
I need to get up, my kid keeps
Reminding me.
The morning is all stops and starts,
And when I try to think
I can’t think straight.
Can’t make out what’s going on.
All I can do is hope and pray
I have what it takes when the time comes
To keep things from going
From going
To gone.
It’s almost like a new beginning,
Except it feels more like the end.
Things are closing in on us,
While I’m staring at the ceiling fan.
My thoughts go around and round;
Circling the truth.
I’m 40 years old, one and done,
And Jamie’s got the baby blues.
To make a long story short,
I don’t want anything more to lose.
Because I’ve got a lot to lose,
And I’m having trouble hanging on.
We all do what we have to do,
But I’m really not that strong,
To keep things from going
From going
To gone.
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Jonathan Vassar Richmond, Virginia
Projects include The Badlands, The Speckled Bird, Ophelia, The Vassar Family Singers, The Bird & Her Consort, and Lonely Rooms lonelyrooms.bandcamp.com
Jonathan Vassar recommends:
Something We Believe In
by Lonely Rooms
Project with Joshua Quarles and Allen Bergendahl
go to album
Until We Have To
by Lonely Rooms
Project with Joshua Quarles and Christina Gleixner
go to album
Old Time Gospel
by The Vassar Family Singers
Project with Antonia FD Vassar, Nate Mathews, and Grant Hunnicutt
go to albumIf you like Benefit Singles, Vol II: October 2020-December 2021, you may also like:
A vibrant vision of "Central Americana" from the Costa Rica-based artist, blending heartland devotionals with playful Tropicália grooves.
go to album
Whispery indie folk from the UK, “Hard Work” cradles soft and gentle vocal melodies in a nest of acoustic guitars.
go to album
Dakota Blue Moon
by Jackson Harden
Gorgeous acoustic Americana from North Carolina, stripped-back and sublime.
go to album
