1. |
Deeper Impression
04:28
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Mister Runaround has been runnin’ ‘round town
With his double-down demeanor and dubious claims
He’s been busy collecting fools
Who will abide by his made-up rules
It’s pretty telling you’re buying what he’s selling
Old tricks can look compelling if you don’t know the game
You might as well get educated
So Mister Runaround won’t make you jaded
But there is no book with directions to follow
Only worthy advice that don’t ring hollow is...
You better get a deeper impression
Stop assuming, start asking questions
Drop all your preconceptions
You better get a deeper impression
Don’t be blinded by your perception
Learn to use your own discretion
You better get a deeper impression
All the kids spend their days in the crowded cafés
Finding creative ways to ignore each other
Trapped in their own daydreams
Yet so desperate to be seen
Among the crowd are future Mister Runarounds
And Little Miss Lowdowns who’ll take from their own mothers
No doubt, one day a good percent
Will be working for the government
So if you want to be privy to their plots and plans
Put an end to their agenda before it begins, then...
You better get a deeper impression
Stop assuming, start asking questions
Drop all your preconceptions
You better get a deeper impression
Don’t be blinded by your perception
Learn to use your own discretion
You better get a deeper impression
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2. |
Constant Stream
05:25
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It's proven quite a futile exercise
To view what's right in front of my eyes
Reality's been erased without a trace, and it's nothing but your face I see
You're superimposed onto the sky
And onto the people walking by
Cluttering my head with these thoughts unfettered that always get the better of me
All the signs were warning me to build the dam
But now the damage is done and I lost track of where I am
Memories flood every waking hour
Drown my every dream
Thoughts of you rush to me all the time in a constant stream
You come on like rain to a thirsty flower
But then just turn to steam
The only place you're flowing is through my mind in a constant stream
My life was at a low ebb
When I got tangled up in your web
And you strung up my heart like an old guitar, and played a couple bars for show
You used your mind and your body
To make me careless and foolhardy
You knew darn well you had me under your spell and I couldn't tell you no
But now I've finally found my way back to shore
And I could lock myself inside, but you're seeping through the door
I played by your rules, not knowing I was in a game
Spaces I let you into, I'll never quite reclaim
And I guess I only have myself to blame
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3. |
Fascinated By Water
04:17
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You seem to thrive on the turbulence of life
Rising and falling like the sea
I thought one day you’d have your fill, start longing to be still
And embrace serenity along with me
I guess I wasn’t ready
To accept that there was something else you craved
I assumed you’d come to like the steady
But I soon realized that you needed the waves, ‘cause you’re...
Fascinated by water
Your mind is miles away from solid ground
Fascinated by water
If I could, I would follow you down
But my arms are tired and I don’t want to drown
Like you, at times I’ve been disarmed by the ocean’s charm
And I swam away some summer days in lakes and ponds
So it’s no mystery to me how sweet that life can be
But I know I couldn’t stay for very long
Now when I start looking for some dry land
You want to find yourself a boat and go further still
And although I’d like to think I understand
I suppose that in the end, I never fully will, you’re just…
Fascinated by water
Your mind is miles away from solid ground
Fascinated by water
If I could, I would follow you down
But my arms are tired and I don’t want to drown
Wish I could be fair to you without saying goodbye
But if you stayed here I know that you just wouldn’t be satisfied, cause you’re…
Fascinated by water
Your mind is miles away from solid ground
Fascinated by water
If I could, I would follow you down
But my arms are tired and I don’t want to drown
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4. |
Nowhere In Half The Time
02:57
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It’s a steadier beat we’re drumming
When the ground we stand on is common
Maybe I was naive
But that’s what I believed
That rule don’t seem to apply to you and me
The way that we always disagree
Our efforts to converse
Seem to make matters worse
So many hours we’ve wasted mocking
Each other’s words and closing our minds
Bet if we just gave up on talking
We’d get nowhere in half the time
We’d get nowhere in half the time, oh yeah
Seems the difference between friend and enemy
Is just a matter of degree
Though I could never hate you
You’re someone I can’t relate to
There are those who say it’s wrong
To think some folks aren’t meant to get along
What they don’t realize
Is how much we’ve both tried
As the clock winds down, we’re just retreading old ground, keeping ourselves disillusioned
Though it seems absurd, maybe in our words, we still believe there’s a resolution
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5. |
Let Myself Out
02:38
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I knew just what I wanted to do
So I assembled a dependable crew
For a while, we all agreed on the mission
Pushed onward with a crystal clear vision
Till one by one, folks started disappearing
Leaving me the load we started out sharing
I once could find the strength, but now I'm bereft
Only so much I can do when I'm the only one left
Guess I'll just let myself out
Nothing's keeping me here
Guess I'll just let myself out
Find a brand new frontier
I won't pause for this lost cause
When no doubt I can just let myself out
Folks say there's nobility in persistence
They say, "Don't cower at the first sign of resistance"
But it takes more than a single person standing
To resurrect a project long abandoned
Yet I've still got my eyes, still got my ears
Still young, still bursting with ideas
And this room is cold and has no view
Why linger when I've got so many better things to do?
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6. |
All Meaning
03:53
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I used to make up little verses, seein’ if I could make them rhyme
Until someone said that wasn’t the best way to spend my time
Twice, I stayed up to watch the sunrise, and slept in the afternoon
Until I was told I’d get off track if I didn’t stop that soon
It took longer than a while for me to find out in the end
Those in life who walk the tallest sure ain’t the ones who always bend
People always tryin’ to tell me which way I should be leaning
As if my life has a map that they can read better than me
For so long I listened to their words until they lost all meaning
Now all meaning is only what I’m choosing it to be
Used to think everyone who moved their lips had a good reason for speaking
I was never one to reject advice, even that I wasn’t seeking
But when I tried putting it all together, nothing fit quite right
Couldn’t ignore the contradictions and the oversights
‘Cause everyone has their own idea how the rules should be defined
If one’s no truer than another, then I might as well go with mine
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7. |
Heard Many Stories
04:02
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Word on the street is that you’re having some trouble
You’ve been asking for help climbing out of the rubble
Now, I’m not one to turn down a friend in need
But I've got the feeling that I'm being deceived
Heard that you’ve got somewhat of a reputation
Don’t ask me how I got this information
You and I both live in the same small town
And it ain’t no secret how fast word gets around
You say you’re someone who can be trusted
But I heard many stories
‘Bout the times you got away and the times you got busted
Yeah, I heard many stories
Yeah, yeah
A month ago, I had a chat with my neighbor
She said helping you would hardly be worth the labor
I was surprised that was how things would strike her
Such heartlessness was so unlike her
I doubt anyone would say something so cruel
Unless they were somebody you once had fooled
So next time I’m gonna ask her what she knows
And see what crucial details she can disclose
You say you’re someone who can be trusted
But I heard many stories
‘Bout the times you got away and the times you got busted
Yeah, I heard many stories
Don’t want to make any accusations
But I heard many stories
I’m gonna need to do a little investigation
‘Cause I heard many stories
Yeah, yeah
I’ve got too much in my own life that I need to manage
Don’t have energy to waste on one who'll just take advantage, I said...
You say you’re someone who can be trusted
But I heard many stories
‘Bout the times you got away and the times you got busted
Yeah, I heard many stories
Don’t want to make any accusations
But I heard many stories
I’m gonna need to do a little investigation
‘Cause I heard many stories
Yeah, yeah
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8. |
In Our Favor
03:30
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Life can be rough, yes I know it’s tough
But I’ve had enough of feeling down, how ‘bout you?
I wanna stop this aching, stop this shaking
Stop and take a look around, and I hope you do too
So if you have time, I thought I’d come find you
Sure wouldn’t mind you by my side one of these mornings
There’s so much beauty here to view
See, I’ve passed through it many times without noticing
So let’s let our senses savor all the colors and the flavors
‘Cause the world is in our favor
Oh it’s in our favor
Got to show a little faith, for we can be a little braver
When the world is in our favor
Oh it’s in our favor, don’t you know
Up high, the sky is open wide, no clouds to hide behind
It’s bold, it’s vibrant and so pure
The bright sun’s rays shine down on blades of grass a shade of glistening gold
Like a stream of honey pours
Yet we stay inside, preoccupied
Seems we reside in our own bubbles, shielding ourselves
If we take a new path, let go and laugh, maybe life won’t have to be a struggle to live well
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9. |
Imperceptible
03:24
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The day we said goodbye, we both knew it was for the best
Your matters needed your attention, and my heart just needed rest
Tonight you’re at my door, telling me you’re better now
Say you’ve fixed your life, and what we had, we can get back somehow
I know that you believe
Your life is where it needs to be
Sorry if I just don’t sense that to the same degree
I know you say you’ve changed
But to me, that change is imperceptible, imperceptible
Seems kinda strange
What should be within my eyes’ range is imperceptible, imperceptible
Guess there’s a bit more that needs changing, if you want me to see
If I took a leap of faith into my old place by your side
I fear I’ll be stepping right back on a rollercoaster ride
You’re clinging to the notion that your shadows have begun to fade
I’m not looking to dispute any progress you have made
I might try harder to agree
If you weren’t asking so much of me
As much as I hate to say it, in all honesty
I know you say you’ve changed
But to me, that change is imperceptible, imperceptible
Seems kinda strange
What should be within my eyes’ range is imperceptible, imperceptible
Guess there’s a bit more that needs changing, if you want me to see
Please know that I still I care
But the evidence I need just isn’t there
|
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10. |
Boldly Pleading
04:52
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Seems every day, someone complains
Makes you feel like you’re to blame
Plants guilt inside your head
Has you inching toward the edge
Some people are just never satisfied
Their demands always exceed your day’s supply
But I suspect those folks have quite some nerve to ask for more, when you give all you’ve got
So if you don’t mind, I’m curious to know
Are they a bit too boldly pleading with you?
Does it feel like you’re only conceding to fools?
Are they a bit too boldly pleading with you?
Maybe it’s time to let them go
It’s true you don’t always decide
The people who enter your life
Your mother taught you to be faithful
And to never seem ungrateful
But did she ever say the way to live
Was spending time on those who’d rather take than give?
When people lay claim to your attention like it’s something they have bought
Ask yourself this before assuming what you owe
Are they a bit too boldly pleading with you?
Does it feel like you’re only conceding to fools?
Are they a bit too boldly pleading with you?
Maybe it’s time to let them go
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11. |
Go Back To The Day
03:04
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I had a past of shattered glass
Would cut my fingers when I dared to touch
So many folks I’d let get close
Against their sharp edges I too often brushed
To my cynical brain, the thought was insane
That not everyone was out to cause me pain
When you walked in, you got under my skin
So accustomed to deception, I pushed you aside
Your lack of pretense just made no sense
Kept thinking I was being taken for a ride
Now that I’ve grown smart enough to know your heart
You’ve since moved on and we’re far apart
If I could turn back the clock, erase this stumbling block, I would
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
So we could start over
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
So we could start over
Now the years gone by only amplify
The rumble of so many wrong decisions
You were a beacon of light my eyes never saw right
Your kindness I dismissed as an aberration
How could it be that I failed to see
The extent of your sincerity?
If I could only rewind to a specific time, I would…
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
So we could start over
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
So we could start over
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
No use in moving forward
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
So we could start over
Wish I would’ve known back then
That hurt ain’t always where trust leads
Cause then I’d never feel the need
No, I’d never feel the need to…
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
So we could start over
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
So we could start over
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
No use in moving forward
Go back to the day
Go back to the day I met you
So we could start over
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12. |
See Life Straight
02:50
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As a child I was told wisdom came with age
Used to be my consolation those times I most felt my life changing
Thought confusion was a temporary stage
And that one day I’d find out what I’d lost was worth what I’d be gaining
The idea that knowing more meant there’d be less left to figure out
Guess that wasn’t what life’s about
‘Cause so far all I’ve gained is doubt
When I think that home is clear ahead
The twists and turns never abate
No matter how much experience I get
I still don’t see life straight
I chose a path and kept on walking
Thinking down the line there’d be a light to lead me through each day
But like a tree half-grown that a wall of stone is blocking
Seems I’m still stuck in a shadow when the sun comes ‘round my way
Funny how I once swore that things would someday all make sense
Sights that had me so convinced
Were just the lens of my innocence
But what if the crazy way life’s images bend
Is nothing I need to amend?
Maybe sometimes it’s all right not to understand
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13. |
Lifelong Understanding
03:50
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Last time I saw you, you had plans you were pursuing
You knew what you were doing, so it seemed
Everyday you'd catch me up on all the visions you saw
Till I became the sketchbook you'd draw all your dreams
Now after all you've done, you're still wondering what could that be
Making you feel unhappy and hollow?
And in this moment, as you're standing here at my door
Asking if I have advice for you to follow
Well, I don't know how you're of the mind
That with your questions, you can expect to find
An answer in anything I say
It's like asking for a lifelong understanding
A lifelong understanding
Of a subject I only just learned yesterday
In your mind, you conjured up the sweetest bowl of cherries
But they don't taste the same when they're reality
And I don't know how you came to think I'm some kind of sage with special insight
When the state you're in is often quite the same as me
Although I'm glad to be a shoulder for your leaning
And I'll be there when you're screaming out for help
I just can't tell you how to keep your void from growing bigger
When there's so much I still can't figure out for myself
You know I wish you the very best, I really do
But ain't no one gonna know yourself better than you
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14. |
||||
The moon is out tonight, and I’d love to revel in it
If only I could put you out of my mind for just a minute
I’m wondering if I’ll ever once again experience your smile
This always seems to happen to me when I don’t see you for a while
‘Cause the truth is that in life, a next time’s never guaranteed
And maybe you’ll soon decide that I'm just not what you need
I never know what thought my mind will leap to
These times I’m by myself and you're away
I can’t let my insecurities seep through
Like rain leaks in from the roof on stormy days
But I don’t know how to keep you, I don't know how to keep you
I just hope you’ll stay
At times I’m happy that so far you’ve stuck around
But it’s hard to stop doubt’s heavy hand from pulling me down
‘Cause maybe you’re seeing in me someone that I’ve never been
Expecting to find gold in a house that's made of tin
And if life with me turns out not to be quite what you had in mind
Will that be the moment when I see your face for the last time?
|
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15. |
Bright Spirit
02:59
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Daytime, I’m feeling fine, no time alone, too busy to think
By late evening, I’m by myself at home, that’s when my frame of mind starts to sink
But if there’s one thing you know how to expedite
It’s getting me to feel just right
So if I could ask this one thing of you tonight
Wind is howling in the dark and I wish I didn’t hear it
Won’t you illuminate me with your bright spirit?
There’s light somewhere, but I’m nowhere near it
Won’t you illuminate me with your bright spirit?
Bright spirit, oh
Solitude can be a welcome friend, but it can also be unkind
Can pull shadows from the furthest ends of an overactive mind
And when these shadows stare me in the face
Turning my blood cold, making my heart race
That’s when I need your warm sun to clear my cloudy space
If what you give came in a bottle, it’d be easier for certain
But your kind of medicine don’t work without you in person
|
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16. |
Far Greater
03:14
|
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On one of January’s coldest days, a young girl named Sally
Gave her brand new coat to a little boy shivering in an alley
When she got home, her mother said, “Sally, I know you’re only ten
But you’re old enough to know better, so don’t do that again”
Sally’s teacher, Miss Emma, had quite a different point of view
She said, “Sally there are some things that just can’t be taught in school
Not every child can carry what you hold in your hands
May not make much sense to you right now, but one day you’ll understand...
Some folks may have great fortune
Some may have big ideas to sell
But what you have is far greater
And it will one day serve you well”
Life resembled rain for Sally at the stormy age of seventeen
Always the one that friends would run to whenever they were in need
Some took advantage of her kindness, while others cast her out
And Sally wondered still, what Miss Emma had been talking about when she said,
“Some folks may have great fortune
Some may have big ideas to sell
But what you have is far greater
And it will one day serve you well”
Sally hit her lowest point the year she turned thirty-five
Out of work, unable to make rent, wondering how she would survive
It wasn’t long until she got a visit from everyone she knew
Her best friend Andy said, “Please Sally, let us help you through
We all want you to know just what you’re worth
Your kind of empathy’s a rare thing on this earth”
That’s when Sally smiled a smile so content
‘Cause at last she understood what Miss Emma meant when she said,
“Some folks may have great fortune
Some may have big ideas to sell
But what you have is far greater
And it will one day serve you well”
|
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17. |
Came One Winter
03:36
|
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I recall cold December nights when we’d sit by the window
Tracing sweet words to each other with our fingers on the glass
Thought I could never cause you pain, but little did I know
Like snow falling sideways on the wind, such notions too would pass
Now it’s been years and you’re still in my head
Though you only came one winter
I swear the door you used to enter
Still bears your fingerprints
Though you only came one winter
Your memory still has me hindered
And I've got no line of defense
Though you only came one winter
It’s like you stayed with me every season since
I thought I was above reproach, I was blind to my conceit
When you told me how much I hurt you, it was quite a wake up call
You said I was an error you could not afford to repeat
Leaving me feeling I might crumble like the brittle leaves of fall
Yet I suppose there’s nothing I deserve to feel instead
And though I still feel the distress
Somehow I believe the mess of losing you was just part of the lesson that I needed to learn
|
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18. |
Carrying Signs
05:59
|
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I used to blame myself for falling down
Yeah, I fell so hard, I still can taste the ground
Yet somehow it didn't occur to me that maybe I was pushed
I know this feeling's long weighed on you too
We've both looked for direction on what to do
But so far our eyes have never seen any burning bush
When we were young, we never thought to ask
The price one pays for being of our class
And why the punishment is often absent of a crime
Our elders always told us how fights were won
But as I look around at what's going on
Somehow this feels to me like it's a very different time
If we were to go out there just carrying signs
Would people even read them, or would the words just be ignored?
If you and I marched out there just carrying signs
Would the ones on top keep carrying on just like they did before?
Could it be time we folks down here did something more?
There've been people living on the hill
With the power to bend us to their will
To them we're specks of dirt, we have no faces and no names
Each time their boots landed on our heads
We prayed it was the last blood to be shed
But our prayers have never led to any lasting change
Our whole lives, we've survived on such little means
That asking for help sometimes feels obscene
So I wouldn't ask you if I could take anymore of this at all
I always hoped that we could stop short
Of ever using our last resort
But you must admit that now they've got our backs against the wall
If we were to go out there just carrying signs
Would people even read them, or would the words just be ignored?
If you and I marched out there just carrying signs
Would the ones on top keep carrying on just like they did before?
Could it be time we folks down here did something more?
Got to decide right now
Got to decide right now
|
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19. |
None Of Us Do
03:29
|
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You look around you
See many things that ain't how you wish they would be
Too much confounds you
To express yourself with any certainty
But you've got things you'd like to say
Might as well say them
There are folks you want to sway
Well, just maybe you can sway them
I know it's hard to take a stand
When you don't have all the answers
But that's all right, none of us do
It's hard to tell where you should tread
When you don't know what lies ahead
But that's all right, none of us do
The air feels thick with suffering
Of so many who are broken and lost
You think you may have some wood to bring
Enough to build a bridge for them to cross
Still, you ain't sure what obstacles are looming
But neither is anyone else who's human
You sometimes feel like a gardener who can't find the perfect seeds
But the ones that you're already planting are all you really need
|
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20. |
Day Rose Up
04:39
|
|||
System operators at the mercy of a machine
Fueled by what sometimes shares the name, but sure ain’t nature’s kind of green
They’re taking advice from empty suits on which button to press
While those of us who can’t buy their attention matter to them less
They claim they’re only looking out for us
Expect that we’ll just take them serious
But when I worry this will go on forever
There’s something I just make sure to remember
I’ve had dark, relentless nights that seemed
Like they could bring the poor sunlight to its knees
But sure enough, the day rose up, the day rose up, the day rose up
Makes me believe that one day so will we
Each day we hear that somewhere among us, the enemies hide
And that the only way we’ll catch them is if we choose a side
Soon we’re too confused to know who or what we should blame
We’re all just pieces in a calculated game
Wish I knew the reason why
We seem to fall for it every time
Yet deep down I know that people are not dumb
And that sooner or later our time will come
I’ve had dark, relentless nights that seemed
Like they could bring the poor sunlight to its knees
But sure enough, the day rose up, the day rose up, the day rose up
Makes me believe that one day so will we
So let’s take our cue from the day and rise up
No one will take our blue sky away if we rise up
So let’s take our cue from the day and rise up
Too much at stake, too few not led astray, got to rise up
|
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