1. |
GOD IS LUCK
03:06
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God is Luck
here I am waiting
warmed by the color in the trees
reaching to grasp at divinity
and hold it
for more than a moment
but the filter closes up
my eyes adjust
the moment shuts
looking up loving leaves in the wind
knowing that I should feel grateful
but utterly miserable hateful and unwise
composing mean emails and texts
at the front of my mind
while I walk through the sublime
how many times?
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2. |
FIREFLIES
06:51
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Fireflies
9 years old
9pm on a summer night
in the field behind the school
with the older kids and the fireflies
the feeling of twilight is less about the sky
than the colors in between things near the ground
at about my height
trying to tag along but hanging back a bit
if not in terms of distance then
in terms of acting part of it
the soft electric tension of fun
coming or just arrived
as the air tints incrementally
and suddenly the fireflies
form a perfect flat grid
stretched across the whole field
about 4 feet above the ground
hanging there, eerily still
Katie yells out "WHO BEEFED?!?"
and I lose my composure
and cackle til I realize I should try and act older
and as the sky begins to dip towards total night
just before the little kids will have to leave
and dawdle home beneath the street lights
the oldest boy walks off to catch a firefly
cups it in his hand, shows it to the group
and then smears it down his thigh
and the unexpected magic alchemical surprise
of the glowing line it leaves traced down his jeans
just blows all our minds
trapped between the feelings of amazement and disgust
and sadness for the innocent insect getting crushed
standing in the darkness, trying not to cry
while the older kids run off to catch themselves some fireflies
and the circle forms again and again
as everybody tries
rubbing bugs onto their bodies
and the gleam that haunts their eyes
evokes the frenzy of the ancients in a sacrificial rite
suburban Saturnalia in the endless summer night
and everyone wants to be part of it
yeah, everyone wants to be baptized
and they keep upping the ante til everybody shrieks
at the girl who turns around with glowing streaks
down both her cheeks
meanwhile I watch hoping nobody will see
that there isn't any badge of glowing chemical on me
and say that I'm a baby cause I'm scared to kill a bug
but luckily the fun begins to dwindle to a shrug
and the circle breaks apart a final time
and I walk home with my brother
glad that we're finally alone together
and we talk about how fireflies work
and we wonder
and later on I lay in bed staring at the ceiling
still thinking about the golden grid
just hanging in the field
silently blinking
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3. |
ROCK HOPPING
06:54
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Rock Hopping
The only talent I was born with
was rock hopping over water
the unexpected sudden grace and pride
of finally keeping up with my brother
and the joyful ease
of forward motion and the soft relief
of something finally coming naturally
learning to trust my luck
to keep me finding the next step
the right move in the nick of time
and never winding up wet
you just have to keep moving
and of course the river is time
and the rocks are the island chain of inspirations
I seek to keep my mind clear
of stagnant preoccupations
trapped on a wobbling rock
with no momentum to get to the next
the only option is to turn back
but you're probably gonna get wet
and of course the water is fear
and forward motion is the faith in luck
I try to keep my mind clear
weight shifted towards the next rock
in the air above the water
a child floats grinning
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4. |
TOUCH THE RIFF
02:44
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Touch the Riff
Standing in the shower in the morning
I noticed that I loved myself and I loved the day
and of course it's cause I love the way you say
"you're so Beautiful"
and I thought : "what am I afraid of?"
why not just take the risk, touch the riff
and try to find the song
that I've been keeping waiting,
don't I know there's nothing there to lose?
it's all just luck, the future's only fiction
the ending of the story isn't written
and we play this game
where we say "let's buy that house
and have some kids and build a life
and be a husband and a wife"
but we're just kidding
so it's safe there
we can say the thing and taste the cake
but leave it in the fridge and feel
the weight of great potential minus tension
yet conversely when it comes to
I L O V E Y O U
tension is is the branch that lets it ripen
til it's bursting with sweetness, joy and life
and it's sweetest when it's known
but it's left unspoken
that's ok, we say it anyway,
we are unafraid.
go ahead and say it if you love me
you can see it's obvious I love you too
but it's also fun to just hold it in our lungs
and feel it swell there
I can feel it, the benevolent buoyant anchor
rising in my chest and in my throat and in my mouth
and my damp smiling eyes
but it weakens in the moment that it hits the air
that heavy deep word just blows away like the steam
off a weak cup of coffee
so we hold it, we say "I like you"
and it's so much fun to just feel it on our tongues
and let it melt there
hold it on your tongue for me
hold it in your lungs for me
cause you know we can just smile
and feel the tickling of the strings
stretched vibrating between us
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5. |
WINTER WINDOW
02:16
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Winter Window
Sweating in the dim winter window light at night
with a person whose body and mine intertwine
in brief deep alignment with the sinless past
I give thanks for the sun which glints in the grains of sand
as they run through the fingers of my loosely open hands
and then I walk into the night alone
slow steady snowflakes sifting sweetly through the streetlights
I know that these are moments that I'd like to remember
I stick my naked open palm out and I watch them disappear there
I tilt my head up and stick out my tongue and feel them disappear there
and then I swallow the world, and keep on walking thru the snowstorm
feeling grateful for the night, and feeling lucky in my life
I went and bought some m&ms
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6. |
SUMMER OF 2069
12:29
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Summer of 2069
...
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7. |
SHADOW WORK
05:10
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Shadow Work
I've sinned
I've been angry and unkind
so I've plumbed the depth
in the dark parts of my mind
where the light doesn't shine
and found my way down
to the dark mirror
beheld myself in stark relief
and found things broken, evil and weak
in the dark mirror
sifting through the soft black sand
groping for the light of self reflection
in the dark mirror
doing shadow work
I've been doing shadow work
I've done shadow work
and I've seen our bass nature very clearly
I knew a girl
who turned the whole world against herself
like a gun
alone one xmas eve
and it makes me wonder
"what the fuck would Jesus do?"
I wonder "what the fuck would Jesus do?"
glass houses and first thrown stones
leave me with a dim view of a lot of you
I wonder "what the fuck would Jesus do?"
what the fuck would Jesus do?
What The Fuck Would Jesus Do?
find me sifting through the soft black sand
by the light of self-reflection
in the dark mirror
and there's a dark mirror
waiting for you
go through
the grass is greener
the grass is
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8. |
BAD BLOOD
01:52
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9. |
AM I BETTER?
04:27
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Am I Better?
Am I better at this
than I used to be?
am I wise?
am I free?
Can I be the open hand
casting loose the seeds,
trusting spring to come,
trusting life to be easy?
Who needs honeymoons?
forget the fading dream
woke up satisfied
there's no gain in being greedy.
We can feed each other, we can feed ourselves,
there's peace in washing dishes,
there's peace in stacking them on shelves
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10. |
SQUEAKY BED
01:17
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Squeaky Bed
On your squeaky bed
our minds are inclined towards caution,
we slow down and ease up often,
my steadfast conviction softens
so we just laugh and talk
I've known you for many years
and I love you
and I think of you
when I sing Neil Young's words:
"I know it ain't easy, but you got to hold on"
and you always do
and I laugh so much more when I'm with you
than I do when I'm not with you,
we have fun
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11. |
WATCHING WIND
03:36
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...
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12. |
AUTUMN
02:20
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Autumn
Autumn I didn't know you well
but I know that you were loved
by a person who I love
and I'm sure you loved him to
it really hit me in the eyes
when I heard his voice I cried
which took me by surprise
cause it's always been so hard for me to feel it
when my friend die
but we saw you just last week
short blonde hair, strong tall legs, strong high cheeks,
you're laugh felt true, your voice was deep
and your quiet smile whispered depth and brightness
beyond your beauty
there's no way to end this song
even starting it felt wrong
so I'll just say that we'll all miss you
when we're together we'll all miss you
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13. |
TMTYLM
03:13
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TMTYLM
Tell me that you love me and then stay
tell me that you had a good day
that everything is still ok
tell me that you love me
and then stay
and in the still of last night
I wondered "is brian even real?"
though I knew you were sleeping just above my head
rest your body and heal
my friend
you really opened up my world
I fell in love with your vibe
we will hold you in peace
we will keep you alive
and then we'll all go take a walk
on the Sunnyside
where we can just observe all our doubts
and then decide to let it ride
let's just all let it ride
let's just all let it ride
let's just all let it ride
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14. |
LET IT RIDE
03:55
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Let it Ride
Well I guess I want out
I found an exit, and I'm gonna take it
and I don't know how long
but I figure I'll eventually probably make it
to the point where I can fake it to myself
and get along, and preserve my health
but for now I'm gonna place this haunted ship
back on it's shelf
in it's dusty cracked glass bottle
and just hope that the crew survives
until that time arrives
I just let it ride
let it ride
let it ride
let it ride
let it ride
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Bad History Month Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SHOWS:
JAN 12 PHILLY, ABYSSINIA,
229 S 45th St
JAN 13 NYC,
MIGUEL'S BABY, 137 W 14TH ST, MANHATTAN
JAN 14 NEW HAVEN CT,
Never Ending Books, 810 State St.
JAN 15 BOSTON, DEEP THOUGHTS, 138b South St JP
JAN 16 PORTLAND, ME PRISM ANALOG,
34 Preble St
JAN 17 DAY OF REST
JAN 18 PORTSMOUTH, NH, WSCA,
909 Islington St #1
photos by Ben Rector: linktr.ee/famousduckphotographer
... more
Bad History Month recommends:
prisoner's dilemma
by dust from 1000 yrs
ageless ftc jams, diggit. https://shyb.bandcamp.com/album/dust-from-1000-yrs https://shyb.bandcamp.com/track/wash-us-out-to-sea https://shyb.bandcamp.com/album/thanksgiving
go to album
shit is good what can i say
go to albumIf you like Bad History Month, you may also like:
A Picture for a Frame
by Noble Dust
Boston group excels at making songs driven by taut, multilayered vocal harmonies and supported by Americana arrangements.
go to album
Loosely structured around the Pokémon game of the same name, “Fire Red” is hushed and layered indie folk.
go to album
