1. |
Only Child
04:45
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Saves it all for homework
Can't concentrate around others
Gets him anxious
And he speaks a bit too loud
He reminds you of his father
He cannot settle down
You thought that he'd be taller
But he's done growing now
Wears a navy sweater
Two sizes too big
A hand-me-down demeanour
But he's your only kid
You never liked the way he always combed his hair
Or how he squints a bit too often
But he's the only thing that you've got in this world
So you forgive what cannot be forgotten
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2. |
Any Day
04:20
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Her son’s at school in Halifax, and her mother lives next door
In the house that she grew up in, ’66 to ’84
Her father died in ’83, and mom’s 83 herself
She’s talking to his portrait, the one that hangs above the shelf
Remember when they found him in Tim Hortons
sipping on a coffee that’d gone cold?
He didn’t get why there was such commotion
even after all that he’d been told
Sleepless nights and cable fights kept her company for a while
Then there came the phone call that forced her from denial
Mom called in the afternoon, bothered by something
She said the maid who cleans her curtains must have stole her wedding ring
When it comes, it will not come down quickly
It will eat at her like a child picks at his meal
Any day could be the last she knows you
Any smile could be the last she feels
Everybody knows it, but no one says a thing
As if putting it in words would only give the sickness wings
Well, the doctor’s diagnosis is not something she’ll ignore
She just doesn’t wanna hear it anymore
Aaron booked an early flight when he finally heard the news
At six was in the airport, by 10 was in the pews
Strangers sang their platitudes as they filed in the door
Swapping all the stories that they all had heard before
She bowed her and Aaron leaned in closely
“Remember what I told you when you left?
That everything must happen for a reason
Well, what’s the reason when it comes to death?”
Everybody knows it, but no one says a thing
As if putting it in words would only make the memories sting
She’s not sure if she remembers what it was she thought before
But it’s not the way she sees it anymore
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3. |
Small Talk
04:57
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Say your name so I can put it to the face
That stares at me when I’m trying to fall asleep
With those deep eyes and that sly smile
That black hair and those sunken cheeks
Well, I’ve been sneaking glances now, honey
And I’ve caught you sneaking, too
So tell me what we’re doing here, baby
I just wanna talk to you
Just to tell you the time or if it’s raining outside
Oh, I know it’s not the best we can do
But if small talk’s my in, tell me where we begin
Was only hoping for an inch of you
I met you once in a dream
We were standing in line and I cracked a joke
There was some kinda problem and the cops were called
You were waiting for me, then I awoke
Well, I’ve been sneaking glances, now, honey
And I’ve caught you sneaking, too
So tell me what we’re doing here, baby
I just wanna talk to you
Just to tell you the time or if it’s raining outside
Oh, I know it’s not the best we can do
But if small talk’s the way, who am I to complain?
I wasn’t hoping for an interview
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4. |
Devil's Deal
02:30
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How do you tell if a dream is bound to die?
It’s just as well that you quit before you began
Before you get stuck playing gigs and peddling CDs
From the trunk of your friend’s minivan
Say a prayer from the dreamers
For the punks and the schemers
For the kids who won’t quit
For the ones who still believe
Where did it go, that old fire you had inside you long ago?
Now a flicker not a blazing inferno
You never really thought that you could pull it off, so let’s be real
This is not a devil’s deal
Say a prayer from the dreamers
For the punks and the schemers
For the kids who won’t quit
For the ones who still believe
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5. |
Fill in the Blanks
03:15
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It took me four days to wash the X off my wrist
But I’ve yet to get you off of my mind
And I couldn’t tell if you were honest with me
Or just trying not to be unkind
I’m frightened by what my mind can create
‘Cause I’ve got a habit of filling in the blanks
Piece by piece, the puzzle I make
Is not who you are; it’s not who you’ve been
And I have only ever fallen for one thing
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6. |
Noises Off
05:01
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We met in Portland, Oregon
Three nights, then I was gone
Was I just stringing you along?
You helped me catch my early flight
Seven o'clock to YYZ
You nestled deep within my head
Should we even be here?
Twenty-two hours in Ithaca
Eleven more in a car
I'm not sure how it got this far
I don't know how to break a heart
I haven't got the wherewithal
I've found it's not much fun at all
Should we even be here?
We took that test on a whim
You lied, but I wrote my real address
I still get letters in the mail
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7. |
Empty Eyes
04:41
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I was in a grand charade carrying a cross I'd made
'Cross a stone-covered field
Put it on my grandma’s grave so she'd think she's saved
Then I got down and kneeled
Into the ground, her lifeless body lying
Gathered around were all those people crying
With empty eyes
Empty eyes were all they gave and all I saw
I was one of them once, I could stare for months
Statues and pictures and everything
Clutching at a set of beads, praying a Hail Mary
I tried to remember all my sins
Into the ground, her lifeless body lying
Already knew my stable faith was dying
With empty eyes
Empty eyes were all I gave and all they saw
Who am I to make a scene?
With empty eyes
Empty eyes were all I gave and all they saw
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8. |
You and I
02:54
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You don’t have to say it, you don’t have to say anything
We tried to save it, but we both saw it coming for you and I
You couldn’t contain it, shook you right down to the core
You said, “Why won’t you talk to me? Why don’t we talk anymore, you and I?”
It still eats me up
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9. |
Someone
06:24
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You text me after midnight
“Are you still awake?”
Well, sometimes I pretend I’m sleeping
But others it can’t wait
All you need is someone
I called you in the evening
The day that your dad passed
You told me that it’s all got you wondering
How long you can last
And all you need is someone
You spent Christmas on your own again
Dodging all your landlord’s friends
Staying safely out of view
Like the china they don’t use
I know I could do better
That I’m not at my best
But sometimes when you just talk for hours
I think I need a rest
Forgive me, I’m half asleep
And I can’t tell what you want from me
All I need is someone
What have they done to you?
‘Cause you were not born like this at all
You don’t deserve this
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10. |
Disappear
04:31
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When the sun goes down and there’s no one else around
You think of it then when all your friends are having fun
And you’re staying in but you’re not missing anything
Now and again you wonder when you’ll go on the run from everyone
Take me to a place where I don’t know anyone and no one ever phones
Take me to a place where I can lay and be silent
Put me on a boat or a spaceship, I guess even a moat might do the trick
Put me in a lighthouse far away on an island and I’ll disappear
When the days get long and shutting in just feels wrong
Time and again you try and get that old feeling back but it’s just an act
Take me to a place where I don’t know anyone and no one ever phones
Take me to a place where I can lay and be silent
Put me on a boat or a spaceship, I guess even a moat might do the trick
Put me in a lighthouse far away on an island and I’ll disappear
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Longtime Listener Toronto, Ontario
Longtime Listener is an indie-rock project in Toronto. New album, Tired Light, forthcoming in late 2021.
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