1. |
Everything's a Phoenix
04:50
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from my death comes ashes
flash of wing, dash and dive
when this whole thing crashes
i'll still be alive
and you'll come with me
finally
now everything's a phoenix flying
and you'll rise with me
honestly
now everything's a phoenix burning
teetering on the edge my arms make panic circles in the air
i'm holding on, i'm holding on
teetering on the edge of the abyss i smile and flap my wings
i'm letting go and getting gone
everything's a phoenix now
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2. |
Built in a Day
03:52
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this city was built in a day
where will all the people come from?
we know too well
our brains have outgrown our hearts
must have gotten carried away
perhaps there's time.
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3. |
I Intend to Die
04:41
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I intend to die
as I intend to live:
open handed.
I intend to take
what living tends to give,
nothing demanded.
to release what I want is to have it
to enjoy what I have is to need nothing
to die gracefully, gratefully,
in every moment
with every breath
is to accept
that death is nothing new
that fear is the only thing that makes it scary
and that life is always new
everything changing
just as it has
since the first human clenched the first fist at the
already ancient sky
and even before that.
Let my grave be the ravenous forest,
marked only by ashes,
and let them spell out:
ECSTASY THROUGH PEACE.
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4. |
Not Hiding Now
02:04
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i used to try to impress people with how "enlightened" i was
now i try to impress people with how honest i am
one day i hope to not try to impress people at all
by the way, i hope you like this song
i'd like to say i'm sorry to everyone affected by me not being who i really am--it's not my fault, you see, i was blinded by the thought of who i had to be.
had to hide 'cause the real me was small and scared of being powerless or powerful or anything with
consequences
god, i'm really laying it all out there right now, aren't i?
or maybe i'm just laying it all down
i'd like to try not hiding now
right now
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5. |
Lazy Bones
04:39
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it's quiet here
I thought I'd miss you more
the apples are falling
I could be out with my basket now
lazy bones, lazy bones
was I born to play this guitar
or was I born to let go of everything?
it's quiet here
I heard an airplane today
the engines were roaring
the people onboard doing business deals
lazy bones, lazy bones
was I born to use my voice
or was I born to let go?
does it have to be either--or both?
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6. |
Messy
05:03
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i've been a wreck
but with you, i'm reckless
i've been a recluse
but you tighten my strings
and play
i'm taking chances
it's time to unwind
when i come to my senses
i'm out of my mind
when a touch feels bigger than its consequences
i can't think we'll burn in a fire that quenches
like this
it's gonna be messy
it's gonna be so beautiful
it's gonna prove us right
it's gonna prove us wrong
of course i care
but let's not be careful
i want to say the wrong things
wrong but still true
filling the air full
of everything we've risked to feel this way
the only danger's in not giving enough away
what's left when the fire burns down?
maybe the rough blade that becomes a sharp knife
cuts clean and often deep
and safety serves those satisfied with a still life
let's love what's left when the fire burns down
it's gonna be messy
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7. |
Gresham F104º
03:28
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The magnified invisible devil kisses my bare chest with his hot grin, and I can't say it burns; I don't exactly know it burns. I've never felt devil lips before. I don't know whether I created him or just stumbled into his cold, cavernous mouth. He seemed to know I was coming.
The devil's saddest woe is he can't be honest and beautiful at the same time.
It's a hot day in a new city, and my brain is sweating. It took over pounding when my heart stood still; now it's tired and forgetting how to let the heat of all this guilt just wash out through my skin, so the heart can gasp and sputter to life once again.
This heat does not destroy, it simply swells to stillness those who can't keep their cool.
So the devil laughs and cannonballs into the swimming pool.
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8. |
Butterflies
04:22
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i'm sorry for the rift this may cause
but i will not be silent anymore
to know me quiet is to know me false
is to know me not at all
better to love me and hate what i think
than to love a story and never know
better to love me and hate what i think
than to love a story and a shadow
name all your sinners after me
name all your worrisome children
tradition
a revolution is a heretic's reply
a blasphemer must have great faith
and so must i
a steeple cracked releases butterflies
name all your sinners after me
name all your beautiful children
forgiveness
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9. |
Children of Men
03:19
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one sweet song for the children of men
grown up with their mothers
stressed out
stretched thin
when, say when will we finally begin to move out?
we're sorry mom, but our shoulders aren't strong enough
for this door
we're sorry but we can't protect you anymore
there's dirt on our hands
she cursed as she scrubbed
and dubbed dear old daddy a deadbeat
son, you'll be a man soon
just as soon as we find you a sketch of one
one sweet song for the children in men
grown up with their mothers
stressed out
stretched thin
when, say when will we finally begin to come clean?
oh but don't cry, for you've no less direction
than i had when i was your age
all we can do is our chores, our reading and math
as for dreams of our fathers, turn the page
to one sweet song for the children of men
grown up with their mothers
stressed out
stretched thin
when, say when will we finally begin to move out?
we're grateful mom, but our shoulders aren't strong enough to hold this door
we're grateful, and, we won't protect you anymore
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10. |
Layla
03:40
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ooh la la, Layla
you were named after a song
and so you sang your world to me
and it challenged the sweetest saddest note in my heart
the sweetest ache in my memory
this formless ache in my memory
he called you girlfriend
but he was never very friendly
you talked and cried about him in-between kisses
and we were never sorry
afternoons were all we had,
tiny windows while your mother was gone
we turned her couch into an inferno
flame-deep in its intentions,
urging us on
turning us on
i still love making out in jeans
maybe thanks to you and all your teenage cotton
and i can still feel the shapes that i traced on your skin
under your sweater
i've never forgotten
you were named after a song
and so you sang your world to me
and it challenged the sweetest saddest note in my heart
the sweetest ache in my memory
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11. |
Sunset
03:44
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sunset, seventy degrees
you and me and two weak knees
two weeks till september's on
two days more and then you're gone
the revelers have gone inside
i've something left to confide
it's obvious to everyone
they're expecting us to get it on
laughter sounds the best out loud
hate to disappoint the crowd
but you and i both know the stakes
bruised egos and more heartaches
what i want to do is dare
to simply speak and clear the air
i've know silence many times
and nothing hurts more
nothing hurts more
don't say if only that were this
there were here, then we could kiss
making up for everything
we have missed by covering
loved you for and instant here
now let's keep our distance dear
keep the sunset off our minds
keep the promises that bind
still, we had a splendid time
sunset, sixty-three degrees
one eternal moment seized
thank you for the reveries
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12. |
Water Song
03:17
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glint of silver and white
gleaming like the light's too bright
rainbow when the angle's just right
water joins water the splash of a liquid light
water joins water never putting up a fight
echo of a bells ring
feel the touch by listening
oh, the joy of whispering
water joins water I long to hear everything
water joins water never resists anything
feeling both young and old
becoming humble and bold
bigger than my skin can hold
water joins water you find life in every fold
water joins water a worthier friend than gold
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13. |
Me and My Friends
03:24
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Me and my friends
look each other in the eye
me and my friends
we don't flinch at love
we say it 'cause it's true
and even if it's not we
laugh and laugh and laugh
we know what to do
and even when we don't
we know what's true
me and my friends
we are not concerned with shame
me and my friends
we don't have a thing to prove
we open every door
and those that we find locked
we knock and knock and knock
we patiently stand by
and when the whole dam breaks
we cry and cry and cry
me and my friends
we assume that play feeds life
me and my friends
we will play with you for free
we'll dance until we're bare
and then we'll dance some more
our feet will feel the earth but never touch the ground
me and my friends
we are not convinced of death
me and my friends
we intend to leave
no crumbs
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Jonathan Brinkley Portland, Oregon
Portland-based artist Jonathan Brinkley travels a lot to share his music around the world. When not traveling, he's lived and worked on organic farms. The themes of growth, death, motion, and regeneration heard in his songs are influenced by both stillness and wandering. An undaunted dedication to truth-telling earns him a following of fans who connect to his music on a very personal level. ... more
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