1. |
Take 21
02:34
|
|||
|
Maybe it's me, but it seems kinda humbling
How we lay concrete but can't keep it from crumbling.
Call me naïve, but you got me wondering
Why we got two good feet but prefer to keep stumbling.
Hey, stop—look both ways
Before crossing your heart at the end of the day.
It's not that we don't know that crime pays;
It's that someone else is cast as the criminal.
(She can't be talking about us; she's talking about them.)
'Cause, baby, you never killed nobody.
(No matter the mark, she must be trying to condemn.)
Go on, say that I am.
(Chorus)
Enough—you're raising a glass
To stocking up on sympathy and hoping it lasts.
Mine's up for some people of the past,
But I'd much rather toast it to all of you.
(She really needs to give it a rest, take life as it comes.)
'Cause you're one of the good people, right?
(Gather 'round and give it our best; we'll get this done.)
But it's take twenty-one.
(Chorus)
|
||||
2. |
Homecoming
02:53
|
|||
|
Morning, Sweetheart—how was the drive?
I'm happy to see You've arrived.
I'm all in a daze from Your natural rays.
I've got four words: will You be mine?
Can't look You in the eye, but that's fine all the same;
I'm honored You remember my name.
And I know that You'll speak if my hope is to hear it;
You'll whisper something sweet to put a song on my spirit.
These are the days I feel at home.
Soon are the days I'll be at home.
So tell me, Honey—how is Your life?
You're sure making mine pretty nice.
Pass me the pen; let's skip straight to the end.
Your three words won me over tonight.
I'm sorry that I haven't got it right,
But nevertheless, I'll keep doing my best.
Because I know that You'll cry by my side when I'm hopeless;
You'll paint a pretty sky to light a smile when I notice.
These are the days I feel at home.
Soon are the days I'll be at home.
These are the days I feel at home.
Gone are the days I walk alone.
|
||||
3. |
Chicago (Beacons)
02:10
|
|||
|
Chicago wind, you smell of cigars again,
But I'll still blow a kiss your way.
The rumors are true: we're steadily smothering you,
But it's my breath stolen today.
Not for the first time, my chest expands
For a breath as only you could understand.
It won't be the last time that I open my hand,
Try to catch a little beauty where I can, Chicago.
Chicago train, you're braving that labor pain,
Though your baby's bound to leave you down the road.
You've shown me the price of living this double life,
But you rock me and let me feel at home.
Does anyone ask you if your wheels get tired
Of turning down the freedom they desire?
Does ever it hit you that there's a murderous fire
Coursing through your each and every wire, Chicago?
Chicago lights, backdrop to that paradise
That lured me from the narrow and the straight.
The night that I ran was the night that my trouble began,
But your beacons never wandered in the wait, no.
I've got to tell you that the look in your eye,
The reason that they call you the shy (Chi)
Is the reason I love you. It's the way that you sigh,
The way your voice breaks when you cry, Chicago.
|
||||
4. |
5 AM
05:25
|
|||
|
You're the only one who'd meet me at 5 AM,
And that's fine, 'cause this piece of my mind isn't aimed at the rest of them.
Many a soldier couldn't sleep tonight and didn't wait for reveille to rise;
We climbed on the rooftops and sang as a choir that famous reprise:
Daddy, I asked you nice—so nice—to put up the fight till you won,
And all I got was a morning sky reading, "The doing's been done."
Love, where are you now?
Love, I did what you told me.
Hey, Love—I can't see you through the clouds.
Love, why don't you hold me?
They feel the hunger; everyone feels the hunger,
But they can't find the recipe to fill the void.
It's on the walls of prisons and soup kitchens,
But those aren't the places we like to set foot in;
We'd rather stay in bed than admit that the Son is risen.
You taught me to read, taught me to bleed,
Taught me that the story and the science agreed,
That I could and I should and I would be taking the lead.
But love, where are you now?
Love, I did what you told me.
Hey, Love—I can't see you through the clouds.
Love, why don't you hold me?
Was it something I did? ...was it something I said?
Should I have asked for something instead?
Is it the dark before the dawn, or the storm before the calm,
Or a road I should never have been on? This is too much for me,
Love, where are you now?
Love, I did what you told me, and look where I got me, Love;
I can't see you through the clouds.
Love, why won't you hold me?
If only you knew that I'm right beside you; I hear you.
You've gotta believe me; I know that that wasn't easy, love.
Don't give up yet—it's alright, just don't forget that,
Love, with all my heart, I want you to hold me.
|
||||
5. |
Highway
04:47
|
|||
|
Friday left me kind of vacant;
The highway's an easy escape
So I hit the city, hoping that an ailment
Would put the whole world back in its place.
And as if I need someone else to make a statement
To rub my deviance up in my face,
I see a magazine plastered on the pavement
Like some kind of X-rated paper mâché.
(It's not bold, bold to do what you're told.)
But I'm not along for the ride; listen to me, you can…
(Tell me, tell me that I'm being controlled.)
But I made up my mind to…
Keep the faith and follow through.
There's always a price to pay for staying true.
If you walk that way, you'll be one of the few.
I could tell you I feel okay, but that's not what I'm trying to do
Well, I could tell you I feel okay, but I don't feel like lying to you.
These people leave me impatient;
I'm hurting to be back home;
It's getting harder to watch a solution so blatant
Be so blatantly disowned.
You can say my philosophy's ancient
And that it's soon to be outgrown,
But when your life hits a final cadence
You might wish you didn't walk it alone.
(It's not bold, bold to do what you're told.)
But I've got my pride. Hear me out now, you can…
(Tell me, tell me that I'm being controlled.)
No matter what you tell me, I'm still inclined to…
(Chorus)
Some people walk that way,
Some people talk that way.
If you walk that way,
You'll be one of the few.
Some people walk that way
Or sit back and talk that way.
If you walk that way,
You'll be one of the few.
|
||||
6. |
Take It To Go feat. Rico
04:30
|
|||
|
Pick me up at 8 in the park and we could hit the road,
Driving 'til the day goes dark and the headlights glow.
I think I had a very good reason for telling you no,
But we could bottle up a brand new season and take it to go.
|
||||
If you like Alma Cook, you may also like:
An Orange Colored Day
by Arima Ederra
The Los Angeles-based R&B singer's latest album acknowledges that changes are just a part of the journey.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio May 2, 2017
go to album
Final Days
by Arjuna Oakes & Serebii
featured on Bandcamp Radio Sep 20, 2022
go to album
Untitled (Demo Album)
by Bembe Segue
featured on Bandcamp Radio Dec 31, 2013
go to album
Patiently, We Bloom
by Diggs Duke
featured on Bandcamp Radio Jan 30, 2024
go to album
L.A. duo John and Anastasia offer fizzy electropop with alluring melodies and neon-like synths.
go to album
First Nights
by Arjuna Oakes & Serebii
featured on Bandcamp Radio Aug 10, 2021
go to album
