Get all 12 The Altogether releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Fences, Background Noise / Spinning, Fences / Waiting for You, I Swear / Sweet Ida, Dance on the Walls: The Songs of Twelfth Night - EP, A Christmas Couplet, Silo, Slowly (feat. Karen Han), and 4 more.
1. |
||||
Stop what you’re doing right there
You’re looking like a queen with beauty to spare
Stop what you’re doing right there
You’re giving me the thrill of a millionaire
It was a crowded space
I threw my money down
I threw my money down
And gave myself a taste of the high life
So stop what you’re doing right there
And come along with me, it’s a beauty I swear
She stopped what she was doing right there
The fire in her eyes and the moon in her hair
There was an old tip jar
And a microphone
There was a microphone
And an old guitar
I’m gonna play it, but first I want to say
Your heart sure showed mine a real good time
Angels calling your name
But we paid them off and that’s just fine
I’ll show you what it means
Even cowboys like me have dreams
And you were the queen of every last one of mine
I learned everything that I know
From a colorful girl in a world less so
Yes I learned everything that I know
From a whip-smart, jump-start star of the show
She was the star of the show
And I still remember it, too
Some day in early November
Tucked in among the other freckled covergirls
And their feather boa constrictors
And longing for the warm sand between her toes
She took her first fumbling steps toward me
Maybe she was waiting for me
Or maybe she was just waiting for someone
There’s no use now getting caught up on knowing the difference
See it’s only a fool who never really understood
What he had to begin with
Who questions how it ever came to be
But your heart sure showed mine a real good time
Angels calling your name
But we paid them off and that’s just fine
I’ll show you what it means
Even cowboys like me have dreams
And you were the queen of every last one of mine
Oh yeah and you sure showed me a real good time
Angels calling your name
But we paid them off and that’s just fine
I’ll show you what it means
Even cowboys like me have dreams
And you were the queen of every last one of mine
|
||||
2. |
Ben Gunn
04:47
|
|||
The table’s all wiped clean of the day’s madness
The children put to bed without a sound
And it’s nights like these when left to my own musings
That I wonder if the old man’s still around
Two dozen years ago I set sail from the harbor
Seeking solace from a grief that struck by land
Three dozen honest men all simply seeking fortune
Till the mutineers among them showed their hand
So slipping through the cracks unnoticed like the sea foam
As the captain and the cook each made their plans
Youth and vigor all I had as I made landfall
Soon to find that I had crashed on Ben Gunn’s sands
And I, after all these years
Have longed to his that voice among the trees again
If only just to calm these fears
That he might end up like the rest of them
Old Ben
Through the skirmishes and scuffles on the island
By the men who overestimate their worth
Old Ben took me by the scruff and shared the secrets
Of the prospect of escape from a hidden berth
And his words escaped like steam right from a kettle
Spilling endlessly in all directions known
And his wits though surely hanging by a thread now
Proved to be all that we’d need to keep from dying here alone
Quite the gentleman of fortune as he once was
Trading almost all his gold for a ride home
He contemplated where he stood now with the Savior
Never knowing he himself was my own
And I, after all these years
Have longed to hear his voice among the trees again
If only just to calm these fears
That he might end up like the rest of them
Old Ben
So we landed and disbanded here in Bristol
Where I thought it best to settle with a wife
And for a while I heard some stories of the old man
Robbed of currency but given back a life
Some contend he settled quickly into drinking
Others still say he roams wordless like a ghost
But I have to think that, with two eyes and two legs yet
For his kind he’s faring better than most
And I, after all these years
Have longed to hear that voice among the trees again
If only just to calm these fears
That he turned out just like the rest of them
Old Ben
|
||||
3. |
Bad News
02:57
|
|||
Walking around as though
You’ve got nothing to say
And I’m talking around in circles
Just like yesterday
So tell me can you hear me?
Did you break the bad news?
Tell me did she hear you?
Or is she still in your bed?
Wake up, makeup
Breakup, it don’t enter her mind
She hears what she wants to
Till you stop being kind
So did you find the courage?
Did you break the bad news?
Did she start to crying?
Or is she still in your bed?
Nine years down the drain
Oh shame this cruel twist of fate
Ask me though and I’ll say
This was nine years too late
So tell me can you hear me?
Did you break the bad news?
Tell me did she hear you?
Or is she still in your head?
|
||||
4. |
Sweet Ida
04:21
|
|||
I lost the plot somewhere in Brooklyn
I’m running in circles, dear
I know it’s hard to hear
But once the world stopped being small
My hands just lost the strength to hold it all
So take me driving like you once did
As soon as my hat flies off
You’ll see what’s underneath
The golden memories of this human race
Left marble tombstones standing in their place
Sweet Ida
I’ve been tied down into growing old
But these ropes won’t hold
Because Ida
Knows inside of me there’s still some child
Ready to run wild
As she sits by the banks of all my good days
And she ripples the water while the band plays
For her and I
My legs aren’t working like they used to
But out on the floor I’m sure
I’m more or less the same
I never knew quite how the movement goes
I think some things are best left to the pros
But every now and then I hear the voice again
The one who believes I can’t
Ignore it for too long
He tells me he’s an angel of some kind
The rest I swear it must have slipped my mind
Sweet Ida
I’ve been tied down into growing old
But these ropes won’t hold
Because Ida
Knows inside of me there’s still some child
Ready to run wild
As she sits by the banks of all my good days
And she ripples the water while the band plays
For her and I
For her and I
For her and I
For her and I
For her and I
Sweet Ida
I’ve been growing old
But Ida
Knows inside of me there’s still some child
Ready to run wild
She ripples the water while the band plays
For her and I
Sweet Ida
I’ve been tied down into growing old
But these ropes won’t hold
Because Ida
Knows inside of me there’s still some child
Ready to run wild
As she sits by the banks of all my good days
And she ripples the water while the band plays
For her and I
|
||||
5. |
Fences (The Heat)
03:43
|
|||
I want sunny days
But I can’t take the heat
And I want to dance all night long
But I got two left feet
So won’t you take me out
And show me how to use my senses
Shake me out
A rookie caught in his defenses
But when I break out
I’m swinging for the fences
I made friends with the clock
It seems I’ve got the touch
We both got two hands
That don’t get used for much
So won’t you take me out
And show me how to use my senses
Shake me out
A rookie caught in his defenses
But when I break out
I’m swinging for the fences
I can’t take the heat
I can’t take the heat
I can’t take the, I can’t take the heat
No, I said I can’t take the heat
You’re a sunny day
Fair and fresh and fine
You’re everything I need
I just wish you were mine
So won’t you take me out
And fill these cracks before they’re trenches
Shake me out
I got no need for consequences
‘Cause when I break out
I’m jumping all these fences
I can’t take the heat
I can’t take the heat
I can’t take the, I can’t take the heat
Take the heat
Take the
I can’t take the heat, no
|
||||
6. |
Curiosity
02:41
|
|||
I may not be playing in time
And I may not sing every rhyme
But I’ll sing for you, my darling
You may not remember the tune
But I think it’ll catch on soon
When I sing for you, my darling
I see through a picture frame
Decorated with your name
When I think about your loving
Somehow you will know that I’m
Smiling, singing every time
I think of you, my darling
Be thou tonight
A star through the canopy
A sliver of light
Forever you’re guiding me
Tame my restless energy
A never ending spending spree
Chase me through the darkened waters
Shake me up and wring me out
Show me what your love’s about
Take me back to the beginning
Take me back with you, my darling
Be thou tonight
A star through the canopy
A sliver of light
Forever you’re guiding me
|
||||
7. |
Background Noise
03:43
|
|||
I’m on my guard
To keep it sweet and low
While you’re working hard
To figure out the guest list
And send the cards
And plan a dead man’s wedding today
So soak it up
Your life is but my dream
That I’ve woken from
And fate’s a big believer
In jokes and fun
So my life is a sitcom now
Then why do I feel like background noise?
You want me around but it’s not your choice
If I’m just the sound that will fill some void
To be locked away with the junk and toys
I’m background noise
I fade to black
If I keep up my living
Between the cracks
I gave you all I had
Asked for nothing back
And that’s exactly what I got
So pack the house
Grab the young believers
Share your whereabouts
And throw your polished stories
To the sea of shouts
But if it’s not their cheering that you hear
Then maybe it’s just my background noise
You want me around but it’s not your choice
If I’m just the sound that will fill some void
To be locked away with the junk and toys
I’m background noise, yeah
Background noise, yeah
I’m background noise, yeah
I’m on my guard
To keep it sweet and low
While you’re working hard
Background noise
You want me around but it’s not your choice
If I’m just the sound that will fill some void
To be locked away with the junk and toys
I’m background noise, yeah
I’m background noise, yeah
I’m background noise, yeah
|
||||
8. |
Spinning (The Saucer)
02:38
|
|||
Flying saucers all around my head
Spin, spin, spin, spin, spin
Well it’s been a long long time
Since I achieved a mighty oneness with the din
I sometimes wonder if I strike one down
Spin, spin, spin, spin, spin
Would it leave a gap that’s big enough
For me to dash right through and leave my skin?
And if so where would it attach itself?
Spin, spin, spin, spin, spin
To some unsuspecting boy
Who’s felt the shell of his protection wearing thin?
So this is me choosing to let it be
Spin, spin, spin, spin, spin
Because no one ever said
To wear a crown you also have to wear a grin
We’ve all got our own
When the lightning and the thunder
Come to plunder what you’ve grown
We’ve all seen the face
Of the dizziness of business
That’s spinning round
And spinning round
And spinning round
And all around the place
Flying saucers all around my head
Ooh, ooh
Flying saucers all around my head
Ooh, ooh
|
||||
9. |
Change
03:18
|
|||
So you changed your hair
Well I changed the way I think
About the way that you changed your hair
I woke up one day and said
Well she’d still have a head
Even if it’s bare
And I want to change
I want to change with you
It’s only twelve feet wide
But these people put a fence
Around the grass outside
Keeping the only living thing
In their possession alive
Cause folks will come by
And step on it
If they don’t think it’s strange
I hope that changes too
And they stroll along
With their white suits on
And as soon as they feel rain
They run until they’re out of range
Of the sands of time
And all the winds of change
So you changed your hair
Well I’m trying to change the rules
So honey why stop there?
Go on and change your life
Go under the knife
And see if I care
I’ll just rearrange
‘Cause I’ve got change to spare
And it’s only twelve o’clock
But these people all had drinks
And now they think that they
Own the block
Putting fences up around
Their indefensible flock
And I hope they change
But change like that is rare
And they stroll along
With their white suits on
And as soon as they feel rain
They run until they’re out of range
Of the sands of time
And all the winds of change
|
||||
10. |
The Way She Left
04:05
|
|||
The way she left
She left us frozen with wide open faces
She left a swarm of cool friends in high places
And some would call it theft
The way she left
The way she left
She left us standing in a field with wet clothes
A campaign of seeds that no one else grows
Now everybody knows the meaning of bereft
I suppose it’s in the way she left
So if you see me stumble down the road
Under the stars
Another break
I wonder how did all these lights go out
You’re looking at a man
Who thought to take her hand
And run
Another blade the world persuaded
Not to pierce the doubt
I’m just like the rest of you
No worse than the best of you
The way she left
She left me scrubbing at these memories
She left a monster that spits locks and eats keys
It’s madness or it’s deft
The way she left
So if you see me stumble down the road
Under the stars
Another break
I wonder how did all these lights go out
You’re looking at a man
Who thought to take her hand
And run
Another blade the world persuaded
Not to pierce the doubt
I’m just like the rest of you
No worse than the best of you
The way she left
It’s black, white, or grey, but it’s certainly blue
A certain feeling that maybe I should leave too
‘Cause some would call it theft
The way she left
|
||||
11. |
Strawberry Moon
03:36
|
|||
Strawberry moon
It’s been one year
Of windless nights
At the harbor blue
Ooh I curse the day the magic lantern departed
We were just getting started
Off to chart the uncharted
Strawberry moon
But she loves me well
She dressed up too
And right on cue
Girl slow down, I think you might not have noticed
That Linklater wrote us
Into Chivo’s soft focus
How do I see you tonight?
How do I see you tonight?
How do I see you tonight?
How do I see you tonight?
Strawberry moon
Well I taught myself
To wait for you
And she waited too
Ooh and Morricone made a tune that suits us
While Robbins uproots us
To the cannon that shoots us
Up to the strawberry moon
How do I see you tonight?
How do I see you tonight?
How do I see you tonight?
How do I see you tonight?
I want to see you tonight
How do I see you tonight?
How do I see you tonight?
How do I see you tonight?
|
||||
12. |
Hsiao (The Flower)
02:53
|
|||
Another flower growing in the garden
Another hour in the setting sun
And as the springtime begs the winter’s pardon
Another chance to grow another one
But right now
It’s time to say goodnight, my baby
It’s time to say goodnight
You’ve got your mother wrapped around your finger
You’ve got your fingers wrapped around her hand
You’ve turned your father into the family singer
It’s funnier than you might understand right now
It’s time to say goodnight, my baby
It’s time to say goodnight
And in your slumber, marching through the meadow
Dirt in your hands, adventure in your heart
You stop to think, though you can’t recall who said so
That when you wake is when the real adventure starts
But right now
It’s time to say goodnight, my baby
It’s time to say goodnight
It’s time to say goodnight, my baby
It’s time to say goodnight
|
||||
13. |
Betty Smiled
03:25
|
|||
Betty smiled when they told her she might make it
She said it’s wild to think my life could be this way
You know fame is fortune’s brother
Right when any working mother with a child
Gets a chance and say she’ll take it
So Betty smiled
Betty cried when they called back for a callback
She nearly died when she heard the judge’s voice
You know fame’s on the horizon
Like a star that’s slowly rising with the tide
Feeling pride in all its choices
So Betty smiled
Betty smiled
Got her makeup done and hair brushed out and styled
Go on out and knock ‘em dead
Just sing the song inside your head
And drive ‘em wild, get ‘em riled
Betty smiled
Betty’s trial was by fire and fear and fashion
All the while she could see them in their chairs
Now the fame is their decision
And she has to share their vision, at least try
Or it’s goodbye to all that passion
Betty lies on the bed feeling nothing
Though she tried, in the end she felt the sting
Then her girl comes rushing in
Sporting some unruly grin
Saying mom, sing the song that sounds like springtime
So Betty smiled
Betty smiled
Got her makeup done and hair brushed out and styled
Go on out and knock ‘em dead
Just sing the song inside your head
And drive ‘em wild, get ‘em riled
Betty smiled
Drive ‘em wild, get ‘em riled
Betty smiled
Drive ‘em wild, get ‘em riled
Betty smiled
|
||||
14. |
||||
We got a full moon on the Fourth of July
The lightning bugs are gliding through the sky
So why is it that with this perfect view
The only thing my eyes can see is you
The promenade still shimmers from the heat
The luminescent pulsing to the beat
Of fireworks I’m sure they’d see from space
That only seem to serve to light your face
And it’s so beautiful
It’s all I want to know
So hold me tight and steer me right
And if that cold wind blows
It’s all I’ve got to show
That I’m not losing every fight
And so we move on to the edge of the night
This town is like some tight shirt that don’t fit right
But looking through the glass and past the frames
I see the streets that soon will bear our names
And it’s so beautiful
It’s all I want to know
So hold me tight and steer me right
And if that cold wind blows
It’s all I’ve got to show
That I’m not losing every fight
We got a full moon on the Fourth of July
The lightning bugs are gliding through the sky
The purple sinking deeper into blue
And piercing it with fire as they flew
And soon they all recede from sight
But the world around me still looks bright
I’m at the center of the night with you
|
||||
15. |
I Swear
03:34
|
|||
What did she say
And what did I not say back
This time?
You’re turning your head
Saying friends don’t just talk like that
It’s fine
Well I swear I didn’t swear
I didn’t think I couldn’t handle myself there
‘Cause if push came to shove
The ones I love
Would take the blade to ones who care
Throw me to the sea
I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day
And she’s expecting me
With hips that she moved
And lips that she only used
To lie
She drew me in
And I drew the line and said
Goodbye
But I swear I didn’t swear
I didn’t think I couldn’t handle myself there
‘Cause if push came to shove
The ones I love
Would take the blade to ones who care
Throw me to the sea
I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day
And she’s expecting me
So take me out,
C’mon take me out
Take me out
Just take me out
‘Cause we’re floating high enough
To see the contours of the earth
I don’t know why you think I’d settle
For that dirty rock
If I crash the landing where she’s standing
Do you think we’d hear her say
I swear I didn’t swear
I didn’t think
I couldn’t handle myself there
But if push comes to shove
The ones I love
Will take the blade to ones who care
Go on and throw me to the sea
I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day
And she’s expecting me
So take me out
Just take me out
Take me out
And throw me to the sea
I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day
And she’s expecting me
|
||||
16. |
The Asteroid Belt
03:28
|
|||
The asteroid belt
The decorations in the sky
You wear it like an heirloom in your prime
The siren moon
The waterfalls that catch your smile
Convert it into something we can buy
To see you just one time I’d cross the world
At least I’d like to try
A silent fire
The leaking love that no one’s plugged
They’re only gonna notice when it’s gone
And the asteroid belt
Accessorize the lives
Of all the troubled souls its weight is placed upon
Below this city sleeps but doesn’t dream
They’re only gonna notice when you’re gone
The asteroid belt
|
||||
17. |
Just for Fun 3
00:54
|
|||
18. |
||||
[Jonah]
Little lives here in my pocket
That I must have lived
When I was a wall
I take them out, send them all rolling
‘Cause now I’m a bridge
That stands twice as tall
I love the love I know
The world was shape-shifting
I thought I might too
While I was waiting for you
[Martina]
Little loves here at my window
That came in a flash
And stayed just as long
The forest fires clearing my heart out
They only left ash
Love only felt wrong
I love the love I see
I lived for the moment
What else could I do?
While I was waiting for you
[Both]
Little trees here on these hillsides
That used to be bare
I used to not care
Nowadays everything’s growing
When you’re standing there
It’s almost unfair
I love the love we feel
It’s every long shot I knew wouldn’t come true
While I was waiting for you
|
||||
19. |
||||
[Brian]
The brim of his cup couldn't hide his smile
No the brim of his cup couldn't hide his smile
When I told the old man I know it’s been a while
But I remember the old days
We used to be the kings of this desert town
Yeah we used to be the kings of this desert town
We both had ladies with wavy hair of brown
That Jubal and I
He sipped and, ever clever, quipped
I see you haven't ditched your script
That hasn't been rewritten all this time
[Both]
Now Jubal and I watch the clouds in the sky
Burn away as we're singing a song
The sights and the smells that the old man tells me
I've missed have been here all along
[Brian]
The brim of his cup couldn't hide his smile
No the brim of his cup couldn't hide his smile
I studied the old man's face for a while
I studied his old ways
Around and around he was taking me
Around and around in his memories
But I found they just wound up ground up into tea
That we were sipping on
[Both]
And as he headed out the door
I asked him what do you live for
[Jonah]
Without a blink, he answered
Here and now
[Both]
Now Jubal and I watch the clouds in the sky
Burn away as we're singing a song
The sights and the smells that the old man tells me
I've missed have been here all along
Now Jubal and I watch the clouds in the sky
Burn away as we're singing a song
The sights and the smells that the old man tells me
I've missed have been here all along
Now Jubal and I watch the clouds in the sky
Burn away as we're singing a song
The sights and the smells that the old man tells me
I've missed have been here
All along
|
||||
20. |
Dance at Your Wedding
04:19
|
|||
I could never find these words
And you could never find this time
And even though your truth still hurts
I believe I owe you mine
And fallen trees may still have seeds to give
And we’ve got lives to live
And it’s OK, it’s OK
Sometimes love is unrequited
But at the end of the day
There’s nothing about all this that I’m regretting
I’d still dance at your wedding
If I’m invited
When “September” gives its way
To “December 1963”
If I’m still dancing then, I’d say
The past ain’t got no hold on me
And once I’ve fought my battle with the blues
I’m ready for I-dos
And it’s OK, it’s OK
Sometimes love is unrequited
But at the end of the day
There’s nothing about all this that I’m regretting
I’d still dance at your wedding
If I’m invited
And I’m still dancing
Yeah I’m still dancing
And I’m still dancing
Fallen trees may still have seeds to give
And we’ve got lives to live
So it’s OK, it’s OK
Sometimes love is unrequited
But at the end of the day
There’s nothing about all this that I’m regretting
I’d still dance at your wedding
If I’m invited
And I’m still dancing
|
||||
21. |
||||
Well it’s a lot
A lot of food for one boy to eat
But I’m a lot
A lot of man for one boy to be
I took my love to the banks of the river
Told her we could win
I took my love to the banks of the river
And I tossed her in
And I’ve got demons
You’ve got dreams
You hear love songs, baby
But I hear screams!
Nothing will come of it Joe
Empty your mind and let go
Nobody needs your two cents
Nobody comes to that show
Change if it happens is slow
Empty your mind and let go
Nobody needs your two cents
Nothing will come of it Joe
Well it’s a lot
A lot of food for one boy to eat
But I’m a lot
A lot of man for one boy to be
I took my love to the banks of the river
Told her we could win
I took my love to the banks of the river
And I tossed her in
And I’ve got demons
You’ve got dreams
You’ve got your love songs, honey
But I hear screams!
Nothing will come of it Joe
Empty your mind and let go
Nobody needs your two cents
Nobody comes to that show
Change if it happens is slow
Empty your mind and let go
Nobody needs your two cents
Nothing will come of it Joe
Nothing will come of it Joe
Empty your mind and let go
Nobody needs your two cents
Nobody comes to that show
Maybe we’re all running late
Maybe we’re carrying freight
Chopping the cherry trees down
And letting the thorn bushes grow
Nothing will come of it Joe
Empty your mind and let go
Nobody needs your two cents
Nobody comes to that show
Maybe we’re all running late
Maybe we’re carrying freight
Chopping the cherry trees down
And letting the thorn bushes grow
|
Streaming and Download help
If you like The Altogether, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp