1. |
Electric Rain
03:38
|
|||
|
We’re walking back as the sky grows dark
I’m feeling older but the park still looks the same
Like a snapshot in a frame
You can read me like an open book
Careful with the pages, I’m as frail as I look, you know
From the cold electric rain
Falling fast always scared me to death
Will I do it again or will the spark just slowly fade?
Will I blow out the flame
I’ve seen it happen many times before
An insecure mind can’t expect much more, oh no
From the cold electric rain
But something tells me that you care
And you must’ve caught me as I came up for air
So I think it’s worth the chance
I see it when our thoughts collide
Everyone’s gone home but you and I remain
For once I know what to say
I see it when I talk to you
Under this umbrella where there’s room for two to escape
The cold electric rain
|
||||
2. |
Am I Just Letting Go?
04:11
|
|||
|
“They aren’t long, the days of wine and roses,”
I always tell myself,
“With every door that opens, another closes.”
But every wind feels like
Someone’s breathing down my neck. So I
I try to live in the moment before it’s gone
When they open their mouths to speak, I try to listen
better than I have before
But there’s a distance between us growing
like a chasm’s split the floor
And I know next year
They won’t be here, but even if they stayed
it wouldn’t be the same
So let me ask: am I just letting go?
Is falling out of touch better than being left out in the snow?
Doesn’t mean I care less cuz we both did our best
I think I’m just letting go
Remember those cool spring nights on the roof
Mr. Tillman playing to the view?
High, above the Boston skyline,
We serenaded the city through June
But before too long,
those days felt numbered and then were gone
Gone when the seasons shifted
(repeat chorus)
And no, I don’t blame them for moving on
Is the pain of the leaving even worth them being gone?
Or will I just regret not drinking the chalice
of yesterday’s wine?
(repeat chorus)
|
||||
3. |
Dear Grace
03:59
|
|||
|
Dear Grace
It’s Christmas Eve, 1943
We’re staying in a building tonight
It’s really not that bad, the boys and me always laugh
At the letters our mothers will write
But how are the kids? Did they get my gifts?
Have the trees in Nebraska gone white?
Seeing the moon, I’ll write again soon,
But I think I should turn off my light
Dear Grace
It’s June 1944, soon we’ll be riding to the shore
Of a beach somewhere off the coast of France
We’ll be gliding on waves and the hours turn to days
And the mist will put us all in a trance
Don’t be too concerned, the tide's starting to turn
At least that’s what the general says
I want to apologize, I can’t write as much as I’d like
But we’ve all gotta sacrifice I guess
Dear Grace
I think it’s 1945, if you’re reading this it’s likely I’m not alive
I’m giving this to Private Thomas anyway
Our plane was shot down over an obscure German town
They dragged us from the wreckage and flames
Tom and I agreed if one of us should flee
We’d bring a letter home to lessen the pain
But right now I’m looking at the sky, the rain’s starting to dry
And it’s turning into a beautiful day
|
||||
4. |
I'm Seeing Clear
02:36
|
|||
|
spacing
all the time
spiraling in all the wrong things I could say
facing
a wildfire
all I really knew was that I had to get away
but when I wake up in the morning
and the sun peers through the blinds
things just seem different when I’m down here
the truth will set you free
but it’ll punch you in the eyes
for the first time in my life I’m seeing clear
panic
passes fast
“just like starting over” someone once told me
I’m standing
but I gotta ask
Am I the only guy who’s a character in his own story?
cuz when I wake up in the morning
and the sun peers through the blinds
things just seem different when I’m down here
the truth will set you free
but it’ll punch you in the eyes
for the first time in my life I’m seeing clear
I feel strangely optimistic
Something I haven’t been before
Now I’ve got the means
To sweep my past up from the floor
And use it as a ladder to the door
and when I wake up in the morning
and the sun peers through the blinds
things just seem different when I’m down here
the truth will set you free
but it’ll punch you in the eyes
for the first time in my life I’m seeing clear
|
||||
5. |
||||
|
You were a lighthouse in the dark
To help me through my teenage years
It’s a shame I kept your name in a silver frame
Like some lucky souvenir
And at night I’d dream about you
And all the fortune that you’d bring
In my ignorant mind I thought I might dine
With the queens and kings
But high up in the clouds
When I finally saw the top
Something just seemed a little off…
Cuz I came looking for answers
While you looked out for yourself and
When I asked you my questions
You said be someone else
Now I know the truth about you
And no, you’re not that hard to see right through
You’re proud of being “cutting edge”
But you’re a step behind the game
So focused on your relevance
You forgot my fucking name
And you pitched us to the ditch
Once we’d outlived our use
At least you gave us thread and rope
To tie our own noose
And high up in the clouds
Is not that high at all
And the lighthouse is only two feet tall
Cuz I came looking for answers
While you looked out for yourself and
When I asked you my questions
You said be someone else
Now I know the truth about you
And no, you’re not that hard to see right through
|
||||
6. |
||||
|
Sam took a look at his drawing
His artwork was nearly complete
There was a king, in a shiny chariot,
Composing a restless and impulsive tweet
There were few who remained in the crowd
As the party marched on parade
And the crowd gave a bored salute to
The royal family of the United States
"In aisle one you can learn to start smoking
Aisle two’s got the ways you can quit
And the drugs are laced with all the murders
They don’t have the guts to commit"
This one was Bella’s story
Wise beyond her years at any rate
Points a small but angry finger
At the royal family of the United States
These worlds these children create
Will go unheard, unread, and unseen
Art, of course, isn’t important
That’s what the senators agreed
And Sam and Bella need to learn
Just to follow where the path leads
I don’t mean to sound pessimistic
I don’t mean to preach or to condescend
But if I’m some hazy cynic to you
That’s the pot calling the weed green, my friend
Cuz we all look away, so we’re all to blame
As young artists are all laid to waste
In caskets that were paid for
By the royal family of the United States
|
||||
7. |
Remember My Name
03:34
|
|||
|
Sitting in an armchair by an empty fireplace, while
Rain races down the windowpane
The fog hangs low inside your mind
Losing time
You’re trying to remember while I’m trying to forget
Ten seconds pass you ask again
It’s easy to become annoyed
Losing joy
Ooooh
I know you’re not to blame
When you don’t remember my name
You’re telling me a story but I’ve heard it all before
About how things were before the war
I recite the lines inside my head
While they’re said
When films and books and dreams become reality
I think it’s no use to disagree
I’ve learned to force a laugh on cue
Just for you
Ooooh
I know you’re not to blame
When you don’t remember my name
Maybe I should’ve called more
Before the door to your mind closed shut
My gut stings with regret
I watch the sun set
On all the things that you forget
Looking forward to the time that we have left
I’m looking at my father’s eyes as he looks right at you
Wishing he’ll never wear those shoes
Afraid of knowing what’s to come
Playing dumb
Pictures from the past hang fading on the wall
London in spring, Rome in the fall
They’ll remind us of the times we spent
In the end
Ooooh
I know you’re not to blame
When you don’t remember my name
|
||||
8. |
The Lost Weekend
03:46
|
|||
|
It’s getting to that time of year
When the songs that you sang are all I can hear
And the strength that I’ve gained is starting to fade
And crack like a bowl made of old paint and clay
Just when I thought I saw the end
Of my lost weekend
|
||||
9. |
Maudlin Masquerade
02:52
|
|||
|
There were cat-men, bird-men
Pink and blue absurd men
Dancing on the floor that night
Nothing much has changed, I thought
The cliques were not too hard to spot
So I turned around
Down the hallway running
Eyeliner smeared across their faces
I stood in shock as they rushed back to their places
Basking in the haze of their glory days
I couldn’t tear my eyes away
I think I’ll wait right here till it’s over
Maudlin Masquerade
"Where’s the time gone?" chimed John
To over-served wine moms
The drinks had started getting to him
The preppy and the popular
and the pill-poppin’ pornographer
I always felt better on the outside anyway
And over in the corner,
Mikey and Val were making up again
To my horror, it was the same as it’s always been
Basking in the haze of their glory days
I couldn’t tear my eyes away
I think I’ll wait right here till it’s over
Maudlin Masquerade
Basking in the haze of their glory days
I couldn’t tear my eyes away
I think I’ll wait right here till it’s over
Maudlin Masquerade
Dancing in the rays of their golden days
There wasn’t nothin’ I could say
I think I’ll wait right here till it’s over
Maudlin Masquerade
|
||||
10. |
Ten Years After All
04:48
|
|||
|
Wednesday morning took a walk around the block
Eighty one degrees never felt colder
All these years I’ve practiced saying goodbye
But all I’m really better at is getting older
But my love is just another kind of darkness you’ve been thinking of
And sorry it’s not the one you wanted anymore
And what good is me just standing here reminding you there’s no need to fear
It’s only been ten years after all
I’ve gotten used to spitting fire from my pen
But now it seems the words have left my page
What good can writing do if you’re dying too
And I’m not there to see you when you change
But my love is just another kind of darkness you’ve been thinking of
And sorry it’s not the one you wanted anymore
And what good is me just standing here reminding you there’s no need to fear
It’s only been ten years after all
It’s hard to see the point
I create to fill the void
And I can’t be happy on my own
So I could write to just distract
But that won’t bring you back
From the place you’ve gone where no one else can go
Let it go
But my love is just another kind of darkness you’ve been thinking of
And sorry it’s not the one you wanted anymore
And what good is me just standing here reminding you there’s no need to fear
It’s only been ten years after all
|
||||
Luke Frees Chicago, Illinois
I'm a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer, and producer living in Chicago. My songs are melodic and have a strong emphasis on narratives, with lyrics that often tell a story.
If you like Luke Frees, you may also like:
Thin Lear's sophisticated rock music is tempered with soaring chamber pop accents and an undeniable gift for melody.
go to album
1990s-era indie-folk sounds back songs about love and identity on this project from the Florida-based artist.
go to album
Deep soul melodies and elastic funk grooves light up the latest from Sivu.
go to album
Self-Quarantine - A Collection of Recordings for the Greater Good
by Self-Quarantine Compilation
Twenty-three delightful indiepop and bedroom folk tracks that emphasize small arrangement and huge hooks, benefitting Feeding America.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Aug 2, 2016
go to album
Nobody Knows Anything
by Alex Highton
featured on Bandcamp Radio Dec 9, 2014
go to album
The debut LP from Allen Epley (Shiner, The Life and Times) blends '70s-style folk/pop songwriting with dreamy, swirling alt-rock.
go to album
