WE'VE ALL GOT A STORY -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. TIKAL -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dsus2 Let me tell you a story of the city of Tikal A city on high that had a great fall Not from natural disaster or conquering war But because they poisoned the water in their own reservoir Cadd2 G Dsus2 It started out small a humble mountain spring Cadd2 G Dsus2 And people arrived and people started building Cadd2 G Dsus2 Palaces and temples and courts to play ball Cadd2 G Dsus2 But the little spring couldn't keep up with it all Dsus2 So they dug up a reservoir in the middle of town To catch the rain water as it fell to the ground It worked for a while the rain fell as i should So the city grew and grew as fast as it could And they leveled the forests for farms and their crops But they didn't know it was the trees that stopped The water from seeping deep deep down below And the reservoirs became dry as a a bone They painted the buildings in a glorious red Like crimson blood but it was mercury that bled Into what water remained then into the priests Fat on their corn and insane with disease Grow and grow, eat and eat Throw the scraps out into the street And on God's grace the now rare rain Cyanobacteria swirling all the drains The crops were all failing the leaders inept The people were poisoned the mothers all wept But you cannot drink tears and the rain wouldn't fall So they left it to ruin the city of Tikal (SUSTAINED CHORDS) Cadd2 G Dsus2 Why did I spin you this sad little yarn Cadd2 G Dsus2 About rainfall and ruins and algae and farms Cadd2 G Dsus2 There are many lessons to learn from this tragedy Cadd2 G Dsus2 But in the interest of time I'll leave you with three The first is it didn't happen all at the same time It took years to reach this state of decline No cataclysmic event to seal their fate Just recovering less and less each setback each day And the second one is related to the first That good leaders can fix what bad leaders made worse Bad after bad is a tough force to repel Good leaders can't come if you poison the well The third is they had to know that something wasn't right When the rain stopped falling and the priests lost their minds Green slime in the water and the food was all gone But they still couldn't correct the course they were on That's the story of the city of Tikal A city on high that had a great fall Not from natural disaster or conquering war But because they poisoned their own reservoir -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. RERUN DREAMS -------------------------------------------------------------------- A D A Last night I dreamnt that I was late to class F#m D E My teeth fell out and I fell off a cliff A D A They're the kind of dreams you can look up in a book F#m D E But I remember it wasn't always like this I used to dream of city scapes and caves Of love with people whom I've never met And I'd wake up excited and inspired And I'd write them down so I would not forget E D A But all I've left is rerun dreams G D A Syndicated on late night cathode beams E D A Nothing new to see because there's nothing left G D A Rerun dreams on a beat up TV set And the good ones would inspire wonder and though You take some time to contemplate the meaning But once you've seen the same old scene a thousand different times There's yawning in the focus group screening Yeah all I've left is rerun dreams Syndicated on late night cathode beams Nothing new to see because there's nothing left Rerun dreams on a beat up TV set And the daytime fare is not much better All the stories have turned to arguments and ads And there's no time left to wedge into the schedule I'd change the channel but they're all just as bad Yeah all I've left is rerun dreams Syndicated on late night cathode beams Nothing new to see because there's nothing left Rerun dreams on a beat up TV set Rerun dreams on a beat up TV set -------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. DARK WORDS, DARK WIRES -------------------------------------------------------------------- C Fled to a field of lilacs to hide G G7 Douse myself in the sunshine Gonna camoflage in the soothing colors C Disappear among the pleasing scent Fm But they stragled all the roots C And bound the limbs too G G7 C Sneaking through my footsteps as I went Fm C And you cannot run and you cannot hide Fm C You cannot go as far as their reach is wide Dm You're out of breath, there is no circumventing C G C Dark words, dark wires unrelenting Hunker down in a safehouse Laying low until the heat dies down Got a few friends who have walked this path They will keep me safe within their care I was isolated when I was in I was isolated when I wasn't in And they forget that I am sleeping under their stairs And they'll punish you harshly for your escape but it gets to the point where there's no other way To live a life of fear and anger is life that's not worth living Dark words, dark wires unforgiving I start to hear the mumurs when its quiet And I allow my mind to wander Try as I might to shut them out Without a doubt they always infiltrate They constrict as they surround In the walls and in the ground And you begin to think that this is all preordained But you know in your heart it is not true Tangled monsters in the closet trying to get you There's no escape, no rest and no relieving Dark words, dark wires unceasing -------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. MYSTERY -------------------------------------------------------------------- Emadd9 G GM7 Emadd9 It's like an old who-done-it novel G GM7 Started out when the deed is done Emadd9 Follow the trail intently G GM7 Piecing clues together one by one Emadd9 But the bad guy's hot on my tail G GM7 He's seeking out his revenge Emadd9 G GM7 The clock is ticking but the pieces don't make sense Am7 Oh oh oh They say G GM7 Am7 You will ruin the story if you skip to the last page G GM7 But I'm just dying to know Am7 Oh oh oh This ends G GM7 In a body bag or burning house or pair of concrete shoes Am7 D I'm just trying to solve the mystery D7 Emadd9 Of what happened to me and you Its like a cold case TV show Dusty boxes in a basement New evidence emerges An old memory of offhand statement And I'm back on the case I'm buried in the past Maybe this will crack it wide wide wide open at last Oh oh oh These files I've read a thousand times but there's nothing to take to trial And it happened so long ago Oh oh oh Its there somewhere And I will sift through this mess until I find the proof I'm still trying to solve the mystery Am7 G GM7 Of what happened to me and you Am7 D D7 I'm still trying Its like a cooked up urban legend That I'm starting to see through Tall tale gibberish that no one believes is true The stories we tell our children The stories that we all share Stories that don't add up and nobody cares Oh oh oh These myths Are rooted in mundane truths that did exist And everybody's got a version of their own Oh oh oh I doubt I will ever find out that little nugget of truth I may never solve the mystery Of what happened to me and you I may never never never I may never never never Solve the mystery of what happened to me and you -------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. PAINT THE WORLD -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bm Razor wires and fences D Snarling dog in a cage Bm D Em Gotta stop those kids from painting those trains They'd rather live in a battlefield world Surrounded by white washed walls They would live inside a prison if they had the controls G I want to paint the world Bm Paint it all anew Em D Em G I want to paint until bright colors shine through They don't give you nothing And they push you around You take it on the chin until the sun goes down You steal yourself a can of spray paint Give yourself a new name And you paint it in big block letters on a pristine train I want to paint the world Paint it all anew I want to paint until bright colors shine through I want to paint the world Paint it all anew I want to paint until bright colors shine through -------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. O DEATH -------------------------------------------------------------------- Am Darkened clouds across the sky Beginning's come so the end is nigh Awake ye slumber open your eyes Don your cloak and sharpen your scythe A year we huddled up inside The piercing sounds of shots subside But not the thoughts of twisted minds Or the implements of deadly might Disease is gone but trade for blight Of steel and powder dark as night A different sickness we can't fight At least unwilling to ever dry O death, O death, won't you spare me over for another year O death, O death, won't you spare me over for another year -------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. GOOD TO KNOW -------------------------------------------------------------------- E F#m They named the building after a monster B E That donated a very hefty sum E F#m Of money tainted by their reputation B E That could do some good now that their gone Am E But the name is fading ugly on the sign Am And the money is all spent F#m B But the name's not worth a dime It's good to know that bad people can still do some good It's good to know some are willing to forget And it's good to know that all your worldy riches Can't buy you redemption when you're dead -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. SIGNS POINT -------------------------------------------------------------------- C First snow of the season is melting on the roof Am Funny how it doesn't seem to snow as much as it used to C Second cup of coffee is keeping me awake Am Choking it down til my hands shake Dm G C Signs point to something isn't right Third time's a charm fixing ancient junk that broke Take a deep breath because this is the life you chose Fourth pill of aspirin for the new pain in my knees Why does everything keep breaking down on me Signs point to something isn't right Fifth day of the week and I'm limping my way out Waste my whole weekend with my head in the clouds Signs point to something isn't right -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. THIS HAMMER, THIS BRUSH -------------------------------------------------------------------- G Bm C G The hammer is a tool for making a way G Bm For driving nails and prying boards C D7 And breaking stones G Bm C G Weilded by will and determination G Bm C D7 An exchange of struggle for roads and homes C D Em G6 But these old hands grow tired of late C D Em G6 The muscles are sore and the skin is peeled C D Em G6 They'd rather go paint a landscape scene C D Em C And put down the hammer to heal The brush is a tool for imagination For desire or perspective or to countervail It moves worlds with ease in a square edged canvas Hung on the wall by a hammer and nail But these old hands grow tired of late The muscles are sore and the skin is peeled They'd rather go paint a landscape scene And put down the hammer to heal -------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. PERSEVERANCE WAKE -------------------------------------------------------------------- F C Rover perseverance Am Em Traveled a small distance F C G on a planet so far far away F C Collecting rock samples Am Em To see if there is ample F C G Evidence that life can be sustained And down there on the surface Single task and single purpose Six wheels and a five jointed arm Roaming the plains of red Not a concern in its head Silent sterile safe from any harm C E I wonder if two years later F C It'll be lonely in its crater F C Because I think that machines F G G7 Are made up like their makers C E7sus4 Remnants of Genesis F C Dust to dust and ashes to ashes F C How fitting our creation D D Em F Searches for life in the dust G G7 Like all of us And down on our blue marble Everything's distorted and garbled From the noise emitting from everything we make And we're stuck here in our places Like pods in deep sleep stasis Dreaming of perseverance wake I wonder if two years later It'll be lonely in its crater Because I think that machines Are made up like their makers Remnants of Genesis Dust to dust and ashes to ashes How fitting our creation Searches for life in the dust Like all of us Rover perseverance Traveled a small distance on a planet so far far away Collecting rock samples To see if there is ample Evidence that live can be sustained -------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. TOBACCO PLANT -------------------------------------------------------------------- C F C Em You know that we all love an underdog story Am G F C Of finding something you didn't know whas inside C F C Em Deep down in you in microscopic quantities Am G F C To save the world in just the nick of time You know that we all love a tale of redemption A dark past a secret a character flaw And our judgements were just a misconception And you turn around and prove us all wrong Am G You can be a super hero C F Or a walk off homerun Am G Or you can be a tobacco plant C F In the hot Kentucky sun Am G Yeah we've all got a story C F Yeah we all got a story C Everyone You know that we all love a happy ending Where every tunnel has a light When the bad guys are gone and the doom is done impending And everything turns out alright You can be a super hero Or a walk off homerun Or you can be a tobacco plant In the hot Kentucky sun Yeah we've all got a story Yeah we all got a story Everyone You know that we all love a story of hope Of saving grace and miracle cures For the times when we don't think that we can cope Its good to have a story like yours You can be a super hero Or a walk off homerun Or you can be a tobacco plant In the hot Kentucky sun Yeah we've all got a story Yeah we all got a story Everyone You can be a super hero Or a walk off homerun Or you can be a tobacco plant In the hot Kentucky sun Yeah we've all got a story Yeah we all got a story Yeah we've all got a story Yeah we all got a story Yeah we've all got a story Yeah we all got a story Everyone -------------------------------------------------------- 12/23/22 This is a collection of songs written primarily during the pademic of 2020 and 2021. During that time I put on a little internet show called Brian's Basement. It was the most creatively productive period of my life, and by a rough estimate I wrote nearly 200 songs. Most of them weren't very good, but a few of them turned out alright. These are some of the alright ones. I like that many of them have a lack of seriousness, which I think is due to not overthinking songwriting. I also recorded everything on a digital 4 track, which was a great experience. Special thanks to Scott for mixing help, The Lloyd Library for the album art, the band for helping me with the release show, and everyone that listened and gave feedback during the making of the album.