1. |
Hands Up
05:48
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Today my red white and blue wears black
When colors run like they did
No one’s coming back
Hands up
Hands up
We wake
We make our meaning
Come from mothers
Check our hearts
We love our hometowns
Feel a burn in fire
Grow apart
Brothers I didn’t know you
Brothers I didn’t know your names
Today, to one more daughter
Someone’s son
Killed in somebody else’s name
Hands up
Hands up
Hands up
How many how many years
you gonna gonna
Keep on continue to load that thing?
How many how many years
you gonna gonna
Keep on continue to load that thing?
How many how many years
you gonna gonna
Keep on continue to say that thing?
That its somebody’s fault, not ours
That its nobody’s fault that the rest of us have
lost our minds living so long inside a freefall
I want to put the top down
I want to cruise to the boardwalk
I want to dance all night with some pretty girl
and suffer in small talk
I want to watch the game
Hear Miles and Trane and
Laugh with the top down
I hope I will one day again.
I want to go to church
I want to sing in my safe place
I want to disco with my thang turndt up
I want this love
I want your love
I want to love you for nothing
I hope I’m not so scared I stop
My country tis of thee, please stop
Please Stop
(hands up)
Please Stop
(hands up)
Please Stop
(hands up)
Please Stop
(hands up)
How many how many years
we gonna gonna
Keep on continue to load this thing?
How many how many years
we gonna gonna
Keep on continue to load this thing?
How many how many years
we gonna gonna
Keep on continue to say these things?
That its nobody’s fault but ours
That its nobody’s fault that the rest of us have
lost our minds living so long inside a freefall.
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2. |
Outlier
03:57
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Fear is inherited
Fear is a frightening disease
Fear’s a genetic mutation
Fear’s on the flip side of grief
I fear the faces I don’t see
When I’m looking outward from here
Outwards in a fifty mile radius
So it’s the outlier you fear.
“Come and put your feet on the white line
Come and put your back against the wall
Just gonna lock the door for a second
There’s nothing here to look at here at all”
How many ways we gonna teach the kids to
lock em out
lock em out
lock em out
lock em out
Creep low
We gonna show you how.
Love might be aching or scorching
Depending on whose life was spent
Was it some kid who knew he was dying
or some tortured and fractured soul bent sideways and sure of destruction
and clinging to faith that he’s right
in a place we all live in together
just trying to survive the night
“Baby what you say to a stranger?
Baby what we do to a friend?
Baby how well do you really know your neighbor?
Baby here’s a something to defend?”
How many ways we gonna teach the kids to
shut em out
shut em out
shut em out
shut em out
And so
How they gonna grow proud?
How’ll they grow feeling strong and loud?
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3. |
Open Letter to Congress
03:51
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Congress went and killed my brother
Way down, one day ago
Congress choked and held my sister
Way down, one day ago
Policeman came and stuck his pistol through my sisters driver’s side window
And if we don’t shoot em back
I guess we’ll never know if we’re gonna see tomorrow
Congress went and took my cousin
Way down, one day ago
Took my hope and left me cussin
Way down, one day ago
I’m standing here alone inside a locked apartment, can’t go out no more
And if we don’t raise some hell
I guess we’ll never feel that freedom they so hot for
Congress tied my hands together
Way down, one day ago
Congress tied my feet together
Way down, one day ago
Can’t move forward quick enough cuz congress had to barricade door
And tragedy is gunshot quick
and progress is a tortoise going slow mo
Congress says it owns my body
Oh Lord, progress is slow
Then invites me to his pity party
Oh Lord, progress is slow
If Congress was my girlfriend I’d suggest calmly “sit DOWN you ratchett ho”.
My sex and color aint some number you can crunch for gender biased pro-mos
OH
But Congress takes my cold cash money
Oh Lord what a way to go
Feeds me acid, swears its honey
Oh Lord what a way to go
And Boo, what I got left I use to comfort my poor pissed-off sickened soul
And if we don’t raise some hell I guess we’ll never feel that freedom y’all so hot for.
Why you wanna sweep me under
Why you wanna sweep me under
I’m the pirates chest you plunder
I’m the pirates chest you plunder
Why you wanna sweep me under
Why you wanna sweep me under
I’m the pirates chest you plunder
Freedom born with a heart a thunder
Why you wanna sweep me under
I got teeth but I ain’t shootin
I got teeth but I ain’t shootin
You should know whose house you lootin
Mad as hell but I ain’t shootin
Mad as hell but we ain’t shootin
Mad as hell but we ain’t shootin
Mad as hell but we ain’t shootin
Mad as hell but we ain’t shootin
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4. |
There You Go
03:34
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So you on board with Jesus
There you go
Jesus said some smart things
Like taking care of strangers
But not for show
Appreciating small things
Jesus was a broke man
Barefoot and brown
With patience and a long ear
And called his love “The Gospel”
Spread it around
And somehow we ended up here.
So you don’t like my neighbor
Cause he’s poor
And struggling with his own thing
But Jesus was a broke man
Barefoot and brown
So would you feel the same thing
if he was around?
Open up your heart a little
We’ve got so very far to go
Could you open up your heart a little
For the sake of all you hold
I’m done fighting with you fighting with you
There’s no faith wihout the fold
Try to say their names,
the martyrs you didn’t like much.
So you onboard with action
There you go
Action is a great thing
But action to a like mind
Is just for show
And anger is the first thing
The screaming’s gonna kill you
Nice and slow
Cause half of us won’t hear you
We decided you’re a stranger,
there you go
We will not hear your second thing.
If you on board with change, son
There you go
Think about your flavor
Hope can’t die like they did
In one go
while you was chewing out your neighbor
Open up your heart a little
We built a country on a dream
Ain’t that worth opening your mouth a little
And asking questions ‘stead of screaming
And if we fight a little, fight a little
That’s just what Democracy means
Try to say their names
the believers you didn’t like much.
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5. |
Ride the River Down
05:23
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We can ride the river down
Follow this thought to its conclusion
Live our whole lives in seclusion
Never risk the road again
We can ride the river down
Let the sadness be an anchor
Let the anchor sink us further
From the possibility of mending
Or we can make a raft in rags
Soaked through with tears shed over all our brothers
And we won’t just float
We’ll dance
once more
Only fiercer now because
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Heather Christian & The Arbornauts Beacon, New York
An Arbornaut is a three way cross between a flying squirrel, an astronaut, and an angel. I know one as soon as I spot one. They are naturally occuring in nature. I had a dream about them once and started a band. We are a choir and we are an orchestra. We are disgruntled classical musicians & believers in musical traditions of feeling lots of things. This is the noise from the inside of a root. ... more
Contact Heather Christian & The Arbornauts
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