Get all 11 Brendan Milburn releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of When It's Right, The Future Of Us: OST, stop me if you've heard this one before (262 songs, vol.9), Songs For The End Of The World (262 songs, vol.8), Don't Get Too Comfortable (262 songs, vol. 7), 24 Hours A Day Until Further Notice (262 songs, vol. 6), Beautiful Poison demos (262 songs, vol. 5), once more, with feeling (262 songs, vol. 4), and 3 more.
1. |
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When you're smuggling soviet treasures from the east side to the west
Octopussy, yeah
going undercover as a circus troupe, that's the best
Octopussy, yeah
Who's a female villain from the indian subcontinent
and yet she's a swedish babe in a sari and she's flauntin' it
she likes her octopus and lots of money, yeah she's wantin' it.
Octopussy!
Octopussy!
Octopussy!
Octopussy, yeah.
What's a movie Roger Moore should probably not have made?
Octopussy, yeah
For Your Eyes Only wasn't bad, and there he should have stayed
Octopussy, yeah
they're paying us to write this, so we should put some good stuff in
there's a pretty exciting fight on a train from east to west berlin
And there's lots of lady ninjas fighting battles that they win in
Octopussy!
Octopussy!
Octopussy!
Octopussy, yeah.
Hey movie producers! Is this a serious film about nuclear disarmament?
Octopussy!
Or is it a goofy comedy that does the franchise a whole lotta harm, you meant?
Octopussy!
Whatever it is, it's definitely inconsistent in tone
If we could find a way to get Ian Fleming on the phone
He'd be rolling in his grave and letting out a deathly groan:
Octopussy!
Octopussy!
Octopussy!
Octopussy, yeah.
Octo - octo - octo - octo - it's such a terrible title, I just can't even say it out loud anymore
octo - octo - octo - I can't even say the word, it's so awful, it's such a terrible title
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2. |
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I hope you have a beautiful night
the spotlight in a circle 'round you
I hope you have a beautiful night
and that you get to do all you wanted to
I hope you bask in all the stellar accolades
and when the standing ovation begins to fade
I hope you check the box marked "all my dreams came true"
on your bucket list
let it wash all over you,
this perfect moment of bliss
on this beautiful night.
I hope you have a beautiful night
I hope the after-party is great
I hope you have a beautiful night
I hope you won't be staying out too late
I hope you wake up sometime in the afternoon
and sip your coffee, whistling a happy tune,
go jogging in the park and never think of me
and the empty space
where I used to be
I hope I leave no trace
on this beautiful night.
'cause I just want you to be happy
and I just want you to enjoy this victory
and I just want you to pretend there's nothing weighing you down,
you're in a world in which I never existed
yeah, I just want you to be happy
and make your way in the world apart from me
and I just want to imagine a world where it didn't come to this, where it didn't get so twisted.
I hope you have a beautiful night
I hope you have a beautiful night
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3. |
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everything's sepia-toned
everything's edges are ruffled or rounded
everything's out late and unchaperoned
everything misbehaves, everything's gonna get grounded
everything wants to be gently collected and scanned and then put up online
everything wants to be sorted and fussed over, preferably with a few glasses of wine
everything lives in the past
everything's blurry and faded
everything's flag is flying at half mast
everything's scheduled to be cremated
everything had an opinion on everything though it was frequently wrong
everything probably would have already skipped past all the rest of this song
everything has left the building
everything is gone
everything has left the building
everything is gone
everything used to be full of ideas but they all sublimated away
everything used to hold me so close and tell me it would all be okay
everything has left the building
everything is gone
everything has left the building
everything is gone
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4. |
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She said in 1967 she got married to my father with a borrowed pair of bluejeans and a bridesmaid
And San Francisco was a bubble of excitement like a butterfly a-flapping in the stomach of a decade
She didn't know exactly everything he'd been through
She didn't know exactly what she'd gotten into
She got an offer from a magazine to write about the music scene because they liked her resume and bio
She told her husband who'd been offered a position on the faculty of music at a college in Ohio
He said, "you either take this job or save our marriage."
She put her luggage in the back of his carriage
She said, "you make a choice, you make a call.
You may rise, you may fall.
You will pay for what you get,
But you got no room in your bag for regret."
She said that 1975 was like a purgatory doing needlepoint inside a decompression chamber
And Cincinnati was a garden of conservatism growing like a vine that tried to tie her down and tame her
She said, "Now surely there has been a big mistake here.
This ain't resembling the mark I want to make here."
She saw her future like a single at the bottom of a stack of records that'll never ever see the buzz bin
And she had subjugated all of her desires for the good of the family unit and the betterment of the husband
She saw that they had not been marching to the same drum
She took her son and hit the road to where she came from.
She said, "you make a choice, you make a call.
You may rise, you may fall.
You will pay for what you get,
But you got no room in your bag for regret."
She drove that beat-up Pinto out to California
She kept the windows down and the air was hot and dry
She kept hearing Joe Cocker on the radio
Singing "You Are So Beautiful," and it always made her cry
And in the rear-view mirror, piled high were crib and walker,
Toys and clothes and little shoes for little tiny feet.
There ain't no room in here for things she wished she might have done,
Only her behind the wheel,
And a consequence of all her actions,
Fast asleep on the passenger seat.
(yeah, yeah, yeah)
She said that 1989 was like a fuse that burned inexorably to the dynamite of my departure
And she was sad that I was growing up and glad to shoot me out into the world like an arrow from an archer
As I was packing up to leave and go to college,
She took a minute to impart a bit of knowledge:
"you make a choice, you make a call.
You may rise above it all.
You will pay for what you get,
But you got no room in your bag for regret."
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5. |
Took (#37 of 262)
02:35
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that took the wind right outa my sails
that took the knots right outa my rope
that took the buttermilk outa my pails
that took the happy hip hop outa my hope
that took the crease right outa my pants
that took the starch right outa my shirt
that took the guildenstern right outa my rosenkrantz
that took the daffodils and the daisies right on outa my plot o' dirt, row
that took the biscuit
that took the cake
that took the rug right from under me,
and that rug took a long, long time to make
that took a lot of making bacon
and every last trick in the book
but unless I'm gravely mistaken,
I didn't just get taken,
I got took.
that took the rabbit outa my hat
that took the gladiolas outa my vase
that took eight or nine lives outa my cat
that took my three-piece suit right outa my three-piece suitcase
that took some guts and savoir-faire
that took panache and je ne sais quoi
to take my takeables from thin air
that took me by surprise when I opened my front door and saw:
that took the biscuit
and my biscuit pan
that took the rug right from under me,
and that rug held the whole room together, man
my apartment had a break-in
and some no-good rotten crook
took my Steely Dan, and my Donald Fagen
and my little black book
and unless I'm gravely mistaken,
and I'm dreaming and soon will awaken,
I didn't just get taken,
I got took.
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6. |
Open (#38 of 262)
01:57
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(Text by Martha Graham)
There is a vitality,
a life force,
an energy,
a quickening
that is translated through you into action,
and because there is only one of you in all of time,
this expression is unique.
And if you block it,
it will never exist
through any other medium
and it will be lost.
The world will not have it.
It is not your business
to determine how good it is
nor how valuable
nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business
to keep it yours
clearly and directly,
to keep the channel
open.
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7. |
Shortcuts (#39 of 262)
02:58
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there is no red pill
there is no blue pill
the princess is not in another castle
there is no princess, there is no castle
there is no right way
there is no wrong way
there is no leeway
there is just the long way
there are no shortcuts
there are no shortcuts
there are no shortcuts
there are no mushrooms
there are no fire flowers
there are no warp zones
there are no superpowers
there are no green lights
there are no express trains
there are no free rides
there are no fast lanes
there are no shortcuts
there are no shortcuts
there are no shortcuts
always seeking distraction
searching all over the place
distraction is simply a kind of inaction,
avoiding what's staring you right in the face
always seeking a way out
always trying to hide
telling the bad thoughts to get out and stay out
but they keep sneaking back inside
there is no white wine
there is no dark beer
there is no Jim Beam
there's no everclear
there's no alcohol
there's no nicotine
there's no ecstacy
there's no ketamine
there are no shortcuts, there are no shortcuts, there are no shortcuts, there are no shortcuts
there is only you
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8. |
Terrified (#40 of 262)
02:04
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i have been terrified
i start at the slightest sound
the squeak of a mouse in this haunted house
makes my feeble heart begin to pound
i have been terrified
of all that might come to pass
of what might go wrong this whole day long
of what i might see in that old looking glass
for what scares me the most is a singular ghost
who's unwilling to leave me alone
for no matter what I might do to distract him, he's tenacious, he's undaunted
he is there every night when i turn out the light
he is there when i pick up the phone
he is there when i think i have driven him out - he's the fellow who keeps this house haunted
i have sought some way out
and yet i remain inside
each hallway, each door
leads to one hallway more
and the exit, i find,
is locked deep in my mind
you can run, you can flee,
but you'll never be free
of your haunted house
while you remain terrified.
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9. |
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a day is gonna come when you won't feel shitty any more
but that day's not here yet
that day's not here yet
a day is gonna come when you won't be wiping yourself off the floor
but that day's not here yet
that day's not here yet
and when that day arrives it will be glorious
there will be angels singing and a big brass band and a llama on a trampoline
yes when that day arrives it will be glorious
but today is not that day, today is one of those days in between.
a day is gonna come when you won't have to kick your own ass
but that day's not here yet
that day's not here yet
a day is gonna come when you won't be all "alack" and "alas"
but that day's not here yet
that day's not here yet
and when that day arrives it will be marvelous
there will be cake and bocce ball and a big orange slushie machine
yes, when that day arrives it will be marvelous
but today is not that day, today is one of those days in between.
will you just hang the fuck on, my friend
this less-than-perfect day ain't the end
if you just get your ass out of bed
and comb that thinning hair on your head
and put one foot in front of the other instead
you'll see,
you'll see.
a day is gonna come when you'll wake up and everything's fine
but that day's not here yet
that day's not here yet
a day is gonna come when you'll smile and relax and unwind
but that day's not here yet
that day's not here yet
and when that day arrives you will be better off
the world will not look poopie-brown or moldy pukey split-pea green
yeah when that day arrives you will be better off
but today is not that day
in order to get to that day
you've got to live through all these days in-between.
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10. |
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you need more ironic distance
you need more sardonic chuckles
you need more sarcastic humor
you need more brass on your knuckles
you need more beef in your sandwich
you need to be cooler and surlier
you need more man in your manwich
you know, you shoulda started earlier.
you did it wrong!
go wipe the slate clean!
is that the best you can do?
well that's the worst that we've seen!
the audience booed!
they gave you the gong!
you screwed the pooch and now you're screwed, pal!
you did it wrong.
you need clearer motivations
you need more romance and drama
you need 3-d animations
you need lots of blunt-force trauma
you need us to feel the passion
you need us to feel the hunger
you need the latest trends in fashion
you need someone like you but younger
you did it wrong,
you'll never be rich
you should go back to school,
go back to digging that ditch
try again and you'll blow it,
go back to playing ping pong
you suck and you know it, pal
you did it wrong.
you need more fairy tales and unicorns and rainbows
you need more "sparkle sparkle sparkle" in your song
you need more hearts and flowers if you want to gain those
crucial youthful influencers, let me take a look - oh, you did it wrong.
you did it wrong.
fail early and often.
go put your inner editor
in a frickin' soundproof coffin.
get back in the saddle.
it's where you belong.
now get out there and get back into battle.
you did it wrong.
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11. |
Anymore (#43 of 262)
02:25
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Hey, I don't miss you anymore.
I put your memories in a cardboard box in the trash room, on the floor
if anybody wants them in their apartment, they might add something to the décor,
but I don't need them, 'cause I don't miss you anymore.
Hey, I don't think about you much
You were a bruise that ached and throbbed, you were all tender to the touch
but you know what they say, time heals all wounds and etcetera and such.
there's no scarring, and I don't think about you much.
and for a while there, it felt like you were oxygen
or water in the desert, or a bowl of soup after a hunger strike
but you stopped calling and you went and changed your locks and then
you weren't there when I needed you
and it made you really really really hard to like.
so there's no twinge of sadness now
I woke up feeling not in pain and said oh gee, by golly, wow.
I feel like I'm getting my braces off and my smile looks brighter than before,
I feel like a starfish growing back arm number five after getting cut down to four
I feel like you tore a big chunk out of my chest, and breathing became quite a chore
but I'm breathing fine and dandy today,
and you'll prob'ly never hear this anyway
but if I saw you again, here's just what I would say:
I don't miss you anymore.
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12. |
At Least (#44 of 262)
03:26
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(These lyrics were inspired by a particularly inspired twitter rant by somebody calling himself "Julius Goat." It's hilarious and painful; you should check it out. It's here: https://twitter.com/JuliusGoat/status/896326301832925184 )
you're feeling like you're so oppressed
you're feeling like you're being replaced
you're feeling like you're second-best
you're worried that you'll be erased
well I feel for you, I do,
yeah, the world's been bad to you,
it's a sad and sorry song, and you are singing it.
but while you're grieving all your losses,
and you're hanging on your crosses
here's a couple of thoughts that maybe just might ease the sting a bit:
at least nobody's telling you that you cannot get married
at least the color of your skin means you won't get pulled over, frisked and possibly harmed
at least nobody's knocking over the graves where your families are buried
at least no cops are shooting you while you're standing there, unarmed.
at least there's no massive effort
at the state and local level
to deprive you of your democratic and constitutional right to vote
at least no one's endeavored
to ban all your airplane travel
because of your religion, that's a little somethin' over which you can gloat.
I know the pain of your oppression is tough to bear, and makes you wanna give up the fight.
But hey, at least you're Christian, male, and white.
at least you're in no danger when you carry weapons publicly
at least your lovely churches haven't been terrorized or burned
at least you haven't been waterboarded in the CIA's bathtublicly
at least your ancestors weren't hung from trees, because they "just never learned."
at least there is no history
of centuries of bad science
devoted to quote-unquote "proving" your intellectual inferiority.
at list there is no mystery
of what you think is wrong with your clients
when you refuse to make a cake for their wedding because they're members of the same fraternity or sorority.
I know the pain of your oppression is tough to bear, and makes you wanna give up the fight.
But hey, at least you're Christian, male, and white.
at least our President doesn't blame you when you make a mess.
at least you're not a jew or a muslim, that'd cause you some distress.
and hey, at least you do not have a vagina, you'd be earning about 20% less.
and hey, at least you're not a negro, that'd be the worst of all, I guess!
I know the pain of your oppression is tough to bear, and makes you wanna give up the fight.
so carry that tiki torch and shout your grievances into the central Virginia night.
and What Would Jesus Do? he would say, "hey white boys, what you're doing ain't right."
But hey,
at least you're a Christian,
hey, at least you're a Christian,
hey, at least you're Christian, male, and white!
That oppression don't feel so bad now, does it?
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13. |
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don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down again
don't you pull me down again,
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down again
don't you pull me down again,
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down
my friends all tell me that I'm on an upswing
my friends all tell me that I'm on an upswing
my friends all tell me
my friends all tell me
my friends all tell me that I'm due for an upswing
oh no you don't
oh no you don't
oh no you don't
oh no you don't
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down again
don't you pull me down again
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down
my friends all tell me that I'm over you now
my friends all tell me that I'm over you now
my friends all tell me
my friends all tell me
my friends all tell me that I really should be over you now
oh no you don't
oh no you don't
oh no you don't
oh no you don't
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down again
don't you pull me down again
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down
your grip is strong
you don't let go
your reach is long
from down below
you giant squid
you octopus
you're throwing me under the lumbering wheels
of the Mariana Trench Express Commuter Bus
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down again
don't you pull me down again
don't you pull me down
don't you pull me down
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14. |
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when you close your eyes tonight
all the blocks and cars and toy trains,
all the teddy bears conclude the day's affairs
and they close their eyes as well.
when you close your eyes tonight
all our homemade paper airplanes
will be touching down on the carpeted ground
and they'll rest there for a spell.
and tomorrow's gonna come
it may be all ice cream and somersaults
it may be temper tantrums, tears and teething pain
it may be sunshine, or torrential pouring rain
it may be chock full of wonder and delight
so just shut your pretty eyes, and we can sleep the night away and start tomorrow out just right
and let's sing a lullaby
and let's kiss this day good-night now,
and the stars and moon will sing a slumbery tune
as you snuggle down, sleep tight,
when you close your eyes tonight.
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15. |
Give More; (#47 of 262)
04:18
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I had a buddy, let him stay on my couch, and I nursed him through his divorce when he was so damn low down he couldn't seem to see his way back up
I let him talk and talk about his sorrow, gave him a shoulder to cry on, secretly thinking I was filling the favor bank and he'd pay back up,
yeah, I thought I would be collecting interest, that he would pay a dividend,
and lo and behold, when my own marriage came to its bitter end
well he went and sided with my ex and became my new ex-friend
and I was so angry, so angry that I'd wasted all that precious time,
too angry to see he'd committed no crime.
Give more;
want less.
Send love and kindness out into the world with no return address.
Don't keep a tally of your transactions,
you know you're not supposed to be keeping score
There is no favor bank, no record of deposits made - you just got to give more.
I had a big idea, this very very big idea, an idea so big I could not possibly get the whole thing done all alone
I brought my big idea to a big idea producer, who got the rights and all the requisite parties all there on a party line on the phone,
the producer said my very big idea was very brilliant
then he said, I'm having trouble raising the last few milliont
we're gonna have to kick you off the team, kid, but hey kid, you're resilient.
go get more famous and successful, then don't call us, we'll call you.
Well, what's a boy like me to do?
Give more;
want less.
Send love and kindness out into the world no return address
It may cut you to the quick sometimes, or shock you to your tender little core,
when you've been tested and found wanting, but you'll be found wanting less if you give more.
Well, you want the things you want!
Yeah, you really really want the things you want!
and it can be tough to want the things you want and not get them
Other people flaunt the things you want
like they wanna taunt you with the things you want
and you know the things you want can haunt you if you let them
and if you want them too, too much, you start to reek of desperation
they can smell it from the moment that you saunter through the door
but the thing that takes the stink away, the thing that's your salvation,
well it's not perfume or aftershave, no, all you really gotta do is
Give more;
want less.
send love and kindness out into the world with no return address.
it's a paradox, it's difficult, but it turns out that it's what you are here for
you'll never get the things you want until you learn to want them less and just give more.
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16. |
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this is not what I thought it would be
where are the conga lines and drinks with paper umbrellas
like what I saw back then on our black-and-white T.V.
women in form-fitting gowns and dapper, debonair fellas
this is not what I thought it would be
where are the muscle cars and late night drag races
'cause up and down my street all I can see
is middle-aged white dudes with their middle-aged white faces
this is not what I thought it would be
I thought it would be cooler somehow
this is not what I thought it would be
I thought we'd be farther along by now
this is not what I thought it would be
I'd like to teach the world to sing like that commercial
I had that 1970's kind of naivety
holding hands across the world with every tom, dick, and herschel
this is not what I thought it would be
the great american melting pot is rusted full of holes now.
I watched my schoolhouse rock on afterschool T.V.
there are no bills on capitol hill; there's only opposite poles now.
this is not what I thought it would be
I thought it would be cooler somehow
this is not what I thought it would be
I thought we'd be farther along by now
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Brendan Milburn Seattle, Washington
Brendan Milburn is a music teacher and a dad. In his former life he wrote musicals, songs for animated movies, shows for theme parks and cruise lines. He used to play in a band called GrooveLily. Now he has chickens, cats, and kids, and he is making a song a week. ... more
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