Get all 12 Brendan Milburn releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of How Dare You (for Adam Schlesinger), 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), and 4 more.
1. |
Double Down (#49 of 262)
02:56
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Where are your corporate clients?
How come they ain't giving you the love like before?
Well, babe, it ain't rocket science
Your reputation took a hit when you disincorporated, couldn't cope and couldn't cooperate any more
so you're circling the all the want ads you can find
and applying to every possibility on the car-raigslist
Yeah you're eating lots of ramen and you're kind of in a bind
And the question you keep asking is this:
Do you double down?
Or do ya do ya double back?
Do you Indiana Jones it for the jewel in the crown
Or do you give up the hunt before you have a heart attack?
Do you spread your increasingly threadbare wings and take to the sky or try to find some brand new footing somewhere on some solid ground?
Do you double back
Or do you double down?
Where is that sense of elation?
Where is the joy you used to take in all things?
Well, babe, they went on vacation
Yeah they needed a break from the doom and the gloom that all your wallowing and ruminating brings
so you're checking out with the magnifying glass
and you're searching the map to see where you went wrong
was it that left at Albuquerque that led you into the desert, clean outa gas?
nobody cares, man, just get out and walk, and finish the freaking song.
Do you double down?
Or do ya do ya double back?
Did something shake your faith in yourself
so now you can only see the things that you lack?
Well a wise man said, you could go with this, or you could go with that, or you could kiss yourself like you're James Brown
okay I don't know if any wise man ever said that,
but are you gonna double back or are you gonna double down?
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2. |
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Thoughts! And prayers.
Thoughts! And prayers.
Thoughts! And prayers.
Thoughts! And prayers.
Now is not the time for us to talk about guns!
We need:
Thoughts! And prayers.
You better think think think think think think think think think think think think think think think,
You better think think think think think think think think think think think think think think think,
You better pray now, pray now,
You better pray now, pray now,
You better think think think think think think think think think think think think think think think,
Now is not the time for us to talk about guns!
We need:
Thoughts! And prayers.
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3. |
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we are all broken
we are all broken
the junior high school dance is almost done my friend
beneath the streamers, the balloons, the colored lights and disco ball
the DJ's wrapping it up, and you're just two songs from the end
and you've been watching that girl all night but you just can't peel yourself away from the wall
yeah, I know she looks so fine
but you haven't crossed that line
are you waiting for the universe to give you some kind of sign?
we are all broken
we are all flawed
we all said words we wish we'd never spoken
we all behaved in ways that seemed pretty odd
so you wish you were popular, famous, as cool as the cool kids, but by the same token
every cool kid feels deep down they're a fraud
all the cool kids are flawed
we are all broken
hiding in the bathroom? yeah, that works, my friend
hiding in the bathroom's great for bringing your heart rate down
but hiding in the bathroom is for losers & jerks, my friend
it's a one-way ticket on the slowest bus away from funky town
so what would Rick Springfield do?
would he stay in here and stew?
or would he strap on his guitar and sing that girl a song or two?
because you still have a way to go, tonight's emotional gymnastics notwithstanding,
there's a high school dance coming up in two years where you'll be paralyzed with fright
but then thirty years from now, you will finally stick the landing,
you will man up and ask the right girl to dance, remembering what you did tonight
we are all broken
we are all flawed
we all said words we wish we'd never spoken
we all behaved in ways that seemed pretty odd
we all wish we were popular, famous, as cool as the cool kids, but by the same token
every cool kid feels deep down they're a fraud
all the cool kids are flawed
we are all broken
Yeah I know they're playing that song by Spandau Ballet
Yeah I know you hate that song by Spandau Ballet
it's the last slow dance of the night, dude, we haven't got all day
I know this much is true
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4. |
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when she was lying in her bed
when she was waiting patiently 'til she was dead
i asked her, do you feel much pain
she answered well, you might as well discuss the weather, like the rain,
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, it comes and goes, like great distress
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, it comes and goes, like happiness
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, it comes and goes, and I will too,
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, it comes and goes, and so will you
yeah, you know, whatever that's the breaks
sometimes your heart is full and then sometimes it aches
sometimes you want to paint the town
sometimes you can't get out of bed 'cause everything is painted brown
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, it comes and goes, depression does
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, it comes and goes, and why, because:
it comes and goes, it ebbs and flows, it shrinks and grows, it's like the tide
it comes and goes, these highs and lows, from head to toes, you're strapped into this ride.
it leaves its mark
there on your brain
a deep and dark
indelible stain
you must let go, you must allow
you must adjust to how things are, the way things are, the way they are now, now, now, now
and having money was so good,
you had that job, you had that car, that house in that nice neighborhood
and now you're barely hanging on,
so just remember, this is not a sprint, it's more a marathon,
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, it comes and goes, for rich or poor,
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, and hard times'll come again some more,
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, when it feels like the world has kicked your ass
it comes and goes, it comes and goes, everybody knows, this too shall pass.
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5. |
Lullaby (#54 of 262)
02:39
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lullaby and goodnight to the speaker of the house
please let nothing disturb your sleep, no burglar nor mouse
hushaby to the senators in their soft beds
lullaby for the lobbyists where'er they lay their heads
dream pretty dreams
congresswomen and congressmen
no, never you mind
that it's happened and will happen again
send thoughts and prayers
to the unlucky ones
they'll never hear them,
never feel them,
never use them,
never see them,
'cause they're gone,
and we'd rather have more guns.
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6. |
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we are experiencing some turbulence
please remain in your seat with the seat belt fastened
we are experiencing some turbulence
please remain in your seat with the seat belt fastened
insert the metal fittings one into the other
and tighten by pulling on the loose end of the strap
we are experiencing some turbulence
we are experiencing some turbulence
please hang on
please hang on
we are experiencing high call volume
your call is very important to us
we are experiencing high call volume
your call is very important to us
your call will be answered in the order in which it was received
the hold time is approximately forty-eight years
but we care about your call
your call is very important to us
please hang on
please hang on
please hang on
please hang on
there is a train in the station ahead,
we have a red signal, we should be moving shortly
there is a train in the station ahead,
we have a red signal, we should be moving shortly
we have an unexplained fire event
we have a tidal wave,
we have a horde of fast-moving, bloodthirsty undead
we are experiencing some turbulence
we are experiencing some turbulence
please hang on
please hang on
please hang on
please hang on
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7. |
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I don't wanna fuck this up,
I don't wanna fuck this up
I don't wanna fuck this up,
I don't wanna fuck this up.
This is too important and I can't afford to fuck this up.
I don't wanna fuck this up,
I don't wanna fuck this - oh fuck.
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8. |
Revolve (#57 of 262)
04:20
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you rant and rage and fume
your anger fills the room
you steam, you boil, you burn
but one of these days you're gonna have to learn
that the world does not revolve 'round you
as much as you might really want it to
no matter what you say, no matter what you do
the world revolves around the sun, not you
you cannot mantain control
you become a deep black hole
and you try to pull me in
and your pull is mighty strong, but in the end you will not win
'cause the world does not revolve 'round you
as much as you might really want it to
no matter what you say, no matter what you do
the world revolves around the sun, not you
in this corner, the Alexandrian antagonist,
it's the elder statesman of astronomy,
the greco-egyptian bruiser, it's Klaudios Ptolemaios!
and in the other corner, fresh from his papal battles,
he's being brought out in chains from his house arrest,
it's the Italian Stallion,
the one and only Galileo Galilei!
it's a knock-down drag-out full-on brawl in the name of science!
Who's gonna win? There's the bell!
Let's have a clean fight, gentlemen.
'cause the world does not revolve 'round you
as much as you might really want it to
no matter what you say, no matter what you do
no matter how you lie to me and tell me that it's true
you may have been elected, but you still don't have a clue
that the world revolves around the sun, not you.
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9. |
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Life is short and we have not too much time
for gladdening the hearts of those
who are traveling the dark way with us.
Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind.
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10. |
Funny (#59 of 262)
03:23
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Well, I was all set
I was gonna write a nice lampoon
I was gonna do a little research and find the right material and tone
I thought, "no sweat,
this guy's a walking cartoon,"
and the play this thing is supposed to based on is a perfect stepping stone
because there's so many parallels
between these fat men with small dicks
the one that's only make-believe,
and our POTUS forty-six,
but the problem I keep having
as I dig around in my bag of tricks
is no matter how I slice it,
there's this problem I can't fix:
it's not funny,
funny,
funny,
the problem is, it's not funny,
funny,
funny,
it ain't funny anymore.
I was gonna make light
of the way the hashtag "#metoo"
has had little-to-no effect on our philandering bigot-in-charge
I was gonna pick a fight,
and say, this is it, now, you're through,
there's no way you'll stay in office when the pile of evidence is so large (and getting larger)
but I keep marching in the marches,
and every week I write a protest song
and the headlines keep a-coming,
and the list of his lies grows ever long,
and I was gonna set his words to music
you know the quote about grabbing pussies, but it was...wrong,
I can't, 'cause it's awful, and I can't sing about him anymore
this feeling is just too strong:
it's not funny,
funny,
funny,
the problem is, it's not funny,
funny,
funny,
blame it on facebook, blame it on the russians, blame it on each other 'til we start a world war,
it ain't funny,
funny,
funny
it ain't funny anymore.
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11. |
Look Up (#67 of 262)
03:17
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your doubt is underneath your feet
a sidewalk crack with groaning movement of tectonic plates beneath
it threatens like a concrete grin
with tongue of pipe and jaws of clay
and dirty teeth
oh, look up!
look up!
maybe there's somebody dropping an anvil
while you are training your eyes on the landfill.
you always frown, you're always looking down.
look up.
the grass is green, this much you know
or maybe brown or if it's winter then there'll prob'ly be some snow
and is it just your luck that pigeons do not warn you with a loud "look out below!"
oh, look up!
look up!
what's on the ground that is so damned intriguing/appealing?
look, a tarantula up on the ceiling!
you always frown, you're always looking down.
if life is like a boat right down the gutter to the sewer
maybe the water goes in looking brown and comes out bluer
maybe you'll go in feeling old and used and come out newer
maybe you'll be like batman(tm) vanquishing all evildoers.
or maybe not.
oh, look up!
look up!
what if the sky started falling above you?
what if I told you that I really loved you?
you always frown, you're always looking down.
look up.
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12. |
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The me of five years ago
stepped through a dimensional portal
onto the stained wall to wall carpet of my living room
and the me of five years ago
tried to stifle his contemptuous chortle
as he gazed upon the piles of bills and dishes and diapers and the sense of impending doom, and he said
dude,
he said, dude,
dude,
dude,
DUDE, what have you done?
You threw away everything we ever had that mattered!
he said DUDE, what have you done
all your allies and friends have abandoned you and scattered!
all the goals we worked so hard for
one for the money, and two for the show
we were three millimeters from making it,
said the me of five years ago.
the me of five years ago
was easily twenty pounds lighter,
he looked younger with fewer gray hairs, and he had much whiter teeth
and the me of five years ago
was fit and trim with darting eyes that looked brighter
but they couldn't quite disguise the sallow desperation just underneath
and I said dude,
dude,
dude,
dude,
dude, what have you done?
you made young and impulsive mistakes and left me to pay for them.
dude, what have you done?
you made preposterous, laughably bad decisions and I abhor them.
all the things that you think are important,
you're so wrong you don't even know.
go back to your desperate life, and brace for the impact,
younger me of five years ago.
get out of my living room
get out of my mind
I'm trying to move on from all you represent,
I'm trying to leave you behind
you keep coming 'round to see how it's going
to kick the tires and poke at the seams
as if that'll ease the pain of knowing
that I didn't fulfill all your dreams
then the me of five years from now,
floated up in a plexiglass bubble
and smiled at his squabbling and combative younger facsimiles,
and the me of five years from now,
my older, balder, fatter, happier double
stretched his back and neck and arms and touched his toes without bending his knees.
and he said "dudes,
dudes,
dudes,
dudes,
dudes, what have you done?
You have done the best you could do given your circumstances.
Yeah, dudes, what have you done?
you knew the odds, you paid your fee, and you took your chances.
now I'm going back when I came from,
it's all going to work out somehow,
just stop writing songs about this stuff for a while, dude,"
said the me of five years from now.
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13. |
Trough (#69 of 262)
02:33
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this is a trough
this is where the piggies do their feeding
this is a trough
they got first come, first served seating
yeah, the pigs they don't much mind the lowbrow menu
they don't care about the food safety rating at this venue
they don't glance askance at your terrible rudeness when you cough.
they're all good, because they're pigs, and
this is a trough.
this is a trough
this is just a long, narrow depression
this is a trough
it's a just a boom-and-bust recession.
it's an economic downturn in your market
your boat is on the ocean, don't disembark it
just haul your ass up on the seat and park it, and gaze off
out over the water as you row.
because you know enough to know
this is just a trough.
oh, look, a bolt of lightning from the blue.
that bolt of lightning broke your boat in two.
oh dear me, fellow, whatever are you to do?
woe is you,
your eyes are brimming.
woe is you.
better start swimming.
this is a trough.
it's just a feature of the ocean.
this is a trough,
the waves are pulled by the wind and the moon's motion
stop staring longingly up at your high water line, bub.
keep treading water and you'll be just fine, bub.
don't drown your sorrows in inexpensive wine, bub.
or beef stroganoff.
it's a lovely night here under the light of a lovely moon,
and it's probably time for you to whistle a different tune,
there'll be another wave to carry you up along soon.
this is just a trough.
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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
Brendan Milburn recommends:
Jerry's got this laconic, kinda flat affect singing style which only makes his lyrics land even more. Great acoustic guitar playing, thoughtful lyrics from a generous and kind worldview. Recommended.
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Everything these guys do is fabulous. Barista Girl is the most-requested track on my iPod during car trips. This Sucks is just wonderful (albeit better live).
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Every Seven
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An imaginative and experimentalist yet accessible record of acoustic prog from London-based artist Kiran Leonard.
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