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Thirteen Songs About Driving Nowhere in Alphabetical Order

by Oceanography

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1.
Monterey 03:23
The fog is thick traffic slow Can’t stay awake anymore Reflections shift from silver to gold Homes line the canyon like molars in your jaw You grind ‘em together ’til the feeling is gone It’s not your fault, it’s not your fault Two months too soon two much too late It’s set in motion either way Sharks in the water, gash in your side They put X’s in your head they put X’s on your eyes It’s not your fault, It’s not your fault We are prone To accidents Close to home It’s your story they want but it’s yours to own So you can’t hide your face here any more This ammunition weighs you down This ammunition weighs you down But the future sun will keep you warm It’s not your fault, It’s not your fault We are prone To accidents Close to home
2.
NOWHERE TO BACK AWAY FROM Caged in on the overpass Just above the keystone Grout turns to mud and you're falling Now you're a ways away Can't hold you in place No gas money to bring you home Spring pokes through the cracks Nowhere to back away from, so you pass the time Kicking dandelions Kicking dandelions An inch above the wrist Shirtwaist to the middle of your fist The suit fits and you're calling I can see your face now It's glowing in the dark Through the windshield ahead of you Out into the stars But you're calling and you're calling with nothing left to say Bentley in the front on Monday Gun in the back on Tuesday Cocked by your thumb And you're calling Spring pokes through the cracks Nowhere to back away from, so you pass the time Kicking dandelions Kicking dandelions I'm not gonna answer you There's nothing to decide Illuminations painted On the inside of our eyes But you're calling and you're calling with nothing left to say - ©2020 Brian Michael Kelly (ASCAP, IPI #499946663), Tied to My Hand Music (ASCAP, IPI #490669418) One-stop licensing clearance. The composition's copyright, publishing, and master recordingare all owned and controlled by Brian Michael Kelly. www.oceanographymusic.com
3.
Coyote blood stains the 101 With my eyes on the road and my headlights on Swear I'm gonna stay ahead as long as I can But every new day’s a day closer to gone As the sun burns down the powder blue sky The past floods in I can't shake it from my mind We drove through the valley all the way down south With boxes stacked high we had it all figured out And I can't wait to tell you, Its ok, it's ok Well maybe it's too little too late But we couldn't have it any other way But I would, if I could, so I'm holding my breath and I'm gonna make it through Bought a little house painted powder blue It's a heavy wind on the Altamont Pass So keep I keep my head low and my foot on the gas Since I let you go I've been sinking in doubt But I've been trying really hard to dig myself out As the moonlight shines down the mountainside It's your silver tone image framed in my mind You've been riding high since you gave me up I've been in and out of love several times since us And I can' t wait to tell you, It's ok, it's ok I can see it in the furrow of your brow On the faces that are looking you up and down I see you can't see me Well I wish we could run and jump around Like we used to do when we owned this town But I would, if I could, so I'm holding my breath and I'm gonna make it through Bought a little house painted powder blue Do you take your long walks through the sycamore grove Like you claim you used to do all on your own I hear your penny loafers dragging heel to toe But hand in hand is not alone Well you can't wait to tell me, It's too late, it's too late Something better has taken my place, It's ok, It's ok You wouldn't have it any other way But I would, if I could, so I'm holding my breath and I'm gonna make it through Bought a little house painted powder blue It's just a couple doors down the street from you
4.
SOAKED TO PULP Oh green hills my weight is divided into too many parts to count The sun that I once knew shines in a different light On the roof that I once hid behind Now the rooms down below are now owned by other men They don't know me and I don't know them and that's just fine by me Why should I trust you with my only life All those starch white shirts and alibis Still the laws of the land stand by your side Oh green hills my weight is divided into too many parts to count The wind that once blew the hair out of your eyes Now freezes the meat to my bones Now the house where we once hid is now owned by other men They don't know me and I don't know them and that's just fine by me Why should I trust you with my only life All those master shots and lily-white lies Still the laws of the land stand by your side I'm not counting anymore Official letters can be folded, torn burned soaked to pulp I'm not counting anymore Head cracked, lip split, legs limp too late I'm not counting anymore Tickling the tiger's tail, dumb trick dumb luck I'm not counting anymore They don't have your best interests in mind
5.
Moth Fly 03:52
Polyurethane Covering your pretty face in the rain Young, dumb, victim of the sad song You spent all your time in your mother’s arms Now when go outside the sun will burn your eyes So pry yourself away but not too fast You'll waste precious years picking asphalt from your hands And knees Those knees above your feet So shed your soft lace fringes before they leave their mark Because when you're soft when you’re soft The hard will keep coming at every cost And don't let the soil stain your skin Their initial judgment never sees you from within Don't spend all your time digging holes in the grass Because when you're in, when you're in, you're inside You'll long for it the rest of your life Moth fly, brush your powder across my skin And swarm around the porch light And keep the day from dying How will you go
6.
Roll your windows down, let the sound from the outside in So you can talk about: Paying your debts, raising your kids, taking your trips It's ok if you don't want to be strong It's ok for you to bitch and moan Some of us survive where the forest meets the sand Some of us thrive on the edgelands On the edgelands On the edgelands Roll your windows down, let the sound from the outside in So you can talk about: Death on your doorstep, kids out on recess, vacations on Christmas Don't you forget to lift with your knees And laugh at the funny things Some of us survive where the forest meets the sand Some of us thrive on the edgelands On the edgelands On the edgelands
7.
You spent your days walking On shaky legs knocking those boys around They chased you down Now the easy days are running dry And strangers just shuffle by like nothing They've seen nothing What if everything could be ok Discarded friends' spiral bound Notebook pages strewn about you were stunning That's what they used to say It's all been a waste of time But that's only what your enemies claim You see it a different way What if everything could be ok We're all allowed to disagree But some of us don't put it where it needs to be They can't see everything So you spent the second half alone Against their wishes, but on your own, Then came everything, all at once What if everything could be ok Why can't everything just be ok
8.
You went to McAvoy O’Hara you never looked better Though they got your mustache wrong You left your shoes at home on the bathroom floor They tried to keep you warm but no one can blame You had a fortune in your time but your time has come and gone You were cold as stone When you were young the bay divided so much land You had salt water trunks they never washed away And the bridges tied the shores together And gave you shade to swim under When the fog rolled in you disappeared In a bar docked in Oakland Where your shoremen put the heat on You were known as the trusted one From The Great Lakes to Tiburon They wouldn't leave you alone Clark Gable would be proud With your mustache trimmed and shoulders broad Serving Chapter 11 kids Your Kool-Aid stained their lips And you could have been trapped in a padlocked cabinet The glass stained with garvey violet But your shoremen showed concern And provided what they could When you were young the bay divided so much land You had salt water trunks they never washed away And the bridges tied the shores together And gave you shade to swim under When the fog rolled in you disappeared
9.
Before we drive, to the end of Isabel The gravel beats against the wheel well Our voices sink into that quiet sound Elbows on the window sill as peachy keen turns bittersweet Thought we'd always move at a relative pace Dragging our heels on the passing landscape You say it's a myth we follow and failure's hard to swallow So we sing that ugly song, that one we sing ten times too long Before we drive, to the end of Isabel Keep holding down that throttle with a broken shovel handle I know we tried our best, may have much left So we bang your heads on the backseat With the fat of the land rushing beneath our feet Eyes straight ahead, avoiding that itch Until we parked behind that car with the Jesus fish You got out screaming cuss words The ones you cannot run from Before we drive, to the end of Isabel And roll over any more rock salt shotgun shells We'll push it into past tense as if nothing ever happened And sing that ugly song, that one we sing it ten times too long
10.
Stop pretending that you don't care Italian sunglasses blocking that morning glare It's your decision, it don't paint mine I'll take the train to Howard Beach almost every time Stop pretending that you don't care I know it hurts you when you wake up and nobody is there Still matchstick ashes on your eyelashes Disrupt the Nassau station as everyone passes Let’s not forget we're among friends We don't wanna break those weekend plans Just because it's coming easy doesn't mean it always will be Let’s not forget we're among friends Stop pretending that you don't care Once a youth at risk now you're beyond repair Now in soft focus, gross family portraits You claim your daddy hit you but you know he didn't Stop pretending that you don't care Those armchair critics' crooked fingers poke and blow hot air They know you had to hate where you came from You left those patient ones behind for a reason Let’s not forget we're among friends We don't wanna break those weekend plans Just because it's coming easy doesn't mean it always will be Let’s not forget we're among friends Stop pretending that you don't care Brush those tangled strands from your bleach blonde hair Those twisted pictures of just another day What you don't realize They only share what they wanna share either way Stop pretending that you don't care They only notice when you're kicking their boots in the air So you're offended by their intentions But the shelf life is short lived and that’s okay Let’s not forget we're among friends We don't wanna break those weekend plans Just because it's coming easy doesn't mean it always will be Lets not forget we're among friends

credits

released September 10, 2021

Brian Kelly vocals, guitar, bass (8), Micro Korg (1, 5), piano (1), harmonica (3)
Scott Barwick bass (3, 4, 6, 10), piano (6), Micro Korg (4), organ (7, 9, 10), drum machine (1, 10), Juno 6 (2, 6), Wurlitzer (10)
Peter Labberton drums, bass (2, 5)
Bevan Herbekian bass (7, 9)
Kirt Lind Korg Poly 800 (3)
Andrew Platts synth (1)

All songs written and produced by Brian Kelly
Mixed by Peter Labberton and Scott Barwick at25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA
Mastered by Mike Wells
Artwork by Brian Kelly

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Oceanography Oakland, California

Oceanography is the solo project of Oakland-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Brian Kelly. He brings a unique pop sensibility to bittersweet songs of heartbreak, loss, and longing, recalling at times The War on Drugs, My Morning Jacket, and Damien Jurado. His literary eye for detail and deceptively powerful voice create moments of catharsis and beauty amid the bleak and mundane. ... more

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