Songs One Day We'll Used to Know
 

1.  Oceanside (3:29)

Rob Williams – guitar, vocals
Hanby Carter – bass
Joe Wharff – drums
Paul Johnson – lead guitar
 
It was my good fortune to have found her by the ocean by the mountains of California
She had hair like the sun shining off of the morning ocean by the mountains of California
                Brother in the summer when you have more free time
                Will you find her tell her I still see her Oceanside
In my mind we spent days out in the valley of the wine
We had nights in the city where we killed off most of our time
                Brother in the summer when you have more free time
                Will you find her tell her I still see her Oceanside
                                Did you make me for a fool
                                Did I do that myself
                                Did you ruin me for good for anyone or any place else
If I ever make it back there to the ocean by the mountains of California
I swear I will make up my mind by the time
                Another wasted summer roaming California’s pride
                Sends me seaside MCB-side overlooking Oceanside       
2.  A Proposal (3:03)
Rob Williams – acoustic and electric guitars, vocals
Hanby Carter – bass
Miguel Urbiztando – drums
Toby Whitaker - trombone
Bob Miller – trumpet
 
Turn down the television
Pull those damn things out of your ears
Notice me I’m talking
It’s taken me two months and two days
To collect my thoughts and fears
I need your full attention
            When you hear the words
            That I believe will finally make my intentions clear
            Love turns out it ruined my belief in love
            More than a chance engagement
            It’s a dangerous condition that I cannot rise above
Tune out the static plenty
Of mediocrity abounds
Summarily rejected
It’s taken me two years to figure out
I’m now in two years down
No gold watch collected
            If I blink my eyes
            Will I find that I’ve missed out on all the best of times?
            Love turns out it ruined my belief in love
            More than a chance engagement
            It’s a dangerous addiction that I cannot get enough of
           
            Love turns out it ruined by belief in love
            More than a chance engagement
            It’s the last replacement
            Just the thought of its fruition
            Will you marry me in case we find love?

3.  Ordinary Man (4:24)
Rob Williams – acoustic guitar, vocals, harmonium
Hanby Carter – bass, harmonium
Joe Wharff – drums, backing vocals
Paul Johnson – electric guitars
 
Nothing new has been around for centuries
Her look could make a bold man buckle at the knees
She said I noticed you did not notice me
I beg your pardon I’m an ordinary man
And if you push me you’ll find that’s what I am
There is nothing underneath that you need to understand
                My big mistake was to find out too late
                That the signs that you wave make me crazy
I read about you many times in history
I did not think you’d stick around to seduce me
Did I not make it clear I don’t want to be
I try to tell you I’m an ordinary man
There isn’t much upon my sleeve to understand
I have no great designs got no bigger plans
                My big mistake was to find out too late
                That the signs that you wave make me crazy
I do not care for this upheaval at hand
I only want to be an ordinary man
Can you just leave me be could that be part of the plan
                My big mistake was to find out too late
                That the signs that you wave make be crazy
                My big mistake was to place all of my faith
                In the signs that you wave makes me crazy
 
4.  One Step Further from the Truth (3:46)
Rob Williams – guitar, vocals
Hanby Carter – bass
Leslie Williams – lead guitar, backing vocals
Neil Landini – drums
Tom Beekman – keyboard
 
Already inside of a lie
Telling it again and again
Gonna ride it just as far as I can
Doesn’t matter if it makes no sense
I’ll take it one step further
          From the truth - aah
I can’t remember what it’s like
Sleeping in at pre-dawn night
Gave it up for a healthy fear of the 9’s
They come to greet me from time to time
And it puts me one step further
          From the truth - aah
                   From the place I’m standing
                   At the rate it’s going
                   This ol’ world will come apart
                   Not unlike it’s always been doing
 
                   One step further from the truth – aah
5.  Nice to You (3:01)
Rob Williams – guitar, vocals
Hanby Carter – bass
Leslie Williams – lead guitar, backing vocals
Neil Landini – drums
Tom Beekman – piano and keyboard
 
It wasn’t clear nothing in the world I saw
I didn’t care didn’t have a care at all
I was content set adrift on the sea
You came along like an unexpected wind
Created waves pushed me out to sea again
You were a hurricane all about to unload
 
          And if I knew then what I do now
          I would be nice to you
          I would be nice to you
 
I saw the light briefly in the sky above
Reached out to a hand I thought
Only to find it was an illusion of light
And then the clouds brought the rains back down
I was tossed, turned, and thrown around
Set adrift all alone on the sea
 
          And if I knew then what I do now
          I would be nice to you
          I would be nice to you
          And if I knew then what I do now
          I would be nice to you
6.  Footprints (3:56)
Rob Williams – guitar, vocals
Hanby Carter – bass
Leslie Williams – lead guitar
Neil Landini – drums
 
I was waiting around beneath your window
Hoping to catch your eye throwing stones at the glass
But you were busy admiring somebody else from afar
Much farther than right beneath your own window
          So I leave you this song, goodnight
          I won’t be here in the morning
          When you look down you’ll see footprints walking away
          That’s me saying goodbye, so long
You were fragile and weak when I first saw you
Oh, but over time you turned in to some kind of strong
And I was drawn to your confidence like a moth to a fire
But you just overlooked me standing here all along
          So I leave you this song, goodnight
          I won’t be here in the morning
          When you look down you’ll see footprints walking away
          That’s me saying goodbye, so long
I hold on to hope that someday you’ll come to your senses
It fills my days and steals my nights
But you are still too hopelessly lost in somebody else
To notice what is right before your eyes
7.  Second Chances (5:33)
Rob Williams – guitar, vocals
Hanby Carter – bass
Joe Wharff – drums
Paul Johnson – lead guitar
Toby Whitaker – trombone
Bob Miller – trumpet
 
Reason, my friend
You abandoned me in my greatest hour of need
I was left to fend off my bitter enemy
They were so-called friends
We were standing there before God and them and swore
I have said these lines taken all these vows before
          I’d like to think someday
          There’ll be justice in the end
          Do you remember when you said
                   If you go down, I go down
                   We will take it together on the chin
                   Well, here we go again
                   You go down, I go down
                   We will learn together in the end
                   Some things will never change
                   Some things never change
 
Patience, I fear
You walked out on me left me stranded here alone
You were not the same virtue that I used to know
There were rumors and lies
There were stories of some better times to come
But those stories were just the same old, same old ones
          I’d like to think someday
          There’ll be a difference in the end
          Do you remember when you said
                   If you go down, I go down
                   We will take it together on the chin
                   Well, here we go again
                   You go down, I go down
                   We will learn together in the end
                   Some things will never change
                   Some things never change
          Oh, they lie
          Those second times cannot be brand new
          You can’t undo you
                   Some things never change
                   Some things never change
 
8.  Along the Way (2:55)
Rob Williams – guitar, vocals
 
Hoping the way unfolds for you someday
All that you seek lands right at your feet, and
          All that you want all that you need
          All you decide you want to be
          Hope it all goes your way
While you await all your dreams to arrive
Don’t be afraid if you have to live your life along the way
          All that you want all that you need
          All you decide you want to be
          Will not find their own way
After a while if you can look back and say
Most of the time things seemed to roll your way, then
          All that you want all that you need
          All that you found you had to be
          Along the way you hit your stride
All songs by Rob Williams
Copyright 2011
Published 2011 Evertone Publishing ASCAP
 
Recorded at Sound of Music in Richmond, VA during the summers of 2010 and 2011. Produced/engineered by John Morand. Mastered by Brent Lambert at Kitchen Mastering in Chapel Hill, NC. Front cover photo courtesy of Peter Huys. Back cover photo c 2011 Elemental Visuals/River Birch Productions.

 

Love or Nicotine

 

 

Tried to walk away
Every time I turn to walk I stay
And long for your strange
The thought of me with you is burned deep in my brain
          Paint the world your own universe
          Put it in a frame step back and smile
          So ingrained, deep in my soul
Never to let go
          I never let you go
 
Tried to exchange
The nights of burning lights and nicotine
For more more or less
Nothing bends like the truth, but it bends nonetheless
          Map the world your own universe
          Put it in a crate and set it sail
          No regret, deep in my soul
So hard to let go
Hard to let you go
 
Tried to explain
Nothing left about this place even tastes the same
Fixed to my bones
The things I once fought I proudly claim I own
          Call the world your own universe
          Watch the smoke ring curl and fade
          Such a shame, deep in my soul
Hard to let you go
          I never let you go

 

Victoria Ray

If I could meet you in the fall
Summer months would last too long
If I could reach you on a bend
I’d count the days alone until the summer’s end
            Victoria Victoria Victoria Ray
            Victoria Victoria Victoria Ray
If I could see you in a year
A minute more would be more than I could bear
And I would count them on my hand
Subtract the days until they dropped into the sand
            Victoria Victoria Victoria Ray
            Victoria Victoria Victoria Ray
(You literary folks may recognize that this song is in no subtle way based on Emily Dickinson's "If You Were Coming in the Fall")

Twenty Years

 Twenty days ago I found inside a book a note
One that I was never meant to read
You were angry then the words you used could not have been
Anything but evidence you didn’t want to be like me
 
          But you couldn’t find a way to make things right
          Now you are twenty years away from me tonight
 
Twenty days ago I came across someone I know
A picture of a time gone by
I was angry then I couldn’t make myself pretend
Anything could replace where I had been
 
          But I couldn’t find a way to make things right
          Now you are twenty years away from me tonight
 
Twenty days from now I wonder if we’ll reconcile
If I’ll have the strength to see that you are the better part of me
 
          Could we ever find a way to make things right
          You are twenty years away from me tonight

Beautiful People

 One, two, three no I’ll never be one of the beautiful people
Now I’ve learned that I don’t belong with those beautiful people
  
And their beautiful smiles so wide
They always smile on the other side
Of the railroad tracks I can’t seem to find
It’s enough to make a small man lose his mind
A divide by design now I’ve seen enough to see
  
One, two, three no I’ll never be one of the beautiful people
Now I’ve learned that I don’t belong with those beautiful people
 
And the beautiful way they strikingly stride
They always walk along the brighter side
Of the tracks in my mind
I’d like to think that it’s by design
 
One, two, three no I’ll never be one of the beautiful people
Now I’ve learned that I don’t belong with those beautiful people
 

 All songs copyrighted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Used to be somebody . . .
 
Shudder
Sometimes I wonder do you notice at all
Or are you just too kind to say?
Anything that might lead me to tears
You know sometimes I get that way
            When all my life has been so honest honey
            There ain’t no fooling around
            But if I sit out would you think less of me?
            There ain’t no gold in this town
Sometimes I wonder do you stutter when you think or do you stutter much at all?
No hair and glasses, too much to drink
Anybody else would’ve had it all
            When my intentions are so honest honey
            This ain’t no fooling around
            If I sit out would you think less of me?
            There ain’t no gold in this town
 
            When all my time has been so honest honey
            This ain’t no fooling around
            If I sell out would you think less of me?
           
 
Demonstrate
Loving what they do
Made a face at you
Hearing what they say
I laugh my life away
Of all the things I wanted to
I chase myself away from you
And even still I just can’t go away
            I know you don’t mind the wait
            I know you don’t mind the slow
            What I can’t separate, I can’t demonstrate
Alone and out of tune
Not a trace out of you
Adhere to what they say
I laugh my life away
Of all the things I wanted to
I chase myself away from you
And even still I just can’t go away
            I know you don’t mind the wait
            I know you don’t mind the slow
            What I can’t separate, I can’t demonstrate 
Got it Made
I’m barely awake hardly to blame
Got things I’d like to break not a thing to frame
And you say, “Don’t say it’s much too late"
or "Who I’m gonna be can’t wait”
           You and me, we got it made, got it made
            You and me, we’re just afraid that it’s too
Better left undone than unsaid
Better things to do instead
Do I read your mind or just plagiarize?
It’s a choice that lies well inside of me
            You and me, we got it made, got it made
            You and me, we’re just afraid that it’s too late
 
Get Me Outa Here
My ego is only surpassed by these years
My wisdom, let’s hear some
            As long as you arrive on time
            Pay your way and settle down—a long, long way from here
            As long as you account for yourself
            And find a way to get me outa here
This barstool is the past from where I come
This might be my last get me home
            As long as you arrive on time
            Pay your way and settle down—a long, long way from here
            As long as you account for yourself
            And find a way to get me outa here
Wouldn't it be so nice
If you'd be so kind
Point me to the door under the exit sign
Won't you please?
          As long as you arrive on time
          Pay your way and settle down--a long, long, way from here
          As long as you account for yourself
          And find a way to get me outa here
 
Sun, Sky, & Stars
When I’m feeling alone
Although I have no right to be
And I think I can’t go on
That’s when you come to me
            You are the sun, the sky, & the stars
            You are the clouds, the night, and the rain
            You ease my mind and you fill my heart
            You are to me everything
When I’m selfish and uncertain
When I think only of me
You open my eyes to what I’m missing
And show me things I could not see
            You are the sun, the sky, & the stars
            You are the clouds, the night, and the rain
            You ease my mind and you fill my heart
            You are to me everything
 
Cranberry
Old people, blond hair
Old fashioned it’s not fair
Children exploited and I don’t care
Nostalgic smoke it’s already gone
            I can see you waking up to me
            I can see you move to fast not easily
            Any day of the week I see you there
            Any time, any place, any mood, anywhere
Old feelings are not there
When old faces just stare
Children exploited and I don’t care
Nostalgic smoke it’s already gone
            I can see you waking up to me
            I can see you move to fast not easily
            Any day of the week I see you there
            Any time, any place, any mood, anywhere
All the things she says she knows
She comes around and overgrows
Suddenly once in a while
She comes to me and overthrows
It Old people, blond hair
Old fashioned it’s not fair
Children exploited and I don’t care
Nostalgic smoke it’s already gone
            I can see you waking up to me
            I can see you move to fast not easily
            Any day of the week I see you there
            Any time, any place, any mood, anywhere
 
Nowhere
What if it means a lot to me?
What if you’re never coming back?
What if I finally found the words
To say what I finally have to say?
            You’re not guided nowhere
            And not doing nothing
What if it means a lot me?
Now that you’re never coming back
What if I finally found the words
To say what I finally have to say?
            You’re not guided nowhere
            And not doing nothing
 
Asbury Park
Someone who’s got a reliable job
Someone who’s got a reliable car
Take us down to Atlantic City
Or at least Asbury Park
            If we make Asbury Park
            Where the night’s long and the day is so hard to start
            If we ever get that far
            She says, “So long, goodnight sweetheart”
Someone who won’t get drunk every night
We can trust with our credit cards
Someone who doesn’t want to join the band
And who knows how to tune guitars
            If we make Asbury Park
            Where the night’s long and the day is so hard to start
            If we ever get that far
            She says, “So long, goodnight sweetheart”
 
Drowning
 
 
Last Word
Last word is so frightening
Last thing I’ll say to you
Who’ll get that last word
Before I go
The last word me or you?
 
Last time I heard we were still fighting
And that’s the best thing that we do
Who’ll get that last word
Before too long
You know that last word like I do
The last word is I do
 
 
All songs copyrighted.