i used to cast my light like a net on the sea
when i came around you would shimmer for me
now my spotlight might be something you dread
like a jailbird ducking away or running ahead
 
is it just me or is the fog rolling in thicker
cause what used to beam now only seems to be a flicker
i might look good, i might seem strong
but you are wrong, i'm just stuck in the moss
tell me where should a lighthouse look when it's lost?
 
i used to take each wave with a grain of salt
thought the price of love was the pain of assault
now when the wind howls, i tower, irate
at the owl and the moon that i imitate
 
oh the brutal ache of phantom limbs
makes for futile shakes of your hands my friend
my armless body's head just spins
and i’m jealous of the seagull’s glide
i search for days less tall, more wide
oh a glow is just a glare with too much pride to die

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i've been down, i've been below
i've been taken by the power of the water and the undertow
now I know when there's nearly nothin' left
it's the perfect time for learning how to hold your own breath
cause I chose a life a little deeper down
it gets dark down here but I like the sound
of absolutely nothing when something hits it hard
it's like underground thundering
my divine, supreme, subliminal being
 
i've been stuck, i've been between
i've been worried about the woes of a woman wandering
now I know my paths are plenty
sometimes sitting on a fence is just as good a place as any
cause i chose a life without a map
i get lost a lot but i'm fine with that
cause i like the curious curve of a question mark
it is all encompassing
my divine, supreme, subliminal being
 
i've been up, i've been high
i've been launched like a rocket ship looking down at the sky
now i know flight don't like gravity
but there'll come a day when weight won't apply to me
cause i chose a life that stares death in the face
just a stop along the way before outer space
cause i like to think my soul's made out of stars
it is vaporizing
my divine, supreme, subliminal being

Capo on 1, chord shapes:
Verse: Em C D
Chorus: Em C D B7

the doctor took a photograph, she wore a hospital gown
he explained that her brain was trying to take her down
they quieted the cancer, they tightened her screws
i took a tongue depressor, i took the abuse
 
someone should warn the surgeon he’s not alone
her mind’s a clenched fist with a sharp knife of its own
it’s hard to feel light in a waiting room of whispers
i sleep heavy every night. something's wrong with this picture
 
i stare at the negative, go to the darkest places
who are these strangers, i can’t make out their faces
as far as i can see, now as far as i can tell
my life’s an empty frame, shaking crooked on a nail
 
the police took a photograph just outside of town
of his truck and his luck and his wife and his life turned upside down
emergency rooms now a stain in my head
i leapt for the living there, i wept for the dead
 
who could have warned the wind, that the heavens would steal the air?
what god would pound this gavel, leave a family in despair?
it’s hard to hear the love in self-serving scripture
i sleep heavy every night. something's wrong with this picture

lately i’ve been thinking bout your skin
sweet and soft and brown just like cinnamon
daily daydream for night to come and stay
i wanna feel your body take my breath away
 
i’m painting pictures of you in my head dame
i hang those pictures of you in my bed frame
the moon looks so good on you, i’ll never see it the same
the only thing you’d wear better is my last name
 
i love to hear you say your m’s and o’s
i love the way i feel you in my toes
your loving’s like a well, bottomless and deep
always touching even when we sleep
 
i must have done something right
in my last life
to get to lay by your side

she wants to be vetted
but she fails the exam
she loves being petted
but she bites with poison glands
 
she just let it all fall through her hands
i know where she’s headed
face down, quicksand
 
she wants to take credit
but she sinks where she stands
she’d rather be shredded
than tear up “god’s plan” 

she ain't no ordinary mama,
she might like you a lot but not as much as drama
and you, you don't want no drama
she ain't no ordinary sister
she's going down and she wants to take you with her
and you, you're too smart to sink
 
you should stop giving swimming lessons,
that ain't your new profession
you don't owe her progression, that's what i think
 
she ain't no ordinary lover
she likes to be the victim; one day she will discover
you know love won't point the blame
she ain't no ordinary honey
erasing all her problems by spending daddy's money
and you know love don't cost a thing
 
i know you don't want to hear it
you're still not used to these words
until you're thinking clearly
let me tell you what i think you're worth
 
you ain't no ordinary lassie
you keep it kind, thoughtful and classy
and you have a heart that grows
 
you should start taking flying lessons
make that your new profession
you owe yourself progression, that's what i know

one drop of water and the lake still shakes
stomping my boots but the mud's still caked
i gotta find a way to let this go
a pile of bricks sticking to my chest
weighing me down they will not decongest
i tried to kill this ache but still it grows
 
how do i breathe now there's no air in my lungs
how do i climb down this ladder's out of rungs
how do i slow down when all i ever did was
all i ever did was run
 
should i be drinking now, well probably not
order a whiskey, cause it's worth a shot
maybe i'll drown this fear before it drowns me
trouble with worry is it won't get gone
cause you can never put your finger on
something you feel but you can not see

one drop of water and the lake still shakes

i used to cry, it's the way i would feel
my mom would smile and say it's just an earthquake drill
now there's nothing natural about it, the disaster is real
they're all shooting at nothing but they're shooting to kill
they're all shooting at nothing but they're shooting to kill

have a good day at school kid, good luck on your test
mama packed you a lunch and a bullet proof vest
now there's nothing natural about it, the disaster is real
they're all shooting at nothing but they're shooting to kill
they're all shooting at nothing but they're shooting to kill

if we put down our guns, step away from our screens
pick up our kids and teach 'em something
cause there's something natural about that
we're all someone's daughter or son
i'm not saying it's the answer, but it sure won't kill anyone
i'm not saying it's the answer, but it sure won't kill anyone

*co-written with Veronica May (music)
​
i ran my sweaty palms through messy tangled hair
i was a nervous schoolgirl at the science fair
i smiled hard with extra teeth so i could hide the way
the lump in my throat despised this pile of paper mache
 
the project baffled me, worked hard as i projected
tinkered with chemistry, results were unexpected
i felt fear in safety goggles, couldn’t calculate the quote
maybe too much vinegar, maybe too much baking soda
 
my volcano
now she's holding her breath, she's swallowing her pride
my volcano
is a mountain of words that just got tongue-tied
my volcano
she's glorious, she's dangerous, she's dormant and she's still
my volcano
if you wait ten thousand years, she might just tell you how she feels
 
i press my legs to chest, my knees cradle my ear
i'm an anxious woman, stretching my neck toward mt. ranier
i whisper soft with extra air so she can hear me say
i feel you bubbling underneath, i feel it every day
 
i am no longer shocked by the lack of an eruption
one day i will know, but for now there's no relief in self-destruction
for birds are nesting in her nooks, and humans hike her trails i feel kinship with a mountain that chooses not to melt

DRUM VERSION HERE

i’ve got a girl with a smile the size of texas
it’s big and it’s bright and it spreads from ear to ear
i’ve got a girl with a smile the size of texas
how i wish that girl was with me here
 
but the road rolls out and the highway winds
all we got for now is this telephone line
i’ll keep taking her calls if she keeps taking mine
i love this girl, i do confess
she’s the reason i’m believing in happiness
no matter where i am she’s gonna be my return address
 
i’ve got a girl as warm as california
i lay out in her love and i get a tan
i’ve got a girl as warm as california
how i wish that girl was where i am