she is a mother who gave me a father
her name is norma jean
bill was a deacon after he quit drinking
he married her when she was sixteen
he moved her out west when the greatest depression
chased them, they escaped by the skin of their teeth
i watched him adore her, do everything for her
he carried her purse, and he watched her sleep
 
64 times they circled sun til he shot off the earth
like a rubber band gun
her soul folded up like a thin paper plane
waiting for takeoff to see him again
the man of her dreams, the man in her dreams
 
i’m a granddaughter who lost my grandfather
my name is lindsay ann
meaningless moments turn into memories
he picked me up from school in a mercury sedan
what I’ll most miss is the forehead kisses
cause I grew up taller than my family tree
he left me a lesson that kindness is best you can
survive a hard life with no enemies
 
32 times we circled the sun til he shot off the earth
like a rubber band gun i got
no right to complain, no reason to cry
he told me to relax, let the world go by
the man of my dreams (repeat)
the man in my dreams

Download on iTunes
Purchase Physical CD
Download Lyric Art

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

the world is turning, changing, spinning round
sometimes i’m dizzy in my head
day by day i’m learning to live on this playground
around the universe, my arms are spread
 
wide open, I’m hoping you stay with me
cause you have shown me how to love
living is giving and you’ve given me so much
when things are down you turn them right side up
 
i am a child seeking, asking, curious
sometimes i’m dizzy in my head
day by day you teach me to keep on, not give up
i’m standing tall, my wings are spread

if this will ever get better it will surely get worse
who says what, when, where, who calls who first
is hope even worth holding or do i wipe it off my hands
the situation paces restless in the places that it stands
 
i watch with aching despair from my own bird's eye
how can i bring you air without losing my sky
you threw up your borders i just drew a line
will it trace back to you or erase over time
 
i fly like a phoenix, i hover over your mule
as it thrashes its hooves in a sorrow-full pool
i know only to rise now so i can't dive back down
and besides, if i tried we both surely would drown
 
i didn't dig a grave or burn a bridge, i broke a cycle
the life you gave i yearned to live, the alternative was suicidal
it was never what i wanted - to be a self-inflicted orphan
now i lay awake haunted by a cursed, reversed abortion

​we run holding hands to two open swings
i pump my legs slowly, hold tight to the chain links
blocking the light, i look up in the air
scream honey, are you sure you're alright up there?
you say i'm having a blast, get up here right now
i yell back i'm tired, and i don't know how
for days straight, i wait, trying to gauge where you'll be
when the clouds cave in so you can land on me
 
there's a ring around the roses on our own playground
there's nothing but earth and sky for miles around
and i say, oh how fun, let's reminisce 
you say, i've never seen a place like this
and i say, it's common as apple pie
you say, i know you are, but what am i
 
next we head over to tetherball poles
i wait on both sides, while you play both roles
there's no way to lose, there's no way to win
so i sit wondering when i'll get to sub in
you hit it so hard, i wince and i brace
cause i'm scared the ball's bound to smack me in the face
it'll fly off the handle if you play too rough
leave you bored with just me, cause i'm not enough
 
when we finally take a break in the day
we take turns making a pb and j
i spread mine thin, cause i hate a mess
and you pour it on thick, cause you love the excess

the past will never shift so i’m learning to embrace it
the future is just a wish so i’m learning not to chase it
the present is a gift and i’m trying not to waste it
every choice is my reflection, i’m gonna have to face it
 
at the end of the day, let the chips fall where they may
let the light inside your love lead you a long
at the end of the night, keep the loving shining bright
so even in the dark you can’t go wrong
you can’t go wrong
 
love knocked off my boat it rocked me off my route
it sliced me paper thin but I’ll never rule it out
cause when love cuts you with its scissors, something better’s bound to sprout
i will play the game of love cause i could never do without

stop sizing me up, giving me that funny look
crooking your neck at me like
i’m the spine of some dusty book
open me up already
i’m jumping off the page at you
take me in nice and steady
i’m hoping i open you up too
 
can you read me, can you read me
can you read the signs?
can you read me, can you read me
read between the lines?
listen what i say, listen what i say, listen what i said
i’m ready, i’m ready to be read
 
if you pick me up babe, you’re afraid
you won’t put me down, down, down, down
articulated diction, this ain’t nonfiction friction
it’s just the way we are bound
open me up already
i’m jumping off the page at you
take me in nice and steady
i’m hoping i open you up too