The Execution of All Things (Frozen Lake Edition)
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Rilo Kiley was born from hunger, from the insatiable desire to write one’s own story. The band’s origins can be traced back to Los Angeles in the late 1990s, when Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett discovered a shared songwriting obsession and began performing together. After some starts and stops, a band was formed with Pierre “Duke” de Reeder playing bass. They called themselves Rilo Kiley, borrowing a name that came to Sennett in a dream.
For their second record, Rilo Kiley headed to Nebraska to record with Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis alongside new drummer Jason Boesel. Here, Lewis truly becomes a generational songwriter, spinning interior mysteries regarding romance, depression, trauma, hope, and isolation into cathartic revelations. The Execution of All Things was a triumphant arrival.
Originally released in 2002, the celebrated and beloved album The Execution of All Things is a hallmark of indie rock. Hailed by fans and critics alike as an essential component to any record collection.
Reissue Release Date: April 25th, 2025
Original Release Date: October 1st, 2002 -
LP PACKAGING DETAILS
- Cloudy clear vinyl pressed at GZ
- Die cut gatefold jacket
- Includes 18"x24" poster insert -
1. The Good That Won't Come Out
2. Paint's Peeling
3. The Execution Of All Things
4. So Long
5. Capturing Moods
6. A Better Son/Daughter
7. Hail To Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You
8. My Slumbering Heart
9. Three Hopeful Thoughts
10. With Arms Outstretched
11. Spectacular Views
12. Outro -
01 The Good That Won’t Come Out
Let’s get together and talk about the modern age.
All of our friends were gathered there with their pets
just talking shit about how we’re all so upset about the disappearing ground.
As we watch it melt…
It’s all of the good that won’t come out of us
and how eventually our hands will just turn to dust,
if we keep shaking them.
Standing here on this frozen lake.
I do this thing where I think I’m real sick,
but I won’t go to the doctor to find out about it.
Cause they make you stay real still in a real small space
as they chart up your insides and put them on display.
They’d see all of it, all of me, all of it.
All of the good that won’t come out of me
and all the stupid lies I hide behind.
It’s such a big mistake, lying here in your warm embrace.
Oh, you’re almost home. I’ve been waiting for you to come in.
Dancing around in your old suits going crazy in your room again.
I think I’ll go out and embarrass myself
by getting drunk and falling down in the street.
You say I choose sadness,
that it never once has chosen me.
Maybe you’re right.
Let’s talk about all of our friends who lost the war
and all of the novels that had yet to be written about them.
It’s all of the good that won’t come out of them,
and all the stupid lies they hide behind.
It’s such a big mistake, standing here on this frozen lake.
It’s all of the good that won’t come out of me
and how eventually my mouth will just turn to dust,
if I don’t tell you quick.
Standing here on this frozen lake.
——————————————
02 Paint’s Peeling
The paint’s peeling off the streets again
and I’ll drive and close my eyes in Michigan.
And I feel nothing, not brave.
It’s a hard day for breathing again.
And the heat is chasing off, all your friends
and their scattered bodies part to the shore again.
And I feel nothing, not sane.
It’s a hard day for dreaming again.
I’m not going back to the assholes that made me,
and the perfect display of random acts of hopelessness.
I wish I could stay here, but I think we’re all ready.
I think we’re all ready.
And I feel nothing, not sane.
It’s a hard day for dreaming again…
And, oh, now that you’ve seen almost all of America,
all you can say is, “where is all the water?”
And the war has been over for years since you gave up.
Last night, where the road had started,
and last night, when my hands were choking you.
Last night, when the room and your mood was dipping,
and last night when the ropes were pulling you in…
You said, “Hey, how could love me this way?”
You said, “Hey, I think we’re all ready …”
I think we’re all ready.
——————————————
03 The Execution of All Things
Soldiers come quickly, I feel the earth beneath my feet.
I’m feeling badly, it’s not an attempt at decency.
And if you’re well off, well then I’m happy some for you.
But I’d rather not celebrate my defeat and humiliation here with you.
Someone come quickly, this place was built for moving out.
Leave behind buildings, the city planners got mapped out.
Bring with you history and make your hard earned feast.
Then we’ll go to Omaha, to work and exploit the booming music scene and humility.
And we’ve been talking all night…
Oh god come quickly, the execution of all things.
Let’s start with the bears and the air and mountains rivers and streams.
Then we’ll murder what matters to you and move on to your neighbors and kids.
Crush all hopes of happiness with disease ‘cause of what you did.
And lastly, you’re all alone with nothing left but sleep.
But sleep never comes to you, it’s the guilt and forever wakefulness of the weak.
It’s just you and me….
The execution of all things.
The execution of all things.
The execution of all things.
——————————————
04 So Long
Watch me fly away
Through the night sky yeah
Now that all you touched
has finally turned gray
And roads can’t hold us down
Winds will move us around
With no need to return
to this gray town
Want to bet I can tell
You’ve been in bed for too long
So let’s just say so long
And I watched you at the cove
You read on rocks below
And I turned home
without so much as hello
Wanna know where I go
I’ve been away for too long
And it’s hard to leave
when I haven’t seen
You in so long
And if we
had just held out for tomorrow
We might have seen
What seemed so far away
We didn’t even bother to stay
There it goes I can tell
You’re going to keep your eyes to the ground
Waiting for something to finally come around
And tell you what you knew
That you weren’t wrong
And it’s finally time for so
When dad moved out to a frozen land
The TV was jumping it didn’t feel right and
The cards they came with pictures of frozen lights and giant frozen sculptures
So big right beside him carved out of snow
The clouds fooled us into seeing snow
As far as we could see but it was summer and the sun came up and never went down for two whole weeks
——————————————
05 Capturing Moods
Moods don’t command you
if you don’t know what you’re going through.
There’s love for you up where the population grows.
There’s friendly people in cities too,
just ask them where they are going to.
There’s life and work up where the clouds meet the snow.
And I don’t mind waiting…
I’m always one step ahead of you
if you don’t know what you’re going through.
There’s laughs and fun up where the conversation flows.
And I don’t mind waiting if it takes a long, long time.
And I don’t mind braving the coldest winter of our time.
And I don’t mind racing through our goodbyes.
This is your last line of defense.
You could sell your baseball cards just to pay your rent, yeah.
I don’t mind waiting if it takes a long, long time.
And I don’t mind wasting the best years of our lives.
And I don’t mind racing through our goodbyes.
——————————————
06 A Better Son/Daughter
Sometimes in the morning I am petrified and can’t move
Awake but cannot open my eyes
And the weight is crushing down on my lungs
I know I can’t breathe and hope someone will help me this time
And your mother’s still calling you insane and high
swearing it’s different this time
and you tell her to give in to the demons that possess her
and that god never blessed her insides
then you hang up the phone and feel badly for upsetting things
crawl back into bed to dream of a time
when your heart was open wide and you loved things just because
like the sick and the dying
and sometimes when you’re on you’re really fucking on
and your friends they sing along and they love you
but the lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap
and it teases you for weeks in its absence
but you’ll fight and you’ll make it through
you’ll fake it if you have to and you’ll show up for work with a smile
and you’ll be better and you’ll be smarter and more grown up
and a better daughter or son and a real good friend
and you’ll be awake, you’ll be alert, you’ll be positive though it hurts
and you’ll laugh and embrace all your friends
and you’ll be a real good listener, you’ll be honest,
you’ll be brave, you’ll be handsome, and you’ll be beautiful
you’ll be happy
your ship may be coming in, you’re weak but not giving in
to the cries and the wails of the valley below
And your ship may be coming in you’re weak but not giving in
and you’ll fight it you’ll go out fighting all of them…
——————————————
07 Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You
Hail to those who have come from the sunlight that surrounds you
Pray for those who have gone from the sunlight that surrounds you
Hail to those who have come from the sunlight that surrounds you
Pray for those who have gone from the sunlight that surrounds you
Pretend all the good things are for you
Hail to those who have come from the sunlight that surrounds you
Hail to whatever you found in the sunlight that surrounds you
Pretend all the good things are for you
Pretend all the good things are for me too
And the weather changes not halfway between your house and mine
Pretend all the good things are for you
Pretend all the good things are for me too
And the weather changes not halfway between your house and mine
And all the good things are for me
And all the good things are for you too
And the weather changes not halfway between your house and mine
——————————————
08 My Slumbering Heart
In my dreams, I see myself hitting a baseball
in a green field somewhere near a freeway.
I’m all tan and smiling and running from third base.
And It’s hot and the kids keep on playing the driving game
and they’re singing the same goddamn refrain,
and the sky is a bluish gray.
It’s become just like a chemical stress,
tracing the lines in my face for
something more beautiful than is there.
I’ve barely been gone.
In my dreams, I see you at the foot of some mountains
we’re taking some pictures or something,
and we’d better hurry up.
And It’s late and the sun keeps on shooting through pine trees
and the grass stains are wet on your new jeans,
and we’d better hurry up.
I’ve become just like a terrible mess.
Searching the lines in my face for
something more beautiful than is there,
but the crowds keep me coming back, cheering.
In my dreams, I see you asleep on a twin bed,
the covers pulled up over your head.
Am I asleep or awake?
And it’s morning the captain is playing the radio,
and he’s just put the paint on his new boat.
Am I asleep or awake?
And It just feels good when you’re waking up.
And It just feels good when you’re next to me.
And It just feels good when you’re coming home.
And It just feels good when it’s waking up.
My slumbering heart.
And I’ve become just like a chemical stress,
tracing the lines in my face for something more beautiful than is there.
I’ve barely been gone.
And I’m not a failure I swear,
I wish you could see it from over there.
I’ve got a lot over here without you.
I’ve barely been gone, gone, dreaming.
My mom she cried about money and time
and how she felt older and I didn’t understand much
She left and I stayed
My dad played in the bar
And I wondered if I looked like him
He was small even with boots on
He looked like an Eskimo and we were in Alaska
In the airport I had seen or imagined a mural of an arctic scene
with seals and people that seemed nice than me
where they smoked and talked about the disappearing ground
——————————————
09 Three Hopeful Thoughts
All this talk of your sweet girlfriend
Is starting to pay off
And the charms that you got from travel
Are starting to wear off
And I hope that you
Smile tonight
Watching the last of your friends arrive
You’ll smile and shake their hands
And the hero that you’d hoped you’d be
Never seemed to show up
And if I can keep on talking
There won’t be time to give up
And I hope that I
Drive tonight
Into the last of the great sunrises
I’ll smile and wave my hand
Goodbye
If things don’t work out
Quite the way you planned
It’s almost half past two and
I’ve begun to hate the way you
Smile so smile
And I hope that you
Close your eyes
Block out the pain
Of a thousand lives
I hope that you
Die tonight
Just close your eyes
There goes the light
Smile I’ll brave it
While you wave your hand
Goodbye
——————————————
10 With Arms Outstretched
It’s sixteen miles to the promised land
And I promise you I’m doing the best I can
Now don’t fool yourself in thinking you’re more than a man
‘Cause you’ll probably end up dead
I visit these mountains with frequency
and I stand here with my arms up
Now some days they last longer than others
But this day by the lake went too fast
And if you want me you better speak up I won’t wait
So you’d better move fast
Don’t fool yourself in thinking you’re more than you are
With your arms outstretched to me
Now It’s sixteen miles to the promised land
And I promise you I’m doing the best I can
Now some days they last longer than others
But this day by the lake went too fast
And if you want me you better speak up I won’t wait
So you’d better move fast
And some days they last longer than others
But this day by the lake went too fast
And if you want me you better speak up I won’t wait
So you’d better move fast
——————————————
11 Spectacular Views
In steep cliffs
with rocks all piled up
mysteries of your passing luck
Ages pass
shells and bits of bone
forming new limestone
to give things their turn
There are no bad words for the coast today
You never knew
why you felt so good
in the strangest of places
Like in waiting rooms
and long lines that made you late
and mall parking lots on holidays
There are no bad words for the coast today
when we hold our breath until nothing’s left
it all starts to fade
We can see the stars
from where the birds make their homes
staring back at us
Indifferent but distanced
perfectly projected endlessly
it’s so fucking beautiful
There are no bad words for the coast today
then you ask what’s a palisade
and if we’re too late for happiness?
My dad was nice and seemed sorry for not being around
He left work early and took me to a skating rink
Where all of the kids in the world could have been
I was scared and tall with skates on and my favorite jeans
There was a boy who wanted to skate with me
He held my hand and we went around
More times than I counted
By a mural of an Arctic scene
I was looking at my feet because
It was perfect and the air was clean
My dad was there
It was summer’s last eve and that’s how I choose to remember it
——————————————
And That’s How I Choose to Remember It
When dad moved out to a frozen land
The TV was jumping it didn’t feel right and
The cards they came with pictures of frozen lights and giant frozen sculptures
So big right beside him carved out of snow
The clouds fooled us into seeing snow
As far as we could see but it was summer and the sun came up and never went down for two whole weeks
My mom she cried about money and time
and how she felt older and I didn’t understand much
She left and I stayed
My dad played in the bar
And I wondered if I looked like him
He was small even with boots on
He looked like an Eskimo and we were in Alaska
In the airport I had seen or imagined a mural of an arctic scene
with seals and people that seemed nice than me
where they smoked and talked about the disappearing ground
My dad was nice and seemed sorry for not being around
He left work early and took me to a skating rink
Where all of the kids in the world could have been
I was scared and tall with skates on and my favorite jeans
There was a boy who wanted to skate with me
He held my hand and we went around
More times than I counted
By a mural of an Arctic scene
I was looking at my feet because
It was perfect and the air was clean
My dad was there
It was summer’s last eve and that’s how I choose to remember it
Rilo Kiley was born from hunger, from the insatiable desire to write one’s own story. The band’s origins can be traced back to Los Angeles in the late 1990s, when Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett discovered a shared songwriting obsession and began performing together. After some starts and stops, a band was formed with Pierre “Duke” de Reeder playing bass. They called themselves Rilo Kiley, borrowing a name that came to Sennett in a dream.
For their second record, Rilo Kiley headed to Nebraska to record with Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis alongside new drummer Jason Boesel. Here, Lewis truly becomes a generational songwriter, spinning interior mysteries regarding romance, depression, trauma, hope, and isolation into cathartic revelations. The Execution of All Things was a triumphant arrival.
Originally released in 2002, the celebrated and beloved album The Execution of All Things is a hallmark of indie rock. Hailed by fans and critics alike as an essential component to any record collection.
Reissue Release Date: April 25th, 2025
Original Release Date: October 1st, 2002
LP PACKAGING DETAILS
- Cloudy clear vinyl pressed at GZ
- Die cut gatefold jacket
- Includes 18"x24" poster insert
1. The Good That Won't Come Out
2. Paint's Peeling
3. The Execution Of All Things
4. So Long
5. Capturing Moods
6. A Better Son/Daughter
7. Hail To Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You
8. My Slumbering Heart
9. Three Hopeful Thoughts
10. With Arms Outstretched
11. Spectacular Views
12. Outro
01 The Good That Won’t Come Out
Let’s get together and talk about the modern age.
All of our friends were gathered there with their pets
just talking shit about how we’re all so upset about the disappearing ground.
As we watch it melt…
It’s all of the good that won’t come out of us
and how eventually our hands will just turn to dust,
if we keep shaking them.
Standing here on this frozen lake.
I do this thing where I think I’m real sick,
but I won’t go to the doctor to find out about it.
Cause they make you stay real still in a real small space
as they chart up your insides and put them on display.
They’d see all of it, all of me, all of it.
All of the good that won’t come out of me
and all the stupid lies I hide behind.
It’s such a big mistake, lying here in your warm embrace.
Oh, you’re almost home. I’ve been waiting for you to come in.
Dancing around in your old suits going crazy in your room again.
I think I’ll go out and embarrass myself
by getting drunk and falling down in the street.
You say I choose sadness,
that it never once has chosen me.
Maybe you’re right.
Let’s talk about all of our friends who lost the war
and all of the novels that had yet to be written about them.
It’s all of the good that won’t come out of them,
and all the stupid lies they hide behind.
It’s such a big mistake, standing here on this frozen lake.
It’s all of the good that won’t come out of me
and how eventually my mouth will just turn to dust,
if I don’t tell you quick.
Standing here on this frozen lake.
——————————————
02 Paint’s Peeling
The paint’s peeling off the streets again
and I’ll drive and close my eyes in Michigan.
And I feel nothing, not brave.
It’s a hard day for breathing again.
And the heat is chasing off, all your friends
and their scattered bodies part to the shore again.
And I feel nothing, not sane.
It’s a hard day for dreaming again.
I’m not going back to the assholes that made me,
and the perfect display of random acts of hopelessness.
I wish I could stay here, but I think we’re all ready.
I think we’re all ready.
And I feel nothing, not sane.
It’s a hard day for dreaming again…
And, oh, now that you’ve seen almost all of America,
all you can say is, “where is all the water?”
And the war has been over for years since you gave up.
Last night, where the road had started,
and last night, when my hands were choking you.
Last night, when the room and your mood was dipping,
and last night when the ropes were pulling you in…
You said, “Hey, how could love me this way?”
You said, “Hey, I think we’re all ready …”
I think we’re all ready.
——————————————
03 The Execution of All Things
Soldiers come quickly, I feel the earth beneath my feet.
I’m feeling badly, it’s not an attempt at decency.
And if you’re well off, well then I’m happy some for you.
But I’d rather not celebrate my defeat and humiliation here with you.
Someone come quickly, this place was built for moving out.
Leave behind buildings, the city planners got mapped out.
Bring with you history and make your hard earned feast.
Then we’ll go to Omaha, to work and exploit the booming music scene and humility.
And we’ve been talking all night…
Oh god come quickly, the execution of all things.
Let’s start with the bears and the air and mountains rivers and streams.
Then we’ll murder what matters to you and move on to your neighbors and kids.
Crush all hopes of happiness with disease ‘cause of what you did.
And lastly, you’re all alone with nothing left but sleep.
But sleep never comes to you, it’s the guilt and forever wakefulness of the weak.
It’s just you and me….
The execution of all things.
The execution of all things.
The execution of all things.
——————————————
04 So Long
Watch me fly away
Through the night sky yeah
Now that all you touched
has finally turned gray
And roads can’t hold us down
Winds will move us around
With no need to return
to this gray town
Want to bet I can tell
You’ve been in bed for too long
So let’s just say so long
And I watched you at the cove
You read on rocks below
And I turned home
without so much as hello
Wanna know where I go
I’ve been away for too long
And it’s hard to leave
when I haven’t seen
You in so long
And if we
had just held out for tomorrow
We might have seen
What seemed so far away
We didn’t even bother to stay
There it goes I can tell
You’re going to keep your eyes to the ground
Waiting for something to finally come around
And tell you what you knew
That you weren’t wrong
And it’s finally time for so
When dad moved out to a frozen land
The TV was jumping it didn’t feel right and
The cards they came with pictures of frozen lights and giant frozen sculptures
So big right beside him carved out of snow
The clouds fooled us into seeing snow
As far as we could see but it was summer and the sun came up and never went down for two whole weeks
——————————————
05 Capturing Moods
Moods don’t command you
if you don’t know what you’re going through.
There’s love for you up where the population grows.
There’s friendly people in cities too,
just ask them where they are going to.
There’s life and work up where the clouds meet the snow.
And I don’t mind waiting…
I’m always one step ahead of you
if you don’t know what you’re going through.
There’s laughs and fun up where the conversation flows.
And I don’t mind waiting if it takes a long, long time.
And I don’t mind braving the coldest winter of our time.
And I don’t mind racing through our goodbyes.
This is your last line of defense.
You could sell your baseball cards just to pay your rent, yeah.
I don’t mind waiting if it takes a long, long time.
And I don’t mind wasting the best years of our lives.
And I don’t mind racing through our goodbyes.
——————————————
06 A Better Son/Daughter
Sometimes in the morning I am petrified and can’t move
Awake but cannot open my eyes
And the weight is crushing down on my lungs
I know I can’t breathe and hope someone will help me this time
And your mother’s still calling you insane and high
swearing it’s different this time
and you tell her to give in to the demons that possess her
and that god never blessed her insides
then you hang up the phone and feel badly for upsetting things
crawl back into bed to dream of a time
when your heart was open wide and you loved things just because
like the sick and the dying
and sometimes when you’re on you’re really fucking on
and your friends they sing along and they love you
but the lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap
and it teases you for weeks in its absence
but you’ll fight and you’ll make it through
you’ll fake it if you have to and you’ll show up for work with a smile
and you’ll be better and you’ll be smarter and more grown up
and a better daughter or son and a real good friend
and you’ll be awake, you’ll be alert, you’ll be positive though it hurts
and you’ll laugh and embrace all your friends
and you’ll be a real good listener, you’ll be honest,
you’ll be brave, you’ll be handsome, and you’ll be beautiful
you’ll be happy
your ship may be coming in, you’re weak but not giving in
to the cries and the wails of the valley below
And your ship may be coming in you’re weak but not giving in
and you’ll fight it you’ll go out fighting all of them…
——————————————
07 Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You
Hail to those who have come from the sunlight that surrounds you
Pray for those who have gone from the sunlight that surrounds you
Hail to those who have come from the sunlight that surrounds you
Pray for those who have gone from the sunlight that surrounds you
Pretend all the good things are for you
Hail to those who have come from the sunlight that surrounds you
Hail to whatever you found in the sunlight that surrounds you
Pretend all the good things are for you
Pretend all the good things are for me too
And the weather changes not halfway between your house and mine
Pretend all the good things are for you
Pretend all the good things are for me too
And the weather changes not halfway between your house and mine
And all the good things are for me
And all the good things are for you too
And the weather changes not halfway between your house and mine
——————————————
08 My Slumbering Heart
In my dreams, I see myself hitting a baseball
in a green field somewhere near a freeway.
I’m all tan and smiling and running from third base.
And It’s hot and the kids keep on playing the driving game
and they’re singing the same goddamn refrain,
and the sky is a bluish gray.
It’s become just like a chemical stress,
tracing the lines in my face for
something more beautiful than is there.
I’ve barely been gone.
In my dreams, I see you at the foot of some mountains
we’re taking some pictures or something,
and we’d better hurry up.
And It’s late and the sun keeps on shooting through pine trees
and the grass stains are wet on your new jeans,
and we’d better hurry up.
I’ve become just like a terrible mess.
Searching the lines in my face for
something more beautiful than is there,
but the crowds keep me coming back, cheering.
In my dreams, I see you asleep on a twin bed,
the covers pulled up over your head.
Am I asleep or awake?
And it’s morning the captain is playing the radio,
and he’s just put the paint on his new boat.
Am I asleep or awake?
And It just feels good when you’re waking up.
And It just feels good when you’re next to me.
And It just feels good when you’re coming home.
And It just feels good when it’s waking up.
My slumbering heart.
And I’ve become just like a chemical stress,
tracing the lines in my face for something more beautiful than is there.
I’ve barely been gone.
And I’m not a failure I swear,
I wish you could see it from over there.
I’ve got a lot over here without you.
I’ve barely been gone, gone, dreaming.
My mom she cried about money and time
and how she felt older and I didn’t understand much
She left and I stayed
My dad played in the bar
And I wondered if I looked like him
He was small even with boots on
He looked like an Eskimo and we were in Alaska
In the airport I had seen or imagined a mural of an arctic scene
with seals and people that seemed nice than me
where they smoked and talked about the disappearing ground
——————————————
09 Three Hopeful Thoughts
All this talk of your sweet girlfriend
Is starting to pay off
And the charms that you got from travel
Are starting to wear off
And I hope that you
Smile tonight
Watching the last of your friends arrive
You’ll smile and shake their hands
And the hero that you’d hoped you’d be
Never seemed to show up
And if I can keep on talking
There won’t be time to give up
And I hope that I
Drive tonight
Into the last of the great sunrises
I’ll smile and wave my hand
Goodbye
If things don’t work out
Quite the way you planned
It’s almost half past two and
I’ve begun to hate the way you
Smile so smile
And I hope that you
Close your eyes
Block out the pain
Of a thousand lives
I hope that you
Die tonight
Just close your eyes
There goes the light
Smile I’ll brave it
While you wave your hand
Goodbye
——————————————
10 With Arms Outstretched
It’s sixteen miles to the promised land
And I promise you I’m doing the best I can
Now don’t fool yourself in thinking you’re more than a man
‘Cause you’ll probably end up dead
I visit these mountains with frequency
and I stand here with my arms up
Now some days they last longer than others
But this day by the lake went too fast
And if you want me you better speak up I won’t wait
So you’d better move fast
Don’t fool yourself in thinking you’re more than you are
With your arms outstretched to me
Now It’s sixteen miles to the promised land
And I promise you I’m doing the best I can
Now some days they last longer than others
But this day by the lake went too fast
And if you want me you better speak up I won’t wait
So you’d better move fast
And some days they last longer than others
But this day by the lake went too fast
And if you want me you better speak up I won’t wait
So you’d better move fast
——————————————
11 Spectacular Views
In steep cliffs
with rocks all piled up
mysteries of your passing luck
Ages pass
shells and bits of bone
forming new limestone
to give things their turn
There are no bad words for the coast today
You never knew
why you felt so good
in the strangest of places
Like in waiting rooms
and long lines that made you late
and mall parking lots on holidays
There are no bad words for the coast today
when we hold our breath until nothing’s left
it all starts to fade
We can see the stars
from where the birds make their homes
staring back at us
Indifferent but distanced
perfectly projected endlessly
it’s so fucking beautiful
There are no bad words for the coast today
then you ask what’s a palisade
and if we’re too late for happiness?
My dad was nice and seemed sorry for not being around
He left work early and took me to a skating rink
Where all of the kids in the world could have been
I was scared and tall with skates on and my favorite jeans
There was a boy who wanted to skate with me
He held my hand and we went around
More times than I counted
By a mural of an Arctic scene
I was looking at my feet because
It was perfect and the air was clean
My dad was there
It was summer’s last eve and that’s how I choose to remember it
——————————————
And That’s How I Choose to Remember It
When dad moved out to a frozen land
The TV was jumping it didn’t feel right and
The cards they came with pictures of frozen lights and giant frozen sculptures
So big right beside him carved out of snow
The clouds fooled us into seeing snow
As far as we could see but it was summer and the sun came up and never went down for two whole weeks
My mom she cried about money and time
and how she felt older and I didn’t understand much
She left and I stayed
My dad played in the bar
And I wondered if I looked like him
He was small even with boots on
He looked like an Eskimo and we were in Alaska
In the airport I had seen or imagined a mural of an arctic scene
with seals and people that seemed nice than me
where they smoked and talked about the disappearing ground
My dad was nice and seemed sorry for not being around
He left work early and took me to a skating rink
Where all of the kids in the world could have been
I was scared and tall with skates on and my favorite jeans
There was a boy who wanted to skate with me
He held my hand and we went around
More times than I counted
By a mural of an Arctic scene
I was looking at my feet because
It was perfect and the air was clean
My dad was there
It was summer’s last eve and that’s how I choose to remember it