Get all 17 Tim Stiles releases available on Bandcamp and save 10%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Wearing My Jordans, Who's The Boss?, Cicada Exoskeletons, I Dropped The Ball This Christmas (A Poem For Casie), L.M.C., A Fish Like This feat. Trinity Richter, Let It Be feat. Trinity Richter, Start With An 'E' feat. Paradame (Qreepz Remix), and 9 more.
1. |
Froggy Window
03:07
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Plip-plop, go a matter of drops
Paying close attention to H2O’s reflection on...
The window--the canvas,
The rain, the paint, with the windowsill--their guard
Water makes its way based on the artist, the wind’s say
And the amount of drips involved
From the inside we watch
Their confusing execution and cavernous crawl
After a few slick turns and quick stops
Rivers are portrayed like a tangled rope of slip knots
Some beads proliferate
While others dissipate and soon dissolve
Moving in closer, we begin to contemplate
Did nature just create patterns for us to solve?
Our breath condensates upon the windowpane
So we spell our name with a greasy palm
From the start of the raining, we’re a part of this painting
Equally artists involved,
Mesmerized by the causeways
Reflections of webbed feet soon become the cost paid
Within throws of the fog
Green skin starts to glow, fingertips grow enlarged
Soon each breath we take finds a timely escape
And formulates the shape of frogs, anyway!
Hip-hop, goes the amphibian’s walk...
Minding his own, traversing the pond
Searching for a mate at a stepping-stones pace
Hopping lily pad to pod
Tick-tock, go the hands of the clock
As a past unsolved remains in his thoughts
Hickory, dickory, dock...
Oh, how quickly we evolve with such wizardry involved
Hip-hop, goes the amphibian’s walk...
Residing alone, submerged in his pond
Happy in his place, keeping his own pace
Not bouncing from pad to pod
Tick-tock, go the hands of the clock
Might be time to move on but he thinks not
Hickory, dickory, dock
Oh, how stubborn we evolve with such misery involved
He goes a hip, hip, hop (x3)
He goes a hip, hip… hop!
Time goes a tick, tick, tock (x3)
It goes a tick, tick… tock!
He goes a hip, hip, hop (x3)
He goes a hip, hip… hop
Time goes a tick, tick, tock as he hip, hip, hops...
Time goes a tick, tick... tock
Until the clock’s ticks... ..Stop...
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2. |
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[Tim Stiles]
This site wants to know my location
Sure, I'll allow but subsequently send me notifications? Nope, I throw in the towel
My own accord's been out-waged by the proud
Robot overlords coding open doors like Blaise Pascal
When convenience is tantamount
We become lenient letting data rain from the clouds
As soon a privacy gets sold at a premium
It feels as if we're being disemboweled
Look, I'll accept your cookies with a satiated sentiment
But my data's sensitive, invading it takes precedent
Over any internet mandate or intent for its betterment
I don't care if it's to aggregate or eradicate pestilence
Encapsulating eating habits with my average weight
To feed me targeted ads through packets grazed
Is an undeniable breach of my rights
Sure, I clicked accept but a white flag wasn't raised
[Hook]
They say it's for my own protection,
It's so deceptive when they pry so hard
Data being driven in so many directions
A backseat passenger drives my car
No perspective on what they're collecting
Unclear objective, where'd the driver park?
That's how riots start
I wish they'd keep their hands to themselves, off my private parts...
[The Grouch]
Dat-data and information that if taken
Down and recorded is important
Yeah, I get it I don't really fear it
Cause love will prevail and we can afford it
An assortment of details
So you can get to know me well without knowing me
Well, I heard it in a seashell that Sally sold
Before the Silicon Valley mode
We had the northern Cali cold in seasons
A story of two worlds we believed in
I never sell my soul for the wrong reason
No one could take that from me if I'm breathing
Nature is sacred, that's what I put my faith in
No effort wasted, unplugging from the matrix
But the web we weave is a sticky one
Will your trigger finger squeeze when you get the gun?
The car, the house, the promotion
Is success worth the death of the ocean?
No, I say "success" in quotes and I'm hoping
To provoke thought and get your heart open
[Hook]
[Tim Stiles]
Most of the time we ignore keep on clicking
Accept this, allow that just to load a page we're visiting
Ads litter screens and block what we're reading
One index misstep leads to malware imprisoning
That's when they sell us apps supposed to rid it clean
Then all of a sudden that cleaner itself begins soliciting
CPU cycles dwindle as the virus starts to chisel away
Until the data loss is crippling
Nothing could outweigh the cost you're will to spend to stop it
Kick and scream all you want, the robots are gonna profit
So many security layers smother us while we're all asleep
Data miners will keep laundering the middle-ware cloth of kings
[HOOK]
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3. |
One Man Show
04:00
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From a deep sleep, grinding teeth REM
Eyes are opened by the sound of rotor blades closing in
What a way to awaken, I'm bothered at best
Realizing my bed's become a helicopter's nest
Uneasy breathing, dreams gone disrupted
Stuck in a machine, climbing peaks to nothingness
Where are we headed? North, south, east or west?
I can't even read the needle of the compass on my wrist
Plumes of smoke rushing in, crushing my chest
Oxygen growing thin, nervous system distressed
Make my way to the cockpit to notify the pilot
All I find's an empty seat. There's no one flying this!?
An abandoned backpack is sitting there instead
With a ripcord labeled, PULL ME WHEN YOU SEE 'IT'
The word 'IT' is written in RED. I don’t get it
All I see is foggy, blue skies, and mist ahead
Escape from the trouble, no dismay from rebuttal
When you stay in your bubble... It’s a one man show
Form the clay with your knuckle to create one to love you
To lay with and cuddle... It's a one man show
When solely facing the struggle there's no way to be befuddled
Just stay in your bubble... It’s a one man show
From the sea to the sand, the streets to the jungle
Wherever you land... It’s a one man show
A metal deathtrap’s no place for the fledged
As the hell of this copter begins its tailspin of dread
Panic sets in. I grasp the back of my neck
Sirens start to scream. I wish I was back in bed!
Off rips its manifold... I flip switches
In one last ditch attempt to understand its controls
I can't.... Glance out the window
What do I witness? A resemblance of land? Alrighty then...
On goes the backpack with no hand to hold
Blow a kiss to my gone mistress and out the door I go
Jumping ship into the abyss
Wondering where, when, and if 'Isle-land' below
Escape from the trouble, no dismay from rebuttal
When you stay in your bubble... It’s a one man show
Form the clay with your knuckle to create one to love you
To lay with and cuddle... It's a one man show
When solely facing the struggle there's no way to be befuddled
Just stay in your bubble... It’s a one man show
From the sea to the sand, the streets to the jungle
Wherever you land... It’s a one man show
Gracefully gliding through white noise of wild wind
Increasing divides between cries & childish grins
Cheek bones tighten. Pin needles strike lips
Stretched skin forms a smile as I descend
In and out of consciousness at break-neck speed
A feeling of flight so ominous soon takes its lead
At the break of a breaking dawn, pulling the rip cord out its seams
Leaves shapes of a shaky hominid, breaking waves on a beach
This nightmare set the stage, mic-tested my nerves
Only one ticket sold, sound check was the worst
But it made me take a second to check surroundings and learn
Seclusion only lasts for so long until the bubble bursts
Escape from the trouble, no dismay from rebuttal
When you stay in your bubble... It’s a one man show
Form the clay with your knuckle to create one to love you
To lay with and cuddle... It's a one man show
When solely facing the struggle there's no way to be befuddled
Just stay in your bubble... It’s a one man show
From the sea to the sand, the streets to the jungle
Wherever you land... It’s a one man show
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4. |
Swell In My Gut
03:50
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These problems weigh way more than a ton
You can tell by the hunch in my shoulders
Plus the swell in my gut
How do I solve them, or at least absolve one?
I swallow a pill and keep the doors shut
I express this to listeners, to my parents, psychiatrist and coworkers
But I get treated like I’m no further from
A lone goat herder without a cane, stripped of his tongue
This mundane ho-hum struggles to retain relationships
With a positive outcome
Attempts to do so are rarely gratified
Complacency tends to leave the unsung unsatisfied
The weight of the world is getting heavier
Dishes are piling up, let alone the weather sucks
I ain’t smiling as much as ordinarily
This Introverted side is escalating at a rate that's sorta scaring me
The hair on my head is falling
Approaching 42, getting closer 50 dismays me
Yet I'll still crawl out of bed today
With a mouthful to say before my heart starts to palpitate
I try to do the right thing but you never know what the night’ll bring
It starts with engines idling, exhaust fumes, then a tire screech
Gears grind... desires vs. needs
As an ominous automaton babbles on from the driver's seat
It takes one to know one when neither know which road they're on
I'm the hominid and he's the opposite of kind to me
With pessimistic put downs rock bottomless
I curl up like a nautilus to pretend to look like I'm asleep
See, tonight I'm feeling kind of weak
In this time of need, his words sting worse than a hive of bees
Permanent ink within his quotes cannot be washed away with soap
Should've been slept on for an entire week
I've got 99 problems... if I could just kick one
A less wicked state would this way come
A single solution to bring a new day’s sun
And a path to resolve the other 98 of ‘em
99 problems, if I could just kick one!
A less wicked state would this way come
A single solution to bring a new day’s sun
And a path to resolve the other 98 of ‘em
These problems weigh way more than a ton
You can tell by the hunch in my shoulders
Plus the swell in my gut
I’m carrying a lot of weight here
But who isn't getting older soon to lie belly up?
These problems are most definitely first world
You can tell by the way I keep talking about the first girl
I kissed... like this, muah!
Still feeling it appropriate to continue this blog!
I let the past prevail, inviting this fog
With the saltiest of thoughts
Can you offer any sentiment?
Drawing conclusions in an office like Tom
As Milton’s dissolutions burn Initech to sediment
I still cold call, like an old dog all Hooch to Turner
An abusive cig burner...
Being spoon-fed concoctions promising to make me think further
But nopes... A quantum conundrum, rocking the boat
Someone toss me a rope, this spoonful weighs a ton
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5. |
Jurassick Dark
04:42
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[Ian Malcolm: Genetic power's the most awesome force the planet's ever seen but you wield it like a kid who's found his dad's gun.]
[Dr. Grant: The world's just changed so radically and we're all... running to catch up.]
Before we appeared, its evolution crafted
Extraordinary creatures we couldn’t even imagine
Phylums fantastic, appetites gigantic
Bird-like lizards with a surprising advantage
Survival of the fittest brought an age of massives
Cretaceous synapsis through days Jurassic
And in those days giant tree limbs snapped with
A slow moving stream made of sap, which
Encased proboscis suckers, blood residing thoracic
As amber preserved Dee-oxy-ribo-nucleic acid
Which stayed safe for millennia like
Current day plastics. Until we arrived to extract it
With lasik-like precision, visions of reliving the past,
Advents in cryogenics, the first egg hatched
It took the world by surprise
How could time's passage all of a sudden become elastic?
[Ellie Sattler: Where do you get 100 million year old dinosaur blood?]
[John Hammond: It's all part of the miracle of cloning.]
[Mr. DNA: Bingo! Dino DNA!]
They say rage is primal
But we’re just tiny mammals
When it comes to the wars we wage
Beliefs are motifs
Until their waves become tidal
Drowning all in glorious ways
DNA spun a vital
Double-helix recital
Millenniums before we reigned
History is suicidal
If man remains its rival
We'll all go extinct
Like the dinosaur age
[Dr. Grant: We're out of a job | Ian Malcolm: Don't you mean extinct?]
Evangelicals say Earth was created in 7 days
But their literature has no pictorial proof
Saying God created dinosaurs but considered them corrupted
So he killed off that phantasmagorical OOPS!
I guess the Garden of Eden had no regard for the heathens
It wouldn't dare let in such gargantuan, great groups
Adam must've thwarted behemoths from reaching the gate
While Jesus guarded Eve from that garden snake's tooth
Disregard for discoveries made in the midwest plains
Turns the real dino story dissolute
Some are so ridiculously in the dark, they think brachiosaurs fit on the ark
That doesn't float in the primordial soup
Evolution's not a theory, Creationism's an illusion
The 'Good Book's editorial pursuit
Bible thumpers keep trumping along
With such assumptions which couldn't carry the weight of a T-Rex foot
[Ian Malcolm: You didn't earn the knowledge for yourself so... you don't take any responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could. And before you even knew what you had you patented it, and packaged it and slapped it on a plastic lunch box. And now you're selling it! You want to sell it!]
They say rage is primal
But we’re just tiny mammals
When it comes to the wars we wage
Beliefs are motifs
Until their waves become tidal
Drowning all in glorious ways
DNA spun a vital
Double-helix recital
Millenniums before we reigned
History is suicidal
If man remains its rival
We'll all go extinct
Like the dinosaur age
[Dr. Grant: Dinosaurs and man... Two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been thrown back into the mix together.]
Look I know its a lot of time to digest
No way we could know the entirety of what life did exist
All we can do is turn stones and describe what’s left
Study footprints and bones, surmising the rest
I just think claims of supersized humans are kind of a stretch
[Ray Arnold: PLEASE!?]
Assuming dino's lived beside man in (the book of) Genesis is the wildest guess…
[Ellie Sattler: They have no idea what century they're in]
It was one thing for Cope to put an Elasmosaurus skull on its tail instead of its neck….
But quite another to claim they were human giants
A union of God's sons and the daughters of men
Pencils up class, it's time to reflect
Imagination's beneficial and we're trying our best
But bone wars keep breaking ties that bind and protect
Our own existence which consists of the tiniest speck
So, when you think of the past, show a little respect
Five mass extinctions, at the brink of the next?
What have we learned?
Life on earth’s been kind of a mess
I say lets keep gathering facts
For what little time we have left...
[Ian Malcolm: I'm simply saying uh..]
Abolish history’s abominable text and
Quit pretending we’re an indomitable Rex
[Ian Malcolm: ...finds a way...]
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6. |
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[Tim Stiles]
I strive for perfection yet I know I'll never see it
Every morning meet my reflection getting dressed and tend to feel defeated
The diagnosis is depression, I'm lacking endorphins
Destined to crawl back in bed and rest until things are back in proportion
Everything’s so black and distorted
My eyes refuse to adjust to a better mood lighting, lacked in this corner
Rays of hope sink down the drain. There's crack in the porcelain
Efforts to repair the break lack reinforcement
Here I go again reverting back to being bored with
The normal course of action when facing pain and torment
Dwelling on past mistakes instead of moving forward
I surely lack what it takes today, so goodnight. I’ll see you again tomorrow morning
As the daylight hits once again, I’m embarrassed by the previous
Regret so numbing that I’m turning part paraplegic
This lack of feeling has me treading carefully
While carrying a credence of carelessness for my own well being
This old hell’s seeming like a rundown motel
Needing fresh towels and a thorough cleaning before I check out
All this dreaming about demons in an unkempt house
Has me fresh out of ideas... Left to accept self doubt
So on and so on
Mistakes are made that prolong
A never-ending slow song
Called saving face
But only for so long is this so,
So please hold on
Lessons learned in the end
Could be your saving grace
[Murcii Miller]
I've been told that being humble gets you nowhere
I've been so mad, so embarrassed, couldn't hold back
Something in me kept the failure for moving me forward
I'm using swear words to convey the emotion, I'm tortured
Saving face it takes the place
And lets me hold my dignity
I plead my case, I say my grace
It got me feeling differently
I gain no space my liquor with no chase
How much more could I take?
I know that I'm a straight diamond in the rough like Tiffany's
A little rough around the edges
Like college kids, dorm rooms and petty pledges
I take a walk on ledges
I'm balancing out the act...
How many shots and 12 packs of White Claw gonna help me bounce back?
Listen, I grab a rope, I pick up the slack
They say I'm tripping and I'll probably overreact
I'm getting stacks and I'm agro, no not cause I'm black
9-5 saving face, I'm avoiding the tax
Moments of embarrassment. Is it making me sad?
I don't want to show up rolling stone like my dad
I'm letting my ego kick in the door with the keyhole
Introvert, its socially awkward I don't like dealing with people
I let my insecurities bully me like, Deebo
So on and so on
Mistakes are made that prolong
A never-ending slow song
Called saving face
But only for so long is this so,
So please hold on
Lessons learned in the end
Could be your saving grace
[Tim Stiles]
They say try and save yourself from an eventual health scare
By saving up your wealth but that really doesn't help here
I'm trying to save myself for the sake of mental welfare
Save a stubborn face for later days and *not* take it there
Feeling accomplished is bound to who your accomplice is
Compliments tend to bury themselves in grave states of affairs
You've got two choices: Stomp and bitch and wine
Or realize repair requires more than one stitch in time
So on and so on
Mistakes are made that prolong
A never-ending slow song
Called saving face
But only for so long is this so,
So please hold on
Lessons learned in the end
Could be your saving grace
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7. |
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Sample: "Just travel the way... a child travels... Round and around... and back home again... To a place we know we are loved."
Come meet the orderlies obligated to an ordinance
Of rounding jagged corners for our family's sake
When things fall out of order and patching wounds is in order
We’re ordered to Band-Aid a scuffed knee or bloody face
Repair is important and there’s nothing more rewarding than
Reordering the sad gaze on a child’s face
But there’s so much more to this, from breadwinning cabinets
To breaking bread games while our fists remain quarter-less
A penny saved is a penny's earned in plenty of ways, but not when returned
By swallowing copper until subordinate bellies ache
We remedy disorder while kept within our corner
Never sipping wine, just gripping vines, and crushing grapes
This mess of obligation soon causes arbitration
Such expectations are distorted, at best
We are man, myth, Unfortunate Son Ornaments
Who hang our crowns, florissant until laid to rest
We don’t tear. We don’t feel feelings…
We don’t care 'cause we’re not human beings…
We don’t share. We don’t need feelings…
We don’t share 'cause we’re not human beings
We don’t care...
Sample: "The hardest part... Is realizing that you're in charge."
They are the orderlies obligated to an ordinance
Of reading quarterlies while placing makeup on their face
When things fall out of order, consulting *us* is their order,
Ensuring beds are made before serving up dinner plates
Sure, they are gorgeous, and bearing children’s important
But it’s blown all out of proportion once the media’s engaged
There’s so much more to them. Their true image is distorted when
Saying their intelligence is a quarter of men’s
This petty game plays Penny’s worth. What Penny claims is never returned,
Swallowing copper as her pregnant belly aches
She drowns in this disorder. Just stays within her corner,
Sipping wine... This design’s a crying shame
Excessive consternation soon causes loss of weight and
Such expectations keep her cornered, at best
She is woman, a saint, an Unfortunate Daughter Ornament
Whose name’s to remain honored with the utmost respect
They do tear. They have real feelings...
They do care 'cause they’re human beings...
They will share when they feel feelings
But we don’t care 'cause we’re not human beings
We should share...
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8. |
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The tall, dark, and handsome always gets the girl
Thinking out loud, smiling, looking pretty
His lack of substance quenches her thirst
As a down-poured smirk is all that’s necessary...
To converse with her with his immersive worst
She's putty in his hands though he's just a jerk with flirts
It’s not intelligence which captures her attention
More-so how far his fence spans once first observed
Forget intellectual challenge nor respectable talent
His face value balances to fit her curves
Too often we settle or the greenest of grass
No matter how its roots actually hit the curb
It’s so damn easy to lie to yourself
When you only take the time to mind meld with Millennials
Obstinance is the most selfish
Way to turn yourself from a human into a sentinel
Put a pug upon a pedestal nd he’ll resemble
The greatest of Danes gaining the same medal
The middle class is separated by ages
Dog-tagged and rated by systematic ways we assemble...
All books by their covers
Judgement laid on one another until their bindings crumble
No matter how how you look at it, us underdogs are asunder
Too often trumped, despite our strength in numbers
A partner, pardoning apartheid
Outlined by pages clipped from a calendar of the Far Side
Don’t take my pessimism wrong, my friend
We’ve walked long enough to know where the sidewalk ends
And I’m horrified…
(CHORUS)
They say the grass is always greener
It’s not about their shades of blades
Nor height in centimeters
Their grass is *always* greener...
Take a peek over their fence
To find jealousy’s demeanor…
Their grass is *always* greener
And after gazing long enough
Our longing to graze makes us upset
We’re unable to stare halfway, unless
We peer through pairs
Of Rose Colored Glasses...
They say the glass is half full...
It’s not about the vacated space
Nor its volume in centiliters
Their glass is *always* half full...
We subtract the full half
And let the vacancy be the handful
It’s just the way we look at it...
Once the empty half is cracked
Would you even fully recognize the half of it?
Oh, how our perception is damaged...
We’d be better off smashing
These Rose Colored Glasses...
(Verse Two)
This freckled, smart kid never got the girl
A skinny piece of parchment with an average build
I might as well’ve been a carcass, covered in filth
Cuddling darkness due to the way that I felt
When I turned 21 I still looked like I was 12
This made it hard to date anyone within my age bracket
Approaching girls during college days failed
Their rejection only tightened the bindings of my straight jacket
I felt evicted, socially restricted
A woeful victim, sunken deep into his shell
Never being elected, rarely taken seriously
Always conflicted me, letting this constriction prevail
Nose all runny feeling ugly and filled
With an anger and angst all encompassing guilt
A no show, stumbling way to the hills with no wind for his sails
(Verse Three)
Let the designs of greed play into detractors of finding peace
Watch these builders of the fence pilfer the expense from
The fight that blind mice lead
Draw conclusions until these awful delusions
Have you shut your eyes to see how others’ lives might be
Better than yours, settling scores by
Calling the kettle black with a suicide type speech
Walk the coals when cold
Until the balls of our feet blister and scream from the cauterizing
Once the grass’ roots recede, the glass’ll crack in half
Spreading shards over lawns, authorizing...
Gloom to stand half as tall than we tried to believe
And our previous slander will find its retreat
Once comparing’s no longer a standard
I bet the bloom of roses planted will be one hell of a sight to see...
(CHORUS x 1)
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9. |
Landlords feat. Sole
03:25
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[Tim Stiles]
Come one, come all where the views astound
From the mountains, rivers, lakes and the Puget Sound
It's a sight to see where I've thrived rightfully
No wonder others feel the same and newcomers are inbound
Unsurprisingly emerald states of mind
Flock to the Northwest in a hunt for apartments
Our housing market's stock full
Becoming a run of the bulls thanks to the biggest liars in town
Competition stiffens,
We can't even pick which neighborhood to live in
Due to labor wage restrictions
Winners are comprised of companies who subsidize
Rent for those with salaries too inflated to begin with
Thanks elitists for these rent increases
Goodbye teachers and industry folks who feed us
As they push us to the outer reaches, they cannot win
Let 'em hide behind their picket fence
[Sole]
They produce nothing, gatekeep
Middle-class existence surrounded by surplus
Peddling scarceness
Drug users in homes never get caught
Homeless addicts round it up for heroin
While landlords sniff coke
You ain't rich, you're as broke as me
Just to hope to leverage your position in this Ponzi scheme
No skill involved
You just make poor people pay your mortgage
And the profits go straight up your nose
It's a risky business
That's why the riskers born are renters
And when the equity increases, you keep the winnings
No wonder why they say home ownership is the road to riches
But a house is not a financial instrument
It's what you break your bread and read to kids
And try not to die when every day the world ends
Landlord's a parasite with an empty balance chest
No one owns the land that's predicated on theft
[Tim Stiles]
Price locked in
For a temporary coffin to crawl in
While a cemetery plot thickens
Not a single place affordable to live in
Within city limits even if minimum wage is risen
It's not this city's fault
For the money pit we're digging in
But in my opinion it is its fault for pitching in
To damn flaws written in landlord-tenant laws
Affecting residents involved, isn't it?
The law states within notice of 60 days
Rents may be raised at ridiculous rates
Who's tipping the cash cow now?
Its utterly unforgiving how we're grazed upon
Victims of fate
Roads used to be paved in this land with milk and honey
Now it's just bees buzzing
Around the most cranes in the country
Our emerald's tarnished
As it dissolves, I be the Wizard of OZ turns over in his grave
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10. |
Apple Of My Eye
03:43
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What started as two, unappreciated
Brewed relations in no way they’d have thought
The rabbit saw the fox which starting the chasing
Lines centuries linked, communications crossed
Defenseless and small, soft to the touch
Apprehensive, yet in awe of her claws that could crush
She sensed very stall and thought it was fun
Like run... rabbit.... run...
Licking her lips right on the heels of hind legs
Ready for a meal, dreaming of how I might taste
Knowing how she feels, I decided to take
The moon as my guide and let dumb habits come
If I hadn't abated I'd be greater at this
When left alone to choose between a bait and a switch
As chasing ensued, we tasted the fruit
On our way to the moon, where love still exists
If only we'd new better, we'd be better at this
When left alone to choose between a bait and a switch
But as chasing ensued, we tasted the fruit
On our way to the moon where love still exists
[Hook]
The apple of my eye, steel toe in her boot
Lets dust fly, kicking rocks on the moon
When tongue-tied, she loosens the noose
Calling out from inside a telephone booth
The rabbit and the fox, now far from removed
Still the sound of clip-clops radiate from the moon
Our core will never rot, the apple is the proof
As calls are still tried inside a telephone booth
[/Hook]
Right in the nick of time as she closed in swiftly
I found a tree to climb onto a limb that fits me
She paced around, eye’s shifting
From an apple laying on the ground to mine… I’m tricky
After reaching safety, our eyes locked
I knocked another down without a sound, time paused
We watched it peel itself, then rot
What I saw next felt like a tragedy I'd caused
There she was just laying there stiff
Rotten cores around her body as if age had taken a skip
I felt the bough break, sever, then split
Knowing her chase was simply to leverage a kiss
If I hadn't abated I'd be greater at this
When left alone to choose between a bait and a switch
As chasing ensued, we tasted the fruit
On our way to the moon, where love still exists
If only I'd knew better, I'd been better at this
I should've let her take my life instead of resisting pursuit
When the fox chases the hare it ain't fair to assume
The dust she now kicks only exists on the moon
[Hook]
The apple of my eye, steel toe in her boot
Lets dust fly, kicking rocks on the moon
When tongue-tied, she loosens the noose
Calling out from inside a telephone booth
The rabbit and the fox, now far from removed
Still the sound of clip-clops radiate from the moon
Our core will never rot, the apple is the proof
As calls are still tried inside a telephone booth
[/Hook]
|
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11. |
||||
|
[Kristoff Krane]
Dream, to wake up and write
Came to in between trying to break up a fight
Soak up what you need, leave no mark behind
Cold touch, feeling free when they turn off the lights
Stay moving to a beat that was banging before the body bloomed
Broke into the black only space and little eyes that move
Up and down, no matter what the spirit brings
Motivated by the moon, nothing I wouldn’t do to hear her sing, sing
Who could divide two sheets to the wind
Who believes in God
Who sleeps in a breathe, pulled up the spine
Awestruck in the gut when the future rewinds
Like, Shiva is shepherd, treasure the sunshine, smoke
Pump primitive pleasure weather is one mind, poke
Yeah, let it bleed, hunting to feed the family
Something to keep our heavenly energies intertwined, like
[HOOK x1]
When we’re flying free, the energy returns to light
Family, family is alive, like that
Finally, family is alive...
When we’re free to breath, the energy comes back to life
Family, family is alive, like that
Finally, family is alive...
[Tim Stiles]
We state intelligence separates us as human beings
Assuming family bonds lie between just you and me
Standing upright on two feet, mistaken for Cupid's wings
As a yearn to fly proliferates each lucid dream
Perhaps we should explore the roots that create the tree
Instead of wasting energy on proof from land of make believe
Shift our gaze toward its limbs, graced with leaves
And find true foundations of a family, alive...
From cracks in between a membrane of white
Out reaches a beak trying to break through the side
Incubated, little being introduced to the light
For once able to breathe and soak in the sunshine
New senses developed as his body grew
Naturally selected, after Dad and Mommy swooped
In to gather twigs through the entire spring
Instinctively to create more than a tire-swing
Swing, to the rhythm of vital heartbeat of a chest
Who'll leave a nest soon
Meet success once nurturing excites
Proper energy and life for a future in flight, by
Preening the feathers to weather the wetlands
Coat... oils together to extend the breast and
Molt... wings carefully paired to needs of family
Now defeating gravity, venturing through the skies, like...
[HOOK x2]
Flying free, flying free
Energies return to light
Family, family is alive, like that
Finally, family is alive
[x2]
[Kristoff Krane]
Show me where you live
Show me what you say
Flying free, the energy returns to life
Been here for so long
Give what it will take
Flying free, the energy returns to light
Not much room to move
Not sure what to make
Finally free, the family tree is sure to fight
Been here for so long
Forget what it will take
Flying free, the energy returns to life
|
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12. |
Jar of Fireflies
04:02
|
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|
Way back when, summer was the best
Hunting in the backyard of my grandparent’s residence
Chasing critters trying to creepy crawl beyond the fence
On the East coast, with the quickest draw in the West
Armed with a mason jar I snaked without telling them
Filled it to the brim with cicada exoskeletons
Morning made for special embellishments
But sunset staged extraterrestrial intelligence...
These are not the beetles I’m used to
So many of them, plus they can glow and fly
Mesmerized by such tiny lights, circling information
Just had to make room in the jar for a new acquaintance
Rounding up fireflies, astoundingly satisfying
Seeing eye to eye in a different form of communication
I was determined to capture each procession
Screw the cap 'n seal all of my new friends in
Call it what you will but I snatched all that I could
Far before “catch ‘em all" meant some Pokémon collection
When those yesterdays feel like fleeting moments
Please know they've paved the way of your entire life
Don't stop collecting
That collection's still growing
Sealed tight in a glowing jar of fireflies
Oh to see life like a kid again
Not a care in the world for how it'll unfurl
Nor when and if it ends
Just dancing to the rhythm of diligence
Never giving up nor into belittlement
Attacking moments as if minutes were limitless
Back when ignorance meant our age of innocence
Bigger fish to fry had no place in our vision yet
They were just prey in the lake we were fishing in
Here fishy, fishy
You cannot not run and hide from
What’s in store for you on the end of my line
Ha, may have rarely caught a fish though
But confidence from one catch was unmatched when we did so
After so much time to tinker, tying line, hook and sinker
The prize we remember was the praise from our kinfolk
We're still the same kids who crave honor
Sure, at a different age but on the same page as the same author
Nibbles in the lake may not come often
But still a single bird in the hand can create a flock of them
When those yesterdays
Feel like fleeting moments
Please know they've paved the way of your entire life
Don't stop collecting
That collection's still growing
Sealed tight in a glowing jar of fireflies
I used to take each moment as a way make advances
But now I only take chances under certain circumstances
You may not make away like a bandit
But the beauty's in the takeaway, never taken for granted
Gotta weigh advantage with loss in this age of wisdom
Life won't always toss ya into a lake full of naked women
Aging has its way of showing rate of attrition
Commonly in a cubicle where you make a living, like
What is this bright looking follicle?
And how many are left on the top or the side?
Heh, isn't getting older is so majestic? To make loss copasetic
I don't throw 'em away like an old dog's bone or bedding
Instead reach to the pantry to find a home to leverage
Therein lies that mason jar I've been meaning show attention
Unscrew the top, drop in the follicles rejected
Hold the glass to the light to admire and reflect since
This Professor X head is where they cannot stay
I let this jar's fire inspire brighter days
When those yesterdays
Feel like fleeting moments
Please know they've paved the way of your entire life
Don't stop collecting
That collection's still growing
Sealed tight in a glowing jar of fireflies
|
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13. |
Lonely Girl feat. Bodi
03:57
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[Tim Stiles]
She's an internet princess, cynical and senseless,
Maniacally posting golden idols on Pinterest
Her interests pop(!) culture balloons
I watch her consume popular trends instead of minding my business
Usually I’d grimace behind closed doors
Disable her news feed and quit perusing her pictures
But tonight I'm bored of the normal eye-sores
With a face like hers I’m enacting forgiveness
I've got a case of “the Saturdays"
Funny how my patterns change from indifferent to listless
Expectations tend to gravitate from acceptable to sexual
Within a matter of seconds
A quality I live with, not something to live for
Getting all sprung like the Young and the Restless
I see a beauty that blissful, defying logistics,
Suitably sinful once applying her lipstick
I tend to forget regretful, past experiences
And make decisions in haste, far too fast and furious
Tonight I’m lonely, combing the interwebs
So once at my wit’s end I send her a friend request
[Bodi]
When I first wrote this verse, I was 22
And grew up a little since then, who woulda knew
The twists and turns and bridges burned
And wishes that now sit in urns
We live and learn, I guess, but what I’m running from and running to
Are two different things - and you are the latter
Not something to climb on, like you’re all that matters
Cause you are and you do
But I lost track of who
I was when we started, say a prayer for the departed
But don’t mourn
We’re all walking through this storm
Alone in the end, but we can keep each other warm
In the meantime and freeze time like tears in their tracks
And let go of squeezing on to fears in our past
I’ve taken you for granted, hope you know I didn’t plan it
Grew a rose up through the granite, but the sewn seeds I planted
And the damage I’ve done to you and your path
Justifies why you said Kiss. My. Ass.
[Tim Stiles]
Can't sleep, too distressed from social media overdose
Need get some rest but instead eating a Toblerone in bed
Chocolate covered sheets, I'm a mess
Damn this Y-chromosome and it's birds and bees overtones
How does she hold her own while I'm so obsessed?
We haven't even met, yet I invest so much time home alone
Deleting what I write, she's not even my type
I should be counting sheep instead of caressing this mobile phone
[Bodi]
I’ve only known happiness when I leave the past to roam
All on its own and kept my eyes off of the greener grasses grown
No magic path or stepping stones atone for hearts I’ve torn to bits
Shorn the wolf, sheep clothing fits, resorted to recording this
[Tim Stiles]
Perhaps the moral of the story is: If its not glorious
Ensure your pride in morals outweighs acting discouraged, since
You never know, after a dime a dozen clicks
It'll redirect... “This profile doesn’t exist"
|
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14. |
Baby Steps
04:07
|
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|
We proliferate demons when disregarding others
Cold feet won't freeze if we hide them under the covers
Solitary works up until we discover
That loneliness leads to holding to one another
The abrasiveness of concrete is a perfect metaphor
Once we stumble, knees scrape and its time to fight a better war
Callused heels start stuttering to the beat like
That moment when moths flicker, shadowing street lights
Hands quiver, thinking of demands we can’t deliver
Man-to-man we stamp a plan to plant a seed
It all goes hand-in-hand with labor pains we can’t alleve
Fanning the grief until an avalanche has us on our hands n knees
Can't we just be? The answer seems so deep
Necromancers dance in dreams for a whole week like old sheep
Caught in tradition without a pot to piss in
Civilization lost, waiting for a decision
(HOOK x2)
From birth we are driven
To run first, crawl second
Never resting, It's all nerves
Expectations are indeed
The reason we fall first
Before we even recognize we’re breathing
(END HOOK)
Russian roulette with our wants, red rover with our needs
Games we play to pave the way to later daydreams
Trying to stake a claim, we hate the way the day-to-day seems
Afraid to escape the trade, the paycheck is what makes ends meet
Craving a mainstay, feeling fulfilled
No matter who’s killed within the process, we still ruin in order to build
Chain-link barriers prevent theft while the faint of heart
Pray for a heaven-sent sense of less stress
What is this mess we tend to set ourselves in?
Worrying too much about her and forgetting to help him
Melting each relationship with this selfish state of bliss
Braincells make a fist to box us in
Its the underlying fault of man, caught in a position
Retaining an upper hand that's lost in tradition
We are in division without at pot to piss in
A civilization sitting in waiting for a decision
(HOOK x2)
From birth we are driven
To run first, crawl second
Never resting, It's all nerves
Expectations are indeed
The reason we fall first
Before we even recognize we’re breathing
(END HOOK)
Don't run out of breath yet if you're feeling like I do
Take baby steps. Your next life may not lie to you
Figuring out the missing link's like digging for a ring lost in a kitchen sink
When the whole time it's right behind you
Hardship's insignificant once the piano plays the dissonance
None of it mattered anyway when you slid back onto your index
Mingle around the water cooler pretend like you give a shit
About your colleagues and their cannon fodder they call common courtesy
This is not the life you ordered
This system does not work for you, you work for it
And throw fits further than the worthlessness of credit card purchases
A concern so pertinent, you need a perfect way to word it?
Well, this description is a perpetual intermission
Intellectuals won’t even listen to your pessimistic disposition
We are in division without at pot to piss in
A civilization sitting in waiting for a decision
|
||||
15. |
Carmel
04:50
|
|||
|
[V1]
This uncommon, small town is a sight to be seen
Lying on the west coast elbow of Cali...
With a comfortable temperature at 60-some degrees,
She’s rich with scenery and thick with history
From Spanish settlements lead by Junipero Serra
And Shakespeare plays from the 1700’s era
She’s astounding… Once within her surroundings
You’ll find no comparison, and you won’t want to leave
As the fog builds around her hills and valleys,
From villages and ranches advancing toward her beach
Traffic crawls until it’s standing where signs reading, ‘Stop’
Rarely cross divided streets
Her slower pace yields an independent appeal
From mom ’n' pop shops to the Lone Cypress Tree
She will *not* let the conglomerate of corporations wander in
With Jack In the Box nor McDonald’s offerings...
Barking sea lions, cackling scrub jays,
Woodpeckers & hummingbirds are heard amongst her trees
With Monterey as her sister, she's a fixture
Just read Steinbeck’s literature off Cannery Row’s industry
From factories to factoring tourism hands of trade
She celebrates with airshows where Jazz Festivals are commonplace
From adoption to adopting my mainstay
I found my way along this Hwy One accolade
Although I now reside in a different state,
One day I will return...
You can find me at the Mission Inn,
Sipping wine and listening to the crashing waves
[Chorus]
If I were to pick one place to spend Sundays
From then until the end of the following week
No hesitation, no question necessary
I’d retire in Carmel-by-the-Sea
If I only had one choice where my heart would expire
If I had to decide where I’d be laid to rest in peace
It’d be the place which molded and guided me... Carmel-By-The-Sea
If I *had* to pick one place to spend Saturdays
‘Til the saddest day our earth’s end is reached
My decision would be heartfelt,
You can meet me at the guardrail By-The-Sea of Carmel
If I only had *one* choice...
If I *had* to decide right now under this star belt
It wouldn't be a hard sell, the land that’s a part of me,
Where my heart’s held, the town of Carmel
[verse two]
If you ever plan a visit you’ll find the kindest of people,
Grey and white seagulls and sunset skies unequaled
The view from her Point overwhelms revealing Pebble Beach
Where The Pro-Am convenes in a contest of technique
Travel down Scenic Ave for designs by Frank Lloyd Wright
And find the house of former mayor, Clint Eastwood
Her one-square mile of rustic cottages, astonishes
It’s no wonder so many paintings have been drafted upon an easel
Her valley’s rolling hills once depicted by Salvador Dali
Plus Thomas Kinkade’s paintings fill multiple galleries
Nancy Dodds has been a staple and the photog,
Ansel Adams captured her essence, so regal
Even Hank Ketcham comics and children’s books by Dr. Seuss
Were inspired by her, igniting more than a sequel
She’s uncommonly quiet. There’s solace in her silence
A reason for advertisement of a place so peaceful
Where a gem a with gentle breeze meets a salty smell of kelp
Dwells a healthily lived lifestyle
You can read all about her beauty in travel magazines
But a visit would be far more worth your while
I’m a fortunate one for having had the opportunity
To grow up with her sands beneath my feet
I’m the fortunate one for having her and her community
To call my balance beam
(Chorus x 1)
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Tim Stiles Santa Cruz, California
Tim Stiles is an independent hip-hop artist historically known as the lead vocalist/rapper of the satirical hip hop band, Passion Party. Tim is no one trick pony. He’s a clever, crafty wordsmith in his own right with an ability to adapt to just about any concept or genre. ... more
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