1. |
Makeshift Future
03:27
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this twinkle speculates
whether the organ is worthy
or if the hourglass is more
lest it musters a makeshift future
the hourglass stands tall
sustained by sand like a mountain
or withered slowly like a shore
shepherd the ocean a little closer
tectonic future calls
bringing our feet to Victoria
with nothing but a protocol
to feed the dying population
hypothetically we’d build a home in this city
theoretically it’d vanish in a year
hypothetically we’d have the sea all to ourselves
theoretically you’d be the perfect company
our bodies congregate
rummaging through every layer
through every unseen earthly fate
we’re only in a makeshift future
i’d like a cradle song
would you be so kind to offer
this twinkle will not last so long
sound don’t travel below water
hypothetically we’d build a home in this city
theoretically it’d vanish in a year
hypothetically we’d have the sea all to ourselves
theoretically you’d be the perfect company
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2. |
Wild Birds Unlimited
02:47
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flying up a mile wide valley
flying up a burning creek
wonder if the wind will bring me
to the place that i seek
up above the sleeping giant
up above lake erie
hoping that the waves will lead you
all the way back to me
under every sky, i hope that i'll find you
there's no place for me but the place i had with you
all around the hills of Israel
all around the holy land
i'll follow the old green lantern
to a feather in the sand
under every sky, i hope that i'll find you
there's no place for me but the place i had with you
everywhere i fly, i hope that i'll find you
there's no place for me but the place i had with you
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3. |
Harry Goes to War
03:17
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in 1943, I was called to serve in the army at Camp Borden
we left Winnipeg with nothing on our backs, 'cept the prairie dust kicking up from the tracks
the night before, we all stood in line
and poured our canteens on the ground
but two of us slipped out when the train fuelled up, and we shared a beer out of some measuring cups
at the summer's end, my friend Stan and I hitched a ride down to Windsor
met a kind young man and we sang German songs around the bonfire all night long
he told his folks that we were old school friends, then woke me up to ask my name
we returned to camp and stayed out of sight, then scaled the fence in the dead of night
sergeant got the word to close the prisoner camp and he burned all the instruments that they played
and the camp doctor had a dog called Fritz they made us shoot just outside the sticks
'cause he only answered to German calls
rest easy Fritz, you peaceful soul
some years after the war, I saw a prisoner's face; while bagging oranges at the marketplace
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4. |
Miracle Island
02:52
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a listing in the local classifieds
told me where the miracles reside
with the miracle merchant
in the arctic circle
for who i am searching
traveling by sea turtle
a temple in the mist fades into view
my giant friend slides back into the blue
and through the doorway i go
into a sea of pilgrims
praying to their idols
to cure their endless symptoms
my number's up but i can hardly speak
sir what can you prescribe for this disease
i've come from Ontario
to your holy island
to taste the miracle snow
sold by your blessed hand
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5. |
Cattails
01:45
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6. |
Sadness in Disguise
03:05
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the painfullest of pains bring you to a new place
feel it to the bottom
no matter who has lost or won
the emptiness of loss vows to make up for the cost
believe or sink deeper
despite these hollow limbs
rest when the sun sets
rise when you want to
seasons change when you do
sadness in disguise is a sharp and cruel knife
perfectly built weapon
without ever intending sin
when peace finally arrives
it will take you by surprise
give thanks to anguish for the ride
rest when the sun sets
rise when you want to
seasons change when you do
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7. |
Lanark County
03:03
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on the outskirts of lanark county
out of the dirt arose a poisonous tree
that bent to the earth and formed a doorway
to a house made of birch, while the neighbours watched from their driveway
a curious glance out the window
reveals a siege of herons draping the house like snow
carved into the wood of the house in lanark county
is a sprawling scene of the lives that you could lead
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8. |
Paintlounge
03:26
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let me eat the yellow paint
to paint my temple like the sun would
if it found my body to be a holy place
every tangled face escape
from inexpressible anger
or overworked accountants if thats the case
unhold whats in your fist
and make room for your bright eyes
they’ve always seen
everything through the fog
whatever is the gift
whatever card is inside
this magic is meant
to be held in your palms
sir your canvas is in flames
how many years have you forgotten
to let a little water through the gate
lily has not come to paint
in days she’s simply spoke to no one
who didn’t think her a waitress by mistake
unhold whats in your fist
and make room for your bright eyes
they’ve always seen
everything through the fog
whatever is the gift
whatever card is inside
this magic is meant
to be held in your palms
magic held in your palms
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9. |
Fire Ecology
04:12
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there once was a man
he had everything at his fingertips
goals of gold and grandeur left unplanned
but he said “walk with me, take my hand
i will show you how to live”
the sound of the wind
carries tales of the heart and words of the kin
slow and gently, they wind and bend
wrapping me up in the arms of a friend
they will tell me how to live without you
we’re all children caught mid-stride
there’s a fire in our eyes
and the lucky ones they get goodbyes
so i’ll reach for his hand
and his fingertips will trace my plans
they’ll carve paths through the winds
they’ll teach me how to begin
they will show me how to live without you
we’re all children caught mid-stride
there’s a fire in our eyes
and the lucky ones they get goodbyes
i’ve been caught, a child, mid-stride
and the fire in dim but wide
i’m a lucky one
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10. |
Meadows
05:07
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your hands sweep along the meadow
i fall back in to the lake
the cat tails catch me like a warm bed
near you i feel these visions speak
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decoration day Toronto, Ontario
"This is the music that my skin sings. I feel motion and stillness at once."
Stephen Jackman-
Torkoff
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