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Quarantine Songs Volume II

by Riverman

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1.
Cool World 07:01
Living for the weekend Working for the grind Files in the briefcase And business on the mind Saving up for something A brand new shiny toy One you don't require And don’t enjoy No rest for the weary Who race to get ahead Going for the gold, But going broke instead Trying to get a leg up By stepping on some toes Crippling each other but Everybody knows Innocence like tempers Needs to be conserved You know you’ve lost it when you lose it At least that’s what I’ve heard It’s a cruel, cruel, world The world is like a factory With gnashing metal gears But this machine isn’t working It hasn’t been for years And people are like products Built only to break I think planned obsolescence Was a mistake Here’s to second guessing! I used to be so sure But now that I am confessing I’m not that anymore I’ve lost my confidence in The people at the top Making all the money And calling shots “A home is all we wanted!’ The bankers all agree- “We’ll help you up to here in debt That’s how it’s supposed to be…” Cause it’s a cruel, cruel world America, the beauty So lonely by herself She's made and lost a fortune And compromised her health She doesn’t have insurance The bill is coming due America your eyes are red You’re black and blue Nations always crumble Rome was bound to fall But really in the abstract Aren’t we all? It’s a cruel, cruel world There’s beauty and disorder As boundless as the sea I hope it makes more sense to you Than the sense it makes to me And here we are in free-fall Singular in space The universe above us A holy place A feeling is a feeling The bad comes with the good I want to understand it And to be understood Cause it’s a cool, cool world
2.
Marjorie in her garden On a corner of the estate Planting seeds in the fertile soil So they can germinate Dreaming she’s not indentured Working just for herself Marjorie’s seeing visions But not of fame or of wealth She looks like she couldn’t Even hurt a fly But there’s more to Marjorie Than meets the eye Marjorie is biding time She could be writing poems But she’s working on her list A proscription that gives her every Reason just to exist The lords who always were looking The vassals who crossed the line The clergymen who were lechers The king- the worst of his kind So she trains her body Her heart like anthracite To show everyone who said She couldn’t be a knight Marjorie was always right Marjorie the time has come Marjorie the deed is done Marjorie will never bow to anyone She didn’t fit with tradition So she hollowed out a space With an axe she forged all by herself A crossbow and a mace A sharp blade of obsidian With a handle of human bone Delivered straight to oblivion The king upon his throne Marjorie was tired Of always playing nice Dismantling a system Takes a sacrifice Marjorie knew what would suffice Only one thing would suffice So now the castle is empty The banners all are stripped It’s as quiet as a cloister And as haunted as a crypt She maintains her religion She says her prayers at night To God -but God the woman There’s no one more contrite Sleeping on a feather bed Her face so young and fair With a dagger in her pocket A flower in her hair Marjorie is dreaming there Marjorie doesn’t need Anyone or anything Marjorie is planting seeds Marjorie
3.
4.
I remember that day Daydreaming just to pass the time away Of all the cafes, she walked into mine I forgot what to say Started sweating and my tongue was tongue tied Her beauty hit me that way, like a landslide I had seen her before While reading ‘bout the Greek and Persian wars And sitting in the corner with my coffee She walked in that door And lit up every inch inside the store So I got up and implored if they were hiring Then it was just before dawn She had her brightest neon running shoes on Bells went off like alarms, and inspired me I said that I ran too A little fiction now and then won’t hurt you If that’s really true It would surprise me You just put one foot before the other One step and then another I wasn’t out to win the race But I’d do anything to keep her pace So I started my training What had I gotten into? What would Pheidippides do? Run until there’s nothing left Then shout with a dying breath “Nenikḗkamen!” Long runs by her side Panting breath but we talked all the time And her beauty magnified every mile Even falling behind It had its perks and I took ‘em in stride Watching her backside as she ran in style I’d follow her to the moon With all our miles, we’d be getting there soon Followed her to the bed, now I’ll be quiet… We were from that time Running partners of a different kind Yeah, we’d stay side by side, we decided You just put one foot before the other One step and then another I wasn’t out to win the race But I’d do anything to keep her pace So I started my training What had I gotten into? What would Pheidippides do? Run until there’s nothing left Then shout with a dying breath “Nenikḗkamen!” Ten years to the day Since we started saying more than what friend’s say And I still catch my breath, whenever I see her She still runs before dawn I get up and put the coffee on And the kids wait out on the lawn, just to greet her Life isn’t that long It’s not a sprint but a marathon Then we’ll all join in the song, Nenikḗkamen!
5.
Halley won’t you come back to me Halley… Halley I’m as lonely as can be Halley… Halley’s like a comet Never staying in one place As the season changes She’s traveling apace But so much like that comet There she goes… By putting in the effort I can predict where she will be I’m plotting out the heavens Learning cartography She’s heading for the mountains Forsaking the blue sea Halley leave a trail Just for me Halley defies gravity Halley… Halley floats casually Halley… Halley’s like a comet Orbiting a sphere She returns to where she started But two times in one year And so much like that comet There she goes… She can feel the weather changing When the north winds start to blow Heading for the beaches Forsaking the snow I long to see her walking Like a samba on the sand Illuminating everything she can Like all her other lovers I’m doing just the same “The Orionids of Bahia” They’ve given us that name Cause we follow Halley’s footsteps Wherever they may fall For Halley, the comet, one and all… I like to picture Halley from space Halley… With starlight shining all round her face Halley… Her hair flung back behind her Like a comet’s tail Caught up in the breeze like that Her scent upon the air But so much like that comet There she goes… Life is filled with longing That’s what I believe She’s moving to the mountains Forsaking the sea Come back to Ipanema I’ll be watching up above For Halley, the comet, and my love
6.
After it All 03:35
When a man is buried Who could ask for more Than a countryside or prairie A calm and peaceful shore Forevermore Maybe he’s just sleeping Maybe in a dream And maybe there is nothing Or there’s everything that’s been All redeemed Just like the beginning The quiet and the space Will someday be overbrimming With all the human race A holy place When a man is buried Maybe things don’t end He’s meeting all his heroes Or talking with his friends Without end When a man is buried He’s let in on the joke Of which religion got it And which of them had smoke Behind the cloak After it all After it all After it all After it all
7.
The summer’s almost over The days are growing short A season of disorder Will the Fall fall apart? The winds come on rushing Passing like a prayer
Cultivating something I’m breathing in the air Every moment makes a connection In the heart and head Understanding through introspection I think we’ve been misled Is this really worth our attention? What can we comprehend? Does it even make any difference- Enemy or friend To the end To the end So here in this half light We see only half clear At best we’re merely half right No matter how sincere Truth really matters Only if it’s true And everything you’re assuming I will not assume “Answers always make me suspicious” At least that’s what I’ve said “Questions only lead to more questions” Onward to the end Cosmic censorship interjects an Existential dread No one here can confirm or deny when We can’t wake the dead Who ascends? Who ascends? An act of surrender I’m willing to choose If everything’s determined Are we free to lose? If we replace the Argo Every plank and nail The only question worth asking Is “will that ship still sail?” Human being, real and authentic, Leaves us terrified Feeling our way to light from the darkness Forms demystified Stolen moments lost to distraction More than meets the eye Muddled everything to abstraction “Trust but verify” We can try We can try So now, let’s get going Onward to the new Unencumbered by tradition Untethered to the pew Those who know keep silent Those who speak, don’t know And somewhere in the distance A soul begins to grow Every moment makes a connection In the heart and head Understanding through introspection I think we’ve been misled Is it really worth our attention? What’s waiting round the bend? Times moves only in one direction Reminds and condescends To what end?
8.
Brother, it’s amazing How I’ve been missing you And sister, we’re going crazy And you know how I’ve been missing you too The distances between us May be nothing new But it may be quite a while yet, Before they’re through Like atoms, we’re connected Across the universe One way then the other In sympathy we turn our course Entanglement’s a comfort Estrangement a curse Sometimes we need reminding It could be worse There’s only looking up From the bottom of a well We may have reached that far At least as far as I can tell And though the water’s rising We float so well The sky was mesmerizing And then it fell We’re all a bit like gold Gold that’s pounded flat But pressed to such thinness This element can be brought back Entropy can’t harm us We’re just like that If the gift of human kindness Is still intact A match without friction Struggles to ignite Potential is there for fire But only if the moment’s right Things are getting colder Can you spare a light? And I’m feeling so much older But that’s alright A body that’s in motion Will stay in motion And a body that’s at rest Will always tend to stay at rest Certain laws of physics, this quarantine will test Energy is poetic When potential turns kinetic With love however distant, S. Hedrick

credits

released June 24, 2022

Written, performed, recorded, arranged, and produced by Steve Hedrick

Mixing by Danny Clifton at Pulp Arts
Mastering by Winston Goertz-Giffen at Pulp Arts

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Riverman Orlando, Florida

Steve Hedrick is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He lives in Orlando, Fl with his wife and two children. He is currently working on new material and will post it when it's finished.

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