1. |
In Stars
04:06
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Lay me down in stars,
And I will concede and forfeit at the head of the charge,
I've been hunted and the brunt left me stunted,
Sliced to ribbons, confronted,
Fractured, feathered and tarred,
And it all goes black (4x)
You want attention,
Dip and dodge all convention,
But you'd neglected to mention just how you're planning to start,
Picking and choosing,
All the people you're using repeatedly are refusing to play the part,
And it all goes black (4x)
I'm not impressed with what you do,
You're passing judgement on me and it's reflecting badly on you,
Forgot the first thing you learned when you were five,
But we're all primitive, limited children looking for a ride.
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2. |
Skeleton Key
03:25
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When I get too close to see,
I know you’ll pull me back - take care of me,
Such a simple gesture - I know,
But I must be true when I lay down my plea,
And I know what you’ll say:
You’re not trying to hold me down in any intentional way,
Keep from the blame,
But when I fall back into you,
Along your breast I swear I’m a prisoner there,
I’m trying hard to unload this weight that I put on myself,
And no, I don’t want your help,
Who’s to say if I let you in - now, would you be my friend or condemn my sins?
You lean down and remove my crown,
And then you set it aside with no place to hide,
A hand falls to caress my neck,
And now I’m willing to bet we’ll start all over again,
Straining to look straight up,
Maybe I care too much,
Wasting my time waiting in line for a glimpse,
You say I play too rough,
I know you’re scared too but we’re lying around,
Waiting for some invisible cue,
I got my skeleton key,
Now I’m stumbling into every room I’d designed for you,
Begged for you and I bled right through,
Soaked this cotton for naught - now you see what I got,
Finally you release me,
You’re absolved of every one of every one of your cares,
I’m clutching onto your hair,
A hand raises holding silver shears,
And I fall into a river made of all of our tears,
I say you play too rough,
Maybe I’m out of touch,
Wasting my time waiting in line for a glimpse,
Darling it ain’t enough to play and act so tough,
We’re lying around waiting for something better to do,
Something better with you.
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3. |
Carmeline
03:37
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Carmeline,
No matter how I spin it I can't win it,
You're just in it for the prize,
All my fears bundled up and matted down,
Still swimming around in a cold and dank lonely sea,
But you were not impressed by my dime store disguise,
And all you'd done was leave me dry with that look in your eyes,
I just wanted to hide but I was still stuck in the snow,
You were alone at the top of the hill I had no place to roam,
Understand you were only waiting for a crack to mend,
A ship that you could steer,
Like a child everything you wanted became haunted,
If you'd caught it you'd have smiled,
But you were not impressed by my dime store disguise,
And all you'd done was leave me dry with that look in your eye,
I just wanted to hide but I was still stuck in the snow,
You were alone at the top of the hill I had no place to roam,
Carmeline,
No matter how I spin it I can't win it,
You're just in it for the prize,
Like a child everything you wanted became haunted,
If you'd caught it you'd have smiled.
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4. |
Conviction
02:50
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There's a blueprint specifically showing how to have faith even when you've gone blind,
The rose petals you picked just grew back like some trick and I felt Satan when I looked in your eyes,
At the time we'd been cut loose and drifting - a boat made of paper in the rain,
When began the flood a hand reached down from above,
We fell apart and were never the same,
There's just one or two things that were left on the floor,
Lines that you'd cut from the script,
You managed to trick me into loving you,
What once nourished me is making me sick,
Now all of my letters won't reach you,
They could be lying but that's what I'm told,
Never thought I'd say "when",
But now I'm willing to bend for a chance to buy back what I sold,
I applaud your conviction - you don't turn away,
You're determined and firm in your stance,
But even you can't deny (though like clockwork, you'll try),
All the pain you've fought hard to withstand.
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5. |
Country Shack
04:04
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6. |
Family of Three
07:26
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The lights go out and the window slams,
Jim takes his girl by her little hand,
While Rory runs upstairs to light a flame,
He comes back down with two candles lit,
Twelve years old and his clothes don’t fit,
He’s got stains on his shirt - cigarette burns on his arm,
“Don’t worry baby, it’s only a dream,"
Outside lighting strikes that old oak tree,
“Honey, you can sleep with me for the rest of the night,"
Her eyes are sunk and there’s a cut on her lip,
It’s a few days old - bruises on her hips,
And Annie don’t go to school much anymore,
A family of three in a country home,
On a plot of land Jimmy’s daddy owned,
Before he passed it off to his only boy,
Rory walks in to set the candles down,
One on the table and one on the ground,
Where Jim is holding Annie by the record machine,
The needle’s bent and the belt got worn,
All the knobs are busted and speakers torn,
Daddy still spins that same old gospel 45,
2.
Rory sits in the dancing light,
Never one to back down from a fight,
Always got his fists up in the air,
When daddy gets a' drinkin’ he don’t like no lip,
But his boy don’t wanna take no shit,
From some grizzled old fucked up booze hound son-of-a-gun,
So he swings ‘em fast and he hits him low,
When Jimmy gets to little Annie and don’t let her go,
“God help me son, if you speak a word of this to anyone,”
His eyes are wild and his face beet red,
If mama only stuck around instead,
“Daddy, just put down that bottle - leave Annie alone,”
“Boy, I don’t think you heard me clear,
You think you ain’t go no fear?”
Jim cackles as he swings his belt straight across his cheek,
He turns around and he shuts the door,
Leaving Rory balled up on the floor,
“Baby, it’s just you and me now and no one else,”
3.
Rory comes to about a quarter to three,
Darkness in his eyes and blood on his sleeves,
Searching around for those matches somewhere deep in his shirt,
He finds the dead candle and he strikes a stick,
Got that nervous feeling in his stomach’s pit,
Hears a rustle and a’ hustle from his daddy’s room down the hall,
He comes to his feet in the orange glow,
Hail still poundin’ against the kitchen window,
And it hits him like a thousand pound hammer through his wild young heart,
It don’t really matter about your age,
When you got blood in a sister and tears of rage,
Leaking from the eyes of her one and only protector,
If the monster in the bed were to be taken down,
Caligula stripped of his crown,
Then it’s now Jimmy’s time had come to strike his final hour,
Rory moves down the hallway to the very last door,
Never got this far before,
Swings it open, he bolts to the S.S.T on the wall,
He grabs the gun and her eyelids flicker,
A couple bullets in the barrel and he pulls the trigger,
Collapsing in a heap, blood soaking the sheets of the bed,
Annie, she’s a’ shakin’ - far too scared to speak,
Her brother moves toward her and the floorboards creek,
Palms are sweaty now,
Heart beating loud as a drum,
They hear the wind howling but it’s dying now,
Brings his little hand up to his little brow,
Drops the weapon to the floor and takes Annie in both of his arms,
Just then a little hum and the lights come back on,
The skies have cleared and the thunder’s gone,
Jim’s eyes are wide open with smoke rising off of his chest,
Not a neighbour in this county for a mile around,
About nine-hundred folks in the whole damn town,
As the night’s sleeping safe and sound in the sunshine’s embrace.
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Marlon Chaplin Toronto, Ontario
Toronto based writer, performer, painter and music video director, Marlon Chaplin has carved out a respectable place in the
independent landscape.
From his roots album Wanderer By Trade, to 2018's anthemic rock record The Circle up to his most recent full length, the day-glo laden Synestalgia he continues to push his boundaries as an artist while maintaining a consistent and cohesive voice.
... more
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