Tenor Saxophone by Matt Kelly, Drums by Nate Bixenstine.

All other instruments by Erich Lowe Smith.

Buildin Up The Burden

Doin' as you please 
May never fill your needs 
It could leave you all alone 

So tally up your deeds 
Good and bad and in between 
Cuz they are all you'll ever own 

Sweep me off my feet 
With words without deceit 
Oh lover of my own 

Tell me what you see 
Every time you look at me 
Won't you show me what I've shown you 

Walking on the leaves 
That have fallen from the trees 
Because they are full grown 
now they'll go off on their own 

Summer has to leave 
When autumn brings the breeze 
We'll warm up to the cold 
I hope by now we're old enough 

Cuz I am hard to please 
I do not know my ease 
And I think I am alone 
But that's because I'm not full grown 
That's because I'm not full grown 

Feel the lift of wind beneath 
Rise above the self defeat 
And on and on we'll laugh again 
Lose and find another friend 

Hold on the life you love 
Or let it all go and find out what you're made of 

So take a minute, take an hour, take a century 
Don't worry you'll be full grown eventually 
Be sniveling brat, be a curious cat 
But don't tell me I've got it figured out cuz I don't need that 

Move away, Move home, Move with the seasons, 
Move your body beyond all reason 
Have your peace and have your rage 
That's normal for your age, you're not full grown 
you're not full grown

-

released January 16, 2016 

Erich Smith - guitar, vocals 
Daniel Hopen - Bass 
Nate Bixenstine - drums

Full Grown

1st song from our debut EP. Download this and the rest of the EP for free at our Bandcamp page here https://bearonbear.bandcamp.com/album/bare-ep

I wanna be special, like everybody else 
I want opportunity but I don’t want help 
I wanna mature but I don’t wanna age 
And I know I never wanna forget how to play 

This is the age of constant distraction 
we dive into screens hunting around for the action 
desperation’s always close at hand 
but I wonder what it really helps us understand 
what it helps us understand 

Leave me alone until I’m over this 
when it’s nice and convenient I will share with you my bliss 
so love me like nun, love me like a whore 
give me everything I want and keep me wanting more 
keep me wanting more 

but what if what I want puts me through hell, oh well 
I won’t decide when it’s still too soon to tell 

I’m open to your pleasure open to your pain 
cuz if I steel up won’t I also Rust in the Rain? 
and you can’t stop the rain 
I’m hopin’ for your treasure I’m tellin’ you plain 
I’m not the man of steel cuz I don’t wanna Rust in the Rain 
and you can’t stop the rain

Rust in the Rain

Wading through the bliss of this admit that there is something to your happiness 
might be sappiness 
the facts you lack don’t hold you back you’ll cut it right when the measurements are 
not exact, it’s a winding track 

with goggles colored rose, pull poetry from prose, it’s magic I suppose 

I’m a poor man driving golden roads 
hopin’ every princess is still seeking a toad 
kiss me before I grow old 
should I stay dumb to keep the fun? 
running every race as if I’ve already won 
as if I’ve already won 

Stumblin’ through the bliss of this I’ll wish for truth but I’ll settle for some magic tricks 
cuz they’ll get me kicks, and that’s all 
so I’ll stay a poor man driving golden roads 
hopin’ every princess is still seeking a toad 
kiss me before I grow old 
should I stay dumb to keep the fun? 
running every race as if I’ve already won 
as if I’ve already won 

caught in the bliss of this 
the ecstatic Sisyphus 
They can’t blame ya, for this mania no 
Caught in the bliss of this 
the ecstatic Sisyphus 
I got no chip on my shoulder, pushin’ a boulder

Bliss Of This

Singin’ to an empty room, something told me that’s where I would find you 
You’d hear it and you’d come on through, my song would be the rod for your lightning 

nothing ever ends too soon, love has its own sense of timing 
singing to an empty room, at least no one can say you’ve been hiding 

every little hint of you brings back the sex and the fighting 
if every day we start anew, then how come I’m hung up on rewinding? 

singin’ to an empty room, something told me that’s where I would find you 
but I’ll barely even notice you, blinded by the spotlight shinin’ 

I need more friends, more beginnings less ends 
more love, less drugs, warm bodies fittin’ snug 
cuz that’s the core of love and war, it’s what we’re always fighting for 
but I’m only me, I’m only me, I’m only me, and you’re gonna go ahead and do you 

nothing ever ends too soon, love has its own sense of timing 
singin’ to an empty room, at least no one can say that you’ve been hiding, or say you’re not trying

Singin' To An Empty Room

	
Of course I think she’s beautiful 
if only it were only me 
she’s got what we want 
what the eye likes to see 
guess you could say she once was mine 
technically 

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby 
Ruby 
The shiny, swirling, sultry gem that I’ve been known to linger on 
She’s one way and I’m the other but there’s still something I can’t put my finger on 
We really ain’t got that chemistry, but there’s plenty of pheromones 
I guess I like a little mystery and she digs the baritones 
She’s exotic, tragic beauty 
She was named for precious jewelry 
She wears black, she wears patchouli 
and somehow she just runs right through me 

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby 
Something about you cuts right through me 
I may not love you but I want you truly 
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby 

She’s what you’d call a suicide girl 
but she won’t kill herself for me anymore 
it rained the morning after 
but we weren’t dry indoors 
we made what is not love without remorse 

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby 
When I was younger and people were hooking up I was always so quick to judge it 
It’s just cheap thrills but that’s economics when you’re on a tight emotional budget 
I really don’t need much sympathy when there’s writhing and pumps and moans 
I guess it shouldn’t be a mystery why she’s got me jumpin out of my bones 
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, 
Something about you cuts right through me 
I may not love you but I want you truly 
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby 

I’ve always seen myself as the earnest romantic 
but then you come along and my mind jumps to tantric 
Don’t we still want touch even if it doesn’t mean that much 
It’s not the real thing, but does it have to be a crutch? 

I’m opening up to easing my restrictions of the heart 
cuz you don’t give a damn about where the hell I am and that’s the easy part 
I’m opening up to easing my restrictions of the heart 
cuz part of me wants you more than love and that’s the hardest part 
ohh

Ruby

I’ve been figuring out where I belong 
I can sit still and kinda pay the bills until the balance is wrong 
and I have been beholden to my shame and 
squandering my energies just to avoid the blame 
but I can rise and feel the high of the beauty that I have inside 
watch me try and I will fight to turn the darkness into light 

watch me try and I will fight to turn the darkness into light 
watch me take what’s left and make it right 
and when it’s clear there’s something here I’ll shoot off to the stratosphere 
I will make a dent before I die 

I’m not always a lover but I’m often a friend 
I don’t have the heart to mess around town, but how I love to pretend 
aren’t I pretentious and so fake well 
who really needs this inspirational bullshit anyway 

hello doubt, hello pain 
if I gave into you, what would be to gain? 
where is the line between, confidence and vanity? 
all I know is that I try harder when someone’s watching me 

It helps me rise and feel the high of the beauty that I have inside
watch me try and I will fight to turn the darkness into light 

watch me try and I will fight to turn the darkness into light 
Watch me take what’s left and make it right 
and when it’s clear there’s something here I’ll shoot off to the stratosphere 
I will make a dent before I die 
die 

Our senses tell us what’s really alive 
mine tell me we’re not just here to survive 
so watch me try and I will fight to turn the darkness into light 
light 
Our senses tell us what’s really alive 
mine tell me we’re not just here to survive 
so watch me try and I will fight to turn the darkness into light

Watch Me Try

Download our debut EP for free at https://bearonbear.bandcamp.com/album/bare-ep

Bear on Bear