Small Town Girls

Half-Moon

Half - Moon

TAKING OUT MONSTERS
Written by Jessi Robertson
Produced, Mixed, Engineered, and Mastered by Brett Ryan Stewart at WireBird Productions https://www.wirebirdprod.com/

Vocals, Rhythm Guitar: Jessi Robertson https://www.jessirobertson.com/ 

Drums: Chris Benelli https://spoti.fi/3Szn5ca 

Bass: Chris Donohue https://chrisdonohue.me/ 

Electric Guitar: Chris Tench  https://www.christench.com/ 

Piano, Background Vocals: Derek Medeiros https://www.instagram.com/derekkmedeiros/

Background Vocals: Rosemary Fossee  https://www.rosemaryfossee.com/

Choir: 

Crystal Bowersox https://www.crystalbowersox.com/ 

Julie Christensen https://stonecupid.com/ 

Kristen Englenz https://www.kristenenglenz.com/ 

Izzy Jeffery https://izzyjaye.bandzoogle.com/

Anana Kaye https://www.ananakaye.com/

Fawn Larson http://www.fawnlarson.com/ 

Laura Rabell https://www.laurarabell.com/ 

Ruby Rae https://www.rubyraemusic.com/ 

Jenna Torres https://www.jennatorres.com/

Taking Out Monsters

Taking out Monsters

Listen Now

Pull that blind and cover that window up. 
Too much light in my eyes, I’m going blind from the drink and the drug. 

How can I get high when you always bring me down? 
One more cheap trick, a fresh coat of lipstick, another one down. 

Talk dirty baby, play me your shaky guitar. 
Nothing gives me the blues like your blue eyes begging alms at the back of the bar. 

How can I get high when you always bring me down? 
One more cheap trick, a fresh coat of lipstick, another one down. 

I am not your mother. 
I don't wanna be your lover. 
You better find someone else to discover, 
I'm gonna pull down the blinds and recover. 

How can I get high when you always bring me down? 
One more cheap trick, a fresh coat of lipstick, another one down. 

I Came From the War

Lipstick

I have this photo from decades ago 
in a water stained, crumbling cardboard frame. 
She looks like me, my great grandmother, 
when we were 17 with our heads full of dreams. 

I don't want to let go of these dreams. 
They say you never know but I know everything 
about how the same days keep coming around, 
what looks like a new path is the same old ground. 
If I walk long enough I'll arrive where I started this silly old thing. 

A string of pearls and an early spring rose, 
all that's left is this photo from decades ago. 
The shape of our lips and the shade of our eyes, 
when we were 17 with our heads full of dreams. 

I don't want to let go of these dreams. 
They say you never know but I know everything 
about how the same days keep coming around, 
what looks like a new path is the same old ground. 
If I walk long enough I'll arrive where I started this silly old thing. 

Silly Old Thing

You want to tell me what I should do? 
You think you're the first one I've answered to? 
But you've worked out all the symbols and signs? 
Take a number and get in line. 

The flame, it summons us all. 
We beat our wings, make shadows rise and fall. 
We need to burn, immolate. 
I hear your voices call, "come in, seal your fate." 

It feels like the years are a gravestone weight 
strung on a necklace I treasure and hate. 
And it seems clear I should just run away, 
but you skipped over history that makes me stay. 

The flame, it summons us all. 
We beat our wings, make shadows rise and fall. 
We need to burn, immolate. 
I hear your voices call, "come in, seal your fate." 

You read some words, so you think you know 
the story that started decades ago. 
But I am just lucky to have survived, 
a stunning catastrophe I'm alive. 
I'm alive. 

Immolate

Here's some winter themed bedroom pop I made back in 2008 called Snow Globe. 

The plastic landscape of painted faces 
No lungs expand, no pulse point races 
Circular sky, lazy fall of ash 
Captured light reflecting off the glass 

Snow globe, you'll never know 
Shaken, then moving slow 
Snow globe, you'll never know 
It's really snowing 

Motionless bodies and sightless glances 
No voices call, no heartbeat dances 
Circular sky, lazy fall of ash 
Captured light reflecting off the glass 

Snow globe, you'll never know 
Shaken, then moving slow 
Snow globe, you'll never know 
Outside it's snowing 

Caught on this day in a chemical mold 
This place is a pretty prison 
I wanna smash the walls of glass in 
To free the mix of water and ash 

Snow globe, you'll never know 
Shaken, then moving slow 
Snow globe, you'll never know 
Outside, outside, outside, outside 
It's really snowing 
Real snow 



Photo by Aaron Burden @ https://unsplash.com/photos/RgTI2KaQ5N4

Demos from 2008 - Palm Reader

Snow Globe (2008 demo)

There’s a lot of fear in this old heart of mine, 
of a friend, of a lover, of a sign 
and she pains me when I step out of line.

I won’t entertain these thoughts by day, 
so at night they sneak outside and start to play.
Come morning, I try to put them all away.

I can’t live between fear and hope. Oh this world won’t be controlled. 
It’s time I shed my winter coat, peel off my gloves, clear my throat, 
say, “give me what you owe me before I go.” 

There’s a hole in me that nothing can kill, 
not religion, not the bottle, not a pill, 
but it’s mine to dry or drown as I will.

I’m afraid of what you’ll see inside my head.
All the wretched ghosts I raised up from the dead. 
So I show you what I think you want instead. 

I can’t live between fear and hope. Oh this world won’t be controlled. 
It’s time I shed my winter coat, peel off my gloves, clear my throat, 
say, “give me what you owe me before I go.” 

I Came from the War

Winter Coat

If I had a good heart I hope it would be good 
yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 
but in your eyes, it twists and it lies 
til it's an instrument of cruelty and sorrow. 

But I feel it beat inside, I feel it keeping time 
with the breath that brings me life, pulling in the oxygen. 
How can it be a bad thing, when my heart keeps beating 
bringing the inspiration that makes the air worth breathing? 
breathing 

If I had a good heart I'd be there for you, 
you could call me up and I'd be at your door. 
Sometimes I’d think of you and do something just because, 
but you don't believe in my heart anymore. 

I feel it beat inside, I feel it keeping time 
with the breath that brings me life, pulling in the oxygen. 
How can it be a bad thing, when my heart keeps beating 
bringing the inspiration that makes the air worth breathing? 
breathing, breathing, breathing

If I had a good heart, if I had a good heart...

Tin Man

We walk in shadow, we walk in light 
and what’s to become of us? 
There may not be another tomorrow or tonight 
so why do we waste today on the same old fight? 

Don’t stop now, we've only just begun. 
Don’t stop now, we thought we were so young, 
but you and me, while we can sing and we can breathe 
there’s still time to believe in something, 
and I believe in you and me. 

The moon turns red, the sun grows weak 
and it breaks our hearts. 
Can’t look at what’s looming above or what’s beneath, 
so where do we turn when the earth shudders under our feet? 

Don’t stop now, we've only just begun. 
Don’t stop now, we thought we were so young, 
but you and me, while we can sing and we can breathe 
there’s still time to believe in something, 
and I believe in you and me. 

I believe in something, I believe in you and me. 

You and Me

Trouble follows me around 
like gravity inexplicably pins me to the ground. 

You roll in gray and blind me to the way 
the real danger plummets down like a bird of prey. 
Trouble, you always get your way. 

And when you go too far 
I’ll call you back into my arms. 
You seduce me, you reduce me to my knees. 

Trouble is never far away 
like a magnet’s field pulls me in until I can’t draw away. 

Jealous of the sun, you’d keep me from the one 
who could dissipate these shadows that I can’t seem to outrun. 
Trouble, when will you be done? 

And when you go too far 
I’ll call you back into my arms. 
You seduce me, you reduce me to my knees. 

This will end in red before the night is dead, 
that alone will atone for all the innocence you've bled. 
Trouble, Trouble, Trouble 

Trouble

I reached through my own skin, 
deep between my lungs and ribs. 
I fought to hold my heart down 
until it stopped struggling. 

You can’t live with so much pain, 
so you learn to turn it on and off again. 
I can only be free when I sing 
then I have to hurt myself again. 

You don’t want to taste my heart. 
You don’t want the band-aid off, 
but I can’t stop the flow of blood 
til it pours out in a flash flood. 

You can’t live with so much pain, 
so you learn to turn it on and off again. 
I can only be free when I sing 
then I have to crush myself again. 

You think I shut the deluge down 
when I chatter and I play the clown? 
But the fall just takes another form. 
I lie in the center of the storm. 

I can only be free when I sing, 
I’m only free when I sing.

You Don't Want to Taste My Heart

Cut me, then demonize me. 
When I gain strength, fear and despise me. 
I’m not one thing, that’s not how Nature formed me. 
What you try to kill becomes the steel that supports me. 

Collide, collide, kaleidoscope 
All of these patterns emerge as my own 

Poison, my breath, my blood, it stings you. 
Venom fills my footprints and it sings to you. 
Labor to wring the danger from me. 
Notch your bed post, another monster at your feet. 

Collide, collide, kaleidoscope 

A mountain of faces with no features. 
Under a labyrinth of visages, you think I’m your creature 
But oh, you’re just the student, I’m the teacher. 

Collide, collide, kaleidoscope 
All of these patterns emerge

Hydra

Pull that blind and cover that window up. 
Too much light in my eyes, I’m going blind from the drink and the drug.

How can I get high when you always bring me down? 
One more cheap trick, a fresh coat of lipstick, another one down. 

Talk dirty baby, play me your shaky guitar. 
Nothing gives me the blues like your blue eyes begging alms at the back of the bar. 

How can I get high when you always bring me down? 
One more cheap trick, a fresh coat of lipstick, another one down. 

I am not your mother. 
I don't wanna be your lover. 
You better find someone else to discover, 
I'm gonna pull down the blinds and recover. 

How can I get high when you always bring me down? 
One more cheap trick, a fresh coat of lipstick, another one down.
credits
from Live From Union Hall, released December 5, 2018

Live From Union Hall

Stream or Buy

Live demo for February Album Writing Month

FAWM

February 29th by Ruby Rae & Jessi Robertson

Come into my twilight world for soul-baring blues and folk translated through the deep lens of rock and roll.

Jessi Robertson

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