© 2021 Jordan Seal

Recorded and mixed using a Tascam DP-006.

Lyrics:

I kick my sheets to the foot of the bed
feels better to freeze than to sleep in sweat
the sky is blank, it’s a new moon
the space between stars reminds me of you
// you see all the things I don’t
// through smooth skin to broken bones
// you say all the things I won’t
// and the words hurt worse than sticks and stones
// I can’t admit you’re gone

your words hover over my head
like vultures perched on the ceiling fan
and I pray for Somnus to bring me sand
and for my dreams to be photographs
 
// you see all the things I don’t
// through smooth skin to broken bones
// you say all the things I won’t
// and the words hurt worse than sticks and stones
// I can’t admit you’re gone

and in the half-light before I wake
I can hear your voice and see your face
and I curse the sun smiling through the shade
and I shut my eyes and I call your name
I don’t wanna cry another day
but maybe one more flood will wash you away
’til then I stare at a spreading stain
at a gypsy angel I can’t erase…
… and I may never replace

Gypsy Angel

© 2022 Jordan Seal

Recorded direct to cassette with two consumer-grade Panasonic tape players, using Daniel Johnston’s overdubbing technique.

Heights (Daniel Johnston Method)

© 2022 Jordan Seal

Recorded live, direct to cassette, with a consumer-grade Panasonic tape player.

Heights (Playskool Method)

Written on Day 2 of my "song a day" project in May 2023.

Lyrics:
I wasted our time
Wasted the buzz
Wasted the vibe
Waiting for you to apologize
For some made-up crime
For breaking a promise you didn't make
For failing to smile when I would have faked
That was your first mistake
Don't bend
Easy to break

You flash a smile
But I see darts
In your eyes
They're all Nerf, but it's a bullseye
Every time
I'm tough as a tin foil tank
You're safe as a failing bank
I dish it but I can't take
Don't bend
Easy to break

I'm tough as a tin foil tank
You're safe as a failing bank
I dish it but I can't take
Don't bend
Easy to break

Credits:
Recorded with: Tascam DP-03SD
Mixed with: Tascam Portastudio mkii
Mastered with: n-Track (on an iPad)

© 2023 Jordan Seal
℗ 2023 Jordan Seal

Easy To Break

Recorded in a home office and a shed, using the Tascam Model 12.

Lyrics:

Our first kiss was in a bottle
On the steps of Sigma Chi
I wish I had more than a moment
To cherish all my life
You can get Daddy’s permission
But before you kiss the bride
It isn’t love unless the picture’s right

Don’t expect a waterfall
To flow out of my eyes
You don’t want my blubbering
To be immortalized
When I hear that shutter clicking
One tear will do just fine
‘Cos it isn’t love unless the picture’s right
 
Love is patient, love is kind
Love is holding hands on a jagged cliff side
Waiting for the perfect sunrise
With our photographer standing 5 to 10 feet behind

Love is patient, and so am I
That’s why I saved PTO for two years
And booked us this beautiful trip to Morocco
And spent all that money on black market tooth whitening
You see, it’s all for you!
It's for us! It's for our love!
I want it to be just right!

You don’t have to be romantic
I don’t want to be surprised
Karats are for rabbits
Diamonds are for mines
Just click the links I sent you
Shower, shave and smile
It isn’t love unless the picture’s right

All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.

© 2024 Jordan Seal
℗ 2024 Jordan Seal

It Isn't Love

Recorded in a backyard shed, using the Tascam Model 12.

You say your love is bigger than
The nights you spend pushing my limits
I wouldn't want to mangle our entanglement
With things like "commitment"
I'm cool with no rules
You do what you need to
I'm cool with no rules
I don't care about you
Making a new friend, breaking a new bend
As long as you kiss me more than him
I don't care about you
I don't wonder what you do
When, where, and with who
I'm cool, I'm cool
I don't care about you

And I won't spend a second
Second-guessing what I said in my text
And if I check to see whether you read it
It's just a reflex
I'm cool with no rules
You do what you need to
I'm cool, I'm cool
I don't care about you
Making a new friend, breaking a new bend
As long as you kiss me more than him
I don't care about you
I don't wonder what you do
When, where, and with who
I'm cool, I'm cool
I don't care about you

I'm attaching just a couple strings

I don't care about you
Making a new friend, breaking a new bend
As long as you kiss me more than him
I don't care about you
I don't wonder what you do
When, where, and with who
I'm cool, I'm cool
I swear, I swear, I'm cool
I'm totally cool
I'm not freaking out
I have no problem with you seeing him
I'm totally, totally cool

All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.

© 2024 Jordan Seal
℗ 2024 Jordan Seal

I Don't Care About You

Recorded in a backyard shed, using the Tascam DP-006.

It’s 2 AM when I get your text
Black tights and a vintage dress
I’m still awake, just like you guessed
You can’t remember my address

Saturday, pretending
Sunday, back to being friends
You know what you’re getting
The last call is your safest bet
You spread out in my double bed
And I’m on the couch, burying myself
In a pretty mess

I smooth the sheets, and change my clothes
Rinse wine glasses for us both
My heart is knocking at my throat
When I hear your heels on the concrete floor

Saturday, pretending
Sunday, back to being friends
You know what you’re getting
Your last call is your safest bet
You spread out in my double bed
And I’m on the couch, burying myself

Two coffees, yours to go
I see you brought a change of clothes
We plan to meet up, but we won’t
I should know better, but I don’t

You spread out in my double bed
And I’m on the couch, burying myself

All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.

© 2024 Jordan Seal
℗ 2024 Jordan Seal

Pretty Mess

[ABOUT]
Recorded in a backyard shed with a cassette Portastudio (Tascam 424 mkii)

[LYRICS]
Left my suitcase full of summer
Follow the pink bricks to your dorm

We coax the breeze that blows every autumn
And we float like leaves into each other’s arms

Whoa, when the lights go off
Whoa, we’re flickering on
Matches cover the floor
And we burn like we’ve never blown it before

Your hair is still wet when I hug you
I smell the shampoo in your curls

We coax the breeze that blows every autumn
And we float like leaves into each other’s arms

Whoa, when the lights go off
Whoa, we’re flickering on
Matches cover the floor
And we burn like we’ve never blown it before

We sigh beneath a cave of blankets
And begin to drift apart

Whoa, when the lights go off
Whoa, we’re flickering on
Matches cover the floor
And we burn like we’ve never blown it before

Trick Candles

Recorded in a backyard shed, a home office, and a bathroom, using the Tascam Model 12.

Lyrics:
This year our lights hang on different trees
But there’s a star both of us can see
Broken needles at my feet
Swept in memories
I believe in evergreen

A wreath that’s too big for the door
A pile of gifts we barely afford
In the carols that we sing
And faded recipes
I believe in evergreen

The boys hear hooves before they sleep
They dream, and I know how deep
‘Cos I am planting seeds
That you planted in me
I believe in evergreen
‘Cos I am planting seeds
That you planted in me
I believe in evergreen
I believe in evergreen

All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.

© 2025 Jordan Seal
℗ 2025 Jordan Seal

Evergreen

Recorded in one sitting, in a dining room and a bathroom, using the Zoom R4. All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.

© 2025 Jordan Seal
℗ 2025 Jordan Seal

Lyrics:

I thought if I just loved you
And blew kisses at your back
You'd show me your bedroom
And the rest would fade to black
No time for roses to bloom
I saw their shape in you
Dreaming don't make it true
No time for roses to bloom

I thought if I just touched you
Our skin would strike a match
I shake and you're smooth
Smooth and cold as glass
No time for roses to bloom
I saw their shape in you
Dreaming don't make it true
No time for roses to bloom

And that was all that it took
To poison what we had
Old friend, I miss you
That won't bring you back
No time for roses to bloom
I saw their shape in you
Dreaming don't make it true
No time for roses to bloom


No Time For Roses

Recorded in random rooms of my house using the Zoom R4. All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.

© 2025 Jordan Seal
℗ 2025 Jordan Seal

Lyrics:
Weaving
Through the brambles
Where they grew
I reach for a shape
In the gloom
And I find two
That still ramble
Into June
I pick ‘em and run back to you

It's just like a dream
Bitter and sweet
Blackberries gushing down my cheek
Without the rain
Roots go deep
You’ll always be a part of me

Hanging
In the branches
Of the crepe myrtle tree
You swing down next to me
And we breathe
In disbelief
At berries big as these
We both bite on the count of three

It's just like a dream
Bitter and sweet
Blackberries gushing down my cheek
Without the rain
Roots go deep
You’ll always be a part of me

Short sleeves in the sun
Barefoot in the yard
Those days glued us together
And now they pull when we’re apart

Kneeling
In the garden
Where we grew
See the places where it’s been pruned
New fruit
Searches brambles
For a bloom
I watch them, remembering you

It's just like a dream
Bitter and sweet
Blackberries gushing down my cheek
Without the rain
Roots go deep
You’ll always be a part of me

Blackberries

A sparse, emotional indie folk song about parenting, presence, and restraint. All parts written, performed, and recorded by me—except the phrase "I walk but don't lead," which was generated by ChatGPT.

© 2025 Jordan Seal

Lyrics:

Staring at your feet
Bandages on both your knees
Rivers on your cheeks aren’t yet dry
It hurts me to be watching ringside

You stumble and dart
Balancing a heavy heart
Close to the rocks, and capsize
I am standing in the white caps when you cry

I grasp but don’t reach
Reaching would just turn you into me
My talk, it won’t teach
So I smile through gritted teeth

You look back
I lock on
I’m not gonna pick you up
I wrestle
The right wrongs
I’m not gonna pick you up
But oh, my heart is aching when I
Let you feel this way
Watching a mirror break
Watching a mirror break

You don’t wanna talk
So we wander in the fog
And I catch a cloud in my eyes
I hold it until you spy
The first patch of blue sky

I walk but don't lead
You won't get far following me
Your path, I won't see
'Til I blink and let you be

You look back
I lock on
I’m not gonna pick you up
I wrestle
The right wrongs
I’m not gonna pick you up
But oh, my heart is aching when I
Let you feel this way
Watching a mirror break
Watching a mirror break

Watching a Mirror Break

“Undone” is a song about letting go — of anxiety, of self-consciousness, of whoever you're pretending to be. It blends 1960s pop and garage rock with lo-fi folk sensibilities. The result is a slow dance for the awkward, the earnest, and anyone still learning how to loosen their tie.

Lyrics:
You shine like a Saturday night
My straight laces are tied up tight
But if you hold me like you love me
I will treat you right
And we can come undone

You stand in a circle of friends
I’m a dull blade, trying to cut in
But if you hold me like you love me
I will treat you right
And we can come undone

A wall of satin dresses
Clouds of new perfume
We’re buttoned up, pretending
But I don’t know for who

The bass drops and they dim the lights
Your fingers press against mine
I keep looking, and when you lock eyes
I seek whatever you hide
Your hair strays ‘til you pin it high
I wipe sweat and loosen my tie
We’re both laughing and we don’t know why
I seek whatever you hide

And I come back with water
And you take off your shoes
And I rock like an ocean
And you pull like the moon

And when the lights come on
They play one last song
It’s a slow one
But we’re still hanging on
I don’t wanna go back to the hallway haze
The furtive glances and notebook pages
So I hold my breath, and feel you sway
And think of a way to say that

You shine like a Saturday night
And I’m dizzy, swaying side to side
So baby hold me
And I will treat you right

All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.
© 2025 Jordan Seal
℗ 2025 Jordan Seal

Undone

"Can't Do Anything Right" is song about men (especially dads), written for the people who tolerate them. I recorded it in my backyard shed, using a Tascam 424 cassette portastudio.

Lyrics:
It’s time to celebrate
The source of their frustration
He can’t do anything right
He can’t do anything right

He’s reading Lonesome Dove
In boxer shorts and loafers
He can’t do anything right
He can’t do anything right

All she wanted was a way to procreate
Now we honor everything she tolerates

He punishes with puns
He’s tangled up in Dylan
He can’t do anything right
He can’t do anything right

Twenty minutes poops
Thirty second showers

All she wanted was a way to procreate
Now we honor everything she tolerates

It’s time to celebrate
The source of their frustration
He can’t do anything right
He can’t do anything right

All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.

© 2025 Jordan Seal
℗ 2025 Jordan Seal

Can't Do Anything Right

I try not to have regrets. But I'd do a lot of things differently "if I knew then what I know now." Sweet Dreams is about such things, and the vice of wishing (rather than doing).

I recorded this at home with a Zoom R4 and a Tascam Model 12. Many of the sounds and choices were inspired by Bo Diddley's self-titled debut single. If that interests you, there's a video about it on my YouTube channel.

Lyrics:
If I knew then what I know now
I would have put my hand on the side of her face
Pressed my lips against her lips
In a long G-rated American kiss
But I kept my hands still and safe
At the top of her waist, and when her gaze
Drifted into mine, I hastily looked away
And I crossed my fingers as I fell asleep
But stars only answer wishes with sweet dreams

If I knew then what I know now
I would have marked our hands with big black Xs
And cried the tears that grow acceptance
The whole damn drive back home to Texas
I had to go, but I couldn't say
So I loosened my grip until she slipped away
And I crossed my fingers as I fell asleep
But stars only answer wishes with sweet dreams

And I crossed my fingers as I fell asleep
Etc. etc.
But stars only answer wishes with sweet dreams
credits

All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.

© 2025 Jordan Seal
℗ 2025 Jordan Seal

Sweet Dreams

A new version of an old favorite. Recorded at home with a Zoom R4 and mixed with a Tascam Model 12.

Lyrics:
You keep a box of kisses tucked beneath your bed
Ready to salt old wounds if they reopen
They promised you forever, and you're waiting
For ever come to pass
They promised you the stars at night
And that your first would be your last
You're wishing on a star to fall into your arms

You never had romantic fictions whispered in your ear
But met too many Galileos, made the distance seem so near
They promised you forever, and you're waiting
For ever come to pass
They promised you the stars at night
And that your first would be your last
You're wishing on a star to fall into your arms

All parts written, performed, and recorded by me.

© 2013 Jordan Seal
℗ 2025 Jordan Seal

Promised You Forever

I write and record music in the quiet hours — songs about change, memory, and the strange beauty of everyday life. Indie folk shaped by late nights and flickers of meaning.

Jordan Seal

Popular tracks