Original song written for the short film by Dix & Nat, "Gwyndor."

Lyrics:
You are the smartest, darling
For keeping me out of your blood
You are the prettiest flower
For making it out of the flood

I am the ache in your muscles and bones
That keeps you in bed for a day
I am the weed in your garden
Sucking the water away

I can love you
But I can't help you
Thought we'd go down together
But I think you'd agree
It's just me
Going down

Out Of The Flood written for the film "Gwyndor"

Original song by Justina Shandler, arranged by Gene Knific, and recorded by Steven Pardo and Teff Martinez. This project involves not only standard pop instrumentation, but a string quartet and 18-piece orchestra!

Lyrics:
I left the sadness that was hollowing my bones
And I stood there bathing in fire
How could you look at me 
Mired in your misery
With eyes of a child
Desperate and wild

How could you tell me all of the secrets that you fear
I'll rinse my mind with fire until it is clear
I heard nothing

I can't look you too long in the eye
Your sadness will grab me
A hostage, walk single file line
Hands tied and you're weeping
Your sadness is smiling as it looks down at you
But I have to look away, look away or it will get me, too 

I turned the corner just so I could be alone
I was running from those sunken eyes
Your facade is growing thin
It's cracking as I'm listening
Don't look up to me
Don't make me face what I will be

I'm not supposed to see you cry
I'll wipe your tears but I can't watch you say goodbye
I saw nothing

Look Away

Stamina

Lyrics:

In the front yard
By the big tree
We rake the leaves
Rolling around
Hear the crackly sound
That autumn brings

In the back yard
'Neath the red sun
We play a game
Called “Find Mom's Wedding Ring”
None of us won

And we wait for the mailman to come
Yes we wait for the mailman to come

On the swing set
Pumping higher
I skin my knees
We take a nap
And gather the sap
From all the trees

In the bathroom
On the step stool
Bubbles in the sink
Mom fills the tub
Gives us a scrub
Cause we really stink

And we wait for the mailman to come
Yes we wait for the mailman to come

Why do all the cars go by
Never stopping to say hi
I love it, Mama sings
When the doorbell rings

In the tree house
Lost my front tooth
To a piece of pie
We wait with the moon
Cause Mama says soon
Her box will arrive

In the bedroom
Once we're tucked in
The cassette plays
Sweet lullabies for
Us to ignore
So we escape

And we wait for the mail man to come
Yes, we wait for the mail man to come
And we wait for the mail man to come
Yes, we wait for the mail man to come

And everyday's always the same
Cause the mailman never came


The Mailman

Lyrics:

If you stay forever in arm’s reach 
You may never see the sun 
I may never walk again 

Please don’t tire of having the last word 
You’ve surrendered everything 
I don’t deserve this victory 

So let me be proved wrong 
You’ve been used too long 

Don’t let me keep these shackles on your feet 
Let me keep these shackles on 

When you hold my head up, we’re just fine 
But the muscles in my neck 
Slowly lose the will to fight 

You will never question where you stand 
And I will never know 
When it’s time to go 

Come on prove me wrong 
You’ve been used too long 
I could set you free 
If you let me 

What can I do without you? 
You can be free without me

Shackles

Lyrics:

The first color I saw was green 
I was an island in a sea 
Of three leaf clovers 

I pick them and I keep them near 
If I lose one, I don’t shed a tear 
A dime a dozen 

Everyone else is looking around 
For clovers with four leaves 
But me, I’m fine just killing time 
Collecting those with three 
Those people are so lucky 
But I will never be empty handed 

Some people search the world around 
Spending their lives down on the ground 
To find something special 

I used to share that hopeful dream 
I searched but I have never seen 
This world of wonder 

Everyone else is looking around 
For clovers with four leaves 
But me, I’m fine just killing time 
Collecting those with three 
Love comes easily to me 
By now it’s all so ordinary 

Please don’t leave, I’m holding on 
Cause nothing better came along 

Everyone else is looking around 
For clovers with four leaves 
But me, I’m fine just wasting time 
Collecting those with three 
I don’t think I’ll ever see 
A love that isn’t ordinary 

I will never be empty handed

Three Leaf Clover

Lyrics:

You bought a plane ticket to New York 
Cause I said I was going 
And I wanted you 

You held me under the stars 
I felt a thing like love, I bought it 
Yeah, I bought it 

But I know everything now 
I know everything now 
I bought everything you said 

That it was only me who could know you 
Only me who could show you love 
I never thought that you would lie 
Oh, the things we buy 

You bought this other girl a drink 
Somehow thought that she would want you 
Somehow 

She left you in the dust 
You and your pathetic lust 
Then you crawled back to me 
I bought your love so easily 

But I know everything now 
I know everything now 
Tell the truth and go to bed 

I left everything now 
I left everything now 
All the voices in my head 

Say it was only me who could know you 
Only me who could show you love 
I never thought that you would lie 
Oh, the things we buy 

Not a promise that's not cracked on the floor 
Not a trace of love in your life anymore 

And it was only me who could know you 
Only me who could show you love 
I never thought that you would lie 
Oh, the things we buy

The Things We Buy

Lyrics:

Mama raised you right 
Always smile and be polite 
You are the gentleman who 
Held the door as she walked out on you 

Since then you’ve courted every girl you find 
She might stay until she sees your one-track mind 

You might’ve been a good guy all your life 
But you never take the blame 
You can be a man 
I know you have what it takes 
Being mean and coming clean 
No smile on your face 
You might’ve been a good guy 
But you made a bad mistake 

You said, “Pretty please 
Hop in bed, give me a squeeze” 
After I quenched your thirst 
You walked me out, said, “Ladies first” 

At least you thanked me as I left your room 
Next time you’ll repay the favor? Oh, how sweet of you 

Wake up and see 
You’re too kind to yourself 
How could it be 
That you hurt someone else 
So go ahead, defend your good name 
Go ahead, pretend it’s okay 

You might’ve been a good guy all your life 
But you never take the blame 
You can be a man 
I know you have what it takes 
Being mean and coming clean 
No smile on your face 
You might've been a good guy all your life 
But it's time you feel the shame 
Of being a good guy who made a bad mistake

Good Guy

Produced by Daniel Strange

Lyrics: 

Never thought I could get away 
Felt so restless in my skin 
Walls were closing in 

But then you opened my door 
Talk about a change of pace 
Gravity escaped 

Now we’re high as the sky 
And we just keep floating higher 

I’m over the moon 
Just sittin’ on stars 
You grabbed a ring from Saturn 
And gave it to me on Mars 

And it all makes sense now 
You took me to a new place 
My heart’s in free fall 
Here in outer space 

If our feet should find the ground 
May our heads stay in the sky 
Problems shrink from up high 

Cause everything looks so small 
Tiny houses, tiny plans 
The world fits in our hands 

Oh, they say its cold in outer space 
Oh, somehow I’m warm and safe

Outer Space

Written with Camilo Rodriguez

Lyrics:
	
Oh, Emma 
Don't you think you need a break 
From crying and from hiding all your feelings from his face 
And oh, Emma 
You can't set everything in stone 
Nothing in life is permanent, but he'll always be your home 

And I know you're jealous of me 
Cause he's sitting right by my side 
But I know thoughts of you are sitting right inside his mind 

Give it a little time, give it a little time 

You can't see the colors, you see in black in white 
And you'll never love someone unless they're on your side 
Can you fight your eyes with an open mind? 
How does it feel to be colorblind? 

Oh, Emma 
Are you glad to watch him cry? 
Preserve yourself, assure yourself you're right to say goodbye 
Oh, Emma 
You are fragile as can be 
Afraid you'll fall apart, you break the things around you easily 

And you got inside his mind 
Made him thinking he was to blame 
For having disobeyed the rules to your own secret game 
So bow your angelic eyes 
As your feet drag you home 
You think you can dance the tango on your very own

Emma

No More Gray

Created by Gene Knific, Justina Shandler, and Jackson Firlik


Lyrics:

There’s a shred of hope that won’t die
Even though we both know it’s goodbye
Thought I could make it hurt less if I just pretend 
It was you who would love me till the very end

I’ve always wanted you, but now the truth is clear
Time to let go of you, my dear

So I erase your lovely face
You’re just a silhouette now deep inside of my mind
Then you hold me in the dark
Feel that old familiar spark

Been so long since you came down
I forgot how your voice sounds
Eyes and lips, all your features meeting their demise
You’re just skin on a creature that I don’t recognize

I’m so afraid to feel you slowly fade away
If we’re not meant to be, okay

So I erase your lovely face
You’re just a silhouette now deep inside of my mind
Then you hold me in the dark
Feel that old familiar spark
I can make you disappear
But your memory is always here

Rising slow and falling steady
Love will settle when it’s ready

Creature

Lyrics:
Up against the white fence were 
blue and red and blue and red and blue and red lights 
A patriotic crime scene with 
blue and red and blue and red and blue and red lights 
There is so much the sirens never see
like another good love wiped clean
They don't know why he shot the gun 
they say we're lucky he only killed the one 
and we won't let our guards down 
this time around 

Look around, come July there's
blue and red and blue and red and blue and red 
And white
...for the man who loves his own skin 
and the blue and red and blue and red and blue and red lights
We celebrate the Land of the free
But only for those who are safe on the streets
The blood spilled all over the town
His hands were up so why was he gunned down?
They say we’ll be more careful 
this time around 

We don't rise when we take somebody down 

Up against the white fence
Blue and red and blue and red lights 
We don't know how it got this far
It could be the gun but it could be our hearts 
So can we raise our white flags and 
can we lay our weapons down?

This Time Around

This is a song I wrote as a class assignment. Steven Gizzi helped me realize it to its full prog-pacity!

Paralyzed

My latest song! Roughly recorded and mixed by Steven Pardo. I'm arranging it for more instruments, so stay tuned!

Me and the Orchestra

Justina Shandler is a singer/songwriter who teaches songwriting at the Frost School Music and Dade Correctional Institution. Her songs have been described as the music-child of Regina Spektor and Billy Joel.

Justina Shandler

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