7in7, Session 3 - Day 1

CHORUS 1:
O Mother Mary
Our Lady of Divine Receipt
O Mother Mary
Our Lady of Divine Release

VERSE 1:
Teach me to surrender my will and reputation
Teach me how to bear the hope of all creation
Within my weary body where all I know is grief
Within my darkened spirit where I can’t find relief

CHORUS 2:
O Mother Mary
Our Lady of Divine Bearing
O Mother Mary
Our Lady of Divine Sharing

VERSE 2:
Teach me to surrender my will and reputation
Teach me how to bear the  hope of all creation
Within my weary body where all I know is grief
Within my darkened spirit where I can’t find belief

CHORUS 3:
O Mother Mary
Our Lady of Divine Intoxication
O Mother Mary
Our Lady of Divine Isolation

O Mother Mary

7in7, Session 3 - Day 2

VERSE 1:
When Daddy was stationed in Vietnam
Back before he married Mom
He could spend his cash on anything he pleased
He bought 15 inch Pioneers
A record player and a reel to reel
And a tuner made by Sansui

CHORUS:
Ya he bought a hi-fi
A turntable and amp
Speakers that the whole street could hear
Creedence Clearwater Revival and Three Dog Night on vinyl
He bought a record player

VERSE 2:
Well I was only four, we weren’t rich and we weren’t poor
Living in the suburbs of cajun country
One day Daddy got a bonus and he asked me what I wanted
I don’t remember much, but I know what I told him

CHORUS:
I said I want a hi-fi
A turntable and amp
Speakers that the whole street can hear
Give me MJ and Lionel and Stevie on vinyl
I want a record player

VERSE 3:
Mine was made by Fisher Price
And I thought it looked pretty nice
I’d sit in my room and crank it all day long
When I finished high school eventually
And made my way to university
He sent me with a gift for my dorm

CHORUS:
He gave me his hi-fi
His turntable and amp
Speakers that the whole street could hear
Yeah, I had MJ and Lionel and Stevie on vinyl
He gave me his record player

VERSE 4:
Last year I turned forty-five
And thank God Daddy’s still alive
But he ain’t got no job these days
Ya his mama passed on
And the inheritance is nearly gone
But I don’t care about money anyway
Cause when that sad day comes
I’ve got all I could ever want
Everything I’ll need to remember

CHORUS:
I've got that hi-fi
That turntable and amp
Those speakers that the whole street can hear
Creedence Clearwater Revival and Three Dog Night on vinyl
Yeah, I’ve got that record player

Hi-Fi

7in7, Session 3 - Day 3

VERSE 1:
I thought that best friends never died
I thought that preacher’s never lied
Thought  that I could not get fired
From the job that I loved the most

I thought divorce was always bad
I thought no one else felt sad
I thought everything I had 
I had earned on my own

PRE-CHORUS:
But I was wrong, 
I was wrong and now I know

VERSE 2:
I thought that I would not grow old
That there were streets made out of gold
That truth could not be sold 
And it was all under control

I thought I hated Christmas songs
And my friend Nate made up beer pong
I thought something in my soul
Was unloved and unlovable

PRE-CHORUS:
But I was wrong, 
I was wrong and now I know

CHORUS:
I was wrong, I was wrong about the world I’m living in
I was wrong, I was wrong about the world I hold within
I was wrong, I was wrong, and I’ll be wrong again
I was wrong, I was wrong and now I know

VERSE 3:
I thought that there was never guile
Behind a politician’s smile
I thought that I could walk a mile
In anybody else’s shoes

Thought there was no time to relax
And that I could take words back
I thought I was only getting facts
When I turn on the news

PRE-CHORUS:
But I was wrong, 
I was wrong and now I know

CHORUS:
I was wrong, I was wrong about the world I’m living in
I was wrong, I was wrong about the world I hold within
I was wrong, I was wrong, and I’ll be wrong again
I was wrong, I was wrong and now I know

The Things I (Used To) Believe

7in7, Session 3 - Day 4

VERSE 1:
You think that I don’t close the closet door
Cause I don’t care ‘bout what you say
You act like I misplace my own damn keys again
Like it’s a game that I’m tryin’ to play (but I can’t win)

CHORUS:
You got me wrong, yeah yeah
You got me wrong
You got me wrong
Baby, you got me wrong

VERSE 2:
You think the clothes piled on my side of the bed
Means that I just ain’t got no respect
You tell me I would lose my own damn head
If it was not attached to my neck (and you may be right about that)

CHORUS:
But, you got me wrong, yeah yeah
You got me wrong
You got me wrong
Baby, you got me wrong

BRIDGE:
And I’m sure that it’s not easy living with me
It’s not like I can’t sympathize, or see what you see
It’s not about the love in my heart, baby believe
It’s just my brain... It's just my brain chemistry

VERSE 3:
You think that I just don’t listen to you
'Cause I’m lost in another daydream
You think I’m selfish, girl, living in my own world
But really I just need a little dopamine (or norepinephrine but that’s really hard to rhyme)

But, you got me wrong, yeah yeah
You got me wrong
You got me wrong
Baby you got me wrong

TAG:
I got that ADHD

ADHD (You Got Me Wrong)

7in7, Session 3 - Day 7

VERSE 1: 
Slow pour in the dark of the morning
Before the dawn light breaks upon my door
Snowfall now seeped into the soil
And all is as it was before

VERSE 2:
Music awaits on down the highway
The sounds of violin and pedal steel
My profile now set against the sunrise
Preparing for what the light may reveal

CHORUS:
Now. Here. This. (It’s all there is.)
Now. Here. This. (There’s nothing else.)
Now. Here. This. (It’s all there is.)
Now. Here. This.

VERSE 3:
A downpour drums upon the rooftop
Waters still sacred on the ground
Friends and siblings in a circle
On all 8 sides of the empty fount

CHORUS:
Now. Here. This. It’s all there is.
Now. Here. This. There’s nothing else.
Now. Here. This. It’s all there is.
Now. Here. This.

Third Sunday After the Epiphany (Year C)

7in7, Session 4 - Day 1

VERSE 1:
I dream of a parade throughout the streets of the city
Where you can hear the people chant your name
Not with songs, not with shouts of praise and adulation
But with that same old familiar refrain

CHORUS 1:
Leave (we don’t want you here)
Leave (you don’t need to speak)
Leave
For the time has come to leave
And let the people grieve

VERSE 2:
How I long for the time before you sold us down the river
When the days to come still seemed bright
But now our sun is setting in the California skyline
And we’re lost in the darkness of night

CHORUS 2:
Leave (don’t even say goodbye)
Leave (don’t try to justify)
Leave (you can’t make this right)
Leave (we don’t want you here)
Leave (you don’t need to speak)
Leave
For the time has come to leave
And let the people grieve

BRIDGE:
This is not about the gifts you brought
To serve as consolation
But for the heart you stole, and for the lies you told
There is no vindication
Was It arrogance or indifference
Or did loyalty fade away
There’s no defense, no recompense 
And there’s nothing you can say, so

CHORUS 3:
Leave (don’t wanna hear you out)
Leave (don’t you turn around)
Leave (this is not your town)
Leave (we don’t want you here)
Leave (you don’t need to speak)
Leave
For the time has come to leave
And let the people grieve

Leave

7in7, Session 4 - Day 2

VERSE 1:
“This is a dictatorship. It’s not a democracy.”
Those are the very words my, quote, “pastor” would say to me
At every staff meeting, every opportunity
It was an unstable kingdom for me

VERSE 2:
Well I moved to Haiti just after the turn of the century
And I saw tires burned, busses flipped, heard gunshots aplenty
I saw election fraud that led to a coup d’état when I was only twenty
It was an unstable kingdom to say the least

CHORUS 1:
Well I know a thing or two about a lust for power
Oh this is nothing new, the unjust devour
Everything in sight like its their birthright
From their first breath to their final hour
Unstable kingdoms and kings

VERSE 3:
There was a Chief Exec who saw the writing on the wall
Tough times ahead, someone would to take a fall
Set his predecessor up so he could say “HE dropped the ball!”
It was an unstable kingdom for all

CHORUS 1:
Well I know a thing or two about a lust for power
And this is nothing new, the unjust devour
Everything in sight like its their birthright
From their first breath to their final hour
Unstable kingdoms and kings

VERSE 4:
I saw a man shipped away in the middle of the night
By some quiet coward, no regard for wrong or right
Well there was nothing he could say, no way to put up a fight
It was an unstable kingdom alright

CHORUS 2:
Well I know a thing or two about abuse of power
And this is nothing new, the unjust devour
Everything in sight like its their birthright
From their first breath to their final hour
Unstable kingdoms and kings
Unstable kingdoms and kings
Unstable kingdoms and kings

Unstable Kingdoms

7in7, Session 4 - Day 3

VERSE 1:
I’m sure you thought that house you bought
Would be the one in which you’d raise your kid

VERSE 2:
You fought so hard and still left scarred
If I could make it right, you know I’d try

CHORUS 1:
Oh but sometimes you just need more than friends
And sometimes you just can’t make amends 

VERSE 3:
We all believed it was meant to be
So when he broke your heart we all fell apart

BRIDGE:
And maybe there’s nothing we can do
To make things easier for you

CHORUS 2:
Oh but sometimes you just need your friends
Cause sometimes you don’t need to make amends 


Amends

7in7, Session 4 - Day 4

VERSE 1:
Well I could never, I would never
Try to advocate
For any foul devil, who would ever
Choose to negotiate
A closed door deal in the city of angels
Then work every angle
To spin the story for their glory
Like the web in which they are entangled

CHORUS:
That’s not defense, don’t be offensive
That’s just bad offense, it’s not worth defending
No need for pretense, so stop pretending
Like this picket fence you broke can ever be mended

VERSE 2:
I might feel better if you ever
Tried to shoot us straight
But you think you’re clever, you trade a treasure
Then try to manipulate
Like we can’t see the strings that you’re pulling
Who do you think you’re fooling
It’s just ain’t right how you gaslight
To fan the flames that you’re fueling 

CHORUS:
That’s not defense, don’t be offensive
That’s just bad offense, it’s not worth defending
No need for pretense, so stop pretending
Like this picket fence you broke can ever be mended

Defense | Offense

7in7, Session 4 - Day 5

VERSE 1:
The neighbors lawn mower, the doves in the trees
The planes flying over when I’m still trying to sleep
The opinions of strangers in internet debates
Turning private angers into public hates

CHORUS:
It’s all just noise to me
I don’t wanna hear it today
It’s just an annoyance to me
‘Cause I’ve got a game to play

VERSE 2:
A choir of barking dogs ringing out across the block
The revving of an engine before my alarm clock
The discontent “creators” posting all day long
Desperate for engagement to know where they belong

CHORUS:
It’s all just noise to me
I don’t wanna hear it today
It’s just an annoyance to me
‘Cause I’ve got a game to play

VERSE 3:
Sports commentators, all well past their prime
Insisting things were better back in their time
The voice of doubt inside me, the self-comparison
That nagging ambition for things I haven’t done

CHORUS:
It’s all just noise to me
I don’t wanna hear it today
It’s just an annoyance to me
‘Cause I’ve got a game to play
It’s all just noise to me
I don’t wanna hear it today
It’s just an annoyance to me
‘Cause I’ve got a game to play

Noise Cancelling

7in7, Session 4 - Day 5

VERSE 1:
The usual suspects and regular words
Same white room and look on my face
I can’t always say ‘em , but it could be worse
I could fill my mouth with empty praise
Saltwater coffee, my cup overflows
Stains my teeth and burns my throat
Frustrates my tongue, but pleases my nose
So what’s good for the sheep is good for the goats

CHORUS 1:
I’ve got these iterations
I repeat ‘em all the time
You’ve got your expectations
Just don’t try to make ‘em mine
‘Cause I’ve got these iterations

VERSE 2:
Work hard till summer, then I take a break
Get out of the city and back on the farm
Try to enjoy this money I make
Try to ignore the folks who mean harm
I’ll eat good moussaka and drink a few beers
Puff on some hookah and catch up with friends
I may gain a few pounds or shed a few tears
But I’ll enjoy every minute till the season begins

CHORUS 2:
I’ve got these iterations
I repeat ‘em all the time
Don’t need more obligations
I promise you I’m doing fine
‘Cause I’ve got these iterations

CHORUS 3:
You’ve got these iterations
You repeat ‘em all the time
Unkind accusations
But I don’t pay them any mind
‘Cause I’ve got these iterations

Iterations

7in7, Session 4, Day 7

VERSE 1:
This changing of the guard
Could never change my heart
It takes time to make change right
But this change was wrong from the very start
He cannot change my mind
Just like he cannot change your stripes
So when he changed things in the dark
It’s ‘cause he couldn’t change the light

CHORUS:
Ain’t it strange how
Life feels rearranged now
Everything has changed
Doubt it’ll ever feel the same without you here

VERSE 2:
And even though he changed his tune
It don’t change my point of view
They say change is the only constant
I just wish that wasn’t true
‘Cause this change of scenery
Can’t change what you mean to me
It’s just not fair, change in the air
Ain’t the way it’s supposed to be

CHORUS:
Ain’t it strange how
Life feels rearranged now
Everything has changed
Doubt it’ll ever feel the same without you here

BRIDGE:
Well I can’t change history
Or change this mystery
I can’t change the way I see
The way things are or the way they’ll be

CHORUS:
Ain’t it strange how
Life feels rearranged now
Everything has changed
Doubt it’ll ever feel the same without you here

Change

7in7, Session 5, Day 1.


VERSE 1:
I heard your mother died
I probably should’ve called
But I wasn’t sure what I might say
Or if you’d answer at all
So I just wrote a few words
And sent them how I could
Then convinced myself that I had done
Everything I should

CHORUS;
Well, nobody wins if I confuse
Losin’ friends with loose ends
Concerned with who sent
What to whom and when
What to whom and when

VERSE 2:
Maybe you were tied up
Or too frayed to know where to begin
Maybe I was right to
Be afraid that it would mean the end
Of all the hurt that I still clinch
So tight within my fists
Just a waste of all the time I’ve spent
Tryin’ to forget

CHORUS;
Well, nobody wins if I confuse
Losin’ friends with loose ends
Concerned with who sent
What to whom and when
What to whom and when

VERSE 3:
I heard you finally met a girl
And you made her your wife
Even adopted her little boy
Livin’ a whole new life
And I’d be lying if I claimed
It doesn’t hurt me at all
That I don’t even know their names
Cause you never bothered to call

CHORUS;
But nobody wins if I confuse
Losin’ friends with loose ends
Concerned with who sent
What to whom and when
Said nobody wins if I confuse
Losin’ friends with loose ends
Concerned with who sent
What to whom and when
What to whom and when

TAG:
I heard your mother died
I probably should’ve called

What, To Whom, and When

7in7, Session 5 - Day 2

VERSE 1:
Sometimes I realize
That I’m holding my breath
Or that I’m furrowing my brow
Or that I’m thinking about death
Oh and much to my surprise
Once again I’m in over my head
With no real sense of how
Else to live instead

CHORUS:
Oh but something’s gotta give
It’s all labor and no rest
This is no way to live
There must be something less

VERSE 2:
I grind my teeth at night
Hold tension in my shoulders
I blame it on my bed
Or say I’m just getting older
And I’m sure I’d feel just right
If the room was a little colder
Or I’ll sleep when I’m dead 
Or when life is a little slower

CHORUS:
Yeah but something’s gotta give
It’s all labor and no rest
This is no way to live
There must be something less

BRIDGE:
I feel like I’m drowning
I feel like I’m failing
I feel like I’m losing what remains
It’s leaving me breathless
It’s leaving me restless
It’s leaving me desperate for a change

CHORUS:
Cause something’s gotta give
It’s all labor and no rest
This is no way to live
There must be something less

There Must Be Something Less

7in7, Session 5 - Day 3

VERSE 1:
I’m a pacifist, tempted with violence
An advocate tempted with silence
A competitor tempted to quit
I am an honest… an honest counterfeit

VERSE 2: 
I am a rebel tempted to comply
A believer tempted to deny
I am a lover tempted with hate
I am… a legitimate fake

CHORUS 1:
I am both/and
Capable of all
The good and the bad
Oh, the big and the small
The crimes that I’d condemn
In any other man
They all live within
Cause I am both/and

VERSE 3:
I’m a liar clinging to the truth
A middle-aged man clinging to my youth
I am a cynic clinging to God
I am a genuine… a genuine fraud

CHORUS 1:
I am both/and
Capable of all
The good and the bad
Oh, the big and the small
The crimes that I’d condemn
In any other man
They all live within
Cause I am both/and

CHORUS 2:
Both/and
Capable of all
The best and the worst
Oh, the rise and the fall
The crimes that I’d condemn
In any other man
They all live within
Cause I am both/and


Both/And

7in7, Session 5 - Day 4

VERSE 1:
Hey Mom, you pissed me off last night
When you walked me up to the third floor
You treat me like the rest of these jerks
I’m disappointed, cause I expected more
You left me there in the middle of a storm
Hangry, sad, and all alone
You let your stress get the best of you
Yes, I did too, I guess that’s true
But Mom, I’m only 8 years old

VERSE 2:
My brother is an asshole sometimes
He’s always tryin’ to start a fight
He acts innocent after the fact then convinces
Everyone to turn their backs and join in on the gaslight
They say mean words and stare me down
With faces so angry and cold
They call me names and pass the blame
And I did the same, but i’m not ashamed
Cause Mom I’m only 8 years old

CHORUS:
I should not be held responsible
For the emotional responses of adults
I’ll clean my room and pack my bag
But you can’t ask for much more than that
After all I’m only 8 years old
If you do, then I’d just as soon be home alone

VERSE 3:
Officer, what are you chasing me for
Treating me like some kind of thief
Ya I took a toothbrush from a convenience store
But don’t you know there are real bandits in these streets
I did not mean to steal a thing
I would never be so bold
Just got scared of the Shovel Slayer
So I got my little ass out of there
After all I’m only 8 years old

CHORUS:
I should not be held responsible
For the emotional responses of adults
I’ll clean my room and pack my bag
But you can’t ask for much more than that
After all I’m only 8 years old
If you do, then I’d just as soon be home alone

VERSE 4:
Uncle Frank…. what’s your deal man?
That’s no way to talk to little boys
We’re family but I can’t relate
To some cheapskate with a heart of hate
Who’s way too quick to raise their voice
I think about the words you said
In that condescending tone
Makes me wish I could tell you this
Uncle Frank, you’re a mean old son of a bitch
But man, I’m only 8 years old

CHORUS:
I should not be held responsible
For the emotional responses of adults
I’ll clean my room and pack my bag
But you can’t ask for much more than that
After all I’m only 8 years old
If you do, then I’d just as soon be home alone

8 Years Old (The Ballad of Kevin McCallister)

[7in7] Session 6, Day 1 - Monster

VERSE: Tell me where you go
I’ll tell you where you been
I’m tellin’ you I know
The beast you keep within

PRE-CHORUS:
You are not alone here in the dark, no 

VERSE 2:
Tell me what you want
I’ll tell you what you need
Tell me what makes your eyes glow
I’ll tell you what makes your heart bleed

PRE-CHORUS:
You are not alone here in the dark, no

CHORUS:
I hear you howl at the moon
I hear you crying out
I know what you wanna do
Cause I am just like you
I am a monster
I am a monster

VERSE 3:
Tell me how it feels
To hold it all inside
To know you can’t reveal
Everything you hide

PRE-CHORUS:
You are not alone here in the dark, no

CHORUS:
I hear you howl at the moon
I hear you crying out
I know what you wanna do
Cause I am just like you
I hear you howl at the moon
I hear you crying out
I know what you wanna do
Cause I am just like you
I am a monster
I am a monster
I am a monster
I am a monster

Monster

[7in7] Session 6, Day 2 - Ghosts

CHORUS:
It’s only a matter of time
Until we all run out of time
And join all the ghosts in our family lines
It’s only a matter of time

VERSE 1:
I’m haunted by the thought that I am so impermanent
To know my life, my dogs and wife were only ever meant
To be so brief, a falling leaf as Autumn turns the air
So when I leave please believe I was not unaware that

CHORUS:
It’s only a matter of time
Until we all run out of time
And join all the ghosts in our family lines
It’s only a matter of time

VERSE 2:
The reaper calls us one and all
And no one is exempt
Our friends and foes
And all of those for whom we hold contempt
The billionaires and all their heirs
And every president
The good and bad
Your mom and dad
And everyone you’ve ever met

CHORUS:
It’s only a matter of time
Until we all run out of time
And join all the ghosts in our family lines
It’s only a matter of time

BRIDGE:
If I wind up dead with things left unsaid
Will anyone know how I felt
When I do go I need you to know
I left without any regret
I did what I could, I tried to be good
And tried not to leave any debt
I paid my dues, I chased my muse
But I did not ever forget

CHORUS:
It’s only a matter of time
Until we all run out of time
And join all the ghosts in our family lines
It’s only a matter of time

Ghosts

[7in7] Session 6, Day 3 - Skeleton

VERSE 1:
I’m already mourning
And you’re still right up the road
I know if I was with you now
I could see all your bones
I don’t need no proof
To be reminded that you’re real
I can’t face the truth
Your skin keeps trying to reveal

CHORUS
You are my mother
My mother
My mother
And I am your son 
Your heart is beating 
I know you’re breathing
But I can see your skeleton

VERSE 2
I try not to worry
Cause I know that’s what you want
But I can’t help that I feel helpless
So I’m sorry to disappoint
I always knew that I would lose you
But I guess I never knew it well
I know you’d rather speak of Heaven
But this hurts like Hell

CHORUS
You are my mother
My mother
My mother
And I am your son 
Your heart is beating 
I know you’re breathing
But I can see your skeleton
You are my mother
My mother
And I am your son 
Your heart is beating 
I know you’re still breathing
But I can see your skeleton

Skeleton

[7in7] Session 6, Day 4 - Pumpkin Spiced

VERSE 1:
Walkin’ through the grocery store
Same old aisles as every week before
But everything looks a little different, and it costs a little more
And no one seems to know exactly who they’re doing it for

VERSE 2:
If you got treats you just can’t seem to sell
I got a trick for you that never seems to fail
If you wanna see some product fly off those shelves
Then, baby, get in line behind the PSL
 
CHORUS:
Just say it’s pumpkin-spiced
Then you wrap it up in orange, tell the folks it tastes nice
Nah, they don’t seem to mind what it may have inside
For a limited time, they won’t think twice
If you say it’s pumpkin-spiced

VERSE 3:
Well, we got Oreos, and Cheerios, and Pop Tarts, and breads
We got biscuits, and bagels, and syrups and spreads
Popcorn, and Twinkies, and ice cream, and SPAM
Trash bags, and T.P., and a US President

CHORUS 2:
Just say it’s pumpkin-spiced
Then wrap it up in orange and tell the folks that it’s alright
They may not understand, but they won’t put up a fight
Cause any pill that’s hard to swallow will go down just fine 
If you say it’s pumpkin-spiced

VERSE 4:
Now I ain’t saying product marketing is inherently wrong
Nah, it just is what it is, and we all play along
So if there’s a label that can sell damn near anything it’s on
Then if I could, you know I would slap it on this very song

CHORUS 3:
I’d say it’s pumpkin-spiced
Then I’d wrap it up in orange, put it up on all my sites
Don’t matter what it’s worth so long as I can set the price
Full of truth or full of lies, I’ll never know if I don’t try
So this is pumpkin-spiced
Ya, this is pumpkin-spiced
I’ll call it “Pumpkin-Spiced”
Oh, man I hope I’m right


Luke Brawner

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