redwood demos ~ wave one
by matt herrero
recorded from oct. 2017 to jan 2018
original photo by Dave Reed (https://goo.gl/XHMkP6)

here's a little playlist, so you can listen to all the songs, all the way through. don't get me wrong, i love the ambient and metal songs soundcloud decides to play after my tracks, but some other people didn't like that. so i made this. ok here's a hedgehog 🦔

Redwood Demos ~ Wave One

Boy and the Moon ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
original image by Andreas Mortonus(https://goo.gl/yMFJhV)

lyrics:
On a calm night, blue and chill
When those starry gears stood still
In the long and leaning grass a young boy stood upon a hill

He had come to feel the power
of the Moon this midnight hour
He would make life an adventure if the Moon would show him how
So He raised his little voice and said aloud

“Oh… there is magic
just waiting to be found!
Show me wonders!
The wonders all around.”

The Moon could hear the boy’s delight
Heard those young words shining bright 
But she knew that she must take from him the love that held him tight
So she told him this that quite night

She said, “Child, there are some nights as bright as day
And there are nights where I don’t shine at all.
But the stars will always guide you
I’ll be right besides you through it all.”

Many years had passed until
the boy again stood on the hill
Though he’d grown as Moon had shown him, tired grew his will

He had lost and he had gained
But too often scars remained
He still heard adventure calling but it didn’t sound the same
So he raised his heavy voice and cried her name

“Moon, there are people
I’ve lost and don’t get back
You guide me but you take from me
how can I live with that?”

She said, “Child, there are some nights as bright as day
And there are nights where I don’t shine at all.
But the stars will always guide you
I’ll be right besides you through it all.”

I will shine on you
I will shine on you
And some nights the clouds will shroud me
And the rain may soak you through

But those clouds, they keep a’moving
silent in the distance
And my light will find you, brave and true

Boy and the Moon

Ashes (live) ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
original image by Jerry Kirkhart (https://goo.gl/tL7JHA)

lyrics:
[verse]
so you say, through tortured wonder
that i build you out of sand
and covered up with roses
what i didn’t understand

your tears, they drain the poison
that lovers learn to drink
that sweet elixir killing
our willingness to think

[pre-chorus]
chasing our desire
that’s still playing with fire
and burns are just a matter of time

[chorus]
but if you say, “we’re done”
that we are over now
if you’re warning me to run
know that i stand my ground

cuz loving you was never safe
and ashes in the soil come to life again

[verse]
some nights, no one can save us
some nights, we just drown
and you will feel lonely
when there’s people still around

and i will run in circles
losing in the fight
to shut out all the reasons
that loving you ain’t right


[pre-chorus]
chasing our desire
that’s still playing with fire
and burns are just a matter of time

[chorus]
but if you say, “we’re done”
that we are over now
if you’re warning me to run
know that i stand my ground

cuz loving you was never safe
and ashes in the soil come to life

[bridge]
and when you cry
you say you’ll try
to push me away though you

don’t know why
but i should fight
you need me to stay, well

the truth is i
still see the light
in this love that we have made

[final chorus]
so you could say, “we’re done”
that we are over now
you could be yelling run
know i would stand my ground

so you could say, “we’re done”
that we are over now
you could be yelling run
know i would stand my ground

cuz loving you was never safe
and ashes in the soil come to life again

Ashes (live)

Mellie's Song ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
original photo by Luca Upper (https://goo.gl/Gwi1Ha)

lyrics:
[verse 1]
shall i compare thee to a summer’s day?
or fumble in some other words
that never really say?
just what i need them to about this feeling
this crazy situation my heart’s
been dealing with

[chorus]
now i know i need to try
to spin some words up, tell you why
our love is beating in my chest
that's right, i've got to try my best
to say i love you
the way i love you

[verse 2]
to say i love you the way i love you
i’d need 1,000 balloons
we’d fill them up and we’d let them all go
and they’d float all the way to the moon
the moon would grin and he’d let them all in
and he’d keep them safe from harm
we’d go on dancin’ knowin there’s no chance that
our love wouldn't shine like the stars

[chorus]
now i know i need to try
to spin some words up, tell you why
our love is beating in my chest
that's right, i've got to try my best
to say i love you
the way i love you

[verse 2]
to say i love you the way i love you
i’d sail the seas alone
so my heart would learn how the ocean birds
can always find their way home
or maybe i'd need a whole marching band
who'd march through the forest with me
they'd burst out playing the song in our hearts
and our love would rattle the trees

[chorus]
now i know i need to try
to spin some words up, tell you why
our love is beating in my chest
that's right, i've got to try my best
to say i love you
the way i love you

[bridge]
well i could spend the rest of my life
just waiting for the perfect day
when i can say it how i've longed to say
cuz maybe there's another way

[verse 3]
cuz maybe the love 
how i've wanted to say it
can be found all around us
in the air as we’re laying
down with your head on my chest
and we're staying 
in the quiet of the night
almost feels like we're praying to the

silent hum of a universe in order
every split every border
melts away, we move toward a
life in each other
we've been through a quarter
in this quiet as we're laying
now i see i need no more than

[final chorus]
now there is no need to try
i'll put the fancy words aside
there's just this beating in my chest
that's right, in the end it'll say it best
that i love you the way i love you

Mellie's Song

Good Enough ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
original image by Alex Blăjan(https://goo.gl/oVWcMz)

lyrics:
[verse]
i have been here too
feeling weaker than the day
i was born

shame has run me through
and heavy's been the skin
that i've worn

and when i've looked around
i've seen nothing but
the person i was not

i dug in the ground
and found no roots below
the lessons i've been taught

[pre-chorus]
so i broke myself in pieces
and tried to live a day at a time

and just before i lost myself
to the waters that were rising
a melody surprising
found its way to me
found its way to me

[chorus]
it said, "i am good enough
and i'm getting better everyday
yes, i'm good enough
though i do not always feel this way

and when i do not have the strength
to sing this song
i'll hold on
i'll hold on"

[verse 2]
yes, i see the lies
that bleed in with the
other parts of me

with kindness in my eyes
i look forwards towards the
person i can be

and maybe there's no day when this gets easier
this building up a person from the
pieces that i own

but home is where love's patient and love's simple
and if i can build a person
maybe i can build a home

[pre-chorus]
i might break myself in pieces
and learn to ride the waves that
break and swell

when i ask what holds me here
i might blame it all on fear
but i recall love plays its part as well
and in the face of both, what story do you tell?

[chorus x 2]

Good Enough

Day By Day ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
original photo by Rose Erkul (https://goo.gl/BRNRcK)

lyrics:
[verse]
i heard a no today
it came in loud and clear
it shook the glitter right off of the
dream that I was building

but that's ok
it's just that kind of year
i've got the sketches but none of the
colors have been filled in

i am just 22
and ain't it just my luck
i'm free to be myself
not that we have ever met

how's it supposed to be?
it's all a mystery
i'd read the answers but i
just haven't written them

[pre-chorus]
and how do i chase my dreams at
three o'clock on a thursday?
i'll put in the work
but what does that look like anyways?

[chorus]
so i just lift the lessons off of the page
so i can say
that i've got it all figured out

truth is, i'm just living day by day
day by day
and i'm waiting for my mind to settle down

so i just lift the lessons off of the page
off of the page
cuz i need to feel i've got it figured out

truth is, i'm just living day by day
day by day
and i'm waiting for my heart to settle down

settle down
day by day

[verse 2]
i give my friend a call
and i ask, "how did you make
a living writing songs
and playing in a rock n' roll band?"

he says, "how much humiliation
can you take?
cuz here's the only fact that
you've really got to understand.

you'r friends, they'll get promotions
150k a year
and you'll be stuck at home
babysitting all your dreams

so what's it gonna be?
and much will you fear?
just take it day by day
and you'll start to learn exactly

[pre-chorus]
how to live your dreams
at three o'clock on a thursday
and what it means to put the work in
anyways."

[chorus x 3]
so i just lift the lessons off of the page
so i can say
that i've got it all figured out

truth is, i'm just living day by day
day by day
and i'm waiting for my heart to settle down

[outro]
waiting for my heart
waiting for my heart

Day By Day

In Monterey ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
Original Photo by andrew welch (https://goo.gl/soLsX5)

lyrics:
let's open a boutique in monterey
sell books in the back, make the front a cafe
and i'll play my tunes ever saturday
shack up in some bay-side hideaway

when our days start wearing thin
and our night start caving in
when we need to start again
i will hear you when you say to me

let's open a boutique in monterey
sell books in the back, make the front a cafe
and i'll play my tunes ever saturday
shack up in some bay-side hideaway

In Monterey

Sunflower ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
Original image by Nick Nice (https://goo.gl/JdQBDS)

lyrics:
[verse 1]
morning, it breathes
and all the colors stand tall
we see our sunflower on the glen

off of her leaves
the dew, it shimmers and falls
back to the earth to start again

these winter nights
they leave us freezing inside
we build our walls so we stay numb

but not the sunflower
she turns to the sky
heart open wide, to face the sun

[pre-chorus]
it says, "yes, i know you,
i know the sunlight in your hair,
yes, i feel you,
i was the one who put it there"

[chorus]
keep climbing, higher
keep climbing up to that fire
in the sky that raised you
everyday it saves you

you stand tall, or sway low
whenever the winds and rains blow
yes, storms come, and storms go
you may not see every twist of fate

but little sunflower, celebrate

[verse 2]
strong was the love
that planted you in the ground
strong were the roots that learned to grow

sweet is the soil
and high above is the sound
the sun, as it sings to fields below

[pre-chorus]
it says, "yes, i know you,
i know the patterns in your face
yes, i feel you,
i see the love you give this place"

[chorus]
and i said, keep climbing, higher
keep climbing up to that fire
in the sky that named you
gave you live, and raised you

you stand tall, or sway low
whenever the winds and rains blow
yes, storms come, and storms go
you may not see every twist of fate

but little sunflower, celebrate

[guitar solo]

[bridge x 2]
one day, when my light goes
i will live in the love that you show
all those that you hold close
they will know me
they will know my love

so keep singing the songs that you've learned
and burn, like a little sun tied to the earth
you'll yearn when night comes
but i'll return
and you'll know me
and you'll feel my love

[chorus x 2]

Sunflower

Alive ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
original image by ian dooley (https://goo.gl/Mg1Dt6)

lyrics:
[verse 1]
send my regards
to the afternoon
there’s some new things we’ve got do

ya, we built plans
but a fire’s coming through
now there’s hot drops drippin off the glue

all on your skin
breathe the moment we’re in
singing sweet forevers in this room

no secret recipe
no self left in ecstasy

you see me
you be me
this body
these bones are 

[chorus]
alive [ x 4 ]

[verse 2]
wring out this ache
twist me right, lover take
out the static deep behind my eyes

burning anew
this is old and this is new
so we stretch both directions in the night

cure me lover, take the medicine you keep
on the tip of your dagger and drive it deep
in the lessons we’re losing
this is the heaven we’re choosing, ya

you see me
you be me
this body
these bones are

[chorus]
alive [ x 4 ]

Alive

This Girl ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
Original picture by Dmitry Ermakov (https://goo.gl/Xb6JVh)

lyrics:

[chorus]
she said, "you're nothing on me."
she said, "you're nothing on me."

[verse 1]
this girl grew wild like the forest, forest
her heart don't sing with the chorus, chorus
she stands planted with a force
love strong, straight from the source

when the world says, "girl,
your body was built for us, for us"

[chorus]
she says "you're nothing on me."
she says, "you're nothing on me." [x 2]

[verse 1]
this girl, she tells wordless fables, fables
she built a throne at this table, table
her wake is a waterfall
my time, she can take it all

when the world says, "girl,
your body is not able, able"

[chorus]
she says "you're nothing on me."
she says, "you're nothing on me." [x 2]

[bridge]
i want to love her so bad
treat her right, be the best that she's had
play her game, i'll be her shining night ironclad
cuz the power that she's got, well it's driving me mad

so i tell her, "baby girl, i understand
you're a fighter, but tonight, just come inside and take my hand
in my castle, there's a room for you, a tower so grand
with a bed for you built out of sand

[final chorus]
and she just says, "you're nothing on me"
she said, "you're nothing on me"
looks at me, says "you're nothing on me"
she said, "you're nothing on me"

This Girl

Snuggle ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
Original photo by Krista Mangulsone (https://goo.gl/9ilAZf)

lyrics:

[intro - spoken]
so i... um...
i'm just feeling, like,
so peopled out from all
the holiday stuff
uhh... soo...

i dunno what your plans are
but if you wanna come over here...
we can...
i dunno...
just like... 🙃

[chorus]
if you wanna be snugglin', you can tell me
if you wanna be cuddlin', you can tell me
there's a hundred million things that we should do
but i'd rather be here curled up next to you
oh baby

if you wanna be snugglin', you can tell me
if you wanna be cuddlin', you can tell me
there's a hundred million places we should be
but i'd rather have you curled up next to me
oh baby

[verse]
let's keep today simple and sweet
we got no reason to be running round
no people to meet
stay in bed and keep it hot in the sheets
but to be honest, all the heat is probably
comin from our sweatpants
and the socks on our feet, uhh

rockin pajama pants
the peak of elegance
we'll be snuggled up and jumbled up
like we're bananagrams
keepin up appearances is for
people on instagram
and i think the blankets just ate my phone?
so i won't see that again...

[spoken]
like, it's in the mattress, are you hearing this?
how is this poss-
oh nevermind, i just found it,
it was in the duvet cover... 😬

[chorus]
if you wanna be snugglin', you can tell me
if you wanna be cuddlin', you can tell me
there's a hundred million things that we should do
but i'd rather be here curled up next to you
oh baby

if you wanna be snugglin', you can tell me
if you wanna be cuddlin', you can tell me
there's a hundred million places we should be
but i'd rather have you curled up next to me
oh baby

[button]
although, we will have to get up to get food... 😏

Snuggle

Give It All Away ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
Original photo by Bruno Perrin (https://goo.gl/7KW4K7)

lyrics:
[verse 1]
good love, now there’s the thing
that’s worth inheriting
the kind that shines like the sun

one heart to keep love in 
one home for settlin’
when these long days are done

all these, i’m blessed to have
in love, i’ve lived a lavish life
but these don’t come to everyone

old rivers running dry
us kids, we wonder why
the water only runs to some

[chorus]
help me say
that i pulled my weight
that i paid dues to
those who paved my way

help me say, say
that i’m worth what i’ve been given
lord, i’ve been given so much (so much)

when it comes (when it comes)
when it comes (when it comes)
when it comes time
help me give it all away

[hook]
ba do, ba do, ba do, bow [x 3]

[verse 2]
i’m trying to listen well
i’m trying to rid myself
of all that’s clouding up my mind

a birdie said to me
that love will set me free
i’m trying to take it as a sign

but i am so much more
that beliefs my brain can store
and not all parts of me align

he said, “this fear you’re in,
it will not last, it will not win
against your love, your work, and time.”

[chorus]
help me say
that i pulled my weight
that i paid dues to
those who paved my way

help me say, say
that i’m worth what i’ve been given
lord, i’ve been given so much (so much)

when it comes (when it comes)
when it comes (when it comes)
when it comes time
help me give it all away

[hook]
ba do, ba do, ba do, bow [x 3]
oh woah, oh woah, oh

[outro]

when it comes
imma give it
imma give it
when it comes
imma give it [x 12]

Give It All Away

Learning How ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
Original photo by Stefano Giliberti (https://goo.gl/23y1fx)

lyrics:
sometimes my heart comes jumping right out of my chest
and goes down to the bar to get a drink

sometimes my hands, they just give up on the mess
and try to go dancing alone

sometimes my mouth dries up until I can’t even think
to ask for all the things i need

sometimes my eyeballs forget what living feels like
and i spend all day looking at my phone

[chorus]
lat dat da da da, da da da
da da da da da 
i just wanna be happy

lat dat da da da, da da da
da da da da da
and so
i’m learning how

[verse 2]
sometimes my bones, they start tying themselves in knots
worrying about tomorrow just like me

sometimes my wings, they just start aching so bad
that I start building a home here on the ground

sometimes my thoughts they start moving too much
and sleep decides to pack a bag and leave

sometimes i stop and open my arms wide
to let in the all the love I’ve found

[chorus]
lat dat da da da, da da da
da da da da da 
i just wanna be happy

lat dat da da da, da da da
da da da da da
and so
i’m learning how

Learning How

Preacher in the Bottle ~ Matt Herrero ~ Redwood Demos
Original photo by Moss (https://goo.gl/rk4QJF)

lyrics:
mary
pour me
softly
over stronger bones
give me over to a god who’s not my own

mary
leave me
twenty
miles from any road
any closer, i would try to find my home

if the hounds awoke and found
my shaking soul

if the beams that hold the bridge
begin to bow

let this body pay my toll 

mary, lay my head, i’m going, going, going
down
mary, make this bed, we’re going, going, going
down
let the Preacher in the Bottle call the shots until tomorrow
going down
let the Preacher in the Bottle call the shots until tomorrow
going down

mary
tear me
open
like we were alone
nothing sweeter than the thorns upon the rose

mary
drag me
empty
into this unknown
keep me breathing, feel your skin against the stone

if the hounds awoke and found
my shaking soul

if the beams that hold the bridge
begin to bow

let this body pay my toll 

mary, lay my head, i’m going, going, going
down
mary, make this bed, we’re going, going, going
down
let the Preacher in the Bottle call the shots until tomorrow
going down
let the Preacher in the Bottle call the shots until tomorrow
going down
  
mary, lay my head, i’m going, going, going
down
mary, make this bed, we’re going, going, going
down
let the Preacher in the Bottle call the shots until tomorrow
going down
let the Preacher in the Bottle call the shots until tomorrow
going down

Preacher in the Bottle

California (cover) ~ by Matt Herrero (produced by James Sherwood) ~ originally by Delta Spirit ~ Redwood Demos

Original photo by Meriç Dağlı (https://goo.gl/uHPd1w)

lyrics:
[verse]
i want you to move to california for yourself,
i want you to find whatever your heart needs.
i want you to move to california for yourself,
but not for me.

i want you to go out there and find somebody else,
i want him to treat you like I know he should.
i want you to find somebody new for yourself,
you're not for me.

[chorus]
ooh

[verse]
all of the feelings that I know you never felt,
and all of the simple words you never said.
i want you to keep them like a secret to yourself,
they’re not for me.

i want you to wander silent past my outstretched arms,
i want you to hide yourself from all I see.
and though my heart will fight until its dying breath,
you’re not for me.

[chorus]
ooh

California (cover)

Say It Like It Is ~ by Matt Herrero ~ feb.
Original photo by Caleb George (https://goo.gl/zB9i5Q)

lyrics:
[chorus]
say it like it is
say it like it is
you're lonely

what you wouldn't give
what you wouldn't give
to feel the way you

say it like it is
say it like it is
it's only 
it's only
heartbreak

[verse]
take a moment
breathe in deeply, cuz it seems to me you’re
heart is broken
you’ve ignored it, long and short is your head’s
overflowing
days are heavy, you’ve been loading up that
baby motrin
kind of lying, say you’re fine when you’re not

you glide through everyday live in
some kind of memory haze thinking
you’ve tried every way to start

getting over, moving forward
with you life

new style of playing pretend dig up
old smiles for all of your friends let the 
last mile win in the end? knowing

you can’t change it, til you face it
ain’t it right?

[chorus]
say it like it is
say it like it is
you're lonely

what you wouldn't give
what you wouldn't give
to feel the way you

say it like it is
say it like it is
it's only 
it's only
heartbreak

Say It Like It Is

Open Sky ~ Matt Herrero ~ feb.
Original photo by Caleb George (https://goo.gl/zB9i5Q)

lyrics:
we spent that night
under the stars
on that pier
in the marsh

all that we saw
was open sky
open sky

the world found us spinning in the streets
and made one perfect moment we could hide in
the wind was purple whispers tracing mountain lines

it was just you and i
you and i

we were kids,
awake and afraid
when will that
ever change?

baby let’s do this
again sometime
again sometime

that place is all fenced off today
our love isn’t lost, it just got rearranged
cuz somehow i have you, but i miss you

you and that open sky,
open sky

Open Sky

get this song for FREE (and buy my other tunes) on BandCamp! 👉🏼https://mattherrero.bandcamp.com/

basket case ~ by matt herrero
graphic by holly voorsanger (@holly.voorsanger)

So FUNNNYYY story i made a cover of "basket case" by Green Day and it ROCKED and KICKED ASS but then i let it sit by a warm fire reading an L.L. Bean catalog and made it some Swiss Miss hot cocoa, and well, it turned into this. I still like it, though, and i hope you do tooooooo :)
- matt

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
more of my stuff
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web: mattherrero.com

basket case (green day cover)

these are my sounds.

i hope they turn into feelings in your head :)

Matt Herrero

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