I’ve seen you everyday but still I can’t describe you
You tell me it’s ok cause everything I’ve gone through
Size me up and make me smaller than I’ve been before
Itching to walk in the fire where I should belong


I’m not scared of dying
just afraid that I will die alone
I’m not good at crying
just wonder where it is that you go

I’m not scared of falling
But getting up scares me most
I’m not scared of trying
But we both know that I’m not good enough

What’s better than your love?

You see me when we speak, but you can’t seem to hear me
Tell me where to meet, maybe you’ll finally free me
String me up atop your wire for the world to see
Itching to walk in the fire that calls out to me

I’m not scared of dying,
just afraid that I will die alone
I’m not good at crying
just wonder where it is that you go

I’m not scared of falling
But getting up scares me most
I’m not scared of trying
But we both know that I’m not enough

What could be warmer than your fire?

Warmer

The Ballad of Norm Macdonald

Matthew Squires "Poor Men Southeast Of Portland"

I wrote this song during the height of the pandemic and have been sitting on it since, trying to figure out what to do with it. It's not about the pandemic perse but just this general disorientation we've all been engulfed in since the optimism of the early aughts started breaking down circa 2015. I have that annoying songwriter habit of wanting to defer to the work itself rather than my explanation of it, but I'd say it's about finding some quiet sense of desperate hope in an apocalypse. I was going to release it on an album of around 80 songs I wrote during the pandemic called McPocalypse. I figure there's been enough pandemic related content out there, so I've decided not to put that album out but instead release this song on its own, as I feel it transcends the context of the pandemic enough. I'm almost afraid to admit I wrote it during the pandemic, as I don't want the perception of it to be too informed by that particular event.

I tried a few iterations of this song with a band for my last EP, but it all came out too complicated instrumentally. I decided to keep the original iphone demo recording of guitar and vocals and get my friend Cameron Scanlon to help me flesh it out with synthesizers and drums.. I think it marks a bit of a different approach for me than I'm used to and I'm hoping to keep exploring this more synth heavy direction in the future.

I wanted to make sure I released it before the election as my little quixotic attempt at creating a psychical place of refuge in anticipation of whichever direction the world might lurch. 

Song of a Cactus

Stars

System warning
Telling me that I’m about to
Exit orbit
Drift into your dimension
Headed for ya
Searching for this connection
Satellite spinning for you

System warning
Sends me a signal that
I'll reach you, shortly
Now that you’re in reception
We’re transforming
Lighting the constallation
Satellite spinning for you

We collide 
In a dream I’ve been weaving
Synthesize
Into a new feeling.....(Love)
Realize
It’s what I believe in
We’ll be stars together
Can’t you see we’ll never come down

System warning
Going off but I ignore it
Spinning forward
Pull me in your direction
Time is warping
Zoom in on your perfection
Satellite spinning for you

We are stars....shine together
We are stars.....dance forever
We are stars....love surrender
Can’t you see we’ll never come down

Free Download!

STARS VALIDA

Pennsylvania Girl

Levi Taylor

February 5th, 1933

I Live My Broken Dreams

Matthew Squires is a singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. Since 2012, he has released eight critically acclaimed albums. With his distinctive vocal style and penetrating lyrics, Squires has carved out a unique niche for himself within the realm of indie pop, creating an idiosyncratic sound which manages to touch the heart and mind in equal measure.
​
His work has garnered praise from many notable blogs and magazines, including Steregum, Consequence of Sound, The Needle Drop, Brooklyn Vegan, USA Today, Performer Magazine, Largehearted Boy, Surviving The Golden Age, Magnet Magazine, and many more.

The Ballad of Norm Macdonald

Matthew Squires

Related tracks