warm night
cicada song
railroad track
starts to vibrate

shoes, my ticket
field, my platform
open door is my gate

the light comes clear
around the bend
my blood starts
to accelerate

just keep up with the steel
don't look at the wheels
run alongside and jump
run alongside and

ride this train
into summer
this train
is the sun
ride this train

the fields fly by
the leaves are brown
lying down
and dying

barns give way to brick
buildings burned down
or burning

a few people at last
but we're
moving too fast
for the sick
and the starving

i don't know what's ahead
but i've seen what's behind
take a chance, one way
take a chance, pray

ride this train
into summer
(ride) this train
is the sun
ride this train

i remember they yelled at me to fix
the crack in the barn wall
before the war

now there's no barn 
and no crops
and no one left
to yell anymore

there was a city
where the davidson kid rode
to live his dream

back when the trains still ran
shook the rails

ride this train
to the time before
ride this train
remember

i will lie down
in the rain of ashes
close my eyes
and run alongside 
and ride

Weirdly

Ride This Train

one million days in the desert
sunshine in stone
pharoah paid the price for you
withered on his throne

new pharoahs rule the world today
themes to the nile 
sent me here to solve you
powdered heads beguiled

your makers are dead
your purpose is lost
your writing is long forgotten 
here stands the obelisk 

what secrets do you shelter
with the scarab and the scorpion
what blinding burning power
placed you here as guardian

your carvers asked no questions
fearless in antiquity
stone teacher speaks no lessons
i strain my ears for certainty

your makers are dead
your purpose is lost
your writing is long forgotten 
here stands the obelisk 

i have secrets too
i'll whisper, my face
pressed against you

great engines turn our wheels
our guardians carry steel
we reach across the earth
with a grasp that cannot feel

we have placed stars in the heavens
cities on the sea
the gods of all we know
which brings us to you and me

i came here as a guardian
with steel to crush your history
i will make a desolation
and i will have certainty

the obelisk falls
the obelisk falls
the last mystery solved
the obelisk falls

Obelisk

when i was a child
my eyes rolled up
when the saint
spoke to me

i saw red
my nose bled
as i shook in the dirt
but i faced his glory

he called
a defender of the faith
from across the middle sea
to the stones of his tomb
touch the relic
touch the relic bone

across the land
across the sea
pirates, highwaymen
and me
tired and broken
on the shore

of this foreign land
across the sea
words strange
they don't look like me
all point to the sepulcher

he called
a defender of the faith
from across the middle sea
to the stones of his tomb
touch the relic
touch the relic bone

wait until the night falls
at the guard change
steal into the catacombs
in the shadow of the flame

follow the call
to the vault where the call came
the patron saint
of those who shake in the dirt
in shame

through the crystal window
on the other side
i can see the bones
that control my life

raise my hammer
break the glass
i reach through

[solo]

i break through
the years i lost
just to face you

my hand is steady
and i see red

no, i'm never gonna pray to you
i crossed the sea just
to do what i must

(we are in the dirt)
we're in the dirt
but you're back to dust

touch the relic
touch the relic
(touch the relic bone)
touch the relic
oh my god
(touch the relic bone)

i will take, i will take
(take the relic bone)
raise up
with a steady hand
(take the relic bone)

to my lips, i will kiss
(kiss the relic bone)
the blessing that strikes me down
(kiss the relic bone)

break the relic bone
(break the relic bone)
break the relic bone
(break the relic bone)
break

break it
yeah

Touch the Relic

Bass and melody during the bridge were played on a Chapman Stick; specifically, a plum Railboard.

we descend the staircase
below the sand
hieroglyphs
rise above
as we go

your hand in my hand
your face in the flashlight
give me a kiss
in the glow

dynasty needs to
praise a new god
raise a new devil
against it

shout it to the heavens
and write it on the walls
down, down, down
to what the pyramid guards

[solo]

you and me through antiquity
honor the names
ten thousand
waiting for our light
written down
from the river to the sun
to the linen strips
they wrapped around a life

they learned
to praise the new god
raise a new devil
against it

carve it in the stone
ten thousand times
all their memories
are what the pyramid guards

until the stones fall down
until the fire bird flies
until the sun burns out
the gods close their eyes

[solo]

we've reached the lowest chamber
built so long ago
what happens here
history knows

i reach in my pocket
on one knee, oh
marry me
let's make our history
stay with me, stay

until the stones fall down
until the fire bird flies
until the sun burns out
the gods close their eyes

until the sky flower withers
(until) the end of the last word
until all the air is dust
one more memory
that the pyramid guards

praise the new god

will we raise a devil?
(we'll see)
raise a devil?
(you and me)

you and me
say yes
oh yes

What the Pyramid Guards

Lyrics: Nissa Estrella and The Pretensions
Music: The Pretensions

your left hand
reached out to me
when i could hear your song

before i knew you

we danced past the light
following your lead
spinning me
till i could not see

not see a different life
a thousand steps behind
not yours
and not mine

my clothes, tearing
feet, bleeding
leaning on you to stand

but my children need me

each time i tried to stop
the dance with my enemy
i was left to spin
with myself

the echoes came
the echoes came
me talking to me
talking to me
at 5am

i'm tired of yelling
tired of quiet
tired of doubting
what i know

tired of spinning
tired of standing
tired of dancing
here come the echoes
come the echoes

[solo]

i will never be alone
a family
love and strength
you've never known
i offered it to you
if you were grateful
you've never shown me 
i learned these dance steps
i learned them alone

i am the song
i lead the dance
i am moving on
i own the romance now


I Am the Song

Musicians may be interested to know that this song was recorded with a Chapman Stick; specifically, a plum Railboard. It provides the rhythm and bass parts during the verse, background pads during the chorus, and the solo.

[the man]
every year this night
my lamp lights the very ground
where i called the spirit
where i held her bound

the circle was unbroken
the binding held
but her offer set her free

    [the spirit]
    if you let me disappear
    i will tell you a secret
    one night each year
    for the rest of your life

    i am a truthteller

[the man]
i want to find the field
where a treasure lies
buried beneath the mark

i want to name a man
who will pay to keep
his evil in the dark

i want to know which friends
are not friends beneath the skin

i return to the circle again

    [the spirit]
    you have seven years
    left outside the coffin
    you will die here
    alone and forgotten

    i am a truthteller

    [the spirit, over the years]
    great treasure is nearby
    but you are too weak to reach

    this man will pay for your silence
    because a dead man has no speech

    your friends have a name for you
    that they do not let you hear

    your life is a waste and a failure
    you have only one year left

[the man]
the treasure that could be found
has been

no friend is a true friend
beneath the skin

the dark man would kill me
before he paid

tell me something worthy
in my last days

    [the spirit]
    you can feel the end coming
    your truth can purchase nothing

    i am a truthteller

Truthteller

Inter-verse melody and solo were played on a Chapman Stick; specifically, a plum Railboard.

i found the book upon the altar
in the room of the dead
ringed by the bones
of the guard

i could not read the words
but as my vision blurred
i could see how they wrote it
oh god

burn the book

i could not look away
as the words became clear
the sky grew dark
with their sound in the air

each word i spoke
a fire awoke
a magnificent spark
red swarm in the dark

burn the book

[bridge]

from the word of the flame
to the skin of the page
through the dust of an age
to the mind of a sage

from the word of the flame
to the skin of the page
from a god i cannot name
to a mind, to my mind

[solo]

now you steal like a hero
from the room of the dead
as if thievery erases
all the words that i've read

you've stolen my treasure
but i've kept my gift
sparks swarm from my tongue
like scorching spit

you're too late
i don't need it

you can burn the book
// your god is far from us
ha ha!
// my words are glorious
burn the book
// red words (will burn) for you
you can burn the book
// aah!

or you can take it
leave
hide
and read

Burn the Book

Solo and inter-verse melodies played on a Chapman Stick (a plum Railboard). The jangly instrument in the bridge is an Irish bouzouki. The harsh-sounding guitar in the intro and between verses is a brass tricone resonator.

i can only sleep
with a handful of pills now
enough no dream can wake me

stomach tight
heartbeat hammers down
wait for the drugs to take me

i know what comes
it's the same every night
i'm alone on a barren landscape

horizon lit
by the light of a dying moon
ragged shape
staggering towards me

i hear the call of the revenant
it croaks my name
i hear the call of the revenant
aah!

was it gunfire?
strong hands, piano wire?
it stumbles a little closer

a broken hand
a bloody shirt, a hundred grand
i can almost remember

i meet the gaze of the revenant
its dead-eyed stare
i meet the gaze of the revenant
aah!

when i was younger
stronger
i was murder
for hire

i spread
a city of ashes
pissed on and buried
in a potter's field

i filled
coffins with clay
cash for cruelty
and honor healed

that was long ago

[solo]

now it's only sleep
where i am young
where i can relish
what i've done

i can't wait
to sleep again

Horrific

Revenant

Sign of Fire

I Dated a Monster

Life of Crime

Bass, solos, and verse arpeggios played on a Chapman Stick (a plum Railboard).

the blood dried
where the ropes
tore my skin

the crew watched
fifty feet
below the cage
they tied me in

timbers crack
no boatswain calls
no one sings a song

sails are slack
the wind becalmed
the ship
is pulled along

three days
lashed to the crow's nest
i see
far beyond
three days
lashed to the crow's nest
i can see

they found
the knife in my hand
captain's corpse
on the deck

they found
the map shreds
red with the blood
that poured from his neck

i knew the crime
i knew the cost
to wreck
this navigation

the crew
saw the murder
but not our
destination

three days
lashed to the crow's nest
oh god
strike me blind
three days
lashed to the crow's nest
i can see

we sailed for
the mountains
of madness
where the old gods
are sleeping
and deathless

dreaming
of hunger
in darkness
he steered us
to wake them
(you will bear)
witness

[solo]

i survived three days
lashed to the crow's nest
the gods won't let
my spirit leave

ten days
dead in the crow's nest
i lie still
but i can see

i can see
the ship's windless wake
as the storm takes the day

a shape on the horizon
lightning lit
black peaks against the gray

land ho!

Crow's Nest

The plight of "Patient H.M." has been widely studied in psychological circles for decades.  Brain surgery for epilepsy left him with "anterograde amnesia":  He could remember things before the surgery, but he couldn't form new memories.  He died 55 years after his surgery with roughly the same memories that he had before the surgery.  Despite his disability, H.M. had a generally pleasant demeanor. So don't cry.

blank sky
white horizon
land nothing at all

rise up
my empty nation
a silent call

steadfast
spheres within each other
still now
but willing to turn

outstretched
wings of my creation
not flown
but willing to learn

on the glidepath
glidepath

gate wide
light descending
first angel born

warm hands
bathe my flesh in water
prepare my form

white robes
a stranger standing over
words heal
but feel like a curse

"more tests
and raise his medication
i can see
no change in the course

of the glidepath"
glidepath

you must not forget
what your eyes have seen
let it not depart from your heart
for the rest of your days

your face
your hand upon me
you know my name

no tears
should stain the morning
of the first day

don't cry

on the glidepath
glidepath

Glidepath

i've seen the ghost
in the cheap room
with a view
of concrete

i wait
awake
all night
staring

i wait
days sometimes
hungry and weak
for her

a glimmer on the bed
a shape
a motion
a face in the dark
rises
glides to the window
i've seen the ghost

i write notes
they prove nothing
i take pictures
it's just myself
i look sick

i looked in the mirror
through her glimmer
i can't see her
in the glass

but i've got
to find a way
to show
you

a glimmer on the bed
a shape
a motion
a face in the dark
rises
glides to the window
i've seen the ghost

is she a soul?
is she an image?
is this all
of our destiny?

i am alone
not much longer
i will share
this mystery

you'll be frightened
(do not)
you'll struggle against me
we'll be silent
weak and hungry

shhh
try to stop shaking
you'll forgive me
when you see

a glimmer on the bed
a shape
a motion
a face in the dark
rises
glides to the window
we'll see the ghost

I've Seen the Ghost

i drank the last of the water
as the sun set blue
i laid down my hammer
for the red sand to consume

they sent us each with a pill
still a few left
i can feel mine working
slowing in my chest

two moons cross the sky
dread chases fear
sixteen markers across the dunes
blown by the poison air

we lost four on the way up
two on the way down
sixteen of us safe
on the rocky ground

"our lives begin now"

the sandstorm took the radio
the crops died, the tumors grew
the doctor used his pill
that's when we knew

two moons cross the sky
dread chases fear
sixteen markers across the dunes
our mission, the purpose of our lives
to settle here

i've written down all we learned
kept it safe, made it easy to find
more will come, millions
streaks from the sky

all of us who seek mars
worship other gods than war
we will lose our way and find it
set markers here to remind us

we will make our sea
we will make our air
we will make our home
beneath dread and fear

next rocket across the sky
remember we were here
sixteen markers across the dunes
the mission, the purpose
the graves of the pioneers

Sixteen Markers

"Music to make it worse."

These songs are heavy folk. Think AC/DC with acoustic instruments and lyrics by way of early Black Sabbath. Every day is Halloween here.

* Logo "P" and name font is Roma Monumental BC by Manfred Klein
* Brush stroke circle by zolee, http://www.onlygfx.com
* Banner background font is Korohanza by Dave Bastian, https://dribbble.com/davebastian

The Pretensions

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