][ unstill to focus ][

for some time, for so long i’ve been too unstill to focus on my future
out of step, overwhelmed, i have to chart a better course for my life
set sights to explore—to see the world and live within the moment
and i want culture, to meet different groups of people trying new things

i won’t follow a world so hollow 
“i won’t give in” will be my anthem

should i write? should i call— to reach out to friends instead of disconnecting
despite blame, ignore fear. i’ll show dignity, respect, and self-reliance

wishful thinking, i’m not breaking.  i think i’ve found clarity.

09 - unstill to focus

][ sell your soul to the summer ][

it's all i know
it's all i dream
it's all i feel inside

i've lost control
i'm losing sleep
i reach for help
i cannot seem to find why

will the summer come and rescue me
give me hope
bring me life

is this putting my life on hold?
I WANT TO FEEL ALIVE

i try to grow
i'm building strength
to find the fuel to ignite

this growing sense
of urgency
i'm reaching out
i want to see the light

will the summer come
and rescue me
give me hope
bring me life

is this putting my life on hold?
I WANT TO FEEL ALIVE

i won't quit. i won't stop. 

08 - sell your soul to the summer

][ the end of silence ][ 

silence has taken me
i keep trying, but i can't speak
and i feel i'm going to sink
because for three years, i've been asleep

when i was gone, i felt i was crazy
can i stay strong? the future is hazy

for so long, i felt i was afraid
this is the end of silence and now i'm free

07 - the end of silence

][ dreams and visions ][ 

last night we built a fire and we spoke our philosophies
i swore i would simplify my life and my future
ignore the distractions from life's growing complexity
that pull me away from what i want. can i find true love and a life carefree?

i wonder as i define my place in society
will i stay strong in my convictions?
will i become what i swore i would never be? 
will i stray from what i want? can i find true love and a life carefree?

will i find inspiration? will my dreams and visions take me?
will i find adventure? can my dreams and visions take me?
will i find self-expression? will my dreams and visions take me?
will i find wisdom? 

my dreams and visions make me whole.

06 - dreams and visions

][ vim echo ][

the words echo clear in my mind, “come my new day”
for so long i failed to find the lines that shape
an image of self-progression with reason i found change, purpose, and a new direction

i am building, i am driving the world

with music, art, and knowledge
they animate my thoughts, emotions, and build dreams
they communicate new ideas

hopefully this will break what binds me…

05 - vim echo

][ i'm going to steal the future ][

i feel it stir inside
everyday i will try to write
something new, something to inspire
a generation blinded by desire

i feel my heart beat fast when i dream that i could change the world. our lives could change the world if we stay young, if we stay...because i don't want to say goodbye

i work i reach to find
a better way to live my life
and though i must confess that i know i could give more
i'd rather fight alone than live a lie

i feel my heart beat fast when i dream that i could change the world. our lives could change the world if we stay young, if we stay...because i don't want to say goodbye

04 - i'm going to steal the future

][ chasing the night ][

i have a fear i can’t assuage of a chance i sense that slips away as we grow
to see the world, find our dreams, and explore a life beyond the sea
adult responsibilities are taking my identity
will life pass by with us stuck here? i will not wait another year—let’s go

we know that time won’t wait.
is this our one chance to escape?
grab my hand and run, leave your life undone
look into my eyes if you need strength
and in the setting sun, we’ll drive from wilmington on 17 to florida…chasing the night

all around me, life has changed, i can’t let go of the truths i shaped in youth
to fight my cause and never bend and chase the summer to the end of the earth
and feel the light…i’ve been searching my whole life

we know that time won’t wait.
is this our one chance to escape?
grab my hand and run, we'll leave our lives for love
look into my eyes if you need strength
and in the setting sun, we’ll drive from wilmington on 17 to florida…chasing the night

03 - chasing the night

][ forward again ][

forward again—i’m not turning from challenges now stirring or all of the lost dreams that got lost waiting for another day instead of creating, when i was evading my future. i think about my life, weigh my cares, and try to dismiss this growing apathy.

i get lost in wondering where my adult life will lead.

forward again—is my youth fading? i try to define a growing fixation. i face a new world with unanswered questions and i open eyes to this ideal of progression

i look in the sun…and this makes my world glow

02 - forward again

][ daybreak ][

A:  Do I still understand you well?  You are seeking?  Where is your nook and star in the actual world?  Where can you lie down in the sun so that you, too, reap an excess of well-being and your existence justifies itself?  Let everyone do that for himself—you seem to me to be saying—and let everyone put out of his mind generalities and worries about others and about society!

B:  What I want is more; I am no seeker.  I want to create for myself a sun of my own.

the helios choir