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Only Passing Through

by Dale Wicks

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1.
LUNATIC LULLABYE They call the moon "La Luna," but that isn't her name If you stay up nights and talk to her, they'll think you are insane The night-time is for dreaming; don't do it when you're awake You might as well stare at the sun or sleep through all the day Goodnight to all the lunatics; lost in the moonlight Sick on all the dreams that never had a chance to come true Good morning to the travelers of the skies You look up at her big, blue eyes and realize You're only passing through The times I think I'm crazy are the times that I can't sleep Everyone's resting for their day; everyone but me So I stare out through my window, and I'm bathed in her light And so I sing to her alone, every single night There's a little prayer I tell myself when I feel alone "Your mind's a beautiful machine; you've made the moon your home" I'm only passing through...
2.
I made a ship in a bottle when I struck this deal with you I had something to prove to you; you had nothing left to lose Having lost it all before; you may have even lost your mind You couldn't stand to be confined, but that wasn't what I would've done to you The bottle broke, the shards went crashing to the ground The pieces of the ship we made scattered all around Now a bottle's in my hand every time I see the sea I see an empty sunset where our bottle-laden ship will never be I played at dice with the devil and I met my match with you Perhaps I've always been a fool, but every word I say is always true And I thought that you'd believe me and I fell so hard this time You roll the dice and you pay the price, but that wasn't what I had in mind for us The deal is off, all my plans are blown apart The snake-eyes on the diceface are reflected in my heart Now I couldn't win for losing, even when I close my eyes I dream about the coldness in the empty space by my side I made a ship in a bottle when I struck this deal with you
3.
Cruel 03:44
Happy birthday to the girl who taught me to be cruel A valuable lesson I could certainly do without I don't believe in anger and I don't believe in right But when that girl was angry, all that she could do was fight I'd refuse to take the bait and go Which only would enrage her, so she'd give me more Until I'd reach my breaking point and snap at her And she'd start to cry That girl was never happy without teardrops in her eyes She could spot my insecurities And use them in her insults so sarcastically I know now I'm not bald or old And how I spend my time Or what I weigh or who I'm with Is nobody's business but mine Being on the receiving end of all this Taught me to turn it around on her, and this I do regret Her birthday's coming brought all this up, and that is where it will end For I also learned how to not be cruel, and never will again.
4.
Incorporated 01:57
I got incorporated. On my own, I couldn't make it I got incorporated. You first bend over, then you take it I've never been a business, but at government insistence I'll account for all my time I'd rather be sustainable than pine for unattainable And watch it all go by I got incorporated. I'm learning to appreciate it I got incorporated. A youthful fire has dissipated Once somebody told me that the old me's bleeding heart Just made it suffer more and more Being a slave to one's ideals only steals the chance to implement them And leaves you poor I got incorporated. It was preordained; I had to face it I got incorporated. But actually, I kinda hate it It goes for everyone that all their seasons in the sun Are not as sunny as they seem And underneath you find something that lets you know the simple life Is nothing but a dream
5.
Dial in the sound, raise the lights Cue the crowd to applaud on sight Sometimes you feel just like the tools of the trade But work is work and life is life If it went in wrong, it won't come out right Now my back's never to the wall and you're to blame 'Cause we're a little less unaware And a lot more understanding Danger's waiting there Your back is worth defending We could stand like Charlie's Angels So nothing can surprise us And that is all we need for now Click the clapboard on scene two Camera one points right at you Sometimes I'm better scenery than seen But life is life and we are us And on my own, I'd self-destruct But together we could be things I'll never be When everything's a mess and your hair's left soaking wet I'll be the one to tell you you look like a model Playing "Sketches of Spain" or jumping puddles in the rain I'll be ready to go with you, full throttle
6.
Now, flesh and blood, we are connected Clad in sweetheart calico How could I ever have expected That I would ever love you so? I found a lover and I made her stay But found I couldn't really love that way The pattern of our love is fading into grey I can't tie you down forever I thought my lover really loved me Untied my sweetheart calico But she was never thinking of me And how quickly she did go The draw together and the break apart The leaving lover and the broken heart Was I ever really making love or was I making art? I can't tie you down forever So draw your patterns and watch your "seems" Be careful not to fall in love with dreams And every time you love, remember what it means
7.
I realize I called you and asked for a ride And I know we made plans to go out tonight But I can't leave my guitar when I feel the spark So I've got to light a candle and not curse the dark Being late to get you wasn't part of the plan And I'm sorry that we didn't see the opening band But the spark caught a fire and it started a blaze And it would burn me to ashes if I walked away And I can't stop now, even with the house on fire I never said I'd be an easy man to love I spend time on my music, come push or come shove I can't sit and hold hands when I've got things to write And sometimes I get in a little late at night But I love the way you realize it's not about you I could never love a woman who made me choose And that's why I can smile when I look at your face Ever since I was a boy, it's been this way And I can't stop now, even with the house on fire This fire, it can burn you I've got to tell you so you don't waste your time 'Cause this fire is a passion And when it happens, you'll be mine tonight And I can't stop now, even with the house on fire
8.
Treasure 03:52
Some men keep their treasure hid in faraway lands Lands I've never seen Some men keep their treasure in the books that they read Though they never know what they mean But I've got some treasure that I keep with me I treasure it every day It hides in the notes and the melodies Of the music that I play Simple truths are not for everyone But I've got a bone to pick with the skeletons in my closet The richest man I ever knew never worked a day He barely had a dime But he'd surround himself with music and with all of his friends Played the guitar every night I wonder what's the use of all this stuff I got I can't keep it when I die I've squirreled away some money to live comfortably But it can never buy me time I love art, but I hate suffering for it So I'm a pot set on slow-boil, balancing my work and my toil I guess that I'm a poor man, 'cause my treasure is scarce I toil to earn my pay Because happiness is wrapped up in a few other things That I didn't list today I earn my treasure with the sweat of my brow So I don't have it for very long But I've got some treasure that I'll share with you Right here in this song
9.
To The Water 04:32
Sarah went down to the well with a pitcher in her hand She wasn't much concerned or impressed with the things That her life had planned She had a song in her head, she had honey in her heart And they mixed in her voice She was called to the water Now I'm in the desert where I've been for the past twenty years Baked in the sun and held fast By the weight of all my fears I've got a dollar in my pocket and a hole in my heart And it's ruined all my dreams I've lost my way to the water Won't you hear an old man, young man or young girl, and go While the world is your oyster, before it snaps shut on your soul And won't let you go Your heart knows where it ought to be So follow Follow your heart to the water
10.
Let's stand up together by the old oak tree With just a pastor and some witnesses, then only you and me Some say that we're dreamers, though we know we're not asleep We keep direction in our lives with the promises we keep When the darkness comes, you'll never see me running We'll stick together, and it won't ever see us coming Let's stand up together And we'll laugh at the dangers, wherever they appear We'll surround ourselves in love 'til it's coming out our ears 'Cause we know better than to let our demons in If you let them set the table, they will poison you in sing When I see you girl, a smile is my umbrella And I know I'd be God's favorite fella If we stand up together So let's stand up together and not waste another day We're not impatient, but the love we're sharing makes it seem that way It's so important to do the right things right And you'll be the most important thing when I see you tonight What we join today, let no man sever I hold you now, and I'll hold you forever Let's stand up together
11.
Little Laura Chase went a-walking down the lane To the deep, dark woods as the dusklight fell, to visit her father's grave The townsfolk whispered to themselves in vain She shouldn't be seen on a night like this, or ever be seen again When the air is heavy with dirt and ditch In the time of the season of the witch The hour gets late and your blood gets cold And the night gets still again The time I fear; when murder ballads all get put to pen Big Billy Suggs was asleep in a ditch by the road A highwayman of some reknown and a viscious one, I'm told Opened one yellow eye and he saw Miss Laura go Opened two yellow eyes and his blood ran hot Although his heart was cold He followed her down to the woods as the sky went dark She never raised her head or strayed from her path 'til she reached the old graveyard Big Billy laughed when her journey reached its mark The grave of a man and his daughter he'd killed while practicing his art And he stepped from the wood into the glade And he walked right up to Miss Laura Chase And loomed over her as she knelt by the grave And he said "your time has come, girl" And he licked his lips and he drew his knife For to have some fun and take a life He picked her up and he spun her around and much to his dismay, Big Billy learned there comes a time the piper must be paid He stared into a skeletal face and a pair of blood-red eyes And the rustles and the moans that he heard from the wood made ice of his insides A legion of Hell had come to claim its prize And poor Big Billy had come alone, so no one heard his tortured cries Laura and her father are safe in heaven Billy's seen his end
12.
Renaissance 03:09
This time I want to get away from myself I want to look at the same thing and see it like something else I built a prison for myself in deciding who I was Always falling short because a man's not just what he does So I'm going to think about the things I do Going to think about why I do them and who I do them to See if I can see the world clearer just sitting on my own 'Cause I need something to own, and this I guarantee What I want's a renaissance in me And anyone who hears this song can share it See the soul inside your soul and let him out We need less escape and more expression And equal parts self-reliance and self-doubt So this time I'm going to have nothing to prove 'Cause you will never make your point when you've got something to lose By questioning your answers, you will answer for yourself And not parrot someone else And I'm sure you'll see it's true What you've got's a renaissance in you

about

"Only Passing Through" has its roots a 2012 songwriting challenge, in which I successfully wrote 40 songs in one year. 10 of the album's 12 songs come from that project. I've changed a lot between then and now; I finished and released an album (2013's "Someone Else's Songs), changed careers from office work to full-time musician, began and ended a four-year relationship, and moved 4 times.

While the writing was completed early in the project, I hear myself growing older and my perspective changing in the way the arrangements and recorded performances grew around the initial seeds of each song. I performed nearly all of the album myself, with Nelson Wood reprising his role as steel guitarist on 5 songs and Eric Boyea playing slide on 1.

I'm very proud of the lyrics of "Only Passing Through", to the extent that I spent a little extra to have them printed in the booklet. I had a friend describe it as a "sad" album, but I'm not sure that's accurate (apart from "Ship In a Bottle". That one's pretty sad). I think the lyrical tone is more hopeful and reflective, like an attempt to understand and make peace with my place in a world that will exist long after I'm gone.

A good part of the 3 years I spent recording the album was mastering the difficult world of computer-based recording. "Someone Else's Songs" was a digital effort, but decidedly more low-fi. I brought in Michael Crittenden to mix and master the finished album, a process that started rough but ended wonderfully. It's difficult to bring someone else in so late in the project, but Michael was very understanding about my goals and put in extra effort to deliver the final product I'd wanted.

credits

released October 23, 2016

All instruments performed and recorded by Dale Wicks, except where noted.
Pedal Steel Guitar and Dobro by Nelson Wood
Slide Guitar by Eric "Boo-ya!" Boyea
Mixed & Mastered by Michael Crittenden
Photography by Marcella Herington
All songs written by Dale Wicks

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Dale Wicks Grand Rapids, Michigan

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