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We Live On Cliffs

by Adam Haworth Stephens

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1.
didn’t they tell you that it ain’t no use soon enough we all just settle for the truth did they bring you furnish you with lies the dreams out of your mind the sleep out of your eyes of all the boys who dangle from your wrist and vie for every word that falls off of your lips that boy he don’t mean you no good all he wants in life’s to be misunderstood and all those days on the lawn when the hours passed slow you turned and then they were gone but no one let you know well i hold the candle while you dance upon the flame and all the children will sing praises in your name and there for every one who knows just what I know i’ll hold the candle and watch you burn so slow
2.
Second Mind 04:31
oh the light the blessed light that blinds us all it comes and goes but no one knows when it will fall but oh reckless love don't hang around my door you leave me undone more than i was before please stay away oh the rose the blushing rose you waste your scent upon them all they rise and fall they came and went but oh reckless love just look what you have done you push and shove and send me on the run please stay away now they say that you’re just wasting away a picture frame around your neck but i don't listen to a thing they say your pride i must protect but if i let you down treat you unkind no that’s not me just my second mind
3.
oh no this living ain’t for the faint of heart no this living is just a dying art talking so low in words we were told to use we pity ourselves for enduring such self abuse and in your trembling chin beauty wields a blade as daylight stumbles in through the windowpane but all the doctors keep us so reassured they’ll find the sickness as soon as they find the cure once when you were we were oh so young we mourned for each and every dying sun now they march off like children called to war each like the next each just like the one before and we place wagers upon every one if it returns i’ll bet it’s with vengeance come
4.
grave-maker lay down your spade come again some other day i'd rather watch the colors fade a while from pawn shop shades to balconies i’ll paraphrase eternity and all the evolutions of your smile cause i’m still becoming and the day’s just humming though the feeling fades away but the bells are chiming in the heights of diamond as i’m trying to find my way and silently your secret’s scrawled on paper cranes and bathroom walls but no one’s ever dared figure you out so you held me like a sinking stone the one you wish you’d never thrown but it’s too late it’s too late to dry me out cause your touch still lingers on my shaky fingers though the feeling fades away and the bells are chiming in the heights of diamond as i’m trying to find my way it’s sundown on the western sea and this one sinks in infamy as i watch you watch me while i walk away and it’s pale light on the patio did they forget to let you know that everyone needs someone to betray my lodestar’s beaming but i might be dreaming as the feeling fades away but the bells are chiming in the heights of diamond as i’m trying to find my way
5.
so amused the sixth street peddlers come to sing your blues and money’s spent to damn the rivers of your discontent you got your invitation to the bachelor’s ball and you stay out till the sun comes creeping up your bedroom wall ivory tower you sit and while away the idle hours skin and bones the city streets below just weep and moan but from your window above you only hear the rain you touch the world through a glove it’s so much easier than feeling pain and they’re inventing hunger in the grey of dawn as i sit among your parliament of pawns slowly growing younger with every yawn and in the ashes of the cities that you've burned we'll sit and wait for your return so composed you wake on the floor in your designer clothes so refined you think that country’s just a state of mind switch like a switchblade my love you cut the young men down you’ve been to heaven above but your feet have never touched the ground and we’ve brought you roses in eternal bloom while you stand before us in your royal gloom holding a torch beneath your silver spoon but in the ashes of the cities that you've burned i'll sit and wait for your return
6.
Elderwoods 04:25
where will you be when the gavel falls polishing the statue of the man who built the mall he was a man of vision a man of grace just an honest country boy with empire in his face who went off chasing destiny beyond the pasture gates then came the morning when his shadow fled woke up alone all alone in his own head screaming oh no there’s no escape and as the walls came creeping in he sucked his thumb pulled the cover to his chin suddenly it’s much too late and the rain don’t fall but the sun don’t shine on dear mother’s backdoor where she still must do her time just sitting around wondering what she missed visions of her childhood love with farewell on his lips who went off seeking gravity beyond the western cliffs then came the morning when her shadow fled woke up alone all alone in her own head screaming oh no there’s no escape and as the walls came creeping in it’s hard to find a reason to begin suddenly it’s much too late take me down to the elderwoods my darling take me down to the elders everyday have you found what it was that you were after have you found what it was that you had lost
7.
the southern lights are on the run we spent all night painting pictures that disappear when morning comes the blizzard blows the bottles drain and though i beg you not to make me walk home in the southern rain don't let the morning catch me here i'm not the man that i appear you find your heart you lose control you know everything lasts forever as long as you can let it go you find your mind you lose your faith you know the sweeter the candy the bitterer the aftertaste so turn up the border radio one last dance before i leave though i'll be dragging my feet home to bed seal your lips and hush your laughter this kid don't know just what he's after don't believe a single thing he says
8.
Angelina 04:18
when the revolution comes i’ll be slaughtering the lawn but when they sing their anthems i’ll be sure to sing along and if i should fall shot through the breast send my love to the one i know the best you talk to no one so unimpressed by them all and you do your shopping in the shadow of your shawl but the news is out all over town that the ring is off and you've gained ten pounds every time i need you i don't even need to try you're always in the checkout line just feeding me the eye and i'd take you home but i'm so weak i'm ten cents short but you'll be there next week angelina leave me alone you wear my body to the bone every time you pass me by with those diamond studded eyes i read the headlines on your face oh all the scandal and disgrace but your secret's safe right here among my magazines and tears
9.
spring comes the cornets of april raise up their songs to the sky the infant rocks in the cradle the day goes wandering by and i guard the flame they started oh so long ago for the bruised and broken hearted with nowhere left to go so we took a walk through the orchard and plucked the fruit from the limb oh how your lips left me tortured as the juice dripped from you chin through the dust and shadows through the lust of mallows to the center of your heart that’s where i was bound but if i ever get there i’m sure i’ll turn around so we took a walk through the graveyard and carved our names in the stone you tried so hard to act so hard so i just left you alone among the blue silence that circled around your eyelids and so our love ended but the world went tumbling on and i began my lifelong quest to shape you into song i’ll be searching for you forever if it’s true that you will get me through somehow this love i’ll allow to lead me lead me onward somewhere where there are no words to tell how it feels to fall and everyday i fall

about

The solo debut from Adam Haworth Stephens, lead singer and songwriter of San Francisco duo Two Gallants, spotlights his ability to craft compelling and intelligent songs that have forged an intimate and emotional bond with fans and captivated critics with words so personal they're universal.

From beginning to end, We Live on Cliffs is a shimmering blend of alternative folk with a pop sensibility, full of first-person narratives that when combined, create a marvelously eclectic collection. And while there is a natural bridge between Two Gallants and Stephens' solo work, these songs contain an introspection and musical diversity that has not been touched on before. "These songs are about desperation," says Stephens. "The desperation to make something of living, to find a sense of ease, to find someone to love and to maintain that fleeting feeling of love." The record is Stephens' most ambitious work to date and his storytelling is as illuminating as ever, further establishing him as a talented and important songwriter.

Produced by Grammy Award-Winning producer Joe Chiccarelli, We Live on Cliffs features Stephens on vocals, guitar and piano, and a host of guest musicians including Patrick Hallahan and Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket), Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Joey Waronker, Cody Votolato (Blood Brothers / Jaguar Love), Mike Daly, Petra Haden, Andy Cabic (Vetiver) and current band members Jen Grady, Matt Montgomery and Omar Cuellar.

credits

released September 28, 2010

2010 Saddle Creek

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Adam Haworth Stephens San Francisco, California

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