1. |
Sideshow
05:29
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Your word is paper thin
You told your children they could reach for the stars
Then fed them ritalin
And popped their futures into VCRs
Now they’re walking on the ocean floor thinking they can swim
Now they’re walking on the ocean floor thinking they can swim
As the earth swallows them
You convince yourself that they asked for it
Your ignorance must be bliss
But for everyone else it’s the worst
It’s living across from the circus
Running right into your fist
And I’m starting to think it’s on purpose
Believe it or not we deserve this
For sleeping at the sideshow
Your paper has no pen
You’d rather parrot your ambassador’s lines
And somehow stomach them
Maybe it’s easy when the crime scenes blocked by dollar signs
You go knocking on the devil’s door, he’s gonna let you in
You go knocking on the devil’s door, he’s gonna let you in
And now you live with him
Yet you’ve convinced yourself he doesn’t exist
(Chorus)
Your tent is caving in
You’d rather suffocate than claw your way out
So save the oxygen
Cover your nose and stick your foot in your mouth
Now you’re sweating as the seventh horn sounds inside your head
You’re sweating as the seventh horn sounds inside your head
Until you’re deaf to it
‘Cause you’ve convinced yourself it doesn’t exist
(Chorus)
Our teeth are pressed against the pavement
Your head is buried in the sand
You pledge allegiance to your placement
And I will never understand
Why we’re sleeping at the sideshow
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2. |
Superior
04:11
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I pledge allegiance to the past
The first shall work to make it last
The wolves have learned to leave their caves
They’re showing teeth and getting braver
It’s time we put them in their place
We’ll round them up and make them pay
Leave them howling at the gates
Of our superior placement
A light emerges from the cracks
The tide reverses from its path
(The cities marching in the streets for an awakening)
You better run if you can’t hide
The hounds are loose and won’t subside
(I hear her calling from the catwalk as I make believe)
Now that ‘the others’ been expelled
Why do I feel it hasn’t helped?
Perhaps the problem is myself
And my superior placement
They’ll never understand
That I don’t need my eyes to see
The truth will never set me free
And I don’t ever want to be
Anything but everything
My teeth are pressed against the pavement
(They’ll never understand)
Every achievement to be wasted
(They’ll never understand)
And we could have everything
You’d rather hand them the keys
To our superior placement
And I will never understand
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3. |
Sick
04:18
|
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I get sick of singing the same old song
I’m sick of singing the same old song
I get sick of thinking I’m right when I’m wrong
I’m sick of thinking cause I’m always wrong
Nothing’s what it seems to be
At least that’s how it seems to me
All I can do is play along
All I can do is sing my song
(All I can do is)
I get sick of speaking when there’s nothing to say
I’m sick of speaking cause there’s nothing to say
I get sick of reaching for the words to convey
I’m sick of seeing your duplicitous face
No language properly relays
The magnitude of my disdain
For you treacherous turn of phrase
And that’s really all I have to say
(All I can say is)
I ride on
barely discernible lines
Half drawn
They separate everything
I can’t stop
It’s never enough for me
I get sick
From tightrope walking
Barely discernible lines
I get sick of searching for something to see
I’m always searching for something to see
I get sick of flirting with intangible things
I’m sick of hurting those in front of me
The time I’ve wasted chasing phantoms
Haunts me like an empty canvas
Hung directly over me
Perpetually out of reach
(All I can see is)
I ride on
barely discernible lines
Half drawn
They separate everything
I can’t stop
It’s never enough for me
I get sick
From tightrope walking
Barely discernible lines
|
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4. |
Shakedown
03:27
|
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I’ve got gum in my hair
I’ve got blood on my shoes
I’ve got a million different reasons to be singing the blues
But mainly I’m just confused
Is there something I missed?
It’s like everyone is doomed
But nobody’s pissed
And I’m alive, I’m alive
But it doesn’t feel right
It’s like I’m under the control
of an undetectable device
Wait, I’ve got answers in my hand!
Siri, what is wrong with me?
She says she doesn’t understand
Then feeds me links on irony
This is beginning to feel like a shakedown
We’re sailing sideways through a fallacy
Trying not to slip and choke on the way down
Cover your assets if you know what I mean
I’ve got a bucket of dreams
I’ve got a head full of steam
I’m much too privileged to preach
Did fascists kill this machine?
If I was sleeping then I swear I’m awake now
Because I’m drowning in a fallacy
I took a seat at the table
I cut the deck with my stare
Bet all my chips on a straight
The bastard won with a pair
I felt the ship begin to shake
I felt a changing in the air
I set a picnic on the plank
And dropped my tickets to the fair
God lit a candle on Monday
So he could build us a home
He let it burn until Sunday
then took a seat at his throne
The world caught fire, flames grew higher
as he left it alone
And now it’s too damn hot to touch
The flesh just drips right off the bone
But I’m still confused
I’m stuck on the fence
Between ‘missing the point’
And ‘there’s nothing to get’
As we’re fighting to find meaning
To this ride around the sun
I’ve heard a million different reasons
And can’t believe a single one
This is beginning to feel like a shakedown
We’re sailing sideways through a fallacy
Trying not to slip and choke on the way down
Cover your assets if you know what I mean
I’ve got a bucket of dreams
I’ve got a head full of steam
I’m much too privileged to preach
Did fascists kill this machine?
If I was sleeping then I swear I’m awake now
Because I’m drowning in a fallacy
This is beginning to feel like a shakedown
Because I’m drowning in a fallacy
This is beginning to feel like a shakedown
Drowning in a fallacy
I’ve got a head full of bees
I bite my tongue til it bleeds
Up to my neck in concrete
I really want to believe that
If I was sleeping then I swear I’m awake now
Because I’m drowning in a fallacy
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5. |
Straitjacket
04:44
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I fill my cup with an insatiable swell
I draw my water from a virtual well
Yes, I’m dying of thirst
But it doesn’t taste so bad
I dreamed my family took a trip on a boat
Treacherous creatures began stirring below
And as the ship went down
I began to shout “but what about my phone?”
I woke up singing, come on, baby
Hold me like a straight jacket
Control me like a maniac
I wanna taste the kiss of your digital bliss
I say I’m leaving but you
know me so much better than that
Sh-sh-show me anything except for
what’s directly in front of me
The world keeps spinning round in spite of ourselves
You’ll find us dangling in our virtual cells
Bathing in perspectives
Each of them reflective of our own
No matter how hard you try, you can’t hide from yourself
You maliciously carouse inside of an anonymous hell
But when your ship goes down
You’ll be stuck with the sound
Of words buried in your throat
They won’t stop singing, come on, baby
Hold me like a straight jacket
Control me like a maniac
I wanna taste the kiss of your digital bliss
I say I’m leaving but you
know me so much better than that
Sh-sh-show me anything except for
what’s directly in front of me
The bomb, it fell and we went back to the land
Mourning the ghosts we once tattooed to our hands
And with a final bow
I began to shout “This never was my home”
I went out screaming, come on, baby
Hold me like a straight jacket
Control me like a maniac
I wanna taste the kiss of your digital bliss
I say I’m leaving but you
know me so much better than that-that-that-that-that
Unfold me like a blanket and lay me in your lap
Mold me in the image of a doormat
I’m longing for the fix of your tentacle grip
And never ever let me go, don’t let me go
Let me go, please
Hold me like a straight jacket
Control me like a maniac
I wanna taste the kiss of your digital bliss
I say I’m leaving but you
know me so much better than that
Console me, indulge me
Atone me, or dispose of me
Show me anything except for what’s directly affecting me
I can’t sit here and pretend that I’m impressed with reality
Please don’t take it personally
I just know there’s something better than this
Hold me like a straight jacket
Control me like a maniac
I wanna taste the kiss of your digital bliss
I say I’m leaving but you know me
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6. |
Sometimes
03:48
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Swinging for the fences
Hanging from the moon
I cut my tongue on the rust of a silver spoon
I bet my billionth bottom dollar on a hopeless case
And now the devil on my shoulder has a knife to my face
Sometimes the short end of the stick is the sharpest
Sometimes the only road to take is the darkest
Sometimes all you gotta say is “daddy make it go away”
Sometimes the only way out is as a carcass
Chimp with a cigarette
In a fifty-cent zoo
Thanks God he ain’t in the circus while he’s watching you
I got too close to the furnace, I’ve been on both sides of the glass
But ain’t nobody made a monkey out my monkey ass
Sometimes the short end of the stick is the sharpest
Sometimes the only road to take is the darkest
Sometimes all you gotta say is “daddy make it go away”
Sometimes the only way out is as a carcass
Sometimes you gotta finish what you shouldn’t have started
Sometimes you gotta shoot before you see the target
Sometimes daddy’s gonna say “you’re not worth the price to pay”
Sometimes the tunnel only leads to darkness
You built this ship (you did, you did)
And you’ll go down with it
Racing toward the mailbox
With a letter in your hand
But the postman’s gone away and you begin to understand
That you’re no hero to this story you’re just another wretched pawn
Who bought his tickets to the sideshow and then slept through the alarm
Sometimes the short end of the stick is the sharpest
Sometimes the only road to take is the darkest
Sometimes all you gotta say is “daddy make it go away”
Sometimes the only way out is as a carcass
Sometimes you gotta finish what you shouldn’t have started
Sometimes you gotta shoot before you see the target
Sometimes daddy’s gonna say “you’re not worth the price to pay”
Sometimes the tunnel only leads to darkness
You built this ship and you’ll go down with it
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7. |
Stairwell
07:35
|
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My mind may be slipping
My mind may be slipping
But my body stands tall
Yes my body stands tall
I promise I was listening
Okay I wasn’t listening
But I can read the writing on the wall
I can read the writing on the wall
He crawls up the Stairwell
He longs to be with her
Each step growing taller
Than the others before
He crawls up the stairwell
She reaches her hand out
As time pulls him back to the floor
My words keep escaping
I spend all my days chasing them down
But they never lead me where I want to go
Until I call it quits and then they take me home
The midwife has been pacing
This ground, it isn’t breaking
But I can feel the cracks beneath my feet
I can feel the cracks are breaking me
He crawls up the Stairwell
He clings to the handrail
He steadies his focus
on the bedlam below
He crawls up the Stairwell
Ears ringing of tall tails
That clamor it’s better to just let go
There’s critters sleeping in my shed
Creation swimming in my head
The cities marching in the streets for an awakening
I might light my night light
The hourglass is overturned
The match is struck, the stairwell burns
I hear her calling from the catwalk as I make believe
I might outshine the twilight
Sand overflows and I scream as the fire grows
Sand overflows and I scream as the fire grows but I know
I might light my night light
I might outshine the twilight
I might light my night light
I might light
My mind may be slipping
My mind may be slipping
My mind may be slipping
But my body stands tall
Yes my body stands tall
I promise I was listening
Okay I wasn’t listening
But I can read the writing on the wall
I feel the rise before the fall
He crawls up the Stairwell
He longs to be with her
Each step growing taller
Than the others before
He crawls up the stairwell
She reaches her hand out
As time pulls him back to the floor
(my mind may be slipping…)
He crawls up the Stairwell
He clings to the handrail
He steadies his focus
on the bedlam below
He crawls up the Stairwell
Ears ringing of tall tails
That clamor it’s better to just let go
|
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8. |
Shadows
03:39
|
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Every time I close my eyes
When I'm alone in bed at night
I find them there waiting for me on the other side
My eyes open up I can't breathe I'm paralyzed
And I'm certain they are with me in my room
I tried to scream and let out a sigh
I prayed to God and received his reply
A shadow consumed me I knew that it was my time
He said it's been fun, kid, we'll see you tomorrow night
And I'm certain that the words he spoke were true
So I'll sleep when I'm dead now because
They're coming to get me
(go back to bed)
They're coming to get me
(it’s all in your head)
They're coming to get me
(the shadows are coming, the shadows are coming, the shadows are coming)
They're coming to get me
(go back to sleep)
They're coming to get me
(it’s only a dream)
They're coming to get me
(the shadows are coming, the shadows are coming)
Drinking black coffee and rubbing my eyes
Dreaming of sleep and pretending I'm fine
My mother and father weren't even a little surprised
(Go back to bed this is all in your head)
Of course you have nightmares the garbage you put into your mind isn't healthy
And your diet is worthless too
But I know they'll be sorry in the end
They're coming to get me
(go back to bed)
They're coming to get me
(it’s all in your head)
They're coming to get me
(the shadows are coming, the shadows are coming, the shadows are coming)
They're coming to get me
(you shouldn’t complain)
They're coming to get me
(they think you’re insane)
They're coming to get me
(the shadows are coming, the shadows are coming)
It's hard to explain what goes on in my brain
Maybe they're right and I'm not thinking straight
A little of sleep could be all that I need
Or maybe the shadows are waiting to take me away in my dreams
I can't keep this up forever
I need some kind of release
Gotta keep myself together
Til the time comes cause I know that this won't stop until
They're coming to get me
They're coming to get me
They're coming to get me
They're coming to get me
They're coming to get me
They're coming to get me
Oh they're coming to get me,
They're coming to get me
They're coming to get me
I think I'll let them take me
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9. |
Salt
03:57
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I tried to take it with a grain of salt
But the lid came off
Tables turning like the serpents sold to suckers
In the synagogue
You rented space inside my head
Then changed the locks before you left
I couldn’t fill it for so long
You’d rather swim than take the bait
I used to think that that was wrong
Stay with me ‘til I quit screaming
I swear I’m almost done
Follow me ‘til I quit breathing
Then shoot my body into the sun
It took us years to make the engine start
Then the wheels came off
Highway ragin’ as you vacantly persuade me
To count it as a loss
You ran my race until your legs
Convinced you there was nothing left
I never thought to look and see
You always longed for something more
I never dreamed that wasn’t me
Stay with me ‘til I quit screaming
I swear I’m almost done
Follow me ‘til I quit breathing
Then shoot my body into the sun
Stay with me ‘til I quit screaming
I swear I’m almost done
Follow me ‘til I quit breathing
Then shoot my body into the sun
|
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10. |
Streets
03:58
|
|||
They’re coming for your head
Let them try to take it
Sir, you’re soaking wet…
Tell them I’ll be waiting
Have a seat...
Don’t…
Count to three...
test…
Try to breathe...
me
Sir, please, there’s something to be said…
I don’t want to hear it
...of knowing when to quit
I’m the one who steers this…
Of course…
ship…
But sir…
and all…
Please
go down with it
Think about your kids
Think about the headlines
Think about their kids
I heard you the first time
You’re losing sight...
Don’t…
...of what is right
insult...
No foot to stand...
me
You have no plan. There’s nothing to be gained
There’s everything to lose
Just stop, this is insane
Does anything surprise you?
Sir…
You put your money
please…
On a rabid dog…
enough.
Don’t cry when it bites you
I’ve had it with the speech
You think this ends with me?
They won’t go back to sleep
Until the whole damn country bleeds
You think that they want peace?
Well, I’m chewing through the leash
It only ends with me
There are cities marching in the streets for an awakening
(they’re coming for your head…)
There are cities marching in the streets for an awakening
The cities marching in the streets for an awakening
(they’re coming for your head…)
There are cities marching in the streets for an awakening
The cities marching in the streets for an awakening
(they’re coming for your head…)
The cities marching in the streets for an awakening
(on both sides)
It only ends with me
They’re coming for your head
Let them try to take it
They’re coming for your head
Tell them I’ll be waiting
They’re coming for your kids
I don’t want to hear it
They all know what you did
I’m the one who steers this ship…
They’re coming for your head
And everyone goes down with it
They’re coming for your head
It only ends
|
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11. |
Software
04:17
|
|||
We all were born helpless
And not yet numb to the pain
We climb aboard the propeller
And go out the way we came
I saw how you suffered
I was covered in shame
I take offence at my comfort
And never remember your names
Light my night light
Please let me pretend
This is gonna end well
I am blaming the software
There’s something wrong with the code
Then we fight for solutions
As if we’re screaming at ghosts
It’s all apart of the display
It only adds to the pain
I left my car on the freeway
And I’m never going back again
Light my night light
Please let me pretend
This is gonna end well
I keep surmising you’re next
And my indifference withdraws
I begin pulling you closer
I mourn each passing day lost
It’s like I’m fighting a sickness
Convincing me we’re already gone
Sometimes it feels like God is a DJ
And tribulation is his favorite song
Light my night light
Please let me pretend
This is gonna end well
|
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12. |
Spineless
03:46
|
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13. |
Carnival
03:04
|
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14. |
||||
15. |
Sideshow (Demo)
05:29
|
|||
16. |
Shadows (Demo)
03:37
|
|||
17. |
Sick (Live)
04:35
|
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18. |
Superior (Live)
04:13
|
Nick Lutsko Chattanooga, Tennessee
Nick Lutsko is a songwriter, producer, and performer out of Chattanooga, TN. He routinely changes hats between performing high energy, theatrical shows with The $100K Band and creating songs and music videos for the likes of Netflix, Super Deluxe and CollegeHumor. Regardless of which hat Lutsko is wearing, weirdness abounds. ... more
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