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Swords

by Nick Lutsko

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Gatefold jacket
    White and red moonphase LP with RED center labels
    Lyric insert
    18x24 poster of Nick and his puppets!
    Download card

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      $26 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Gatefold jacket
    Pinwheel LP with Coke Bottle Green and Red with Blue splatter
    Lyric insert
    18x24 poster of Nick and his puppets!
    Download card

    Includes unlimited streaming of Swords via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $26 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Gatefold jacket
    White/Black ASideBSide LP with Red, pink and blue splatter
    Lyric insert
    18x24 poster of Nick and his puppets!
    Download card

    Includes unlimited streaming of Swords via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $26 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Gatefold jacket
    Orange/Yellow/White Tri-Color with White Splatter
    Lyric insert
    18×24 poster of Nick and his puppets!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Swords via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $26 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Contains bonus tracks
    Glass replicated CD
    Lyric booklet

    Includes unlimited streaming of Swords via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Professionally duplicated minidisc
    Artwork printed directly on mindisc

    Includes unlimited streaming of Swords via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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    6 remaining
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      $15 USD or more 

     

  • Nick Lutsko + The Gimmix T-Shirt
    T-Shirt/Apparel + Digital Album

    Navy blue T-Shirt featuring Greezy Rick, Professor Hornsby, Brother Cobb and Ole Stumpy. Artwork by Jerett Offutt.

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  • Cassette
    Cassette + Digital Album

    Contains bonus tracks
    Mirror silver cassette shell
    Dolby B noise reduction
    Download card

    Includes unlimited streaming of Swords via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.
Sideshow 05:29
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
2.
Superior 04:11
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
3.
Sick 04:18
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
4.
Shakedown 03:27
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
5.
Straitjacket 04:44
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
6.
Sometimes 03:48
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
7.
Stairwell 07:35
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
8.
Shadows 03:39
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
9.
Salt 03:57
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
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
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
12.
Spineless 03:46
13.
Carnival 03:04
14.
15.
16.
17.
Sick (Live) 04:35
18.

credits

released October 25, 2019

© 2019. Songs written, performed and produced by Nick Lutsko. Mixed by Adam Brown. Mastered by Brian Lucey. Bass by Eric Parham (tracks 2 & 4). Xylophone by Jacob Lutsko (6, 7, 8 & 10). Saxophones by Jon Elliott (tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 & 11). Drums by Adam Brown (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10 & 11). Horns arranged by Jon Elliott & Nick Lutsko. Trumpet by Erika Schafer (tracks 4, 6, 7, 10 & 11) and Stephen Bearden (track 1). Trombone by Bill Wynn (track 1). Double bass by Taylor Brown (track 10). Cello by David Peyton (track 10). Viola by Megan Chisom (track 10). Violin by Josh Holritz (track 10). Cover photo by Justin Cipriani. Artwork by Cole Sweeton.

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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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