1. |
Young Adult Fiction
03:43
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This is a rut
And I’m the rope you’re not brave enough to cut
You found the perfect stick from which to dangle the carrot
In my call response to you I sound like an idiot parrot
And whatever love was left has left
To think when I met you I felt blessed
I gave you nothing – if not my best
Sweet blood, mosquito bites
Sick love and brilliant fights
Darling the truth is – you’ve always been a goddamn liar
I’ve heard enough
You full of shit and I’m calling out your bluff
You misportray everything you convey just to muddy up the water
If you ever cared at all, this wouldn’t feel like such a bother
Hollowed out and you left me numb
Whatever we had has come undone
And this void between us – has only just begun
Sweet blood, mosquito bites
Sick love and brilliant fights
Darling the truth is – you’ve always been a goddamn liar
Why did you change?
Where once was love has become so strained
Everyone takes your side ‘cause your such a convincing crier
I’m in the trenches, waving the white flag, praying for a ceasefire
Battle tested we’re ready for war
We’ve marched down this bloody road before
Now bitterness has become our only – Esprit de corps
Sweet blood, mosquito bites
Sick love and brilliant fights
Darling the truth is – you’ve always been a goddamn liar
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2. |
N.E.S.W.
03:40
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Oh God it was a swell swell
That snapped in half this ship’s sail
White stag winter the days began to splinter
Sucker punched and we were shit-house drunk
Grey ice water, send the cattle off to slaughter
Floating through the seasons oblivious to reason
Grey ice water, send the cattle off to slaughter
Opaque dreams – fire rising through the scenes
Never Eat – Sour Wheat
We are long gone
Never Eat – Sour Wheat
Let’s go
Oh God we were lamplight lost
Crossed the Bearing through the fog and frost
Scarlet Fever, our minds began to seizure
Sucker punched and we were shit-house drunk
Holy water chug the saintly and the stalkers
Floating through the seasons oblivious to reason
Holy water chug the saintly and the stalkers
Opaque dreams – here the children as the sing
Never Eat – Sour Wheat
We are long gone
Never Eat – Sour Wheat
Let’s go
Never Eat – Sour Wheat
We are long gone
Never Eat – Sour Wheat
Let’s go
Oh God it was a swell swell
That snapped in half this ship’s sail
White stag winter the days began to splinter
Sucker punched and we were shit-house drunk
Never Eat – Sour Wheat
We are long gone
Never Eat – Sour Wheat
Let's go
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3. |
Dead Air
03:19
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Up, Up, Down, Down
Left – Right, Left – Right
B – A – Start
We’ve all been tricked and cheated
We’re on borrowed time (borrowed time). We’re on borrowed time.
Up, Up, Down, Down
Left – Right, Left – Right
B – A – Start
The Troops have been defeated
We all march in line (march in line). We all march in line.
Black ice, sea salt and December skies
Floodlight, deer blind and the widest eyes
I saw you dying there – an electric chair
So good at lying – said I didn’t care
Dead Air, Dead Air, I’m so unprepared
Dead Air, Dead Air, did you disappear?
Dead Air, Dead Air, so unprepared
Dead Air, Dead Air, Dead … air
Up, Up, Down, Down
Left – Right, Left – Right
B – A – Start
We’ve all been fucking cheated
We’re on borrowed time (borrowed time). We’re on borrowed time
Up, Up, Down, Down
Left – Right, Left – Right
B – A – Start
Our lives will be deleted
We all march in line (march in line). We all march in line.
Black ice, sea salt and December skies
Floodlight, deer blind and the widest eyes
I watched you dying there – in a hospital chair
So good at lying – said I didn’t care
Dead Air, Dead Air, I’m so unprepared
Dead Air, Dead Air, did you disappear?
Dead Air, Dead Air, so unprepared
Dead Air, Dead Air, Dead … air
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4. |
Mind the Gap
02:57
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Eyes closed. Headed northbound on the Northern Line
Lost in thought. I know the life we had was the life we sought
And I’m a passenger here, I’ve come to visit you dear.
It’s been so many years of steady decay
And everything you touched it’s been washed – it’s been washed away
And the mural on the wall, depicted our fall
Kids jumping turnstiles never counted at all
And my love I know, wherever you go, it’s not far away
I’m hollowed out, each time your voice rings round in this empty tomb
I know you’re here. And I pray I find you again once the coast is clear.
I float from station to station with what remains of my patience
Listening to whispers on the Roman Wind
And I let the future start where the past – where the past begins
I got time on my hands and blood in these veins
Chasing your ghost under the lonely Thames
And my love I know, wherever you go, it’s not far away
Eyes closed. Headed northbound on the Northern Line
Lost in thought … lost in thought …
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5. |
Balloons
03:23
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I was a complete mess – I was totally wrecked
Sneaking back into the house – I tripped over the train set
There was a company dinner – then after-hour drinks
A mid-week bender – Punctuated with toasting bottle clinks
Full of air
Full of air
I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care
Draw a line
Cross the line
I am fine, I am fine, I am fine
Darling I was completely spent – A burnt filament
Fell asleep on my glasses – now the frame’s bent
With glassy eyes – I watch the kids as they sleep
Kissing Foreheads, tuck them in their sheets – whisper “Love You” but talk is cheap
Full of air
Full of air
I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care
Draw a line
Cross the line
I am fine, I am fine, I am fine
I brought home balloons today – it’s gonna be okay
I brought home balloons today – the kind you throw away
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6. |
Zoo Lions
04:00
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After all this circling around we found ourselves stuck in a figure 8
The trap was set, but it was set without bait
We were fast out the gate, but now we’re running, running late
Docile! We’ve become zoo lions lying in wait
Nothing, my love, is as finite as age
And every single day, a decision we delayed
The mindless games we played, while the waves would crash and break
Lover I’m ruined – an animal wounded – a tide come and gone away
Now the best we’ll become is a remote footnote in an unending manuscript
A trivial piece of an infinite aggregate
We vacillate as the merry-go-round of choices oscillates
Neutered! We’ve become zoo lions lying in wait
Sadly, my love, we’ll leave nothing behind
The seeds forever entombed beneath the rind
An empty field reminder, of passed time, past prime
The cicada song – all along – Each sound distinct yet entwined
Analemma, the prodigal son
Analemma, the lonely one
After all this circling around we found ourselves stuck in a figure 8
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7. |
North Dakota
03:50
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I ain't ever been to North Dakota
But I got an idea in my head of what I think it's like
Barren Earth and this dusty, dusty land
And it's full of men - yeah it's full of men, with all sorts of plans
They say these Bakken Lands they are a wild, wild west
Anything goes, there's no code and there ain't no time for rest
Muddy pits and it's so Goddamn cold
If you're willing to get dirty - if you're willing to get dirty, there's nothing that can't be sold
What was poisoned here
Lasts forever dear
Now I don't need to hear all of the details
I know the drilling is deep, so little you can keep but it's something you can resell
Abandoned wells and this broken & busted soil
I know the money's good - I know the money's good, but you're not ready for the recoil
What was poisoned here
Lasts forever dear
With every fissure & every crack
Every decision you won't take back ... home
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8. |
Flickering Youth
03:38
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9. |
Neighbor Girl
04:50
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Watching the little neighbor girl run
Down through the early morning sun
As I wipe the sleep from my eyes
And adjust the neck of my tie
Oh, the air conditioner moans
In such apathetic tones
While the dust grows high on the dash
(Oh) our lives are going to pass in a flash
Some things never change, but they cannot stay the same
This city, once my home, now vacant and overthrown
I need to rearrange and then reassign this blame
Farewell, all my friends – sometimes the darkness wins
And the traffic lights are all on a track
There to keep you in place like a gun on a rack
Never even fully awake
Circling around our mistakes
I know all about these sticks and stones,
And I think it’s time we broke some bones
And if Jesus was His only son
We’re all looking out for number one
Some things never change, but they cannot stay the same
This city, once my home, now vacant and overthrown
I need to rearrange and then reassign this blame
Farewell, all my friends – Don’t let the darkness in … in … in … in
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10. |
Strike the Stages
03:30
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We must look sorry the way we stumble around
A company of mimes struggling with the science of sound
And thank God someone’s filming, every minute of every day
‘Cause I just can’t help but watch this fucked up broke ballet
Endless diversions keep our heads up in the clouds
Completely connected, strangers shouting out in crowd
With all this entertainment we’re ambushed yeah we’re amused
Oh we used to write. We used to talk. I ain’t never been so confused
I think we lost our way – nothing solid to steady the sway
The compass bends and splits at the ends
But I need you my friends
I think we lost our way – nothing solid to steady the sway
The compass bends and splits at the ends
But I need you my friends
Strike all the stages, the curtain’s lying on the ground
As we pirouette and curtsy, we’re so desperate to be found
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Instant Empire Denver, Colorado
Indie rock.
Storytellers.
Chroniclers of the human condition.
Instant Empire recommends:
We All Want The Same Things
by Craig Finn
Craig Finn is our favorite living songwriter. This album is devastating. Perfect lyrics, full of characters and stories you can relate to and beautifully arranged.
go to album
Teens Of Denial
by Car Seat Headrest
No one writes long songs as well as Car Seat Headrest. This album includes their best work to-date. An album you can get lost in.
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one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden
by Ada Lea
Beautiful songs, nuanced lyrics and intricate arrangements. We are loving this album.
go to albumIf you like Instant Empire, you may also like:
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Frantic Semantic EP
by Grow Rich
Fuzzy and swirling shoegaze soundscapes from Indonesia full of emotion and DIY spirit.
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