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The Men Of A Thousand Excuses

by The Tomorrow File

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1.
My brother called to tell me something Said "Listen, now I could be wrong" My brother called to tell me something "Now is the time to be strong" Way up high and far away I remember her young and wild and free My brother called My brother called My brother called to tell me something "I just can't take any more" My brother called to tell me something "There's nothing to be sorry for" Way up high, in clarity I remember her young and wild and free My brother called My brother called I guess she was a teacher I guess she was a lesson to be learned She built a house of paper While the room around her burned And when that day came I was nowhere to be found
2.
There by the water Where I first saw you Slowly steps the ploughman Leaning heavy like a rose Take my hand, we'll live in beauty Oh how I want you By the moon, the stars and water Dock-leaves on the Ulster cross I would break my heart for you Take my hand, we'll live in beauty We'll watch the sun rise up across the heather and the rain (early morning dew) There'll be more than enough for the both us to be a family, too Take my hand, we'll live in beauty We'll watch the sun rise up across the heather and the rain (early morning dew) There'll be more than enough for the both us to be a family, too Take my hand, we'll live in beauty Time like a sun Lights pale one by one I am fallen like the walls of Troy Here to burn for you
3.
Christina 03:45
Christina, I can see her In the sun and the stars and the moon Christina, can you see her? Angels are here then they're gone too soon There was a time when I'd say Let the evening fall Now it's breaking me down After all Christina, I can hear her In the wind and the rain and the stream Christina, can you hear her? All alone here in this dream There was a time when I'd say Let the evening fall Now it's breaking me down After all Can you tell her that she'll never be alone? Can you help her find her way back home? We take you everywhere we go Christina, I can feel her In the warmth, in my arms, in the sun Christina, do you feel her? Together she shines on
4.
Woke up this morning with a mouthful of clay The same, the same as yesterday What do you think I did when faced with this grave matter? Red-blooded and hormonally charged, I smashed it with a hammer The clay began to grow and swell That's when I noticed that sickly smell The visions of the hospital flattened me like a Mack truck Try as I did, I couldn't help but wonder: Was it just a hard fuck? Let me tell you more about this thing The clay was sealed up in a wedding ring Visions of clay green and blue Damned if that clay didn't look just like you What's going on behind my back? Is it a break or is it just a crack? Is it just noblesse oblige Dispensed to a lowly sort like me? What's going on? I'd like to know Is it tangible, will it ever show? The sun will rise to bite my eyes Over the grave of romance I will eulogize And she says nothing lasts forever But I don't want to hear that shit Pins and needles burn within And I always seem to relish it
5.
I feed the face on the floor Three times a day or more So it came as no surprise When the face rolled it's eyes Around it's head and down it's chin I watched as the eyes went into A hole at the bottom of the floor Out the door and to a store To get some more food for the face Who'd begun to spew all over the place Please let me feed the face on the floor Insane allegory just to say I don't want to go to war When the face came to later on I realized how far things had gone He'd begun to grow a leg or two A chest, some things, a forearm, too It sprouted up an M16 To implement the american dream This may seem funny, but don't you dare laugh This might be the way I stay out of the draft! Please let me feed the face on the floor Insane allegory just to say I don't want to go to war
6.
PRISM (of) 03:32
We are in a courtyard, flashing color and dancing eyes Pretending to smoke cigarettes beneath the shuttered sky Prism of darkness (we wonder: is this all there is?) Cages of light (never, no, never, no, never!) Safe in your tin can armor, but inside you're virgin white And it's the sound of thunder that keeps you up all night Prism of darkness (we wonder: is this all there is?) Cages of light (never, no, never, no, never!) Distant scents and photographs We are who we think we are Trees low above our heads Our compass the Morning Star You said you came to see me, and that nothing is what it seems I smile, and nod, and wonder as I slip into a dream on the Prism of darkness (we wonder: is this all there is?) Cages of light (never, no, never, no, never!)
7.
Sweet Misery 02:42
She's a painter of pictures Of brand new addictions Now the years begin to show Her daughter said "Don't let it go to your head, just let that wheel roll" She's a sculptress of missions Of brand new editions Drawing Shakespeare on the sheets When the cold pours gray No one can take away All the promises that you keep Sweet misery, what did you do to me? When did your wings become so old? Misery, sweet misery You never did what you were told She counts the passing of years In a young girl's tears And by the spinning of the clock Like sand in tea Or like a branch on the sea Or like a slowly rusting lock We never were good friends But I knew you when And put candles on your cake Now you say You want to make it OK And wear diamonds on your cheek Sweet misery, what can you do for me? How did your wings become so old? Misery, sweet misery
8.
Faith is the home, the halo and the wonder Faith is a way to make it through the dark Faith is the trembling pause between the thunder Faith is a way to make it through the night In the night
9.
Instrumental
10.
The Ones 00:49
Unwalled thunder covering Skating lullabyes By the stacks a parallax The Chosen say goodbye
11.
12.
Kings 03:54
Instrumental
13.
Broken 01:47
I'm broken Nothing more to say I'm broken Thrown it all away It's funny how time moves When you win, you lose I'm broken
14.
Wheels of stone mark the ways of my living And wheels of stone mark my home Here is my song, a gift for the giving A story as stark as chipped bone Father and me, two small ships on the sea Green grassy hills for my foam Then mother's heart failed, and the coffin was nailed Leaving us with the wheat all alone Sweet breeze washing all that I see From this window now old and gray An old woman's tune Waxing pale like the moon.
15.
The Gods hit the bricks now its raining injustice And we're soaking it in through our skin like sunshine Like Domitian hacked into hundreds of pieces There is a logic in this Show me why is it that I should Matter more than one drop of blood? I see crystalized wisdom ossified in the heavens But pulling rabbits from hats is like sand the gearbox I see tenderness dangling from a gutted out ribcage There is a logic in this Show me why is it that I should Matter more than one drop of blood? Is it really such a hard luck story? August majesty The sin is coming down in buckets Even if I wanted to I just don't know how to stop it This is the just reward For arrogant souls
16.
It hurts to be an apostrophe In someone's life who claimed they once loved me A trivial nothing who turned out to be The product of carnality It hurts to be a footnote when You become part of the slagheap of available men A name, a face, a place in time And to think I thought you were mine Give back what you took I'm bleeding, mama, will you take a look? You turned me into something that I've never been A man among beasts, and a beast among men It hurts to be an apostrophe In someone's life who claimed they once loved me An expendable nothing that couldn't stack up Lies of size and a 34-B cup It hurts to be a colon when The screw in your ass goes right up to your neck A question mark would suite me fine I may be sensitive but I'm not blind Give back what you took I'm bleeding, mama, will you take a look? You turned me into something that I've never been A man among beasts, and a beast among men It hurts to be an apostrophe In someone's life who claimed they once loved me Something still persists, something doesn't add up Was it me? Were we really in love? It hurts me deeply, it hurts me bad I can't begin to tell you how it makes me sad You left like you planned and you think its fine And to think I thought you were mine.

about

"Dan Lewis is an artist with breadth and depth. He writes whimsical fantasies, deep, resonant tragedies, and everything in between with an unerring touch for melody and musical experimentalism. There's just not enough of this stuff out there anymore." - Gilbert Neal

"Soulful, heartfelt music and vocals, with pristine production. Dan's knowledge of music is encyclopedic and his songs reflect it, showing influences from progressive rock to folk to electronica, served in a tasty combo." - J. Ted Potter

credits

released August 1, 2012

All songs written and performed by Daniel J.S. Lewis unless otherwise indicated.

Recorded and Mixed by Daniel J.S. Lewis at Dead Dog Studio.

Copyright 2012 CV Music. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Richard Kegler of P22 Type Foundry, Buffalo NY.

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The Tomorrow File Buffalo, New York

The Tomorrow File comes at you with smart hooks and penetrating lyrics. A singer/songwriter with an eclectic ability to fuse genres in an originally singular way.

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