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Not For Nothing

by Nate Gerry

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1.
The 6 o'clock news got you singing the blues You're so overwhelmed you don't know what to do But hide in your bed and pretend that you're dead Oh but won't you look outside? The leaves on the breeze blanket the streets Every step is crunching beneath eager feet Children are playing and the world is changing Nothing remains the same This old world ain't so bad There's magic tricks and funny gifs of fluffy cats Even all the things that make us sad Are beautiful So call up a friend when you're stuck in your head Go for a walk and come back to your breath Look at the world like it's made of gold So precious, so pure Smile at a stranger and hold open the door These little acts of kindness mean so much more All these drops all add up To make the world a better place This old world ain't so bad There's magic tricks and funny gifs of fluffy cats Even all the things that make us sad Are beautiful This old world ain't so bleak With all your friends you get to share some tasty treats And have a dance party to some funky beats It's a miracle
2.
Simplify 03:44
All the books on my shelf that I will never read All the pairs of nikes that will never be on my feet See the shirts and shorts piled up in a heap? And all the cups and dishes soaking in the sink Simplify, simplify There's too much stuff in my room What they say true What you own can end up owning you Too many gadgets installed on my body A smartphone overload has left me empty This 5G cyborg missing humanity I'd find this all funny but my firmware's updating Simplify, simplify There's too much tech in my head What they say true What you own can end up ending you Life is tough with all the stuff Demanding me to do something about it The first world problems You and me got em I crave more space and there's only one way Crunching the numbers and making a budget My Amazon wishlist? I'm sure I can fudge it The once shiny things are starting to rust The goal posts have moved, I have to adjust Simplify, simplify There's too much stuff in my room What they say true What you own can end up owning you
3.
In the room of night We're digested by the beast Darkness is a hunger That swallows everything The glow of distant homes Like tiny islands on the sea Can we cross the chasm Between you and me? There's too much room In the room of night We're so comfy being bored Our heads too full of emptiness To sail to distant shores Secure in little nests With all our pretty things There's no need to worry If there's no time to think There's too much room In the room of night We pray for revolution At last the Messiah comes To rewrite the constitution We didn't lift a finger We merely cast the ballot Are we surprised to realize We're swirling down the toilet? There's too much room
4.
Thank God 02:37
Raise your cupped hands to my lips So I may drink of you Whisper your name into my ears So I may sing of you I've been a wayward son Who's strayed from the path I see the light of your face Will always brings me back Thank you, God For all your mercy Praise you, Lord For all of your love Has carried me through hard times And is calling me home Thank you, God Praise you, Lord Lay me down on a golden bed So I may dream of you Raise me up beyond the clouds So I may be with you When I meet you there I’ll finally see I'm no longer bound by shackles I am truly free Thank you, God For all your mercy Praise you, Lord For all of your love Has carried me through hard times And is calling me home Thank you, God Praise you, Lord
5.
Smash the stained glass Wood frame up in flames All in the name of freedom Then sweep up the mess And pretend to forget All in the name of freedom Keep chasing more Bigger houses, smaller phones All in the name of freedom Live forever in clouds Without a care for the ground All in the name of freedom Welcome home, Mr. President Back to business as usual Like the last four years Were just a bad dream Weary bones feel Older than their years All in the name of progress We work til we’re broke And decay like compost All in the name of progress Welcome home, Mr. President Back to business as usual Like the last four years Were just a bad dream Welcome home, Mr. President Let’s right this ship With the same old script To make a few folks rich Call me a cynic But I’ve seen it before When we pin our hopes On old white men And in the battle for the American Dream It seems that dream Isn’t for everybody But I hope this time It’s different Welcome home, Mr. President Back to business as usual Like the last four years Were just a bad dream Welcome home, Mr. President Let’s right this ship With a few new scripts That’s all we wish
6.
Half Moon 03:34
Half moon on the rise Cast your sideways smile Unsettled uneven Longing for completion Though the night is lonely And I'm searching for a friend I look up and wonder About the secrets in your head Half moon through the trees Bathe me in your sea I shiver for shelter Kneeling at your altar You're always on the run In this tango with the Earth Though you grin I wonder if The separation hurts? Half of our faces catch the light We show our pretty colors Half of us hidden away Even from ourselves The shadow side we cannot see We hardly know it's there The aching in our marrow Isn't going anywhere Half moon for a day You rise and fall away Descending into darkness Or towards full display When you find your rest Out there in the spheres Who will be there with you To wipe away your tears?
7.
Keep it innocent She's too young for me But the curves beneath her tight white shirt Make me forget she's 17 Don't do nothing that you'd regret The hunger pangs Of this human need An animal lust I cannot trust This fruit I dare not eat Don't do nothing that you'd regret I need to think with my head But I've got two minds about it The one upon my shoulders Is pulling on the reins When my lower instincts say Wouldn’t getting laid Feel great? Don't do nothing that you'd regret This would have disastrous consequences Don't do nothing that you'd regret This would have disastrous consequences
8.
Tightrope 02:51
Bite my tongue and swallow my words Eyes roll back like rolling dice Gamble with God just to stay alive Something growing in the back of my mind Seize my body, plot the fall I'm somewhere else, nowhere at all My life on a tightrope Feet follow the thin line Hope not to trip, slip Who will catch me if I sway too far Who will catch me Catch me if I fall? A soundless fury chokes on pride Call 911, an emergency Strapped to a ride called surgery It's all in my head, there's nothing to fear Says the scientist who concocted me With volatile brain chemistry My life on a tightrope Feet follow the thin line Hope not to trip, slip Who will catch me if I sway too far Who will catch me Catch me if I fall?
9.
Keep Going 03:43
Rivers on concrete Cresting down drain pipes Flowing towards some unknown Umbrellas blooming Like gardens in springtime Each of us longing for home To be cozy and dry Like hot apple pie Bleary eyed from sleeping in To roll out of bed Without a care in our heads That's what keep us going Crossing the oceans Sloshing in rain boots Ships passing by at night Brake lights with red eyes Glaring, each drive by Has one tired soul at the wheel To be safe and warm Like baked chicken parm And a beer to wash it down To crawl in to bed With no texts to send That's what keep us going When everything slows to a stop And the weight just drops After working myself to the floor To feed these mouths I know why I gotta keep going But sometimes I wonder how To know there's a feast That's waiting for me For all of us at the end Cause we can depend On loved ones and friends That's what keep us going

about

This album was written and recorded entirely during November 2020 for the National Solo Album Month challenge (nasoalmo.org). During this month I had been experiencing a recurrence of focal seizures - symptoms that I haven't had since 9 years ago and ultimately led to having brain surgery.

In the midst of not knowing what was going on with my brain, I thought that I really wanted something to leave behind in case something happened to me. I have been pretty shy about sharing my music and this scary incident lit the fire under me to write this album.

The results of the MRI were sent over recently and the great news is that there is no evidence of a tumor - Thank God! I feel blessed to have good health and the medication I am taking seem to help with the seizures.

So much love to you all and I hope you enjoy this album <3

credits

released November 30, 2020

All instruments performed by Nate Gerry

Cover art: "Current Convergence" by Cameron Grayson (www.camsconsciouscreations.com)

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Nate Gerry Boston, Massachusetts

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