Get all 26 John Alan Kennedy releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Future Never Happens, Fugue in Pi, Hexahexagram, When the Sky Lays Down, no coast, Amontillado, There Are Roots in Every Cellar, the darling parts of May, and 18 more.
1. |
Only One Boat
02:39
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smelled smoke, saw a wolf-yellow sky
the yellow turned black just before it caught fire
the old family farm fell black to the ground
my baby girl asked me where do we go now?
i thought she asked me are we gonna die?
found a bunch of thorns in my rosewater candle
bailed some water from the roof of my well
tried to mop up the swell of the currents in my cupboard
the same black swell left my horses nearly drowned
mama always told me there was only one boat
so you better get real good with all your swim strokes
i want my baby girl to eat apples like candy
i want my baby girl to grow up
i want the stars to shine on her smile every night
i want this all to be so
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2. |
That's Curiosity
03:24
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Is it the moon or is it something with a dark side?
Is it the sun or is it something you’d rather not shine on you?
Is it your life or somebody’s plan for you?
Is it your time or everyone else’s time too?
Is it your blood in your veins or is it your father’s blood?
Is it your father’s blood or the apes and the stars?
Do you desire to reach destiny or does it feel much too far?
That’s the charm
That’s the choice
That’s no crime
That’s curiosity
Is it love or just an excuse to hurt half the time?
Is it to fuck or is it to share every inch every time?
Is it a tragedy or is it something that happened to somebody else?
Is it your first or your very very last time?
Is it heaven or just hell for devils?
Is it to die or to see the light for the first time?
Is it heaven? Or just hell for devils?
That’s the charm
That’s the choice
That’s no crime
That’s curiosity
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3. |
When the Sky Lays Down
02:55
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when the sky lays down
and the lights go calm
when the moon gets high
the night birds sing
but they won’t sing until the morning if they’re lonely
the palm wine flows
til the moon gets low
there’s a whistle in the distance coming home
when the sun comes up
and the train rolls in
and the wheels get slow
i hope i see you in the window
when your eyes see mine
and the whole world fades
i will hope you smile
i hope you'll take my hand when we stumble
when my heart gets hurt
and my throat goes dry
and i can’t remember ever loving any other
i will hope you smile
til the sky lays down
i know that dreams so rarely do come easy
when the sky lays down
and the night goes calm
when your eyes see mine
i hope you smile
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4. |
Cold Side of the Avenue
02:28
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you always walked on the cold side of the avenue
you always hid down deep in your coat
you always took steps so quiet and well-measured
i never thought that one day you’d keep going
quick down the avenue, past the alleyway and bodega,
softly through shadows as dark as your hair
you reached the corner, i watched you turn your head
you blew me a kiss, and then you let go
slower than slow
undeterred by the engines
egged on by indifference or maybe your tears
crushed in the intersect of horror and fear
i never thought that one day you’d keep going
i never thought that one day you’d be gone
i never thought that one day you’d stop trying
i never thought that one day you’d be gone
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5. |
50 Tons of Rose
03:53
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There they go
fifty tons of rose
into your stove
a kiss-off in smoke
all fifty rows
that my grandmother sowed.
maybe i was too much?
i know i’m more than most
or maybe i was never even close
am i deaf?
am i dumb?
am i way too slow?
i tried to watch your show
the hours flowing
like tears they’d roll
i guess that’s how it goes
i know, i know, i know, i know
who has time for this?
i know, i know, i know, i know
it’s so so phony
there i go
fifty pounds of way too slow
i guess i’ll never grow
i know, i know, i know, i know
i’m so so phony
i know, i know, i know, i know
so so phony
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6. |
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all of 16 in a town with a checkerboard start
dreaming of dreams that are bound to fall apart
Mamaw had a still where she fell in a molotov dress
Granpa’s got a claw for a hand, tried to beat the flames dead
girls are the most crazy when their sisters are most shy
i spied one at the picture show so i told her a lie
i told her i was superman, i swore i could fly
she said “that’s just a dream boy” --still she smiled
she was the first dream that i wish was all mine
sweet tart cold beautiful like lemon icebox pie
now i’m 21 in a city that claims to be
everything to everyone from everywhere that’s made it
lights tend the sky higher up than Granpa ever climbed
people line the streets falling down dirtier than dimes
my dreams seem most crazy when i take ‘em out on the town
they’re the most popular with the folks beat most down
but still these are the dreams that i’ll dream for all time
because they’re beautiful
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7. |
Pink and Sorry
03:52
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i can tell that you care about me
about as much as you care for yourself
and that is not a helluva lot
as i can tell by the way you wake up
every day so tired
every day so tired
with your eyes deep in debt
and they’re pink and sorry
as you squint at the sun, and moaning roll over
you reach out and then you pull down the shades
until you’re hidden in the loving arms of shadow
until you’re folded in the loving arms of shade
and you reach for your cigarettes
it’s the third pack since early last night
and you shake til you shudder
you shake til you shudder
and you pick up your cell to see what you’ve missed
and you shuffle to the toilet to sit down and piss
then it’s off to the fridge
empty as ever
empty as ever
and it’s cold but it feels alright for someone...
...pink and sorry
now it’s half an hour later and you’re back from the deli
sippin’ at your regular before you remember i’m there
and i can tell that you care about me
about as much as you care for yourself
and that is not a helluva lot
as i can tell by the way you wake up or by the way you don’t
every day so tired
every day so tired
pink and sorry
pink and sorry...
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8. |
Lions Will Eat
04:17
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on the sharp side of town
there's a hole with a fence
but nothing gets through
and it doesn't make sense.
that's the place where i fell
there was blood on my knee
the glass cut clean through
and looked into me.
let it all in
prove you're alive
then let it all go
at the end of the night
there's a hole in my brain
it's deeper than deep
and nothing escapes.
that's the place where i fly
there are birds at my feet
giraffes stumble through
and the lions will eat.
let it all in
prove you're alive
then let it all go
where the whiskey's too sweet
and the people too loud
we never quite meet
we're all just too proud.
there are things never said
because nothing gets through
it doesn't make sense
but that's what we do.
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9. |
There's a Quake
02:40
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it ain’t all about fault sometimes
it’s about the stories
the ones that you tell yourself
to keep your hands clean
it ain’t all about what they done to you
you probably let ‘em
sometimes you wanna see what you can take
and you end up dirty
where there’s a quake
there’s always a fault
and we all get shaken
nobody gets to be a hero
until someone gets broken.
it ain’t all about you sometimes
there really are others
they are the ones that you walk on by
to make your life easy
it ain’t all about you, my friend
it ain’t about me neither
it’s about the life that we make together
no matter our intentions
where there’s a quake
there’s always a fault
and we all get shaken
nobody gets to be a hero
until someone gets broken.
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10. |
Building a Clown
02:48
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my mouth is coming around
my mount, she’s coming to town
my mental get-out is starting to calm down
my mouth’s taken a vow, my mouth’s coming down
my mouth is coming around
my countess is milking me deep down
i measure her rout by drowning the town
she pleasures my pout by building a clown
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11. |
You Haven't Tried Yet
03:17
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you can relax in the valley of your hope
you can dance at the funeral of dreams that are no more
you can watch the roll of the credits that are your life
and you can watch while the mouth of the world takes you whole
to an empty whore of a town
you can cry til your eyeballs ache
you can cling to your lover but you can’t escape
you can cry bloody murder for the things you made
but you’ll never leave this town
you haven’t tried yet
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12. |
Belly Up
03:53
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i found a bottle in the corner of your closet
it was empty but it surely wasn’t broken
i filled it up with a beleaguered shade of bourbon
i placed a feather on the seal that you had broken
belly up, belly up, belly up
she’ll take you home but it’s a favor for your girlfriend
cuz she’ll feel better if she thinks you’re built the same
she’ll spin the bottle every time you run an errand
she’ll spin a story every time you look away
belly up, belly up, belly up
(this ain’t speakeasy, no no speakeasy)
if you believe that bottle’s never used for heavy drinkin’
you can look away look away look away
but if her kiss tastes like another shade of bourbon
you should run away run away run away
if you believe that beetle’s on his back just for singalong
i’ve got a bottle of some bourbon, you should try it
and you can swing your legs until you’re done forgettin’
and you can spin the bottle til the bugs are dead and gone
belly up, belly up, belly up
(this ain't speakeasy, no no speakeasy)
it’s gettin’ mighty late
you should make a real decision
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John Alan Kennedy Houston, Texas
Brains like music. Take advantage while you can.
John Alan Kennedy is "a Houston musician fluent in a vast swath of innovative and progressive music." Andrew Dansby, Houston Chronicle
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