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Rescue What You Can

by Tyler Taylor

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1.
Alright 07:02
She appeared out of nowhere, a stranger across the bar, as the paper fell from my hand. She caught it with her slender sinewy arm before it hit the floor. She said, "We'll have to make this work as an introduction". Then she read my scribbles out loud. It said, "I thought that I had caught her But her heart decayed to clay So I went and asked her father Why his daughter couldn't stay "He said I shouldn't even bother, he taught her That love dies long, long, long before it grays 'The wind whips across the water Which will wash you right away'" So I said it wasn't mine. She said, "Oh no?" I said, "Okay it is, it was, but that was a long long time ago." She sat down across the table and said, "I don't know what's worse-- Recalling or dreaming or thinking or writing or speaking in verse." So I stopped. I stopped. I did. She sipped her drink. I gulped mine. My face was red. I looked up at the TV. I watched whispers of war, watched markets free-fall. She said nothing. I bit my nails. I started to stand. She said, "Not yet." She shook her head. She set down her glass and she said, "This gritty rusty world has got me feeling kind of shitty The apocalypse that's coming's got me weighed down in pity So if you're still feeling, if you're still feeling... witty I guess I'd just like to hear... something pretty." So I said, "The sky over our city is gonna fall tonight But I don't want you to think it won't be alright Out west the moon's still shining bright And I'd like to see you in campfire light The mountains are still standing, the snow will melt The falls remind us how fairy tales felt The Leviathan smiles but he's miles from here We've got a little while before he's anywhere near We'll spill our dark secrets in some ruined hotel Then skip out to the courtyard to throw them down the wishing well Down the wishing well "When the ocean catches fire, the air turns black We'll fight for the future, forget about the past Climb the crumbling towers till the view is clear Then watch it all disappear But we're still here We're still here." Then I stopped, embarrassed, and mumbled to the floor, "I'm really not the fine man you may take me for. My past has died, my present lies, and it's only when the world ends that I'll hit my stride. But if you have a little patience till the end of days, we can talk awhile, and stay up late." She said, "That's a fucked up way to ask me if I want to spend the night." Then she said, "Alright."
2.
Grew 04:25
In haunted homes Our minds overflowed With Nintendo codes The faint whiff of new pheromones The world still unknown Still throwing a soft glow We were small, weak and prone To being blown away by cyclones And now that we're grown Heads hung low under car loans Our bones they moan As we reach for the phone It's not our fault the world's corroded and slowed But we won't bitch and moan about what we think we're owed We're older than we should be It's colder than it could be My shoulder can hold both you and me We grew Into our shadows We knew What the future held The truth Was pretty simple We accrued lots of secrets but we had nothing knew to tell We've overflowed with haunted homes Nintendo codes and pheromones A sudden glow, a world unknown Pay no mind to groaning bones I've heard and seen a lot of things Cast-off rings and summer flings Screaming queens stuck in-between Bitter kings and broken dreams The soothing purr of soft machines The rushing blur of springtime streams The way your eyes shined and beamed The last time that we got clean The soothing purr of soft machines The rushing blur of springtime streams The way your eyes shined and beamed The last time that we got clean The last time that we got clean We grew into our shadows, knew what the future held We accrued a lot of secrets, but nothing new to tell I accrued a lot of secrets, but nothing new to tell Except the way your eyes shined and beamed The last time that we got clean
3.
Why'd you come back? Why couldn't you leave well enough alone? Did you think that I'd come crawling on my knees back home? Since I did, don't you think That it should have been a warning sign? After what you did, and what I'm doing Something's not right in my mind You were right about everything but me When you said I was kind and good and honest through and through I'm not half the man I pretended to be I'm wrong about everything but you You should have let it rest Let us both keep our illusions It would have been best Not to come to this sad conclusion Cause now you have to see My darker predilections And my hungriest addictions That have all been set free You were right about everything but me I'm gonna close my eyes and hope that you're gone by the time I count to three Cause you broke my heart so if you give me the chance I'll break yours, too Now that's what I do I'm wrong about everything but leaving you I can't take you back tomorrow But I'll take you in tonight We'll lie sweetly to each other Say everything's all right But there's still a bright light in the space between us I thought had all but died I don't need it where I'm going So you should take it, I don't mind In the morning when I wake up And I know that you're gone I'll never ever let go I'll just stop holding on
4.
Winter 03:34
I'm not quite dying But I'd be lying If I keep denying That the dark is rising The dark is rising Don't think I haven't drawn back the curtains Seen the falling snow, heard the calling crows And other signs of the squall Don't think I didn't make goddamn certain I could see the words are clawed six inches deep Into the wall The dark is rising The dark is rising But no No, I'm not dying No, no I'm far from dying A little bit of winter don't mean a thing A little bit of winter, it don't mean a thing I've got a warm warm blanket and a thousand dreams So a little bit of winter don't mean a thing Whatever the rising darkness brings The freeze is never quite as deep as it first seems A little bit of winter don't mean a thing We'll build a fire and sing sing sing I've got a warm warm blanket and a thousand dreams So a little bit of winter don't mean a thing A little bit of winter don't mean a thing A little bit of winter don't mean a thing
5.
Suck You Dry 07:02
I didn't used to be this way I didn't used to be this way I didn't used to be Used to be this way My tie smiles for me My wallet thinks for me My phone speaks for me I didn't used to be this way They say I'll live forever They say I'll live forever They say I'll live forever They say I'm never gonna die They tamed me And they named me They trained me And they paid me They explained They were gonna ordain me Then they laid me Out on the rug And they drained They drained my veins of blood They sucked me dry I know I took it bravely There was no one there to save me My bridges were burned When they come on back to wake me I'm not afraid of what I'm craving I lick my lips I wake as the daylight's fading I can see my future plainly It's glowing bright Spin me around to the window Tell me what I need to sell I'm getting kind of hungry So point me towards that smell Through the whole in your soul Your neck, wrist or thigh I'm gonna suck you dry I'll suck you dry I'll suck you dry... I'm gonna suck you dry! And I'm never gonna die! So just give it up, and close your eyes I'm gonna suck you, gonna suck you dry Through the whole in your neck, your wrist or thigh I'm never ever, never ever gonna die I'm gonna suck you dry! And I'm never gonna die! Cause I'll suck you dry! Through the whole in your soul, your neck or your thigh! Please drive a stake through my heart Before I tear you, tear your apart You better drive a stake through my heart Before I tear you, tear you apart And I suck you dry Or else I'm never gonna die
6.
Vu Deja 02:14
I don't miss your touch I don't miss it all that much "Trust me, I'll be fine," I lied In the backseat of your car We measure how far apart we are And decide Maybe we've taken this a bit too far This is a strange case of vu deja It hasn't happened before but it will someday And I swear that when it does you'll wrap my arms back around you You won't remember this time when it happens again But it'll feel familiar just beneath your skin And you'll probably chalk it up to deja vu Four months have gone by and you still deny That you may have made a mistake And you don't know why when you say my name Your legs uncontrollably shake When you lie awake at night My ghost floats around you in the moonlight If you touch my shadow on your bedroom wall You can breathe me back to life This is a strange case of vu deja It hasn't happened before but it will someday And I swear that when it does you'll wrap my arms back around you You won't remember this time when it happens again But it'll feel familiar just beneath your skin And we'll probably chalk it up to deja vu
7.
Table It 05:25
Let's assess the present situation Open up a channel of communication Consolidate the team's integrated cooperation You know my expectations of increased integration Let's take it to the next iteration Let's table it Let's take it offline Let's table it Ping me when you've got the time Let's table it We'll try to shift the whole paradigm Increase productivity Reduce negativity We're gonna nurture creativity But we'll have to stifle all this sensitivity We've got a lot of competition in these harsh market conditions But you're all integral parts of our new value proposition So help me help you make a smooth transition To expand the definition of your current position Let's touch base And let's table it Wait till we're off the clock Let's table it We'll figure it out ad-hoc Let's table it Let's do it outside the box Let's table it But touch base tonight Let's touch base tonight Your next will show a bump in compensation for that HR violation To ensure my actions won't impact the corporation's reputation You should be proud of all your efforts and energy Vis-a-vis your mastery of synergy I know you're expecting much more executive visibility But ideally you'll bury my memory underneath that trembling machinery Ideally you'll bury my memory underneath that trembling machinery Ideally you'll bury my memory underneath that trembling machinery Ideally you'll bury my memory underneath that trembling machinery Ideally you'll bury my memory underneath that trembling machinery Um... Where was I... What was I saying... Synergy... corporate visi... energy... Nevermind... Just table it We've gotta shift this paradigm Just table it Ping me when you've got the time Just table it Gonna take this all offline
8.
At the lakehouse they won't find us We're gonna break out of what binds us We're gonna shake out of our shyness We're gonna make out under the stars The mistakes and doubts that used to bind us Can help us make out what defines us We're gonna fake out what's behind us Before it finds us caught off-guard "You gonna flake out like the last time?" Was the first thing that she asked I said, "We're only seventeen We could be moving much too fast" Then she laughed and said, "I think you didn't quite get my point." I said, "I might have missed your words Cause I was so taken by the sound of your voice." We kissed and went inside to find our friends, the keg, and the warming glow of a joint At the lakehouse we'll wake up soused Both wearing our fake daybreak pouts Till we wade out to where the water feels right Swim straight out towards that glimmering light At the lakehouse I said, "They're gonna find out soon this isn't really our place That we chased out the real owners with threats and mace." She said, "Baby trust me, that's the point, we'll be fine When they've got us surrounded that's when you'll shine." At the lakehouse they've got us staked out They say they'll wait us out cause there's no way out And the front gate's doused in warpaint And gasoline We're gonna break out of the lakehouse Through our secret escape route Hear the faint shouts behind us Head straight south towards our submarine We flee unseen along the stream, down the steep ravine Moonbeams tease between the tops of the trees The water's deepening, the cliffs are steepening The pristine evergreens receding We see the floating machine that'll carry us All the way out to the sea It's hard to believe there's no army we lead It's just you and me in this widescreen scene Your skin smells like sweet nectarines I've never seen your face look so serene Like this is your normal evening routine This need to be redeemed By a team of screaming machine-gun Marines Chasing us back to our American dream Sinning with a sweet sincerity Sinking into sweat, we're seventeen
9.
She found me at a party when I was at the end of my wits I didn't know her face but her grace and movements seemed to fit This woman I used to work with, whose tent I once shared She camped out at the office at night to show her bosses that she cared She asked to share a smoke, I told her that I'd quit it "So have I," she said, "That's why we'll split it Birds flocked to her shoulder the moment we stepped outside A gentle breeze wrapped around her, and she started to rise She said, "Each night when I sleep, they hollow out my bones Every morning I feel lighter and sicker and more alone They said I should surrender and I'm beginning to agree I've made a phone call, I've made a deal, they're coming for me" She climbed up on the railing and she stood right on my hand She said, "The more you explore the universe the more it expands" She fell slowly back and forth like an autumn leaf in the sky The only girl in the world for which similes really apply I told her I could save her, I could find her a home She said, "Thanks but you're a little too late and a little too stoned You just stand there confused and obtuse They'll study me or fix me or they'll find me a use" I asked, "Who are they?" She said, "Men of science They'll finally allay all my thoughts of defiance" But she asked me to come with her down to the city docks I hadn't smelled the sea in a while so I took that walk The harbor is covered in fog; I prepare to be brave The wind she carries with her pushes back the waves Out of the haze come men in white suits and masks "Is there gonna be trouble?" the biggest of them asks She touches my cheek and shakes her head She says, "Don't get sentimental, look straight ahead." She walks over and offers up her arm When the syringe plunges in, she feels happy and warm They lay her gently across the seats in the stern But they can't quite get the engine to turn They grab her legs and lift her into the air She sails them away, on towards her repair She sails them home, and I wave goodbye To the only girl in the world to which similes really apply
10.
You've made up your mind You've decided to leave me behind Even as we lie Intertwined Not even sure what went awry Or what crime was enough to bring our demise Or what I'm supposed to imply From your wry tongue-tied goodbye You said, "Quit your crying It's just this night that's dying And I don't want to Do anything more to hurt you" You said, "Keep on going Keep your fear from showing" Cause you're moving on And you won't look back I don't quite get it Which of my bad habits Was enough to make you end it Which word did I say that you couldn't edit It doesn't matter how far you are Cause I'm still here playing your guitar I'm sorry but it's true This starry sky reminds me of you You said, "Quit your crying" It's just my mind that's dying Soon there won't be Anyone left to hurt you She said, "Keep on going Keep your fear from showing I'm grown up now And I can't look back"

about

I put together two albums (this one and "Tell Me That It's There") which are essentially compilations of a lot of the songs I wrote between 2006 and 2011, before forming The Amends with Drew, Chris, and Shay. I really love a lot of these songs, despite the varying levels in quality of recording and singing. None of these songs were professionally recorded-- it was generally just me, my laptop (using Audacity and M-Audio), and a variety of instruments. In many ways, these represent me learning how to be a songwriter (if that's what I am now). A good chunk of the early ones are about a particular breakup, which actually was the catalyst for learning how to create songs-- as unbearably emo as that may sound. If you listen to The Amends, you may recognize some shared DNA in a few of these.

If you download the whole album, there are also three bonus tracks-- the first version of The Amends' "Dandelion Man", a very different version of "Why'd You Come Back", and the title track.

Brief notes on some songs:

"Rescue What You Can" starts the album, but it was the last song of these I wrote. Like its subject matter, it's kind of a schizophrenic song, jumping from a hip-hop bassline to garage to southern rock. The verse lyrics incorporate/pervert Richard Brautigan's great poem, "The Pill Versus The Springhill Mine Disaster". We had already formed The Amends by the time I recorded this. We actually played it live a couple times with Drew on vocals and lead guitar (a big improvement), and if you download the whole album there's a version of The Amends playing it live as a bonus track. If you're into that kind of thing.

"Alright" came from me trying to blend art forms. I wanted to make a short story, a poem, and a song all in one-- and then tack on a punchline at the end. Who knows If I succeeded (but I do know the second half is a bit rushed)

"Suck You Dry" is probably the only vampire/work metaphor-song I'll ever write, but no promises.

"Vu Deja" and "Table It" contain my favorite lyrics I've written, for very different reasons.

"The Lakehouse" is probably a bit much.

"The Bird Woman" is inspired by "This Building Is A Starship". You should Google it if the name intrigues you. If it doesn't, then don't bother because it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like.

"Won't Look Back" was one of the very first songs I wrote (the only one of the batch that isn't quit embarrassing enough to keep locked away forever), and that's kind of how it sounds.

I included "They Can't Make Statues Of Us All" as a bonus track because I love the song but hate the recording of it more than the others. The levels are all over the place, and my voice is worse than usual. This may come back in a different version in the future with The Amends.

credits

released May 20, 2012

All songs written, performed, sung (fairly weakly), and recorded (fairly shoddily) by Tyler Taylor, except:

- "Winter" contains a violin riff similar to the "Deadwood" TV theme

- "Rescue What You Can" adapts lyrics from Richard Brautigan's "The Pill Versus The Springhill Mine Disaster".

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Tyler Taylor Boulder, Colorado

Hi, I'm Tyler. You may know me from my band, The Amends. I'm pretty sure you must if you've found your way here. I made this site so that I could have a place to quietly share my older songs (ones I mostly wrote before founding The Amends with Drew) with anyone who's interested. I recorded and played these myself, so forgive the varying sound quality. All songs are technically free. ... more

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