From The Rise Of Fall
Scoop up the cassette version here.
Copyright, Philip Radiotes.
Drums of Track 2 by Kevin Estrada
Saxophone on Track 5 by John Paul Labno
Cello on Track 10 by Timothy Rusterholz
Life Savings [lyrics][hide]
The Old High Road Again [lyrics][hide]
Endeavour [lyrics][hide]
Caught In The Wild [lyrics][hide]
Detonator [lyrics][hide]
Bee Liner [lyrics][hide]
Poisonberry [lyrics][hide]
Don’t Just Say Goodbye To Jacky [lyrics][hide]
In My Heart Of Hearts [lyrics][hide]
Swiss Time [lyrics][hide]
LIFE SAVINGS
what once was
the trailhead
is paved over
in gold
the millwright
and woodshaper
look like they’ve
seen a ghost
you can pawn away humanity
to see how them dice’ll roll
but can’t buy it out of hock
once it’s been resold
foreign sight
forward line
first light of the day
turn a lock
turning clock
stash the lot away
why would i trust it all to you
i saved my life to pay your dues
what once was
the bread of life
is now reduced
to crumbs
with no holes
carved in our fife
and no skin
on our drums
you can lead a life of celibacy
you can barter off your passion
but you can’t divy up mercy
and want back one lump sum
warring hearts
warning shots
while worn in lies await
thirty large
and forty yard
in fifty year I saved
why would i trust it all to you
i saved my life to pay your dues
what was once
a treasure hunt
is now a treasury
pensioneer
profiteer
a life promissory
why would I trust it all to you
THE OLD HIGH ROAD AGAIN
you say
the green of my eyes
changes whenever we part
henceforth
they’re curse to remain
the blue of a used car
green light
a total rewrite
of timelines as you see fit
soft facts
that won’t overmatch
the strength of your narrative
i won’t let it stand it in your way
i’m quietly stepping aside
i won’t let it stand in your way
i’m better off taking
the high road again
the high road again
you feel left off at start
but it’s made right in the end
the high road again
last night
your squire came by
enquiring of where you sleep
some lied
and others denied
but i told him everything
young mare
height of her prime
as spry as a springtime breeze
trots off
and took him away
to badlands of treachery
i won’t let it stand it in your way
i’m quietly stepping aside
i won’t let it stand in your way
i’m better off taking
the high road again
the high road again
you feel left off at start
but it’s made right in the end
the high road again
ENDEAVOUR
it’s a shame to see you now
after all the fog has dulled away
with the moon gone void
at the southern node of fate
we were once set with stars
a traveling exhibit through the dark
we would glow yellow and
throw off a lover’s static
who’s fighting for you now?
who will draw a bow at my conceit
with a belt cinched tight
and a pair of hounds at feet?
a correlation is visible
the god of night will surely intervene
for i fell from favor
no one can help me back up
there is no last endeavor
never again shall myth ascend
where you are
up there in a fabled
tangle of stars
CAUGHT IN THE WILD
don’t be fooled by rumors that run around
believe my eyes
they never looked astray
though barely do they matter now
we’re out of time
a move must be made
so never
tell another soul
no never
little did we know
that all the while
we were caught in the wild
it’s time to back away now
so never
let anything show
no never
little did we know
that all the while
we were caught in the wild
it’s time to back away now
a tattle tale’d and a whistle blown
but i hold my faith
the secret will be safe
you could be stretched out beyond form
burned over hot coal
and never show the pain
the fight has left our hearts
the breath to fan a flame
we formed a whole picture
from peaking through a gate
but you had to be on my side
and I had to hesitate
now both of us are lost
DETONATOR
we are the smugglers
who must hide undercover
we draw the borders
that define a landowner
the nation we recognize
unrealized in our time
we will not see ourselves as wrong
he’s the detonator
just an aggravator
common misbehavior
to capture the brief notice
of the world
we are the remnants
of a past turbulent sense
we are the penance
for our war adolescence
celebrity criticize
radical be decried
we will not see ourselves as wrong
he’s the detonator
just an aggravator
common misbehavior
to capture the brief notice
and recapture the primal hiss
of the world
BEE LINER
well i walked smack down
through the thicket of a crowd
thicket of a crowd
buzzing around her hive
there’s a direct route
it seems no one else has found
no one else has found
and come back alive
only time can track the trail we forge
only time can clear the undergrowth
only time can mark the twists and turning
only time
she’ll round that bend
then she’ll swing open her door
swing open her door
and fly right on by
though I’m not sure when
I’ll be there to hop aboard
there to hop aboard
and not get left behind
only time can cut the trail we forge
only time can clear the undergrowth
only time can bring us one stop closer
only time
bee liner
express economy rider
bee liner
straight shot
always know the way to my heart
we will cross time zones
but will never make a stop
never make a stop
or even slow in speed
through the lost zip codes
where there’s no commuter jobs
no commuter jobs
for a worker bee
only time can cut the trail we forge
only time can clear the undergrowth
only time can bring us one step closer
only time
bee liner
express economy rider
bee liner
straight shot
always know the way to my heart
POISONBERRY
pointed beams of cathode ray
synthesized to simulate
or to poke the precise recessive trait
at the width human eyes will dilate
a poison berry potent drop
diluted in your teacup
but ignore formula and folk wisdom
any recipe will stay in your system
new lost life
our rush to fall apart
career highlight
and tranquilizer dart
whether it’s right or wrong
whether it lasts the whole night long
whether it spells our end
or whether i’ll find you once again
saturated electric
somewhat get the full effect
but i can’t hold a candle to that flame
only call the essence by another name
new lost life
our rush to fall apart
career highlight
and tranquilizer dart
whether it’s right or wrong
whether it lasts the whole night long
whether it spells our end
or whether i’ll find you once again
we’ll not notice
as it begins
to take effect
portion size under control
a poison berry swallowed whole
and a study on view
for dear life i’m glued onto you
DON’T JUST SAY GOODBYE TO JACKY
he came on a boat
now routed by plane
we find a home
where another turns away
before you go on packing
listen up
what accent to hide
what words will translate
we can’t go on
and it won’t just go away
this sort of thing must be confronted
don’t just say goodbye to jacky
say goodbye to you and me
minority rule
suspicion and doubt
he knew our place
on the inside looking out
first to put a foot down
and say no
he stood for beliefs
somehow, vilified
we changed our law
and he vanished from our sight
it’s like the whole thing never happened
don’t just say goodbye to jacky
don’t just say goodbye to leave
don’t just say goodbye to jacky
don’t just say goodbye to you and me
one hand there to clench
one hand there to guide
a hand to lend
and a hand to push aside
only came together
to wave goodbye
MY HEART OF HEARTS
in my heart of hearts
where I take no stance
I will lay my troubles down
and accept guidance
yes i know this fight has gotten
out of hand
By October First,
all the days turned cruel
the horizon stared at me
like a sinking fool
i would dream
my boots could trace
out a plan
but wake to doubt
where each next step
should land
in the dollar book
from the goodwill bin
i was warned something was wrong
I had not dealt with
like a stray i fumble towards
some abandoned sound
a long forgotten
call homeward i found
was my heart of hearts
from the rise of fall
to cold’s exile
we cremate our hopes for warmth
in a scrap wood pile
and our parting words
will end in mistrial
spoken with no thought of a denial
for our heart of hearts
SWISS TIME
minute hand, travels slow
a exact distillation to grasp
often lost, mutable
piling each one on top of the last
hour hand moving fast
hurtling towards a new storyline
open book, cardinal
but the wind turned the page, not I
two drifting orbits
adjoin for a moment
to travel together
and separate
never to happen again
wait for me then
second hand stuck in place
ever fixed in position to keep
us from the passing of time
memory retrograde
to retrace its eternal design
two drifting orbits
adjoin for a moment
to travel together
and separate
never to happen again
wait for me then