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the curve

by noah mclaughlin

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1.
Heart on the Outside 03:22
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She holds her heart on the outside of her skin Makes the best of me rise out of the din In this saloon of tired souls Broken chains sing each other whole She holds her heart on the outside of her skin Sea-change eyes & bitter gin A bite of brine & a song of sin Her name can conjure ever last blue sky Her voice may crack, may be slick or sly Her hands may mold, make silent calls Her lips can catch me when I fall Her name can conjure ever last blue sky Sea-change eyes & bitter gin A bite of brine & a song of sin I am building a tower of song With amber tunes that rhyme her name along The curve her hips may trace beneath The hymn her body sings within my hungry reach Babylon would blush to play this game Pull aside the curtain, give this tune a name Call it bliss or rapture Call it what you will Set me on my course and give me to my quill Set me out my course, let me eat my fill Sea-change eyes & bitter gin A bite of brine & a song of sin
2.
And All Because She Said Hello 02:55
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There was a time he never knew her But that was long after they met There was a time they were embracing But that was long before she said, "Hello." There was a time when she was silent That was how she let things be There was a time that he forgot her But there was a bridge over the sea The hours are a plastic thing They bend to the heat of love They always wind their way Back to here, back to now There was a time they were together But that was after their depart There was a call into the aether A red string between their hearts The hours are not for keeping You only follow them along They always wind their way Back to here, back to now There was a time he never knew her But that was long after they met There was a time they were embracing But that was long before she said, "Hello."
3.
Whiskey Serenade 04:20
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She bites her lip and she says "whiskey" So I pour a shot smooth as her smile And we talk of love and lust and leather We put off sleep for awhile We fall into that bottle Fall under its spell And grin This conversation is like fencing Half in jest, half a test We are circling an emptiness Waiting to step, waiting to rest We fall into that rhythm Fall under its spell And dance Be my north star, my confessor Mend me with gold when I'm undone These depths of want and aspiration This yearning hot like August sun Let us fall into that fire Fall into that flame And burn
4.
Strictly Speaking 03:59
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in a real sense, you are not here just a ghost and her words in that same way, i am absent we have but dreams upon this earth with nothing but poetry and your crooked smile that blush could make a man walk a hundred miles how long has it been since lust last let me in strictly speaking it's been a while i try with all my might to shadow those steps that once seemed so clear then you remind me, it's a slow waltz you distract me from my fear i have this 1, 2, 3 and your embrace you have white satin and your crimson lace there are a hundred things of beauty in this world but strictly speaking it's you i chase i close my mouth to swallow every last phrase that you might say i open my eyes up to follow your every last swing and sway you are a curve to my straight line you turn my head with your swerve fine how long can we go on without a single touch strictly speaking, it's time how i long to hear you say those simple words "strictly speaking, you're mine"
5.
The Long Way 03:33
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it wasn't so much that i strayed but a tempest gale and ropes that were frayed and so i'll take the path that winds 'round your heart you draw these lines i'm taking the long way back to you it's a lasting quest but i am strong wait for the tide to come along sail my ship(s) though winds are lean sail through storms of Mnemosyne i'm taking the long way back to you do you sing my eulogy do hear my sigh i gave it to the wind for you do you dare dream i am still alive happy Ulysses is coming home after such a callous road alone in Ilium shone those towers bright but nothing like your eyes tonight i've taken the long way back to you
6.
Never Stop Writing You 01:10
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i want to pray at your altar sing the hymns of your flesh put my tongue to your host and taste the wine of your sweat i want to watch all your shadows be chained to the wall of you dream of sunshine unimagined you could be the truth of me i want to know all your secrets break into your offices steal through the darkness leave my calling card but never a fingerprint i want to decipher the code of you scrawl glosses in your margins stain my fingers black and memorize your dog-eared pages i want to keen at your vespers bind my wrist to yours speak those verses deciphered keep your secrets close to my heart i want to never stop writing you
7.
Wound 04:55
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This undiscovered country before us sprawls undone An echo 'cross the canyon, this flesh I would you strum I am your six-string waiting, play me to the bone I want to feel your fingers pressing, want to hear the chords, to drown Oh my flesh is aching Oh I am so wound This taut string you are playing Come and pluck me from the ground Patience is a virtue that leads to every vice Hold me, hold me, hold me down: I would pay you every price I will craft you steel caresses, put the pedal to the floor Never mind the distance gone; I am burning to the core Oh my flesh is aching Oh I am so wound This taut string you are playing Come and pluck me from the ground In this apocalypse - creation, in this ending I renew In this waiting lies a fullness: hues of plenitude You are my undoing: to this surrender I will pledge To hear the song you're keening, I will ride the razor's edge Oh I am left bleeding Oh I am so wound This taut string you are playing Come and pluck me from the ground Come and take me to the ground
8.
Long Winter 03:18
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do you know the sound of the snow fall? have you tasted bitter cold? have you tread the banks of whiteness have you lived where i called home? there were long nights of wanting there was ice and there was snow the edges of the barren trees kept pointing where i did not go oh the long winter is over now it begins come again the day of hours let the right one in did you know: your name's a flower? did you know how much you croon? how long in twilight did i wander now i marvel at your bloom i knew you before i saw you but didn't know my own shade i always sensed this tune within me just didn't know how it was played oh the long winter is over now it begins come again the day of hours let the right one in oh the long winter is over now we begin come again the day of hours oh lover let me in
9.
They Really Are 02:49
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Are the stars out tonight? Are they calling your name, Are they singing a gold revelation? A manifestation? Are the spheres in heavens? Are they spinning in time? Are they ringing a bold harmony? A red melody? Are the tempest winds blowing? Are they whistling your bones? Are they filling the sails of the Argo? Wherever she go?
10.
Come Down Tonight 04:19
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Why don't you come down tonight Bring all your books and all your knives Why don't you try and take your time Why don't you come down Bring all your books and knives Teach me everything 'bout your pain Tie me up and break me down one more time Why don't you come down tonight Teach me everything 'bout your pain Talk along the scars that you hide I will sing your shadows as a refrain Why don't you come down tonight Talk along the scars that you hide Why don't try and take your time I will wait here I will not say a word But you gotta come on down tonight Hey... Why... Don't you ... Come down tonight Why don't you try and take your time There ain't no rushing to the truth Just you and me and this old hotel room Why don't you come down tonight There ain't no rushing to the truth This is just how we know we're alive We cut each other without meaning to Why don't you come down tonight Hey... Why... Don't you ... Come down tonight

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released September 22, 2012

cover art by thomas hawk: thomashawk.com

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noah mclaughlin Atlanta, Georgia

Appalachian distortion, folk samples, and ancient myths.

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