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High Summer

by Ben Mish

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1.
High Summer 03:47
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HIGH SUMMER Green leaves, full freedom I can see ‘em from my room Waving wildly in the wind We are in the south at noon See the Royal Poinciana Florida Keys in repose So close to the ocean Feel the sand between my toes Paradise is full of promise A place where blooming petals never fall It is high summer, high summer I feel the wonder of it all Guess the autumn will close in Guess a cold front’s bound to come Will it be stable or will it freeze? It’s so rare where we’re from We’ll most likely get the heat 100 degrees is fair From the autumn to the winter Lazing in the wicker chair Paradise is full of promise A place where blooming petals never fall It is high summer, high summer I feel the wonder of it all I heard we once reached 109 That day back in ‘31 Monticello, ‘near the vine But we are caught in an insect sun The hot, the wet, and then the dry day We call it the Sunshine State Here comes another thunderstorm Then the water melts away Paradise is full of promise A place where blooming petals never fall It is high summer, high summer I feel the wonder of it all
2.
My Day Would Come 03:43
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MY DAY WOULD COME I was born into a world Where the air was cold But I knew one day I would find the gold It would be a long road But my day would come And I worked and I hustled And I was on the attack And I felt I’d suffered They didn’t have my back But it was a long road and I knew My day would come I was broken down Down on my knees On account of my own actions I took a look around At who was controlling this destiny I thought it was someone, Always someone other than me Oh, many times I’ve shaken my head At all those who passed by my home And took the trophy instead It’s been a long road But my day will come A wise man Looked at me and he said Does your misfortune grow In your heart or in your head? It’s a long road But my day will come He said you’ve got to reason that Experience is all you have Experience, experience You should look at it as an arch If you wish to live the reality of your dreams You must follow it And you’ve got to realize Oh, the arch will catch the sun as it gleams Oh, there is no end, there will be no seams So don’t cry, young lady On this wonderful day There is something right here That will wash those tears away At the end of it all You might stop yourself and say It was a long road, oh And it was my day all along It was my day all along
3.
Ramshackle Rita 03:28
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RAMSHACKLE RITA By the side of the freeway On a lazy mumblin’ morning It always feels like Sunday The river runs like a storm and I’ve been thinking about all the time We kicked around stale ideas The lights shot up from the city And we threw our fishing poles into the river Hot tramp, sweet angel Can you be everything to me? You show potential But never really crystallize Ramshackle Rita, your bright light is killin’ me Torturous turns of phrase Angel is so amazed She turns the light off And lets the phonograph play Wanderlust is not enough Get to heaven on an omnibus Baby when the feelin’ comes Just remember the thought of us Hot tramp, sweet angel Can you be everything to me? You show potential But never really crystallize Ramshackle Rita, your bright light is killin’ me
4.
Hellhounds 03:20
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HELLHOUNDS I got to keep pushin’ Like some character in a novel Or from a fantasy Some highway ghost With the hell-hounds on his trail Footloose and fancy free Oh, it’s fleeting And you will take a beating When the hellhounds catch up to you But until you meet those creatures face to face There are very few things you have to do And for the most part, life has been easy for you Just as it was for all those who came before Oh, what is simple is true Edith Piaf sings with soul, she’s got the blues Hellhounds are on my trail But I can’t complain Darlin’ look at me, don’t you want me To be someone who couldn’t fail? Not even beneath this strain Oh it’s fleeting And you will take a beating When the hellhounds catch up to you But until you meet those hellhounds face to face There are very few things you have to do And for the most part, life has been easy for you Just as it was for all those who came before Oh, what is simple is true Doesn’t it feel nice? To be so close to where it all began Doesn’t it feel nice? To hold something sacred in your hand Oh it’s fleeting And you will take a beating When the hellhounds catch up to you But until you meet those hellhounds face to face There are very few things you have to do And for the most part, life has been easy for you Just as it was for all those who came before Oh, what is simple is true
5.
Shiny New Suit 03:48
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THE SHINY NEW SUIT So he puts on his shiny new suit His friends and family always told him he looked cute He’s got a smug expression to boot Walking along out on the avenue A lady notices a sparkle in his eye And his gallant stride beneath the burning sky She says, “You are magnificent!” He says, “That’s what I’ve been told” Take a look at yourself Do you like what you see? Take a look at yourself Do you like what you see? He’s always been a student of wealth and health You can see it by the books that line his shelf He says, “When I’m gone, My biography will speak for itself” They get to the fancy restaurant After a romantic little jaunt And she looks over into the mirror With the hopes of seeing a lovely pair Take a look at yourself Do you like what you see? Take a look at yourself Do you like what you see? When she shrieks in horror And drops like a sack to the floor And she sees her companion unguarded In the honest looking glass He turns to it with eyes full of fright Seems the devil’s pleas are blowing through the night And sees himself in rags Meek and lowly – like a string of sticks Take a look at yourself Do you like what you see? Take a look at yourself Do you like what you see? And he darts out the door, never to return again And looms like a scarecrow, crucified in the wind He says, “I’ve seen myself And I ain’t worth all the attention” And he straightens himself up, from his collar to his boot And realizes that there are many who live in fair repute And he says, “Boy, they really made a fool out of me And the illusion of my shiny new suit” Take a look at yourself Do you like what you see? Take a look at yourself Do you like what you see?
6.
Saint John's Road 03:58
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SAINT JOHN’S ROAD You were lovely in the summer I was feeling kind of small I watched you through the thicket Feeling like you’re 10 feet tall If I could put that in a bottle All the loveliness you have But put nectar in a bottle (I don’t think I couldn’t get it) It gets broken like a sieve Down on Saint John’s Road Got a box of Christmas chocolate Got the cards up on the wall You were in the kitchen cooking Doing aerobics then cleaning a pan It is nearly Christmas morning And I think I lost my way I am slumped down in a church pew Guess tomorrow’s just a day Down on Saint John’s Road You had dreams by the truckload Couldn’t hold ‘em in my hands Then they disappeared one morning While the thieves seized the land I am just a character In a story often told About how the hero big on promise Misses the boat and then grows old Down on Saint John’s Road
7.
Big Things 03:40
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BIG THINGS INTRO I now know why the caged bird sings He doesn’t worry about doing big things VERSE Mama told me When I was young You have things to do Before you’re done Walls to build, Mountains to move Fences to scale, Points to prove CHORUS Big things Big things I think of all trouble they bring Big things Big things I’m in the market I’m doing big things VERSE They got here first And they wiped out the natives Planted a flag And a bomb they inflated (ablated) They kill the spirit, And that’s what they’re for Doing big things, Behind closed doors CHORUS Big things Big things I think of all trouble it brings Big things Big things Where are you baby? Doin’ big things BRIDGE Oh, that’s a known profession Oh, that was dad’s obsession And that’s when you do superstition Get it out there and take possession VERSE If I could build a business Make it to scale Even though some things Are not for sale Get a worker to be A hammer and a nail Drive hard on big things And you’ll prevail VERSE I always thought There was a little man Behind the curtain With a master/prudent/pipe-and-a plan He’d ring the bell When things were unfair But there is no little wise man Standing back there CHORUS Big things Big things I think of all trouble it brings Big things Big things Where are you baby? Doin’ big things BRIDGE Make money working, that’s called labor Manage labor, that’s called management Make money off that, that’s called ownership, Jim Make money off people making money, that’s called finance, or original sin VERSE Something in the water The disease that it brings I ate with paupers I dined with kings We carry no water We labor in rings I see no value In doing big things CHORUS Big things Big things I think of all trouble it brings Big things Big things Where are you baby? Doin’ big things
8.
Best I Could 03:30
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BEST I COULD Did I hold you when you needed it? Did I hold you when you cried? Did I listen when you spoke? Did I call it when you lied? I did the best I could Did I do a good job at lovin’ you? Guess I did the best I could Lead us not into temptation Always do the things you should I did the best I could I was stolen by the moment Did I love you in the cold? Did I love you at the right time? I was slumped there in a church pew I did the best I could Did I make you feel safe ? Did I love you when you needed it Did I hold you when it hurt? Did I give you space to grow? I did the best I could
9.
The Glamour Life 01:48
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THE GLAMOUR LIFE Everywhere we go I want to rock I never really know But I never want to stop Roll the tour bus Down that road Ready to ignite Ready to explode Some educated blokes In a cosmic rut Find the right stage To strut their stuff It’s the age old play The roles are the same Change the hairstyle Play the fame game Oh yeah This is what you want Save up all your best So you can flaunt The Glamour Life The Glamour Life The Glamour Life The Glamour Life Café Amore Fifth Avenue Court Scenes start to blur Faces distort Walk through the palace Like you’re on stilts Overindulge Fantasies wilt All the educated blokes Check their brains fast Stash them in the closet With their coat and hat Better by the month Wiser by the years Open up the bottle Wash away the tears Oh yeah This is what you want Save up all your best So you can flaunt The Glamour Life The Glamour Life The Glamour Life The Glamour Life
10.
Windows 02:35
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WINDOWS He looks out his window… There’s a lazy wind blowin’ through the trees The whistle of the piccolo sounds in the night There’s a dancing sky that’s starting to tease The serenading bards who sing to the empty light From wall to wall of each city Writhe the lovers who search for something more It’s a chore and, oh, it’s such a pity That this drudgery is par for the course He looks out his window… The princess tries to sing from her soul But it only comes from her mouth She’s read about the terrors of the dustbowl And the troubles of the soulful south He can barely stand sitting He almost jumps when he sees a lady On the edge of manhood He’s gone love-crazy He opens the window… He put on some cologne And some new-smelling clothes And tries to put on a presentable front He got the giggles and the glares And the nicely trimmed hair Any girl should fall for this stunt And he dreams of whispers on verandas And love in the backseat And nights full of white heat He yearns for the smell of Sandra Whose eyes sweep him off his feet He closes his window… He looks out his window…

credits

released June 7, 2021

Recorded at M.O.B. Studios

Ben Mish - vocals and piano

Engineered by Zech Valette

Lyrics and music written by Ben Mish
Track 10 music inspiration by Dave Grusin

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Ben Mish Seattle, Washington

Ben Mish writes songs and performs them frequently.

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