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Lazarus

by Ben Mish

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1.
SUCKED IN BY THE SIN I took some stock in what I got from my creator Six months without a sin in my refrigerator Then I met a girl, we went to eat, she bared her shoulder Too much food for one meal, but I got to sleep over I feel it coming back, it’s coming back again I feel it coming back, it’s coming back again It’s shiny and seductive and it says that it’s my friend My body was a temple I got sucked in by the sin When we got up we sat and talked about our idols Then we ate pizza and got high and read the Bible We both loved Genesis, got lost on End of Days Or the part where Lazarus came back from the grave I feel it coming back, it’s coming back again I feel it coming back, it’s coming back again It’s shiny and seductive and it says that it’s my friend My body was a temple, I got sucked in by the sin So now I’m sucking in, I’m sucking in again Dawn those cigarettes and damn those temptations Look at the chemicals, they’re fueling my weekend Look at all the people dancin’, getting sucked in by the sin Someday I’m gonna move away And I’ll eat peaches in the shade No longer haunted by the way The food made its way to my plate But I’m gonna miss the Big Gulp And the hot dogs at the ball game When I settle in a golden field Where the wind blows through the grain Because my garden will have snakes When I find my slice of Eden You’ll have to dip me in the lake For some revival-style healing I feel it coming back, it’s coming back again I feel it coming back, it’s coming back again Seems like it’s all around me, I can feel it closing in My body was a temple, I got sucked in by the sin
2.
Defenseless 04:55
DEFENSELESS It’s a big, scary world I tell the kids to proceed carefully From your doorstep to your dreams It’s a long walk Remember when we first met? All the people that came and went You helped me to realize What love really meant It’s your beautiful heart Your beautiful soul Your beautiful mouth that I have kissed We’re killin’ the time Killin’ the blues Killin’ the pain from what we missed And I am defenseless, it’s true I am defenseless from you Remember the jazz in Paris? It was bursting around midnight Remember the sun on the beach And the tropical birds in mid-flight? Or the barroom on New Years Where we sang Auld Lang Syne? You put your fragile Hands in mine Your beautiful eyes And your beautiful heart And your beautiful soul cannot be missed Life-filled, brimming with love Your beautiful soul And your beautiful mouth that I have kissed And I am defenseless, it’s true I am defenseless from you Rocky rivers lead to oceans And the birds start to sing At the joy that you bring Apartments scoot close together Blue buildings huddle so tight Small mistakes in architecture Will cause those walls to fall But before they crumble They have some time to stand Look at the way the sun hits ‘em Don’t they look so grand? Your beautiful heart And your beautiful soul And your beautiful mouth that I have kissed We’re killing the time Killing the blues Killing the pain of what we missed And I am defenseless I am defenseless I am defenseless
3.
Fix Me Up 04:03
FIX ME UP I want to spill, I want to fight I want to chase the orgiastic light I want to see the different strains The strains between the black and white Fix me up, fix me up, yeah Put my body back together Dip my head in the water Wake me up when I’m better I want to love, I want to lose But I never want to have to choose And I never want to feel the pain Sometimes the sky is too bright, Sometimes a kiss feels too weightless and too warm Fix me up, fix me up, yeah Put my body back together Dip my head in the water Wake me up when I’m better I want to lose myself in that place where the sky is bright Where the moon hangs high, and the stars are close My body tells me no, but I say go,go,go Because the woman is warm and the morning is welcome I want the sky to daze! I want to touch the haze! I want to bedroom laze! I want to starry-eyed gaze! But those eyes are too bright and those hands are too soft And that bed too warm, there won’t come a day, when all the doubts melt away Hold on to the sky when it hovers bright And the last moments of the fleeting night Hold it and taste it and dream it and breathe it And know that it will be alright Hold on, hold on, rage on, burn on After your innocence is gone And your ignorance, long gone Taste your ideals, live there and be there For thought it is far too bright And the flame won’t last the night It is all you have And all that was `ever worth the fight
4.
Rich Man 02:59
RICH MAN When I was a rich man the world was so forgiving to me When I was a rich man the world was full of possibility But now I am a poor man and I hide among the shadows on the street Oh, rich man, poor man, it’s all a drag to me I only get my kicks in crazy dreams The dream dies but the dreamer remains Oh, if I’m a rich man or a poor man You won’t hear me complain When I was a rich man I stood the proudest on the highest stair When I was a rich man I thought life was a romantic affair But now I am a poor man and I finally see the colors in your hair Oh, rich man, poor man, it’s all a drag to me I only get my kicks in crazy dreams The dream dies but the dreamer remains Oh, if I’m a rich man or a poor man You won’t hear me complain When I was a rich man I thought little of deceit and white lies Now I am a poor man and I’m feelin’ like I could use a disguise Oh, the dream dies but the dreamer remains Maybe I’m still a rich man, Washed up on the sand Of this here foreign land And I just don’t understand the currency
5.
Ready to Fly 02:52
READY TO FLY After tea and cakes and ices We’ll push a moment to its crisis Bob Dylan will sing of Isis Moses will part the Red Sea with his devices Cadillac Black; long cigarettes, Jack She sits in the back with a superstar stack Her boyfriend’s a pimp and his whip goes crack He says, “Let’s go black, baby, tell me I’m back” But he’s not and he’s ready in a sweaty July All birds they all circle, make a ring in the sky Jack says, “I want it all but the days just go by I’m waiting for my time to fly” He remembered when he sat ‘neath a New York sky Tina cat, she was cute, she looked deep in his eyes They went clubbing, ‘twas hip, she had on a new slip Put his hands on her hips, they both did the dip He woke up in the morning by the burgundy walls With a girl in black party pants stretched out in the hall She had taken a spill when she tried hard to stand She looked so peaceful, her tiny white hands But he’s not and he’s ready in a sweaty July All birds they all circle, make a ring in the sky He says, “I want it all and I’m ready to try I’m waiting for my time to fly” He picked her up and she gave him a kiss Oh, she was so beautiful, nothing could change this She was messed up and hung over and young And Jack said he was tired, but he’d gone for a run And worked out his heart with some hot cigarettes On his forehead was sweat, there were streaming bullets There were poets hovering up in Harlem in the dark He brought the dregs up to Madison and the dregs up to Park But he’s not and he’s ready in a sweaty July All birds they all circle, make a ring in the sky Jack says, “I want it all but the days just go by I’m waiting for my time to fly” He’s hot and he’s ready in a sweaty July The bids they all circle make a ring in the sky I want it all, baby, and I’m willing to die Give me a chance to fly
6.
THE INSISTENT DRUM Joe stands by the gate While his family pulls away All the songs that he played On the front porch start to fade What is trust? They can’t be bothered They say blood is thicker than water Lost my team, I’ve gotta take control I will no longer be let down Someone built the shops and someone made the shoes and they are far away from me Someone made the laws and erected all the towns and they are far away from me Someone has an idea of control, someone built the mold, I feel I’m stuck in the hold Someone paved the street and someone is on the beat, and they have nothing to do with me I think I can chop some wood, I think that it might do me some good I won’t be let down; I’m gonna find my own rhythm now From the dead of winter to the height of summer (ho-ha, ho-ha) March on the beat of the exact same drummer (ho-ha, ho-ha) Someone built the ship that I’m sailing on; I can find a team and we can make a run 8 men rowing through the mouth of the river; heart thumping loud; the dreams they deliver I have a hard time dealing with really empty feeling, try build myself up when I fell If the world descends into another war at least I have a story to tell If the bombs take my limbs away I won’t be able to swing and sway But I won’t worry about that now; I’m gonna find my own rhythm, somehow From the dead of winter to the height of summer (ho-ha, ho-ha) March on the beat of the exact same drummer (ho-ha, ho-ha) I’m in the water To get with the boat To the doc where The people are clapping And yelling and Slapping the back And the power To keep all the Winners and that is cuz We got the swing All the regatta Along all the water We’re rowing and glowing We won’t be Put on the back Cuz we want it more Than the others And I’m not gonna stop We are makin’ it sing We got the rhythm and we got the beat We gotta get through the cold and the heat We gotta the pushing and pulling Cuz we are the poetry in motion From the dead of winter to the height of summer (ho-ha, ho-ha) March on the beat of the exact same drummer (ho-ha, ho-ha) When I say ho, you say ha; ho, hah; ho; ha When I say ho, you say ha; ho, hah, ho; ha The beat goes on and on
7.
DOWN BY THE SEA You wake up at 6:28 You have to be to work by 8 You take a shower and you get dressed Hop the bus and it takes you west All the commuters got their headphones on The tired look of passion long gone Check into your cubicle at 8:03 Another dull day spent living the dream You thought you’d be Down by the sea Livin’ it up, livin’ up Hey there’s you and hey there’s me Livin’ it up, livin’ up But hey, you’re not quite there today You’ll hit the condo around 7 And watch the box until 11 Hopefully you get some lovin’ Don’t pass out with a pizza in the oven Then the sadness comes creeping in In the dark bedroom at 2am Picture on the nightstand when you were 18 You said you’d be brash like that till you achieved the dream You thought you’d be Down by the sea Livin’ it up, livin’ up Hey there’s you and hey there’s me Livin’ it up, livin’ up But hey, you’re not quite there today You’ve got the VIP pass At the middle class bash You all get together and tear it up on the weekend But sometimes life seems to have no meaning And there’s nothing important to do Your life spins out of control Bartender, how about another brew? Sometime you think that you’ve failed Sometimes fairytales pull you through You’ve got no place else to fall So here you are You thought you’d be Down by the sea Livin’ it up, livin’ up Hey there’s you and hey there’s me Livin’ it up, livin’ up But hey, you’re not quite there today Maybe at a party by the sea When the light hits you just right When you’ve got the right haircut and the right suit All the ones that did you wrong All the people that scorned you You’ll have champagne together So you just dance, get drunk, and screw But until that day There’s a lot of work to do Maybe someday you’ll be Down by the sea Livin’ it up, livin’ it up You might never be down by the sea (Time to do some livin’) So what are you gonna do today? (Time to do some livin’) You might never be living down by the sea But you still have to face the day That’s all you’ve got, in the end, anyway
8.
King Me 03:56
KING ME I am tired of the chess game; I’ve been feelin’ like a pawn again I was naïve for thinkin’ that bishops don’t try to make pawns of men So now I’m driftin’ into mid-life, trippin’ over tables in the back of the café Screw the 12 temp jobs in Seattle, the water cool battle, the little tittle tattle The traffic never stops, the highway’s full of heroes We’re on the road tonight, we’ve got no place to go I’m livin’ with the sadness, the madness in my soul My heart is thumpin’ louder, thumpin’ louder till I reach the show At the edge of what we see, you can king me I was beaten by the bad bands, it eats away at me a bit, I guess Let’s tour the country in the band van, there must something outside the Northwest We can drive and drive and drive and play and play and play, somehow we’re gonna make it pay Don’t be dismayed that the applause is just a smattering, we’ll rock because it matters So quiet all the chatter! The traffic never stops, the highway’s full of heroes We’re on the road tonight, we’ve got no place to go I’m livin’ with the sadness, the madness in my soul My heart is thumpin’ louder, thumpin’ louder till I reach the show At the edge of what we see, you can king me Out in the suburbs the mansions rise upon the hill Construction crews go in and out; the boys and girls do what they will We write on the rock club walls, we kiss in the rock club halls We write our names in sand, we create our mythology You cannot take my dreams from me! The traffic never stops, the highway’s full of heroes We’re on the road tonight, we’re coming through in stereo I’m livin’ with the sadness, the madness in my soul My heart is thumpin’ louder, thumpin’ louder till I reach the show At the edge of what we see, you can king me
9.
Gold Digger 02:09
GOLD DIGGER She’s got hair that shines and shimmers Its color shows the shades of money She knows how the coin can glimmer And she’s gone up after it steadily She’s got a new Jaguar She drives a Mercedes Benz Endorsed by here hubby’s billfold She can sniff out the cash But under it all, she’s trash She’d be a beggar if she wasn’t bank rolled She’s a gold digger Anyone would figure After her lecherous company She is a gold digger She’ll pull the sorry trigger She’s in the business of takin’ hearts for the money She’s got her eye on the wealthiest pocket Moguls, magnates – they play her tune She knows nothing about any kind of friendship She don’t feign and make pleas to the moon Seems like she’s missin’ a screw How else could she coo Such a life of self-centeredness? She seems so cordial and kind Well-spoken and fine But she ain’t nothin’ but a cold, calculating temptress She’s a gold digger Anyone would figure After her licentious company She’s a cold rambler A love gambler She’s in the business of takin’ hearts for the money
10.
FIRE ESCAPE HEARTBREAK I’m just creepin’ down the fire escape I don’t need you now and it’s getting late I’m thinking, while I’m sneakin’ down the fire escape Of how peaceful you look when you’re not awake I’m just sneakin’ down this solitary way Now your daddy’s gone, seem he’s gone astray You dream of his red taillights as they sped away You drown in those dreams, you sink into the gray But it’s just a heartbreaker When you need somebody And the money’s tight And you’re assigned a fate And I want you to sleep well So I said I’d be there tonight What exactly was it that was stolen away? You’re older now, you’re so much older now And you think that youth is wasted on the young But you’re wild about beginnings and you think something has begun It’s just a heartbreaker When you need somebody I can’t describe what I’ve never seen When people ask, I’ll say, “I think I knew it once” But I had you, baby, in an eternal embrace And when the light came and blinded me from over your shoulder It threw me off It threw me off You know, nothin’ lasts forever I may escape But nothin’ lasts forever This has to end Just like everything else does I’m just sneakin’, sneakin’, sneakin’ away Like your father, girl, but my hair’s not gray The neon is buzzin’ and I feel afraid No more safe, boxed up apartments Now it’s just wide open space It’s just a heartbreaker When you need somebody And the need beats you down When the money’s tight And you’re assigned a fate But you don’t have to accept being naked Don’t blame me Blame your heartbreak On the fire escape I didn’t build it It just made things easy Look at all these buildings Put up 50 years ago I didn’t lay the mortar I didn’t set the stone But I use this place, baby I call it my home but I know I took the fire escape Though I didn’t create it It was outside the window And when things get hot I know it’s a heartbreaker When the money’s tight And you’re assigned a fate But don’t blame me for your heartbreak Blame it on the fire escape

about

Songs 1-8 Recorded at Jack Straw Studios in Seattle, WA
Songs 9-10 Record at The Duplex in Seattle, WA

credits

released June 7, 2017

Songs 1-8:

Ben Mish - vocals, piano, harmonica
Brad Gibson - drums
Dave Trump - bass

Songs 9-10:

Ben Mish - vocals, piano, harmonica

Engineered by Moe Provencher

Songs 1-6, 9-10: lyrics and music written by Ben Mish
Songs 7-8: lyrics by Ben Mish; music by Ben Mish and Ronan O'Mahony

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Ben Mish Seattle, Washington

Ben Mish writes songs and performs them frequently.

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