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The Inspector's Pipe

by Ben Mish

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1.
Blind Faith 02:42
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BLIND FAITH Man came down the road Dressed in rags and tatters Asked the Cadillac man Is this all that matters? The girl on the bus She is innocent, she is young To get by from her So far we stay at home Blind faith Blind faith So long Sadie Lady On the train to Tennessee Mr. Gladrags has a holla He is a fat cat indeed We look each other in the eyes Still too close to touch God I miss you so much Let us be rich, smoke a pipe Blind faith Blind faith
2.
Who Would You Want to Be? 03:49
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WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO BE? I saw my reflection and it wasn’t what I wanted to see I saw a home video and it wasn’t what I thought of as me Well if you’re tired of yourself Look straight at someone else Who would you want to be? Who would you really want to be? You are who you’re gonna be I gave my confession and it dispelled all the desired mystery I submitted my info and it wasn’t the required history Well if you’re tired of yourself Look straight to someone else Who would you want to be? Who would you really want to be? You are who you’re gonna be I had a dream That I became everything I’d ever hoped to become Got everything I ever wanted And lost what I had I tore up a picture and I scattered it into the sea The idea of perfection’s misconception; it’s false homogeny If you’re tired of yourself Look back upon the shelf You can only hope to see That being yourself is all you’ll ever know Who would you really want to be? You are who you’re gonna be
3.
Save It 03:07
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SAVE IT Packed my bags in New York City Sold the house, found a girl who was pretty Oh, she would serenade About orchids in the Everglades Bought a house at the edge of town It’s hard to keep a good man down but I could feel the changes take shape Slowly as the radio did play Can you stash away the good times honey? Can you save them up like you save your money? I know it might sound funny But save a bit of your innocence Same tree, same bus stop here Same table, same chandelier Same smile, new coat, new tie Open the door, find a new lie Can you stash away the good times honey? Can you save them up like you save your money? I know it might sound funny But save a bit of your innocence Life builds you up and lets you down slowly Save a bit of your innocence I know, we won’t go gently But we can save our innocence Does it gleam like gold or shine like money? Does it make you laugh like a joke that’s funny? Or is it sweet like honey? Tell me what is this innocence? Life builds you up and lets you down slowly Save a bit of your innocence I know, we won’t go gently But we can save our innocence
4.
The Labor of Our Hearts 02:39
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THE LABOR OF OUR HEARTS We are gonna build this house As if it were the first I got my hammer, got my saw I bought them with my hard work When we’re old and looking back We will remember Carved our stories in the wood And it will last forever Dance while your legs can move Have fun while you are young The shade will cover blade Oh, and then the night comes Here we work on the house With the sweat on our brow We are building something that We know will last, somehow So now is the time for laughter Before the sun makes way for stars We built this thing together It’s the labor of our hearts
5.
God Help Us 03:46
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GOD HELP US You can choose to listen To the words that I sing It doesn’t matter where I come from But Seattle’s got a nice ring to it You can judge and preconceive You can think what you must But I was raised to fear God And to believe Jesus helps us From my first memories I remember the signs The images of the cross It was burned in my mind Pilat took him down And he died just for our trust Who knew he’d live on so long? And that Jesus would help us Who knows what Socrates would think If he had still been around? But the volume of truth that he lived for Has a resonant sound The Roman Empire it flourished Then it returned to dust And the holy believers Knew that Jesus would help us The kings and the queens They believed in this man They crucified the evil ones On no legs could evil stand And Jesus was stronger Than the dark souls that rust So the legion is larger And now Jesus helps us French, English, and German Plunged into a war No one knew the reason But they settled the score With no destination They jumped on the bus War is hell, but if we fight We know that Jesus helps us A couple world wars And a million battles A martyr each minute Get slaughtered like cattle I read all about it I gave the teachers my trust And I believe in my heart That Jesus helps us American enemies Have no face anymore They come from a land That it’s hard for us to explore The irony is That the evil discussed Is the land that bore Jesus So he could help all of us So I’m thinkin’ about Hitler And Genghis Khan and Ivan the Terrible And the pain and starvation Of which this world is full And there is no one to blame Just the death in the gust Of wind that’s so foul I hope Jesus helps us So, I’ve got to go now I don’t know what I’ve said All this talk of Jesus Has clouded my head It’s hard to believe in anything But stronger than all that came before Is the belief that if Jesus helps us He’d stop all of these wars
6.
Shinin' in the Window (instrumental) 02:01
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7.
You Are My Sunshine 01:17
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8.
The Beat Hotel 02:14
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THE BEAT HOTEL Meet me in Paris I’ll bring the inkwell We’ll stay with Corso At the Beat Hotel Ladies and lovers And a place to dwell Meet me in two months At the Beat Hotel I’m leaving San Francisco I’m determined to sell The last of my possessions Ring the “Bon Voyage” bell If it feels right, it is right That’s my way out of hell I’ll meet you on the doorstep Of the Beat Hotel I got a typewriter A sharp suit with lapels A print of Van Gogh From Miami Miguel We knew Berkley heroes Before they all fell I’ll meet you in heaven At the Beat Hotel
9.
Let's Remember 03:09
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LET’S REMEMBER I’ll walk ahead of you I’ll tell you things that you already knew We’ll walk hand in hand Darlin’ then you’ll understand Everything you’ve ever wondered about All the lamplight images, all the wild streams flowing under Bridges by the wild oak trees Grab a hold of me I’m right where I want to be In a field of tall grass All innocence comes skating past Grab a hold of it When it pays you a visit Let’s remember Let’s remember Walkin’ down the road on a green and blue day All your worries melt away In the hot, hot, hot sun These streets don’t remember anyone But they belong to us Let’s kick our feet up Let’s kick up a fuss When in the midnight hour We’re dancing Outside the breeze is blowin’ The lamplight dancin’ Sweet, sweet romancin’ I’ll walk you home In the warm night Let’s remember Let’s remember Wash your face in the stream Wash your worries clean Pack your bags and let’s go I tell you things you already know Let’s remember who you wanted to be Let’s remember what we wanted to see Let’s remember Let’s remember
10.
Someday You'll Discover 03:22
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SOMEDAY YOU’LL DISCOVER You take it to the soil You sock it to ‘em like you should And everything they’ve done You’ll do it just as good You take no one’s advice You act just like you think you should That’s OK No more singin’ slave songs Someday, you’ll discover We should spend our lives together But nothin’ will prove this more Than makin’ our own mistakes Someday, you’ll discover

about

A Fictional Background of how this album came to be:

A police inspector sits down in his office, takes time off from solving crimes, and hammers out songs on a typewriter in a small café in Paris. Smudges of condensation gather on the window indoors, as bulging rain drops bang against the window from the outside. Fog fills the Parisians streets, streets that are full of city sounds and strangers bumping up against each other, while the inspector composes eight songs. As the inspector clacks away on the typewriter, a pipe sits on his desk when it is not dangling from his lips. Plumes of tobacco smoke fill the café. To the left of his desk are 20 sharpened pencils and a note pad. To his right sits either a bottle of red wine or a jug of coffee, depending on the time of day. When finished, he rushes the lyrics and the chord charts to the post office. He prepares a brown package, tied with white string, and mails it off to a Seattleite, 5,000 miles away, so that the songs can be recorded in two separate studios in the Northwestern-most tip of the United States.

credits

released June 7, 2013

Tracks 1-7 recorded by Max Keene at Keene Sound
Tracks 8-10 recorded by Moe Provencher at the Duplex
Guitars/percussion/bass/engineering – Max Keene Piano/vocals/drums/harmonica – Ben Mish

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Ben Mish Seattle, Washington

Ben Mish writes songs and performs them frequently.

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