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The Empty Promises of Rock and Roll

by Michelles

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1.
When I was a little one Only four or five My mother sat me down and rolled her eyes She said son you’re just too smart For your own good You’ll always have a problem Being misunderstood When I was a medium Shy of five feel tall My father took me out to toss the ball He said son you’re just too soft For this world You might as well start dressing like a girl ‘Cause not everybody’s gonna get it No no no When I was an inbetween My brother said to me You’ve got to close your eyes sometimes to see Here Just put this paper under your tongue You’ll never have another chance To be this young and dumb They’re not gonna get it No no no And they’re never gonna let you forget it Looking straight ahead Is hard to do with eyes rolled back into your head And narrow is the way Don’t try to make sense You can’t rely on happy accidents To make it through another day ‘Cause not everybody’s gonna get it No no no
2.
Illusions 04:22
Illusions It’s in the way you smile But I haven’t seen you smile Recently Disguises All that you see are eyes But I could use some lips And some teeth Another lovely day To sit alone and bend and sway The sky falls And the earth rises up We’re running out of room Feel the trembles move the ground under your feet Don’t worry It’ll be over soon Another lovely day To sit alone and bend and sway Just open up your heart See what’s left inside A clean and well lit place There’s no room to hide The stars fall And the birds take flight They’re not the smartest But they’re doing it right You see Venus she’s sitting low in the sky But I’m not empty by the by Another lovely day To sit alone and bend and sway Just open up your heart See what’s left inside A clean and well lit place There’s no room to hide
3.
It’s the beginning of the end But have you got the means to pretend It’s gonna be just how it was It’s time to realize That half of what you are Is half of what you are It was an ordinary day But then you turn around And everything has changed Always complaining These words are all the same Should be more careful If you ever plan to wish again There’s no such thing as Ordinary days Always new surprises hiding In your dna Hands off the wheel as we’re rolling round the bend Running out of time to pretend Time to give up looking for someone to be Cause it’ll never be enough And when you’re thinking I’ve got him by the tail Just let go
4.
Xmas Morning 04:02
I don’t know what’s happening But suddenly this town seems kind of evil Waking up on Christmas morning After all the paper has been torn We can only hope the horror Burns off like the morning fog in April But sometimes it’s tattooed across you From the day you’re born Rising up from prescient dreams To realize that you have not been sleeping Tell me that you’ve got a better way To toss the sheets and start your day Black out all the windows and Don’t raise your lids until the coffees beeping Repeat your favorite mantra It’s all gonna be ok Pull down the shades Nail down the sash I’ll put a record on Oh what a future There’s no time to write a happy song No What if you could do it all again Would you skip out on the comfy easy for more time with friends Would you go a little further away Move a little further away Middle of the day The pictures slipping through your fingers Knuckle down there’s surely Many different ways to get it out Rearrange the outcome But the process has been wrong from the beginning The sun is setting and my mood is going south Hold your chin up right Saddle up it’s time to get along Lace your boots up tight Someone’s out there writing happy songs Oh What if you could do it all again Would you skip out on the comfy easy for more time with friends Would you go a little further away Move a little further away
5.
What do you want to do today We could take a walk down by the lake We could try and mend mistakes Or kill ourselves or frost a cake Go find a hopeless soul to break What would you say? What do you like to do at night We could go out make some friends Or speak to god and make amends Turn on the news and watch the arc of history bend I’ve got a good feeling about this Everything’s gonna come up roses Just smile wide it’s another day Fingers creeping up Anxiety is what is up Shut your mouth and fill your cup with cheer What do you want to do for real No it doesn’t matter how you feel You have to tell the truth this time I’ve grown so weary of your lines It’s not all about art and pride and poetry I’ve got a good feeling about this Everything’s gonna come up roses Just smile wide it’s another day Fingers creeping up Anxiety is what is up Shut your mouth and fill your cup with cheer
6.
This tune’s a circle We’re starting at the top Tell me if you’ve heard this joke before and I swear I’ll stop If the middle’s not the mean Then what falls in between It’s all a game That you’re meant to lose It’s all a game you’d better Put on your running shoes This tune’s a circle The second time around Chin up buttercup Let’s turn it upside down There’s a room inside with drinks and things We’re trying not to drown All the stories that you tell yourself Isn’t it such fun And all the music in your sleep that’ll never see the sun All the friends have moved away While you’re sitting here turning grey This tune’s a circle We’re coming around the bend Is this the illustration that you pictured for the end Your will is close to breaking You’re far too old to bend It’s all a game That you’re meant to lose It’s all a game but You can still choose love
7.
Sorry I can’t make it but this Evening’s looking kinda grim I’m turning off the radio The narrative’s been stolen again It’s cruel and cold And over far too soon So meanwhile be bold The only way to out is through If that’s the way you feel Then I won’t come around anymore You don’t have to worry about my ghost Knocking at your door Some may say We’re better off this way But I’m not so sure It used to work but not anymore Everything you thought you knew was wrong Don’t get comfortable you won’t be there for long Everything you want to hear is true Is magical thinking the best you can do Everything you want to hear is true I read the secret three times it told me what to do Anything you need to feel alive Cause magical thinking it works every time It’s been fun but I gotta go away for a while Gonna dry out in the sun for a bit and try to force a smile Time is short And there’s so many things to do Don’t send the report I’m sure they’ll know exactly what to do Everything you wanna hear is true Just tell me what to think and tell me what to do Anything you need to feel alive Cause magical thinking it works every time
8.
Absolution may take a while But come on honeypie now can we get a smile Waking up you’re half past dead Can you believe this is the life The life that you have led Waking up it’s instant dread It’s getting harder to relieve The pressure in my head Spend all waking hours waiting for the big surprise A sign a symbol or the devil in a new disguise Tell me can you feel the crosshairs painted Right between the eyes Peace of mind is hard to get But in the meantime put your poncho on It’s going to get wet What a shame there’s no seats left at the dance All your regret is such a waste of time You never had a chance Spend all waking hours waiting for the big surprise A sign a symbol or the devil in a new disguise Tell me can you feel the crosshairs painted Right between the eyes
9.
You wake up every morning And it’s all new to you To keep it this way There’s nothing I won’t do But I won’t lie and tell you That it’s always ok And I’ll try and stay calm At least for today You woke up this morning it’s dull and grey And I can’t remember when it became this way But your sunlight cracks Through my cold mind There’s moments of lightness creeping through the blinds You rise every morning With a light in your eyes It’s all new to you it’s a constant surprise And every sound you hear is perfect harmony And every breath of air is as clean as can be And every instant a brand new memory And every note an unstolen melody You woke up this morning And the world was kissing clean And every photon was the brightest you’ve ever seen Every speak of dust floats gentle in your eye And I could go on but I’m trying not to cry Let’s go on

credits

released March 8, 2022

Michael Daly – Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keys
Ryan Farnham - Drums

All songs written by Michael Daly
Mixed by Michael at Home and Transient Sound
Additional mixing by Tyler Rice at Transient Sound
Mastered by Greg Obis at Chicago Mastering Services
Cover photo by Alan Smithee

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Michelles Chicago, Illinois

Michelles is a band from Chicago, described by Atwood Mag as “pairing MGMT’s psychedelia perfectly with The Smiths’ raw candor and heart-on-sleeve sincerity”. It’s a bit of a stretch to call Michelles a band, as it is the singular vision of Michael Daly, who writes and plays nearly every sound heard on every recording. ... more

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