Get all 7 Philip Hirzel releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
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1. |
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At night we were walking
The solders were talking
They’re saying:
“We’re not going to win this war.”
But in their case, I’m afraid, that they’re very quite sore
You see the battles are raging, the war is still taking
Everything they thought they had and they thought they loved
And now I’m going to die, and yes I’ll probably lie
Down in the muck, so when it’s time to choose
I say:
“I’ll be fucked, if we lose!”
So every night this Paper-Boy will sigh and sing a lullaby
To a non-existent body, who lies right at my side
And when we sing, and we praise all the things we eventually hate
Just keep in mind:
Cities break in half, when they hear God laugh
You cannot reconcile, is anyone not in denial?
I hear that life imitates art, so where does it all start?
And I find this to be true:
The only time you speak the truth, is drunkenly in a telephone booth
To avoid all those you spurned.
This bloody raging conflict
To be a better man
Kills only on the inside
It does the best it can.
Though you know that I’d fight for it
I’m afraid to die for it.
I hope nobody notices
As I sneak away.
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2. |
Hands All Clenched
03:27
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Well I can’t explain this, because it seems to be bliss
I guess I’ll write it off of my list
And I can’t call home, because I’m all-alone
And I’ve been wishing it were back in my hands
It exploded with fury,
My vision went blurry
In sockets, my eyes they did burst.
And my tongue swelled with words, evidentially deferred
For reasons that I’ll always hide
But for all things done good, and never quite understood;
We silently, but openly cried.
Tonight, it’s a long and winding road
Tonight, I’m carrying such a heavy load
What is it worth? These situations give birth (to the anti of all I believe)
My back breaks in half,
And my thoughts gather laughs (from these so-called-friends I receive).
You could lie to masses (spray paint those black glasses)
To cover up all that you see
But the blind leads the blind, pretty surely in time
It’s been proven throughout history
When my hands clench to fist, my mind can’t resist
(to glorify this violence that we conjure)
With the black and the blue, and the red mixed in too
At least we’re splattered in a brilliant hue
And the taste like cold steel for sure means its real
In the end it’s either me or you.
To die, means there’s nothing left for to live
But to live, means there’s nothing worth for to die
And for what reasons we got, when we’re put on the spot
I’ll be sure to just close my eyes
Cause they’ll break down and cry, and no matter how hard they try
They just cannot tell a lie
In the times where we all lose control
When we want something bad, but cannot pay the toll
And we lose the respect for those we once used to have, for ourselves and our friends
For our moms and our dads.
And we dig through the earth with the claws of our hands
Grasping worms; grasping rocks; grasping roots;
Grasping plans that we once understood, but have long since then burned
All the bridges to beauty that we once used to yearn.
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3. |
Hollow Knives
05:04
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In a flash of light my eyes went blind
But I finally saw the truth
The lies that dangled from my skull
Like a bloody baby-tooth
When you've tried so hard, but get nowhere
All praise is an attack
When it lands on those you struggle with
Those who should have your back
When I was young I was told
That I could be anything
That list should have narrowed down
I can barely strain to sing
But I'll never give up as long as I have breath
It's a bloody war, from love to death
Take my hand, it'll be ok (at least we'll make it through another day)
Cause I can sing; I can sing a song
If you want you can sing along
And if we sing in harmony
Then our souls will be set free
To fully create you have to sacrifice
But how many can pay that price?
When you kill yourself just to stay alive
Don't stray from virtue (it comes with strife)
It's a hollow knife that cuts inside
Reveals all you have to hide
Bleed it out into the world
Let your true self be unfurled
Cause you can sing; you can sing a song
Rest assured, I'll sing along
And if we sing in harmony
Then our souls will be set free
Cause we can sing; we can sing a song
And everyone will sing along
And if we sing in harmony
Then our souls will be set free
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4. |
Oh Sailor, My Sailor
03:44
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Oh my sailor, where did you go?
Oh my sailor, I don’t know.
Oh my sailor, where did you go?
Oh my sailor, I loved you so.
I was just a little girl, foolish and young.
We met at the beach, under the autumn sun.
He had been drinking and I had been wronged,
He said
“We’re all boats sinking.”
And he sang this song:
“Oh my lover, where did you go?
Oh my lover, I don’t know.
Oh my lover, where did you go?
Oh my lover, I loved you so.”
Lying in bed as he watched me dress, pulling clothes over my head
He confessed:
“Lover, my lover. Soon I must go, they call me away though I said no.”
With great hesitance he got up to leave, saying:
“Dear I’ll return.”
And that, I believe.
And now I’m alone, a girl so young
As the ships sailed out, my spirit was hung
Only one night we had, but to him goes my heart
I pray he’ll return, and we never apart
Sailor, sailor.
Where did you go?
Sailor, my sailor.
I don’t know.
Oh sailor, sailor,
Where did you go
Sailor, my sailor
I love you so.
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5. |
Years
05:45
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In October 1994 you were dressed from head to toe
In a costume made by your mother and a thread
Pulling needle through with cloth so white they exclaimed that night:
"You looked like an ghost in the light."
In winter of 1999 I said I was feeling fine
When my mother came out and found me face down in the snow
Hospitalized and glamorized by those blood test tubes they took
And the whispered words I heard in my sleep
For someone, so young, you can't imagine what that was like
I was mesmerized by light
I was dazzled but then diced
By the Doctors on all sides
In the year of 2005, that's when he kissed you under the tree
At that festival that your parents brought you to
He whispered silly things into your ears that year
And made you promises that you realized one day would never come true.
Dreams like ships from distant times
You were captivating mine
You were fashioned by the mind
Of some god
It’s October, 2009 and I can say you're finally mine
Dressed just like a ghost at some Halloween event
How I'll say to you, in the darkness then:
"You look like no ghost at all, but an angel who just fell into my arms"
How you bored in, and burrowed in my heart unexpectedly
How our legs just intertwine
Don't move a muscle, you'll be fine
It's not a glitch it's just divine
From our hearts just beating in time
Oh how I love you, don't let go I don't want control
Of this life, I'd like to drive it, to unify it, and that's the truth
Oh our love, is no longer whispering out, it's starting to shout
Don't you dare hold it back
Don't you want to be loud, come on make a sound,
Clasp my body around, bring to me to the ground
With your arms, won't hold me close and say,
From the depths of your throat, all the things we want today
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6. |
I'm Sorry, But...
04:51
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Am I the only one who understands?
Was I raised by better hands?
Because what you do, I don’t approve
You say you’ll change the world some day, but I’ve seen nothing of this claim
The only thing you change is your own damn mind
So I’m sorry,
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry, but I think that you’re fucked.
You think it’s easy to create art?
Well you’re off to a bad start, cause for myself I personally think
That all I’ve created is shit, and no matter how I glorify it
I’ve made nothing but a glorified piece of shit.
So I’m sorry,
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry, but I think that we’re all fucked.
And you treasure yourself, quite the intellectual gent.
Well, you’re just another book on the shelf.
Because you changed yourself so many times, and all you spout are silly rhymes
Written by someone else, some other time, who you’ll never know.
And your binding is wearing thing, so…
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7. |
New King & Queen
04:30
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Well my paper body
Is made from dead trees
From this flat pencil world
I have decided to flee
In order to gain
You've got to sacrifice
Everyone deals in pain
This life it will suffice
Think twice, before you give advice
This world, it's not what it seems
I owe you, you created me
But I gave you up
Well every day I live,
And every night I die
Man who's scared to fall
Well he will never fly
I think I've sorted it out
I've written down my creed
Just let me hear you shout
“You are all that I need!”
And I will take you my dear
Far away from here
To a place that's so dear,
Heaven itself must be near.
And every night we will dance
And every day we will sing.
I will declare you queen,
You will declare me king
Slow down, hear my sound
It's my life, I'm not some piece of art
I'll sing loud, we'll stand proud
This paper boy, he's no longer wants a part
You sat down, I made you proud
What's going on below the ground:
These worms aren't our trouble yet
But one day when we sink
They will fix themselves into every kink
And with this world we will become one
Slow down, hear my sound
It's my life, I'm not some piece of art
I'll sing loud, we'll stand proud
This paper boy, he's no longer wants a part
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8. |
Smoke
04:52
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As the smoke clears
Comes true my fears
We were bitter till the end, thought we were a God send
This bloody field
We refused to yield
Now the paper is stained red
But it’s not my body that bled
What am I supposed to say?
How was this king supposed to know
That at the end of the day
We would turn away
While they deface all we loved.
“Oh paper-boy, do you bear no truth?”
I wrote it on my body, for all of you to see
If I was burning bright, would it give you light?
While I turned to blackened ash, disappeared into the tempest.
Why do you shoulder that fame
When your body can barely stand on two legs?
They’re going to hate you for it now, they’re going to stand up and say out loud
“He's to blame, what a shame”
Don’t hate them now
Don’t give up now
You’ve got this chance to prove your claim
You’ve got this time to make a name
For them all
What if the smoke cleared now, and standing tall and proud
Was their king?
Who could drive those villains back, cut them down and lead the attack
And victory, for you and me
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9. |
Unholy War
06:05
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Well I was not born for this
But I will do my very best
To live for the moment.
Though now it grows inside of me
This isn’t who I’m supposed to be
Well what the hell does that mean?
Give up before you lose the fight
But I do that almost every night
Then wake up and do it again, I thought life was a Godsend.
Some say we’re made to be thrown away.
Though this trash pile’s tall this unholy war won’t keep me at bay
So mother can you hear me
I’m hosed and I want to be
Back in my own bed
Because I’ve fought many wars
Though they’re not ours we’ll finish yours
You’re welcome now just drop it!
Some say we’re made to be thrown away.
Though this trash pile’s tall this unholy war won’t keep me at bay
So hush my love, don’t push and shove
For the fight’s living in me.
I will be, all I can be,
Oh my darling don’t you see?
This paper-boy will not break, on the eve of this fight
Though it’s gone too far
And I know he will leave these forces and come join with you
And he will be all that you want him to be.
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Philip Hirzel Ohio
Philip Hirzel is a composer and musician, camped around Ohio. He is working on it.
General inquiries: p.w.hirzel@gmail.com
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