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One More Day

by Compost

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1.
Knocked on my door, And told me you were dead I saw the signs, But I was sure I saw you shine. A life on the road, The things that you must have seen, Thousands of cars, And a million falling leaves. That said I wonder about your life now. Did you watch the rain fall? And every time the wind blew, Did you dig the falling leaves scattering? Shadowing patterns we fall into, Life leads us through, Like the wind carries the falling leaves. Unlike the rainbow who lets the storm go, You couldn’t let go. Let go. Did you dream bigger than you? Did you wonder what makes their dreams come true? One moment you’re standing tall and purposefully, The next moment you’re in pain. Life’s not one of your games, So don’t play it the same. At least that’s what I would say. If I could have one more day, Under your shade.
2.
Supermen 04:27
Push play walkman, sound my favorite song Out into the sky, lord set me down Upon the grass that won't stop growing Ironic in that my life stopped growing But I know I can save you. Cuz' that’s what supermen do. Slept in lately. News came young man fell. Engine light blinking orange. Hotel food sitting cold and half uneaten Ashes pushed inside a french fry I'm beaten. But I can save you. Cuz that's what supermen do. Drowned in red wine, no fault of mine. You drew a line so clear. Watching you go, no credits to roll. I'm out of time. I'm so out of line. Grainy pictures move to our old song. I see you standing there on the lawn And you're just staring at the window ledge And I've just spread my wings above your head So I can save you. Cuz that's what supermen do.
3.
Hannah Hoarder hollowed out a hallway to her bed, Walls of things in boxes, since Harry has been dead. A straight run to the bathroom lined with shoes and magazines, Mountains made of memories haunting Hannah when she sleeps. Hannah holds on to stuff. She fears there's never enough, And living alone can be rough. So she passes each day, Putting things away. Hannah Hoarder hollered though her children moved away, Pretending they might hear her brings a smile to her face. Days and nights grow longer, piles growing just the same, Hannah whispers, "Harry," feeling comfort in his name. Hannah holds on to stuff. She fears there's never enough, And living alone can be rough. Living alone can be rough. Hannah's horror story, storing hurt and everything, Two stories and an attic for an addict's adding scheme.
4.
El Dorado 02:32
Gaily bedight A gallant knight In sunshine and in shadow Had journeyed long Singing a song In search of El Dorado But he grew old This night so bold And o’er his heart a shadow Fell as he found, no spot on the ground That looked like El Dorado And as his strength Failed him at length He met a pilgrim shadow Shadow said he Where it can it be? This land of El Dorado Over the mountains Of the moon Down the valley of the shadow Ride boldly ride, The shade replied If you seek for El Dorado
5.
Harrison Horowitz is on the trombone, With a tubist named the Walrus and a marching drum. They’d been wandering all night, In a field under incandescent light. Till the Walrus said, the more we play, We’re getting better everyday. Hurray! They started up, jazzing up their marching sound... And they marched in pouring rain, The marching band without a name. Till the Walrus squealed, my friends we’re saved, I’ve seen the name, that will bring us fame! It’s Harrison Horowitz and the Marching Homo Band! But, homo like sapien, Our logo will be a man, Marching left, right knees high, With his chin proudly raised towards the sky! Sadly Harrison, let out a sigh. His marching dreams were built to die. He tried.
6.
Dobey Jones 09:19
Dobey Jones, There's no crime in wasting time, but… If there's a place you want to be, you gotta be, Get on your feet and step towards your dream, Proceed. Jones dreamed of being on the radio. Lord, if they could only hear his flow?! Oh no, think of the people he’d meet, On covers of dope magazines!? Songs…crossing out the words to make em’ right. These songs could make your daughters dance all night. It’s so right. But that’s just not how it goes. Not for our man Dobey Jones. Yesterday was the day that he wanted planes and trains and limousines and a moment. California, then around the world, if he played it right another day, another girl. But you can’t bling if you can sing. Another pipe dream for an MC. And so the story goes he’s always battling prose, it’s the woes of a Dobey Jones. Slow motion helps the scenes we want to see. Scenes that show us things we can’t believe. Deceive understanding we know. Giving us places we’ll go. If only we could playback in real life. Perspective is a luminous device with bright lights, Lending its light to the waves, but not every man can be saved. Jones, I know, your home was a microphone. Standing on the edge of life’s stage, disengaged, bombs away. Spoke something memorized from a song she’d sing you, “When the world falls apart, feel the lord in your heart, in your soul.”
7.
Heroine 11:57
She walked in the room surrounded by eyes, Despise, and lies, she smiles. Original sin, the clothes she came in, Slowly opening. An angel no more, her back to the floor, Time just crawling by. A carousel ride. Defiling eyes. Beneath her smile she cries, “Can you save me?” “Can you save me?” “Can you save me?” She was a victim of the night. No one to say, “Baby sleep tight.” When a life starts falling down, Can you hear it? Can you hear it? Hero, in love, Won’t you take me, make me. Feel my veins grow yearning. On my knees, please, release me. This time last year she felt things changing. A whole new world inside her paintings. Cuz’ they planned on getting out. They could do it. Nothing to it. Hero, in love, Spread your wings down, save me. Take me up and away. Higher, higher, higher. Bang, bang, bang. Three shots rang. Living in dangerous waters. She was living on the edge. Trying to make a dime. She said, “Better you than me.” Emptying his pockets on the street. War’s never over, there’s just battles won. Been going round and round in circles so long. The plot is sickened with the enemy. And now our hero’s singing, “Misery loves company.” As starting over is a fantasy, Her eyes grow deeper into dark and empty. The pages turned become the lasting end. So much for make-believe, we’ve been deceived, She’ll never be the queen.
8.
So we’ll go no more a-roving so late into the night. Thought the heart be still as loving and the moon be still as bright. For the sword outwears its sheath and the soul outwears the breast. And the heart must pause to breathe and Love itself have rest. Though the night was made for loving and the day returns too soon, Yet we’ll go no more a-roving by the light of the moon.
9.
Last Night 05:32
Sat beneath a waterfall Drew your picture on the wall Made believe the walls could talk And they could see inside your thoughts But they couldn’t see What you saw in me They couldn’t see the me you always thought I’d be There on the edge Have I gone insane? Are you so ashamed To share this name? Everybody stopped and stared Wondering what had come of me There you stood in front of me Beautiful as one could be But I couldn’t breathe As I watched you weep Last night I dreamed that my last night was gone And there in the bed Waking I prayed Next to you I laid I whispered your name When I was in heaven, I was thinking all along That I’d write this song, for you And when my ship went down I couldn’t find the radio But then your bedroom light lit, leading me back home And as the wheels went turning, crashing off the road we’re on I felt your arm securely steering me awake again My life belongs to God But my love belongs to you
10.
Anticipating and painting The colors we couldn't be sure. But when you made it, the waiting, Was worth every minute and more. We'll be by your side to comfort you When you feel blue we'll lead you through And when the moon starts calling for you We'll say goodnight and sleep tight Put the world beneath your pillow Fold your hands, say your prayers Let a million dreams surround you Close your eyes and be still Think of old familiar faces And places that you want to go And then go. If an invasion of raisins should corner your toys on the floor Escape on a spaceboat of old coats that we just don't wear anymore Circle the moon, travel far on shooting stars Pretend the bulb is a sun inside the ceiling And smile. And we'll say goodnight and sleep tight Put the world beneath your pillow Fold your hands, say your prayers Let a million dreams surround you Close your eyes and be still Think of old familiar faces And places that you want to go And then go.
11.
Behold this compost! behold it well! Perhaps every mite has once form'd part of a sick person--yet behold! The grass of spring covers the prairies, The bean bursts noiselessly through the mould in the garden, The delicate spear of the onion pierces upward, The apple-buds cluster together on the apple-branches, The resurrection of the wheat appears with pale visage out of its graves, The tinge awakes over the willow-tree and the mulberry-tree, The he-birds carol mornings and evenings while the she-birds sit on their nests, The young of poultry break through the hatch'd eggs, The new-born of animals appear, The summer growth is innocent and disdainful above all those strata of sour dead. O how can it be that the ground itself does not sicken? How can you be alive you growths of spring? What chemistry! That the winds are really not infectious, That this is no cheat, this transparent green-wash of the sea which is so amorous after me, Now I am terrified at the Earth, it is that calm and patient, It grows such sweet things out of such corruptions, It renews with such unwitting looks its prodigal, annual, sumptuous crops, It gives such divine materials to men, and accepts such leavings from them at last.

about

Taken as a whole, these eleven colorfully orchestrated (and sometimes strange) songs were meant to act as a sort of "Dante's Purgatory for Dreamers." Listeners will meet a handful of seemingly lost souls, all distinct, yet related through their passionate pursuit of dreams.

The songs were inspired, at first, by Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." I am comforted by his thoughts on the cycyling and recycling of life - man just as well as grass. The songs themselves took only a few weeks to finish. The orchestrations, however, took much longer time. The guys from Compost and I practiced for a while in my garage and then began recording in 2011. The slowness in the process was certainly all on me. I just wanted to make sure everything was how it should be. I was in no hurry. I'm so happy with the adventure that is the sounds on the album. Hope you enjoy too.

credits

released October 30, 2013

Credits:

Jarred Antonacci: trombone

Michael Billingsley: male vocals, trumpet, fluegelhorn, rhodes piano on
Under Your Shade and Last Night, accordion on Under Your Shade

Michael Ford: tenor sax, rap vocal on Dobey Jones

Rob Gardener: accordion on Last Night, Heroine and Harrison Horowitz

Jeremy Grenhart: rhodes piano on Dobey Jones

Jason Herrmann: electric and acoustic guitar

Meg Moyer-Herrmann: female vocals

Chris Slone: upright bass

Rob Smith: drums and percussion

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Dave Downham of Gradwell House, gradwellhouse.com

Album art by Delise Barron, delisebarron.com

Orchestral arrangement on Goodnight and Sleep Tight by Chris Slone

All words and music by Michael Billingsley

All Rights Reserved @ 2012

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Michael Billingsley/Compost Haddonfield, New Jersey

I'm a musician, songwriter and music educator.

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