reidthusfar

New Stuff for December Part Deux

2008-12-22T17:55:00.000-08:00

Poem: The Potter

Have I been torn by luxury?

You are half a century old

but there's life inside you

stories left to be told

Your work and your love

they keep you so young

People pray to be immortal

for a kingdom to come

But with your hands

Eternity is constantly done

It is spun on a wheel, the axis of your world

In each mold you see wonders, the smiles of your girls

The shine of space's sun, the gleam of deep sea pearls

Yeah, your years on this earth more than double mine

yet I am worn, jaded, embittered by time

So in the same way you find council in clay

I look for guidance in each word you say

So tell me, Creator

Have I been floating carelessly?

Has my reputation surpassed the real me?

Have I fallen victim to opportunity?

Have I been torn by luxury?

New stuff for December

2008-12-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

Song: Victim of Motion

I've been listening to your clicking joints

looking at the way you move

when your body isn't searching for a point

when you are truly you

You got shivers in your fingers

Tremors in your toes

and oh it just feels so good

all this movement, all alone

The school bell ring seems days away and you're

squirming around, not acting your age

Your bag turns to a ball and chain, and your desk

seems more like a cage

And you wish you could shut it out, cause its taking all

your devotion

But you can't help yourself you're a...victim of motion

You lock your door and look around

you never know who could be there

Stereo starts making sounds

and you let down your hair

You don't care about the melody, cause for now its just

you and the beat

Singing with your sidestep, drumming with your feet

If some eyes besides yours pried

you'd surely bring a stop to the song

But one day that shame will die

and you'll prove all the naysayers wrong

When that mornings sun does rise, and you realize the coma you've been on

you'll yourself a victim...a victim to motion.

more soon to come!....

Hey check this guy out!!!!

2008-06-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take some time to call attention to a great friend of mine and his art. If you like stencils and/or absolutely phenomenal street art you should definitely check him out. Even if that stuff isn't your cup of tea I'm sure you'll find something he's done you really dig. The URL is www.virb.com/dontfront. Try it, you might like it.

Poetry Slam Stuff

2008-06-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

So one if my friends started talking about getting a poetry slam/spoken word performance together and it got me really excited. So much so that I came home and wrote this. Its still a work in progress and I might add some more stanzas to it later. Its about when people use the institutions they uphold to express and exercise superiority over others. I'm calling it "Righteous Men" for now.

A true righteous man does all he can
and writes his knowledge in the sand
but the wind sometimes blows those words away
and manipulates what they try to say

So stomp your feet and clap your hands
Let's rid ours lives of some "righteous men"

For instance, city water must make some people
sick in the head or so I think
'Cause why you gotta beat the boy with a night stick
when you know hes got the money to pay for that drink
You can't just go start breaking jaws
With wild assumptions of motivation and cause
Don't give a man a gun who doesn't know his laws
He's a mangy cat who needs to clip his claws

So stomp your feet and clap your hands
Let's rid ourselves of some "righteous men"

Some people find truth in being called Christian
but the Father Son and Ghost is now a three-party system
Same goes to those who stretch and twist the words of Qur’an
as false hope rains down on their countrymen
If you find faith in people's words
and you see the light
And all that red-lettered promise
helps you sleep at night
Embrace your faith, but cautiously
'Cause I fear that you just might
Find your once "reliable source"
ain't exactly right

So stomp your feet and clap your hands
Lets rid ours lives some "righteous men"

So don't name no blame without no cause
Don't expect life's road to end with Oz
Pray in every pew, cuff every hand
but you still won't make a true righteous man

First June Post!

2008-06-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

This new song isn't really the best thing lyrics-wise I've written but I like it anyway. It's about losing your friends through the success they have. The song just sort of says no matter how admired you get you should never forget where you come from. It's called Gravitas.

Don't forget this place you left behind
Sorry we didn't fit in your niche, mix with your kind
But I know you need this now
something real to talk about
And I'll be here to talk it out
If you'll just bring yourself down

Some people are blessed with all the answers
Some people lose their fight with social cancer
Digging out of the debris
Never where they want to be
But we'll figure all that shit out
If you'll just bring yourself down

I'll listen every time you talk
give every statement thought
Intertwine your words, your nouns and verbs
and stick them in my head
We'll make a fire from every spark
and never grow apart
All I'm asking for is time

And I know you need it too
It's just something we must do
But all you want will be found
If you'll just bring yourself down
If you'll just bring yourself down

New Song!

2008-05-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

Ok I know I've been basically sharing poetry with you, and this post will be no different. However I am giving you a two-for-one deal. A new song WITH a chord chart. You may not be able to hear the song as a music file for awhile, but I felt like I should post it to at least archive some more of my writing and to give you guys a deeper look into my songs (if you care at all). This song's a little bit creepy. Its got a gothic/horror/mystery edge to it that some fans of old school bluegrass or French folk song might like. The story, like many folk style songs and poems with gothic themes, is left up to anyone's interpretation. Is it about a schitzophrenic masochist? A suicidal narcissist? Is it just a good old fashion horror story? YOU decide!!! The songs called "To Be You" for now:

Intro:Am Adim

Am
I bet you woke up today with a smile on your face

Dm C/Am
Feeling carefree and somewhat removed

F Am
Don’t seem to notice the troubles around

E
How great it must be to be you

Am
Rising above this mortal life

Dm C/Am
Leaving the darkness and gloom

F Am
And doing it all with a champion’s poise

E Am
How great it must be to be you

F Am
Mmmmmmmmmm
E Am
Mmmmmmmmmm
Dm Am
Mmmmmmmmmm
G(orF) G#
Mmm mmm

Am Adim

(Same chords throughout)
Some words have been said, some have been read
And I’d like you to examine their truth
They say that you are an invincible man
How great it must be to be you

Well legends are legends
Tall tales are tall tales
But only tests lend to the truth
I choose to test you, my wonderful myth
How great you must feel to be you!!

Mmmm(Interlude)

Our palms meet, my tools in your grasp
No time left to stall and/or stew
The choice is now yours, its finally yours!
Now do what you know you must do!

And then we’ll see how you gut a god
We’ll see if THAT blood flows blue
Is that a tear I see in your eye?
Now how does it feel to be you?

Mmmmm(Interlude)

So when you finally feel pain’s embrace
And realize that you’re human too….

Wash your face in the sink
Rest easy and think
How great it must be to be you.
(Outro)

Work and Play...

2008-05-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

...can sometimes be the same thing

As far as the work, I have been spending some time writing music for the illustrious Marsi Harrison, a singer songwriter and dear friend of mine. We just got together and stuff happened. Musical stuff of course. And it was magical. I'll keep you updated on stuff we've been writing (maybe some of her lyrics soon-ish) and you can expect her album to be released by the end of the summer. I've also been gearing up to play a local gig with Richmond-via-Ithaca artist Zach Birnbaum. If you like intimate alt/pop in the vein of John Mayer and Raul Midon, Zach will most certainly tickle your fancy. I will talk more about that show as it gets closer.

As for play, I've been doing some other musical stuff sporatically. My latest song is a standard southern blues thing with some of my quirk thrown in. The song is tentatively called "Break Me (Mo' and Mo')" and the lyrics are set to standard blues stanza

"Break Me (Mo' and Mo')"

I've been travelling
this commonwealth way too long (2x)
I need some tall lanky woman
to g'head and point me back home.

I seen yo'pictures
You take them out the frame(2x)
But you don't need no memories
when everything stay the same

I said Baby (Baby)
no fool can break me
So don't you dare concern yourself
with my safety
I'll tell ya now like I told before
your worrying just hurt me
mo' and mo'

Don't call me woman
'cause you know I won't pick up(2x)
Cause when it comes to this talking
I've 'bout had quite enough

And don't you dare call me "baby"
I never said I was your man
Don't dare call me "honey"
When did I say I was your man?
Ah there's a few things baby
that you don't quite understand

I said Baby (Baby)
no fool can break me
so don't you dare be concerned
with my safety
I'll tell you now like I told before
your worrying just hurt me
mo' and mo'

I said Baby(Baby)
no woman tames me
so don't you concern yourself
with my safety
I'll tell you now like I told before
your worrying just hurt me
mo' and mo'

I'll hopefully have recorded soon, maybe have a friend come in and play slide and banjo. That's all I care to share for now though..so tootles.

Some Poetry yo!

2008-04-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Cerebrum’s Manifesto Part I: The Glorification

this is a little piece about the brain. I just thought of like a brain standing on a soap box talking about the importance of the mind and taking care of it, yelling to every passerby whether he or she chooses to listen or not. Anyway, here it goes:

Stu-dents

Contentment in society does not come with a lack of sobriety

The brain is your microcosm

You must care for it, plant its seeds, water its earth

You must reflect in its sadness and rejoice in its mirth

DO NOT succumb to a false sense of perfection

For a perfect man has no vision, no sense of progression

The brain is your microcosm

The stu-dent is at his most dense when he believes his mind is free

Released from inhibitions, yet engulfed by certainty

Confidence leads to ignorance. Complements become immigrants

That pass through the mind’s borders, fueling self-satisfaction and belligerence

The brain is your microcosm

It has always been your workspace

Where you sketch out the emotions that find color on your face

The process always seems to be, well, more or less mechanical

But it all depends on which apparatus is feeling more tyrannical

And while your emotions and your body fight for all of that control

Just know that you’re truly the one who runs this puppet show

For the brain is YOUR microcosm

And thought can only be led astray

When you choose to not tend to the mind

and let it waste away.