1. |
When I Graduated
02:09
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I went down to the water
To see if I could wash away
All the things I shouldn’t know
Or remember
I went down to the water
To see if I could wash away
All the things you shouldn’t notice
About me this December
But it’s cold in there
And I don’t know what to wear
You say not to be scared
Well, that’s easier said than done
And when I graduated
The woman said I would be glad
For all the time I spent in class
That I thought I hated
And the river’s deep and wide
So you can’t see what’s inside
And the rising water line
Brings us back to life
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2. |
Since I Have Known You
02:50
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This morning I woke before the sunrise
It’s not like I thought that I needed the time
But I’m glad that I did, and I’ll do it again
‘Cause darkness was covered in light
On that first morning after you died
What were they saying about your life?
Was anyone glad because you were gone?
I’d like to think I would be crying
I’d be crying
I would cry
I would
How many times have I told you I love you?
And only a book ever tells me it back
And why sometimes does it feel like I know you
And sometimes like we’ve never met?
And people are always talking about you
And saying your name when they get upset
I wonder if you talk about me
Or think of me when you are sad
When you’re sad
You are sad
You are
Since I have known you, life has been different
It’s hard to explain the choices I’ve made
But the choices aren’t really choices at all
You just won’t leave me alone
When you were twelve you once got lost
I got lost too when I was sixteen
They looked for you, and you looked for me
I can’t believe anyone found us
That they found us
That they found
Us
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3. |
All There Is
03:03
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A lady is running to catch a bus
Her clothes smell like perfume and cigarettes
Her picture ID never looks like her
And no one ever checks
And the glare of that September sun
Perfectly blinds the eastbound ones
And reminds us all of last year’s smudge
We never got around to cleaning up
An old abandoned carwash, a dead racoon
A city emptied out into empty streets
He looked like he was sleeping in between
Yellow lines cradling his cheek
And before we made long distance calls
And gave up writing what we saw
Before we watched suburban sprawl
We’d forgotten what we learned and what we taught
Can I ask forgiveness for what I have?
Or do I have to give it away and part with it?
And if I give away what matters most
Is this really all there is?
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4. |
Remember When
04:05
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You talked too softly
When we gathered on a front porch
On an evening I remember back when
I was searching for
Something more than what I had but that
I wasn’t really sure I wanted yet
And when you told me
How much this all would cost me
I thought that you were joking but you weren’t
And it still haunts me
A ballad or the smell of sable
It’ll be a while before I sleep
Remember when
The wind turned to a gravel road
The tyranny of everything must go
Now I know
That the dog days are behind us
And it’s almost over now
And now I’m easy
O the mornings
When we shared our daily bread
As diesel engines roared we whispered our Amen
Now I wonder
If that was then and this is now
Forever’s always some time ‘til we’re dead
O the evenings
When we sat between the embers
And the stars were lit by torches on the hill
We met our maker
On a tailgate in the panhandle
Where right angles lived only in our heads
I’m not sure
Why a carpenter in Palestine
Would love me or turn water into wine
All I know
Is that he’s alive because of love
And so are you and I
And now I’m easy
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5. |
Why the Water Came
03:38
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The more you’re in a place
The more you wear it down
Your couch, your clothes, the interstate
Eventually give out
But will you remember
The words I whispered
And the towns I drove by?
You can learn a new language
If you try
Or learn to play piano
But people don’t have pianos anymore
So write a story
Or a song
But you don’t have to
The ridges in the mountains
Are there because it rains
And the quaking of the aspen
Is why the water came
When you are standing
Perfectly still
You’ll hear all the reasons
If you’re good at what you do
Then you’re probably bad at what you don’t do
But if you’re good at what you do
Then give away money ‘cause you’re supposed to
And the world is coming to an end
Pretend you care, pretend you’re not sad
Every morning make your bed
Make a decision, make a friend
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6. |
The Annunciation
04:31
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Late at night I came in through the window
She slept soundly in an ordinary bed
I whispered softly, “Hail, my gentle queen.”
Blinking slowly, she raised her holy head
And looked at me, and who was more afraid?
I, a servant, or she, so full of grace?
Then I told her there’s no more need to wait
And leaving lingered in that sanctuary place
Late at night I saw my queen again
Singing sweetly songs she’d learned of old
Of how her fathers had often gone astray
And how he’d chase them, and how this was foretold
And as he slept there, cradled in her arms
I thought to tell her how this world would break her heart
How it’d pierce her, how this would have to end
But that can wait for now, the child needs to be fed
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Connor Danstrom Chicago, Illinois
Connor Danstrom is a Catholic priest. He lives in Chicago.
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