1. |
Good Things Come
04:21
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Good Things Come
It’s this morning
By my window
A sunburst six-string
And my hands waking slow
It’s Rebecca sleeping
Half-uncovered
It’s the letters that we wrote
As new lovers
It’s growing older
It’s growing softer
It’s ten minutes that I spend
With my step-daughter
It’s not like magic
A rabbit in your hand
It’s not like lightning
On the Rio Grande
It’s a slow unveiling
One by one
Good things come
It’s forgiveness
For all those hard times
When I hurt the one I love
With all my little daily crimes
It’s working harder
As time grows faster
It’s learning love is not a kiss
But what comes after
It’s taking joy in
All we’ve discovered
It’s how the closing of one door
Opens another
But it’s not like magic
A rabbit in your hand
It’s not like lightning
On the Rio Grande
It’s a slow unveiling
One by one
Good things come
The years come and go
And waiting is hard
But brightness will find us
Right where we are
Where we are
But it’s not like magic
A rabbit in your hand
It’s not like lightning
On the Rio Grande
It’s a slow unveiling
One by one
Good things come
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2. |
Tiny Houses
03:47
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Tiny Houses
Talkin’ with a teen is pretty much a joke
Everything you try to say goes up in smoke
I take her to school every day
Try to find a scrap of light along the way
Today we see a tiny house out in the fields
I tell her I love it, I tell her just how I feel
She says it’s cute, we share a laugh
I feel the day go soft, I feel her warmth at last
Cause we’re building something simple
A little space for two
And in the acres of her anger
There’s room for tiny houses too
Livin’ with a teen is like livin’ with a stranger
Except strangers are nicer, ain’t got all that anger
How I long to tell her how much I love her
But it ain’t easy for a stepfather
I build my dreams up but they keep tumblin’ down
So I’m aiming for a small plot
Where we can break new ground
Chorus (Cause we’re building something simple…)
I tell her to have a good day
She steps out of the car
Love starts with tiny houses
Love starts with where we are
Chorus
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3. |
New Weather
04:23
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New Weather
Leave the light on in her bedroom
Silver boots stand by the door
There is no fury like a daughter's
But we don't see her anymore
She left a hole the size of Texas
Tore us up like a hurricane
Just when we thought that we were close enough to hold her
She left us holding miles of rain
Oh my love, the sky will surely brighten
Cause nothin' stays this dark forever
A broken heart is like a broken bone
Where we heal is where we feel our new weather
Scraps of cloth still on the table
Where you helped her learn to sew
We tried to keep her safe and happy
But sometimes holding on means letting go
Chorus
There is no sadness like a mother's
But you're not crying anymore
Outside a silver moon is cutting through
We'll always keep an open door
Chorus
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4. |
Unbroken
03:51
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Unbroken
It’s not easy
To pick up all the pieces that lie scattered
To hold this house together like it mattered
Yeah, it matters
It’s not easy
But we’ve always found a way to mend each other
Our falls and fractures make us stronger lovers
We’re stronger lovers
Through all the whirlwind days
Through all those shades of gray
Through all the words I wish I’d never spoken
We’re unbroken
We’re unbroken
It’s not easy
When your heart’s a leaky ship in shitty weather
When going down means going down together
Always together
But believe me:
Our love will bear us one shore to the other
As the years keep breaking one upon another
There goes another
Through all this journey brings
Warm metal of our rings
Through all the restless nights when we are woken
We’re unbroken
We’re unbroken
It’s not easy
To pick up all the pieces that lie scattered
To hold this house together like it mattered
Yeah, it matters
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5. |
Breathing Room
05:06
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Breathing Room
She wants to paint the walls again
Five years after they moved in
She's not trying to hide who they've been
She just needs a change of mood
He likes the walls the way they are
The changing colors break his heart
But he won't fight her cause they've come so far
He sees the green still bleeding through
And all he needs is breathing room
A little space to sing his tune
A little time to chase away his blues
She's sleeping on the couch again
But not to get away from him
She's thinking of her girls and where they've been
And where they're going to
He comes out at midnight to hold her hand
They talk of summer then he goes back in
His heart keeps time with the ceiling fan
He knows she'll come back soon
Cause all she needs is breathing room
A little space to sing her tune
Or maybe howl up at that moon
These days when wires get tangled up
They still take time to fill each other's cups
But they know when enough's enough
Cause nothin' rings more sweet and true
Than givin' love some breathing room
All we need is breathing room, etc.
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6. |
Better than Ever
04:04
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Better Than Ever
Haven’t had a breakdown now
In almost seven weeks
Woke up today
With a beer cap stuck to my cheek
My heart is lighter now
Forty years have come and gone
My wife’s in shock
Because I’m writing happy songs
I’m tryin’ to let go of mistakes
Enjoy the beautiful weather
My neighbor asks, Are you okay?
I say, I’m tryin’ to get my shit together
Yeah, it’s comin’ together
Yeah, I’m better than
I’m better than ever
My glass is fuller now
I’m past the halfway line
Chasin’ off my young man’s blues
With a shot of ol’ John Prine
Paradise is morning
With the cat purring at my feet
Still take my coffee black
But I’m turning bittersweet
I’m tryin’ to let go of the weight
I’m tryin’ to live each day untethered
My mother asks, Are you okay?
I say, I’m lookin’ up, better late than never
Yeah, I’m light as a fuckin' feather
Yeah, I’m better than ever
I’m better than ever
Bridge
I’m tryin’ to give more than I take
I’m tryin’ to let go of forever
I ask my wife, Are you okay?
She says we’ll cross this sea together
Yeah, we’ll make it together
Cause we’re better than
We’re better than
We’re better than
We’re better than ever
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7. |
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Cutting Her Mother’s Hair
It all comes down
To a Saturday morning
She steps out of her car
A warm October wind is blowing
A purple Mohawk
And camo cut-offs
Her edges may be sharp
But her eyes can still go soft
So many hard years
She never called this house her home
But here she stands at seventeen
With the scissors and a comb
She takes a strand between her fingers
And time slips by like an unseen river
With a touch so light it’s almost too much to bear:
She’s cutting her mother’s hair
She circles round her
Blades flashing in the sun
How’d we get here?
I could swear this movie had just begun
I’m lost in the moment
Lost in something close to bliss
The world may be burning
But I’m holding fast to this:
Red and gray go slipping through her fingers
We gave her everything that we could give her
And here she is, with a little time to spare:
She’s cutting her mother’s hair
And I’m learning how this works
How a simple pair of shears
Can take away some sorrow
And soften up some years
Now she flies away, slipping through our fingers
She may be gone, but her light still lingers
Miles away she’s still circling on the air:
She’s cutting her mother’s hair
She’s cutting her mother’s hair
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8. |
Shades of Gray
04:46
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Shades of Gray
Let’s strip it down now
Down to the bone
Some days I feel useless
Some days I feel alone
When I first met her
The girls were five and three
Little bolts of lightning
They eyed me suspiciously
In time they let me hold them
They went swinging on my arms
And I’ve loved them through the hard times
And I’ve tried to keep them warm
Cause it’s a ride like no other
I’m not their father
I’m something other
Gotta trust our captain
Gotta trust their mother
Gotta be okay
With shades of gray
We used to talk of babies
But the time was never right
The seas were always difficult
The stakes were much too high
I used to have this vision
Delicate and wild
Swimming deep between us
The dream of our third child
But I chose to let it slip away
To someone else’s shore
And I’ve loved our two girls harder
Than I’ve ever loved before
Cause it’s a ride like no other
I’m not their father
I’m something other
Gotta trust our captain
Gotta trust their mother
Gotta be okay
With shades of gray
Today I made some coffee
And it wasn’t just for me
A splash of milk in both their mugs
And chocolate to make it sweet
Cause that’s the way they like it
And I’m happy just to know
I’m happy I got one thing right
Before they have to go
And I wish them gentle passage
May they find more joy than pain
May they stand inside the shadows
And learn to love the rain
Cause it’s a ride like no other
It’s bittersweet and full of wonder
Gotta pull the sunlight from the thunder
Gotta be okay
With shades of gray
Cause it’s a ride like no other
I’m not their father
I’m something other
Gotta trust our captain
Gotta trust their mother
Gotta be okay
With shades of gray
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9. |
Who Ya Gonna Be?
03:25
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Who Ya Gonna Be?
Chill of October
Smell of the leaves
And I can’t stop thinking about
How you loved Halloween
Carving the pumpkin
Roasting the seeds
Lighting the fire in your eyes
How the colors all bleed
Making your costume
On the kitchen floor
Watching you twirl through the years
Then twirl out the door
Now you’re out there with the ghosts and the goblins
Searching the sky for your dreams
This Halloween I’m just sitting here waiting for you
Wondering who ya gonna be?
Who ya gonna be, dear?
Who ya gonna be?
I wish I could open
All the doors that you need
But there's no magic password
There's no skeleton key
The world’s full of masks, dear
But I hope you will see
That this house is not haunted
And my love is just me
Now you’re out there with the ghosts and the goblins
Searching the sky for your dreams
Tonight I’m just sitting here waiting for you
Wondering who ya gonna be?
Who ya gonna be, dear?
Who ya gonna be?
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10. |
Sides I've Never Seen
04:11
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Sides I’ve Never Seen
My father’s heart
Is like an old barn wall
Full of rusty nails
Just a dusty stall
And if I’d taken the time
To look around real good
Might’ve found a line of Steinbeck
Buried in the wood
Or maybe something lighter
Still burning in his grain
About a night so long ago
When he was touched by flame
Cause you can’t see a wall in just one light
And you can’t know a leaf by one green
You can’t judge a stone half-buried in the earth
And he had sides I’ve never seen
My stepdaughter’s eyes
Are like the sea
Angry on the surface
Miles of life beneath
And I can say they’re blue
But that’s not saying very much
Cause it’s hard to really know her
When we never touch
But maybe some day
When we both have grown new skin
Her eyes will reach for me
And let me in
Cause you can’t see a face in just one light
And you can’t know a leaf by one green
You can’t judge a stone half-buried in the earth
And she’s got sides I’ve never seen
My lover’s hand
Is like the rarest of birds
Lights upon my chest
Brushes off the hurt
And when I’m being selfish
She still finds me in the dark
She gently nudges me
And opens up my heart
Still she knows
That I’ll always be the man
Who turns a strange new shade
Right beneath her hand
Cause you can’t see your love in just one light
You can’t know a leaf by one green
You can’t judge a stone half-buried in the earth
And I’ve got sides she’s never seen
Yeah I’ve got sides she’s never seen
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11. |
Will We Be Okay?
03:07
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Will We Be Okay?
When we’re old and gray
And tattered from the fray
Will you turn to me
For company?
Will we quarrel about the weather?
Laugh and click our rings together?
Will we be okay?
Will you forgive me my rough edges
And all those tiny ledges
I almost jumped off on the way?
And will we be okay?
Will we be okay?
When that hammer swings
Down with all that living brings
Will our battered hearts
Fly apart?
Or will we drink our wine and wonder
How we made it through the thunder?
Will we shine like broken things?
Will you forgive me my rough edges
And all those tiny ledges
You talked me down from on the way?
And will we be okay?
Will we be okay?
Will we be okay?
When our girls have flown
Beyond the map of all we’ve known
Will I be enough
For you to love?
Will you reach for me as days grow colder
Like a ragged coat around your shoulders?
Will I warm you to the bone?
Will you forgive me my rough edges
And all those tiny ledges
You helped me down from on the way?
And will we be okay?
Will we be okay?
Will we be okay?
Will we be okay?
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12. |
Follower
03:46
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Follower
Well I followed you back
To the house where he hurt you
Where you buried your love in the cold
And we dug up the pieces
To put you back together
And you rose like a starling on your own
Well I followed you back
To the day when you left him
When all that you’d built felt wrong
And I traced all your secrets
With the tips of my fingers
All the breakage that makes you so strong
And after all we’ve been through
My heart tells me to trust in my muse
And it dawns on me out of the blue
The world needs followers too
Well you followed me back
To my cold-water flat
With the cactus blooming on the sill
When you slipped off my shirt
To get a look at my hurt
I could hardly believe you were real
Cause I’d built up my walls
A thousand stories tall
And a raven flew off with the key
But you undressed me so well
That my ramparts all fell
And I followed your eyes out to sea
And after all we’ve been through
My heart tells me to trust all your moves
And it dawns on me out of the blue
The world needs followers too
And I’ll keep following you
And I’ll keep following you
From the place that we started
To the day that we’re parted
Through the broken, the beautiful
Bittersweet seasons we fall
And after all we’ve been through
My heart tells me to stay close to you
And it dawns on me out of the blue
The world needs followers too
And I’ll keep following you
And I’ll keep following you
And I’ll keep following you
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13. |
Come Out New
04:27
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Come Out New
Somedays we wake up gray
Feels like we’ve lost our shine
Somedays I brush the tears from your eyes
Somedays you brush mine
Maybe our marriage is a tree
Unshakeable in every breeze
I wish I could say we’re evergreen
But I know we’re the kind with leaves
Cause we’re changing colors again
We’re bleeding into each other and then
I work a little harder and you do too
And we come out new
Some nights our blues are too much
And we stare into our screens
Some nights we miss each other entirely
And there’s a canyon in between
Now I’ve seen many shades of love
But I’ve never felt resilience like this
How every night in bed we wrap each other tight
In a chrysalis
Cause we’re changing colors again
We’re bleeding into each other and then
I work a little harder and you do too
And we come out new
And here we are
Whirling through the years on a speck of dust
We’ve come so far
And I still wonder what each morning will reveal in us
Cause we’re changing colors again
We’re bleeding into each other and then
I work a little harder and you do too
And we come out new
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14. |
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Better Than Ever
Haven’t had a breakdown now
In almost seven weeks
Woke up today
With a beer cap stuck to my cheek
My heart is lighter now
Forty years have come and gone
My wife’s in shock
Because I’m writing happy songs
I’m tryin’ to let go of mistakes
Enjoy the beautiful weather
My neighbor asks, Are you okay?
I say, I’m tryin’ to get my shit together
Yeah, it’s comin’ together
Yeah, I’m better than
I’m better than ever
My glass is fuller now
I’m past the halfway line
Chasin’ off my young man’s blues
With a shot of ol’ John Prine
Paradise is morning
With the cat purring at my feet
Still take my coffee black
But I’m turning bittersweet
I’m tryin’ to let go of the weight
I’m tryin’ to live each day untethered
My mother asks, Are you okay?
I say, I’m lookin’ up, better late than never
Yeah, I’m light as a fuckin' feather
Yeah, I’m better than ever
I’m better than ever
Bridge
I’m tryin’ to give more than I take
I’m tryin’ to let go of forever
I ask my wife, Are you okay?
She says we’ll cross this sea together
Yeah, we’ll make it together
Cause we’re better than
We’re better than
We’re better than
We’re better than ever
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15. |
Unbroken (radio edit)
03:51
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Unbroken
It’s not easy
To pick up all the pieces that lie scattered
To hold this house together like it mattered
Yeah, it matters
It’s not easy
But we’ve always found a way to mend each other
Our falls and fractures make us stronger lovers
We’re stronger lovers
Through all the whirlwind days
Through all those shades of gray
Through all the words I wish I’d never spoken
We’re unbroken
We’re unbroken
It’s not easy
When your heart’s a leaky ship in shitty weather
When going down means going down together
Always together
But believe me:
Our love will bear us one shore to the other
As the years keep breaking one upon another
There goes another
Through all this journey brings
Warm metal of our rings
Through all the restless nights when we are woken
We’re unbroken
We’re unbroken
It’s not easy
To pick up all the pieces that lie scattered
To hold this house together like it mattered
Yeah, it matters
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Austin MacRae Ithaca, New York
Austin MacRae is an Ithaca-based contemporary folk singer/songwriter.
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