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Been Here Before

by Laura Meyer

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1.
BEEN HERE BEFORE Been here before Got a rope against my neck Been here before I guess I never left The key’s in the door I ain’t got nobody trying to get in The key’s in the door But it doesn’t fit And I am probably gonna die here Yeah, I am probably gonna die Been here before Sucking the blood right out of my bones Been here before I guess that makes it home © Laura Meyer 2010
2.
MOTEL ROOM BLUES #1 An empty motel and nothing to eat 11:30 is too early to sleep An empty bed and a broken TV Just salt and pepper and I need something sweet An empty motel that I’d like to leave Don’t know where to go without me So I lie here empty and I try not to think With a bible and a couple of drinks… And I try to guess Who the hell this Gideon is And what’s he doing in my drawers When it could be you instead An empty motel – it’s a quarter to three A few more hours and they’ll come to clean An empty bed with a burn on the sheets From a heavy head and a couple of missing feet And I lie here in my mess Listening to the pigeons Yeah, I lie here – I confess I don’t know what my religion is But if I had just one just guess I’d put my bet on my emptiness © Laura Meyer 2010
3.
Roam 03:23
ROAM Losing my mind Losing my shoes Walking barefoot Through three feet of snow Gonna find out Where this path leads Gonna find you Got nowhere to go Losing my mind Losing my cool Gonna find you You got nowhere to go Melting the ice With my fever Gonna make you Wish you didn’t roam Losing my mind Don’t care to find it Got my target marked And ready to go Gonna find out Where you’re hiding Gonna make you Wish you didn’t roam © Laura Meyer 2010
4.
Walls 02:36
WALLS Walls are coming down I can’t figure out Where to hide my hurt So you don’t find it first Walls are coming down I’m caught inside-out Naked as a pane of glass I feel my frame start to crack When you rang my bell, those walls, they fell Walls are coming down I can’t keep you out Although I know it isn’t safe God, it feels so good to break When you rang my bell, those walls, they fell When you rang my bell, oh, I fell © Laura Meyer 2010
5.
DON’T LET THEM COLLECT YOU Don’t let them collect you Don’t let them collect you They’re just trying to get you Put you on their shelf No one’s gonna protect you No one’s coming to the rescue They’re just dying to dissect you So you better take care of yourself I’m sorry if I upset you I didn’t see them possess you I didn’t believe they could infect you Turn you into something else There upon their shelf © Laura Meyer 2010
6.
MOTEL ROOM BLUES #2 I lie awake, listening to the neighbors Bang against the wall I lie awake, listening to the neighbors He won’t take my call Cracked as this ceiling, but looks are deceiving I can hold these walls Cracked like this ceiling, there’s no light for reading Just heavy footsteps in the hall Earplugs and deadbolts won’t keep the bedbugs From biting my skin Neither earplugs, nor deadbolt, these pills, nor blindfold Will keep the nightmares from getting in I freeze on the covers ’cause too many lovers Have lain upon these sheets I freeze on the covers and there ain’t no others To keep me warm when I sleep So I lie awake, listening to the neighbors Bang against the wall I lie awake, listening to the neighbors God, are you there at all? Yeah I lie awake, listening to the neighbors I know it ain’t their fault I lie awake listening to the neighbors And I pray for dawn © Laura Meyer 2010
7.
Fake 03:14
FAKE I look at these boys With their guitars and their songs They sound just like yours They sound just like you Just like you do Oh but they’re only boys And their guitars are just toys They can’t play them like you, No, they only fake it They make pretend they are you Oh and they aren’t as good as you Because they’re only faking And if anyone could ever fake it… Well it would be you I play your records inside my room And I can’t help believing that the words, they are true Even though I know you are faking You fake it so good You smile for the camera and when the light hits your eyes No one could guess that even those are a lie But beneath those baby blues I’ve seen the red break through And I confess that for one night I’d play the fool And take what you say as the god honest truth Because even when you’re faking You make me feel so good Oh and they’ll never make it – not like you could Cause they’re much too honest and who wants the truth? Yeah, tell me, who could want the truth When she could have you Who could want the truth Now that she has you? © Laura Meyer 2010
8.
Mr. Sympathy 01:48
MR. SYMPATHY Hey Mr. Sympathy Can you save a little bit for me I know you like to keep your ledger clean Squeaky, squeaky, well ain’t you sweet Hey Mr. Sympathy Go on and make a little bit for me I’m counting 1-2-1-2-1-3 Look at all that you take from me But you never give me your sympathy No you never give me your sympathy You never give me your sympathy Go on and blow your nose on my sleeve Hey, Mr. Sympathy Go on, stir a little sugar in your tea Put a pillow beneath your feet ’Cause you ain’t gonna take no more from me No, you’re never gonna get my sympathy No, you’re never gonna get my sympathy You’re never gonna get my sympathy Go on and blow your nose on your own sleeve © Laura Meyer 2010
9.
Ghost 02:42
GHOST Straight for the answers Straight for the answers You reached right into my very soul How’d you get in there? How’d you get in there? Tell me, how did such a young man get so old? And I don’t believe in time but I believe in ghosts I take my chances I take my chances I took my chance in letting you go And I don’t believe that I will ever give up my hope And I don’t believe in lies… not even my own When I look into your eyes I see a ghost © Laura Meyer 2010
10.
BLACKBERRY LANE Blackberry hedges and the mailboxes are white Trying to send a letter that I never wanted to write Blackberry Lane Everything has changed It’s the first house on the left and this street is a dead end So you drive by it once and then you drive by it again Blackberry Lane Never quite the same Well you see through the blinds and you cannot help but stare Then you reach for the mailbox as if someone were there Blackberry Lane Don’t it feel so strange Blackberry Lane Never quite the same
11.
MOTEL BLUES #3 The phonebook, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita An empty motel room and me The phonebook, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita I’m beginning to feel obsolete I think god has forgotten me, or maybe he just ain’t found me yet I keep calling and calling, but tonight he ain’t taking requests… So I open to random pages, looking for some kind of sign I keep calling on strangers just to pass the time The phonebook, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita An empty motel room and me The phonebook, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita And there ain’t nobody here to see And if my book had just one letter, it would be Y I know I’m no saint, but tell me who is? When even you won’t pick up or assist A soul that’s in need, a soldier on her knees Calling on Krishna or any deity Whoever’s at home, god, we both know You’re never too far from your throne… And I’ve been living on air, singing my prayers To busy signals and scriptures that don’t give a damn Poor as Job, with nowhere to go And Lord, I know I’m not, but I feel as old As these listings – outdated – with no sign of a savior Cause life is your party and you’re not handing out any favors today… The phonebook, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita An empty motel room and me The phonebook, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita But tell me, does anybody read… The phonebook, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita It’s getting so hard to believe The phonebook, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita There’s nothing left to do now but sleep © Laura Meyer 2010

about

Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Steve Rossiter at Axis Sound in NYC, August-September 2010. All songs by Laura.

credits

released November 11, 2010

Laura Meyer - guitars & vocals
Peter Negroponte - drums
Steve Rossiter - piano, organ, & synthesizers

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about

Laura Meyer Chicago, Illinois

I’m a writer and musician working in experimental memoir and sound at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where I tutor and assistant teach. Previously I toured internationally for over ten years, collecting and curating experiences, melodies, language, characters, and sounds from the natural world. ... more

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