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Parables

by James Bird

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1.
Mr. Officer 03:31
Well I'm sorry Mr. Officer But I've just seen the world Today will mark the day that I believe that there is something more Well I'm sorry Mr. Officer but I've just found the war between their greedy hearts and the green that we are taught to adore I'm sick of seeing the people think that a dream is only a dream They all settle for less and put their problems in someone's chest We pass the class but fail to learn You can't be taught to live And we all seem to love to hate but in the end we really need some love And if there's a way then there's a will and a heart at bay is set to kill and if you blame all that is then all is to blame Well I'm sorry Mr. Officer but the truth lies with the liar so you should take off that badge you're not fooling anyone Well I'm sorry Mr. Officer but you should figure your intentions Are you really one of them or are you just another one of us Cause last I checked the clothes don't change the human underneath What about the soul inside that flies around inside of you and I We want to be like the TV stars who drown within their fame We starve ourselves to look like models who they edit to be barbie fake And if there's a way then there's a will and a heart at bay is set to kill and if you blame all that is then all is to blame Well I'm sorry Mr. Officer but I'm sick of television Cause every person fakes a smile but is cryin' almost every night Cause you can't build the world in 7 fucking days and you can't feed a dog if he never pays I guess believing is seeing until I seek to believe Like a mouse in a maze that's been fucked up for days like a fish in a pond where the predator stays like a man on his ship who's about to walk the plank Well I'm sorry Mr. Officer but I've just been freed from jail I've been to hell and back inside a world that's really weighing me down Well I'm sorry Mr. Officer but expect a revolution if no one stands by my side I'll do it by myself
2.
Seeing As Is 01:19
Then I saw the dark as it is, and it shook me Are we really proud of the cages we're locked in How do they get away with murder I guess they've got us fooled and there's nothing we can do Cause we sit, in love with our sitcoms and our dramas Can't you see their plans they're out make you numb Turn on the news, to find fear and darkness and yet we turn our backs and stare back at our phones
3.
Miss Molly 04:05
She takes the stage by storm You know you better look out cause miss molly's on She's got her eyes lit for the crowd You know she's comin' for ya She's been around She takes her first steps off the stage and moves directly toward ya you shake in place she puts her lips upon your neck Tonight you'll get your dinner she'll get her check Miss Molly Miss Molly Miss Molly Miss Molly Soon you have her in your car and as your driving home she kisses your arm and soon she has you to herself the door is locked behind ya as her dress slips off and you know you never knew that you would take her home she said it's all right, you know it feels good and then she plants the kiss of death and then she's out the door now your dead on the floor no regrets no remorse Miss molly miss molly miss molly miss molly ~~~ As I walked back to my home I saw the news reporters storm through my door I was unaware that I had lost my brother to miss molly's eyes He was left out on the floor in a puddle of sweat with no clothes on his back And I stared until I cried Man's desires will always destroy his life and as I began to walk down my basement stairs she was hiding there with my lips in her stare She saw I needed love, she saw I needed a fix She will kill me first, and then she'll find you next Miss molly miss molly miss molly miss molly
4.
I took a walk Down the back roads of my city In search for what I've been missing since I was called alive I lost my mind And the street lights lit my being and I found this song to be fitting for the sadness we've designed Cause you tell us that we all are flawed, no beauty is good enough And you tell us to buy this and that, but all we have is all we need I'd tell you that we're all to blame, we've done what they've told us It's time for change Turn me right from wrong Turn me right from wrong Turn me right because you know we're not gonna stay here all night Turn me right from wrong I filled with light I saw our thoughts manifest and alter our destiny's, our attitudes, our health and our demise They told me that I was crazy To get a job or a college degree but when you see the light you see past the physical design we've created the nonexistent divide You tell us that we are to fight when governments are greedy You tell us that they need our help but all you want is what they've got I will not support these criminals who hide in suits and ties Puppet master lies Turn me right from wrong Turn me right from wrong Turn me right because you know we're not gonna stay here all night Turn me right from wrong I said goodbye as I rose out of my vessel which carried me from land to sea from darkness to the light The light consumed my being and taught me words to tell the world So listen while there's time We're here to grow and cultivate a global community It's not too late to love all life and shine light on all the dark What was once divided will unite, we're here to save the world We're the one's we've been waiting for Fill your heart with light Speak your mind with love Feel your strength for you transcend all the greed that anchors you down We will be just fine
5.
I heard them sing straight from the sea Have faith and you'll be free Your teacher will come very soon The seeker is ready The love inside will keep the world alive We are the same, we are the Light I put my ear down to the earth and I heard the sweetest voice Beings of light are here to stay Rise up and feel their love The love inside will keep the world alive We are the same, We are the Light I heard them cry out from the skies don't fear the darkened minds Our love will shine on like the sun You just have to let it grow The love inside will keep the world alive We are the same, We are the Light
6.
Anchor Ridge 04:16
I just met a man on a moonlit night He spoke with simple words from a towering height He said that there's a place vast as the sea You must believe that it is there or it won't be He said I come from a place where no one has the same color eyes He said I come from a place where no one ever hides in disguise Meet me down in Anchor Ridge where the lovers love and the seekers find that darkness is a state of mind and you can find the light if you can give the time On a bench beside the sea he taught me to believe In myself and in the stars as far as I could see He said that you can't change a man but you can help him breathe He said that wisdom comes with time and not with age He said I come from a place where no one has the same color eyes He said I come from a place where no one ever hides in disguise Meet me down in Anchor Ridge where the lovers love and the seekers find that darkness is a state of mind and you can find the light if you can give the time He said that he must go and see his wife He said you mustn't be afraid of the world outside He said that I'm to build a ship and sail out to sea Out there you will find your path to me Then he left with a smile and said son don't forget your home A woman awaits she's been calling for some time She sings: Meet me down in anchor ridge where the lovers love and the seekers find that darkness is a state of mind and you can find the light if you can give the time And he said son Go On, Go On, Go On, Go On
7.
The lovely lanterns of light lit up the night as their beaming faces greeted me pulling me along to places of great enormity Upward into the darkness Inward into the soul We spend lifetimes being guided by a god that we cannot see There's a world inside our heads but it's so hard to see unless your dead But we can open the doors with the keys we hold inside our chests So to those who truly seek truth Dive in and dive deep my friends and pursue what you ensue What's an idea? but an infinite seed that grows forever onward Whenever it is given light and the will to breathe I ascended up to the stars step after step and breath after breath Am I ready for this or is this just another test He said to build a ship and sail out to sea And I'll miss my friends but they won't miss me and it's so hard to be alive when everyone else is blind We all must free our minds So to those who truly seek truth Dive in and dive deep my friends and pursue what you ensue What's an idea? but an infinite seed that grows forever onward Whenever it is given light and the will to breathe I walked lonely a lonely road to find truth I'm here to tell you No one can change you but you Don't let them feed you All that they want you to believe They want you weaker Than you're created to be
8.
I walked for miles to find the ocean I didn't know what I'd find there the sea still called to me At last I found it The waves crashed at my feet I made it to the coastline just as she asked my name I saw her beauty she left her family She said that we could sail off and leave this world behind She saw the darkness and escaped wounded I held her for hours on the ship her father built At dusk, we sailed off into the setting sun I smiled and kissed her forehead She laughed and kissed my lips
9.
I had a dream I was on Terrace blvd. in the town I loved, on the street where I once lived And I saw myself walking home at age 12 with my head in my hands and sadness on my sleeves So I ran to myself and got down on my knees I said don't you dare ever grow up like me You be good to your mother, change is never as it seems You just wait to grow up, it's not really what you dreamed I was singing I had a dream I was walking in a house where the party raged and the minds were out at sea and I saw their masks painted on with fake smiles to deceive the world and survive another night And I couldn't help but feel so fucking cold Why do we have to drink and sink an honest soul Are we afraid to believe that we're not the only ones Who lay awake in our beds screaming loudly with broken lungs We were singing We're just broken teens living with broken dreams hiding inside our screens escaping to stitch the seams and we're just children trapped inside an adult physique traveling worlds unmapped taught to be smart but weak I left my home to live a life out on the sea Just my lover and me we decided who we should be But we heard their cries from the islands out at sea and we could hear them singing so very loudly to be free They were singing
10.
Lighthouse 05:51
Tomorrow came the storm had went I called your name across the morning tides the sun began to rise I can't believe what I had seen I held on tight but then the ship caved in I searched all through the night Sails are torn my love is dead You always said "I wonder when I'll die" the sea held your reply I put my gun right to my head said my prayers, but then a crow dropped in he said "Where should I begin" "Take some time it's rough I know She rests inside Fix this ship and sail the seas love again and kiss her knees don't you ever hate yourself there's a girl you're meant to meet she's got everything you need don't you ever let her go and you will learn to love again" I starved for weeks and grew a beard I couldn't sleep or even try to dream my weak heart ripped into three The darkness came and stole my breath I needed warmth inside this mind of mine the shadows will take my life But then I saw the lighthouse gleam it called me in and said your love rests here there's nothing that you should fear Anchors down I swam ashore ran toward the light and sprinted up the stairs I saw someone waiting there She turned to me I could not breathe She smiled with ease "We'll fix my ship and sail the seas We'll love again, I'll kiss your knees don't you ever hate yourself I'm the man you're meant to meet I know it's strange but in a dream I swear I saw your face and we will learn to love again"

about

Looking back, I wrote Parables in a time where I felt really lost, looking for the faintest shimmer of light in the darkest of places. The album began coming through in a lonely gap year I took in 2012 before going to Keene State College. I finished writing the album at Keene, amongst dear friends whose support and encouragement made it possible. It was a journey from isolation to dear friendship/community/love.

The album tells a story, which I obsessed over for months and months. It tells the story of a young man, fraught with immense anger at a world that is filled with hatred and violence. He faces this issue with force, looking outwardly, with a very "yang" approach. When there is a burning question in our hearts, we often are pulled along on a journey to answer it.

James meets a temptress, Miss Molly, who takes the life of his brother, which sends him into grief, thinking deeply about right and wrong. Going through this duality, he moves into deeper inner spaces, where he meets a wise man who tells him, "Your love awaits you in the land of Anchor Ridge, where students yearn to learn, lovers love and all questions are answered." As he journeys to the fabled land, he falls in love with a woman who he chooses to sail with. But a storm approaches that will bring his final revelation.

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James Bird- Vocals, guitar, drums, bass

Also, I made a point to make this album as raw and natural as possible. We didn't use tons of production nor did we use auto-tune.

_______________________

credits

released August 18, 2014

This album was recorded by my dear friend William Boynton, who recorded this album in 9 days and then mixed it for over 2 months. My gratitude is beyond words ~ In 2017, Will passed away onto his next extraordinary adventure. I miss and love him dearly.

Thank you to Jesse Ciarmataro for mastering this album very last minute! Thank you to Daneil Alvarez de Toledo for your added piano! Thank you to John Landergan, Adam Bouchard and Seanna Flynn for their added vocals! Thank you my family, the family of LOLB, Lydia Huebenthal, and all who I have met along the way whose love was transmuted into Parables.

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James Bird Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

James Bird is akin to a bard from ancient times, wandering forests barefoot to find the songs in the wind. Hailing from Shelburne Falls, James is a multi-instrumentalist and poet who aims to invite magic out of the seemingly ordinary. Drawing upon threads of mythology, mysticism and personal experience, James weaves melodic music that is eclectic, thought-provoking, and empowering. ... more

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