1. |
Youthless Blues Overture
01:37
|
|||
2. |
||||
defeat every Monday
as I pull back into work.
"how do I always end up back here?"
let the workaholics
let them all stay late.
I'm thankful I have somewhere I'd rather be
cause this place pays the bills, but it doesn't pay me.
so, I've been trying to find a way out
as all these people just settle down
on a dead end street they find a home
where they lead stagnant lives and simply stay afloat.
I hope this day goes fast
so it can bring me back to what I really live for...
my woman, my craft, my friends and family.
see I've got somewhere I'd rather be.
so, I've been trying to find my way out
as all these people just settle down
if the boss would only appreciate
what we do for them each day
instead they pay us
a poor man's wage.
just remember:
if they can get rid of you, they will
they don't care much about "who"
it's more about what you can do
for them.
so, I've been trying to find my way out
cause this place pays the bills, but it doesn't pay me.
|
||||
3. |
Still Afloat (6:50 AM)
02:56
|
|||
it's 6:50 and I can hear that clock ticking
gotta get some things done
before the biggest portion of my Tuesday
is taken away.
I mean I'm thankful I have a job,
but when your living becomes your life
then it's gone too far.
a young man, in a suit and tie
asked me what I wanted in this life
and he didn't even hear my side
before he blurted out his reply.
he said, "you can never make enough $,
so shake my hand and start next week"
so, now I'm thankful I have a job,
but if this living becomes my life
then it's gone too far.
I heard he is now a father
and they outsourced his job.
using his 401k to pay the utilities
the CEO feasts again on the hard-working man,
ignoring the blood on his hands.
now, I'm thankful I'm still afloat
as these cheap, rich bastards raise another toast.
|
||||
4. |
The Next Day
03:43
|
|||
I give you today
and you want tomorrow.
now, I'm thinking
is a happy family possible anymore?
I was just trying to make some money on the side
when I got into trouble that night.
but what is right?
when what is righteous in their eyes
leaves you
and yours empty on the inside.
I give you tomorrow
and you want the next day.
so, now I'm picking
splinters from my fingers, no nobody said it would be easy
working that OT for what my family need,
but what they really need is me.
guess that's just life
physical absence to provide
and it leaves you
and yours empty on the inside
empty on the inside.
i give you
(tomorrow, today, yesterday)
today
but is it right?
if it leaves you and yours
empty on the inside.
|
||||
5. |
||||
(instrumental)
|
||||
6. |
Good Side
03:10
|
|||
every day is one of a kind
I try to take them as they come
but usually I forget and get ahead of myself
I'm still nowhere and lonely as hell.
you gotta get on their goodside
and I must not be.
so, I keep one foot in front of the other
and let them lead me to payday.
I battle overdraft fees
as they get the best of me
and my hourly rate.
I must not be
you gotta get on their goodside
and I must not be.
|
||||
7. |
3rd Shift
03:11
|
|||
she comes home before sun up
Monday through Thursday morning
and though she misses the first shift,
the differential helps provide for her kids.
texting her boyfriend in the morning
"let's quit our jobs and just live on the streets..."
and while I know we can't do that,
goddamn it feels good to dream.
cause I just need one good night's sleep
but my kids have got to eat.
"you bring your guitar, I'll bring my camera
and we'll become super stars"
I just need one good night's sleep
but my kids have got to eat
oh, I just need one good night's sleep
but my kids have got to eat.
|
||||
8. |
I Miss You & The Weekend
02:23
|
|||
I hate being here
I'm a grown man doing his job
as all my bosses peer over my shoulder
and baby sit me cause they can't trust anyone.
I miss you and the weekend.
one more day to go
'til we get to hit the road
and leave everything else behind
oh, they baby sit me cause they can't trust anyone.
I miss you and the weekend.
|
||||
9. |
Whirlwind Weekend
03:11
|
|||
I've got things I'd like to do
and I'm sure you've got yours too
but who has the time to execute?
make a living start dying
to everything that you are inside.
but you gotta hold yourself together, man
let go of time in your mind and stick to the master plan.
if there is one thing you'll remember,
it's that you'll always forget what happens in a whirlwind weekend.
whirlwind weekend
where those memories go
no one will know.
I've got places I should be
but nothing in life comes free
listen to me, but don't follow my lead
I'll be working for the man,
as I urge you to be all you can.
but you gotta hold yourself together, man
let go of time in your mind and stick to the master plan.
if there is one thing you'll remember,
it's that you'll always forget what happens in a whirlwind weekend.
whirlwind weekend.
|
||||
10. |
||||
I don't want to let go of tonight
I will fight, I will fight.
though the sun is in retreat, I will still be on my feet
chasing after anything in this life that tastes sweet.
like a picnic in the park, where you stole half of my heart
and I wasn't even the slightest bit upset about it.
I don't want to let go of tonight
I will fight, I will fight.
(end of Saturday night party)
|
||||
11. |
Youthless Blues
03:39
|
|||
halfway points sneak up
and make one feel rushed.
and, unlike the days we've wasted,
take advantage of us.
father time
against the man
hypnotizing hands
victimized by a plan.
Sunday nights show up
I hate the messenger.
I'll slip on Monday morning's dew
and fall back in to
my worst habit
wishing 40 hours away.
youthless blues
dragging my feet
I'd like to think it's just my view,
and life is really sweet.
youthless blues
I've been dragging my feet
but if I step back a few,
my life is really sweet.
father time
against the man
hypnotizing hands
victimized by a plan.
youthless blues
dragging my feet
I'd like to think it's just my view,
and life is really sweet.
youthless blues
I've been dragging my feet
but if I step back a few,
my life is really sweet.
|
||||
12. |
Bread
04:03
|
|||
if we want you out
we'll find a way
put you on that second shift:
12 - 8:30
you'll never get to see your family.
he who laughs the loudest
needs it the most
it's how bad life's been to me
that they'll never know
I never got to see my family.
just remember a man is only a man
if he brings home the bread.
|
||||
13. |
Youthless Blues Reprise
00:37
|
|||
youthless blues
dragging my feet
I'd like to think it's just my view,
and life is really sweet.
youthless blues
I've been dragging my feet
but if I step back a few,
my life is really sweet.
|
Ben Hughes New Jersey
"...channels musicians like Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, and Sufjan Stevens, as on Hughes’ previous releases. But this record
immediately calls to mind Pedro the Lion’s Control, with its deep-voiced chords and melodies, lyrical themes of corporate hell, and Hughes’ slurring voice. It could stand as a complimentary album to Control just as well as it stands on its own."
-Nick Tate, WXPN
... more
Streaming and Download help
Ben Hughes recommends:
If you like Ben Hughes, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp