Nowhere USA Music/Lyrics CRITICS WELCOME

[nowhereusa]

This is my first post. Expect a lot more lyrics and demos in the coming months. However, all my demos are very low quality, as they are recorded in my bedroom with a cheap mic etc., so try and keep that in mind.

Love In Transit

Crumbling into a cab like my body's made out of sand
and this car's the sea
her face is melting in my mind like she was painted in dim light
blurry and cheap

I'm gone before the dawn

no promises on my fingers. my eyes live lives of drifters
begging to leave.
her scent is tapping on my coat like dancers on a parade float
along my sleeve

I'm gone before the dawn.

my life is solo and my love's touch and go.
my life is so low and my love's touch and go.

scaling my apartment stairs as if it's mount Everest
empty and cold
crash into my temperpedic. my obituary's reading
"survived by none"

I'm gone before the dawn

my life is solo and my love's touch and go.
my life is so low and my love's touch and go.

please let me know what you think.

[nowhereusa]

Alright, here's another song for anyone who's interested. Again, feedback is appreciated, whether positive or negative.

You slept, I rose
your arms stretched upwards
in invisible benediction, consecrating shadows on the wall.
You looked reposed
heaven comatose.
I flipped a coin in contemplation,
tried studying what it means to fall.

If this aint love then I'm afraid of what it's called,
'cause for me it's terrifying, new.
If this ain't love, love's over rated
Nothing beats this, yeah nothing beats...

Crimson and pure,
the sun bled profuse
soaking through the cracked venetian blinds, outside birds sang like bells.
Hymns, I was sure
I heard from you
yawning transubstantiation
like ocean waves crashing inside shells

If this aint love then I'm afraid of what it's called,
'cause for me it's terrifying, new.
If this ain't love, love's over rated
Nothing beats this, yeah nothing beats...

You, I am unworthy to be near you
you need only say the word and i am yours
You, I am unworthy to be near you
you need only say the word and i am yours

If this aint love then I'm afraid of what it's called,
'cause for me it's terrifying, new.
If this ain't love, love's over rated
Nothing beats this, yeah nothing beats...

[nowhereusa]

Jack thinks he's clever
throwing rocks in the river
thinking up new euphemisms he can use
his lines never work right
he says the girls 'round here are uptight
they blush wish bottled innocence of rouge
yeah, he's got morphine city slippin' blues

(chorus)
In the city everyone's gorgeous
burnin' both ends of their torches
if you've got nothing, they'll find something for you to lose.
In this three mile isle i'll waste my youth
squandered in the pointless pursuit
of girls that've got worse things to do.

back in the nightclub
playing girls getting drunk
Jack mistakes dance floors for arcades
The sharks in the corner
can smell the blood in the water
the bar aint serving anything they crave
and I can't tell the predators from prey.

(chorus)
In the city everyone's gorgeous
burnin' both ends of their torches
if you've got nothing, they'll find something for you to lose.
In this three mile isle i'll waste my youth
squandered in the pointless pursuit
of girls that've got worse things to do.

[nowhereusa]

We are the casualties of heatwaves resurrected by the cool night air
onto these streets, our shallow graves.
We spend our summer nights drinking in parking lots
after dark and praying we won't get caught
this time of life's like this part of town
where all the businesses are closing down
and they're closing down for good

Chorus
It's safe to say good things like dreams may die
in between the time it takes a heart to beat
or you to bat an eye
the nights we spent and rules we bent
the end was written in the stars.
like sailors in a storm we failed to see that far.

you and me and our close friends we all lived by the motto don't look back and never look to far ahead
hey, who needs college, who needs a career?
"I'll get back to you on that" she said,
"in four more years". if this is the crossroads of my life
then why is one street closed
and why's the other one got ten red lights?

Chorus
It's safe to say good things like dreams may die
in between the time it takes a heart to beat
or you to bat an eye
the nights we spent and rules we bent
the end was written in the stars.
like sailors in a storm we failed to see that far.

Bridge
Last October we were sitting in the bleachers
of the home coming game
you were wearing a cardigan sweater so loose
that it hid your tiny frame
your breath rose slow, illuminated by the florescent lights
in the stadium glow.

[nowhereusa]

What's a hero with nothing left to save?
That's how I'm feelin', a part for a car that they don't make
what's potential, if unrealized, unseen
What's a promise, if it's one that you can't keep?
if you're leaving, that's cool
but i can't say you won't be chased.

here's to realizing i'm still naive
less jaded, than i am green
was through with trouble kicked it clean
but trouble aint yet through with me
am i fated to be wasted?

Words you said stuck, like a stain on my jeans.
I've been scrubbing, i can't seem to make 'em clean
still i've got aching doubts that i cant shake
is it better to be loved, or loving to be praised?
i wanted to be rich
but gold aint the only thing that gleams

here's to realizing i'm still naive
less jaded, than i am green
was through with trouble kicked it clean
but trouble aint yet through with me
am i fated to be wasted?

[nowhereusa]

Did you hear it last night over the hum of your AC?
It sounded like an ambulance was rushing,
playing a siren symphony.
There was a shoot and run on I-90,
I caught a bullet with your name,
and when the medics found me,
I was flat lining, DOA.

Last night I saw you,
like the devil in the desert
just as cruel and twice as clever
saying "you know you can't do better than me"
And I still adore you
you've been tearing up this room
like something wild on the loose, Cailin [pronounced Colleen].

Did you see it last night, the fire burning across town?
everyone just listened to their scanners
imagining what's burning down.
Did you see the smoke, hear the timbers howl
or wonder if I was safe?
Well I don't know who struck the spark,
but I know you fanned the flames.

Last night I saw you,
like the devil in the desert,
just as cruel and twice as clever,
saying, "you know you can't do better than me".
I still adore you,
though you've been tearing up this room
like something wild on the loose, Cailin [pronounced Colleen].

Last night I strapped myself with dynamite
under my tuxedo.
Outside the prom I drank a Jager bomb
and waited to explode.
My love for you has got a fuse
and it's been getting pretty low
I guess it's time that I got used to being here
but I can't get used to being alone.

Last night I saw you,
like the devil in the desert,
just as cruel and twice as clever,
saying, "you know you can't do better than me".
I still adore you,
though you've been tearing up this room
like something wild on the loose, Cailin [pronounced Colleen].

[nowhereusa]

A step toward Calgary I take
every time i see her walk.
Her hip's the whip, her eye's the strikes
weighing upon me like a cross.
It's all over now, shadows of hanging bows
your soul is south when your heartstrings make a noose
and your prayers gag in your mouth

heaven holds a place for those who pray
or so they keep telling me
but when I get down on my knees
I do not feel a thing.

Come on Jezebel, you've got
a line to cross and stones to cast
my dreams blaspheme, my words abjure
all the beliefs I had
is there redemption in record collections?
like playing back my last rites on eight track tapes
all i hear is monophonic damnation.

heaven holds a place for those who pray
or so they keep telling me,
but when I get down on my knees
I do not feel a thing.

[nowhereusa]

if anyone's interested hearing my demos, check them out at youtube.com/nowhereusamusic.

Your parents left the windows open
I could hear at night they'd yell and scream
but it seems to me, somehow, you turned out fine
appearances lie

pretty as flowers unfoldin'
you've got head of hair like unmade sheets
and you brighten up this piece of darkened sky
like a Broadway sign.

And there are trailer parks and graveyards
to which your family lent their name.
We used to sail across boulevards
with backseat stowaways
looking for a safe harbor
hoping home wouldn't be you fate.
Bet the good lords gonna save ya
my pariah, but don't count on lucky breaks.

Reminiscing outside of a bar
exhale your demons out in rings of smoke
and pray to God with words I can't repeat
like it's poetry


You keep everyone in the dark
through your tongue you've got a nail of gold
that rings every single time you speak
against your teeth

And there are trailer parks and graveyards
to which your family lent their name.
We used to sail across boulevards
with backseat stowaways
looking for a safe harbor
hoping home wouldn't be you fate.
Bet the good lords gonna save ya
my pariah, but don't count on lucky breaks.

[nowhereusa]

Standing on a corner in Pittsburgh,
buses like a mobile, undisturbed
Here I could rest
a child fallen asleep on his mother’s breast.

Now the Candles lit by the matches,
here the streets lay out like scratches
across my knees
You never felt it, till you saw it bleed.

Smash the glasses in the fire,
under the wine’s haze we conspired,
we wouldn’t change
But the suburbs offered us no escape


these are our waning hours
when intents become regrets
its always balloons or flowers
when lullabies and goodbyes are said

with this puddle I could vanish,
down storm drains to the Atlantic,
Jump from the curb
like we’re spilling our lives out an urn

Here the factories birthed the steel
that made that cars that spun the wheels,
our parents drove
You always wake up as soon as you got home

Here I am the dust still in my eyes,
I’ve got two tickets to the sunrise
but one seat
On the porch just you and me

these are our waning hours
when intents become regrets
its always balloons or flowers
when lullabies and goodbyes are said

Could we settle for the mundane?
Turn postage stamps to paper cranes
and play roulette
for hot tubs or bassinets


...if you liked any of these lyrics, check out my band. facebook.com/steelstringmilitia

[VEGANGELICA]

Hello nowhereusa,

I read all your posted lyrics and listened to some of your demos on YouTube. I'd like to give you my feedback on both.

Your lyrics often strike me as very poetic with fresh visual imagery, which I like. I can see you enjoy using similes and metaphors! Sometimes I don't understand the meaning behind references you make in the lyrics, such as when you write of Cailin that she is "like the devil in the desert, just as cruel and twice as clever." That's a strong image, but while reading it I wondered why the devil would be in the *desert* and what makes Cailin so clever. My point is that I want to understand the significance of details you use, otherwise they become confusing to me and obscure your meaning.

The lyrics sound strongly as if they describe the viewpoint of someone who is transitioning from high school to beyond...probably because you mention high school ! I feel that avoiding references to high school or prom, etc., might make your songs speak to a larger audience.

Examples of poetic descriptions that I enjoyed the most in your lyrics are the following:

Originally Posted by nowhereusa

From: "The Revenger's Tragedy"

Last night I strapped myself with dynamite
under my tuxedo.
Outside the prom I drank a Jager bomb
and waited to explode.
My love for you has got a fuse
and it's been getting pretty low
I guess it's time that I got used to being here
but I can't get used to being alone.

and...

Originally Posted by nowhereusa

From "Trailer Parks and Graveyards":

...pretty as flowers unfoldin'
you've got a head of hair like unmade sheets
and you brighten up this piece of darkened sky
like a Broadway sign.

"Hair like unmade sheets"...that's a lovely image.

I especially liked your lyrics for "Trouble with a Capital Me," which is also the song I listened to several times to give you feedback on it.

I like that the lyrics describe one of the most disheartening feelings in life, which is that one's potential was never used or may never be used. The song also acknowledges and embraces that all people, when young, are "green" due to inexperience.

My favorite line is the haunting question, "Am I fated to be wasted." When I read that, I thought of the double meaning of "wasted" because it made me think of how so many high school age kids allow precious time to drain away while they are wasted from using alcohol/drugs. I don't think you considered the double meaning of "wasted." If not, then you may want to think about how the word's dual meanings might color someone's understanding about the song. Even though I don't think the song is about drugs, "wasted" makes me think it is!

Now, the recording of "Trouble with a Capital Me" -- nowhereusamusic's Channel - YouTube

I like the tune and the length of the song. I especially like the chorus when the energy picks up and you have a duet. My favorite moment in the song is when you sing the line, "Am I fated to be wasted." It sounds exactly like how someone might shout the words inside his mind. That line haunted me a little after listening to the song, which is a good thing.

BTW I'd drop the reference to Cailin from the song. I'd prefer the song to be more general in its self-questioning and not addressed to a single person. She figures heavily in your songs, I noticed!

I know it is a demo and so the instrumental section is just a guitar and you would probably have more instruments if you could, but I'll still comment on the guitar: I feel the strumming pattern gets very repetitive. I like the chord progression during the chorus, which makes it sound quite sweet.

Also, I know you probably know this, but in this song sometimes the vocals were a little out of tune. I suspect this issue would resolve itself with additional practice.

I enjoyed your creativity and determination. I can tell you have many observations about life and living that you want to share through your music, which sounds very personal. When musicians have those qualities, I like their music the best. I look forward to hearing more of your work, especially completed songs rather than simply demos.