Mixtapes
Side A starts
With a song we both like.
With strums and chords and a shaky voice,
John Darnielle blurts out anger with regret.
His album had a palm tree with a blue sky behind it.
I no longer see a palm tree without the everlasting blue
Lingering behind.
And the tape scrapes in the background.
Track two is a dance song to lighten it up,
To prep you for what I have to say.
Three is Galaxie 500’s cover of The Beatles,
“Isn’t it a Pity” is what’s on my mind.
Perhaps by four you’ll like where I’m going.
Do you like trumpets and bouncy roads, littered
With cracked CDs and ripped black tape,
Countless albums that could’ve been like this one.
Track five is something to sleep to, or so I thought,
But perhaps Caribou is too strong.
Dead air scratches your speakers as you wait for a flip.
How long did it take to pull the tape deck out from your closet?
Are you figuring out why I gave it to you in the first place,
Or am I still an asshole with shallow expectations?
Side B snaps
With a large squeal of an electric guitar.
Modest Mouse sings about coca cola,
And something else I hope you’ll find.
I like it more when you want to listen.
Perhaps his voice appeals to you,
Drunk and raspy, similar to your father's.
Following, breaking your favorite “Blue Champagne Glass”
And a message so violent I’d hoped it make you cry
Too.
The last two songs are where I tried to spill it out
April March sang in another language and her tone was tough.
I thought her name was interesting and when I read
The lyrics in English, I had the feeling you were just
A “Chick Habit” as she described it in French.
I messed up after that song and there’s a long
Scratching section.
Perhaps it was subconscious, but it seemed to fit.
The final song had a banjo and some yodeling.
The twangs are faster than my heart can beat,
The words aren’t there, but the notes range
Like mountains and valleys and I hope
You liked the collage I made for the cover.
I thought about the songs as I made it,
And I hope without a tracklist
You’ll be able to relate.
When you go outside afterwards
And see your palm tree out front,
Maybe you’ll feel like I can be the azure sky
Continuing behind.
With a song we both like.
With strums and chords and a shaky voice,
John Darnielle blurts out anger with regret.
His album had a palm tree with a blue sky behind it.
I no longer see a palm tree without the everlasting blue
Lingering behind.
And the tape scrapes in the background.
Track two is a dance song to lighten it up,
To prep you for what I have to say.
Three is Galaxie 500’s cover of The Beatles,
“Isn’t it a Pity” is what’s on my mind.
Perhaps by four you’ll like where I’m going.
Do you like trumpets and bouncy roads, littered
With cracked CDs and ripped black tape,
Countless albums that could’ve been like this one.
Track five is something to sleep to, or so I thought,
But perhaps Caribou is too strong.
Dead air scratches your speakers as you wait for a flip.
How long did it take to pull the tape deck out from your closet?
Are you figuring out why I gave it to you in the first place,
Or am I still an asshole with shallow expectations?
Side B snaps
With a large squeal of an electric guitar.
Modest Mouse sings about coca cola,
And something else I hope you’ll find.
I like it more when you want to listen.
Perhaps his voice appeals to you,
Drunk and raspy, similar to your father's.
Following, breaking your favorite “Blue Champagne Glass”
And a message so violent I’d hoped it make you cry
Too.
The last two songs are where I tried to spill it out
April March sang in another language and her tone was tough.
I thought her name was interesting and when I read
The lyrics in English, I had the feeling you were just
A “Chick Habit” as she described it in French.
I messed up after that song and there’s a long
Scratching section.
Perhaps it was subconscious, but it seemed to fit.
The final song had a banjo and some yodeling.
The twangs are faster than my heart can beat,
The words aren’t there, but the notes range
Like mountains and valleys and I hope
You liked the collage I made for the cover.
I thought about the songs as I made it,
And I hope without a tracklist
You’ll be able to relate.
When you go outside afterwards
And see your palm tree out front,
Maybe you’ll feel like I can be the azure sky
Continuing behind.