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Samantha Says

by The Chairman Dances

supported by
Harrison Lemke
Harrison Lemke thumbnail
Harrison Lemke pathos, wit, St. Augustine, and really excellent bass lines.
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1.
Well, I'm stubborn And stupid And I do things that I hate. I was born to be much better than I am. Now I'm forlorn Now I'm lucid Now I'm sobbing, half awake. I was born to be much smarter than I am. But like my parents said “You only get one body.” And like my parents said “You only get one mind.” “But what you have, Samantha, is enough. Yes you can, Samantha.” A self-portrait: Sure, I'm funny I sing well Don't look a day past 30. I was born to be more modest than I am sometimes. I am picky All pell-mell And I might just be 40 now. I was born to be more honest than I am. My self-portrait might be crude. I strung it last night on some passing tune All, all because My psychiatrist asked what my problem was. Did he never read Augustine? Did he never read me at all?
2.
Charlie pours another glass. Is it our third or our forth? It numbs the pain and keeps the conversation on its course. Charlie asks me do I think From time to time of our love. I mutter “Yes, dear” and call on every last saint above. I'm looking for a man About 5'9" About my size With a generous heart. I'm looking for a man Around 135 Waist size 30 Who's generous with his time. I go looking through the closets And under shelves of soft porn and bulk ammunition I find pictures of us creased and torn. And those gifts my mother gave us And the poems I write, you've hid from the guests. I find them tied and placed beneath the light. I would surely settle For some boring but nice guy With manners and insurance Or something resembling a plan. I would surely settle down In a suburb of Cleveland If it meant that I could be myself For just part of the day. I'm looking for a man Around 135 But I'm not picky If he’s generous with his time.
3.
Margaret collapsed down the stairs, and I crossed five states to see her. I took the first flight from O'Hare. I crossed myself and went to her. A Saint Anne medal I pressed in her hand. Martha collapsed when she saw her baby lying there. Called her big sisters, brothers-in-law. We dropped everything without a care.
4.
Consolation 02:10
I ran my fist into the wall and sat crying from the hurt. A stinging sweetness welled its way up to my eyes. I marched myself right down the hall, then, out the door, knelt in the dirt. I prayed, “Why do friends fail no matter how one tries?” Consolation—is it so much to ask for? I sat reading when the call, harsh, familiar, crass and curt, caught my ear. “Why do you memorize such lies?” said gruff Henry, lean and tall. I do believe he tried to flirt. He flung my book, he flung my heart into the tide. But the line that caused my fall and left me reeling, on alert, came from Jennifer. She’d surely empathize. [Jennifer:] “Why would anyone recall the poems of saints, sackcloth for shirt, some zealots blubbering about the poor, their helpless cries?” Consolation—is it so much to ask for? Is it too much to ask for?
5.
I found myself the joyful mother of children. Once barren, now doting on towheaded nymphs. I found myself mouthing “thank-you” throughout the day. And when I pull in the driveway, nymphs come running, shouting “Mom!” The long loneliness is over. I saw myself: a burnt-out teen, in a plaid skirt and black Misfits tee, scribbling in a notebook. I saw myself wrongly in a mirror, eyeliner running. I was staring at the wreck I saw. That long loneliness is over. I found myself the joyful mother of children. I look out on the backyard, neighbors calling their sons in. I found myself asking, “Ten more minutes?” They're just kids after all, not doing us any harm.

credits

released May 29, 2015

Released by Grizzly Records
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The Chairman Dances

Dan Comly - mellotron, organ, piano, synthesizer, vocals
Ashley Cubbler - vocals
Rich Pena - lead electric guitar
Ben Rosen - bass guitar
Kevin Walker - drum kit, glockenspiel
Eric Krewson - lead vocal, electric and acoustic guitar, tambourine, handclaps

with

Natalie Short - handclaps
Aaron Todd - vocals on "Saint Anne Medal"
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Songs by Eric Krewson © 2015, Songs of Ascent (ASCAP) / Arranged by The Chairman Dances ℗ 2015

Recorded by Daniel Smith at Familyre Studio, December 13-14, 2014 / Glockenspiel, tambourine and a few backing vocals recorded at home by Eric / Mixed by Daniel / Mastered by Ryan Schwabe

Art and packaging by Natalie Short / Booklet and disc by Eric

Special thanks to Nora and Lloyd Frank, J. Randolph Brown, Sibylla Benatova, and Rachel Barrish

Find us at: thechairmandances.com

Soli Deo gloria
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The Chairman Dances Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Band/mystics (indie rock & folk from Philly)

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