{"id":49,"date":"2010-05-01T05:01:56","date_gmt":"2010-05-01T05:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/new\/?page_id=49"},"modified":"2024-10-23T12:53:32","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T16:53:32","slug":"lyrics-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/?page_id=49","title":{"rendered":"lyrics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

locket from a wreck <\/strong>
released may 2024 \/ lyrics by eric howden<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

you were born from a slow death.  a tendril on a fallen pine.
now you breathe with my own breath, 
and join the deer that thunder by.
where the lava and the snow met, there was a shiver running up my spine.
the fever broke the finish line.
there\u2019s a lot i\u2019m going to lose yet, but you\u2019re still 
my still life land.
locket from a wreck.
i don\u2019t want to come back until nothing else is left.
even if there is no still life here, in this chrysalis around my neck,
like a song, i believe in small 
eternities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you were born when a bomb ticked, and broke a trance 
that spiralled from a town that drowned.
a new romance.
and i moved you, brick by brick, and note by painted note, 
to a hidden place on higher ground, 
and then the locket closed 
on a valley where the sun leapt from tunnel to tunnel
to me.
the rocks began to slide,
but then they froze,
and so did i.
there\u2019s a lot i have to learn yet, but there\u2019s still time 
in still life land.
locket from a wreck.
i don\u2019t want to come back 
until nothing else is left.
even if there is no still life here, in this chrysalis around my neck,
you are still my 
still life land.
locket in a lake.  
keeper of a captive.
a promise of escape.
even if there is no still life here,
the memory is here to stay.

like a song, i believe in small
eternities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

from: raised by swans is the name of a man, volume 2: run with the silent wildfires<\/strong>
released march 2023 \/ all lyrics by eric howden<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

falling box of jewels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

fading shapeshifters
shadow foxes fooling 
the twilit grey
skirting the eclipse in the frozen lake
burning like a blind spot
i can\u2019t unsee
fall back to elsewhere
you against my chest on the fire escape
or waiting with the seedlings
i\u2019d promised rain
swimming in the scent 
of imagined trees<\/p>\n\n\n\n

where we are
we are free
at least until the day 
we are brave enough
to wake up from the dream<\/p>\n\n\n\n

colours keep changing
even from a summer that\u2019s long since passed
come dive with me for pearls 
in the molten glass
surface in the milk
of the moon-fed pool
stripped of all armor
kiss me where your fingerprints 
scarred my skin
give the broken record its billionth spin
even if the silence
cannot be fooled<\/p>\n\n\n\n

here we are
set me free
even as the rainbow is breaking up
and poisoning the stream
even if the memory 
of our love
is fraying at the seams
at least until the day
i am brave enough
to wake up from the dream<\/p>\n\n\n\n

star shells<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

all we\u2019ve lost
sleeping
with our fingers crossed
wondering if they\u2019ll play our song
waiting
to be ready to belong
and all the while
there are star shells above us
mirrored in our eyes
carried softly among us
on the breeze
and moving
in the mountain streams
ribbons from the raven\u2019s arc
or traces of the engines
of the dark
i dream of you
that the war is behind us
will you dream it too
until the morning reminds us
it\u2019s untrue<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sunrise is a star shell
and the moon
all we hold
and we\u2019ve held<\/p>\n\n\n\n

so stand and sing
as the earth\u2019s trembling
murders of nightjars
send their song echoing out
to the farthest point of light
i want to see the star shells
through their eyes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all along
thinking
we were not so strong
breaking from the tidal wave
learning that to love
is to be brave
and all the while
there are star shells below us
mirrored in the ice
and they\u2019re daring
us to notice<\/p>\n\n\n\n

will you sing along
i\u2019m right here by your side
will you sing along<\/p>\n\n\n\n

it\u2019s come true
sunrise is a star shell
and the moon
all we hold and
we\u2019ve held
it\u2019s come true
sunrise is a star shell
and the moon
all we hold
and we\u2019ve held<\/p>\n\n\n\n

so stand and sing
for everything trembling in
your defiant heart
every note lingering
lifting the night up
as the scene\u2019s flickering
murders of nightjars
send their song echoing
out where the cars are
rushing by
i want to see the star shells
through their eyes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

come back to haunt me<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

i\u2019ll be no longer
a miner of melting snow

weighed down
by a magnifying glass
let the tunnels all collapse
around me

and in the darkness i\u2019ll
risk it all
let every earthquake and
every fault 
come back to haunt me
come back to haunt me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you
cut with your decks of candles
across the lake
(through driving rain)
and your holds hide
a thousand hurricanes
who\u2019ve
lost their way

come blow the house down 
every wall
as if the whole thing was
made of straw<\/p>\n\n\n\n

come back to haunt me
come back to haunt me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

come on<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sail
pace through the fog
pulling in
setting off
i\u2019ll
race to the dockside
with your name 
held aloft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i want to burn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

lights in the catacombs
a shiver through the stone
the point of no return
i feel you in the fractures<\/p>\n\n\n\n

yeah i just want to burn
i just want to burn with you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

dark archipelagos
of voices we have thrown
and deep inside the earth
we\u2019re waiting as a whisper<\/p>\n\n\n\n

yeah i just want to burn
i just want to burn with you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

let\u2019s open a vein
to the core<\/p>\n\n\n\n

yeah i just want to burn
i just want to burn with you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i just want to burn
i just want to burn with you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(there\u2019s a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

dim glow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

off the coast)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

hope weaves golden blood<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

volcanic crater
ancient in your youth
crystal visions
waiting to come true
someday
we all learn 
what we already knew

the time we\u2019re counting on
is soft

but it won\u2019t bend
or offer islands
i\u2019ve heard of frozen frames
at the event horizon 

where hope weaves golden blood
golden blood

but maybe just to swim\u2019s enough
to gild
the iron waves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

far northern morning 
pockets lined with jewels
windswept
first steps
kite strings off their spools
sometimes
we don\u2019t need reasons to break
the rules

the time we\u2019re counting on
is soft

but it won\u2019t bend
i still hear sirens
breakers at the edge
of the event horizon <\/p>\n\n\n\n

where hope 
weaves golden blood
golden blood

i didn\u2019t want to lose you love<\/p>\n\n\n\n

maybe just to swim\u2019s enough
to gild
one iron wave<\/p>\n\n\n\n

recaptured<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

recaptured
be a runaway
a runaway
i dare you to take my hand<\/p>\n\n\n\n

moonlight
heard a song that fell like moonlight
and knives
on the rooftops of the deeps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

colours
thought too rare to rediscover
wake up
rainbow memories of white reefs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pounding through the surf
buzzing like bees
through the underworld
spies and jewel thieves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we all know the score
the stealing of a moment more
music scents the air from
i don\u2019t know where
i don\u2019t know where<\/p>\n\n\n\n

do you feel the world turning faster
are we still in time
is the dream the spell or the caster
can the perfect crime be
recaptured<\/p>\n\n\n\n

come and run away
run away
i dare you to take my hand<\/p>\n\n\n\n

promise
wrote a song that made its promise
lossless
across a century of dark sleep<\/p>\n\n\n\n

raptures
swirls of nevers and forever afters
every circle incomplete<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pounding through the surf
right beside me
through the underworld
spies and jewel thieves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we all know the score
the sweetness in a moment more
music scents the air from
i don\u2019t know where
i don\u2019t know where<\/p>\n\n\n\n

do you feel the world turning faster
are we still in time
is the dream the spell or the caster
can a beam of light be
recaptured<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the music in us is free
so kick off your shoes love
and pick up the beat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

rode the polar bear out
in shadow
gathered our strength
under the ripe stars
on the battlefield of our echoes
let it be love
leading the charge<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we\u2019ve never met<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

the current keeps us 
from each other
but we cast our hearts
again
they cut their teeth 
in savage water
from quivering shells on the shore
we cry out for more
cry out for more
like the world might forget
something it\u2019s not imagined yet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we\u2019ve never met
so how is that i\u2019ve your pulse
pounding in my lips
and you\u2019ve mine
lightning intertwined
whale songs bound
to the abyss

where the whirlpool dwells

i want to be someone
you can\u2019t forget
i want to be someone
you\u2019ve never met<\/p>\n\n\n\n

where the cymbals swell
i hold you like a breath<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we\u2019ll never be
so how is that you\u2019re
an immortal melody
in my mind
climbing like a vine
bringing sorrow to its knees<\/p>\n\n\n\n

where the whirlpool dwells<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i want to be someone 
you can\u2019t forget
i want to be someone
you\u2019ve never met
never met<\/p>\n\n\n\n

where the cymbals swell
i hold you like a breath<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you sang to me<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

i was falling down
invisibly
when you sang to me

i was all mixed up
and missing pieces
then you sang to me

blood
soaking through my shirt
a well of silence
a bundle of nerves
i tunnelled to the lighthouse
for the mercy of words
i\u2019d never have heard
here
i\u2019d never have heard<\/p>\n\n\n\n

as a dial tone
the border guards
barely glanced at me
i was hanging up
a missing person
then you answered me
oh you answered me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

swooned
in your summoned rain
of skeleton keys
that sprang us
from our cages
and drowned out the advances
of a coming ice age
we have to be brave
dear
we have to be brave<\/p>\n\n\n\n

museum birds<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

they can fly away
museum birds
like campfire sparks
we lose them
in the dark

we sleepwalk to a box
we warm it with our touch
and suddenly we\u2019re seeing
the colours that were us

don\u2019t
keep your heart a secret
from the very heights
it was born to beat in
love\u2019s wild
it needs some sky
to dream in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the signs might say
keep out
but let\u2019s not be afraid

to break in or escape
(museum birds)
to light the flares trapped
underneath the stairs
to plunge into your jungles
resuscitate the sounds
to rise as something blinding
and burn this building down

don\u2019t
keep your heart a secret
from the very heights
it was born to beat in
love\u2019s wild
it needs some sky
to dream in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the signs might say
keep out
but i will not obey<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a flooded engine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

learned how to hide
a flooded engine
in plain sight

flooded with light
in every corner
a folded knife

treasure
taking
cover
where the hungry
helicopters
hover
when they descend
when they descend
have no illusions
the dream is yours to
defend

the water eats the wall
the water eats the wall
the fate of the frozen veil is
to fall
to fall

learned how to need
when i was walking in tatters
you looked at me
like i was someone
who mattered

treasure
taking
cover
where the hungry
helicopters
hover
when they breach the dam
when they breach the dam
i will protect you
with everything that
i am

i will protect you with
everything that
i am

an ecstasy of

an ecstasy of the agony
of love

the agony of love

from out of the frozen veil comes
the flood
the flood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

glass plate negative<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

flicker around the edges
of the frames we fill
lights in the corners of our eyes
the night could
never kill
run with the silent wildfires
live where your memories live
somewhere a raging river\u2019s trapped
in a glass plate negative
without each other
we disappear

time only holds us for
so long

so long

flutter around the edges
of the songs we sing
signs that remind us
we\u2019re still waiting around
for something

some are the guards
some are sawing the bars
from windows
charging like bolts of lightning
straight into the tornadoes

and more and more
i feel i\u2019m still standing
the tightrope taut
beneath my feet
what\u2019s left without
some small belief

and more and more
the void is expanding
we have to find a balance here
without each other
we disappear

time only holds us
for so long

so long<\/p>\n\n\n\n

enchanted creatures<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

know i\u2019ve noticed
in spite of the tornado\u2019s spin
yeah i\u2019ve noticed
my word
like a lotus flower
a bloom of iridescent skin
broke the surface
what a world

i still believe
there are coins left
to retrieve
run through the waves
stirring up the mirror
come
show me what\u2019s
underneath

know i felt it
the tremble in your summer legs
as we melted and were
revealed

we were covered bridges
enchanted creatures without names
but to each other
only real

i still believe
there are coins left
to retrieve
run through the waves
stirring up the mirror
come
show me what\u2019s
underneath
come show me
what\u2019s underneath<\/p>\n\n\n\n

shadow in your hand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

wild as
the pain that
you\u2019d run from
for so long

combs of
grey ocean
in your hair

slow dancing
twin stars
captured
then disarmed

glimpses
of glory
from nowhere

oblivion
i knew you\u2019d come
to pour us both out
bottles in the sand
bottles in the sand
the fallout in the clouds

in plumes of steam
a camera dreams
signs i should have seen
shadow in your hand
shadow in your hand
whatever could it mean

how could
i have thrown you
a rope
tried from
the eye of
a whirlpool

snow fleeing
from summer
lost sheep
uncovered
lone wolves
exposed to
each other

oblivion
what\u2019s done is done
you poured us both out
bottles in the sand
bottles in the sand
the fallout in the clouds

in plumes of steam
a camera dreams of
signs i should have seen
shadow in your hand
shadow in your hand
whatever could it mean

shadow in your hand
shadow in your hand
you played it
on to me

come find
me again
in that lost
moment when
you offered your hand
then took all
i had
left

if i\u2019d had
a fighting chance
i\u2019d have passed
on the
last dance

the silence
is deafening

shadow
in your
hand<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the first word
<\/strong>
dare to approach
the frozen wave
haunting
the golden floodplain

cupping hands to roaring
blue wounds
the memories of the world<\/p>\n\n\n\n

scoured the earth
the dirt
to find the first word  
like a stone could
be coaxed to bleed

freight trains of rain  
unchained
the cloud forest maimed
broken shovels up
both my sleeves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

called off the search
it hurt
don\u2019t know which is worse
holding tighter
or letting go 

offered my throat
my hope
from watchtower ghost 
to a miner
of melting snow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

finally found the first clue
what i\u2019d been missing
fell into the deep dark blue<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and i just listened <\/p>\n\n\n\n

i just listened<\/p>\n\n\n\n

scores of angels (return of the sparrows)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

what spell is this that casts itself
through the walls
a secret stranded animal call
that opens up the mouth
of a cave
to taste its freedom once again

it\u2019s all coming back
it\u2019s all coming back
scores of angels 
clad in black
in black
drums in singing fields
arrows in my shield
scores of angels
love made real
made real<\/p>\n\n\n\n

it seems
this one possession\u2019s all that we are
a starless sky with its skyless star
eternal as the moment of truth
when first
i gave myself to you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

it\u2019s all coming back
scores of angels 
clad in black
in black<\/p>\n\n\n\n

drums in singing fields
arrows in my shield
scores of angels
love made real
made real<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all a wild heart needs 
all a wild heart needs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you\u2019re all a wild heart needs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

why can\u2019t absence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

i\u2019ve retraced the wakes
of bottled notes
slept with glaciers on
beds of coals
felt you run right through me
and then retract
let soft fictions cure me
of the facts

why can\u2019t absence
keep its promise
even from a distance
its wish is my command

i hear your maydays
and i move right away
just to be reminded
you\u2019ve come as close as you can

but i
didn\u2019t have a minute to lose
to be loved
we don\u2019t have a minute to lose

ghosts of hummingbirds
down the mines
fetching fevers i\u2019ve
left behind
then they wrap around me
like christmas lights
proving every colour
that you denied

why can\u2019t absence
break its silence
open up a channel
consider our demands

i still hear maydays
and feel my heart race
just to rediscover
an empty point of land

when i
didn\u2019t have a minute to lose
to be loved
we don\u2019t have a minute to lose<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no i
didn\u2019t have a minute
to lose
we don\u2019t have a minute to lose<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the sharpest needle <\/strong>(raw mix)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

how long
how long
have you been gone
i\u2019ve seen
the numbers
they still seem wrong

the sharpest needle
is in my heart
nobody sees
it\u2019s just you and me

my love
i promised
i\u2019d keep you safe
a thread i carried
across that lake
when you went under
and in the dark
the needle gleamed
and joined you to me

it joined you to me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

leaning towers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

racing oceans
on your own
defiantly
one shortwave from long gone
a lion
the wilds were waiting for

could you still see them
love\u2019s urgent remains
gold coasts
flaking in the red rain
i\u2019m trying
i\u2019m beaming light into storms
i still want more

all the fleeting things
colours fading
from old paintings
your eyes striking
like lightning

the leaning towers
break across the bow
warnings sounding
as the world howls
i\u2019m tired
i\u2019m starting to realize
how the towers see it
i\u2019m ready to believe in
how small we really are

how the towers see it
i\u2019m ready to believe in
how small
we really are

let the gale lift your tired sails up
give your greatest fears your
bravest love
let the gale lift your tired sails up
clear the leaning towers of
tainted blood

your blood
i\u2019m way beyond your blood
now

and time
whatever you\u2019ve left in store
i still want more<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a lucky streak of moonlight<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

watched the road die
right before my eyes
it drowned inside a mirror then
dared me to draw nearer
gamble my desire on
a lucky streak of moonlight
leave my loss behind me
hope it never finds me

crossed the guarded water as
an open flame
rubies gleamed and faltered
hearts the undercurrent
overcame
oh my love
i knelt and called
your name

late night hide and seek
playing at half speed
visions stalk the surface
thought they couldn\u2019t hurt us
then the hit and run
brighter than the sun
searched the field in tears
i swore that you\u2019d been here
on my side

crossed the darkened river
lost between its banks
emeralds gleamed and shivered
as i tore myself in two
bells rang
oh my love from every side
bells rang

storms while we’ve slept<\/strong>

drink from the river
let the river\u00a0take something
from me
somehow as sure\u00a0
that it can swallow me
that i am pure

blank stares on the subway
tired reflections
the illusion of speed
flow under ice
no one will follow me
end of the line

but i did it\u00a0
and i\u2019d do it\u00a0again
take my heart out to the hollow\u00a0
where the moon is\u00a0
a friend
just as tender
and as troubled
as the world it resists
as its fingers trace the ocean
and the ocean submits

secret duets
storms while we\u2019ve slept
lay down beside the river\u2019s edge
woke as the dragon i had left\u00a0
for dead

drink from the river
let the river\u00a0take something
from me
flow under ice
no one will follow me
end of the line

but i did it
and i\u2019d do it\u00a0
again
in the distance there\u2019s a hollow\u00a0
where the moon is
a friend
pouring silver
over lovers
silencing their\u00a0regrets
there is music in the darkness
that the darkness\u00a0protects

secret duets
storms while we’ve slept
lay down beside the river\u2019s edge
woke as the dragon i had left\u00a0
for dead<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

from: raised by swans is the name of a man, volume 1 (album)<\/strong>
released february 2021 \/ all lyrics by eric howden<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

half the battle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

if
half the battle rages
in the Great Unless
is the front ahead or just
behind me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

half my heart inside
a sighing labyrinth
while the other needs a beat
to find me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

maybe
i\u2019m losing touch
maybe
i want it\/wanted too much<\/p>\n\n\n\n

if
half the battle lies
in knowing where
we\u2019re wrong
why at every turn
the sudden ending<\/p>\n\n\n\n

when you vanished from my arms
love<\/p>\n\n\n\n

fortress without doors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

first contact
small black windowpane i fogged with
warm breath
inside a fortress
without doors<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a hunter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ceiling lifting as her snow white
wings spread
her eyes bright emeralds
just like yours
were<\/p>\n\n\n\n

dawn finds a dazed animal
blinking in the light<\/p>\n\n\n\n

this can\u2019t be the
same sky
i fell for
last night<\/p>\n\n\n\n

through cold wind
leaning into forces i don\u2019t
understand
i\u2019m ripping chains out of the floors
and climbing high
like i could emerge above
the avalanche
we were alive one year before
this<\/p>\n\n\n\n

building impossible walls
learning to survive<\/p>\n\n\n\n

this can\u2019t be the same sky
i fell for
last night<\/p>\n\n\n\n

fly the secret frontier
no cover
no fear<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no Others
i\u2019m here
our moon seems so near<\/p>\n\n\n\n

salt in the air
life in my hands
slow motion animals
carry me home<\/p>\n\n\n\n

must be out there<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

the wind cuts through without you
i must be stronger
i must be stronger now
beneath this strange new weight
i share with songbirds
who\u2019ve had their trees cut down<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh darling
do you need my love
throat\u2019s burning
and then freezing up<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you must be out there
you must be out there
i asked the shadow horses
across the sunset gorges
but they hadn\u2019t seen you
yet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the sharpest needle tracked me
ten thousand birches
ten thousand cries of thirst
the mother fox was killed
i saw the hunter
i should have killed him first<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh darling
don\u2019t you think i know
how far i\u2019ve let my dreaming go<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you must be out there
you must be out there
i locked the lakeside portal
the years we were immortal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

my wishes lit like torches
inside a paper fortress<\/p>\n\n\n\n

darling don\u2019t you think i know
i\u2019m kicking in the afterglow
darling don\u2019t you think i know<\/p>\n\n\n\n

helpless insect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

lean your dizzy head
against the damaged glass
savour every
single
silver
heartbeat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

quickened pulses tapping
honeyed code
pollen upon
the cobblestone
fall under the thrall
of night<\/p>\n\n\n\n

will you wait for me
where no one
can get hurt
empty nest above
the blinded
churches<\/p>\n\n\n\n

singing other lovers
lullabies
find me and finally
sing me mine
break the bough and ride
the storm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

there\u2019s no time anymore<\/p>\n\n\n\n

helpless insect
you\u2019re not alone
come on and try
within the amber
we\u2019ll dream ourselves
to life<\/p>\n\n\n\n

spells<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

once upon a long distance phone call
we met up inside the wires
as infinite light<\/p>\n\n\n\n

every time i try to remember
how i saw the world then
i kind of go blind<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i cast my own spells
i know alone well
a backdrop of glowing eyes
awake\/a wake for the dawn of time<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you were so far ahead
and i\u2019m not there yet
but i can still summon fire
but i can still summon fire<\/p>\n\n\n\n

_<\/p>\n\n\n\n

……<\/p>\n\n\n\n

my own private rapture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

every fathom we passed
first to the last
i want them back<\/p>\n\n\n\n

spiral stairways of smoke
explosive bolts
loosening holds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

fantasies
holding me captive
here
can you imagine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

earthquakes under my skin
anchors i\u2019ve lost
ripples i\u2019ve been<\/p>\n\n\n\n

green light luring me down
where i can breathe but
sorrows are drowned<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you and me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

dreams
that i capture
and keep
my own private rapture
of the deep<\/p>\n\n\n\n

there\u2019s still a way home<\/p>\n\n\n\n

final island<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

wild hopes
so alive they burn
let\u2019s watch from the final island
for their
return<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we\u2019re the eiders
against
a small sky
will we ever learn<\/p>\n\n\n\n

wild hopes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sun
shine on our tell-tale hearts
maybe
one wish is a lonesome sparkle
but it\u2019s a start<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we\u2019re the eiders
against
a blue sky
may we never be apart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

wild hopes
wild hopes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the lonely hunter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

sometimes i\u2019m
scarlet snow
wild eyes
splintered bone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sometimes i\u2019m
on my knees
drunk on stars
at the peaks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the lonely hunter
dark lantern in a hollow tree
you know what\u2019s in my blood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

come running over
cup runneth over
long drought upon the land
and yet
the valley\u2019s going to flood
a deluge from the core against
a camouflage of mud<\/p>\n\n\n\n

not sure
how this started
if i\u2019m falling through
if i\u2019m falling for you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no roads
where i\u2019m wandering now
only scattered crumbs and
ladders i\u2019ve rescued
from
the heavens<\/p>\n\n\n\n

heaven\u2019s only dreaming
dreaming that an ending
isn\u2019t all we\u2019ve started<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the lonely hunter
day breaks from all directions
fires burning
at first blush<\/p>\n\n\n\n

come roll like thunder
come hold me under
seduced by solitude but
have i given away too much
a snow cave holding echoes of
the memories
of touch<\/p>\n\n\n\n

not sure
how this started
if i\u2019m falling through
if i\u2019m falling for you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no roads where i\u2019m wandering now
only scattered crumbs and
ladders i\u2019ve rescued
from
the heavens<\/p>\n\n\n\n

heaven\u2019s only dreaming
dreaming that an ending
isn\u2019t all we\u2019ve started<\/p>\n\n\n\n

hold me in your arms
goddess of night
hold me in your arms now<\/p>\n\n\n\n

firestorms \/DCI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

every burning house
every spark i\u2019ve tried
stomping out
every new world i\u2019ve
drowned in its sleep
certain it wasn\u2019t meant for me
there in your tireless arms<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a conjured moon
whose magic was used up too soon
where birds
protect their young
and every new sunrise
is sung<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the lucky don\u2019t only die once
they rise from the minefields
as doves
they fly with their wings
pouring blood
they fall from the knife\u2019s edge
and crawl for the light switch
oh true love<\/p>\n\n\n\n

my darling
i can\u2019t let go
i\u2019m burning
i can\u2019t let go<\/p>\n\n\n\n

read my sentence there
i will live always
everywhere
run with the reels of
bombers offshore
embers from dreams of
firestorms
radar still sweeps the sea
for what is left
and for what has not happened yet
throw fortune to the flames
kiss me and whisper
my name<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the lucky don\u2019t only die once
they fall through the fog
call its bluff
they land when it seems
real enough
they dare to believe it
dare to receive it
oh true love<\/p>\n\n\n\n

my darling
i can\u2019t let go<\/p>\n\n\n\n

N harbour<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

unknown alphabets
are thrashing in nets inside
your eyes
hauled on to the decks and
fighting for breath
love
take your time<\/p>\n\n\n\n

here and now
we\u2019re the chorus
don\u2019t look down
they\u2019re right before us
the words<\/p>\n\n\n\n

wonder-flooded engines
waiting on landings
still because
spring will thaw the harbour
freeing the endings
we thought
we\u2019d tied up<\/p>\n\n\n\n

here and now
build a chorus
don\u2019t look down
it\u2019s right before us<\/p>\n\n\n\n

then and now
we\u2019re the chorus
don\u2019t look down
it\u2019s here before us
the world<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the softest needle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

now
it dropped like a bomb
from the clouds
into this old ruin
on a hideaway moon
softness
something you always did best
as hard as the hard rain
beat at my chest<\/p>\n\n\n\n

so needle
i beg your softness
tonight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

know you stop two hearts
leave a kingdom breathless
free a weary star
from its earthly nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all hail the love
that we had<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all hail love<\/p>\n\n\n\n

lullaby for abandoned animals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

fall asleep
small one
there\u2019s no fear left
only sleep<\/p>\n\n\n\n

though i lie awake
despite this
tall grass closing in
like the sea<\/p>\n\n\n\n

can that be my dream<\/p>\n\n\n\n

an island where
the beds
were the backs
of my knees
no answers needed yet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

can that be my dream<\/p>\n\n\n\n

an origami fjord
sheltering shipwrecked heartbeats
for just a moment
more<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pale blue black holes<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

rows of small squares
on folded sea charts
remote trapdoors
marking sinking hearts
shades of palest blue where
we climbed the masts
and kicked black holes
through the one-way glass<\/p>\n\n\n\n

when we struck sky
it poured down light
yeah it poured down light
as if to say
you\u2019re still part of something
you\u2019d let go
when you sank so low
like an ember thrown
into the depths
that tried to burn
alone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

beacons glow softly
then disappear
between the flashes
they whisper “i\u2019m still here”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to a boy by a fjord it
felt like love
but here the urgent sea
eats the soft light up<\/p>\n\n\n\n

when we struck sky
it poured down night
yeah it poured down night
as if to say
you\u2019re still a stranger to yourself
moving shell to shell
that the rainbow\u2019s spell
is only meant for bluebirds
and the angels<\/p>\n\n\n\n

well
we still flew like we could never fall
so high the sea looked very small<\/p>\n\n\n\n

trains we both missed <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

long good-byes like
magic tricks
left us transfixed
from separate crumbling platforms
waiting for
trains we\u2019d both missed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i watched the meteor\u2019s tail flash
on its way to nowhere
i\u2019ll lay myself across these tracks
just take me in your arms
tell me i belong there<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sound the bell
call the lions back
back to their kills
we\u2019re nothing but a trick of the light
pools of blood where
time won\u2019t stand still<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and even this will pass
though you swear you\u2019ll save it all
we\u2019re shadows muted stars once cast
shoot me like an arrow
beyond the city\u2019s high walls<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i watched the fox\u2019s tail flash
then vanish in the frozen air
i laid my hand across its tracks
imagined them still warm
that love was waiting somewhere<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

from: \u00d6xnadalur (album)<\/strong><\/em>
released november 2014 \/ all lyrics by eric howden<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\/<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

all those setting suns
directions we were facing
i was born(e) a hit and run
on beams
some fools are chasing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but this could be enough
the dark above
the scene<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and your voice is breaking up
can you
explain that again
why i should come back
explain it again to me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

chasms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

you were my favourite view
and then something changed
as things always do
we’re chasms at close range
surfaces not set in stone
but half-crystallized
a snapshot of snowswept ice
a fleeting disguise<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but night leaves an open window
and in this dream
no hearts can break
so turn the lights out
and come stargaze<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i’ll be
by your side
when you crack and split at the ridge
we’ll meet at the wild end
of the washed out bridge<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you’ll be my favourite view
mine alone
let’s never change
for anyone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00d6xnadalur<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

take me over your palace walls
my magic word
drifts high as my chest
my heartbeat melts a line
of helpless steps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

deep
winters where the clocks crept
undersea
and left forgiveness spinning
from a golden reel
across the field
i drop my shield
and run the last mile home<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(i belong with you there
i belong<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ashes in the air)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but always the departures
plunging elevators with
my new lives inside
all those unkind good-byes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

star of love
let your snow-streaked hair down
for me again
you are my return through the storm
my tightrope to the light
above the door<\/p>\n\n\n\n

free
here i’m in a city
under siege
and there a lamb she’s gathered
in her golden fleece
you rescued me
you rescued me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but what do i do now<\/p>\n\n\n\n

what new day
promises getting closer
all of those days are over
just come and climb with me
in the sun<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i remember stars<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

how did i drift so far
from the thundering tide
a wreckage of the wishes i once whispered
to the night
i remember stars
where there isn’t any sky
i remember victories when i didn’t
have to try<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i remember losing too
line for line<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i climbed the only ladder
where the city streets snake
i looked down at the scores of crumpled notes
in the storm drains
i remember tenderness
if i look back too far
i remember memory before locked rooms
and alarms<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i promised you the world
i promised you the world back then
destroyer of worlds
now i want my promise back<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i’ll keep it to myself this time
outlaw in a coastal cave
a spell walked into red sand
beyond the reach of the waves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i promised you the world
i promised you the world back then
destroyer of worlds
you’re part of me
don’t forget<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and i remember enough
of the things that you’ve pushed away
when it’s late and i feel your chill
i whisper for them to<\/p>\n\n\n\n

stay
please
stay<\/p>\n\n\n\n

stay
please stay<\/p>\n\n\n\n

no one can break my heart
i remember stars<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katla<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

dreamed i was her only child
wrapped in burning blankets
on the ice
licked clean of spoiled honey
from a distant rotten hive
a boy like me can only dare to try
to be seen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but the vision was wrong
i sold it for a song
its colours were out of key
horses charging the bay
aflame
all the small lights swept away
i’m ready to see you now<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i’m ready to see<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in the path of her last false start
no one’s holding their breath
all we have are these pounding hearts
and whatever comes next<\/p>\n\n\n\n

dreamed i was a lonely lake
wrapped in quiet miles of unmapped space
from cradle to caldera
passing notes from cage to cage
a bird like me can only dare to try
to fly free<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in the eye of the song
i’m already gone
but maybe i won’t draw your fire
singing your name
because i’ve loved you from far away
but it’s only far away<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i’m ready to see<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in the getaway car<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

in the getaway car
i am guilty
but only of watching certainty fall apart
behind me
and picking up steam
where the fjords flank me
blocking signals
and pardoning crimes
that drove their knives to my side
those old wounds
start singing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

then i’m blinded
and even darkness is sparkling
in your open palm
is where my stolen heart belongs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

come run away
let those tired reflections go
bomb the dams
and let the rivers flow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in the getaway car
i am traceless
traceless as streams deep
under abandoned farms
and maybe
just as cut off and faceless but
i run clear now
swimming with sparks
that kindled a kindred heart
old lava is glowing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

then i’m blinded
and in the darkness i start again
in your open palm
i’m finally sure what side i’m on<\/p>\n\n\n\n

so here it is<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the slow approach
i’ve surrendered
i’ve come alone
with my hands above my head
and i am free
i’ll take my chances
and let them take me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hraunsvatn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ghost
come match your shape to mine
a stone chained
as if it might fly
no prisms corroding
my sight
the blizzard of code
regret writes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

arctic terns bow
in awe
and i am the man that i saw
once long ago in her eyes
cast up against a blank sky<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i remember your soft voice
it had me
tumbling down on black tape
to the valley floor
oh the heights and the depths that we’ve known
i’ll follow
your fathoms
clouds sounding below<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all my thirsts gone dry
victory day
final flight
from \u00deverbrekkuhnj\u00fakur’s bright peak
i know what’s expected of me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(all you gave
and all i owe
swore my love was as alone as you
cut the lines
dropped my pack
sent a note and you
sang it back to me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all my lost blood
flowing back to me)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i remember your soft voice
beside me
you sent your fastest foot soldiers to find me
i will bring J\u00f3nas safely back home
i’ll follow the old track
blood under the snow
i’ll follow
the earthly weight
stripped from our bones<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a lakeside
the walls of my heart
overthrown<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i know it’s real<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

some distant part of me remembers
where the missile silos are concealed
the place all endings are imagined
i know it\u2019s real
i know it\u2019s real<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but there must be time left
to confuse the coordinates
where the whirling birds nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but how can i climb when i’m tethered from below
a silhouette cut from a glowing window
the other life i’m letting go<\/p>\n\n\n\n

call
i won’t turn around
i faced us backwards even then
so this can’t be happening now
it’s just an echo’s end
waterfall
can i be renamed
the old underground’s been locked and sold
songbirds bursting up from the snow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

here
time returns
the days and nights you stole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

can’t i have just one kiss
was it always so dangerous
was it all that first hit
and the fallout that preys on the sound
of the all clear<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i sing a few songs to a tattered atmosphere
but more and more
i disappear<\/p>\n\n\n\n

call out
i won’t turn around
all those telegrams were sent
from a phantom finding now
and if not now
when?
waterfall
can i be redeemed
blood vessels drinking up the cold
songbirds bursting up from the snow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

here
time returns
the days and nights you stole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the valley’s beautiful tonight
i watch the stars take up
their shields
and no one else needs to believe it
i know it\u2019s real
i know it\u2019s real<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a way to get by<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

all those villages drowning
linking arms
as floodwaters rise
show me a way to get by
i need a way to get by<\/p>\n\n\n\n

time is hung in a darkroom
your aching smile
high on a wire
show me a real good-bye
i need a real good-bye<\/p>\n\n\n\n

one that won’t change its mind
swinging for the fences
for separate sky<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i once found love
but lost it all because
the landslide swallowed both of us
as starving love does<\/p>\n\n\n\n

after all that we’ve been through
to think i thought
i knew
we reach out into night
and hope our aim is true<\/p>\n\n\n\n

guardian of the silver mine
promised you i’d throw you a line
show me you’ve stayed alive<\/p>\n\n\n\n

show me you’re still alive
that love got to you in time
the glacier advances
the battery dies
we’re collapsing worlds
we’re shells protecting pearls
caught between what could have been
and all that we were<\/p>\n\n\n\n

after all that we’ve been through
i know that we
can do this
we reach out into night
and hope our aim is true<\/p>\n\n\n\n

spilled more blood<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

never thought you’d lose your way back home to me
i bled a trail along the mountain pass
fled so fast no map could hold its potency
yeah i cut my X’s low and hard<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and all i’ve done is spilled more blood
the drifts are deepening
on the switchbacks
below the peaks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

miles up H________
i walked on mirrors
a horse was drowning
the glass broke underneath me
a hail of arrows circled
waiting on my word<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh mercy
you left it up to me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i’ll always come
to spill more blood
for the route you braved for me
where the cliffs repel the sea<\/p>\n\n\n\n

it’s going to take more and more to stop
the infinite crush of insects
gaining on the moat
i fall back unprotected
attached and disconnected
i let you through
then i lit the fuel<\/p>\n\n\n\n

it’s so much simpler than we thought
hope waits
where we’d almost given up
as patient as the land<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the inkwells
overflowing
the rivers never knowing
always writing
always erasing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

tunnels to villages<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

bring my lost senses up to speed
let the roar of the exits
wash over me
or i stop just to feel the weight
yeah i stop
just to fill a space<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and there’s a ghost i keep passing by
he’s like a long distance call
stalled in the sky
i recognize his face
it was drawn
then it was erased<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh, tunnels to villages
the wounded wend their way
home
under the avalanches<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh landslide
block my way
pin my shadows in
starless places<\/p>\n\n\n\n

when i leaned towards the sea
and the gale cradled me
the last ceiling pulled back and faded
(the name of the world
became my own)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh, tunnels to villages
the guilty hiding their
gold
under the avalanches<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh, i’m ready for something
(footprints have formed again
between me and my
hit and run twin)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and on the outskirts i float
waiting for night to close in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

depth charges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

i wish i could take it back
the way i left you then
i flooded the tanks and ran
phantasms at force ten<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i dropped like a knife
for years i just scraped by
curled up
bow down
half blind<\/p>\n\n\n\n

don’t know where you are
but sometimes a depth charge
stirs my
ancient sonar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

as fast as i dared to drive
the icy roads
ghost white
rose up from the river bed
your long dead star
reeled me in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the glittering lights
and faces i crept by
eyes wide
skipped and stuttered<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i’d surfaced behind a melting projection
banks where
flags once fluttered<\/p>\n\n\n\n

it’s like the more dead reckonings i take
the more i fail to see
that in this life of mine
you’re lost to me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

except us dreamers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

dreamers
where do we end up
staggering out into the sun after
some desperate final run
we’d never dreamed of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

maybe i’d wake up
drag myself from the burning plane
no log books
just a wall of flame
where my dream was<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but the waking life has nothing over this
in the sweetest light
there would always be a dream i’d miss<\/p>\n\n\n\n

heard your voice through a crack in the ice
a frozen ribbon in your hair
i knew i carried a great weight
more than you could bear<\/p>\n\n\n\n

each night i found the waterfall
through the rows of newborn trees
no lightning strike
of brutal truth
could have stopped the likes of me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

though the rocks rumbled far below
i came as close as i was dared
it took a while to realize
i’d already fallen there<\/p>\n\n\n\n

up to the meadows by the ruins
the aurora held us tight
forget the curses we both hide
will you stay
will you stay tonight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

there is nowhere else but right here by your side
as your body melts
i freeze<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but all dreams will fall
they’re running out of time
so just spend it all
with me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

there is nowhere else
(diving down now)
there is nowhere else
(there is nowhere i’d rather
brave the flames to save)
but all dreams will fall
(but all dreams will wake and fade)
so just spend it all
(so just spend it all before we burn
this precious chance
away)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

dreamers
where do we end up
staggering out into the sun after some
desperate final run
we’d never dreamed of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

diving bird \/portal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

where low waters sing
is an animal king
whose anxious heart quiets itself
away from the cruelty of love<\/p>\n\n\n\n

tracing contour lines
tracking black into white
running silent and
on all fours
i climb to the side of your soft shores<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and cache away a diving bird
in a shallow grave
a coin to close the lid
the toll you took
i hid
a heart that’s spent can still be saved<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i’m on my knees
airships pass over me
when did it become me against them
shovels scraping the roof of the den
i held your head
yeah i stayed with the dead
i imagined our final stand
will it make me a better man<\/p>\n\n\n\n

have no fear
the portal’s core is cold and clear
and this end opens wide
amid the fireflies
where i first dried your frightened tears<\/p>\n\n\n\n

it’s okay
a single arrow can bend
and break<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but a diving bird
is nothing but a blur
wild music
in its wake<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sightings (single)<\/strong>
(released 2013 \/ lyrics by eric howden<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

another clue in the codebook
i found
where a nervous undercurrent\u2019s hushed
by forest sounds
young love
you lit them up from above
a bird of prey
your talons around the sun<\/p>\n\n\n\n

angel on the Tiergarten\u2019s edge
it\u2019s been an empty sort of feeling keeping
now from then
we\u2019re just echoes bullet set up
our impact lost
and whole worlds to defend

random motion
petty thief
lost boys walking 
in their sleep
some places i\u2019ll never leave<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh my old friend
the dotted line descends
lose the path to find it underfoot again
where do i begin
where do i begin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

another clue in the codebook
i found
where a furious undercurrent dragged
a wall down
young love 
the targets we fall short of
shuttered searchlights
attacks we can\u2019t recall

trains circling a midnight square
swore i saw your shadow there
my heart leapt into the air<\/p>\n\n\n\n

oh my old friend
this can\u2019t be the end
of the story we\u2019re pretending that
we\u2019re in
where do i begin
where do i begin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

from: no ghostless place (album)<\/strong>
(released january 2010 \/ all lyrics by eric howden<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we were never young, sheet music<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

we were never young<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

from every room hearts spoke through walls too thin to hold
the weight of what they heard
so fires crept through spaces long left soft and blurred<\/p>\n\n\n\n

notes pushed under the doors
frozen to the floor we believed everything
leaves blown beneath the eaves
whirring like a nest of wound-up starlings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we were young
we didn’t heed those things
if birds were singing we were loved<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we were young
like the universe
like our mothers were
like these words<\/p>\n\n\n\n

hail of arrows<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

sleep and forget until the names we knew are
bodies walled in a doorless room
and we won’t turn back
clouds of sparrows are startled into flight
as a hail of arrows is unleashed at the sky
and we won’t turn back<\/p>\n\n\n\n

so here we go<\/p>\n\n\n\n

this might curse our luck
these mirror-haunted hallways
we’re echo-testing for a hole we’ll never find
so let’s just close our eyes this time
i will love you always
i wouldn’t lie
i wouldn’t lie<\/p>\n\n\n\n

so pour me out on the eastern coast where the water’s cold as a mermaid’s ghost
and the long days hide
and one of these nights we will bloom in the trees
push our old sick hearts from the roots to the leaves
and then open wide<\/p>\n\n\n\n

so here we go<\/p>\n\n\n\n

this might curse our luck
these mirror-haunted hallways
we’re echo-testing for a hole we’ll never find
so let’s just close our eyes this time
i will love you always
i wouldn’t lie
i wouldn’t lie<\/p>\n\n\n\n

locked hearts keep lost time<\/p>\n\n\n\n

’cause it’s hard to lay arms down
in the arms of the one who lays you bare
but if we don’t shield ourselves
then we won’t have to fear the arrows<\/p>\n\n\n\n

secret garden\/ s.c.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

my love buried its young with
just one question
it broke the spell
i’ve bitten my tongue but
it’s set in motion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i pulled a rope and rang a bell
when you carved your neural runes into my spine
and then you lowered a light for me to decode them
i dug through miles of tangled earth to say i’d try<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in your arms i’m silver air and sleeping pills
but you draw your tripwires with poison quills
the garden awakes
you’re drawing away
i’m drawing my first breath
but roots hold tight like traplines
they carry a lot of weight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

don’t save your strength
for the end
of the dream
all
you’ll have left
is please don’t leave
please don’t leave
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

easier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

we were never meant to be apart
every step we take is getting harder
for all your promises pinned like ribbons to your bed
tell me
why’s the ice so thin around you
you say it gets easier to fall right through<\/p>\n\n\n\n

suddenly we felt the night go numb
stalling as the lightning cut the horizon
and all the miles went dark between the city and the stars
tell me would you leave our love behind
you say it gets easier to throw the fight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

my heart is taking off<\/p>\n\n\n\n

night fighter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

look down upon the coastline
the airstrip strange and bare
just let the instruments slide
the radio dead air<\/p>\n\n\n\n

back when you were young you knew the words
now they’re just a distant hum
the sun was bright behind her
the memory’s here somewhere<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and you and i will fall too
from the beauty of it all
you’re coming in so low now
close your eyes
relinquish the controls<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and you and i will fall too
from the beauty that we once knew
you’re coming in solo now
close your eyes
relinquish the control<\/p>\n\n\n\n

loop and climb
lake of fire
dive deep
dive deep
trees and sky
her eyes
sleep
sleep
sleep
sleep<\/p>\n\n\n\n

by an ion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

when you crawl to my side
you’re like a wounded bird
with your wings weighed down
you’re somehow smaller than you were
but all of it was real to me
’til you showed me
we were make-believe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

why are we not accelerating
pedals down
our pulses racing
particles kaleidoscopic
fireworks dreamed by an ion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

now the charges are laid
the poles have swung away
and right at the split
you might just feel some pain
or maybe you will realize that
i’m small enough to slip your mind<\/p>\n\n\n\n

how do these hearts unfold<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

when strangers meet
they seem more real to me
wide open spaces and consciences clean
and to what end must i protect
the boy i used to be
who thought a home where only silence falls
no clock inside its walls
could dodge a wrecking ball<\/p>\n\n\n\n

locks blocking strangers both ways
what kind of safety’s that anyway<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i could have risked you love<\/p>\n\n\n\n

how do we stand our ground
how do we say we’re brave now
i am waiting on your command
a blindfold between my sight and your sleight of hand
how do these hands hold
how do these hearts unfold now
never knowing the ways they can
a blindfold between the night and Neverland<\/p>\n\n\n\n

you will come back to me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the waiting’s over<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

no more oceans left
reserves have all been tapped and spent
so raise the floodlights<\/p>\n\n\n\n

shipwrecks on the snow
they seem so small against the glow
we struck the night blind<\/p>\n\n\n\n

now opened wide and robbed for pearls
there were signs
but we stormed the doors
where once slept a sinking continent now
there is nothing more<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i would wait for you
but something tells me that won’t do
the waiting’s over<\/p>\n\n\n\n

start it again
start it again
drown out all light
the love this day
would desecrate
lost in time<\/p>\n\n\n\n

old fires<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

no shadow beneath my feet
no trace left on the ground
i used to think that our hearts could beat
the speed of sound<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we’d soar past the crowd like angels
hardly visible
and back to the times we’d time to kill
darling
it’s criminal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

only if i’d only kept if only to myself<\/p>\n\n\n\n

starlight hide your warmth
although the wolves cry at our door
and days get older
the night is young
vanish like the moon without the sun<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we stretched like a sunbeam across the sky
no end in sight
who would have thought a heart could break
the speed of light<\/p>\n\n\n\n

entwined in the night like animals
hardly divisible
my shadow has not rejoined me still
darling
it’s criminal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

morning without warning
cut the moorings
push me out<\/p>\n\n\n\n

starlight hide your warmth
although the wolves cry at our door
and days gets older
the night is young
vanish like the moon without the sun<\/p>\n\n\n\n

old fires burn young again tonight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the past is the prey
<\/strong>
love
you promised me
then you led us deeper into the trees
and looped the trail where it traced the thin air
when you track the old days
remember the game<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the past’s not always the prey<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and we numbed the earth’s skin
when we tried to strike a spark
never known where to begin
staring backwards from the start
and the needle skips and spins
stumbling from blind to blind
let them hunt us down again
i will keep us safe tonight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

on and on
you told me i was wrong then
please tell me i’ll be wrong again
a heart behind glass
in a tower of stone
i smuggled the spark
that led the forest fire home<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and we numbed the earth’s skin
when we tried to strike a spark
never known where to begin
in the landscape of a heart
and the needle skips and spins
stumbling from blind to blind
let the tables turn again
i will keep us safe tonight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

safe
we’re safe tonight
above the earth
an arc of escaped light
the first time we’ve been lost
to second sight
the sky’s the blind
for a pair of newborn kites
you told me i was wrong
please tell me i’ll be wrong again<\/p>\n\n\n\n

longer shadows, shorter days<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

left behind when summer’s over
in quiet lineups by the lake
cheating hearts descend like clouds of falling leaves
to lie and rot and wait for rain<\/p>\n\n\n\n

summer heat will you drain your blood from me
into lawns and limpid pools where your kiss was young and cruel
cut by cut and play by play it will always be this way
summer love<\/p>\n\n\n\n

if i could only hold your heart
and never beat again<\/p>\n\n\n\n

someone’s breath against your shoulder
someone’s voice to say your name
just as long as someone’s there to break your fall
longer shadows shorter days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

if i could only hold your heart
i’d never beat again<\/p>\n\n\n\n

there’s hope yet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

the mornings you stole away
i kept my eyes low
let you break my heart
you break my heart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

her ceilings and sandbars
locations unknown
we’ve gone way too far<\/p>\n\n\n\n

tiny creature
brave the vents below<\/p>\n\n\n\n

hey
there’s hope yet
there is hope again
it sails through vicious storms my love
hey there’s hope yet
and if you believe that
then sail those wrecks to shore my love
hey<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i’d almost forgotten this
we’re anchored alone
in a lake of stars
a lake of stars<\/p>\n\n\n\n

north of light’s end<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

from this moment
there is nothing left of us
maybe there never was
much point in hanging our hopes
high like daggers
aimed to pierce the earth’s core
who were we falling for
before we broke we glittered in the sun<\/p>\n\n\n\n

one day
you’ll slip past the sleeping guards
through the gardens of drowned alarms
swallow me in your swan dive
fly from this house of cards<\/p>\n\n\n\n

north of light’s end
where the curtain falls
we’re nowhere at all<\/p>\n\n\n\n

one day
you’ll slip past the sleeping guards
through the gardens of drowned alarms
signal me through the cell walls
sing to me from afar
a siren in an ice storm
at the end of the world<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all lyrics \u00a9 eric howden (SOCAN)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"home\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

locket from a wreck released may 2024 \/ lyrics by eric howden you were born from a slow death.  a tendril on a fallen pine.now you breathe with my own breath, and join the deer that thunder by.where the lava and the snow met, there was a shiver running up my spine.the fever broke the finish line.there\u2019s […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P5PGUp-N","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":118,"href":"https:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3954,"href":"https:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions\/3954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/raisedbyswans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}