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Ready

by Jen Chapin

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1.
Strip it Bare Cast the line out Reel it round Float down the stream way down Feel surrender ain't it fine The meter is mine Lay your palms out in the dirt A little mud won't hurt See it tremble see it crawl The rise and the fall Follow crackle in the trees Red lines criss-cross your knees Wide wings stir a hidden sound My shadow is found Climb a mountain push the wheel The itch of sweat you feel Satisfaction in the grind Empty out your mind No need to go anywhere Sunlight cloudflow Lay your head back stare at the sky Time will ride low Strip it bare Here we stay Another day Called to action by the clouds The thunder rumbles loud Craft a castle 'gainst the rain The drops never came Watch the sky it darkens down All jagged edges round Melt ambition in the flame And breathe in my name No need to go anywhere Sunlight cloudflow Lay your head back stare at the sky Time will ride low Strip it bare Here we stay Lay your head back stare at the sky No need to go anywhere Sunlight cloudflow Lay your head back stare at the sky Time will ride low Strip it bare Here we stay Another day Here we stay Another day
2.
To the New 04:56
To The New No cheap painted promises No barter with jewels This structure is earthbound by butterfly rules Such architect wisdom Such poetic plan For floating as mountains For sturdy as sand The dangers and warnings Have crowded the door We brush off their chilling So far from this core The warmness of corners You’ve so skillfully laid Unshaken foundations unshakable Now we open to the newness One devotion Grows past two Watch the world Look out for trueness Wondrous window Such a view Join in with the playtime You tickle and tease Humility gliding In joyful degrees I’ll play you a concert Groove with blinkers and cans Sing foolish in April Pluck slack rubber bands Witness to the changes Come lay by my side Such gratitude growing These blessings confide Pile up all our kindling This fire will grow Relentless relearning Of what we know
3.
Scream Laugh Cry The tape runs out And the tide rolls in Everything is changing but the circles that you run in Clock stops still Still it speeds you by Spectator’s watching but we’ve stopped asking why Why not make a choice? It’s hard to understand? How it’s easier to be a slave than be a man? Wild is the luscious Life crashing by Grab it by the ankles Scream laugh and cry The glacial stride to the yellow door Taste a bite of promise Then you spit it to the floor Spiral words fill the flat dry day Look up from the paper Take one step Come away Why not make a choice? It’s hard to understand? How it’s easier to be a slave than be a man? Wild is the luscious Life crashing by Grab it by the ankles Scream laugh and cry
4.
Ready 04:54
Ready he walked in and a voice came to me said “slow down girl and be steady take your time to get ready” I could see he’s got adventure written all over his body but then he smiled and I had to say to myself “oh you gotta sit down and think straight find self-control gotta learn to wait because this one could take it all away” for this man well he looked right there through me now I don’t wanna call it danger but there’s something about this stranger to think that I should know it I’m sure stranger things go on but this I wouldn’t know in the moment I was frightened by your power in this moment I think I’m ready now I’m ready ready for you to reach me ready ready for you to teach me I’m ready ready for you to reach me ready ready for you to teach me weary days passed taste of bitter would run over my lips I had hunger and I let it seep in so deep let my body do some stand-in work for my soul my insides became stiff with cold but now I feel new heat rise up rise up rise up from the coreof my body I was silent to the core all the music had died down now the time you come to hammer at my quiet well the time has come I think I’m ready now ready turn my world sideways then right side up again ready for you to rock me ‘til the dawn then start again ready burn your power through me that I know you can do oh do your thing and get ready cause I’m ready for you
5.
Goodbye 04:00
Goodbye Once I climbed up an elephant tree Sewed purses of pine needle finery Goodbye Goodbye Through a forest of bamboo I carved out my lair Furnished rooms with fresh flowers And a plastic bag chair Goodbye Raced pages of stallions with after-school sweets Sweet stories repeat Repeat Once I dined in a palace of barnacle walls Would climb with the snails over seaweed And never would fall goodbye
6.
Let it Show 03:35
Let it Show Little man little man I can see You are not such a mystery to me Little questions little highs little lows In a row Senses overflow I've been thinking 'bout this sad sad world About survival and the one thing you should know Is find your joy and let it show Will you be bumpy like a pine cone Cover your soft heart Try to be alone? Will you be smooth like sanded timber Wood grain winding Graceful and limber? I've been thinking 'bout this way processed world Of authenticity and the one thing you should know Is find your joy and let it show All the slick faces on the TV They tell us be fearful We are warned very soberly Don't you listen turn away turn away There's a different melody to play I've been thinking 'bout this sad sad world About survival and the one thing you should know I've been thinking on this fascinating world About survival and the one thing you should know Is find your joy and let it show
7.
NYC 02:58
NYC this morning I woke up felt like a truck outside was driving over my head but hey if I wanna have street traffic in my bed I’d rather it be the real thing the real NYC thing this town is not so bad if you have a taste for college boy beer but the trains have no graffiti and the river’s too clear I want that dirty that dirty real thing the real NYC thing take me back I wanna go back I wanna go back to NYC I came hoping that I’d trust again thought that the child I knew could be brought out to play thought maybe I could send those soldiers guarding to be on their way but I haven’t found the real thing I haven’t found the real thing wandering in search of music I must admit that I’ve got music here to spare but I wanna be where rhythm’s not on paper it’s in the air maybe I’ll find the real thing maybe I’ll find the real thing but I don’t know take me back I wanna go back I want to go back to NYC
8.
Election Day 04:56
Election Day We drive west on Route 80 We join in the parade Block-printed placards, purpose Ghosts of barricades The highway seems hopeful The numbers loom tall Past coal mines and strip malls We'll deliver them all Neutered by cold clean process And our clipboard costume Shared sport talk, shared sandwiches The roles we all assume Respectful flirtations One white plastic folding chair The crispness of the brown leaves The pale wilted air Here is our geometry of wait and see Don't you wonder what it means Waiting lines and touch-go screens Complicity French fries football comfortable Simplicity Love or leave or curse or pray But be careful what you say We fuse all our illusions To these long lolling hours To dreams of new sneakers And memories of funeral flowers To each distracting handout And styrofoam meal Leave chanting to the children Our fury we conceal Vast temples promise dollars Quaint churches built on truce The classrooms of Darwin The fishes of the truth Unquestioned contagion The cult of a simple man We settle our stomachs We do what we can
9.
Time 04:40
Time I was kicking back in a purple chair but then I saw you there I was in a groove no need to speak or move then you sucked up all my air now I'm wandering through the streets all day just in case you walk my way well you seem to know just when to stay or go while my time wastes away well I'm grateful for the distraction but I don't think I have the time the other night you left me at the door my body crying out for more without a doubt you pulled my insides out then you picked them off the floor how is it you know just what to say to make my armor melt away you see a raw spot you take a shot into my weakness on display well you've captured my imagination but I don't think I have the time I just don't think I have the time to wait around for you there's so much I still have to do but you're jamming my brain now all I want is you you're not so bad to have as a hobby but I don't think I have the time
10.
Go On 04:32
Go On silver fades and leaves the sky to sparkle lonely the river curls up its fingers holds its breath and waits to die but I think that this current will continue to guide us flow its water here beside us and go on Holy men heavy burdened by the answers duty-bound to crown the martyrs then decide who will burn in hell but I think that their fury will just melt away to laughter that we'll smile about it after and go on little boys squatting on the beach with buckets build their castles ever higher then they rush to crush them down but I think that we'll learn to see how nice it is to let things be dancing toes along the ocean and go on little men and all their talk of evil look through the fun house mirror see the cartoon figures there but I think that our monsters grow from seeds we plant and water we stand witness to the slaughter and go on Do you think that all our footsteps follow circles? that our choosing will offer nothing new but the latest shiny toy? well I think that this current will continue on to guide us flow its water there beside us and go on
11.
Skin 03:31
Skin satin shadows silken air hands on eyes I feel you there fingers folding round my waist I know nothing but the taste of skin we are nothing but skin wrinkled forehead won’t allow me to rest in your soft now trusting trusting I’ll let go into secrets that you know in your skin we are nothing but skin in the dim light from the bar I can see you not so far I can watch you lost in your song then I remember you belong to my skin we are nothing but skin

credits

released July 11, 2006

Jen Chapin – vocals
Stephan Crump - acoustic bass, string arrangements
Dan Rieser - drums, percussion
Peter Rende - piano, keyboards
Jamie Fox - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, ukelele
Liberty Ellman - electric guitar
Todd Reynolds – violin
Courtney Orlando – violin
Caleb Burhans – violin
Wendy Sutter – cello
Adam Kolker - clarinet

Produced by Stephan Crump, Rod Sherwood and Jen Chapin * Recorded and mixed by Steve Mazur, Stephan Crump and Rod Sherwood @ Sear Sound, NYC and The Butler Plaza, Brooklyn * Assisted by Chris Allen and Bret Batterman * Mastered by Michael Fosenkemper @ TurtleTone Studio, NYC * Cover photography by Merri Cyr * Story photography by Stephan Crump, Jen Chapin and Marla Cantor * Design by Brooke Barnett
all music by Jen Chapin
© 2006 Purple Chair Music (ASCAP)

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