Adam Dunetz

It’s always been easy For me to be alone Not bothering anybody Or making things muddy It’s always been so much Simpler on my own Keeps me from crossing lines Or missing signs Of all the things to take a toll Tending my own indentured soul Doesn’t even make the list Ever digging out from another hole A deficit of verbal impulse control Per my therapist And she’s never missed She has never missed I’ve always been My own best company Don’t need any other folks To laugh at my jokes The only person I need to convince is me No other opinions to sway We’ve always been different this way Same old story from day to day Can’t get out of my own way Stand back while I shake my fist I could never just get on the bus I’ve got ADD like the rest of us Says my therapist And she’s never missed No she has never missed Alone but not for lack of trying When what you’ve got to sell Nobody’s buying anymore Close the door It’s always been much Easier to be alone The words don’t come out wrong When you’re where you belong

Mama’s in the kitchen She’s crying by the door The cake that she been baking All crumbled on the floor Don’t look at me mama It was like that when I found it Papa’s gone a missing Since mama got home Tonight he’ll be sleeping In the cellar all alone When something don’t look right mama There ain’t no two ways around it Mama and pop they’ve been going non-stop Like an 18 wheeler and a train It’s a long way down to the bottom from the top All you needed was a drop But now you’re caught in the rain Papa’s trying to make it up To mama anyhow Mama’s in the kitchen with a Needle and a plow She’s a real live wire You’re gonna know it when you ground it Baby birds a-beakin all around the nest Mama she been hunting She been feeding them the best But Papa ain’t nowhere to be found When the babies started crying And he’d be on a bender Of long and lonely nights If he hadn’t gotten over An aggressive fear of heights He ain’t been back to the nest in a while He’s been way too busy flying Mama and her chicks they’ve been getting all their kicks By just watching the clouds roll in She ain’t waitin around on any rodeo clown And if he ever comes back She’ll just send him out again Papa’s trying to make it up To mama anyhow Mama’s in the garden with a Needle and a plow And whatever he’s selling She’s too over it for buying

You might not like the mess you made But now your welcome’s overstayed So go ahead, sit alone and cry You can drown in all your sorrows Or save them for another guy Do what you want but darling Don’t dissimulate or say we didn’t try I can’t shake this feeling in my heart I should have known it from the start And maybe you don’t want to hear the truth But I’m laying it on the line now Cause I don’t know what else to do Sometimes you have to go around What you could never push through And I said I wouldn’t write another love song As long as I can’t get you out of my mind There’s too many ways that this could go wrong It would be so much easier to leave it all behind Leave it all behind La la la la la I can’t rinse the taste inside my mouth It’s been here since our deal went south So go ahead, sit alone and cry You can wipe away your tears today Tomorrow hang them out to dry I’ve never seen somebody So incurably convinced of their own lie You used to say it’s just a game Finding somebody else to blame So go ahead, sit alone and cry You can practice in the mirror How to fake it for another guy Do what you want but darling Don’t dissimulate or say we didn’t try And I said I wouldn’t write another love song As long as I can’t get you out of my mind There’s too many ways that this could go wrong It would be so much easier now to leave it all behind Leave it all behind Leave it all behind Leave it all behind La la la la

Sitting here watching the paint dry Thinking bout you I know you’re out there somewhere Doing the best you can do Take the time you need to roam You deserve to feel complete on your own And tell me all about it When you get home Busy rearranging the furniture Thinking bout you Trying hard not to anticipate When you might come through We don’t need to talk about money I’ll just laugh when you say something funny You can tell me all about it honey When you get home Seconds into minutes turn to hours into days All I do is miss you in so many ways I water all the plants in the living room Thinking bout you I’ve been practicing folding the towels The way you showed me to I’ve been typing to metronome To put your name into a palindrome I’ll tell you all about it When you get home Seconds turn to minutes become hours into days All I do is miss you in so many ways The snow’s been falling for hours I’m thinking bout you In summer like a bee to the flowers You're just passing through Am I tired of being alone Or just hungry for your honeycomb We don’t have to talk about anything When you get home Or you can tell me all about it When you get home When you get home When you get home When you get

Hey I heard you just got back today From a work trip in LA Nothing new around here And I’ll just say If you come around my way Two minutes off the highway I’ll let you bend my ear Some bags you need to lay down just outside the door You’ve been carrying them for so long but you don’t need them anymore Time to call the tailor for a better fit But first things first, you’ve gotta to get over it Call me insane I packed a bag and I took the train Down the coast in the freezing rain The ticket was one way Maybe it was in vain Something I needed to re-explain Nothing ventured nothing to gain I’ll try again someday And some bags I need to lay down just outside the door I’ve carried them for so long but I don’t need them anymore Time to call the tailor for a better fit But first things first, I’ve gotta get over it It’s too to easy to save it for another time Nothing really matters till it’s all on the line And some might call it a pity She’s all alone in the city She does herself up pretty The night it comes in stages She’s getting over a breakup She’s on her bed in her makeup Doodles and poems that take up An empty journal’s pages And some bags she needs to lay down just outside the door She’s been carrying them for so long, she don’t need them anymore Time to call the tailor for a better fit But first things first, she’s gotta get over it Some bags we need to lay down just outside the door We’ve been carrying them for so long we don’t need them anymore Time to call the tailor for a better fit But first things first We’ve gotta get over it Gotta get over it Hey I heard you just got back today From a work trip in LA Nothing new around here

A frog becomes a prince Upon a kiss from his true love Constellations from below Look different from above A sullen heart one tick away From unspeakable delight And it’s alright, yeah it’s alright A day it ends exactly Once a new day has begun An axis in a steady state of Spinning towards the sun And what’s the point in dreaming If we only dream at night But it’s alright, baby it’s alright You can tell yourself it’s not your time There’s no one waiting on the line But you feel it from your head down to your toes You can call it what you want but A rose is still a rose You can sing a hallelujah You can wish upon a star You can travel round the world And stay exactly who you are You can join a new religion Paint your bedroom black and white And it’s alright, yeah it’s alright A name is just a notion Not a testament of will Identity’s an ocean Endless, everchanging, still Birds would just be scavengers Were it not the gift of flight And it’s alright, baby it’s alright You can tell yourself it’s not your time There’s no one waiting on the line But you feel it from your head down to your toes You can call it something different but A rose is still a rose A name is just a tag On what the factory installed If it’s true it stays with you No matter what it’s called And the frog might be a prince now But she was looking for a knight And it’s alright, baby it’s alright You can tell yourself it’s not your time There’s no one waiting on the line But you feel it in your elbows, knees and toes You can call it what’d you like but A rose is still a rose Yeah you can call it anything but A rose is still a rose

You’ve got a lot of balls up in the air Never one to go the safest route You took a detour on a dare Now I’m looking forward to checking it out There’s no limitation on your imagination You shoot unscripted on location In the dead of night You set your feet and see it through It’s all I’ve ever seen you do In the easy light You took up painting just a year ago Now you’re selling out the gallery You’ve got a longer list of projects waiting Than any fortune teller could ever see You’re making headlines underneath the fold With your hands of stone and your heart of gold And your vision like a satellite When inhibitions ever lead to doubt You just open em up and air them out In the easy light But it’s only human to hesitate Some plans might pass their sell by date Throw em on the pile When your better angels take a turn It’s alright sometimes to crash and burn Disappear for a while Your nightstand’s a collection of Fiction, fact and alchemy It’s everybody’s guess why But you seem to still put up with me You’re a builder in the best way Of life and art and dreams And I think I just might Not let the ink dry before I pull the lever That lets me hold you close forever In the easy light On a canvas under a sky of blue All I want is to be there with you In the easy light

I thought I knew you But I guess I never knew you at all You led me on Before you led me astray I’ve been sitting here for hours Waiting for you to call It never had to be this way I gave you more than I Gave anyone before I had a room reserved with every amenity You changed your mind But did you need to rob me blind Was it a case of mistaken identity You’re like a see saw up and down Then it’s no longer a game What starts as fun Is always taking a turn I have to wonder if I ever even knew your real name Through all the bridges you burned I gave you more than I Gave anyone before I had a room reserved with every amenity You changed your mind But did you need to rob me blind Was it a case of mistaken identity I’ve gone over and over again How you came around How I let you into my world If I could do it all over again I would stand my ground Not roll over and over I’m working weekends for a while Keeps me out of the red And not get lost in illusion I’m doing doubles when they let me Till you’re out of my head It helps clear up the confusion I gave you more than I Gave anyone before I had a room reserved with every amenity You changed your mind But did you need to rob me blind Was it a case of mistaken identity I gave you more than I Gave anyone before I had a room reserved with every amenity You changed your mind But did you need to rob me blind Was it a case of mistaken identity

When the sun goes down In a quiet town The streets are dark Not a soul around In a quiet town At the foot of a Round and rolling hill The shops are closed And the streets are still In a quiet town The moon’s alone not a dog in sight It’s the quiet start to a quiet night In a quiet town The shades are drawn Like a silhouette The oven’s hot And the table’s set For the daily bread Children go on About their day They eat then Take their plates away And it’s time for bed Mom and dad Read by candlelight It’s a quiet time on a quiet night In a quiet town The half moon whispers A secret hymn As streetlights go From bright to dim In a foggy crown When the day has made One final sweep They close their eyes And go to sleep In a quiet town All artifice Starts to fall away It’s the quiet end to a quiet day In a quiet town

You don’t always know when it’s time to go Till the walls cave in or you stub your toe And the window’s closed cause you move too slow to fly I keep a bag packed, one foot out the door Ain’t nothing keeping me around here anymore I’ve got a tank full of gas and I’ll be gone by the 4th of July Lord knows life ain’t always a hallmark movie But it keeps coming at you, good and bad, ready or not Instead of waiting around for a feel good hollywood ending You've gotta try to forget about the wins you don’t get And hold on to the ones you’ve got You don’t always know when it’s time to go Till the walls cave in or you stub your toe And the window’s closed cause you move too slow to fly I keep a bag packed, one foot out the door Ain’t nothing keeping me around here anymore I’ve got a tank full of gas and I’ll be gone by the 4th of July And maybe the best we can hope for is sweet surrender You can try to hold on, but it’s gone in the blink of an eye Instead of crying on the corner about how you could’ve been a contender Make sure you’ve got all your affairs in order Before you say good bye Some of us may be planted in fertile soil But less certain we become the more we know There’s a fine line between turbulence and turmoil But these roots won’t keep me planted here When the levees start to blow You won’t always know when it’s time to go Till the walls cave in and you’re lower than low And the window’s closed cause you move too slow to fly I keep a bag packed, one foot out the door Ain’t nothing keeping me around here anymore I’ve got a tank full of gas and I’ll be gone by the 4th of July I’m like a firecracker on a hot summer night I’ve been wrong so long I don’t know how to be right But I’m ready in ways my actions don’t always imply I keep a bag packed and one foot out the door Ain’t nothing keeping me around here anymore I’ve got a tank full of gas and I’ll be gone by the 4th of July I’ve got a tank full of gas and I’ll be gone by the 4th of July

Tennessee’s been calling to me for a little while I’ve never been more than taking a spin down a country mile At night I go there in my dreams Float above cool mountain streams Nothing had ever been as it seems Until I seen you smile I’ve watched the stars come out one by one on a winter night I’ve seen fireflies dance on a meadow in the moonlight If it’s too forward, then I beg your pardon But if you want to see an old heart unharden Take me to your secret garden Tonight You used to tell me bout your summer on the beaches of mexico I’ve never been and I know I can’t go everywhere I wanna go But one thing I know is true I’m so in love with you I’d go anywhere you tell me to You already you know If it’s too forward, then I beg your pardon But if you want to see this old heart unharden Take me to your secret garden Tonight

You’re riding on the L train You’re studying a new maze You’re up until the sunrise You’re headed to the next phase Moving up the ladder Fighting through some old ways Open up the curtains You’re headed to the next phase One day your stitches will be but a scar (you’ll wear them like a badge of honor) And you know you’ve already come so far Now you’re riding on the L train Not thinking bout the old days Emerging from the shadows You’re headed to the next phase You’re moving up the ladder You’re borrowing a new phrase Open up the windows You’re headed to the next phase It’s time for you to make it on your own (without the weight of indecision) All the birds that came from here have flown (but in the end they’ll make their way home) Now you’re riding on the L train You’re firing a new glaze You’re handling the pressure You’re headed to the next phase You’re moving up the ladder You’re trying out a new gaze Go tell it on the mountain You’re headed to the next phase You’re riding on the L train You’re studying a new maze You’re up until the sunrise You’re headed to the next phase Moving up the ladder Fighting through some old ways Open up the curtains You’re headed to the next phase Now you’re riding on the L train Not thinking bout the old days Emerging from the shadows You’re headed to the next phase You’re moving up the ladder You’re borrowing a new phrase Open up the windows You’re headed to the next phase

I’ve got a secret That fits in my hand And I mean to keep it for now You understand And I’m on an airplane And you’re on the sea And one day we’ll marry Underneath the sycamore tree Laughter lasts like late summer rain Thistle and down dance in auburn hair You blithely beg me to please explain But when I open my hand There’s nothing there I’ve got a secret If you’ve got a dime But I aim to keep it for now While we’ve got time And lost in the mountains High on the plains And I think I might need you tonight Like the blood in my veins Laughter lasts like late summer rain Thistle and down dance in auburn hair You blithely beg me to please explain But when I open my hand There’s nothing there Laughter lasts like late summer rain Thistle and down dance in auburn hair You blithely beg me to please explain But when I open my hand There’s nothing there I’ve got a secret If you’ve got a dime But I’m going to keep it for now Cause we’ve got time Yeah we've got time

Winter’s coming haven’t seen you round here for a while Frost has covered the ground where you walked away Fevered strumming like a new religion on trial Down and out about the time I tried to make you stay Corner table At the Cafe New endcap name your price so we can hang a sign Go low but don’t step over the invisible line Straight shot, now you can toss it in the cart with mine Two for one as long as the numbers end in ninety-nine We might be here By design But if I had my way It could be Different this time Three ring binder you can track all the miles you lost Good reminder but it might not be worth the cost Starting over when a new script’s already been tossed Tried to find her but your signals got crossed Now you’re a loss leader Taking it day by day Yeah you’re a loss leader You’re just giving it all away You’re giving it all away You’re giving it all away You’re giving it all away You’re giving it all away

You think you’re walking down a dead end street Your ego’s talking but you can’t compete A hunter stalking for his winter meat But it’s just a bone You heard the story how the west was won The second coming of the favorite son He’s counting down the ending three two one On a microphone No wrong answers You’re stuck in your mind On questions meant to keep you under Woke from a daydream Starting to find How many roads can carry you home You gave your all before you lost your luck On the flatbed of a pickup truck Now you’re down and out but stuck On a broken trampoline There’s a monkey riding on your back Ever since you left your shotgun shack Shake him off before you fade to black Like a tv screen No wrong answers You’re stuck in your mind On questions meant to keep you under Woke from a daydream Starting to find How many roads can carry you home Pages missing from your favorite book Songs repeating no refrain or hook The confirmation lessons never took To your mom’s chagrin But see the writing on the western wall About the mysteries of life and all The seven sirens you can hear them call When the night begins No wrong answers You’re stuck in your mind On questions meant to keep you under Woke from a daydream Starting to find The kinds of clues that make you wonder No wrong answers You’re stuck in your mind On questions meant to keep you under Woke from a daydream Starting to find How many roads can carry you home

I’ve been thinking about this place we call the old US of A A beautiful experiment gone horribly astray United ain’t the first word that comes to mind today While we’re on the brink of throwing it all away And lately you might say we got ourselves into a jam Some might argue it’s the track that we’ve been on since vietnam So I’m typin out a letter to my dear old uncle Sam With a new American anthem on the way America the stupid America the childish America the hungry America the weak America the craven America the frightened little baby No this land ain’t made for you and me Now the last few years we’ve really just been taking it on the chin Big losses piling up man we could really use a win I used to blame the orange man but half of us put him in And most of those would call themselves christian Now I don’t mean to be controversial but it’s just the way I feel To call myself american now has lost all the appeal I’m hopeful as a nation that one day we all can heal And never let a sociopathic conman in the people’s house again America the greedy America the selfish Can no longer call itself The land of the free America the reckless America the big, bad neighborhood bully No this land ain’t made for you and me America the stupid America the childish America the hungry America the weak America the craven America the frightened little baby No this land ain’t made for you and me

Clouds go slowly by my window This summer nearly every day I’ll sit and watch em pass Forget about the hourglass Just kinda dream the day away Some days I don’t even leave the house No one comes knocking on my door It’s the perfect alibi In case you ever wonder why I don’t really see you anymore Time goes on but clouds are Never really gone The forecast has no bearing on the sky above I only want the best for you But save a little for me too I never had a chance No I never had a chance at your love But I know that’s not always what this was You made me feel like I belong We’d paint the town from light to dark Watch clouds together in the park In my eyes you could do no wrong But what’s that they always say about change The one thing on which you truly can depend The ways I tried to make you care But constantly coming up for air I didn’t see it till the end Time goes on but clouds are Never really gone Tethered to the ghosts They most remind you of I only want the best for you But save a little for me too I never had a chance No I never had a chance at your love I think I’ve finally gotten over you In my dreams you no longer appear You found someone who tells you You are beautiful Instead of what you need to hear And the clouds still roll right by my window And I wonder if the rain will ever fall And if I see you down the road a ways Will we talk about the good old days Or walk along like strangers down the hall Time goes on but clouds are Never really gone The forecast has no bearing On the sky above I only want the best for you But save a little for me too I never had a chance No I never had a chance Time goes on and clouds are Never really gone What started out a dance Became a push and shove I only want the best for you But save a little for me too I never had a chance No I never had a chance At your love At your love

The winds are whining Soft and low To a static hum On the radio Last day on earth Last day on earth The screens are dark The birds are flown A black cat crosses The street alone Last day on earth While echoes slow At different speeds Shadows blow through Like tumbleweeds Last day on earth Last day on earth When no one’s left To play pretend That the whole world’s not About to end Last day on earth And in the dark I wonder where you are If we’re looking up in tandem At the same exploding star If you knew it was The last July Would you dance free Under the evening sky But it doesn’t really Matter how The clocks broke It's the final bow Last day on earth We hung the moon We flew to mars We made the seven wonders ours Last day on earth Last day on earth And if I had to cross The ocean blue I’d swim it twice Just to be with you Last day on earth And in the dark I wonder where you are If we’re looking up in tandem At the same exploding star Last day on earth Last day on earth

They told you how it’s gotta be But old friend you never asked me You can paint inside the lines Obey all the traffic signs Blink twice if you want to break free They told you if you want to advance You’ve gotta put on your tap shoes and dance Put on a little show Sing to the back row Only then they just might give you a chance You don’t want to be stuck Spinning wheels in the muck With your armchair philosophers and fools You might just need a little practice breaking the rules You lay out all your bricks in a row Cause that’s the way you Always thought they should go But if you want to build a path Only part of that is math But it’s mostly intuition and flow If you wanna make something that’s lasting and strong Don’t worry about whether you’re doing it wrong They told you better stay in your lane But you’ve never been one to complain So you take it on the chin And you let the voices in Of those to whom your loss is their gain But those voices they’ll all fade to a drone When you learn how to follow your own From then on what you make When your heart is wide awake Will rise like the sun and stand alone Cause you don’t want to be stuck Spinning wheels in the muck With your armchair philosophers and fools You might just need a little practice breaking the rules You don’t want to be stuck Spinning wheels in the muck With your armchair philosophers and fools You might just need a little practice breaking the rules

You don’t know me But I know you A weed in the garden You reluctantly grew You took to the stage And we stuck like glue A turning the page A new golden age And I had no way to tell you What you meant to me How you gave my soul One good shot at getting free So I’m writing it down But you’ll never see And it’s alright It’s alright with me And every town We traveled through On a quest for the perfect Stella Blue And every night When the lights go down And the holy sound Would see us through And I had no way to tell you What you meant to me How you gave my soul One good shot at getting free So I’m writing it down But you’ll never see And it’s alright It’s alright with me Now it’s near the end It’s the final show Not sure I’ll ever be able to really Let you go And we might find out It was all a dream So when the chorus comes Take it nice and slow And I had no way to tell you What you meant to me How you gave my soul One good shot at getting free So I’m writing it down But you’ll never see And it’s alright It’s alright with me And it’s alright It’s alright with me And it’s alright It’s alright with me

Peripheral Vision Blues (live) by Adam Dunetz

The odds were stacked against us Ever making it this far Like m&m’s in a jar We were one in a million I always figured in the end It would just be me and my guitar On a stool in some bar Or the occasional pavilion Some dreams went unexpressed But we never could have guessed How we ended here From where we were back then Think once Think twice Think three times It would be so nice If we could find our way To fall in love again The head and heart connect But only half the time It’s not the straightest line More bent and blurry But now the clock is ticking Like a metronome You’re still not home And I’m starting to worry We opened up the door To where our hapless hearts could soar I’ve loved you Since I can’t remember when Think once Think twice Think three times It would be so nice If we could find our way To fall in love again Think once Think twice Think three times It would be so nice If we could find our way To fall in love again If we could find our way To fall in love again

Nothing new just taking in the view from the underground Time to kill in a hole to fill sit still don’t make a sound Old friends turned to loose ends they don’t ever come around When you’re underground It’s cold down here when the ghosts appear through an open door They’re a lot like you they just walk right through and settle on the easy score Two ton casket no sympathy can mask it anymore When you’re underground You thought you’d only stay down here a while But you’ve made a house a home and now your future is on trial There’s only one way in or out and it’s single file Underground you’re in denial New year but you’re still right here in the underground You pay your dues but you stand to lose so much more than what you found Lies told, fantasies of fool’s gold only ever weigh you down When you’re underground You thought you’d only stay down here a while But you’ve made a house a home and now your future is on trial There’s only one way in or out and it’s single file Underground you’re in denial Nothing new just taking in the view from the underground Time to kill in a hole to fill sit still don’t make a sound Old friends turned to loose ends they don’t ever come around When you’re underground

Living in the same town forever and a day We used to run into each other a little more around the way When anything was possible And we didn’t need quite all these new protections I only see you at the crosswalk now We go in opposite directions There was a time when our peripheries were close enough to touch When getting past go was easy as pushing in a clutch We’d meet on common ground And laugh about our imperfections I only see you at the crosswalk now We go in opposite directions There used to be a more free and open spirit in the air Has the ground beneath us shifted or are we just too old to care About the world outside our doors And occasionally making new connections I only see you at the crosswalk now We go in opposite directions And you’ve gotta admit It’s a little bit odd Do we stop and chat Do we wave hello Do we smile and nod We just smile and nod I don’t know how to fake it and I think you would agree I know I’m shy and awkward and you might be the same as me And you probably don’t know How fondly you live in my recollections Since we last caught up it’s been forever and a day I’ll bet you’re doing something similar somewhere not too far away Like picking out a few chords That match our relative complexions I only see you at the crosswalk now We go in opposite directions

Nothing matters like it used to No one’s waiting by the door There ain’t nothing new between us That wasn’t there before I’m gonna need some information I’ve got a pocket full of change Tell me everything you know now Soon I might be out of range And the future’s like a freight train Rolling blind into a wreck And the past is like a hammer Hanging tight around my neck Burn the letters that I wrote you Or bury them in the sand I won’t be coming home soon I won’t be calling when I land And I won’t go back to Brooklyn Where all that’s done is done I’m gonna change my name in Houston Now the turning has begun I want to drive out to a ghost town Hang a picture in the square Scratch my name into the corner So all the ghosts know I was there And I’ll ride that simple highway Race it right into the sun Just to find on the horizon All I’ve been trying to outrun And I won’t go back to Brooklyn Where all that’s done is done I’m gonna change my name in Houston Now the turning has begun