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When It's All Gone, You Come Back

by Shelley Miller

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1.
There's a knock on the door, I'm counting my way back From what I mean to what I'll say There's a hole in the floor that I've worn with all this carrying on I don't turn in the moon like you wanted me to, But I shine like the sunniest steel Buckle, burn just to hold you in There's a nip in your thigh from the blue vinyl ride down the freeway There's a scratch down the side where the porch took the paint out last week There's a nest in the eaves, you're dodging and weaving I don't have the words to say 'Fuck it', and 'I love you' all at the same time Honey, how I tried to save you Honey, how I tried to be the one to fall, holding you in Funny, how I tried to save you But the best I could be was the buckle That burned your skin as you slid along How do, how do How do you do? If beer can confessions were the same as affection I'd have married you five times this week But the rings 'round my eyes don't come close to fitting on my finger Now I'm playing the man, helping you stand Just to lay you back down again It's not a promise 'til you crack it open and see the light Honey, how I tried to save you Honey, how I tried to be the one to fall, holding you in Funny, how I tried to save you But the best I could be was the buckle That burned your skin as you slid along How do, how do How do you do?
2.
No one blames the little birds for flying off so fast No one blames the words when they don't last No one blames the sun when it's got somewhere else to be So don't blame me, don't blame me No one blames the leaves when they go flying off the trees Leaving all their party clothes scattered in the street Driving all the girls to laugh as they're running by If you're gonna blame someone, blame the sky 'Cause I never said this would be nothing Any bigger than what we already had I don't blame you for wanting someone To take your hand, but can't you see I'm not that man No one blames a sunflower when it grows too tall to stand And I don't blame that tightrope guy for wanting somewhere soft to land I don't blame the snow when it starts sticking to my shoes And I don't blame you, I don't blame you I don't blame you, I don't blame you
3.
Hard Love 03:46
4.
Nadine 04:05
Climb the fence behind the high school Where the bad boys go It's too damn cold for them tonight It's just you and me and the first fall snow Clockwork of branches ticks the time away You lay your story down Skipping words like rocks across a river Watch 'em close until they drown Nadine Nadine...Nadine You say your father was a weapon And you the target of choice We spread our coats like blankets Over the fire of maple leaves I curl into the smoke of your voice Book bag hard beneath my head Your fingers soft, cigarette on my tongue And there is no word for being This strong and this undone Nadine Nadine...Nadine Bells are ringing, no one's listening The bells are ringing, no one's listening to you Must have been a month before You skipped town Yeah, about a month before Those boys back there drowned
5.
It was late, it was Billie, it was the color of the moon Had us walking, maybe stumbling, surely flying through the room Fall in the same old chairs, throw the same old cares to the wind That's how this begins, Mama told me, 'Bout dark stormy nights and the wolf at the door But she didn't say nothing 'bout looking at someone I've seen a thousand times before How the red in the wine might bring out the blue in his eyes Leave me wanting more, and more, and more, oh, oh, oh Cold comfort is the company I've come to understand But if you should find yourself wanting a better friend Lie here, listen to the music, let me know where you want this to go 'Cause I can't keep pretending you don't know No, I can't keep pretending anymore
6.
Find the time to spend the dime and pace the floor Find your heart's got an old expiration Pat it down and plot the line from where you're crying Right across all the stars in the pavement All your broken relations are laying their bets In veiled exaltations and forgivenesses too cruel to forget You've got to figure it out, you've got to figure it out No expectations, no worries, no doubts Figure it out Wind the twine around the time it took to say goodbye Tie the knot and pull it like a toothache In the blurry afternoon, the yellow living room Reminds you of the times that trip you like a suitcase All your packing and leaving and pretty regrets It's a fine line 'tween grieving and learning you didn't know best You've got to figure it out, you've got to figure it out No expectations, no worries, no doubts Figure it out Where you running to now? Figure it out You've got to figure it out No expectations, no worries, no doubts No expectations, no worries, no doubts No expectations, no worries, no doubts Figure it out, figure it out C'mon and figure it out
7.
All the Way Down (free) 02:46
8.
Fell out of the house and into your hands Diamond promise of the promised land I took it on faith, I was too young to wait I was just trying to keep myself warm Went looking for fire, found a summer storm It blew me down south, knocked the words from my mouth I don't know where I'm going but I know that I can't stay Seven years is more than long enough to try and look the other way I'd rather be broken-hearted than broken down with you You call me a fool for leaving, better than a fool for loving you We built a little house of stone and lies Just 'cause it's not what I hoped for don't mean it's a big surprise To watch you set 'em on up, drink your words from the cup I don't know where I'm going but I know that I can't stay Seven years is more than long enough to try and look the other way I'd rather be broken-hearted than broken down with you You call me a fool for leaving, better than a fool for loving you Every answer has a question, somewhere down there in that well Throw your pennies in the fountain, buy your ticket out of hell Every answer has a question, somewhere down there in that well Throw your pennies in the fountain, buy your ticket out of... I don't know where I'm going but I know that I can't stay Seven years is more than long enough to try and look the other way I'd rather be broken-hearted than broken down with you You call me a fool for leaving, better than a fool for loving you
9.
Standing on the corner, waiting for the morning to find me Lean my head on the bus stop 'til the wind winds me up And I can speak the way I should, the way you wish I would When I come to you, when I come to you It does no good to grieve if you never leave the past behind It does no good to leave if I never get you off my mind Keep packing boxes just to take 'em on down the line It's good sometimes to cry Baby, it's good sometimes Standing on the corner, waiting for the morning to find me Lean my head on the bus stop 'til the wind winds me up And I can speak the way I should, the way you wish I would When I come to you, when I come to you Have it out again with a ghost behind the bar Turning riddles, dripping whiskey on the floor Sometimes you come undone no matter how hard you tie the knot It's good sometimes to want Baby, it's good sometimes Standing on the corner, waiting for the morning to find me Lean my head on the bus stop 'til the wind winds me up And I can speak the way I should, the way you wish I would When I come to you, when I come to you Try to say my name but the words all come out wrong You're tired of playing games, well which side are you playing on Tried to pick the lock but the card slipped on through It's good sometimes to lose Baby, it's good sometimes to lose You know it's good, it's good sometimes to lose You know it's good sometimes Standing on the corner, waiting for the morning to find me Lean my head on the bus stop 'til the wind winds me up And I can speak the way I should, the way you wish I would When I come to you, when I come to you
10.
I Don't Mind 02:46
Tell a little secret, tell a little lie Take it easy, take your time I don't mind, I don't mind Kiss me like that, honey baby, I don't mind You say you don't know what we're doing Well, I can give you a little clue and tell you I don't mind, I don't mind It might not be forever but it sure feels good tonight You and me, all night long Singing each other silly songs When the morning comes, the sun will jump in bed with us and fill us up With more love, more love Then we'll sit out on the stoop Watch the pigeons fly off the roof And I won't mind, I won't mind I could sit anywhere with you, baby, I wouldn't mind You and me, all night long Singing each other silly songs When the morning comes, the sun will jump in bed with us and fill us up With more love, more love Then we'll sit out on the stoop Watch the pigeons fly off the roof And I won't mind, I won't mind I could sit anywhere with you, baby, I wouldn't mind It might not be forever, but it sure feels good tonight And I could sit anywhere with you, babe And I wouldn't mind
11.
Wait for You 03:56
Someone's gonna weep, someone's gonna wait by the phone Someone's going down on her knees, someone's going out for a smoke Someone's gonna drive too fast, try and lose a love that was never there for the asking Someone's gonna slow down and wait for you Someone's gonna slow down and wait for you Some say they have all the answers, some have nothing but time Some love for the danger and some for the kindness they're trying to find Some are trying to lose the past, some are trying to make their losing thing last Someone's gonna slow down and wait for you Someone's gonna slow down and wait for you Some day, we're all gonna learn how to shine Some day, it won't hurt this much That you couldn't be mine I don't know any secrets, I don't know any signs Mostly, I just try to keep to the softer side 'Cause I know I'm going to fall far more than I fly if I keep running towards the truth And I know that someone will wait for you Someone's gonna slow down and wait for you Someone's gonna slow down And wait for you
12.
Texarkana 03:19
When I was a young man, I set fire to my veins Made love to every neighbor's girl through my bedroom window And after all the lights went out, me and all my friends We'd go flying out of town Dig myself a grave so deep, ain't no one gonna find me Pray the lord my soul to keep with the devil right behind me And there ain't no angel gonna give me wings tonight If I fall down Texarkana dirt beneath my fingernails Tired highway razoring my arms Going ninety-five with nowhere left to get to in a hurry We were young, we were something, we were ours for a little while And I learned to smell trouble from a long way off I just never thought to pay it much attention Always turned to fight instead of look the other way In truth, I never quite got that damn monkey off my back Tearing hard out of every parking lot Keep it hidden, it's not the way I thought it would be Living just to mark the passing time Until I fall Now I'm holding onto everything with nothing in my hands Keep feeling for my angel wings, There's nothing but the mattress and the wind At my back, as I go flying out again
13.
Love's not crazy, love's not cool Spends most of his nights spinning on a bar stool Spitting out the seeds of whatever he had with you Love's not patient, love's not kind Not kicking his feet up, finger on the rewind Remembering the good times Most of the time, he's watching the news Not all those sunny days before you swore him off How he'd hang around your head like a moth Skirting the traps You couldn't catch him so he flew Love's not blinking, love isn't changing These days, love's not doing too much rearranging It's the same old stories, same old furniture, same old blues Oh, but love isn't looking, love isn't finding Any reason to beg you to remind him Love's just out there doing whatever it is love has to do All those sunny days before you swore him off How he'd hang around your head like a moth Skirting the traps You couldn't catch him so he flew Love's not crazy, love's not cool Spends most of his nights spinning on a bar stool Spitting out the seeds of whatever he had with you

about

Engineered by John Abbey, New Soup Studio, Chicago, IL
Produced by Shelley Miller and John Abbey

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released March 1, 2010

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about

Shelley Miller Chicago, Illinois

Shelley Miller isn't afraid to take chances. Less interested in genre than honesty, she pens darkly soulful tunes about life just outside the lines. Folk? Perhaps...late-night jukebox folk. Gospel for non-believers folk. Had-one-too-many-and-lived-to-tell folk. Rock hymns for the unhemmed folk.

Shelley released her 4th album, February, in March 2012. She lives in Chicago.
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