Get all 15 Ryan Garrett releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Miles, Tell Me Where You Are (Single), See You In Paradise (Single), Frog Pond (Single), Don't Let The Bastard Win, The Goat Album (AKA Songs About Hurricanes, Dollar Stores, and Talking Horses), Extra Goats EP, Live at Brewskees Louisville 2017, and 7 more.
Excludes subscriber-only releases.
1. |
Normal Sunday Afternoon
04:58
|
|||
|
It's a normal sunday afternoon
She's in the kitchen, I'm in the living room
With my hand on the edge of the easy chair
I look out the window and begin to stare
I'm going out to get some air, I tell her
There's a mailbox by the driveway in the yard
I tell her I'm going to check the mail, I won't go far
I unglue my feet up from the floor
And make my way toward the door
The thought pops up that there's something more, I step out
There's a big rig headed southbound on the road
He's moving slow, he must be packing a heavy load
I swear I just went to check the mail
But the driver stopped, I thought what the hell?
Need a lift? he asked I thought might as well, where ya headed?
Seriously, where's a big rig headed to on a sunday?
He's hauling goods for a store to sell on monday
In a game of hurry up and wait
We trucked on down the interstate
And when we docked it was getting late I tell ya
But there's a bar across the street that'll quench my thirst
Bartender asked, You lookin' for some work?
No one's swept the floors all day
If you're looking for a place to stay
It isn't much but it still pays a little
But before the sun came up I took my check and left
On a bench by a rusty railroad track I slept
A train ain't been through here for years
But it's the only true way out of here
So I choked down my breakfast and all my fears and started walking
Then a man came out of nowhere and he waved a gun at me
Said he was gonna rob a bank on the border of Tennessee
He said he had faced some hard times, looked at me and asked What about you?
I said I don't need the money but I could use something to do
Put the money in the bag he told the teller
She said you look mighty lost young feller
This town is a real poor place to live
And this bank ain't got a dime to give
And then a cop burst through the door and shot him dead
So I started running for my very life
Back to ol Kentucky for my wife
Then a talking horse made his way around
And asked Buddy, you need a ride out of town?
So I said yes, take me back down to my home
So I rode all the way home on that horse
I had never seen a talking horse.... beforse
When he dropped me off he flipped his mane
I said, talking horse what is your name?
He said Marvin, I thought that was kinda lame
Then he spread his wings and flew away
So I walked up to the porch and through the door
My wife still in the kitchen like before
She said What took so long? You look like hell!
Oh, by the way, did you get the mail?
I stopped dead and said No. Because the mail doesn't run on Sunday.
|
||||
2. |
Brimstone Baby
03:40
|
|||
|
She carries her blood in the fiberglass tubes beneath her skin
Multivalent soul she displays and she wears you thin
She's brimstone baby, I'll tell you where she's been
She's been standing her ground on a bed of molten rock
She's everywhere she's not supposed to go but she ain't been caught
She's brimstone baby, she only hurts a lot
She keeps the names of her victims in a jar and she reads them aloud
Nobody really knows why, nobody really knows how
She's brimstone baby and this is how she lives now
She's a bright sunny day and then she's a storm
She'll freeze you to death, then she'll keep you warm
She's brimstone baby, she makes you wish you weren't born
Consider yourself warned
She speaks fluent eruption, her tears are made of fire
Her hair is ashes, her breath is smoke rising higher
She's brimstone baby, got you out on a wire
She's brimstone baby in ecclesiastical attire
She's brimstone baby, she's the one you desire
|
||||
3. |
Hell For Certain
03:51
|
|||
|
Appalachia's scabbin' over
If hollow trees could talk
The concrete in the shoulder
Cracks where people used to walk
And God only knows just what to do
When nobody wants to face the truth
These filthy lungs, they breathe for you
Throw, Throw your crooked dreams away
Nobody knows and go
Ride into oblivion. Nobody knows.
One foot in the grave, one foot in my mouth
My feet are killing me
Give me liberty or give me death
Take your last breath
Rivers bleed through mountains
If wounded rocks could sing
They'd be screaming like all hell
As if it amounts to anything
The progress at stake ain't worth a damn
When you can't afford a helping hand
Hallelujah! These walls are caving in!
Throw, Throw your crooked dreams away
Nobody knows and go
Ride into oblivion. Nobody knows.
One hand full of truth, one hand full of shit
See which one's filling up
There's no liberty in working yourself to death
Take your last breath
The skies are falling and that's the truth
And nobody knows just what to do
In the hell these hands have mined for you
Throw, Throw your crooked dreams away
Nobody knows and go
Ride into oblivion. Nobody knows.
Throw, Throw your crooked dreams away
Nobody knows and go
Ride into oblivion. Nobody knows.
Take your last breath.
|
||||
4. |
Listen Man
02:09
|
|||
|
Listen man
You got a lot of things goin' for ya goin' good
Listen man
You're just a little too uptight about your neighborhood
You've got a great big heart somewhere
You never show how much you care
There's gonna be a lot of passion going up in smoke I swear
Just let it go...
Just let it go...
I want you to know, man
There's an outlet for your anger and it isn't her
Listen man
Stop your words from exploding, they could damage her
She may come around one of these days
But only if you don't push her away
Even if she breaks your heart it's just the price you pay
Just let it ride...
This time...
|
||||
5. |
When I Wake Up
02:53
|
|||
|
I almost swore to them I'd never see you again
Take over by my fears, my feelings were true
But your family was there in that old 99 cent store
You walked through the door, I thought "Is that really you?"
That smile on your face told me you were happy
Your new job, your new life, they all treat you well
It didnt take you long to get max payout
When I wake up, I'm gonna pay myself
I will protest when he tells me to be respectful
Every ounce of respect I give, I took from you
Talk is cheap; let's meet up at the 99 cent store
So you can fake that smile again like you always do
Last thing I remember you were locking eyes with me
Next thing that I knew you were out the door
I wanna believe I got up and ran after you
But when I woke up, I was still in that dollar store
I'd like to think you're better off without me
I'd like to think you're healthy and you're free
You no long have to stop at that 99 cent store
You just pass it by, and sometimes think of me
But everyone I know is getting angry
And longing for the way things used to be
Except you, you're probably silent, drinking coffee
When I wake up, I hope you talk to me
When I wake up, I hope you'll still talk to me
|
||||
6. |
Just Like Hurricanes
04:34
|
|||
|
Simmer down now, honey
This ain’t nothing to get worked up about
The rest of the world can wait for me
It’s just you and I, here and now
So don’t throw it out just yet
I know you’re not the feeble kind
You act like I never had a clue, but between me and you
It’s what I’ve been thinkin’ this whole time
When we were just like hurricanes coming ashore
Sun reflecting in our eyes off the hardwood floor
They said we had something, we wanted something more
But what were we waiting for?
It’s just one of those things you can’t stop fighting for
I know it isn’t like me to be here
Laying at your feet on the sidelines
You can count on some turmoil
But don’t count on me leaving you behind
We never really made any plans back then
And if we did it’s already too late
So why don’t you take a ride with me, down to how it used to be
If they got a problem, they can evacuate
We’re still just like hurricanes making landfall
Everyone’s moving up, you can’t help but feel small
You said you wanted something, we used to have it all
Now we’re cornered, with nowhere to run
I guess there’s just some things you never stop running from
There’s a dead man inside me
I’m thinkin’ bout bringing him to life
Cause I see the dark tide rising
And he needs to see you tonight
And it breaks your heart, yeah it tears you apart
When the eye of the storm is right in front of you
But you’re afraid of running in the rain
So you just stand there and take the pain
Soon this will all blow over
You’ll be asking me “what was the deal?”
You’re the only thing here that stays real.
And we were just like hurricanes
Just like hurricanes...
|
||||
7. |
Don't You?
02:25
|
|||
|
I remember your glow
Brighter than angels in the snow
And the sparkle of frost on a winter's night
But there was something deep inside
Behind your whiskey colored eyes
That told me I need to keep you in sight
But I guess those tables turned on me
And now my heart is incomplete
But it can't be broken
It never worked right in the first place
Between us shadows casting down
Not a single light and not a sound
Words rarely spoken
I caught the signal of your face
Oh, but you want me
Yeah you want me
Don't you?
Oh you know I believe you
You know I need you
Don't you?
There was a tension we both knew
From the conclusions we both drew
In the rhythm of a heartbeat gone astray
And despite my second guess
You are still better than the best
And I'd miss this crazy thing if it went away
But I feel you slippin' through my hands
Like I'm slippin' through this promised land
Between the cracks all dried up from a lack of genuine tears
But it's time I stand myself back up
And fill this empty, hopeless cup
And rid of all these heartaches and wrong answers and fears
I'm weary of the choosing sides
Is it that hard to compromise?
We could tie this all back together again
I know I'm not who I used to be
I don't hate you, I just want you free
So we can live our lives forever and ever and then
Oh, you still want me
Yeah you want me
Don't you?
Oh you know I believe you
You know I need you
I need you...
|
||||
8. |
||||
|
Where there's a will there's got to be a way
I'm tired of the same old words you make a point to say
But there's always something inside me
That's nothing short of entropy
And it magnetizes our very being every single day
So I run, gotta keep myself away from you
You can't take what's left away from me
No matter what you do
What's wrong? What's become of you and I?
You can't take what's left away from me
Not this time...
I'm so confused. I don't know where I went wrong
And what happened to yesterday?
Shredded up and thrown away
Like old newspapers, black and grey
Reflecting a past yellowed with age
And a musty relic feeling that's all but decayed
So I run, gotta keep myself away from you
You can't take what's left away from me
No matter what you do
What's wrong? What's become of you and I?
You can't take what's left away from me
Not this time...
The embers raging stronger now
Inside our restless eyes
When I see you in the distance
I hold my tongue and I don't look twice
Because I can't let you see me
You won't kick me when I'm down anymore
But you'll still be there when I'm done for
So I run, gotta keep myself away from you
You can't take what's left away from me
No matter what you do
What's wrong? What's become of you and I?
You can't take what's left away from me
Not even if you try
The way it goes, we're on thin ice
Another demon will suffice
In replacement of a nitro glycerin soul
What happens now? Where do we run?
How do we beat this busted drum?
You can't keep this up forever
Where it stops I wanna know
|
||||
9. |
A Lantern (For Steve)
01:50
|
|||
|
Instrumental.
|
||||
10. |
Ninety Miles
04:35
|
|||
|
She looks down as she walks away
And now there's so much I could say
Am I ready for this? Almost, not quite.
She continues on as she believes
Nothing's going on but I can see
Something deeper shining bright
And it takes so much believin' to see herself in me
I don't know if it's gonna work out. I guess we'll see.
She wants me here but it's not the same
She turns on the heat to fan the flames
It's enough to drive me insane
She touches me and I shine like gold
She's everything I've not been told
She's ninety miles of dead end road
I can't breathe and it makes no sense
She breathes through me with old suspense
It's all that's inside me that keeps her near
I stopped her on my way around
I asked a question, she made no sound
She speaks in static that I can't hear
I believe she likes me better when I'm too serious for me
And I'm wondering where my head is, I guess we'll see
She wants me here but it's not the same
She turns on the heat to fan the flames
It's enough to drive me insane
She touches me and I shine like gold
She's everything I've not been told
She's ninety miles of dead end road
She's got me pacing by the phone
She says I'm right then proves me wrong
I've been on this road for way too long
I don't know where this thing ends
I can't tell where she begins
And where we are now
But who am I kidding?
This is where we've always been
And with one hand on her heart and one hand on my shoulder
She whispers in my ear and says "we'll see"
She wants me here but it's not the same
She turns on the heat to fan the flames
It's enough to drive me insane
She touches me and I shine like gold
She's everything I've not been told
She's ninety miles of dead end road
She says "I'll think about it"
So go on and think about it
I guess I'll think about it
|
||||
11. |
M.P.D.G.
02:22
|
|||
|
Forget about the rest of me
She brings out the best in me
An altogether masterpiece
She makes me live again
She's diamond and she's pearl
She's my manic pixie dream girl
She's my heart and soul
She's my entire world
Forget about my sorrows
She lives in my tomorrows
Gives back what she's borrowed
She's my only friend
Forget all my opinions
She is something genuine
Establishing dominion
Control me til the end
|
||||
12. |
Sit Back Down
06:31
|
|||
|
Starlight is farlight, near sight is blind
I don't have the strength to be told
The way we've become and the reasons behind
Nothingness in everything gold
So she sits by the bar in the dimmest of lights
Like a flyswatter ready to strike
I've always heard she comes here on the darkest of nights
God knows we're so much alike
chorus
Sit back down, sit back down
Restless fool with the drink in your hand
Sit back down until the next round
You've got no reason to stand
Goin' home alone means goin' home alone
There's no one to wait for you there
Just the light from the fridge and the light from your phone
Just the light from the street lamp's aware
The timeclock it bleeds, full of hurricane seeds
And you're just a name on a wall
The glare on the tiles and the sounds down the aisles
Who'll pick you up if you fall?
Repeat Chorus
The night's full of sheen like a pinball machine
Misguided by billboards and lights
But tomorrow's obscene like the things that we've seen
Memories of hustling and fights
The violence outside like an albatross glides
Across from street to street
You hide behind curtains but always uncertain
If you're safe or merely discrete
Repeat Chorus
Your heroes fought strong but your heroes are gone
Defeated in the battle of time
But your heart stays afloat despite the lump in your throat
You hide as if it were a crime
Your soul with emotion, these streets with commotion
Our minds might as well be paved
Because we're all the same as the alleys and lanes
Ran over but we can't be saved
Repeat Chorus
There's a crack neath the dirt and the boulevard's hurt
The avenues cry out for help
But the red lights abide by what the tire marks hide
There must be some way to save yourself
So pull up the pavement and dig up the dirt
Leave all the ditches to drain
Resurface the marks on your vandalized heart
And detour the nerves from your pain
Repeat Chorus
There's snakes on a plane and sex on a train
There's an old man asleep in his car
There's a prayer that's in vain
There's a dream full of rain
And then there's that girl at the bar
You've probably gone postal, intercostal
You've probably gone out in the cold
But starlight's still farlight and nearsight is blind
You don't have the strength to be told
Repeat Chorus
|
||||
13. |
||||
|
I can't wrap my head around
How we've come all this way
All the bridges that we burned down
Were of roads never travelled anyway
So here we are at the beginning again
And our progress is fading fast
And I'm not sure how to proceed forward
With our eyes turned to the past
But that ain't all we face now
Every day we fight new giants
No one can afford our two cents
So we stay silent
But you can't keep your feelings to yourself
You can't keep your feelings to yourself
I've seen men step down when I step up
I've seen men who don't care at all
I've heard a man say he'd put me on the big stage
And then he threw his girl through a wall
I don't believe in games of blessings and blame
You either come clean or you don't
We all gotta make a living somehow
I won't lie to you in a song
And with an arrow in my chest
I come forth in defiance
With nothing to my name but two cents
And heavy silence
You can't keep your feelings to yourself
You can't keep your feelings to yourself
Infrastructure crumbling down like broken glass
No one cares bout the epidemics, they just throw us back to the past
The president doesn't speak for us
The governor doesn't speak for us
The violence and pills surrounding us
Is where we're from
I'm leaving this southern small town
I'm moving up to the city above
They try to scare me saying it's worse for crime
But it couldn't be more on drugs
And if I die on the upper west side
At least I die in a town that loves me
Cause Russell Springs ain't done a damn thing
But liquor me up and fuck me
But that ain't all I stand for
Not afraid to get violent
But it'll cost you more than two cents
I won't stay silent
Cause you can't keep your feelings to yourself
You can't keep your feelings to yourself
You can't keep your feelings
You can't keep...
|
||||
14. |
15
02:36
|
|||
|
I write like I'm paranoid in all my songs
You've said this before, but never said I was wrong
Who are they? Why are they out to get me?
Do I form my own words to create suspense?
Or am I speaking from personal experience?
I don't really know, but you don't really know what I see
You see a God and a mother that loves you
You feel the warmth of the sun up above you
And I see the tears you cried that one damn night
I write like I'm 15 in all my songs
Some may say it holds me back
But I believe it pushes me on
I guess it just works for me somehow
I can't take back the words I shaped into lies
And I waited so long to hear them from you
So poison, So hard not to try
We don't speak much but I write you songs
When you think of all the characters in every one
Who are they? They're all little pieces of you.
But you see that heaven is a family that loves you
Do you see the stars that I see up above you?
After all of these years I still think I'm losing my damn mind
|
||||
15. |
Hemispheres
07:20
|
|||
|
Walking out on you
Was the hardest thing I'll ever do
Vulnerable and weak
I hope you understand
It's my soul, not my body that's tired
You're stronger than I'm wired to be
But you're not alone
I was merely passing through
I had nowhere else to go
You showed me a home
Eyes dug out like coal mines
And knees like rocks ready to fall
I've got a light outside your hemisphere
Far away from here
But still in reach if it gets colder
You guessed wrong, I'm still in your atmosphere
Just so we're clear
You can still cry on my shoulder
Touching base
On life since I left this place
I'm cold and I've been better
But hell, we've both been worse
Everyone's still talking shit
It's nice to know some things never change
I've got a light outside your hemisphere
Far away from here
But still in reach if it gets colder
You guessed wrong, I'm still in your atmosphere
Just so we're clear
You can still cry on my shoulder
Part of this world is violent
Part of this world just can't be true
Part of this world is fire and fury
And the other part is you
I woke up and decided I can't do this anymore
So I locked myself out, and you carried on
You wore yourself so down, you thought I was the healing hand
But guess what, you guessed wrong
So come down baby
Come down off your cloud
Come down baby
There's nobody here now
So come down baby
Come down off your cloud
Come down baby
There's nobody here now
So come down baby
Come down off your cloud
Come down baby
There's nobody here now
So come down baby
Come down off your cloud
Come down baby
There's nobody here now
I used to dream
Of being kidnapped on the scene
Tied up and scared
At least I'd be going somewhere
You're the one that sold me out
You probably won't see me around
I'm the one who left without a trace
Now I'm just another dirty face
I've got a light outside your hemisphere
Far away from here
But still in reach if it gets colder
You guessed wrong, I'm still in your atmosphere
Just so we're clear
You can still cry on my shoulder
Part of this world is violent
Part of this world just can't be true
Part of this world is fire and fury
And the other part is you
|
||||
16. |
Sugar Pills [Bonus]
03:34
|
|||
|
The one that you seek
Ain’t been seen for a week
You’re engulfed in an ocean of lies
You tried to believe
You tried hard not to leave
But it just isn’t coming out right
So you search for a new way
To rid of the heartache
Afraid you might not stand a chance
Just replace all the thrills
With these cheap sugar pills
In this over the counter romance
They say patience is key
But you just can’t agree
You’ve sat down here waiting for years
You cry out in rage
Without turning the page
No new attempts to overcome the fears
But just because you tried
And failed just that one time
Don’t mean you should surrender your stance
Just replace all the thrills
With these cheap sugar pills
In this over the counter romance
You’re faking a smile to his face
He clears his throat to propose a toast
And his only saving grace
Is him leaving you when you doubt him the most
He walks in with this thing
Kinda favors a ring
Just make sure it ain’t paper mache
Cause the altar has sunk
And the wedding singer’s drunk
And the preacher’s just out to get paid
It seems so outrageous
These broken engagements
Were over before they began
So replace all the thrills
With these cheap sugar pills
In this over the counter romance
|
||||
17. |
||||
Ryan Garrett Russell Springs, Kentucky
Singer/Songwriter from Russell Springs, Kentucky. All instruments, lyrics, and compositions by Ryan Garrett unless otherwise noted.
Ryan Garrett recommends:
One-man atmospheric black metal project PANOPTICON led by Louisville Kentucky native Austin Lunn, featuring elements of American folk and Appalachian bluegrass.
go to album
Fuzzy stoner/psych blues-rock from Nashville, TN. Hot album and really cool guys to chat with! Check them out!
go to album
Way Of The World
by Shawn Benfield
Soulful country-rock from West Virginia, and a good friend of mine! Check him out!
go to albumIf you like Ryan Garrett, you may also like:
Pop-punk sounds expansive and open-hearted on the high-energy LP from Portsmouth band Personal Best.
go to album
Phenomenology
by The Mining Co.
Inspired by John Carpenter’s 1974 film “Dark Star,” the beautifully moody songs on this LP present a voyage into the unknown.
go to album
The Ohio songwriter navigates gender, queerness, class, and privilege through a powerful mix of country rock, folk ballads, and bluegrass.
go to album
