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How the Cause Became the Cure

by The Dirty Birds

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1.
1. WHAT I REALIZED I was a follower of all kinds of hollow words, I walked a path that led straight to the sea. I immediately recognized the kindness inside your eyes, it was the kind that could be found in me. When I saw the bright fire in the sky, I wandered off and left the path behind. I must’ve burned my foolish eyes. I lost sight of you, and as the sun set on all I knew, I found myself searching for the moon, hoping that soon I’d be home again. I didn’t really know who I was then. A miserable life began, lost in an unknown land, the kind that can make any boy a man. I made some friends along the way, some that left and some that stayed , but no one who could ever really understand why I always cried, hell, even I could never decide if the tears were mine or if somebody else’s just never dried. I don’t think my ancestors knew what we were put on earth to do. I was sure that I saw it in you, some kind of truth. Oh I learned to say no, get along on my own, live my life. So I lifted my gaze from the ground, discovered that the world around was truly beautiful. And the moment I felt the way I’d wanted to since the day I saw your face, suddenly there you were. As if tied by the wrists, we climbed every hill and tried every little island, yeah we were finding the same old kindness in our eyes. ‘Cause it was always the memory of you that carried me through, but only when I knew the bitterness of youth could I learn the truth, we’ll always be two, you and I, left and right, that’s what I realized when you re-arrived.
2.
MISERABLE TURN OF EVENTS What a miserable turn of events This is a genuine mess, it doesn’t make any sense When I start to thinking, girl, I start to feel Like our Bohemian love affair’s a little too weird ‘Cause if you’re more like my sister, then this is incest But when I’m lying with you, you know I couldn’t care less I just hope I’m not alone in the way I feel ‘Cause if you wanna be my lover, baby I’ll love you for real CHORUS Oh, I’m just waiting for A hug or something comforting or anything more Do you want me to talk at all Or are my stories way too long? What a miserable turn of events Sometimes you kiss me on the street It feels a little routine when it’s on the cheek But when you get me on the lips and people start to stare Damn, baby, we’re getting somewhere CHORUS Well, I’m jealous baby ‘Cause when you keep me waiting And you don’t call me baby I worry that it’ll all start fading ‘Cause if you’re my sister maybe But maybe you’re my lover, lately Then all I know is that I don’t know CHORUS Oh I’m just waiting for Some kind of assurance ‘cause I lack my own, babe I’m waiting on you to let me know Are you my lover or am I still alone? What a miserable What a comfortable What a wonderful turn of events!
3.
Caitlin 03:59
CAITLIN Caitlin, the passenger you’re carrying, in the bag you accidentally packed him in, was unable to decide when to tell you that he’s coming He still regrets his big bet He wagered way too much for what he’d get for Caitlin You’ve been traveling across continents, chased by letters overconfident that you’d be coming home again over an ever-widening ocean He still regrets his big bet He wagered way too much for what he’d get for Caitlin He’s got no sense of pretense He never even knew how to begin with Caitlin He said too much all at once But think a little bit before the end, Caitlin ‘Cause whatever boiled over is bound to cool back down It would make sense, ‘cause he knew that she was never just a friend, but she was no Juliet He wagered all he had when all he’d get was the same Caitlin It would make sense, but he never made too much of an attempt to shake off their innocence He never even knew why to begin with Caitlin Oh, well it would make sense, but he severed his only connection to some sort of long-lost twin He won’t make too much effort to repent, she just came and went, and there’s no use wasting happiness over it ‘Cause it’s just a matter of time ‘til you die.
4.
JUST AS BLUE The snow falling makes me think of you Winter’s over but it’ll be back soon I tried my best to change my heart for you But this tune is still just as blue When I’m alone, letting my mind roam Those thoughts start to stray So I cling to you, like you ask me to And we chase them away You look nothing like you used to But your eyes are still just as blue Sometimes I wonder why I couldn’t see You loved me and I never knew What if all we’ve got is a comfortable knot? Sure is hard to undo If there were no more air on earth Would I share my last breath with you? You sing nothing like you used to But your voice still sounds brand new I could’ve left you if I wanted to Over and over I still choose you Earnestness is about the best That I can do If you’re feeling alone, baby I wanna know I might be feeling it too The snow falling makes me think of you But the sky is still just as blue.
5.
Katrina 03:25
KATRINA You left me so broken-hearted, Katrina. When we parted, I was hardened and meaner. You left me broken, so broken I’ll never be the same, never be the same. And when I hear your name, I still think of that pain. You made me see myself all that much clearer. The tears that you held in your eyes were like mirrors. You left me hoping and hoping and hoping for a change, hoping for a change. Surely it won’t surprise you, it never came. They say the first one is always the worst one, well, yeah, I’m disillusioned. You left me stranded and lonely, Katrina, watching for boats docking at the marina. You left me waiting and waiting and waiting for a sign, waiting for a sign that you noticed me there, that you cared, that you paid me any mind.
6.
PROMISED LAND (String arr. – Tomek Miernowski) A humble man is one who prays. Well, I’ve been too long in this haze, seeking out the ground but this cloud is all I’ve found. Forty more cold desert nights and forty days of glaring light. Give me a sign, I’ve really tried hard not to cry, hard not to whine , hard to need nobody’s help, but I’m— I’m not seeking salvation. All I want is water drawn ‘cause my throat is parched. So keep your staff, we’ve no need for that. This rock’s of sand, the same as man and your promised land. If I make one more concession, then I’ve no need for confession, if I can finally lose my sense of identity. ‘Cause I once knocked all of my walls down and let in the wilderness around. I thought it would help me ‘cause I was lonely, but the only thing it showed me was the meaninglessness of being Me. So I’m not seeking salvation. All I want is water drawn, been thirsty too long. And keep your staff, we’ve no need for that. ‘Cause I’m just a man, you know I can’t create your promised land. Isolation is overrated I wish I had you with me Loneliness, it sure is lonely Pray for me I’ll pray for you if you pray for me.
7.
Checkmate 02:23
CHECKMATE Take my pawn, make your move Come on strong, I won’t even play my own game All along, I’ve been leading you on I’ve been keeping you at arm’s length By now I think you should know I’m not a friend, not a foe I don’t ever wanna make it to checkmate with you I don’t ever wanna strategize a plan for my moves Maybe you could just chase me across the board in those pretty shoes I don’t ever wanna make it to checkmate with you Your castles will find my defenses Stand on shaky ground Oh, Queen, in the end All you want is to wear a stolen crown Guilty though I may be Your love’s a prison for me I don’t ever wanna make it to checkmate with you I don’t ever wanna strategize a plan for my moves Maybe if you just chase me across the board, we’ll never lose I don’t ever wanna make it to checkmate with you Guilty as I may be Love’s a prison for me If you knock me down, I’ll be stuck there for good I’m never gonna be the man that you wish I would No, I won’t ever treat you the way I know I should When you’ve been chasing me like you were thirsty for blood You started this game, I don’t know why, I don’t know when Now it’s looking like it might be reaching the end I won’t be your lover and I can’t be your friend So I’ll let you get checkmate and live to play again
8.
SELF-DISCIPLINE Self-discipline is the art of winning against yourself Well now, I don’t do real well And when I win, well even then I will question My ends and my own motivations So will somebody please stop this bus I wanna get off, don’t wanna get caught up I’d love to stay here and talk But my watch is a handcuff And I don’t wanna get stuck CHORUS ‘Cause it wasn’t always like this I’ve got a memory of a fulfilled wish An echo of when things were different I could fool myself to like this But something in me just won’t give in Something in me is resistant Guess I ain’t got no self-discipline Self-consciousness is born of this voyeuristic mess This chaotic collective of reflective surfaces Oh, distraction! shape-shifting away my intuition When I’m saturated with too much damn information So will somebody please tell me why the hell it derails me Every time the world fails me No I don’t want nobody to sell me on this lifestyle It overwhelms me, and you know it won’t help me CHORUS Self-discipline is everything that I just cannot stand Trying to fit my world to this world’s demands And the more I think about it, the less I can Imagine fitting my world to this land Now everywhere there’s paparazzi Snapping photos and making copies And the image that they propagate is an illusion Oh, maybe if I could consecrate just one thing Accomplishing something would not be such a big thing Such wishful thinking Well it won’t always be like this We’re gonna fulfill our own wish We’re gonna make things a hell of a lot different We were fooling ourselves into buying their shit But you know that we got no need for it ‘Cause they can’t take our resistance No we ain’t got no self-discipline.
9.
VALENTINE’S DAY I’ve got way too much to say, but I’ll try anyway She’s been tempting me all day, but I’ve just turned away CHORUS I’ve been all alone Waiting by the phone She called up to say “What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?” What if we could just pretend we’d never reached the end Just for one night no more friends, then go back again CHORUS Why was that so goddamn weird when you came over here? I’ve had a most unsettling fear of another aimless year And that’s why it’s so weird when you come over here And you whisper in my ear all the things I just can’t hear And you’re making it all too clear that you just can’t fight this fear We’ve been all alone, waiting by the phone We picked up today, and we said “What are we doing for Valentine’s Day?” “What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?” What am I doing but wasting away? What does it matter? It’s over anyway.
10.
Saudade 05:50
10. s a u d a d e (String arr. – Jared Saltiel) The sun sets, smog gets caught in the view All the city is thinking of you One word lingers in my mind One that you used “Saudade” has got quite a lot to do with you Closed doors, old wars, ghosts for the new All a city folded in two All these separations between me and you “Saudade” has got quite a lot to do with you So love him, let him believe that it’s true While this whole city is waiting for you I already know what you will choose to do “Saudade” means I’m gonna learn a new word from you Maybe you too.
11.
The Problem 06:26
THE PROBLEM (String arr. – Dave Koenig) The mother started crying when the autumn came Two of her sons had gone away, but the third remained The youngest one, he took for granted all she gave And the windows shook with all her grief and all his rage He blamed the bottle, she blamed the drugs The flowers had wilted, the sunlight gone He blamed his mother, well she blamed her son Nobody realized what had become of them The father couldn’t take a side, he stood and watched For he could see that every side would share the cost And he warned the boy of lessons learned in battles fought That before the war even began, the war was lost One blamed the fact that the other should Should’ve worked out the problem but neither could He blamed his mother, she blamed her son Nobody realized what had become of them And as the leaves fell, they looked on and thought of seasons come and gone. But when winter came along, the leaves lay forgotten on the lawn. While in this house of decadence the selfish people sought revenge. And the barren trees wished they could say “It’s the same thing every year, love turns to hate.” We all know spring is coming, but it always comes too late. That’s how the cause became the cure, the help the hurt That’s how the child became another lonely adult That’s how the one who gave the blessing cast the curse Yeah, that’s how the problem was resolved for better or worse.

about

"How the Cause Became the Cure meanders between toe-tapping, high-energy tunes and melodic, crooning orchestral numbers...However strictly midwestern The Dirty Birds’ beginnings may be, their music molds together all sorts of genres — including jazz, pop, folk and rock — into a wonderfully rich sound, deeply layered but simultaneously subtle...Intricate and delicate guitar and keyboard melodies deftly intertwine with the string orchestration, then suddenly erupt into heart-wrenching and soulful crescendos. Such explosions are always expertly placed — the band lures listeners into a state of anticipation and flips the switch at the optimal moment to release a great deal of musical tension...The album not only flourishes in production quality, but also in lyrical and musical terms — by blending so many genres, the album becomes virtually genre-less."

-The Michigan Daily

credits

released August 9, 2009

Produced and arranged by the Dirty Birds & Tomek Miernowski

All songs written by Jared Saltiel

Engineered and mixed by Tomek Miernowski at Big Sky Recording in Ann Arbor and Smart Studios in Madison
"What I Realized" vocals recorded by Gregg Leonard

Mastered by Jim DeMain & Alex McCullough at Yes Master Studios in Nashville, TN

Art Direction, Illustration and Design by Adam Baker and Charlie Wagers for Three Bears Design: www.threebearsdesign.com

Guest musicians:

Horns (Self-Discipline) – Scott Copeland: trumpet / Jimmy O’Connell: trombone / Mark Dover: tenor saxophone

String Quartet (What I Realized, Katrina & Promised Land) – Sheryl Hwangbo: violin / Alicia Doudna: violin / Thomas Carter: viola / Andrea Moreno-Beals: cello

String Quartet (Saudade & The Problem) – Emily Garber: violin / Sheryl Hwangbo: violin / Thomas Carter: viola / Hayden Gandolfi: cello

Woodwinds (What I Realized) – Mark Dover: clarinet / Elise Shoppe: flute

www.thedirtybirds.com
www.myspace.com/dirtydirtybirds

Booking: dirtydirtybirds@gmail.com

© 2009 The Dirty Birds. All rights reserved. Unauthorised Duplication is a Violation of Applicable Laws.

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