New Americana // Singer-Songwriter
Table of Contents
'Dear Lightkeeper' Lyrics
1) Sucks to Be Me feat. Emily Drinker
3) At the End of You & I feat. Sarah Gross
8) Postcard
10) What If...
Dear Lightkeeper
The Liner Notes
Preface
If you've made it to here, congrats! You've just gotten your copy of "Dear Lightkeeper". I'm so honored that you decided to pick this record up and check out the worlds inside it. It took roughly 6 months to make from recording to in our hands, but honestly, these tunes have been around a WHILE!
Now you're probably asking: "Rob, this is great, but I still don't understand the title. What does Dear Lightkeeper stand for? It's not a track name or a lyric." And you would be right! It's much deeper than that.
What started as a simple assignment from my designer Lisa Lotito turned out to be the whole thesis of the record...after the fact! And you can read about it here:
But it's a poem I wrote...from the heart...and it was able to encapsulate the feeling I had since the beginning of the record. Here it is...Dear Lightkeeper
Dear Lightkeeper,
When the ships sail at night
And the moon hides in spite
Thank you for being the light
When the milk carton mites
Travel lost, out of sight
Thank you for being the light
When they weep from their plight
Cry for god in their fright
Thank you for doing what’s right
When the night winds excite
From the wails of the wight
Thank you for being the light
Thank you for being the light.
Rob Tait
Personnel
Produced by Rob Tait
Mixed and Mastered by Todd Mecaughey
Engineered by Todd Mecaughey and Rob Tait
Assistant Engineer - Max Lebrun
Recorded at Cambridge Sound Studios / Shoebox Studios
Photography and Album Design by Lisa Lotito
Personnel
Will Currier - Electric Guitars, Pedal Steel
Adam Flicker - Rhodes, Pianos, and B3 Organ
Eric McGarry - Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitars
Nicole Saphos - Electric and Upright Bass, Vocals
Rob Tait - Vocals, Drums, Cymbals, Percussion, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin.
Guest Musicians
John Bickel - Vocals
Bob Beach - Harmonica
Emily Drinker - Vocals
John Gilbride - Vocals
Sarah Gross - Vocals
Katie Loftus - Vocals
Anne-Marie Mendonça - Vocals
Katie O’Donnell - Mandolin and Vocals
All songs written by Rob Tait except “Sucks to Be Me” by Emily Drinker and Rob Tait, and “At the End of You and I” by Sarah Gross and Rob Tait.
Sucks to Be Me feat. Emily Drinker
I’ve been around some dumpsters and dives
And I’ve lost it all a few times
The memories are bittersweet
That man looking me in the eye
He oughta give it one more try
You reap what you sow, so I better go
This life is a mess,
It’s short but it’s blessed
It’s funny I guess
Sucks to be me, am I right?
Losing since I was barely alive
Can I borrow a dollar forty five
Just until the next time?
I grew up in an ivory tower,
Reading books and counting the hours
Dreaming of lands across the sea
My shoes aren’t well worn yet
I haven’t had to place any bets
I have nothing to show and I wanna go
Been mild and meek
Its not for the week,
It’s lost its mystique
Sucks to be me, am I right?
Losing since I was barely alive
Can I borrow a dollar forty five
Just until the next time?
Change it comes as a holler
Even now it seems like we shouldn’t bother
Laughing at ourselves doesn’t cost a dollar
So we’ll just roll, a long one
It Sucks to be me, am I right?
Losing since I was barely alive
Can I borrow a dollar forty five
Just until the next time?
Sucks to be me, am I right?
I’ve been spoonfed since I was a child
Can I borrow a dollar forty five
Just until the next time?
Until the next time?
Back to the Bottom
Gold a plenty
Lustful empty vanities
Eat your heart out
Live inside your fantasy, I guarantee…
Paranoia fractures the vessel of your mind
Anguish turns to madness, a fault in the design
You come untwined
Cause if the ship, it goes down
You my friend, you might drown
Oh and if the rip tips the bow
You my friend, you’ll go round, and round
Back to the bottom
“Two steps forward, one step back is lunacy” he said
“Why take two when four is more satisfactory, logically”
Grip the rail and pray for a deity of your choice
Scream into the rain, the chasm swallows up your voice
Straight down to the floor,
Back to the bottom
Grasping for an olive branch there upon the side
Gasping for your breath, You fall below the tide
Kiss your ass goodbye
Cause if the ship, it goes down
You my friend, you might drown
Oh and if the rip tips the bow
You my friend, you’ll go round, and round
Back to the bottom
The End of You and I feat. Sarah Gross
I don’t know you
But I want to
It seems the grass is greener
Upon the other side
And nothing’s grown here
In such a long year
There’s nowhere left to hide
At the end of you and I
I can’t slam a door
When it’s been shut for days
So just say what you’ve got to say
I will if you admit
There’s no atoning this
Am I alone in this?
Maybe you do maybe you don’t
Maybe you will, maybe you won’t
I don’t know you
But I want to
It seems the grass is greener
Upon the other side
And nothings grown here
In such a long year
There’s nowhere left to hide
At the end of you and I
It’s not all in vain
For trying to stop the rain
But holding on just makes us both insane
Maybe you will, Maybe you won’t
Maybe you do, Maybe you don’t
If I don’t try I’ll never know
I don’t know you
But I want to
It seems the grass is greener
Upon the other side
And nothing’s grown here
In such a long year
There’s nowhere left to hide
At the end of you and I
Rob (It’s not all in vain)
At the end of you and I
Sarah (It’s like trying to stop the rain)
At the end of you and I
Nickel and Dimed
Hey young hot shot you got the talent and the swag
I got the thing for you if you want to make a bag
Listen to me if you wanna go far
Ain’t no way you don’t come out a star
Just sign the line it’ll only take a dent
It’s your only move if you’re gonna pay the rent
The ol’ OC won’t know what hit
First thing’s first is my 10%
There goes a dollar, a couple of cents
Sign that dotted line I need your consent
Trust me kid everything’s gonna be fine
Cause everybody knows you’re gonna be Nickel and Dimed
Malibu canyon is where we’ll start
Get those hotshots to know who you are
Gimme your plastic I’ll get us a ride
A Lamborghini will sure suffice
A scarlet woman to frame your side
She’ll take the edge off by the end of the night
Slick your hair back and you’ll look fly
Soon your name will be up in the sky
There goes a dollar, a couple of cents
Sign that dotted line I need your consent
Trust me kid everything’s gonna be fine
Cause everybody knows you’re gonna be Nickel and Dimed
Cause anybody who’s anybody needs something
Cause anybody who’s anybody needs something
Cause anybody who’s anybody needs something
They see somethin’…
I can’t associate with has been’s and losers
You’ve been dropped by the shakers and the movers
It’s not my fault your last flick was a flop
Whatever happened to the kid on top
A woman off the bus who’s gorgeous and stacked
Already signed my rookie contract
Trust me kid yeah she’s gonna go far
She’ll never end up where you are
There goes a dollar, a couple of cents
Sign that dotted line I need your consent
Trust me kid everything’s gonna be fine
Cause everybody knows you’re gonna be Nickel and Dimed
Hollywoods got some hidden figures
That’s the difference between losers and winners
Trust me kid everything’s gonna be fine
Cause everybody know you’re gonna be nickel and Dimed
Nickel and Dimed
Nickel and Dimed
A dollar here, a dollar there
One day we’ll be square
Nickel and Dimed
Nickel and Dimed
Strong as Oak
In this world you must be
Strong as oak
One could bend end to end
And go for broke
You do all that you can
Push the probably progress of man
Over time you will flow with the wind
One could blow door to door and ask for more
You can’t find what you missed
But you try to make some sense of it
It’s lonely, it’s lonely to try
It’s lonely, it’s lonely to try
To touch the sky
When the sun starts to rise past the leaves
One can bask in the glow of the spring
And the night is far behind
The day has just begun
It’s lonely, it’s lonely to try
It’s lonely, it’s lonely to try
To touch the sky
All My Friends
Does anybody wanna go out tonight?
Does anybody wanna get crazy?
Does anybody wanna get faded with me?
Does anybody wanna get lost tonight?
Does anybody wanna feel famous?
Does anybody wanna get heinous?
I know what I used to be
Does that seem crazy?
I know…
That when we were young,
We could fall and
We took shots in the dark
Man, there was so much to see
Does that seem crazy?
That we were young
And we could fight
We could stay out all night
We were wild and free
All my friends and me
I remember once ten years ago
Everyone was feeling lazy
And none of us were feeling jaded
And none of us had any bills, noooo
Before all the shots, the sex, the pills
And all we used to do was climb the Catskills
I know what I used to be
Does that seem crazy?
I know…
That when we were young,
We could fall and
We took shots in the dark
Man, there was so much to see
Does that seem crazy?
That we were young
And we could fight
We could stay out all night
We were wild and free
All my friends and me
How can we hold onto it
My youth is fadin’
How can we hold onto it
The truth is in the pages…
And it’s been that way…for ages
I know what I used to be
Does that seem crazy?
We know how the story goes
We know..
That when we were young,
We could fall and
We took shots in the dark
Man, there was so much to see
Does that seem crazy?
That we were young
And we could fight
We could stay out all night
We were wild and free
All my friends and me
Have You Seen Me Out?
She tried to distract her gaze
Look the other way
Worn out shoes
Open toed and frayed
Soul was the same
“One wrong move, a wrong path to take
There’s no mistake about it.
I tried to make my way” so he said
“You don’t believe me
You don’t believe me or anything I say
You don’t believe me
You don’t believe me so listen to my prayer”
“Have you seen me out?
Have you seen me out, way out there?"
“Hold onto your love and faith
None of it out here
I tried to turn the page
But it’s all the same”
“You don’t believe me
You don’t believe me
Or anything I say
You don’t believe me
You don’t believe me
So listen to my prayer”
Have you seen me out?
Have you seen me out, way out there?
Have you seen me out?
Have you seen me out, way out there?
Through the streets and the avenues
Way Out There
In the hills and the valleys
Way Out there
In the fire and the brimstone
Way out there
Have you seen me out?
Have you seen me out?
Have you seen me out, way out there?
Have you seen me out?
Have you seen me out, way out there?
Postcard
Oh I bought a little postcard
From the store on gable
Where she’s going I hope she’s able
Through hills and valleys
Mountains and streams
To the one I love
The girl from my dreams
She’s bent from the left side
Bares the seal of her maker
Forlorn and hell bent
Where the road may take her
With a message as clear as the word that she wields
Pray her lord will give her
A sturdy shield
Pray her lord will give her
A sturdy shield
Because every once in a while
I think about you
Where you’ve gone
where you’ve been
If you’ll break on through
At the end of the day
You’ll come out of the blue
And I’ll worry no more about you
Never seen eye to eye here
Mighty lord of your gospel
You left me bleeding
And begging for my own
But just this one time
While I’m done on my knees
Beg for you to bring her home
Back home to me
Because every once in a while
I think about you
Where you’ve gone
Where you’ve been
If you’ll break on through
At the end of the day
You’ll come out of the blue
And I’ll worry no more about you
With the tick of every hour
Every knock upon the window
I pray you’re coming
With the words of your own
The eyes of your mama
The wit of your old man
The sight of you my child
My Polly-Ann
The sight of you my child
My Polly-Ann
Because every once in a while
I think about you
Where you’ve gone
where you’ve been
If you’ll break on through
At the end of the day
You’ll come out of the blue
And then I’ll worry no more about you
And then I’ll worry no more about you
Fall Between the Cracks
Once you get a grip of it
You breathe it all in
Then breathe it out
Living may sting a bit
But moments they pass
Revere the sound
Whether lost or found
Follow me down
Close your eyes
Smell a rose
Feel the sweat across your back
Hear your heart, slow in time
Let the mind fade to black
You can fall between the cracks
Problems are a fickle thing
They fall when they rise
They rise when they fall
A nightmare is a memory
Of the places that you’ve been
Be where you are
Close your eyes
Smell a rose
Feel the sweat across your back
Hear your heart, slow in time
Let the mind fade to black
Drop the act
Ease your tongue
Let your shoulders fall to your lap
Tell the voice
In your mind
They’re a friend now have your back
You can fall between the cracks
Close your eyes
Smell a rose
Feel the sweat across your back
Hear your heart, slow in time
Let the mind fade to black
Drop the act
Ease your tongue
Let your shoulders fall to your lap
Tell the voice
In your mind
They’re a friend now have your back
You can fall between the cracks
What If...
What if it doesn’t work
What if I give all I have just to drop in the dirt
What if the sound of my own voice seems to drive the people away
But what if I just stay…
Holed up in a basement
Writing words on a Napkin
Only hear my father’s voice
When the words are flowing out
Too free to be stressed out
Too stressed out to be free
And it’s hard to see the forest from the trees
But what if my worst enemy is just me
Maybe I’ll teach history,
Maybe I’ll just grab
A 9-5, pushing paper hopelessly,
Maybe I’ll drive an 18 wheeler and a route just to see
What might be…
For now I’m
Holed up in a basement
Writing words on a Napkin
Only hear my father’s voice
When the words are flowing out
Too free to be stressed out
Too stressed out to be free
And it’s hard to see the forest from the trees
But what if my worst enemy is just me
I could end it right now
I could kill the dream
With 2 shots into this kick drum
I could end this masterpiece
But the words they aren’t finished
And the songs aren’t sung
Guess I’ll write until my fingers fall off of me
Till the tips of my fingers cease to bleed
Till my heart stops ringing out from the deep
Till the words stop pouring out like a rolling sea
Till the fists of the world cease to be
Till every man woman and child can breathe free
Till the orange man he leaves my TV screen
Till this bass drum kicks the shit outta MTV
Till the end of the man who holds the keys
Till the end of war torn lands across the sea
Till the end of every man made catastrophe
Till these omens simply vanish from our dreams
Until then I’m
Holed up in a basement
Writing words on a Napkin
Only hear my father’s voice
When the words are flowing out
Too free to be stressed out
Too stressed out to be free
And it’s hard to see the forest from the trees
But what if my worst enemy is just me
Lullaby for Rhodes
Lonely Rivers, they
Chase the ocean, they
Let their troubles fall away
Down The deep, briny blue, ocean hue
Misty Nimbus, it
Hangs there in the sky
On a fickle ball of string
Like a king, on his throne, o’er everything
If you get lonely, while sailing the sea
If you get tired, you can call me, you can call me
When the dawn breaks, the
Foggy mountains, they
Pierce the sky, the day is won
And the moon, a crescent dune, gone too soon