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Detour

by Mikey Mason

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1.
Oliver Reed 03:01
Fare thee well my old friend, If I could toast to every smile you brought, the drinks would never end. But still the wake, it falls to me, And though I don't know where to turn to, even blinded men could see, It'll take more than a pint or two to celebrate your life. I'll need a bender so legendary That mortal men will shudder when they think of the night I went drinking like Oliver Reed. I'll raise a pint. No, make it eight. Twelve double rums and then some whiskey--half a bottle, take it straight. And it will be fitting tribute To the last round of the only thirst endowed to drink to you. 'Cause it'll take more than a pint or two to celebrate your life. I'll need a bender so legendary That mortal men will shudder when they think of the night I went drinking like Oliver Reed. Oliver reed was a legend with a liver made of fire And a thirst that was more of a need. And his affair with the bottle danced him to his funeral pyre, But I'll go drinking like Oliver Reed. 'Cause I'll need more than a pint or two to celebrate your life. I'll need a bender so legendary That mortal men will shudder when they think of the night I went drinking like Oliver Reed.
2.
I'm headed down to Black Mill Road, 'cause they think that I don't know, but when I find him with my baby... Lord, they're both gonna die. I'm headed down past Mercy Creek, out to the woods where they been sneaking, and when I find him with my baby... Lord, they're both gonna die. I'll live my life on the run or else I'll die in the pen. Hang twenty years on my head for each one of them. 'Cause I need some retribution you can't find within the law, A deeper kind of justice held within us all. I'm headed down to Black Mill Road, 'cause they think that I don't know, but when I find him with my baby... Lord, they're both gonna die. I'm headed down past Mercy Creek, out to the woods where they been sneaking, and when I find him with my baby... Lord, they're both gonna die. I feel the cold, steel barrel of my granddaddy's gun, Handed down like a tradition, from a father to a son, "Cause when he finally got wise and caught her foolin 'round, It was this gun Granddaddy used to shoot my grandmama down. I'm headed down to Black Mill Road, 'cause they think that I don't know, but when I find him with my baby... Lord, they're both gonna die. I'm headed down past Mercy Creek, out to the woods where they been sneaking, and when I find him with my baby... Lord, they're both gonna die.
3.
A moment’s courage and it is done. To watch a lifetime come undone As dream steps fall pounding down Away from childhood, one by one A moment’s courage and it is done. A moment’s courage and it is done. To kill by stake or sword or sun A lovely girl her mother’s joy, Reduced to meat and bone and blood A moment’s courage and it is done. And yet my courage it falters, my hand, it is stayed, Tempered by a greedy, selfish love. But for all our intentions I stand at this grave All the dreams of a lifetime turned to dust. A moment’s courage and it is done. A life is lost, a battle’s won I bear the weight of my love’s blood, Upon the hands that touched her once… And held her laughing, crying, alive… A moment’s courage and it is…
4.
C'mon, Barbara, climb up the attic stairs 'cause there's something there you've gotta see. You're moving in now, and this play has all its players: just you, the bottles, and me. I didn't know that it would be you until you showed up at my door And your father sent you up the stairs to clear the bottles from the attic floor. So walk them down and pour them out (yes pour me out, until I'm empty like the bottles in the sun.) And pile the glass and have no doubt, no have no doubt that my time in the attic is done, 'Cause they're all that's left... They're all that's left of me... They're all that's left of me in this world. C'mon, Barbara, and wipe away those tears 'cause there's something Daddy said to do. You're getting older, and I've waited all these years just to share my secrets with you. And I don't know just why I did it. It was something I just had to do. I filled each bottle with such self control and left them waiting there for you. So walk them down and pour them out (yes pour me out, until I'm empty like the bottles in the sun.) And pile the glass and have no doubt, no have no doubt that my time in the attic is done, 'Cause they're all that's left... They're all that's left of me... They're all that's left of me in this world. C'mon, Barbara. Climb up the attic stairs 'cause there's something there you've gotta see...
5.
I sit back And let the beer ease through me. I can feel it in my teeth I’d fall down If I tried to reach the bedroom and I’m too damned drunk to sleep. And so I get all sentimental like all good drunkards do And I look back on my life and everything that I’ve been through Cause the beer makes the past stronger, it makes the hurt last longer And it reaches back through years And though it makes the present cloudy, the past comes crystal clear. Looking back farther, ever, than before. Cars that I bought And the men that I’ve fought and the women I fought them for They say learning don’t come easy, but ignorance ain’t free There are prices in our lives that we pay but we can’t see But the beer works like an x-ray cutting through your memories Til you even see the bones. But no-one wants to hear about it So I’ll just sit and drink my beer alone. If I could turn back time, I would drink a lot less now. Or at least that’s just the way it seems to be. It’s just some meaning to life that we're all looking for, somehow, The drunkards, the philosophers, and me. And somehow I’ve lost my balance, but I’ll find it again Cause a lifetime moves in cycles and I drink a kind of zen Until I am the beer inside me, flowing through my veins until I somehow find myself And all the memories that have made me are in there somewhere locked up on a shelf. If I could turn back time, I would drink a lot less now. Or at least that’s just the way it seems to be. It’s just some meaning to life that we're all looking for, somehow, The drunkards, the philosophers, and me. The drunkards, the philosophers, the die-hards and the not-so-sures, the poets, the philanthropers, the pure-breads and the mangy curs, the drunkards, the philosophers, and me.
6.
It must be Thursday. I never got the hang of Thursdays cause there's Just too many Mondays in my life. It's been one long left turn for the last 300 miles And it seems everything I need is on the right. And I feel like giving up, but my mind keeps wandering back To that night Brand talked his girlfriend down the well... Cause me and One Eyed Willie have been talking this thing out Pondering life's mysteries, what is it all about? And when the world teams up against us, We just look it in the eye. Then rush in headfirst, screaming Hey You Guys! Goonies Never Say Die. I just feel jaded, defeated and frustrated. Keep wishing somehow I could change my face. I'm like a sheep inside wolf's clothing, I'm so filled with fear and loathing, And I worry that I'll never find my place. I'm held hostage by these hotels. I could go out but there's no telling What waits for me out there, except I'm sure that it ain't you. But me and One Eyed Willie have been talking this thing out Pondering life's mysteries, what is it all about? And when the world teams up against us, We just look it in the eye. Then rush in headfirst, screaming Hey You Guys! Goonies Never Say Die. Our lives take different courses, we get married, get divorces, Our regrets and our remorses hold us down until we die. So just keep moving forward, onward, up excelsior because Persistence is the one resource we have that won't run dry... And me and One Eyed Willie have been talking this thing out Pondering life's mysteries, what is it all about? And when the world teams up against us, We just look it in the eye. Then rush in headfirst, screaming Hey You Guys! Goonies Never Say Die. credits
7.
Legends 03:34
Like a faded old parchment, this map of my life Lies here before me tonight. Al the paths laid out for me, my career and my wife, And the choices I've made, wrong and right. I need a life that's not written in blood or in stone, Wanna tear from this page and stand on my own, And when history is written, I'll write mine alone, Legends are born in this way. For uncharted waters, the sailors of old Used dragons to mark on the map. I'm drawn to these waters on the map of my life, The only place where there's no path. I need a world of blank pages to sail upon In the unexplored space 'tween the dusk and the dawn. I'll ride on those dragons and see what's beyond. Legends are born in this way. Legends are born because... Legends are born in blank spots on the map Where the pages are worn thin by Dragons, uncertainties, promises made. Legends are born in this way. I'm not seeking new worlds in this journey I'm on, Just trying to find my own way. When you walk down the path that another has drawn, You lose what your voice has to say, And legends are killed in this way. Legends are killed because... Legends are born in the dragon-marked waters Where sailors are warned to just Turn back, to go around, just stay away. Legends are born in this way. I could turn back right now. I could stay where I'm safe, but I won't. Though I'm damned if I go, I'll regret my whole life if I don't... Legends are born in the back rooms of Heaven Where dreams end up torn and then Nobody rushes in to save the day, Legends are born in this way.
8.
Trickle Down 03:49
Trickle down all your love to me Blinded eyes could see all that might have been. Trickle down all your love on mine The water and the wine are the same thing when You say you don’t want no one else But that’s the lie we tell ourselves While we’re still holding on To the ghost of a chance that we can make A story-book romance that we can’t break But we’re just holding on until we Learn to let love trickle down like rain Lay it down, all your rage and pain Til emptiness remains and you can’t hear their thunder Trickle down all your fantasy Let yourself believe in Love, and wonder why we Say we don’t need no one else But that’s the lie we tell ourselves When we’re letting go Of the ghost of all that might have been That we wrap in pretended sins But it’s all letting go until we Learn to let love trickle down like The waters deep inside our souls we use to drown our pain Waters that stand stagnant 'til we learn to let love trickle down like Trickle down like rain… Trickle down all your love to me Blinded eyes could see all that might have been. Trickle down all your love on mine The water and the wine, They Are the same thing.
9.
Himmelfahrt 02:28
Are there smiles in Heaven when nothing goes right for the devil? Do angels laugh, when Satan's pants fall down? Do cherubim chuckle and seraphim snort when Lucifer loses his grace and his poise? I hope not. Lord, I hope somehow... When he slips and he falls, and he screams like a madman, blood curdling, veins popping, his fists raised to Heaven 'cause he could not buy a soul... Are there smiles in Heaven when nothing goes right for the devil? I hope not. Lord I hope not, no.
10.
Clouds 01:18
Our clouds are dishwater gray They hover here and wash away The worries and uncertainties of hollow days But I see blue on the horizon Behind somebody else’s cloud A bright sun is shining And rainbows are all coming out to play… But our clouds are dishwater gray our clouds are dishwater gray
11.
Hello moon. Hello stars. And hello to the people waiting for me in the bars As I pull, yet again, into a city that I've never really seen. One more town. One more show. One more night inside a smoky room, trying to find the flow, And one more drink to help convince myself that it's all part of me living the dream. The days, they seem to creep along behind me while I sleep And the nights are diamonds in my eyes. The days, they seem to creep along behind me while I sleep But the years, they roll on by. And it's one more hotel breakfast, and it's one more telephoned kiss. And it's one more day of selling yourself and it's the little freedoms you miss. And sometimes it doesn't seem worth it, all the emptiness that you feel. Sometimes the things you remember aren't always the things that are real... Goodbye moon. Goodby stars. And goodbye to the people dying slowly in the bars as I lay down my head in a city I've still never really seen. I'll be gone tomorrow, one more traveler on the highway, one more town and one more show And I'll drive off toward the horizon, to the coastline, and to all points in between. The days, they seem to creep along behind me while I sleep And the nights are diamonds in my eyes. The days, they seem to creep along behind me while I sleep But the years, they roll on by.
12.
Upside Down 05:26
Like a radio that's playing out of time, hear the echoes of our mem'ries through the headphones on the bed Watching through the camera in the dark, Because I'm always on the outside even when I'm in my head... Cause you are never all alone, but you are always on your own... And my world is upside down and I can hear you whisper Through the lights and through the walls and through the shadows in between I'm on the upside down and this darkness that surrounds me Is so thick that you can't see me, you can't hear me when I scream... Spelling out a message in the lights Through the static in the signal I can feel you in the air Everyone's against us in the night... So we make our beds in secret, hoping no one finds us there... Cause we are never all alone, but we are always on our own... And my world is upside down and I can hear you whisper Through the lights and through the walls and through the shadows in between I'm on the upside down and this darkness that surrounds me Is so thick that you can't see me, you can't hear me when I scream... And my world is upside down and I can hear you breathing Through the lights and through the walls and through the shadows in between I'm on the upside down and I might be going crazy, But though it's dark and though I fear, believe me, I've seen stranger things. Cause we are never all alone... But we are always on our own... And my world is upside down and I can hear you whisper Through the lights and through the walls and through the shadows in between I'm on the upside down and this darkness that surrounds me Is so thick that you can't see me, you can't hear me when I scream... And my world is upside down and I can hear you breathing Through the lights and through the walls and through the shadows in between I'm on the upside down and I might be going crazy, But though it's dark and though I fear, believe me, I've seen stranger things.

about

As the name implies, this is a detour from Mikey's traditional fare, a pared down, more intimate album. While there is some fully instrumentalized music, for the most part this album is a quiet departure from the boisterous, gregarious Mikey you've seen at shows and conventions.

The aim was for a more spartan approach to production, to capture more natural sounds and work with acoustics more than effects, will limited numbers of tracks per song. Some have a full (or fuller) production, but most don't even have a drum line.

Those who preordered by December 2 received bonus materials.

credits

released December 19, 2016

Lead guitars on Upside Down by Trent Wilson (www.facebook.com/bigdamnheroesband)

Double Bass on Upside Down by Braxton Ballew
(valentinewolfe.com)

Synths and Keys on Upside Down by Sean Faust
(seanfaustmusic.com)

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Mikey Mason Indianapolis, Indiana

A nationally touring performer with hits like She Don’t Like Firefly, Best Game Ever, and Opposite of Cool, Mikey Mason is a ball of contagious enthusiasm who makes songs about role-playing games, video games, sci-fi, fantasy, cats, and the general experience of being a geek. He’s been heard on nerdist.com, SyFy, TheFuMP.com, and Dr. Demento, and is a truly must-see event each time he performs. ... more

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