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Onward And Downward

from Masco: Come On Along by Jersey Water

/

about

I recorded two album's worth of songs before Masco that I've thought about posting on Bandcamp, but never have. There's some moments in those recordings I'm still proud of, but, overall the cringeworthy parts outweigh the proud parts. So they've stayed unreleased.
This song reminds me a little of those early recordings. I hadn't entirely found my voice yet. I think I had discovered the Roches around this time and wanted to write a song like "Hammond Song."
This is a song about trying to make a broken relationship work, where you keep pumping the gas, but the car won't start. I like the line, "Our thoughts all dumb and blue eyed." At 23 years old, that was me to a T.

lyrics

What a shame
Doctor, can you see him now
Cause he’s been holding his breath
Can I give him a coat so he won’t freeze to death

No, but you can’t
Not even your coat would help recuperate
All his eyes inside not ready to negotiate

You shoulda came
Brought with you voices singing madrigals
Just the train, babe
Ducking our heads and covering our ears

No, but we can’t
Not even the noise could make us both forget where we are
Our thoughts all dumb and blue eyed

He’s afraid of all I could offer him
Onward and downward
It’s all the same to him

Behind the register I—
All that drags you down will come to drag you in

What a shame
Your fire’s spreading faster now
But I got nothing to burn, my love
Just a home and some old neighborhood

No, but I can’t
Not even your smile
I want your smile where my smile is
Not even your Merediths on sofas sold of promises
Not even your signs of dusty propaganda’s stopping me
Not even your smile, I want your smile where my smile is

Cause he’s afraid of all I could offer him
Onward and downward
It’s all the same to him

Behind the register I—
All that drags you down will come to drag you in

I wanna hear “Don’t Feel Bad for Me My Girl”

credits

from Masco: Come On Along, released March 1, 2001

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Jersey Water

I started out
on Chips Ahoy
But soon hit the Double Stuf

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