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New Northbound

by Tyler Stenson

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1.
Good Comet 03:42
Every once in a while it comes around; A blazing comet you can see from the ground. Man, it draws a line across your sky And everything changes in the blink of an eye. Every once in a while it spits a spark And all at once you can see in the dark What was gray is now vivid and bright Now that it’s bathed in a remarkable light. It’s out there circling the sky And I would have thought It would have come down by now. A good comet is so hard to find But [I found] every once in a while it comes around. All my heart is held in the hope. It’s out there circling the sky And I would have thought It would have come down by now. A good comet is so hard to find But [I found] every once in a while it comes around. So, I once pretended the sunrise Was a long-lost lover found— A good comet is so hard to find But [I found] every once in a while it comes around. But every once in a while it comes around; An easy rain on an easy town And you hold out your hand just to catch the drops And you look to find that it’s a comet you caught. All my heart is held in the hope.
2.
How Bright 03:45
How bright the light you beam. It’s all I seem to see. I was there when this place Dimmed darker than space, But for the fear that no love would be found. Then, I was there when this room Lit up like the moon, Oh, the moment that you came around. How bright the light you beam. And I watched as the clock Never sped its tick-tock— No, it told me the time was still night But I found that hard to believe Cause all I could see were some damn silhouettes Up against the white (bright white light). How bright the light you beam. It’s all I seem to see. Let me circle ‘round you slow And let me bloom Inside that life-giving light you glow! Now, gone are the days Of the dark shades of gray— I watched them burn off in the warm of your rays. Now, I live in a world That’s the closest planet to a girl And mamma how you radiate. How bright the light you beam. It’s all I seem to see. How bright the light you beam. Give me more please. Let me circle ‘round you slow And should you burn out, May I be the last alive to know.
3.
The Nest 03:17
Baby, it seems Like this city has outgrown us And put us out in the sticks With the dogs and the dirt and the leaves. But Honey, If Home is where the heart is, Then we’re right where we need to be: Just you and me- Two birds on a branch of a tree, With roots grown deep as the sea. Baby, I know It’s not what you wanted, Hanging out in the middle, Somewhere between the street and the stars. But if it’s this or the cage of City Man’s wage, Then I guess we’ll get some use from these wings. Yeah, you and me- Two birds on a branch of a tree, With roots grown deep as the sea. Little birds on a limb, Caught up in the wind, Oh, it’s hard to win. But, you can trace a little line Back to the pine and down To the big ol ground. If that’s what you want, I can make it happen, Because all I ever wanted was to see you Smile like the star that you are. But, if you believe my songs Will one day catch on, Then let us do what we do and sing. Yeah, you and me- Two birds on a branch of a tree, With roots grown deep as the sea.
4.
Denim Sky 04:23
I won’t lie, I feel the pain When the sky is a chalkboard gray. I won’t lie, it makes me miss the airplanes. So, at the first sight of the sun, We made for a blanket in the park And laid, hips in the land And hand-in-hand we gazed Into the blue. And all the storms moved on. And only contrails remained, Stitched in little lines. For as big and blue as it is, There’s just no room for clouds In that so comfortable old denim sky. Left behind the bad news of the day And every bill we had to pay. We let them air like laundry on a line. For there’s something about a clear blue sky That always felt like some old blue jeans of mine; There’s a certain comfort in the way it seems to fade, But seems to never fade away. And all the storms moved on. And only contrails remained, Stitched in little lines. For as big and blue as it is, There’s just no room for clouds In that so comfortable old denim sky. I won’t lie, I feel the pain When the sky is a chalkboard gray. I won’t lie, that don’t happen much more these days.
5.
Tiny Caravan 02:50
Louie was a lover, But he’d never tell you so. The kind that loves them in the night But in the morning let’s them go. Nelli was an orphan Street fighter for a time. We rescued her along the way And she pulls her weight fine. And both of them are walking In a line, hand-in-hand. Tiny little pieces in this tiny caravan. Marie is the toughest, She’s the hammer and the steel. She’s the hunt, she’s the gather, She’s the grease on the wheel. And they call me the leader, But I’m soft and I’m scared That I’m half the man needed To lead them anywhere. Still, both of us are walking In a line, hand-in-hand. Tiny little pieces in this tiny caravan. We wandered the wilderness— All around, westward then east. We wandered the hopelessness— Starving to belong somewhere And hunting it like a beast And all of us are walking In a line, hand-in-hand. Tiny are the pieces of this tiny caravan. There’s a baby on the way In the belly of Marie— And it’s everything we feared And it’s everything we need And we’ll carry [her] as far as we can Until she stands And walks along beside us In this tiny caravan.
6.
Say No More 03:12
Maybe I should say no more Cause there’s plenty of foot in my mouth— Or is it too late now? Should I have known better? It was a simple slip of the tongue, Should I have put it in a letter? No, it’s too late now So, maybe I should say no more… Nah. Maybe I should say no more Cause it feels like I’m blowing it up. Yeah, I write patient words But in the heat of the moment I’m a venomous tongue— I’m a bullet hitting a bullet And the smoking gun Is proof that I should say no more … That I should keep all my cards close. Take the ‘less is more’ approach. Pretend that my mouth is broke. Swallow my words and choke. Maybe I should say no more. I should hold on tight to my tongue Because the damage is done And I don’t know if we’re okay. So, tell me, did I say too much And could I have another chance someday If I keep all my cards close? Take the ‘less is more’ approach? If I swallow my words and choke And on the tips of my toes Go dancing around the thoughts in my head? Yeah, there’s a definite line And I’ve crossed it this time, Always saying what don’t need to be said. Or is it too late now? Should I have known better? It was a simple slip of the tongue, Should I have put it in a letter? No, it’s too late now So, maybe I should say no more …
7.
Sunk like a stone To the valley floor But that’s the lowest land Where I ever did stand So, I’ll return there no more. Oh, I rose like a bird Up above it all But looking down from the clouds, Here’s what I found: Higher up is just further to fall. ‘Go North young man— It’s the promised land’ But if my heart’s at ease Is the North not where I am? I like this life in the middle It holds me safe and sound I’ve tried up and down I’ve tried all around But the only thing my lost heart has found Is that the middle is the New Northbound. I’m not saying don’t battle I’m not saying quit the fight But with a roof over my head And a good lover in my bed, I can sleep sound at night And IF in the morning I rise, I’ll give a kiss to that love And I will call her the queen Of my kingdom between That low-down Hell and high-up Heaven above. I like this life in the middle It holds me safe and sound I’ve tried up and down I’ve tried all around But the only thing my lost heart has found Is that the middle is the New Northbound. I’ve lived on both sides of the line For the compass in my chest Had me rambling round in circles Up right down til there’s nothing left. I like this life in the middle It holds me safe and sound I’ve tried up and down I’ve tried all around But the only thing my lost heart has found Is that the middle is the New Northbound.
8.
I blew all the way down to Arizona Then, like a leaf, I settled down into Rome And somewhere in between me and Barcelona, I heard the rush of the wind calling Home. I could see seven miles into the distance Before the earth began its curve out of site And I leaned to the wind to feel a resistance; To let me know I’m not a bird- I don’t fly. I won’t take my time or circle ’round Or weave my way through busy towns Cause I could get lost if I missed a sign. I’ll take the shortest path between you and I And cut right through in a perfect line And come to you as the crow flies. From where I stand my Home is like a middle daughter- Just a dot, on a map, of a world And I’m reminded wheels don’t roll on water So, tell me lies- tell me I am a bird. I won’t take my time or circle ’round Or weave my way through busy towns Cause I could get lost if I missed a sign. I’ll take the shortest path between you and I And cut right through in a perfect line And come to you as the crow flies. I will come to you as the crow flies.
9.
It’s commonplace In the world these days; Always better fast than slow. But, I was thinking I would take the side Of steady as I go. It’s a bad disease; How the grass is more green, You always want to have What you don’t. But, if it comes, it goes. Oh, it ebbs and flows. But, I will stay steady as I go. I’ve always felt that I have been kept from high— But then again, I’ve never really sunken too low. I’ve found the middle gives you room to grow And holds me safe from misery So, I will be so steady as I go. Fast or slow, To and fro— Either you doubt or you know. I could dim or glow, From head to toe But I will stay steady as I go.
10.
Evermore 03:01
Now that I know what matters most, My loneliness is just a ghost That I’ve tucked away beneath the floor, So it is free to haunt me nevermore. It’s free to hang on someone else, For I have no need for how it felt— It was a hopelessness that’s best ignored, So I cast it out, oh evermore. That’s just how long I’ll lift you up And hold the doors from swinging shut. And I’ll defend you with a lion’s roar, But speak to you sweetly, oh evermore. Evermore my heart is yours. Time has it’s way Of breaking its promises made, But I swear it evermore. Just like the time and the time before. Evermore. Now that I know what matters most, My loneliness is just a ghost.
11.
Spinning Me 03:51
Look up in the air… All the world is circled By a night that is beautiful- Pretty stars against pretty purple. It’s like I’m the ocean, you are the moon And my waves are just some gravity turning For the moon that is spinning me. I threw a coin that tumbled Down the wishing well And that hope has come right back around Like a lovely carousel, Where on the horse behind you Was an empty seat That has me caught up in a tail spin, For the spiral that you lead is spinning me. You have been spinning me. Until I don’t know what’s the front and what’s the back. Until I don’t know what’s the back and what’s the front. Put me in my place! Make sure that I can’t move Because my head, it just can’t take much more Of all the spinning in this room. It has my dizzy- Oh, I am dizzy, Because of how bright that you beam All your love light that is spinning me. Until I don’t know what’s the front and what’s the back. Until I don’t know what’s the front and what’s the back. Until I don’t know what’s the back and what’s the front.

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Electric, Elegant Folk. Every once in a while it comes around. Bright love circles, settles down beside you and the spinning compass knows a new Promised Land — The Middle. Your journey is no longer aimlessly upward, but now steadily inward. To the safely laid nest between the street and the stars. To the stormless sky where less is more. Away from the wandering wilderness and a perfect line toward what matters most — that comfortable middle where there is evermore proof that the comet was worth the wait and the middle is the New Northbound.

credits

released March 1, 2017

❌ Produced & Arranged by Cary Samsel, Mitchell Maldonado, Tyler Stenson.
❌ Lion’s Share Recorded at House Below Productions (Boise, ID).
❌ Background Vocals & Electric Guitars Recorded & Engineered by Cary Samsel at Rooftop Magic (Portland, OR).
❌ Engineered by Mitchell Maldonado, Cary Samsel.
❌ Lead Vox & Cello Recorded and Engineered by Justin Abel at Tone Lab Studios (Gresham, OR).
❌ Melodyne Engineering by Tyler Luecke.
❌ Additional Engineering by Jake Nielsen.
❌ Mixed by Kelsey Smith (Vancouver, WA).
❌ Mastered by Nettleingham Audio (Vancouver, WA).

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Tyler Stenson Portland, Oregon

Tyler Stenson is singer/songwriter in Portland whose music is elegant at its core. Twice-named Portland's "Songwriter of the Year" by the Portland Songwriters Association and recently named "Best Male Artist" at the Portland Music Awards, Stenson's music is refreshingly reminiscent of classic singer-songwriter greats such as James Taylor and Cat Stevens. ... more

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