Ephemeral Musings

Welcome to Ephemeral Musings, a project started by two musician friends who live on different sides of the world. The purpose of this project is to push ourselves as songwriters by writing songs based on challenges we give each other. The goal is to write the song in one shot and as soon as we hear the challenge.

[ephemeral--musings]

Listen/purchase: Laundry by ephemeral musings

Luke and Stephen each wrote an original song about this weeks topic, Laundry. Betsy rejoined the ephemeral crew and a cover of Hang Me Out To Dry by Cold War kids. Luke also did some covers, Song for a Supermarket Parking Lot by Pat the Bunny and Call Out (Laundry) by Joyce Manor.

Here are Dave's laundry lyrics: 

The pile grows larger taking over the floor At the base of my stairs til I can't take no more I finally break, give in, get the job done Has there ever been a chore that is less fun? Well mowing the lawn....I hate that shit much worse But other than that it's the chore that I curse. It takes all day long and seems like it won't end Laundry is such bullshit and I will not pretend

I think I will just wear my clothes dirty again Who has the time, my patience is at an end I swear I don't even care how they smell Tide Bounce and Clorox can go straight to hell

I'm pretty sure I've worn these pants twenty times Since the last time I washed them and they still look fine I pray I can prevent a major discoloring stain So I can continue to wear them 20 more times again There is nothing more awful than when fresh out the wash I spill coffee on myself and all hope is lost My hand is now forced I must do one more load Or just start a new pile and watch that thing grow

[ephemeral--musings]

Listen/purchase: Beat The Devil Out by ephemeral musings

This weeks challenge was based on this picture:

Here are Dave’s lyrics:

People said his brain was infected by devils I never knew how bad it could be This type of anguish and terror that I feel Will not stop until it suffocates me It’s been a long road, a fight I thought I’d win But the devil doesn’t lose a bet The dice are always loaded, he counted the cards He’s always playing with a numbered deck

But I wont give up!  No I will fight to the end If I don’t win…you’ll never see me again But I’m gonna try and I will never give in I'ma beat back this devil so he won’t try again

Nobody ever believed that he could be defeated They all said it couldn’t be done But I stared into the darkness and I wasn’t afraid I fought with everything and I finally won I tell you here and now that you will probably never see A meaner sumbitch all the days of your life A gambling man would bet against you if he knew the odds But you can overcome the devil if you play your cards right

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The Great Lover by ephemeral musings

This weeks challenge was to write about the great lover, who’s story is described below:

Here are Dave’s lyrics:

A mysterious ending to a leisurely man Nobody knows if it was an accident or a plan There are some who say he did it himself And many more who will say he had help But whether the last or else the first The roots of his end were due to his hurts Was it from the emptiness of his carnality Or the people upset he lived unfaithfully

So many lovers so many spurned So many men’s jealous rages that burned Or was his lust an attempt to have something to feel We may never know how he found himself killed

Hated by men and lovers aching for more Something caused this young lover to soar Fall to his death dashed onto the rocks In his wake he left so many folks shocked Some that he was gone and some that it was then Was he pushed, did he fall or die by his own hand We will never get to the bottom of all this Many women will cry wanting just one last kiss

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This weeks challenge was to write about the tarot card the king of cups. Betsy dropped out of Ephemeral Musings so only songs from Stephen and Luke this week. Dave’s lyrics are below:

Feeling like the King of the world or maybe king of the road In reality I rule over nothing, my story will remain untold I should be in control, of my emotions and creativity My card might be reversed though because That's not what I see I feel manipulation and anger are represented in my life So I escape into the bottle because I don't even want to try I will sit here forever and sulk in my moody drunk blackout Instead of flipping my card upright I will just let it be upside down

I need to make friends with the King Or I won't be in control of anything I will go down on bended knee If that is what it takes for me to be free

There has never been a sense of peace, but I believe that I can find it If I can join the King of Cups' crusade, together we can unhide it He has compassion in his heart and a strong kindness in his soul And if I chose to change direction and I chose to take control Then I can create the life I want to have I can find peace somewhere within The hardest part is rising above today and find the strength to fight and win The King won't give that peace to me It's my job to make the change To put the wheels of peace in motion, And that will begin today.

[ephemeral--musings]

This weeks challenge is done!  Stranger Danger by ephemeral musings

The challenge was to write about strangers, I think we all had fun with this one, especially Stephen, he wrote 4 songs!

Here’s Dave’s lyrics for his song “Stranger Danger”

The mysterious one, the unknown angel of mine Our eyes rarely meet, but I see you all the time We must take the same routes, our paths cross every day I feel like I should meet you but I don't know what to say Whatever it is about you that makes my heart race Must be the very same thing that makes me so afraid Too scared to speak, unable to find the right words The ones that would open the door to our potential world

Chorus I saw your face and I just couldn't look away My heartbeat stopped along with time and space I want to live my entire life caught in your gaze That firey look in your eye just seems to say Stranger Danger

But now I think about you about who you might be On the inside, how you soul is, about the things you dream. And my negativity clouds things, as it does in my own life Now my daydreams of our future become fantasies of strife My expectations have always been dashed by those I love So now even beautiful strangers make me come undone So to prevent the pain from coming, to stop pain it tracks I'll never say a word to you We will stay strangers on this path

[ephemeral--musings]

Week 10 of the Ephemeral Musings challenge is up! Bad Lines by ephemeral musings

Here are Dave’s lyrics:

I refuse those Tollund shoes

I don't want to eat your grass, I'm not interested I'll just pass I don't wanna wear those shoes these are things I will not do I'm not your cow I prefer meat, I'm not bowling I like bare feet. In this marsh it smells like pee, I don't need no ceremony!

The Tollund man he is strong and proud His diet and footwear should not be allowed The Tollund man is a hell of a song though But shoes and cooked grasses are a no no

Seriously who eats grass in a bowl I'm not that hungry I will say no That isn't even appetizing I say What comes next a plate of hay? As for the shoes if they were new Fresh Adidas or Doc Martens boots But these old things that others wore With swampy foot fungus galore.

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This weeks challenge was to write about Trucks! Here are our songs!

Listen/purchase: Songs To Buy A Truck By by ephemeral musings

Dave’s lyrics are below:

Buying a truck

Everything I hear, these thoughts are driving me mad It's all about torque and payloads and the size of the bed They show me form but what I really need is utility Not back up cameras, sound systems or heated seats

Maybe you might think that I'm like everyone else But this is a farm truck, fuck off with all your whistles and bells This is why I put this task off for all this time Why I waited till my other truck blew up and just died

It is not a fashion statement, a truck is a tool It needs to work as hard as I do that's the only rule. The only thing I care about when buying a truck Is getting the most function out of every buck

Don't mention any more about the halogen lights I don't care how many speakers if the engine works right Tell me how much feed and hay and tools I can haul trucks get beat up, color don't matter at all

Tell me about ground clearance height not traction control Will I be getting stuck in mud? is this thing easy to roll? These salesmen never ever seem to understand This truck is being purchased by a hard working man

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Listen/purchase: Film Stuck In A Projector by ephemeral musings

This weeks challenge was to create something based on the phrase “"Like film stuck in a projector”.  You can listen to  Betsy, Luke, and stephen’’s songs above! Below are lyrics to a song Dave wrote:

Song for Billy Brown (SPOILER ALERT)

Cold grey wintery skies in Buffalo So many years locked up, no place to go Because of a bet that I couldn’t repay I sat and waited for vengeance until today

Im finally free and I’ll never go back I just need to tie up some loose ends in my past Need to make sure that mom and dad are proud Of the son I invented and I’ll go see them now

My wife Wendy doesn’t even exist Kidnap a tap dancer, her description fits I’ll kill her right here if she won’t play along Convince them she loves me and then I’ll be gone

To go get my vengeance, to go kill Scott Wood Then I will just kill myself…my plan is quite good Nothing will stop me or get in my way Just help me go impress my parents, OK?

Chorus I spent 5 years in jail For a gamble that failed Wanted love and a good life but that ship has sailed I am the best bowler but that won’t impress her Never moving like film that’s stuck in the projector

I will give all my things to my only friend Goon I mean Rocky since that’s what they now call you I know that tonight will be all I’ve got left Give you letters to mail to my parents after my death

I am mean and I’m loud but I’m so hurt inside My parents don’t care and they never have tried I’ve never been loved Life has always been cruel Like the Buffalo winter dark cold and such gloom

But something feels different, why do you care? You  treat me so nice and have pretty blonde hair I can’t get distracted I’ve got things I must do I’m waiting for Woods to kill him and me too

I’ll wait in this motel room take a bath and a nap I’m getting so scared now, I’m afraid I might snap But you hold me and calm me I’m not sure anymore Do I go kill Scott Woods or see what life has in store?

[ephemeral--musings]

Listen/purchase: Songs For Jon Wurster by ephemeral musings

Hi everyone. Jay here.

So, and this is really incredible to me, the incomparable Songs for Peter Hughes is TWENTY YEARS OLD this year.  Seven years before Peter joined the Mountain Goats, he got his own tribute album. Jon Wurster has been with the mountain goats for eight years and hasn’t been so lucky.  We decided to change that and make this little compilation.

Here’s the caveat: for those of you following, Ephemeral Musings is a group of friends who all do a bunch of different things. Some of us write songs, some just draw things and some write words that don’t have songs to go with them.  For each of us, this project is about stimulating productivity. To ensure we do some art all the time regardless of how tired, busy, uninspired we feel.  Every week I come up with a new challenge and we have a short turn around and usually a panicked Monday night of last minute work towards the submission deadline.  This week my hand cramped from purple colouring.  Betsy wrote her song in 20 minutes and slammed it in just under wire.  Stephen has kind of surreptitiously failed to associate his name with his song (no artist? who IS that?). Luke wants to let Jon sing and Dave wrote about the percussion of the universe.  My cover this week is the obvious rip off.  

My point is that this project is about making things, with minimal regard to quality and infinite regard for keeping up momentum. For that reason, I’d like to say, SO SO SORRY JON. We love you and you deserve a better tribute that what we’ve got but the whole point of this is that small silly creations are usually better than no creations. So enjoy this small silly creation.

Also I’m just throwing in a picture of the Thurster because I still like it.

Song for JW

Waiting for a train waiting to feel that hum

That rhythm of life that reminds me of a drum

It exists in everything, I feel it everywhere

The pulse of all life's tempo charging thru the air

As disconnected as we are, in this modern age

We are all part of one long song, it's very strange

We don't know where the changes fall, or who keeps beat

the music plays through every root and wing and dances in our feet

This song is for the drummers, those who keep the beat alive

This song is for Jon Wurster, Scotty P and some other guys

Deep in the woods the silence just might overtake

But behind that peace and quiet is a rhythm you can't fake

It blows through the branches, it rolls over the hills

Sometimes it is is a blast beat, sometimes just simple fills

The universal song plays and it probably never breaks

Because even after we are gone, there will still be lakes

and trees and rivers, oceans too and the beat plays on and on

because the drummer ain't allowed to quit until the song is done

[ephemeral--musings]

Squeaky Wheels

Here’s Dave’s lyrics for this weeks challenge:

(Intro screaming) WILL I EVER FIND PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

(Verse 1) I’m pretty sure I don’t even know what that means Peace is just another fake utopian dream But since there’s no peace, all that’s left is worry And I have to cry out or they’ll forget about me I don’t have the tools I just can’t fix everything At least not by myself so I must go beg the king Ask him for help and admit that I’m weak Or be crushed underneath if I’m too proud to speak

(Chorus)

I ask how many wheels must we grease If we ever want all that squeaking to cease Is there anywhere in the North South West East Where a simple man like me can go to find peace

Will I ever find peace?

(Verse 2)

You must complain to be heard not if you just buckle down You try to be self reliant and just look like a clown I was taught as a child you have to handle your own biz But the rest of the world just don’t operate like this Hard work and self reliance doesn’t mean anything The squeaky wheel is the only one who gets seen

(Chorus)

I ask how many wheels must we grease If we ever want all that squeaking to cease Is there anywhere in the North South West East Where a simple man like me can go to find peace

Will I ever find peace?

[ephemeral--musings]

This weeks challenge was to write a song based on or including the phrase “How many wheels must we...” Here’s what we came up with! How many wheels must we... by ephemeral musings

Luke chose to use the phrase as a jumping off point for his song and wrote a “Blowing in the Wind”-esque song about current issues that the world is facing. Betsy also chose to include the phrase in her song in which she also posed numerous questions beginning with the word ‘How’ like Luke did. Stephen did not include the phrase and asks less questions than Betsy and Luke did but it is still wheely good. Jay’s art is on point as usual. Hope y’all enjoy! 

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Check out the results of our latest challenge! Mineral by ephemeral musings

I think all these songs turned out really well. Betsy wrote a mineral love song, Stephen’s song is rock solid as usual and Luke wrote about jewel thieves. Jay’s art is really good again this week too and it even contains a joke/reference to the time when I asked my favorite songwriter if two of his songs were about aliens. He said no which made me sad but they are still about aliens to me and these songs right here are about aliens if you want them to be :)

Dave also submitted some killer lyrics for a song called Cut and Clarity which is about how we dont need fancy or expensive jewelry to show our love for someone. Here they are:

We don't do it for us...we do it for them We don't express our love, we say it with gems The larger the stone the more it must mean But a stone has no value outside of it's gleam If this love is real and you feel that way too Who cares about diamonds or sapphire blue This love needs no symbols it don't need no ring Love is about actions it aint about things

The cut and clarity doesn't help me see I already know what this love means to me

Rock scientists unearth mines and ore Destroying ecosystems, putting nations at war Slave labor work themselves to death underground So you can show off that ring to everybody around You don't care about the cost of those humans lives You just want to outdo all your best friends wives You can try to close your eyes, force yourself to forget Bloody stones on your hands in your ears on your neck

The Cut and clarity doesn't help me see The horror and the death for my vanity

[ephemeral--musings]

Hospital Redux

We got a submission from Chris for the hospital challenge.  Reproduced below:

 My eyes open to a dirty drop ceiling. Moldy water stains creep across the tiles, brown masses swimming into each other, suggesting faces or blood stains. 

Beneath this filthy sky I lay in an unfamiliar bed with plastic tendrils winding from my arms to sacks of cloudy liquid. Someone is keeping me alive. 

My clothes have been replaced by rough paper sheets that fail to capture the little heat my body still generates. I try to shift positions, but the stick pins in my arms scream at any efforts to move from my back. 

There are muffled voices. I close my eyes, rejecting consciousness.

When I return the room is the same, but the voices are gone.

I remember bright lights, shouting, panic. I do not know why I am here. There is no pain in me.

[nothing4juice]

Mineral Song thoughts

Jay is playing a game of 20 questions with these ephemeral musings challenges. There was “Animal”, “Vegetable ” and now it’s “Mineral”

I thought about minerals and then I thought about really rare and valuable minerals. Then after some quick google searches I thought how if you knew the names of these really rare minerals you would never lose a game of 20 questions again.

Soon I thought about what I would write about. You know who loves rare and valuable jewels and will do just about anything to get their big greedy hands on them?

The couple from my last album! I really enjoy writing about these people. Everytime I write a new song about them I learn more about them and I love telling their story.

For a while, shortly before we restarted the ephemeral musings project, this couple and their story were the only things I was writing about. I had been working on the album for a while when I decided it was gonna be all about them and at that point half of the songs weren’t even written yet. I wanted to finish the album quickly so my thoughts were focused on these two fictional characters and I banged out 8-10 songs in a few months.

So when I heard that challenge this week was, simply “mineral” I thought of the two people who had gone to Mirzapur and robbed the temple that was built in honor of the defeat and destruction of a demon who had terrorized the village, the couple who left India with priceless minerals which had previously adorned it’s statues and walls. I thought of the two people who discovered the secret room under the ruins of the Erubuni Fortress in Armenia which was nearly filled with pure gold and other bright beautiful minerals encrusted in the occasional ancient artificact.

I have roughly 2/3rds of this new song finished so far and am excited to get this one done and learn more of their story. I’m discovering that rare minerals and jewels are some of their favorite things and they have more experience with them than just the two songs I referenced in the last paragraph.

I have to write a song about minerals so might as well turn to the experts!

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Howdy Y’all! Here are the results of this week’s challenge: Vegetable by ephemeral musings.

Jay did a cool drawing of fennel, Betsy wrote a song about growing vegetables, Luke wrote a song about feeling like a root vegetable and Stephen sang about healthy eating habits over some awesome guitar playing, hope y’all enjoy!

Dave also wrote a song called Veggicidal, here are the lyrics: Organic things pesticide free growing wild in front of me I smell these plants feel the leaves I’m gonna eat all the vegies In spring they start, begin to grow In harvest time I doubt they know They will be picked, prepared just so They are now food and down they go Chorus I don’t feel bad at all about the things I eat I never gave a thought even if they don’t breath A veggies death, it means nothing to me Veggicidal but I can’t hear them scream From farm to plate I eat the food Any different kind that fits my mood Broccoli, cabbage zucchini dude If I don’t eat it all I might look rude No one can prove that they don’t hurt When you cut or peel, pull them from the dirt Just cook em up, for what it’s worth And I eat them all, so that I get dessert

[nothing4juice]

Vegetable song thoughts

So I’ve just finished this weeks ephemeral–musings song. The challenge was simply “vegetable.” I decided to use this topic as an exercise to use a bunch of vegetable similes and metaphors.

It is also my first song to have a twin peaks reference! Guessing it won’t be the last since I’ve got like 3 xfiles songs already.

I was originally gonna the title the song as a list of the vegetables that were mentioned in it. But because of the twin peaks reference I kinda want the title to be one too. I am iffy about naming songs something like “song for a (fictional character)” so I quickly scratched that idea out of my head, although I have used a song title like that in the past. Then I realized this character already told me the perfect title of the song!

That’s the story of how this song will not be called “Song for Harold Smith”

It’ll be up on the ephemeral musing bandcamp/tumblr in the next couple days or so, but I think I may upload it here later.

[ephemeral--musings]

Animal

This week’s challenge was “Animal” and the submissions are all in.  Below is Dave’s song without music and up on bandcamp, we have songs from Betsy, Stephen and Luke. This was a hard week for people so good job getting everything in.

 Untitled Animal Song

Verse1

  Does the cat got your tongue?

You snake in the grass

You won't have 9 lives left

After I kick your ass

  You tried to play cat & mouse

and take the lion's share

You're a wolf in sheep's clothing

I see what's under there

  Chorus

  The rules of the jungle Always apply

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, or throw pearls before swine

Now you're free as a bird-don't get hog tied

It's raining cats and dogs until pigs fly

  Verse 2

  You can lead a horse to water

But you can't make him drink

You can teach a bird to talk

But you can't make him think

  It's the dog days of summer

And you're in the dog house

If you know what's good for you

You'll be quiet as a mouse