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Touched

by Ken Stringfellow

supported by
Paul Marsh
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Jason Dennie
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tcnmusic
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Sigurd Alexander Røstad
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1.
Down Like Me 03:29
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At last I understand the consequences of my love But how could there be a heaven when they kicked you out Cuz you kicked out your chair from above? Everybody loves to stick with a winner But you showed me the line between victory and dying Couldn't get much thinner 'cuz you You found out how to get down Down like me When my self-pity became less than full time work I meditated on the methods and the means And whether or not it would hurt Then I got the call they found you swinging out over the earth So over me you win again In finishes, forms, in finals and in firsts You finally had to get down Down like me "By the time you read this I will no longer be here" I had to read these words to all your family, friends Everybody you never held dear We'll keep an empty place at dinner forever And I'll maintain and empty chair so you can set in And we'll never grow old together You showed 'em how to get down Down like Down like Down like Down like Down like Down like Me
2.
This One's On You 06:11
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You want to be alone You’ve seen too much for one life You’re sickened by what was shown You’re tired from all the pain It’s so hard to not complain But don’t you see love breaks you open so you can heal again? But this new love could fit you like a glove and This one’s on you Say goodbye to the self you knew You say that you’ve been burned At least it feels like it’s always your turn And no surprise won’t come back to bite you As far as you’re concerned You’re so much smarter ’cuz you have seen How messy love can be Well we don’t need no education to your kind of scene This new love might fit you like a glove and This one’s on you Say goodbye to the self you knew This new love might fit you like a glove and This one’s on you Say goodbye to the self you knew Liberate your mind It’s easy now you’ll find Your heart can really fly Look down and see those hills and towns You know they’re all on higher ground You’re finding what they’ve found There’s so much you could repair But you don’t care who you leave behind In your sad affairs But this new love could fit you like a glove and This one’s on you Say goodbye to the self you knew This new love might fit you like a glove and This one’s on you Say goodbye to the self you knew This love might fit you like a glove and This one’s on you Say goodbye to the self you knew This love oo-ooh oo-ooh This love’s on you Goodbye, goodbye goodbye
3.
Find Yourself Alone 03:56
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Drink up and pay and it's time to move on This place is dying and they've turned the lights on Nobody wants to hear the ravings of a bad drunk They're afraid he'll speak their minds and say That you'll find yourself alone No matter who lives in your home You better find yourself alone My life's a car wreck on the side of the road Say nothing but you can't turn away Not a pleasant subject, so I don't blame you for turning away It's the least you could do anyway ’Til you find yourself alone No matter who lives in your home You better find yourself alone 'Cause it doesn't matter--who you are No it doesn't matter--what you make Stand on your own or say goodbye Goodbye I watch myself laying on the floor If there's pain here I can't feel it no more If you're beautiful, if you're young If your talents exceed your faults Here's a reason to be selfish ‘Cause you'll find yourself alone No matter who lives in your home You better find yourself alone You find yourself alone No matter who lives in your home You better find yourself alone You find yourself alone
4.
Sparrow 03:33
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Despite what you have heard You cannot cage this bird The sparrow on the wing Longs to hear you sing Once you have opened your heart to its church You find that the sparrow won't come to its perch Tears in conceit Narrow as your caged beliefs If you must assume the rose may never bloom Is creation such a fact? Can it be taken back? Once you have opened your heart to its church You find that your heart won't come home to its perch Years to complete The arrow winds in two wounds deep Once for those who put a size on love Once for those who only look above for sideways eights Once you have opened your heart to its church You find that your heart has come home to its perch
5.
Reveal Love 05:06
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There's so much pain Pain behind us, pain beside us, pain through us Pain to make us or erase our sense of trust Pain to bring us close or to undo us I wanted you In truth I want you still But you're so far away Unless I play the rules by which you want to play But then I feel you push me back As if it's challenge that you lack I say lover reveal love, never conceal love I want you still Lover be careful before you lose me I won't be still You're so alone Do you deserve it? I know you think so Do you know what's real? Are you afraid what something real could make you feel? Yeah You stayed with him On the losing side, you never gave in But he's so far away And if he didn't help you then, he won't today And you're afraid to make the leap But I only play my heart for keeps I say lover reveal love, never conceal love I want you still Lover be careful before you lose me I won't be still I want you still Or I could wait for you to come To the realization And say lover reveal love, never conceal love--I want you still Lover be careful before you lose me—well I won't be still ‘Cause I want you still--I want you still
6.
Uniforms 05:04
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Come all you scions of old-time Berlin With nights of intolerance soon to begin Feel the lights dim After the rally’s done wolf becomes faun Sharing a cigarette in your salon he tries your boots on Despite the times you feel quite liberal You even prefer negro spirituals over Ophüls Run for cover, you ll find your lover there As a shot splits the air Tell me what you did there alone or in pairs With your body bare Tell me how long you stared before you said yes You must show no feelings for him tho’ it’s not fair But these are the uniforms that we must wear And you wouldn’t dare to resist the order The fighting is savage the contest is brief The bloodshed is localized and yet you feel grief in that sweet relief Run for cover, you’ll find your lover there As a shot splits the air Tell me what you did there- alone or in pairs With your body bare Tell me how long you stared before you said yes A war’s a human thing and to each man it brings The ability to walk in straight lines But these lines, they can and do break If only just to show there’s only so much loyalty a man can take Loyal to his beliefs he wears what suits him ’til He takes them off and shows, and shows what’s underneath A man who is most beautiful when he’s free Run for cover, you’ ll find your lover there As a shot splits the air Tell me what you did there- alone or in pairs With your body bare Tell me how long you stared before you said yes Tell me what you did there alone or in pairs Did to stop the nightmare? Tell me how long you stared Tell me what you did there alone or in pairs Under a nom de guerre What you did you do to stop the nightmare Tell me what you did there Ah la la la, Ah la la la Tell me what you did there alone or in pairs Fortune prefers one who dares Tell me what you did there
7.
One Morning 02:29
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One morning when you wake up all a lone what do you see? Four walls and for your troubles one less friend awakens thee Just because you would rather wake up alone Doesn’t mean that another lover’s the worst thing you’ve known Did no one ever hold you when you cried when you were small? So now you hold yourself up like a star Outshine us all Pretty soon pretty face pretty out of touch The kind of thing when you lose it don’t miss it that much Not that much Can’t compete with you Guess I’ll be complete without you One morning when you wake up wonder what Will you do now Free from despair you struggle for a cause To now pursue Never once did it cross your mind to see That the author of happiness could be sad as me Shed the old disguises Try your new luck on for size One morning when you think you’re all alone Just wake me up
8.
Spanish Waltz 03:39
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All I was in front of you was half a face Eyes held back I let you pass without a trace But everyone comes to conclusions eventually That maybe what you didn't want to show them is what they will see All used up I let them take what was left I assumed that my good works had no effect Buy my way or beg to play it's all the same But everyone comes to conclusions eventually That maybe what you didn't think to show them Is what they should see Worse that could happen is that you would choose what to turn into Turn into something that answers this question I offer to you That's all that you’d have to say That's all that you’d have to say
9.
Fireflies 03:11
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In the jar there were fireflies And when their bodies turned black you cried Cursing someone who'd take away The living things that you wanted for your play On the beach there were pails and sand A helium balloon tied to your hand Now from the Hamptons to Hollywood Your pleasure's not as free as it should be In your life there are living dolls They can't say no and you want them all Feeling good as you stretch your claws And take refreshments that make you pause
10.
The Lover's Hymn 05:18
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It’s true I pray for you But where it goes nobody knows I pray for me too and we two And anything that’s gonna help it grow Now I don’t think for a minute that I know how these things work But it don’t matter it doesn’t change That I believe if God’s a He or a She or a What That it wants us to feel, feel what it feels Every flower coming through your skin Every breeze crossing your face Every life being born in your arms That’s why they call it love that’s why they call it bliss That’s why they call it joy and ecstasy In perfect miniature—a world on a grain of sand Called a woman, called a man That’s what they’re calling love That’s what they’re calling bliss That’s what they’re calling joy and ecstasy And that’s why I pray I want that to come our way I want to know it every day that’s why I pray Yeah that’s why I pray I want to know it every day I want that to come our way Yeah, that’s why I pray Now I’m not a fool I know bad things can happen They usually do But what choice to I have? Give up and give in? Do all the things that all the broken people do? If I reach out with my thoughts even if I think there’s no one there They’re gonna land some time they’re gonna land somewhere And if they free me from the darkness, that’s all they gotta do It’s not a service like paying a taxi fare Are you there? Can you hear me? Are you with me? Let me know if you’re still listening ‘Cause the best part’s yet to come ‘Cause I’m not giving up—if you do I’ll hold you up We’re gonna get there if we crawl or if we run It might be this life or the next or whatever fate thinks best But there’s something here that just can’t be undone And that’s why I pray I want that to come our way I want to know it every day yeah that’s why I pray
11.
Here's To The Future 03:40
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Here’s to the future my friends Hope I can see you there We’ll have a drink together somewhere, somewhere Here’s to the future darlings Whatever may come to pass I send you with my good graces and that’s a fact What have you got to lose? Whichever paths you choose Keep in mind that the fates are kind if you let them be so And I know you will Here’s to the future brothers Raise your cups in the air Here’s to the future sisters and all the unlikely pairs What have you got to lose? Whichever paths you choose Keep in mind that the fates are kind if you let them be so And I tell you no lies Here’s to the future my friends And all that it holds in store I hope that each day from now on holds more Holds more Holds more Holds more Holds more Holds more Holds more Holds more Holds more Holds more Holds more

about

An album with the auspicious release date of Sept. 11, 2001, "Touched" seems written presciently as a response to that global shock - the album explores the fragility of connecting to our loving nature after a great wounding, and in "Sparrow" even explores the irrationality of condemning others who choose a different path to the divine. It's an album of great tenderness, and the beginning of Ken's departure from more conventional rock and pop territory into a more philosophical, mystical view of life. Recorded by the impeccable Mitch Easter, the album is rich in guitar and keyboard textures, with Ken's butterfly-wing-delicate voice hovering above. An essential for anyone who enjoys melodic music, this album stands next to the giants of the genre, simply due to Ken's uncompromising artistry, depth of perception, and unique compositional voice.

credits

released September 11, 2001

Ken Stringfellow - all instruments and vocals except where noted; mixing except where noted.

Mitch Easter - engineering, and mixing on "Sparrow" and "Uniforms"

Eric Marshall - drums

Tony Shanahan - bass on "This One's On You", "Find Yourself Alone", "Reveal Love", "Spanish Waltz" and "The Lover's Hymn"

Ron Preston - pedal steel on "Down Like Me"

Andrew Emmett, Marla Woods - violin on "Uniforms" and "Here's To The Future"

Melodee Karabin - cello on "Uniforms" and "Here's To The Future"

Shalini Chatterjee - backing vocals on "This One's On You"

Recorded and mixed at the Fidelitorium, Kernersville NC
Album originally mastered by Rick Fisher at RFICD
Mastering updated by Ken Stringfellow & Ed Brooks (Resonant Mastering)

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Ken Stringfellow Seattle, Washington

A fixture on the music landscape, indie and otherwise, since the debut of his band The Posies in 1988, Ken Stringfellow has over thirty-five years of experience as a performer, composer, producer, arranger, programmer and more. In addition to his eight albums with the Posies and four solo albums, Ken spent a decade touring and recording with R.E.M and 17 years with Memphis cult band Big Star. ... more

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