Get all 12 The Sam Chase releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Live From Hopmonk Sebastopol - New Years Eve 2023, You Call This An Album, Dragula, Almost Done, Lost & Found (Live at the Lost Sierra Hoedown 2019), The Last Rites of Dallas Pistol, Great White Noise, Will Never Die, and 4 more.
1. |
Sittin' Right Here
03:52
|
|||
|
Will I ever leave San Francisco
go out on my own
My sister and my brother are living it up
Jet-setting all over the world
but I’m sitting right here
I’m sitting right here
Will I ever get a good job
That gives me what I need
A great big house
on a bigger hill
in the lap of luxury
while I’m sitting right here
I’m sitting right here
Will I ever have a family
who won’t ever let me leave
Little ones who I take care of
until they can take care of me
but I’m sitting right here
I’m sitting right here
Will I ever take a look back
Be proud of what I’ve done
Make a small dent
in the tiny little spec
that’s floating around the sun
I’m sitting right here
I’m sitting right here
take in the world around me
Right here is where I am
To think to far ahead
turns present into the past
I always celebrate the stillness
Leave every stone unturned
I was never one for setting fires
But if it’s there I’ll watch it burn
am I just waiting for permission
By doing what I’m told
I’m a stubborn old man
with his life in his hands
which isn’t that much left to hold
I’m sitting right here
I’m sitting right here
What’s the point of wishing
If I never make up my mind
Or am i wasting life just wondering
At the moment I’ve got the time
|
||||
2. |
Thoughts That I Have
03:37
|
|||
|
People wishing for more wishes
Don’t know what they are missing is
Saying “my only real wish”
“Is for more days just like this”
It sounds a little sappy
But I just wish that at least once
I’d cry because I was happy
and not because i wasn’t
These are the thoughts that I have
when I’m not thinking about much
some people shaking heads
some people shaking hands
shaking when they are agreeing
shaking when they just can’t stand it
some shaking up and down
some shaking side to side
we should all agree
that this word
isn’t properly defined.
These are the thoughts that I have
when I’m not thinking about much
I’m just another
white guy with a guitar
It’s hard to really stand out
When I walk into the bar
I see another me
standing up there playing
People say my songs are better
Or at least that’s what I’ve been saying
These are the thoughts that I have
when I’m not thinking about much
It’s only when I’m writing songs
that I’m thinking about dying
But writing about my life
without death feels like denial
The journey is not the destination
the future aint the past
If it actually was
I would have saved a lot on gas
These are the thoughts that I have
when I’m not thinking about much
Thoughts about this and that
these and those
and such and such
Little songs are fragile
but they can pack a punch
They are unbreakable but delicate
You can look but you can’t touch
People say music is medicine
Don’t be so dramatic
I think tylenol is medicine
this music here is magic
These are the thoughts that I have
when I’m not thinking about much
Thoughts about this and that
these and those
and such and such
These are the songs that I sing
You can look but you can’t touch
These are the thoughts that I have
when I’m not thinking about much
|
||||
3. |
Earthlings Get Dirty
04:00
|
|||
|
If you celebrate a sunset
You gotta shiver through the darkness
Get sweaty in the sunlight
to be deserving of a good life
If you wanna be an earthling
You gotta get a little dirty
you can wait until the glory
To wash it all clean
If you wanna see the sunrise
You gotta get up in the morning
If you wanna see the sunset.
You gotta make it through the day
If you wanna take the long road
You gotta get to walking.
If you wanna cast a shadow
You gotta get in the suns way
If you celebrate a sunset
You gotta shiver through the darkness
Get sweaty in the sunlight
to be deserving of a good life
If you wanna be an earthling
You gotta get a little dirty
you can wait until the glory
To wash it all clean
If you wanna see time fly
You gotta be patient
If you wanna be the right guy
You gotta make a few changes
If you wanna be a bad boy
you gotta make a few enemies
If you wanna be remembered
You gotta make a few memories
If you celebrate a sunset
You gotta shiver through the darkness
Get sweaty in the sunlight
to be deserving of a good life
If you wanna be an earthling
You gotta get a little dirty
you can wait until the glory
To wash it all clean
life is full bad choices
stupid decisions
terrible voices
and even worse lyrics
but if you never stick your neck out
Then you’ll never be the greatest
You’ll always be the worst
at ever being famous
If you celebrate a sunset
You gotta shiver through the darkness
Get sweaty in the sunlight
to be deserving of a good life
If you wanna be an earthling
You gotta get a little dirty
you can wait until the glory
To wash it all clean
If you ever wanna stand out
You gotta join the crowd
If you wanna be heard
You gotta get a little loud
|
||||
4. |
Ain't That the Way
04:27
|
|||
|
There’s a brush fire in my belly
where shady places used to be
There’s nothing in my pocket
with holes to let it breathe
and I know I
could never really make it on my own
good thing I’ve got my hat, my shoes
a cheap fifth of booze
to get me where I’m going
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way it always goes
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way it always goes
There are problems in this world
That no one wants to fix
We are here for such a short while
and I we want to do is get our kicks
and I know I
Ain’t trying any bit harder than you
Still it’s hard to empathize, see through your eyes
Why you doin the things you doin.
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way it always goes
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way it always goes
Well, I know that I can’t miss you
If you never go away
I never knew a good song
could ever last this long
so tonight you might just have to stay
Kings have ruled kingdoms that have fallen into dust
There are heroes who would’nt want to have anything to do with us
and I know I
Can make it through with a little bit of love
Just you and me babe
Just you and me babe
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way it always goes
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way
Ain’t that the way it always goes
|
||||
5. |
Write a Song
03:58
|
|||
|
It’s not easy to explain
the inner workings and lack there of in my brain
I’ve got philosophers, and politicians
sabateurs, and executors
who think what's best is better than the others
It takes awhile
and a whole lot of words
I know I make it easy but
It’s not as simple as it looks
I’ve got a lot of friends
They look at me and say,
"You got some shit
That you should work on,
Maybe put it in a song…
But what do they know?
all they want is a song for them sing along
So I guess I’ll sit down
and write out a tune
Not just therapeutic for me
but catchy enough for you
This may be a weird analogy
But It sure does seem
your getting therapy for free.
and I don’t think thats really fair...
How does one
write a verse
that doesn’t come out contrived, and rehearsed
I’ll String a few together
hope the through line hits the better points
to fool em into thinking
I'm more thoughtful
Than I ever claimed to be
But where do they come from
If they are not actually coming from me
So, there ya go
Are you happy now
I just saved the universe
through rhyming somehow
Another notch on the belt
A feather in my cap
Another wasted afternoon
When I could have been napping
I could be a doctor
If I apply myself better
I’ve got the power to heal
when we sing along together
It looks like you’re doing good
and that I gave some good advice
I don’t really need it but
A thank you would be nice
I don’t really need it
but a thank you actually’d be really nice
I don’t really need it
But a thank you would be nice.
|
||||
6. |
This Will Change it All
03:27
|
|||
|
You’ve been walking
your whole live now
moving forward
towards something new
But it’s not you who
built this road for you
This road aint yours to
just pass on through
It’s nothing new
all this I’m saying
but for the sake of moving on let’s just pretend
this will change it all
everything we’ve ever thought
This is where the tide turns
Never to return again.
This old gateway
we’ve been seeking
aint a passage
its just a gate
no, It aint no
golden archway
That’s just our ego
at the end of the day
It’s nothing new
all this I’m saying
but for the sake of moving on let’s just pretend
this will change it all
Everything we’e ever been taught
This is where story we’ve told
Will come to an end
Take a number
little soldier
this wars not your to
win today
Lay down your rifle
rather than your life now
you’re an angel
but you aint no saint
It’s nothing new
all this I’m saying
but for the sake of moving on let’s just pretend
this will change it all
everything we’ve ever thought
This is where the tide turns
Never to return again.
It will change it all
Everything we’e ever been taught
This is where story we’ve told
Will come to an end
this will change it all
everything we’ve ever thought
It stops us in our tracks
no need to keep forward or to ever turn back
A clarity of purpose
the purpose is to be meaningless
The light may have gone out
but it will burn again
and then it will go out
and then it will burn again
and then it will go out….
|
||||
7. |
||||
|
No one expects the night to come
When the suns still in the sky
No one thinks they’ve won the race
With no finish line in sight
No one writes just half a song
and expects it to be a hit
No one gets over the hump
and then decides to quit
No one ever told you much
without getting to the point
No one sets their sites on NYC
but settles on Des Moines
No one tells a story
without a beginning or an end
It’s the middle that’s forgotten
and never heard of again
Don’t let me die middle aged
don’t let me die middle aged
Im too young to die old and
too old to die young today
Don’t let me die middle aged
don’t let me die middle aged
The sun rises and sets
as we forget about the day
No one climbs up half a mountain
and then decides to stop
If so, you ain’t no mountain climber
You’ve just gone for a walk
You hear “finish what you’ve start”
and Once you start you see it through
You hear “no one likes a quitter”
Even if that’s not always true
You hear “It’s better to die young”
You hear “those stars burn the most bright”
You also hear “A life well lived”
Is to have lived a good long life”
You never hear “the middle years
are the best times to go”
“once you’ve settled with a wife and kids
that’s the time to blow”
Don’t let me die middle aged
don’t let me die middle aged
Im too young to die old and
too old to die young today
Don’t let me die middle aged
don’t let me die middle aged
The sun rises and sets
as we forget about the day
its how a story works
after a beginning is the middle
After the middle is the ending
It really is that simple
But if you rate from best to worst
which of these you most prefer
The middle comes in last
Which is not the way it works
No one thinks the ending comes
in the middle of the book
There are so many more pages
Someday we’ll have a look
What’s read is in the past
What we read is yet to come
but “now” is not as exciting
As what we’ll do
or what we’ve done
Don’t let me die middle aged
don’t let me die middle aged
Im too young to die old and
too old to die young today
Don’t let me die middle aged
don’t let me die middle aged
The sun rises and sets
as we forget about the day
There is just as much to do
and just as much to say
As I’ve already done
and as all that I have said
|
||||
8. |
||||
9. |
Ace Up His Sleeve
04:23
|
|||
10. |
Dream Your Dreams
02:20
|
|||
11. |
Drink To Remember
03:22
|
|||
|
There’s no fun in drinking to forget
good things you won’t remember
That haven’t happened yet.
forget the past later
for now you should choose
To drink to remember what drinking is like without you
So here’s to the winners
Who know how to lose
Who drink to remember what drinking is like without you.
Heartache is a muscle that you can never lose
It can be broken and beaten
But your strength just accrues
Whether it helps or it hinders
You learn to push through
to remember what drinking is like without you
So here’s to the elders
Who feel brand new
When they drink to remember what drinking is like without you
Shakespeare himself
Would’ve hated Hemingway
That’s one thing they’d have in common
If they’d both lived today
So it’s up to us to do what they’d choose
To drink to remember what drinking is like without you
So here’s to the tortured
Who somehow make do
Who drink to remember what drinking is like without you
So here’s to the storm
And here’s to the rain
Here’s to the wounds
And here’s to their pain
Here’s to what’s here
Here’s to the remains
Of who drinks to remember
And will do again
And again
And again
And again
And again
Who drinks to remember...
|
||||
12. |
Not Tonight
03:34
|
|||
|
Open all the windows
to listen to the rain fall / wind blow
No need to turn on any lights
the streets lamps and headlights paint the ceilings and the walls
god damn I love these rainy city nights
When the world outside feels tortured and abused
you were just looking for an excuse
To look this Saturday right in the eye
and say “not tonight"
They say...
Any day could be the big one
Their fingers on the button
Rich boys and their toys flexing their might
all the men we’ve picked to lead
The ones who write our histories
are penning one that doesn’t look too bright
When you watch the world dying on the news
and All you really need is an excuse
To tune out, and turn off the fight
and say “not tonight”
I’ve been trying so hard
keep my head above water
When there was never any wonder
why I don’t just try going under
I’ve been a swimming through the storm most of my life
but not tonight.
|
||||
13. |
Drinkin' Buddies
03:07
|
|||
14. |
Isn't it a Pity
03:39
|
|||
|
Can someone please explain to me
How this whole music thing can
Make me money
Is it too much to ask
That I might see a little cash
For making art
I just want to entertain
Play some chords and sing
Live the good life doing what I know
Isn't it a pity
That living in this city
Is the only thing that I cant afford.
While I was learning scales and modes
I should have been learning how to code
And join the tech world
But I can't really see me
Working at air b n b and sell my soul
Does it sound so wrong
That I might write a song
And get paid a decent wage
To bring you joy
Isn't it a pity
That living in this city
Playing music is considered unemployed
Can someone please explain to me
How money is a means to being happy
When there isn't room for artistry
Creativity is a Hobby for the poor.
Maybe I'm just lazy
Immature and crazy
To think that id never have to grow up
Isn't it a pity
I am living in this city
And it's the only place I've ever really loved.
Isn't it a pity
I'm living in this city
Rent is due
And I'm totally fucked
|
||||
15. |
Almost Done
05:27
|
|||
|
Take all the weapons and take all the prisons
take all the factories tear them all down
put all the metals back into the mountain
put all the oil back into the ground
take all the criminals and take all the leaders
take all these sinners and take all these saints
take all the people who litter these landscapes
someday she will put us back into our place
Don’t worry about tomorrow
There is time before the dawn
and I won’t take long.
Take all our fears and take all our dreams
take all that we laugh at and for all that we scream
take the world we’ve created not the one that were born on
how selfish that we need a reason to breathe
take all the strong armed bully pulpit preachers
take the millions of followers who head towards the call
and take those who sit quietly on the fringes
and take the ones who will say nothing at all.
Don’t worry about tomorrow
There is time before the dawn
and I won’t take long.
the ground that we’ve covered s riddled with bodies
the earth that we’ve torched will soon lay by their side
I know deep down we are a people who just want to be happy
we are seven billion people who don’t want to die
But don’t worry about tomorrow
There’s still time before the dawn
and I won’t take long
|
||||
If you like The Sam Chase, you may also like:
Live at The Bomhard
by Joan Shelley
supported by 4 fans who also own “Almost Done”
This is becoming one of my all-time favorite live albums. Outstanding setlist of some of her best songs, the band on point, and just a beautiful performance.
go to album
Leave the Fire Behind (90s Tribute)
by John Craigie
supported by 4 fans who also own “Almost Done”
go to album
And The War Came
by Shakey Graves
supported by 4 fans who also own “Almost Done”
Shakey Graves is the reason I picked up a guitar after a 20 year hiatus. If Not For You...many thanks to Alejandro and crew.
go to album
Looking Out My Window
by CARLENE
Drift away with these dreamlike songs from reclusive folk singer CARLENE, who pairs evocative lyrics with hushed arrangements.
go to album
We are only Sound
by Lucy Farrell
The long-time composer's debut folk album has exuberant and meditative moments.
go to album
Write The Soil Lighter
by Mother Juniper
“Write The Soil Lighter” is full of beguilingly mysterious folk-adjacent music, shrouded in shadow and atmospherics.
go to album
supported by 4 fans who also own “Almost Done”
Imagine all those hours devoted to bigger things.
go to album
