Track Listing & Lyrics
by John Wesley
We are the center of a spectacle
We are the focus of our own lies
Tread the well worn path to respectable
Abusing the promise of our pretty lives
We so often thought ourselves invincible
We'd drink and laugh and challenge the very gods in the sky
Now we become invisible
Carry the ashes of our pretty lives
These are the moments that make up our pretty lives
These are desires that keep us down
Desperate and drowning in all but the candles we light
These are the wishes to never be found
These are wishes we never should have found
There was a time we were invincible
holes in the armor come from our own knives
Punch drunk, we stagger in the firelight of principle
And gather the ashes of our pretty lives
by John Wesley
I swore, I' never be one of those
Numb, vindictive, chained to a ghost
Chant a worn out Mantra
Today's the day, I let go
Some bricks keep comin' back
No matter where you throw em...
I stare up into the sky
Pray for little light chase away the night...
Hey Star, how about little light to show me where you are
Hey Star, a little mercy here would go pretty far
Hey Star, is this the year, the year of letting go
Hey Star
Losing's a part of living
Something we all go through
At least that's what you tell yourself
when it's happening to you
I Read in some book
It takes about year to let go
Yet some of us keep hangin' on
To our unbreakable ropes
I stare up into the sky
Pray for little light to take away night...
Hey Star, how about little light to show me where you are
Hey Star, how bout a little light to illuminate these scars
Hey Star, This is my year
by John Wesley
There's no sense in need
There's no sense in your disbelief
That you could ever want love
That you could ever need love
That you could ever come to me
Just take my hand
Feel the warmth in us to understand
How you could ever want love
How you could ever need love
How you could ever come to me
I am not used up I am not
I am not cold, put your hands on me
I am not torn I am not
We will have love
It will set us free...
Down on my knees
I must suspend this disbelief
That you could ever want love
That you could ever need love
That you would ever come to me
I am not used up I am not
I am not cold, put your hands on me
I am not torn I am not
We will have love
It will set us free
by John Wesley
Voyeur of life, of love
Outside in the rain
And the wind, come in
But you wait
Till the stars fall from the sky
You watch
Till the sun burns your eyes
But you wait
Till the stars fall from the sky
You watch
Till the sun burns your eyes
Come into me
you will always always
run, away with me
you will always always
be one, into we
we will always always
be the sun, with me
we will always always, be...
fortunate one...
yet how alone we become
when you wait till the stars fall from the sky
you watch, till the love burns your eyes
Come into me
you will always always
run, with me
you will always always
be one, into we
we will always always
be the sun, yes me
we will always always... be...
Come into me
you will always always
you will always always
be one, into we
we will always always be
by John Wesley
Your momma and daddy can't take care of themselves
So I'm gonna look after of you
Your daddy loves liquor and your momma needs help
Cause all of her nightmares came true
I got this car when my granddaddy passed
So meet me just after last bell
I've got twenty dollars it'll get us some gas
We won't get to far and we won't get there fast
But it's twenty dollars further from hell
Leave it to me cause I'm 17
Leave it to me we'll get through
If' you'll be my queen then I'll play a king
I'll always look after you
Just leave it to me
I am a king at 17
Leave it to me...
I am the King of 17
We head to the east to catch up to the sun
You smile as you watch it rise
We come from nothing, we leave nothing behind
my world is the hope in your eyes
Leave it to me cause I'm 17
Leave it to me we'll get through
If' you'll be my queen then I'll play a king
I'll always take care of you
Just leave it to me
I am a king at 17
Leave it to me...
I am the King of 17
by John Wesley
I'm a bit unavailable
You seem a bit gone
Rumors of right and wrong, assailable
Delivered from tongues of those un-tamable
Yet loosed
Upon we
See you hurt
See you leave
Then you shiver
I watched you Shiver oh
Then you Shiver till...
I can not breathe any more
No I can not be here alone
You shiver
I watched you Shiver oh You Shiver till I
No shield, entirely covered us
Faith, seems to crumble into dust
Leaving us just ourselves to despair of
Feeling the sting of the poison arrows
So loosed
Upon we
See you hurt
See you leave...
Then you shiver
I watched you Shiver oh
Then you Shiver till...
I can not breathe any more
No I can not be here alone
No I can not dream anymore
No I can not see anymore
by John Wesley
Don’t leave me with this empty swing
Don’t leave me here alone
Say that you’ll come back to me
Better yet, don’t even go
There is no way to follow you
You leave no clear-cut road
All your wanderings come back to me
So hurry please come home
Don’t leave me with this empty swing
Don’t leave us here alone
The world’s lost all its mystery
So hurry please come home
Be a good boy be a good girl
Live a good life it’ll be a good world
Be a good boy be a good girl
Live a good lie, it’ll be a good world
Be a good boy be a good girl
Live a good life, it’ll be a cruel world
Be a good boy be a good girl
You get to die alone, in your own home...
So come on and swing baby
Just take the rope and swing baby...
Take the rope and swing
by John Wesley
Let it snow
Let it come down
Let it filter through the sky
To the Gulf of Mexico
Let us sleep
Let us dream
Let us believe there is salvation
at the bottom of the bottle into which I peek
Do you believe, there are no miracles
Do you believe...
We will not drown
in the bottom of a bottle
Searching for a genie that can't be found
So we climb, climb up a rainbow
Swirling in the colors of her Majesty's best display
of things we'll never know
Yet I believed,
that if I climbed it up so high
until I could not breathe
There would be some miracle
There would come a miracle
There would be some miracle
There would come a miracle
Some parts of life come true
Whether we believe
or whether not we want them to
Some of us we die
as we try to fight the sea
and hold back the tide
Praying for some miracle
Waiting for a miracle
Holding on for some miracle
Praying for a miracle
So we wait
We watch the sky
We find painted in the clouds
The understanding that the miracle
was you and I
It was always you and I
The miracle
was you and I
by John Wesley
Light-sabers at dawn
The battle lines have been drawn
lets get some blood flowing
Let's get this party going
Freedom to choose
What it is that you lose
Well I've got some lessons to teach
And you're just within reach
I violate you, you dig into me
Move along people... there ain't nothing to see... here
The Bell's rung this is your round
Did you get enough punches in
Cause I'm down on the ground
The bell's rung this is your round
Did you get enough punches in
Because I'm gong down
If we're to easily bruised
Then it's no fun to lose
Let's put this game away
I no longer care to play...
The Bell's rung this is your round
Did you get enough punches in
Cause I'm down on the ground
The bell's rung this is your round
Did you get enough punches in
Because I'm gong down
by John Wesley
Light filters into the room
Beams split into multitudes
Of angels, rainbows, or any dreams I make them be
Got pictures of you and me
Got a letter of apology
Return address as far away as you can be
My head keeps searching for
The parts of you I adore
I promise I will ignore
How mean you could sometimes be, if you'd just
Please come back to me
Please come back to me
Please come back...
Healthy, relationship,
words that never seem to fit
need and greed
have become more apropos
I'm convinced there's nothing more
Than the struggle that's in store
For any soul brave enough to claim love
Well I claim you, if you'd just...
Please come back to me
Please come back to me
Please come back...
feel the heat, you know I...
feel the cuts, you know I'd...
be a star that could lighten up your sky
you know I'd...
give you love, you know I'd
fill your heart, you know I'd
be a star that could sparkle in your sky
if you'd just...
Please come back to me
Please come back to me
Please come back
Album Credits
Mixed by Steven Wilson; produced and Engineered by Mark Prator and John Wesley; additional arrangement by Scott Bannevich. Recorded at RedRoom Recorders, Tampa Florida. Mastered at Fullersound Miami, by Mike Fuller.
Guitar and Vocals…John Wesley
Drums and Percussion…Mark Prator
Bass… Scott Bannevich
Piano, Organ and Backing Vocals… Tracy LaBarbera
Words and music by John Wesley
Slide Guitar solo on “Pretty Lives”: Mixed right… Ryan Newell; Mixed left… John Wesley
John Wesley plays Paul Reed Smith guitars through Bad Cat amps. Thanks to Winn Krolac at PRS and James Heidrich at Bad Cat.
Cover and Sleeve art and photography… Lasse Hoile.
Graphic Design and Layout… Joe del Tufo, Mobius New Media
Thanks to…
Mark Mittentag – website design
Rob Galardi – Logistics and years of support…
Live Production – Otto, Pat and Andy at E-tech Systems
The Marillion Family
The Porcupine Tree
Sister Hazel
An album such as this does not come together without the massive support of family and friends, luckily for me… too plentiful to name… To all of you, my most sincere thanks…
Dedicated to my dad, Jay Dearth