[Intro: Brad Raney]

Things that were, uh..

I thought that were positive, but had a negative tone

Or things I was doing that didn't reflect who I really wanted to be

And what I wanted to, kinda reflect into the world and

I have kids so I wanted them to see, y'know a certain

Uh, certain level of positivity and I had to

Do that in everything, I couldn't just say

"Hey, I'm gonna-"

[Verse 1: abstract dak]

You gon' have to make a strong impression

If I'm trying to impress it always feels like a regression

So I - try and keep it authentic, limit compression

Always try to find the balance when amplifying the message

Will it rеsonate?

Or will it strike the wrong chord?

Evеry moment I hesitate is another drawn sword

Will it knight me or penetrate for the promise I've sworn?

Take me to heavens gate on the dawn that I'm scorned

In deep mourning, no dreams but I keep snoring

It's alarming how sudden shit changes, I need warning

My sleep shortened - there's no reprieve from the grief

Either take it to the grave or let it leave through my teeth

Lungs deflate - I gasp, they won't fill

My tongue constrained, the clasp is my guilt

Sorta feeling like I'll never get this weight off my chest

But there's more to life than living with so many regrets

All the fears remain strong when you keep 'em at arms length

Steered me so far off the path I was on, stayed

Honest about the outcome, I'm seeing it through

Every ounce of optimism, man, I owe it to you

When the foliage over took me it was hard to see the light

I'm holding myself to changing but I know that I'm gon' fight

Controlling what's in my brain, now I'm gon' do it out of spite

Because I fucking loathe the way I lived every day of my life

[Bridge: Brad Raney]

That type of philosophy I think's real important

And whether that's being humble, or whether that's just being grounded

Either way it works for me, because that-

That allows me to then focus on the people I'm talking to, I'm-

I'm not worried about me

[Verse 2: abstract dak]

Good grief, good grief, tell me really, what's good?

So bleak, won't speak 'til I make it through the woods

Weighed down by a shadow in the dusk

Wouldn't wanna leave even when I see the cusp, I took

One step, now I'm backtracking the prints

Like I'm drawn to it, a hook punctured my lip

The only line that came out of my mouth for three years

Listen for the whispers in silence with keen ears

Of course I'm still here

Of course it feels different

Of course my family tree is losing branches by the minute

Of course the time ticks, and everybody has a limit

Taken to a place that nobody can ever visit, of course

My heart sore and my mind is a mess

It's like I'm running down the list of shit I gotta confess

I been holding on to things you left behind and I guess

It's not the items to enshrine, it's the time that we spent

Lines connect like the fist to my stomach when he passed on

My intuition the only thing I could act on

I cast doubt on my ability to change

But it's really my last route, couldn't find another way

[Outro: Brad Raney & Bridgett McGowan]

Get that to-do list out and check it off

That's what keeps you moving forward

If you take care of yourself, if you take care of others

And you keep working on that to-do list every day

You'll be amazed where your life will go and how quickly

That you can be in charge of it

I do those every day, Bridgett

I hope some of your listeners will start doing those as well

Forget about the listeners doing 'em, I need to do them too

I thought I was done with it several times

I went through two publishers

I went through thirty five different covers

I couldn't let go of it

Uh, I- I couldn't stop messing with it

And finally picked up the phone and called me and said, look

"You can do Volume 2, you can do Volume 3, you can do Volume 4

But we gotta get Volume 1 out first

Would you please?? Fuck!"