Get all 8 Gretchen's Wheel releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of such open sky, Stuck On You, Moth to Lamplight: A Tribute to Nada Surf, Black Box Theory, awry, Sad Scientist, Behind the Curtain, and Fragile State.
1. |
Better in the Dark
03:47
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Better in the Dark
I know the universe is unaffected
by passion burning brighter than the sun
enough to turn your world into ash
while it keeps on turning
no one else feels it burning
why’d you have to go and turn the light on
don’t you know you’re better in the dark
never to reveal all the things you feel
you can’t fail if you refuse to start
I wish all my thoughts remained unspoken
I should try to make myself obscure
I should never open my mouth
it’s time for some closure
this chapter is over
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2. |
Left Turn
02:59
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Left Turn
traveling at the speed of sound
not once have your feet left the ground
it’s shown you the world but hasn’t taken you far
writing letters you will not send
you know the words and you comprehend
but the right ones don’t come to your mind in time
was your left turn right or are you going in circles
all you see is hindsight, it’s nothing but a reversal
and your knuckles are white ‘cause this is not a rehearsal
you know your nerve never fails to fail
doesn’t take much for the train to derail
and you can’t make yourself believe in destiny
yes, it’s the simple life for you
awake and writing this at 2
as all your energy turns to entropy
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3. |
Surviving
03:26
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Surviving
how many days beating your head against the same wall
do you really think you’re ever gonna break through
mining the depths, searching in desolate places
your burden to bear, can’t write a word that’s not true
so what do you get for all your striving
you’re learning you have enough if you’re surviving
blindfolded game, pinning the tail on moving targets
skipping your turn because you’re still burned from the last
you can’t decide on the right time to make an exit
when will you know when your best day is in the past
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4. |
Blank Slate
04:01
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Blank Slate
I’m not a robot
I am a sad scientist
would it save me from myself
to cease and desist
obsession filling up my days
must have tried a thousand ways
to be a blank slate
do you think it would set me free
because I can’t wait
to find serenity
a blank slate
can you tell me what to be
I’ll eliminate
the greatest part of me
I’m made to feel too much
may be unwell
but take away the highs and lows
then what is left
one too many fatal flaws
list of features to redraw
start from scratch and build the one that you want
an empty page you can write whatever on
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5. |
Save the Day
04:50
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Save the Day
there were things I thought could be
I found the obstacle was me
good intentions pave the way
words unspoken don’t convey
does everyone feel like there’s something they missed
just a part of what it means to exist
never getting it right
do we ever get it right
love rich and memory poor
I had room for so much more
seems I couldn’t save the day
what’s made for spending can’t be saved
they say it goes faster the longer you live
I already watch my days run through a sieve
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6. |
The Price
03:36
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The Price
in a constant state of preparation
for the worst case scenario
desperate for distractions
because I know how things could go
it’s a price to pay to care
too much for a heart to bear
it’s an equal part despair
slow down but hurry
because I’m weighed down with worry til you’re there
dependency is very frightening
would I be able to do without
but attachment and devotion
are what living’s all about
intrusive thoughts fill the silence
I’ll dive right in head first
always waiting for the moment
life takes a turn for the cursed
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7. |
Out of Your Hands
03:37
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Out of Your Hands
there’s never a time when winter isn’t coming
in a world that never won’t turn around
will you ever find the peace for which you’re looking
is it even there to be found
nothing went like you planned
in and out of your hands
make the most of your time while you can
can you discern the places you’re not wanted
can you figure out what went wrong
vision is blurred, fingers tired of crossing
you’d think by now they’d be strong
like you plan
out of your hands
while you can
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8. |
Disintegrate
03:30
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Disintegrate
now that you’re breaking down in pieces like your mind always has
try to numb the pain with the thought of things it’s not as bad as
and when there’s nowhere on earth to escape your fate
there’s nothing left to do but disintegrate
didn’t know how good you had it when you had it
now you’re barely hanging on by a thread
this defeatist attitude is problematic
always bringing on yourself what you dread
though the war is never-ending, you want to lay your armor down
find sweet relief but the enemy keeps hanging around
the drill you know so well, brace yourself for the attack
sleep with one eye open and the wall to your back
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9. |
Wish
03:26
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Wish
some days I’m strong
the future is bright
nothing goes wrong
no demons to fight
some days I’m new
strange and stabilized
dreams I pursue
could be sane and wise
but you can’t rely on memory
I’d rather live it again
maybe then it would be enough
and I’d be satisfied then
some days I’m brave
chances I’ll take
my spirit I’ll save
I’ll bend but not break
some days are golden
the moments sublime
never grow cold
if I can keep it in mind
I wish that I could keep it at bay
the light is fading into dark gray
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10. |
Same Song
03:11
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Same Song
do you see yourself in every hopeless character
are dreams deferred your stock-in-trade
fantastic illusion to cold confusion
the stuff of which your days are made
we are having the same dream
variations on a theme
we are singing the same song
in a world where we don’t belong
please don’t think you’re insignificant
that no one is listening to you
I’m here to tell you, I am and you matter
to tell the truth I’m weary too
every taste of rejection is sweeter when we share
I hear you in my headphones and it’s easier to bear
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