Wrote the front end in 2007, the back end in 2011. Old and new.
lyrics
Got a steel reserve and a quarter-pound dog
And a fat stack of papers on my backlog
But I can’t, no I can’t be your dancing clown no more
Gotta set my broken clavicle against the wheel
Take a deep breath & let my burdens feel
The right type of wind that my big brass lungs go for
Bump yourself up a notcher, stoop to conquer
Roll yr choices round yr tongue
If you should falter, pray at the altar
Of the love you draw your livin’ from, oh God
I gotta suit that’s old, but the buttons new
I got an old pair of shoes I took the kiwi to
But I can’t and I won’t dance for you no more
If I roll to the right I get a bump on my toe
I roll to the left I get a freak show
So I’ll sit here with you in the middle of somethin’ good
You know them high-steppin strutters gonna roll that log
Droppin’ waves on an unsuspecting tree frog
It’s two roads diverged in a swampy southern wood
There’s no indication of the frustration
You’ll face when you first sign on
So keep it upright
And tip your cup right
Off the curb till the liquor’s gone
Dance for everybody in the whole reserve
The tall black tango looks a bit unnerving
Stumblin’ around the green years
Make my love better, grow it every day
I drink the hard steel, still my skin’s okay,
Keep touchin me touchin me, smooth like the river on a Sunday
Warm like the willow cryin’ everyday
Tradin’ golden hours for some shit pay
But once in a great great while you see
A light shining through the rain
That makes you wanna alchemize
Your Steel Reserve into champagne
And every time my family asks about that light
They say Hey Magilla, what’s her name
And though It’s held several over many years
It always leaves me feelin’ the same
It always leaves me singin’ the same
credits
from A Place In The Hills,
released August 20, 2011
Magilla on voice, guitars, drums, bass, percussion. Front end recorded at Mt. Vernon Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Sounds like a great soundtrack for an America as crusty as the tiles on their album cover. Lush instrumentation, pulls you in hypnotically. Magilla Shuwall
My good friend Keith produced and engineered this one. Sounds like you're right there in the room headbanging along. Drives heavy and keeps it interesting. Magilla Shuwall
The sophomore album from former session musician Imraan Paleker highlights his modern soul, alt-rock, jazz, and electronic sensibilities. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 16, 2020