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Man of the House

by Peter Squires

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1.
Folk Tales 02:45
collected all the folk tales put them in a blender spread them across a sheet pan shaped like america to see what it would render some parts were revolting some were inspirational some were terrifying because facing expiration can feel confrontational the overall result was nothing if not memorable but despite all its pages the whole collection was tragically ephemeral you were born to be remembered locally and worldly your tale was a fine one quite superior except it ended early
2.
i wish i'd been there for me with a peaceful offering a dose of empathy and some words of warning the one who'd comfort me help me grieve productively display maturity had been lost that morning the picture's incomplete when you're too close to see starts to make sense to me around 30,000 feet wish i could tell old me or should i say young me you still have a family they're just all in mourning but it wasn't meant to be it was meant not to be i was only 23 but now i'm growing the picture's incomplete when you're too close to see starts to make sense to me around 30,000 feet so these days when i see you unavoidably confronting destiny please allow me to be your solidarity your stalwart company a touch of therapy something strong and sturdy i wish i'd been there for me with a peaceful offering a dose of empathy and some words of warning
3.
the woman of the woods uprooted after all she found me in the spring and left me in the fall with four years in between i thought she just might stay but leaving's more her thing it's in her DNA i wasn't meant to leave the city she wasn't meant to land at all we landed together in the country but not once and for all the woman of the woods should not be held at fault i pushed her out the door she pulled a somersault i wasn't meant to leave the city she wasn't meant to land at all we landed together in the country but not once and for all the woman of the woods is more than of the earth she's flying through the air her domain is the world i wasn't meant to leave the city she wasn't meant to land at all we landed together in the country but not once and for all maybe she will come back despite me making her feel unwelcome here i'd welcome her back but it is likely she's onto the next frontier i should've known it'd end up this way basically dared her to call my bluff women of woods should be held tightly and i didn't hold enough
4.
is that the Jackson brought to fame by June and Johnny? we've got a couple empty days we need to fill the 23rd or 24th would suit us nicely if it's on the way from Richmond to Chapel Hill but don't look to me for some reflected glory don't look to me to learn how to be good i don't have any coattails for you to ride on but there's room for one more bird here in my hood i'd like to be the bird in your hood but i don't want to burden your hood i heard about the tunes you made from Dan and Whitney this Anne of yours seems to have a special gift want to join us when we're up there in September? we'll come up early, grab some beers and shoot the shit i know you see me like a freshman does a senior and you think i think you're just a hanger-on morganeve and i will never call you peter but we'll call you when there's friends to call on i like when you're the bird in my hood you could never burden my hood
5.
i was born where the season change and sometimes we have to hunker down we're bred to think that's how it must be but we love the colors when they're around the colors now feel so long ago that i forgot about blue and pink you lose the pleasure of fallen snow when fallen snow is all you can see i followed an occidental mystery though i'm oriented for the fall tend to go south when things are looking bleak but things end up looking up after all it's the winter that makes us who we are but we look better all dressed in green guess that's why we partially hate ourselves and always partially want to leave i wonder what would happen if we retreat to all the strength we built to survive without the winter will there be spring? and will we even still feel alive? i followed an occidental mystery though i'm oriented for the fall tend to go south when things are looking bleak but things end up looking up after all
6.
whether headed on a trip to watch my annie swing or an adventure up to portland to pluck some old 12-strongs you were down to ride along you're always down for anything sun in our sky we gather around the warmth that you bring whether headed to the city where our lives both begun to play some tunes for old friends or visit museums you were down to make the trek even when my plans were dumb sun in our sky you always find a way to make it fun you encourage us to read you encourage us to write you encourage us to call you when we're having a hard time seem to effortlessly dig and always find a gold mine sun in our sky your reflection makes us shine
7.
am i the mom? is she the dad? in either case the kid's unruly it isn't fair to fit us in such normative roles and so unduly the nurturing warm i'm yearning for is something i can also offer but will i receive what i feel i need? the story's broke and so's the author you showed such promise but couldn't deliver we made some progress but lost to the winter i looked so sturdy in all of the pictures am i the building or am i the builder? there's a room upstairs with a comfy bed but i sleep on the couch i must be crazy left here alone nothing gets done and everything breaks it's quite amazing i was lucky to find a man of the house who happens to be an incredible lady am i destroying the patriarchy, or am i just useless and lazy? you showed such promise but couldn't deliver we made some progress but lost to the winter i looked so sturdy in all of the pictures am i the building or am i the builder?
8.
Tough Guy 01:08
fuck you, get away from my man! you're not allowed in my house or my driveway come close i'll put my mohawk up and show you who's the bigger dog really it's not fair such a majestic beast was trapped in this ridiculous body think i'll go take a shit in the yard and mark all the territory my picture says i'm little and cute my behavior tells a different story you can take your audition and shove it didn't want to go to daycare anyway
9.
your town is calm and serene but you can get bent out of shape by the little things you seem to fear god, outsiders and change your voices get loud when you're feeling outraged i lit the fire in the lumberyard and flooded the paper store you thought that they would always be there but they are no more i lit the fire in the lumberyard and flooded the paper store introduced a little change here so you would move forward you gather your thoughts for op-eds in the paper then gather to read them with all of your neighbors so quick to lash out, so slow to reflect you need a catastrophe for some perspective i lit the fire in the lumberyard and flooded the paper store you thought that they would always be there but they are no more i lit the fire in the lumberyard and flooded the paper store introduced a little change here so you would move forward
10.
we tell ourselves we don't deserve it this is where we belong we have to carry this burden no matter how the mercury falls we tell each other all of the time that to be alive you have to suffer to revel in momentary relief our lives together have always been better when the sun is out later and the temperature is warm i don't know why it took this long to decide we were meant to live where the summer never ends so we're moving to new orleans because we've forgotten how to party but they'll remind us there and they'll become our friends we were meant to live where the summer never ends i refuse to die in a frozen tundra nightmare

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Written and Recorded February 2015 for the RPM Challenge.

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released March 1, 2015

All songs written and performed by Peter Squires.
Recorded at home with one Blue Yeti USB mic into Garageband.

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Peter Squires Madbury, New Hampshire

Combining humor & heartbreak, Peter Squires can brighten your day or bring you down with just a few chords. A witty songwriter & talented instrumentalist, Squires is never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve.

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