SIDEWALKS LYRICS
BLOCK AFTER BLOCK
Now this is all me, now this is all me

Watch out for late phone calls
Wheat paste and concrete walls
Go too far, live too long
Time’s too short, right and wrong

Block after block
Block after block

Roll-down gates look the same
Different trips, different trains

Hey friends, break in the back door
And turn it up while the lights are out
Eyes closed and shouting right now

CHORUS:
Lights turn on and dark turns up
Side by side, dream bigger
Next in line, it’s late
Now this is all me
Now this is all me

Eat when you’re hungry and
Sleep when you’re slipping like
Tired dogs rest their paws
Today we show our flaws

Block after block
Block after block

It’s one way, now on Wythe
What was left now is right

Hey friends we’ll jump the turnstiles
And cut it down
While the lights are out
Eyes closed and shouting right now

CHORUS

I think it takes a pile of bricks
For us to make a home
And I’m not sure but I hear
Mountains grow from just a stone

Block after block
Block after block
Everything I’ve learned
Every step I took and street I’ve walked

CHORUS

——————————————
AM/FM SOUND
The open road is on my back today
Hold me up I’m sure not to drag away
All these twists and turns, piles of dreams and dimes
I’ll take what’s in front and leave this mess behind

Oh I just sit here tonight and wait for my ride
Oh I just sit here tonight and you all wait by my side

Oh Eh

Meet after dark and just follow me
Tread’s been worn away, wrong side of the street

Oh I just sit here tonight
And wait for my ride
Oh I just sit here tonight
And you all wait by my side

No time to waste
And so many rules to break
With AM/FM sound
Sure to tear some fences down

Oh Eh

No time to waste
And so many rules to break
With AM/FM sound
Sure to tear some fences down

Oh Eh

——————————————
CAMERAS
Sun’s going down let’s get together
On the bridge we’ll meet up tonight
Black pants, red sweatshirt, and brown bags
Above the East River’s northern lights

You see what I see, I thought it make believe
Watched the sun rise on my street
Old cement makes for a solid place to lay
Bed of light grey, my bed of light grey

While I know it’s letters that can spell
I hear now it’s words that can say
I decided to start writing less
And I’m talking more everyday

Sixteen of our friends, a five seat bright red van
Curbside view, turn off of Grand
Pound my steering wheel, we yell to the windshield
I’m finally home, I’m finally home

CHORUS:
No time for cameras
We’ll use our eyes instead
No time for cameras
We’ll be gone when we’re dead

No time for cameras
We’ll use our eyes instead
I see flashes of gold

Every single car alarm we hear
We’ll steal and throw through their window
My water comes straight from the tap
And those bottles are all just for show

I see that we’re made of more than blood and bones
See we’re made of sticks and stones

Don’t forget to breathe
Need locks for your keys
Don’t forget to breathe now
Forget to breathe now

CHORUS

——————————————
RED PAINT
You’re bringing the bar up
Life’s not plastic forks and paper cups
A mind certainly can make a heavy weight
We’ll set all things straight

CHORUS:
Hands and red paint
Let’s make some stains, let’s make some stains
Getting dark
Hands and red paint
Let’s make a mark

All of these years
You’ve brought me here
You’ve brought me here
I thank you
All of these years
That we’ve cut through

Some parts never taught
Climbing fences, sleeping on roof tops
While so many things I see are sugar fed
Still rocks, bricks, and lead

CHORUS

Let’s make life so big
Make sure can’t be missed
I’ll carry all these days for months and for years
I’ll listen, you’ll hear

CHORUS

——————————————
WHERE YOU’RE COMING FROM
I hear shoe strings tend to break
But they tie together great
I feel I know
I know where you’re coming from

Notebooks filled with lines
And a clock’s filled with good times
I think I know
I know where you’re coming from
Oh, I know where you’re coming from

I never have enough
and you always have too much
I might just know
I know where you’re coming from

Quarters for the wash
All the other coins are tossed
I said I know
I know where you’re coming from
Oh, I know where you’re coming from

CHORUS:
I’m on my feet today
And I’ll walk into the grave
I drew this map by hand
Show you how to become a man

I’m on my feet today
And then I’ll walk into the grave
I said I
I know where you’re coming from

We tore the walls out
In this old bedroom of your house
To make room for dreams
I know where you’re coming from

Years they come and go
But today is here to stay
I said I know
I know where you’re coming from

CHORUS

——————————————
GOOD FOR GREAT
Bruises and scrapes
All life’s mistakes are nothing but bad weather
Help you sneak in all of my friends
Just so we could leave together

The books I won’t read
The air that I’ll breathe
The colors I’ve seen
I’ll leave these pages in the trees

Today
Leave good for great
Leave sleep for late
Leave good for great

Leave sleep for late
Leave good for great
Leave sleep for late
Leave good

CHORUS:
So many books that I didn’t read
But there’s so much air I chose to breathe
How about the colors that I’ve seen
so I’ll leave these pages in the trees

I don’t sit alone or pick up my phone
One day we’ll say all that we had
The beaten path is beaten fast
I’m practicing hooks and jabs

I traced a few lines
Misread all the signs
Slipped many times
My blood’s still red and I’m just fine

Today
Leave good for great
Leave sleep for late
Leave good for great

CHORUS

We sing along but the notes are wrong
We sing along through night and dawn

——————————————
NORTHEAST
The northeast
It’s all I really know
With dust and bricks and some cars in the snow

It’s like New York in the late summer time
Can breathe again even through this lovely grime

As I said, the skyline’s brighter tonight
But this time I turned on 5 more lights

It’s like New York in the late summer time
Can breathe again even and your bones they feel alive

I’ve got the northeast on my side

——————————————
WIRES
These, these cracks tell time
And story lines
Curtains close, credits roll

And all my fancy books are just for looks
Ink dried slow like this train
Train’s been delayed
Take the long way
BQE over me

CHORUS:
Cut and crossed wires
Electric fires
Reset your clocks
And rewrite your thoughts

It’s burning down
Let’s keep it up
Flames they grow strong
The louder the song

If rats, rats run this race
I’ll get first place
Tortoise versus the hare
Old rabbit ears no longer hear
Television beware

CHORUS

——————————————
SILVER TILES
Three teeth left his silver smile
Brushed clean three metal tiles
And tiles like parking lots
Three miles it never stops

Boy
You’ll be okay, boy
Your silver tiles

And all our hopes
And all our friends
Through parking lots
It’s where we’ve been

Shoes grown mighty old
Pants faded knees with holes
Stitched up now silver thread
Fixed up now like I said

Boy
You’ll be okay, boy
Your silver thread, boy
Your silver tiles
Your silver bones

And all our hopes
And all our friends
Through parking lots
I found this
B I got in school

Three teeth left his silver smile
Burnt skin from miles and miles
Of crossing parking lots
Three miles it never stops

Boy
You’ll be okay, boy
Your silver tiles
Your silver bones
With silver sides

And all our hopes
And all our friends
Through parking lots
I found this
B I got in school

——————————————
ICE MELTS
Ceiling’s falling down
Broken bricks and salty air
Sleeping on the ground
Grass is much greener from down here

Ceiling’s falling down
I hold my hands up high
Ceiling’s falling down
I gave, I took, I’ll try

CHORUS:
Ice melts around me
Watered down it will,
Watered down it will never be
Ice melts around me
Together we will
Together we will make it freeze

Hold my hands up high
And shout out all my dumb demands
Feet tap what I say
But it sounds quiet when I stand

Ceiling’s falling down
I hold my hands up high
Ceilings falling down
I gave, I took, I’ll try

CHORUS

Searching for my left shoe
In a pile of only right
Ice melts quickly
Don’t forget me
It’s bright out there
I’m wearing white

Ceiling’s falling down
It’s time to run and hide
Ceiling’s falling down
I stood and watched inside

CHORUS

——————————————————————————————————————————

GRAND LYRICS
DAYLIGHT
We cut the legs off of our pants
Threw our shoes into the ocean
Sit back and wave through the daylight
Sit back and wave through the daylight

Slip and slide on subway grates
These shoes are poor man’s ice skates
Fall through like change in the daylight
Fall through like change in the daylight

I miss yellow lines in my roads
Some color on monochrome
Maybe I’ll paint them in myself
Maybe I’ll paint them in myself

Maybe I’ll paint them in myself (x4)

These sidewalks liquid then stone
Building walls and an old pay phone
It rings like all through the daylight
It rings like all through the daylight

CHORUS:
And in the daylight we can hitchhike to Maine
I hope that someday I’ll see without these frames
And in the daylight I don’t pick up my phone
‘Cause in the daylight anywhere feels like home

I have five clocks in my life
And only one has the time right
I’ll just unplug it for today
I’ll just unplug it for today

Open hydrant rolled down windows
This car might make a good old boat
And float down Grand Street in daylight
And float down Grand Street in daylight

And float down Grand Street in daylight (x4)

And with just half of a sunburn
New yellow lines that I earned
Step back and here comes the night time
Step back and here comes the night time

CHORUS

——————————————
CUTDOWN
Let’s cut down the day
In this green rusty van
Like a red Cadillac
Top down, shoulders tan
I bought my first watch
But it feels all wrong
So let’s wait out the day
Bring the heat along

And when the timing’s right
Hold up wait
Wait wait wait wait
Wait wait wait
We’ll pull to the side
Arms up, count it down
Just like
5, 4, 3, 2, 1
The checkered flag means we’ve just begun

Let’s cut it down
Let’s cut it down

And we cut down
The day in my old van
Count down
From 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

——————————————
GOOD OL’ FASHION NIGHTMARE
Show me the side streets in your life
Train yards like bone yards, sharpened knives
Sidewalks are unassuming fields
Concrete and cracks won’t cut you deals
Won’t cut you deals
Won’t cut you

Lost teeth like white jewels of some kind
Petty theft for penny crimes
For penny crimes
For penny crimes
And we yell

Ahhh like a good ol’ fashion nightmare
Ahhh ahh ahh ahhh

Riding trains to end of lines
Still we’ve got nothing but time
The skyline looks brighter tonight
Let’s go smash out every light
Your left foot in front of right
In front of right
In front of right
And we yell

Ahhhh like a good ol’ fashion nightmare
Ahhh ahh ahh ahhh

——————————————
SPARE CHANGE
And it all
Comes down to hope
Came down on me
I’m begging you now
I’m begging you please
Comes down to hope
Came down on me

Someday spare change won’t feel the same
Stand up real tall and wait to be called

Thoughts so strong I feel them when you’re gone
Thoughts so strong I feel them when you’re gone

And these old walks in the park
And meetings after dark
A sore sight for sore eyes
Run wild and free
You got no place to be

Comes down to hope
Came down on me

——————————————
I WANNA
I wanna sleep through the weekend
I wanna try
I wanna walk on my own floor
Before I die

And now, now the band tunes up
And now remember your lines
And all morning I woke up
And all day long no time

I wanna bring back the bison
I wanna try
I wanna close up the cabinets
Before I die

And now, now the band tunes up
And now remember your lines
All morning I woke up
And all day long no time

——————————————
LESSONS LEARNED
Tape holds things that cannot stick
And keep leftovers in the fridge
While lessons learned go down the drain
I can’t believe everything
And all the bad names gone
And the good ones were all wrong

And so I stayed up all night
Slept in all day
This is my sound
Thinking ’bout tomorrow won’t change
How I feel today

Never let your mark erase
‘Cause broken legs can be replaced
Two steps to the finish line
Three sips ’til I finish mine
A straw will always suck it out
Close your eyes and use your mouth
And tell me ’bout your song

And so I stayed up all night
Slept in all day
This is my sound
Thinking ’bout tomorrow won’t change
How I feel today

——————————————
DON’T SLOW DOWN
Locked knees, no keys
Brooklyn, Grand Street
Four flights, late nights
Black socks, white dice
Ten pounds, loud sounds
Turned up, tied and bound

Don’t slow down

Fire escapes sunny
Don’t slow down
Butter and honey
Don’t slow down
Iron and money
Don’t slow down

Don’t slow down
Pen versus pencil
Don’t slow down
I don’t make the rules
Don’t slow down
Physical mental
Don’t slow down

Don’t slow down

Gardens and trashcans
Hoodies and Chuck Ts
Arms, fingers and hands
Don’t slow down

Don’t slow down
I’m feeling restless
Don’t slow down
Summons and sentence
Don’t slow down
We’ve made some messes
Don’t slow down

Don’t slow down

——————————————
TURN THIS BOAT AROUND
Please direct my call
Like strings and cans through halls
I made some out of lead and I tried them out in bed
Couldn’t make it through the walls

Turn this boat around
We’re starting to go down
But it begins to rain
You forgot how dark it stains
Thought it was a drought

La la la leave it all behind
La la la see the fight
La la la make the best of it
La la la and goodnight

Left turn look both ways
Take breaks on cloudy days
With miles and miles of roads
How’d you know which ones have holes
I’m glad we didn’t stay

La la la leave it all behind
La la la see the fight
La la la until the end
La la la and goodnight

——————————————
I’LL TAKE US HOME
Pull out all the stops
We are coming home tonight
A pair of old boxing gloves in a new fight
Where every single scar
Well, it means something to me
As if life wrote down my history
My history

Bottles and road signs
Sound like tires on bent wheels
Our hands and feet and ordinary thrills
When we unlocked all the doors
Just so we could finally breathe
Just so we could sew down these torn-up sleeves

Here we stand with a wolf-like shadow
Here we stand in the end
Hey New York, here’s our wolf-like shadow
Hey New York, our old friend

This roof could be my bed
Blankets feel like the night sky
Blankets feel better the heavier they get

Red lights can mean go
I’ll take us home
I’ll take us home
Cut down the blinds from my windows

I stood back on the couch
Remembered this is my life
With my hands over my head
Friends by my side

Here is where we’ll go
I’ll take us home
I’ll take us home
I’ll take us home

Here we stand with a wolf-like shadow
Here we stand in the end
Hey New York, here’s our wolf-like shadow
Hey New York, our old friend