1. |
The Archer's Work
02:56
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Chorus: The Archer draws his bow, the arrow fires true,
Tearing at the flesh in my chest
There are too many hearts and too many lives,
But thank God, I’ve found yours in mine.
Woah
I fell in love with a cannibal once,
In an empty school bus parking lot,
There was the yellow of the sun dancing in her hair,
And the lights of her brown eyes’ stare.
Her fingertips cut like pendulums swing,
And the curve of her body made my heart sing,
I fell in love with that cannibal then.
I’d do it all over again.
So I said my hellos with a smile (I suppose),
Framed in roses and poetry prose,
Then I offered my hand like a sacrifice,
And dang! She took a bite!
I said I was sorry, but the tears came too fast,
I yelled and now she’ll (probably) never love me back.
There were too many stares, and too many sighs,
I pray to God maybe she’ll find her heart in mine.
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2. |
Elephant Mafias
04:14
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It’s all that I can do to not float through the ceiling tops,
The bite scar visible on my flesh.
The leather arms grasp my soul with sleep,
Where my guilty mind can rest.
Chorus: Their toy handguns, their thunderous battled-rums,
Wrestle with my heart, wrestle with my heart,
Their black fedoras, their darkish chorus,
Singing out “Your time is now!”
The rhythm of the tires shatters in my back,
My head filled with Elephant Mafias.
Her perfume drifts like a ghost in my mind,
“I love you:” thrust in my esophagus.
I’m falling apart.
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3. |
A Liquor Bottle
02:10
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I kicked a liquor bottle as I ran across the road,
I prayed for a needle so that our cloth could be sewn!
But I’m penniless beneath your gaze, so I hope to God up high,
That today would be the day that I’ll reclaim my blue skies.
Go
My shy smile screamed volumes as my voice cracked open wide,
I whispered I was sorry, words that burned me inside,
They spewed like flames, consumed the shame that I once bore,
I swear to God I’ve never felt a love like this before!
Go?!
I kicked a liquor bottle as I ran across the road,
I tried to hold my happiness, but I know it must’ve shown,
As the sun dipped like breadsticks into the margarine mountaintops,
The dawn sighed in warmth as the men brought down their shops.
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4. |
The Dark Shed, Pt. 1
04:18
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My fingers plucked all the wrong strings,
I said all the wrong things,
Like “Why do you crave flesh?” (Oh, dear God!)
With a tear stinging her eye,
With a not-too-majestic sigh,
She asked “Why do you care?”
I thought “Oh, look what you’ve done!”
“You broke the only heart I love!”
“Then stuttered to stitch up the wounds.”
But she sighed and turned away,
Placed dark clouds upon my day,
I wept saying “If death comes now, it won’t be too soon!”
Silence rang out at that Dark Shed
As the songs bid their close,
End lines of lovely prose,
It bled the ink and perished in the snow.
My shoulders sigh,
My dry eyes then cried.
Merciless and black, that Dark Shed, that Dark Shed.
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5. |
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The glow of streetlamps is sickeningly soft against my skin.
My eyes close, my breath slows, and I feel ready to fall.
I’m just worried my sin
Chorus: Will anger the gods,
And tear down the skies,
And burn all the wolves,
With their absent minded "Why's,"
To throw rocks at her window,
Throwing Rocks at Your Window.
They crunch like bones against the sill, I hear the door open,
I re-think, think “Go around the front and wipe the tears from her eyes!”
“And impress her with my cleverest disguise, till I can show her who I am!”
I think “Oh my God, how her lips on mine would..." (Chorus)
But then she was gone,
And I was left to choke on my song.
As the wind grew cold and the excitement molded, I walked home,
I knew it, I knew this redemption would... (Chorus again!)
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6. |
Forget the Theatrics
01:57
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Anxious, my palms beaded with sweat,
Oh, the tunings of love songs creaked in my head,
Forget the theatrics, kiss her lips,
The sun beat down on her fingertips.
Chorus: My daughter! The pain in her eyes,
My son! The clouds in the sky,
My heart! Thunders amidst,
A thousand wishes of a thousand kissed.
Nervous my words, twisted like sin,
Their energies burned my guts within,
So I mimicked her movements, and copied her sighs,
But I guess those tears came of my own design…
My heart spilled like anointing oil,
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry”
And then we were okay. (Yay!)
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7. |
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Caressing the spines that trickle down my tips,
The smell of brown, rotting pages like ships,
Laying at shore, shattered to bits on the stones,
Their stories were glowing in my bones.
Chorus: And her eyes burn like fires in my skull,
Breaking those binding ropes that keep me to shore,
There are too many hearts wiped like rags against the floor,
I’m not sure if I want brain-freeze anymore.
And the filtered light played like hearts in her hair,
Singing a song without a sigh or a care,
As we left the books to sit in their place,
An open wound was made known in my face.
Am I alright?
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8. |
Don't Let Me Die
03:48
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As sleep carries my body in its arms,
And the sun can’t kiss the moon for all of its charms,
My toes tread tidal waves of a thousand ships that’ve lost their way,
Oh Sleeper, come and kiss my lips goodnight.
A liquor bottle pours as the sun turns to glass,
Dripping all the poison on my flesh,
Burning, bleeding, bearing, the wound inside is wearing,
It spells, all too simply, “I’m a Cannibal Now”
Chorus: Don’t let me die, she cries, don’t let me die,
Because I don’t want to have to your face again.
Now my skull’s opened wide on concrete,
As the smell of burning metal my nose meets,
My arm broken back behind my woe-driven back,
And my hand cuts open on the black.
I awaken to a phone call, rings in my head,
She says all the things I wanted said.
My eyes drowned in tears, as sleep reappeared,
And I was carried away to dream once again.
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9. |
Cannibal's Anonymous
02:01
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A dusty shack, a rusty, plain brick building doesn’t look too sane,
It’s crawling with ominous signs,
But they’re smiling, laughing, coffee in their veins,
Just maybe we’ll be alright.
Chorus: Welcome to Cannibal’s Anonymous!
We promise your secret is safe here.
There’s an issue with our minds, so step inside, no shame nor pride,
Security is all you can fear!
We’ve lost our jobs, we’ve lost our homes, is there any choice but hide?
Just step right up and tell us your name!
That screaming in our heads is really whispers-amplified,
Everyone’s got ‘em, yeah, we’re all the same!
(Whistles)
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10. |
God Hates You
04:14
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My day seems to end when the sun comes alive,
And the images of acceptance leave my eyes,
Is it too much to ask to not be spat on by churches,
And “saints,” and “gods?”
And so on
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11. |
Five Seconds
02:53
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First Second
She’s smiling at me, my breath comes too fast,
I feel my heart thump steady on my wrist,
And her eyes burn like embers laying, rolling in my chest,
This was the first second before we kissed.
Second (Umm…) Second
I’m sweating like a candle in a furnace, burning hot,
I feel my heart pump, clenching like a fist,
Do I even know her well, is she Heaven or is she Hell?
This was second two before we kissed.
Chorus
Will I die, will I die?
Will her lips kiss the air out of my lungs?
Will I die? It’s worth a try.
Third Second
The third second screamed like a gun over a field,
She’s the constant stabbing in the chest before the wound has healed!
Fourth Second
But maybe she’ll run, reject the love that holds my tongue,
These are the thoughts the fourth second concealed.
Fifth Second
I think I’m in love, I don’t know anymore,
Is this how the sun feels when it sees the night?
The fifth second we kissed.
And I swear to you, the pain inside me died.
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12. |
Warren Street
04:42
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I cut my vocal chords on the sun,
Spill my guts on the pavement below,
But the clouds paint over on a canvas of blue,
And all the lights turn too low.
Then the trees chop the clouds into puffs of air,
The sky cracks open on me,
The rain smashes like pots ‘pon the court square,
Then the sky really bleeds
I’m playin’ for Warren Street
The open signs flash off, leaving me in the cold,
They take down their wares, disappear,
But the wind still whistles through the stillest streets,
And the dew drips like tears.
If they could see that the words I scream,
Can’t be held in a pen or page,
Hell hath widened, but the Hell I’ve got,
Is like a lion in a pretzel cage.
I’m prayin’ for Warren Street
And the angels I see don’t brandish halos,
Those clouds don’t relay harps,
No, the God I sing to sits on the paved ground,
And trash cans sing out of tarps.
I’ve thought I’ve felt love though I know I’d not,
They’ve slipped so sleek through the scars in the concrete,
I’ve been through Hell that raged in the shape of a heart,
And shattered like glass in the street.
I’m prayin’ for Warren Street,
I’m prayin’ for you and me,
I’m prayin’ for the cracks in the concrete,
I’m prayin’ for the cars shinin’ down my street,
I’m prayin’ for the sky and seas,
I’m prayin’ for the cows made into meat (God bless their cow souls)
I’m prayin’ for those who cannot sleep,
I’m prayin’ for those who’ve lost their dreams,
I’m prayin’ for God’s mercy,
I’m prayin for Warren Street.
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13. |
Sickening?
03:08
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The rain whistled like thistles in the road,
The wind awoke and the sky turned maroon and cold,
As the wheels thumbled viciously, the tar against concrete,
This is the day I died on Warren Street (or at least I thought!!)
Chorus: There wasn’t too much commotion till he climbed into that truck,
The paramedics claimed he had too much to drink, he had too much luck,
The boy was broken, the store to stones, and the witness’ sing,
Not a scratch on his head, ain’t it sickening?
I took flight on phoenix, oh, flowers bloom to ash!
Then the pavement crushed like a train across my back,
As the sky grew black, I saw her wave so I waved back,
This is the part where I died on Warren Street (till I woke up, of course!)
Bridge: My angel doesn’t wear a halo on her head,
I’d rather be alive in her than eternally dead,
My ghost’ll soar like crows that gawk at the sky,
There must be some reason I wasn’t allowed to die.
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14. |
The Dark Shed, Pt. 2
04:14
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I see nothing over there,
No, not the waving of her head,
Beckoning to kiss her lips and die.
It’s like a hole you can’t mend,
A town you can’t defend,
You just let it open up and cry.
On the ground,
On the ground,
On the ground,
That Dark Shed.
I took a corner to turn a leaf,
Maybe drown all this grief,
But the sight I saw was too much to bear.
Not a nail or broken board,
Not a whisper of its floor,
Nor a memory of a shed ever sitting over there.
On the ground,
On the ground,
On the ground,
That Dark Shed.
They say she’s in my mind,
But in there, all I can find,
Is a space, so I opened up and cried.
On the ground,
On the ground,
On the ground,
And in my head.
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15. |
Divine Insanity
03:45
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December 19th, it’s been three days away,
I began picking up the pieces I left in the rain,
Now I’m out there, I’m out there.
My hair like paint on the portrait of my head,
Sliding arduously, my coat clung like death,
I stuffed my swinging fingers in my pockets, blue,
Cried my eyes out and sand a song from ’62.
Oh God,
I’m so alone.
The windows boarded up, the roof was torn apart,
The floorboards asunder like the muscles of my heart,
There was nothing, there was nothing.
My weepings came in cracks like lightning on my back,
Tearing the tissues that held my organs intact,
Pulled a board off of that floor,
Cut my hand and shamed the world to its core.
Thou hast ravished my heart,
With one of thine eyes,
With one chain of thy neck
-Song of Solomon
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16. |
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The blood began to sour in my clenched fist,
The sky bled between the cracks and away the darkness pissed,
And she spoke low and her pulse soon flowed down my woe driven wrist,
There was no golden halo, just the same coat in which we’d kissed.
Chorus: Those claws soon spread into feathered wings,
Coming undone out of my flesh,
Your beauty sings,
“If I’m to die, let it be with you in my arms,”
Icarus, the sun is only so far.
And your twine entangled fingertips caressed my salty face,
I felt the warmth cascade off your body like a fireplace,
“Why can’t you be real?” shook my shoulders like a sob,
If you’re an angel, a seraph on high, why can’t I be G-d?
I felt her breath tickle my depressing skin,
The cold of her rosy cheeks burned me within,
The tears rolled like thunderclouds to reveal a blue sky,
Why? Why? Why?
I love you, I love you, but you were gone.
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17. |
Cannibal Now
05:35
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I remember the nervous thump on my wrist,
As I imagined kissing her on her porch,
Drinking her lips.
I remember her hair falling in brown waterfalls,
Crashing over me as my heart seemed to call,
For her.
I remember the pain of her going away,
How I breathed to death everyday,
Till now.
I arrive at her home, the door’s open wide,
I juggled my heart, then I stepped inside,
The House.
I guess the rain leaves with the clouds,
I wander through the Hell I’ve found,
But I’m still praying for her name,
To see her one more day,
Oh, how I’m a Cannibal Now.
My hands feel empty and scarred without hers,
My fingertips burn with the bitter cold,
At my ears.
My lips freeze with hopes of hers again,
My tears fall like the stars across my skin,
And I cry.
My heart fell as she stood once more,
The lights burst bright as she laughed by the door,
I died.
Adorned in a black dress and smiling eyes,
My chest heaves, my throat sticks, my heart sighs,
She cries too.
Her perfume delicately curled in the air,
With the coffee brown river of her hair,
Against my skin.
She whispered back to me,
I sing
“I love you too.”
We kissed one last time before the lights went off,
We melted in the air as her fingers, through mine, slipped so soft,
But the curtains had to draw once more,
As my heart rotted brown with the wood on the floor,
And she left in my hands “I’m a Cannibal Now.”
I sat with the page and bled with its ink,
I tossed my stones, but I continue to sink,
Down.
Perhaps she’s an angel and when I die,
She’ll lift my soul and we’ll blend with the sky,
I don’t know.
Breathe in
Breathe out
Breathe in
breathe.
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Caleb Lail Shelby, North Carolina
Caleb Lail is a multi-instrumental songwriter from Shelby, NC, dealing with topics like God and loneliness and death. Find him in a coffee shop or a mosh pit <3
Caleb Lail recommends:
Penguin - B. Hasemeyer Bsides
by B. Hasemeyer
This man is spectaular. He has beautiful lyrics and an equally beautiful gift for production (heck, he's producing MY album. The struggle is real) This is just a taste of how great he is
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It's a collab from Golden Bowl and B.Hasemeyer. It is SO important, a spiritual masterpiece and a wonderful display of talent and emotion.
go to albumIf you like Caleb Lail, you may also like:
The haunting new record from Canadian folk artist Avi C. Engel bridges old and new traditions with a minimalist approach.
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Featuring members of Seachange (Matador /Glitterhouse Records), Dearest took 8 years to craft their haunting LP.
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Mind, Man, Medicine
by The Secret Sisters
The Alabama duo's fifth album exults in dusty Americana, showcasing rich vocal harmonies alongside blissful folk instrumentation.
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The King Of Misery
by Daudi Matsiko
featured on Bandcamp Radio Nov 7, 2023
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