Get all 11 Erik Ritland releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of A Scientific Search, Well There's That: The Best of Erik Ritland, To St. Jude with Desperation: Best Acoustic Tracks, 1747 York Avenue (Borges Labyrinth album), Angel and the Badman (Borges Labirynth album), A Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus, For An Empty Theater, Promises/Help Me Tonight, and 3 more.
1. |
Aching Heart
02:52
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Can't sleep this evening 'cuz there's too much on my mind
The way things are going I won't make it through the night
Always waking up wishing it was morningtime
But it's still so dark and I'm just a little sick of trying
Don't you know
I need you
More than anyone has before
I have this aching in my heart
I'm worried all the day and I can't even sleep at night
Can't think straight with you running all around my brain
I'm thinking too much about when I'll see you again
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2. |
Bluegrass
02:54
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This old town
It sure is nice
Fields of green where rivers flow
But my love is not around
So I believe I'll have to go
I will walk both day and night
Through the wind and through the rain
Just like times so long ago
I will bring her back to me
I'm going down to see the bluegrass
For that's where my baby stays
Though I roam from town to town
With the wind blowing at my back
But the weary sun
It leads me on
Soon I will return to her
I'm going down
To see the bluegrass
For that's where
My baby stays
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3. |
The Secret in Your Eyes
02:13
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He comes home every evening
You lay down by his side
He can tell ‘cuz you can’t hide
The secret in your eyes
I wonder what he is thinking
He can hear you sigh
They give you away even when words escape
The secret in your eyes
The secret can never be told
It must be held deep inside
Love does not exist anyway
So it’s okay to deny
I am less than empty
Left on the outside
Here I sit trying to forget
The secret in your eyes
I try hard to quit but I can’t forget
The secret in your eyes
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4. |
Dark Star
03:04
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It's hard to find a friend
It's hard to be something nobody else is
It's hard to love and ask for nothing in return
But that's what you are
You're a dark star
But you still shine
It's easy to be down
It's easy to live like everyone else does
It's easy to take and to hold back all your love
But you did not
You're a dark star
But you still shine
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5. |
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Take a look around you, everyone’s the same
Just another number, just another name
Step outside the matrix and they call you insane
Whatever happened to freedom?
All the myths and stories passed along as facts
The stands of politicians, every one an act
The lying and the cheating
The back door alley pacts
Whatever happened to freedom?
It seems the liars and the thieves do just what they please
And there’s nothing you can do
But it’s hard to turn the tide
When criminals reside in the places above you
The way that we are livin’ plays into their hand
The choices we are given fall into their plan
You’ll always be outnumbered
Don’t dare make a stand
Whatever happened to freedom?
Take a look around you
If you can even try
Before they break your courage with their evil eye
Sometimes it don’t take death before a person dies
Whatever happened to freedom?
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6. |
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If you look then it won't find you
You have to wait for it to come
If you don't watch it'll sneak up on you
So don't be idle and don't give up
True love wins in the end
There will be indecision
There will be broken dreams
So keep your eyes on what's above you
And you will know the road ahead
True love wins in the end
When you think it's over
Your journey has just begun
True love wins in the end
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7. |
The End of Everything
03:22
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I've been thinking thoughts that you do not want me to share
Maybe I'd ignore them if I had the strength to care
Liars all around me preach of change they'll never bring
They're just the same as everyone no matter what they claim
I can see the end of everything
I've been lost so long that the right road is non-existent
The closer I think I am the further away that I become
I'm afraid that what I find will make me lose my passion
But if it is mistaken then I suppose it has to go
I can see the end of everything
Life will end with a thunder
It will happen soon
Deep inside my heart I feel the frailty of the future
Nothing's guaranteed so planning for it is all in vain
The ending of the story is the hardest road to travel
Be awake today to catch the last end of the ride
I can see the end of everything
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8. |
Crystal Ball
02:13
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You're so beautiful
I don't mean to stare
But it's so hard when you're standing there
Crystal ball
I want it all
Give it to me
Dreams are all I have
You can make them real
It's easy to give in to how I feel
Crystal ball
I want it all
Give it to me
When I look at you
I can't turn away
I'd give it all to be with you someday
Crystal ball
I want it all
Give it to me
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9. |
It Won't Do Any Good
03:17
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It’s natural to want what you can’t have
But it doesn’t make the end result any easier
So I confess
You’re the inspiration for my loneliness
I think of you more than I should
Though I know it won’t do any good
I hope that your life is what you want
I bet that you think of me just to pass the time
Sure I’m confused
You’re the definition of nothing left to lose
Between you and me
There’s a fine line
Between dreams and reality
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10. |
Drifting Apart
03:26
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Days begin where old ones end
Chance for us to start over again
But my motives are all wrong
And I don't know where to start
Drifting apart
It's a dizzying high
Took so long for us to realize
We were wrong
Our love isn't real
We knew from the start
Drifting apart
Before the fall
I don't remember when
We both could tell it was near the end
You can't say I didn't try
We were never very smart
Drifting apart
It's a dizzying high
Took so long for us to realize
We were wrong
Our love isn't real
We knew from the start
Drifting apart
I'm surprised we made it this far
It was us against the stars
But the stars so often lie
Don't be so quick to say goodbye
Drifting apart
It's a dizzying high
Took so long for us to realize
We were wrong
Our love isn't real
We knew from the start
Drifting apart
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11. |
Wandering
03:19
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In the beginning there was a sign
Waters too easy, fire next time
Glimpses of freedom saving the curse
The best way to heaven is often the worst
Brought down by daylight, a touch of the true
Blinded by darkness, what else is new?
High on the mountain nothing can last
It's here in a vision and leaves just as fast
I've been here before
And I can't take no more wandering
My train is coming on down the track
But as it moves forward it also moves back
I must be dreaming of moving ahead
'Cuz all of this backwards has got to my head
I've been here before
And I can't take no more wandering
This too shall pass
Wandering
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12. |
Goodbye
03:02
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Said goodbye to you today
Said goodbye for good
You wouldn't look the other way
You know if I could I would explain my fragile mind
But it's easier said than done
You left me with a soul to give that was empty to the core
And I don't think that I can live without you anymore
I've tried so hard to ease my mind
But it's easier said than done
Are you listening to me?
Never sought to count on you
But I sought you just the same
And I can't take it anymore
My life is wholly pain
I've tried to get you off my mind
But it's easier said than done
Are you listening to me?
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Erik Ritland Saint Paul
One of the last great American songwriters in the tradition of Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, William James, G.K. Chesterton, Jeff Tweedy, and Jim Varney.
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