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The First Few

by The Ripples

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1.
Dorothy 03:11
Midnight, comes around, the day you turn 19 Bags packed, you're ready, cab’s revving in the street He turns in his seat, ‘hey, where you wanna go?’ Goodbye honey babe, the rents are gonna miss ya Wet eyes kiss your bedroom, Dad’s hand goes to his jaw They don’t know where you are or what the hell you're gonna do But let those tears slide, fall onto the ground Rearview echoes of your hometown Some nights you go dancing, fix your hair and shoes Skin tight buys you whisky, can’t afford to choose Stumblin’ down the street, oh, where to turn your feet Street lamps, sidewalks spinning with the world The twister that brought you into color
2.
I used to get high From the risks I threw and plans I made And I was alright When they started to fade When I find myself Walking beaches down in Mexico I settle back Into playing Romeo ‘Cause when I lean a little closer I can feel the hint of her breeze And when I feel my bones a-rattling They fall before the joke of her tease Oh please A complete unknown I sleep the afternoon away Trapped in the sun With no place to stay ‘Cause with another consummation You tuck your head between your knees And in a tender situation You can’t expect to keep your seat Oh please It might be that tequila that I tried Or the salty mist from the five o clock high tide But sultry echoes never seem to die No sultry echoes never seem to die I don’t know why I fucked over the girl I met I can’t seem to find A way to forget It might be that tequila that I tried Or the salty mist from the five o clock high tide But sultry echoes never seem to die No sultry echoes never seem to die
3.
Portrait 04:12
I painted back in school to pass the time The time behind the easel eased my mind There's still a still hanging in my den The strokes in white all rushing to the sand Past few years I haven't done too much Since open canvass tops have done enough And even if I found time in the day I wouldn't have a glance to give away Take me home to my brick house back in Brentwood The only one my parents could afford Set the fireflies and purple skies in moonstone And let me stay outside a little more Dreams that once dripped off my father's brush Don't mean too much beside my daughter's touch So find for me the cadmium blue paint Her little eyes look gorgeous at the age Let me mind and let me find time for my family To hear the things they never need to say And when there's someone missing from the kitchen window I'll paint one where her smile never fades
4.
Up The Rusty 04:05
Up the rusty stairs Past the alley's shade Kissed the wind with a smile And drew its breath away She's a little wild She's the dawn in May And in a little while She'll come out and play Though the air is still That floods the city streets Her hair falls out of place With her eyes on her feet She's a little wild She's the dawn in May And it's my silent mind That's drawn to stay And when she raised her chin And put her hair in place I woke tangled and torn And still saw her face In a little while When my loans are paid I'll stuff my pockets deep And step out of the shade
5.
There's someone in my ceiling at night And I want to help her I want to tell her all about my youth But something in the way her hair's tied She's not about to stay I've got no cards to play when her belly is full And it seems That the sum of her dreams Was less than a scene with her lover I see her shoulder's sullen sinking And I want to help her Don't want to sell her any one of my friends But she just asks what I'm drinking And goes off to get herself the same And though I'm circling the drain I'll follow her Round the bender Oh the tempest Oh the soft and metal ground And I know that I don't say what I'm thinking I know that I'm just a flimsy old fool And when you see you're not Picasso When your excitement fades Passing the time plays no marching snare for you And when you back breaks from laughter When your smile shines with spite For every whisper-ridden night that normally haunts you Write it in gemstone Put it where it can breathe I know that I don't say what I'm thinking I know that I'm just a flimsy old fool
6.
My love, could you hold up For a minute or two It seems all of my skipping Has untied my shoe But the moment these laces Find themselves in embraces I'll catch up to you My dear, just a second My legs are sore They feel like they'll fall apart If pushed one mile more But if you're still marching All the way to the shore then I'll be seeing you real soon Darling, my sweet You bring only clear skies No clouds watch you go The sun tears up my eyes Your's is the only shadow I can see for miles But it's not something I can hold Wontcha hold me Dontcha go My baby's flown She can't hold me Her head has grown She's on her own Sometimes I get nervous Sometimes my smile's fake But with you there's something new That makes my boots shake But all that I had to offer was less than You wanted to take So I'll just leave you this note
7.
Never steal her surfboard Let her dye your hair On the sandless seashore Frankie flips her hair Well she’d say she’s thirsty And she’d say she’s bored But she rolls her shirtsleeves At the neighbor’s door She pokes a broom in the living room Hums a tune de tres bon album Minds the zoo ‘til the day is lost And her arms are crossed Behind her head Well it’s another serving It’s an extra step It’s the wheel a-turning It’s a hard fought breath She pokes a broom in the living room Hums a tune de tres bon album Minds the zoo ‘til the day is lost And her arms are crossed Behind her head
8.
She never thought that she would settle down, She’s the queen of the chandelier. Lost it all to a guilty call, Prayed aloud so the sun could hear. She walked Fiona down the avenue, My brother took one step too far. A quiet moment for a quick review. Never wanted to work so hard. She was set in stone by a shop display Lost in thoughts that broke her day The kids all pull on her torn pant leg She had to let ‘em beg Long enough, Lazarus Shake it off Get on up It’s outta sight When she surrendered to a broken mind, She called a cab on a passing day A picture tender is a subtle find, She needs a promise for the path she paved.
9.
A dying autumn vine hangs outside my dirty window, The gentle clouds block the fiery sky. I wander down the staircase, grab my coat and take a walk. I'll catch the last taste of setting sun. And I'm still a little high from my afternoon alone, If I think too much I'll ruin my day. I stop to take a rest and hear the dark Potomac whine, But the song I couldn't finish fills my head. La da da da A homeless city busker strums an out of tune guitar, He lets his weathered words fall where they land I drop him a dollar, zip my coat and leave him there, Careful not to show my turning head And all his stumbling breaths die in the open air And all his stories might as well be stone And though I sit alone now on the short side of the pane I hum a tune that won’t hold me long La da da da da da da I can’t think of many things I’d do over And I seem pretty cool in my head. I’ve always been amazed by what’s around me And I know I’ll be alright in the end I find myself a padded seat on which I’ll be cemented I’m sober and I’m tired and I’m done My eyes can’t seem to focus and my fingers start to drip And everything around me tastes like sand And some crowds smile with their faith up in the clouds And others search the pavement just ahead But the symphony of movers and their city-sidewalk stomps Never once made me nod my head La da da da da da da
10.
She once told me to split for the city I gave too many chills to waste She had no clue she was kissing all my daydreams With all her words I took as true And when I told her my life was on the line She warned I thought too much to shine Leaning on a wooden fence your father built sometime Looking for a heaven-sent you used to find at night Ripped jeans hanging off your hips, your t shirt sweated though Goosebumps grab your damp arm hair, the mud clings to your shoes The months kept draining, lost in hesitation The days they never seem to choose After midnight I fall into assessment With blistered heels and fingertips And when the time comes to pay my monthly dues My songs can't fill the envelope Oh my god your voice is pretty Play another one for me I'm stuck as still as air Whatcha doing playing here? Blue moon somewhere, hang in the air Blues tune out there, sing for your cares Leaning on a wooden fence your father built sometime Looking for a heaven-sent you used to find at night Ripped jeans hanging off your hips, your t shirt sweated though Goosebumps grab your damp arm hair, the mud clings to your shoes Voices quaking through you head that yo ya no soy yo Fingers shaking fight your grip on what you hope you know Looking back the still-born sky shows the school you won't attend Only peek in glances at the life that you once led

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released November 23, 2013

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The Ripples Washington, D.C.

Founded in 2013, The Ripples are a post-modern band that takes influence from 60s pop music, but doesn’t shy away from dipping their feet in the blues. They love playing covers and jams to excite a bar crowd and generate a great late-night pulse, but their main passion is working with their original music until all the grooves and changes sound just right. ... more

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