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C​.​W. Franz

by C.W. Franz

/
1.
Porcelain Goddess with a cause and new bachelor's degree. Last time I saw you,you just smiled And asked about my shirt. Couldn't answer well because I was blushing. Your voice flows so smoothly, Everything blurs. How long 'till I end this party? Midnight passed long ago. Normally I wouldn't wallow in pity, but dignity was the first to leave, you know. I think I learned nothing from that support group we were in, but it loosed an infatuation, that left me in bliss and I lost my grip. Chorus: Self-care is a difficult concept, for someone who doesn't have a token or gift. Nothing special to hold onto, cut the ropes and let me drift. All the words and pseudo-novels; they're just hot air to give me a lift. I have this flute in my room, seven holes of apricot wood. I've been meaning to make it sing, but for you I surely would. You've had your struggles, and I have my burdens as well. There's something about you. What I can't exactly tell. Brown hair in a bun, those stylish glasses. I wish I could be like you. From the people that you meet, to the hearts that you touch, Well it just may be corny, but Jordan, You got me floating up. Chorus: Self-care is a difficult concept, for someone who doesn't have a token or gift. Nothing special to hold onto, cut the ropes and let me drift. All the words and pseudo-novels; they're just hot air to give me a lift. Well, they're just hot air to give me a lift.
2.
Talcum Song 02:41
Don’t scratch my talcum heart A little worse for wear these past few years In mourning today At least that’s what tradition says Memories of her purple dress When we first met Quad city buses following the old hallowed line Steps cutting through time and nature’s worth Following a woman who healed wounds and now learns all words I could be someone The circuit’s not dead, there’s still time to move on Eat your fill in the capital city It smells of smoke and festering dust But wasting any more words on that place Holds me back (you’re losing yourself to rust and old fate) Many friends have come, many friends have gone So it goes, is that it? Living inside your head, the mineral’s chipped When diamond becomes chalk, everything slips Soul goes cold to the open casket No there’s still hope Strings can ring out Chords can resolve There’s something in honest words A small spark telling me…. I could be someone The circuit’s not dead, there’s still time....
3.
(Two) Empty Jugs Like a fool I’m trapped Inside two eyes that won’t look back And a mouth that’s begging for a kiss All her coin she spent on me Liberty, Indian Head and Jefferson make three My friends are both right and wrong Good nature can’t fit into a three minute song Chorus 1: Now, I’ve been nowhere for five years Pining for love, luck, or both Everyone tells me to trust my strength and my heart But my arms are frail And my feelings fade right after the start Well our embraces are fierce And our nights far from chaste As she breathes beside me I wonder Am I worth all her pain? Her burdens are in the backseat While mine are in the front line We’ll bear them together You see, that’s how lovers lie Chorus 2: Now, I’ve been nowhere for five years Pining for love, luck, or both Everyone tells me to value my strength and my heart But my arms are frail And my feelings fade after the start You can’t just fill two empty jugs with love You just can’t
4.
Reagan National How've you been? The car dropped us off at six Don’t think I've seen you since then Last conversation we ever had (More than four syllables anyway) You were headed back to Connecticut It was a chilly December night You said you hated going home because of your mother's new husband Met her once, seemed like a kind woman Though she didn't really know the first thing about your life I wished you happy Hanukkah twice The second time I whispered softly, sincerely, nicely Maybe it'd make for a cute Hallmark moment How silly I was At the gate I got a text from you wishing me a good flight I know I overplayed my hand And felt we wouldn't ever be the same again Sliding into Ben’s Chili Bowl Digging into a sloppy burger Next to businessmen in their sharp attire Inbound waiting for them are their loving families and careers The demons within Can’t strangle them now These men loosed that vice many years ago Into something more useful than childish fantasy I could’ve held you close Kissed you once, twice, three times You never wanted me to I suppose that’s all right... Never meant anything anyway.
5.
Sophie 02:39
(instrumental)
6.
Baltimore, Texas If I had the heart She’d be safe And you’d pay for what you did Hey I’m alright I just have nothing going on tonight $2 in my wallet And fading stoicism When I’m drunk All the doubt melts Panhandling off the freeway May not be far off for me If I don’t see the value in living Why love? I’m nothing without my brain So shoot me and let me die I can’t forget it can’t I? Temporary high Let it ride Two phrases I love you Understanding The system won’t protect you It always breaks down Rotting from the inside Corruption No justice no lead If I rode to Baltimore Dig in my spurs like Texas They’d all be destroyed Nobody to save them The river doesn’t forget The plains don’t fade If I were in some power I’d restore the spirit that’s kind It matters Just not enough For people to care Everyone is taking their things and leaving from there Everyone from Baltimore to Los Angeles God has forgotten us We aren’t the children
7.
This Old Blues Pour this whiskey on my finger A thimbleful or the whole bottle Won’t matter when it all disappears Invisible hand, rusty throttle I’ll save the tears for thundering anger At you, myself or I After all I’m a hermit crab, an oyster with no pearl She promised me the galaxy but couldn’t give me her world My low bar Hit me on the head Hitching a limo for one to Pig Alley or a cornfield strip club Does anyone hear my news? Does anyone listen when its old blues? Some say this wound, it’s self-inflicted Paid for with feelings and their corruption If that’s true, I still have rights to this production Still, Everyone has got their special prediction When you’re cut up and alone you’ll die and in passing you’ll be mentioned Someone I’m after A poet seeing the world in free verse But her smile is so serious I’d like to be there for her That is, if I had the nerve The Connecticut girl is smiling from her wooden perch Silently succeeding There’s no skeleton key inside love or anyone that lives and breathes You connect with someone they’ll sweep you away Quick like the rake or slow like the autumn breeze Does anyone hear my news? Does anyone listen when its old blues? Can anyone hum a tune When I’m singing this old blues?
8.
Rapture 03:13
Rapture When all is said and done Just tell me one thing Was I a good friend? Time has frozen stiff I think of you on that field with your hockey stick and I wish I'd felt your feet in the sand Toes touching Intimate, gentle, and free Speaking of the times we knew what we wanted to be I don't know what's settled anymore But for you I could never tell the score You glide in and out of my mind Like people fly in and out of my life I miss my acquaintances Feel like I don't know them They’re friendly to me but only to the side I show them Would you block me out if I told you the truth? That’s the thing that I would expect you to do. There's a question inside Clawing at my heart Am I all I thought I'd be? Walk through the past Holding my hand And together, we'll make sure what's broken Never gets fixed again What’s broken can never get fixed Again
9.
Kansas In Summertime Shining crystals Slivers of light that you give Do the stalks feel it washing over Like a deluge in mid May? What is it like to feel full? Not devoid of everything An unabridged chasm No path can connect I always say this An old refrain for a slightly new tune I love everyone more But the closer I get I retreat Thinking to protect Something I don’t know There’s a lot of things I could have done And many things I’ve said I hate my desire For touching, yielding and holding Nights pass I lay in bed Thinking about possibilities now long dead Coax the fire a little more I’m a good friend then Always misjudging Finally It arrives Morning dear In all its bounty The husks strong The oaks tall Green all around When that day dawns I need to know Will love be with me To see our home grow? Please love, come with me
10.
(instrumental)

about

Another collection of happy/sad folk songs I recorded while either wistful, joyful, depressed, or drunk. This album can be seen as a musical manifestation of what's it's like to be in my head for a day, morning til night, though it's not a concept album. I'm really the only thread that ties these songs together. I really hope you enjoy it.

credits

released June 21, 2019

C.W. Franz:
vocals (1-4, 6-9), keyboards (1,4,9), string arrangements (2,5,10), horn arrangements (4,7), vibraphone arrangement (2), woodwind arrangements (1,5,8), omnichord (3), mixing (1-10), production (1-10)

On this album, C.W. Franz was joined by:

Sebastian:
acoustic guitar (1,4)

Mike:
acoustic guitar (1)

Nicky:
acoustic guitar (3,6-9), electric guitar (7)

Toby:
acoustic guitar (2), banjo (3,9)

Hugo:
classical guitar (5)

Steve W.:
electric guitar (3), lap steel guitar (6)

Reggie:
pedal steel guitar (1-3)

Roberto:
weissenborn acoustic lap steel guitar (3), baritone acoustic guitar (7)

Drew:
electric bass guitar (3)

Stryker:
electric bass guitar (4)

Bruno:
double bass (9)

Juliet:
viola (2), violin (4)

Luisana:
violin (7)

Manuel O:
cello (7)

Victor:
double bass (7)

Miguel:
string arrangements (7)

Hannah:
violin (10)

Eugene:
balalaika (6)

Meir:
bouzouki (4)

Salazar:
Venezuelan cuatro (7)

Manuel C.:
sitar (8)

Osmi:
mandolin (2,8)

Rodnell:
mandolin (10)

Luca:
keyboards (2)

Artur:
keyboards (3)

Fabrizio:
keyboards (5)

Jack:
Hammond organ (7)

Caleb:
harmonica (5)

Dan:
piano (10)

Steve S.:
piano (6)

Joe:
flute (1), oboe (2), Bb clarinet (5,9)

Derek:
bass flute (8)

Robert:
soprano saxophone (6)

Dima:
tenor saxophone (10)

Ted:
flugelhorn (4)

Michele:
trombone (7)

Jake:
drums (3-4,7)

Larry:
snare drum (2,9), floor tom (2), cymbals (9), udu (8)

Reinaldo:
pandiero (10)

Julio:
sampled vibraphone (7)

Andrew:
vibraphone (2)

Jean:
vibraphone (9)

Andres:
mastering (1-2, 4)

Matt:
mastering (9)

Michael:
mastering (3, 5-8, 10)

KM Designs:
cover art

Recorded from June 2017-June 2019

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about

C.W. Franz Chicago, Illinois

Enterprising poet with a strange taste in music. Butchering everything from folk to musique concrete or something.

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