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My Honest Face — Deluxe Edition

by Migrant Birds

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1.
Dumpsters Only 04:28
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Well my heels they kick up the dust But it’s better than sitting collecting rust I’d stay, but I go where I must Yeah, my heels they just kick up the dust And there ain’t no way to see which way I’ve come Just like there ain’t no way to see the things I’ve done And the dust it clogs my brain till I can’t tell 10 from 1 And there ain’t no way to see the things I’ve done Just like there ain’t no way to see which way I’ve come Well I set out so humble and lowly And I see what the world wants to show me Well they see me and they pity me, so lowly Yeah a friend to drifters, chumps, and dumpsters only Well I walk until I, I can’t feel my feet no more And I like to see what falls when I slam the door I see my feet so worn there, while my boots lie on the floor And there ain’t any home anymore Yeah no place feels like home much anymore Well I’m just a chameleon and liar A quick pickpocket and a counterfeit buyer But if I got the chance to walk that road I’d try her Till these dreams are eaten up by moth and fire
2.
Eveline 04:58
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Were you lonesome, Eveline? Was the dark just as dark as it had seemed? As you lay beneath the leaves, oh, Eveline And were you angry, Eveline? Did you weep for all the things that could've been? For the past and loves unseen Oh, Eveline, I weep for thee For the trail was a chameleon and it hid itself from thee Doomed to wander in the wild, there among the bird and beast Fate is but a fickle judge and chance a cruel jury A sentence handed down that left you buried among the weeds And was it hopeless, Eveline? As you stretched your arm as high as you could reach But your calls never received and the world bereaved And did you rage among the trees? That forest cage you could not break, you could not breach That bound you to the deep, that forest deep And did you wander, Eveline? Among the stones, among the towering cedars green Or did you wait, e'er listening? That saving call never to ring And did you wonder, Eveline? Did you rack your brains for answers, for a key? Or did you surrender, Eveline? To the monsters of the fates that you had seen No rescue, no relief Oh, Eveline, I weep for thee Were you lonesome? Are you out there?
3.
Should've Been in Barcelona 03:55
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Where was I? Where was I? When the streets of Barcelona cried? They didn’t need my gun that day Yeah, the unions sent ‘em packing anyway I was down in Tarragona But I should’ve been in Barcelona My mother cried as I packed my bags With García Lorca and a few old rags We were heading down to the front Oh what more could a poor boy want? I took the train from Catalonia Just to defend my Barcelona Well Franco couldn’t match our grit I slept in my fair share of pits But I wore my colors with honor and pride In Aragon on the people’s side I am a man of Catalonia But I should’ve been in Barcelona May Days came with great disgust Yeah the summer brought the worst of us As we lost sight of our enemies My city, man, it needed me I was on the front in Zaragoza When I should’ve been in Barcelona With my mother And my brothers Taking rest not taking cover What good is shooting at each other? What good is hating one another? The arc of history, it may be long Plagued by war and death and wrong But I believe that it will bend towards right And even if I don’t last the night I’ll be glad that I had shown up Just to defend my Barcelona But I should’ve been in Barcelona
4.
Stonewall // Asherah 03:37
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Daddy is a’gone to Lexington to kiss the ground where Jackson’s laid Crawling on his hands and his knees, His head bowed with a holy weight Daddy is a’gone to Chancellorsville To pray where Jackson fell The stones built a monument his glory to retell We beat the horse til it was gone Then set it all in glass John Brown is mouldering in the grave Enwreathed in golden grass Daddy is a’gone to Appomattox To mourn the rebel flag And cry for the Carolina boys He’ll be right there ‘til Lee’s return His heels dug in ‘til Lee’s return Stonewall We beat the horse til it was gone Then set it all in glass John Brown is mouldering in the grave Enwreathed in golden grass We beat the horse til it was gone Then set it all in glass Is this all my inheritance, To stand and wave the flag? Asherah, Asherah We tear our fathers idols down Asherah, Asherah Their mouths of stone made not a sound Gideon, come wring out the fleece And streams of something living find. Tear the idols from the shelves Their smoke and flame to light the night Asherah, Asherah We tear our fathers idols down Asherah, Asherah Their mouths of stone made not a sound All leveled at the threshing ground We tear our fathers idols down Asherah, Asherah Asherah, Asherah, we tear them down
5.
The Debt 03:27
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Moonlight cobble stones, used to wander alone down the old forgotten road to give back what I owed. A bag of shiny stones, and a not-yet-wilted rose, a stack of books tied with a bow I laid above your bones. Widow-maker fist, we used to live in bliss, but swing like iron and cut like bricks death’s sweet bare knuckle kiss Next come: forty years in stripes the price paid for a life to an orphan boy with big bright eyes that cut me like a knife. Now death whispers sweet, “Come, boy, rest your feet. and have yourself a bite to eat, these errors ne'er to repeat." Oh, lift me from this skin! The life I languish in, oh, God, let me begin again I swear not to offend But now my temper’s chilled, my penitence fulfilled, searching here at the grave of the man I killed for the courage to rebuild Down the moonlight cobblestones where we used to wander alone down the old forgotten road to give back what I owed Yeah, down the old forgotten road I gave back what I owed
6.
My Evil Is at an End 03:43
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I lay by the river No way to hide what I had done I lay by the river My hatred all undone Yeah my hatred all undone The work of my hands Is a bitter crime The work of my hands Will catch up to me in time Will catch up to me in time I have laid in wait for my enemies Like a fox waits for a hen But I am laying down all the hate in me Cause my evil’s at an end Yeah my evil’s at an end I let go of my gun And I watched it sink into the sand I let go of my gun Cause at last I understand Yeah at last I understand That death brings no justice Yeah hate is its own reward And so there by the banks of the Ebro I beat a plowshare from my sword Beat a plowshare from my sword I have laid in wait for my enemies Like a fox waits for a hen But I know not what for I’ll make war now more For my evil’s at an end Yeah my evil’s at an end Oh, my evil’s at an end
7.
Ghostwriter 03:55
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I have written for prophets and I have written for kings I have written of battles and marvels and every monotonous thing I have written for despots and I have written for thieves But when my day comes, who will speak for me? Yeah when my day comes, who will speak for me? I have chronicled daydreams and I have chronicled seeds And I have written ten thousand books that no one ever reads I have chronicled man and his countless evil deeds But when my day comes, who will speak for me? Yeah when my number’s called, who will speak for me? My name is no one and I’ll write your woe Or your joy or your triumph or the evil of your foe And you can write your name on the cover but still I know That one day soon I will reap just what I sow When the ink dries, I will reap just what I sow But when my day comes, who will speak for me? Yeah when my day comes, who will speak for me?
8.
Winter Wither 04:26
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The years have been rolling Past my window in the night With the whistle of the train running by. The dogs have been howling At your ghost upon the door. Ain’t no whiskey in my cabinets anymore. Ain’t no whiskey in my cabinets anymore. Long years I’ve been waiting. All my hair has turned to gray. All the colors in my life fade away. Now you come to find me. What is it you’re looking for? Ain’t no whiskey in my cabinets anymore. Ain’t no whiskey in my cabinets anymore. So if you’re searching, keep on looking Shadows wane but I’m still here The years have eaten to my marrow Silence swept away my fear Silence swept away Silence swept away my fear. The snow has been falling. And the world is getting cold. In every corner, I’m confronted by a ghost. I’d give you this sorrow Could you take anything more? Ain’t no whiskey in my cabinets anymore Ain’t no whiskey in my cabinets anymore I took your old shotgun And I hung it on the wall. These days I ain’t scared of nothing much at all. I took your old shovel And put it to the forest floor. Ain’t no whiskey in my cabinets anymore. Ain’t no whiskey in my cabinets anymore. So if you’re searching, keep on looking. Shadows wane but I’m still here. The years have eaten to my marrow. Silence swept away my fear. Silence swept away Silence swept away my fear. Your shovel dug a pit, Six inches at a time While I burned a flame to thaw the frozen mire. Your shotgun was silent Staring out the open door When I laid your memory in the forest floor. Ain’t no whiskey in my cabinets
9.
Susie in Uniform 04:06
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Susie in uniform from her shift down by the pier now allows her feet to steer Susie in uniform steps up on the metal rail the river makes a crooked trail Susie in uniform she would do Ophelia proud nothing big and nothing loud covered by the lingering shroud one less face among the crowd down below Susie, since she was born with the monster in the mirror haunts her steps down by the pier Susie, oh so forlorn red upon the shower floor still the monster wanting more Woozy and weary worn by the pieces in the bag makes it so hard not to drag Susie in uniform feels the tug of gravity not the weight of tragedy Bluesy and bitter born It’s been a year since she could sleep counting days not counting sheep now the smiles don’t come so cheap crooked river, not as deep as it would seem Susie, step on down, step on down, step on down Susie, step on down, step on down, step on down Step on down, step on down, step on down
10.
Bullet in a Chamber 05:03
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I never dreamt of being more than a carnival jester So it was such a simple gesture when I beckoned you in You were lost upon my stoop and you took me for some simple dupe, baited for a con that you had waiting up your sleeve But I was not too dim to see your lack of common courtesy, of scruples, and of honesty, and a fitting better half And what a perfect pair we made picking pockets and hopping trains, Yeah we loaded dice and stacked the deck from here to Santa Fe Your sticky hands, my honest face got the better of the human race, yeah we rode our haul from place to place like a broken Cadillac And to think that all that robbing fuss, well it wasn't what caught up to us, but the silent alarm within my chest that tripped each time we touched Yeah whatever Bonnie saw in Clyde I hoped that you would feel inside to be my lovely, thieving bride on one never-ending con But mixing pleasure, crime, and a knife was not how you foresaw your life, yeah you'd rather be alone than wife to me or any man So I did not put up a fight when you stole a way one quiet night, but you left my wallet in plain sight, well I'd almost call that love And as I hitched my way across the plain, well the thought of you, it still remained, like a bullet in a chamber that never got to fire So now I wait back at home for you to knock or write or phone, and I watch the news each night alone, but I've never seen you caught And if one day you face the chair, just know that I'll be waiting there to hold your hand and stroke your hair till the last beat of your heart I never dreamt of being more than a carnival jester, but as the memories fade and fester, I know I have been in the lion's den, I've been buried whole and dug up again, I've been a partner and a lover and a friend
11.
Anticipation 01:35
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I can’t wait for that, wait for that
12.
Sweet Peas 03:12
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Twenty-five years I’ve spent in waiting Slow and patient making roots For a day when light comes breaking Life’s sweet roses come to bloom And I while the time down in my garden Pulling weeds and trimming vines Scraping deep to turn the soil Hum a tune to pass the time like Da dee di dum da dee di da dum dee di da dum dee di dum Da dee di da dum dee di da dee di da dum dee di dum Your morning came to thaw the soil blossoms turning to the light Golden sunshine in your eyes I feel my heartbeat come to life So I cast the seeds into the furrows Wait to hear the kettle sing Sweep the porch and smell the rain Hear the crickets fiddling like Now the sweet peas are climbing shoulder high We’ll lose the time your hand in mine This house was gray till I learned to see You painted it so warm and green Now it’s green in summer, gold in fall, White in winter, pink in spring And all the colors of the garden Echo on the song we sing Da dee di dum da dee di da dum dee di da dum dee di dum Da dee di da dum dee di da dee di da dum dee di dum Dee di da dum dee di dum
13.
The Family's Man 03:49
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I am a mountain And I’ll plant an orchard at my feet At our feet Drink from the fountain And there’ll be no thing that you could need Oh you’ll see Watch me build it, watch me plant this seed Mmm I’ll build this nursery And it will sustain you every day in every way And one day you’ll tend it And you’ll turn the soil with your hand As the family man Come and feel the roots become your feet Mmm The dynasty, the dynasty Make the crown of the dynasty The dynasty, the dynasty Wear the crown of the dynasty I am a dreamer The city glitters in my mind But it’s left behind For this soil raised me So I will bury memories of my ivories I’ll pay my debt and now I’ll turn the dirt To prove my worth The dynasty, the dynasty Take the crown of the dynasty, the dynasty The ache, the crown of the dynasty The dynasty, the dynasty Fake the crown of the dynasty I am the only son And I’ll count the seconds as they fly Or trickle by And I am the lonely one And this dirt has cracked and withered dry And so have I I’ve lost a half a decade to this dirt, Oh I’ve poured all of my joy onto this dirt, Oh I’ve given up my family to this dirt, But I’ll break the curse The dynasty, the dynasty, Take the crown of the dynasty, the dynasty The ache, the weight of the dynasty, The dynasty, shake the chain of the dynasty The dynasty, the dynasty Shake the crown of the dynasty The dynasty, break the crown of the dynasty The dynasty, shake the chain of the dynasty The dynasty, break the crown of the dynasty The dynasty, break down the dynasty
14.
Susie in Uniform (acoustic) 04:05
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Susie in uniform from her shift down by the pier now allows her feet to steer Susie in uniform steps up on the metal rail the river makes a crooked trail Susie in uniform she would do Ophelia proud nothing big and nothing loud covered by the lingering shroud one less face among the crowd down below Susie, since she was born with the monster in the mirror haunts her steps down by the pier Susie, oh so forlorn red upon the shower floor still the monster wanting more Woozy and weary worn by the pieces in the bag makes it so hard not to drag Susie in uniform feels the tug of gravity not the weight of tragedy Bluesy and bitter born It’s been a year since she could sleep counting days not counting sheep now the smiles don’t come so cheap crooked river, not as deep as it would seem Susie, step on down, step on down, step on down Susie, step on down, step on down, step on down Step on down, step on down, step on down
15.
The Mountains of Spain 02:39
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If I could swim the channel and pass through the hills I’d become a soldier and fight the world’s ills I’d raise up my rifle and I’d fire o’er the plain And I’d beat back the beast from the mountains of Spain I’d lift my hand to rid the world of tyranny and pain Or I’d die and leave my body in the mountains of Spain I’d brandish my weapon and I’d fly the colors high And I’d lead on my brothers with a great battle cry And I’d rescue the workers and the farmers of the grain From the tip of Gibraltar to the mountains of Spain I’d lift my hand to rid the world of tyranny and pain Or I’d die and leave my body in the mountains of Spain In the end when all had faded and the world had been won And the beast would lie defeated in the bright morning sun I’d tear off a lock from the beast’s wilted mane And I’d carry it with me from the mountains of Spain I’d lift my hand to rid the world of tyranny and pain Or I’d die and leave my body in the mountains of Spain And the air would breathe easy for all who remain And the flowers would grow sweet o’er me in the mountains of Spain Yes the flowers would grow sweeter in the mountains of Spain

credits

released September 29, 2023

Produced by Migrant Birds
Lyrics and music by Migrant Birds
Engineered by Benjy Johnson at Earthtones Studios, Doug Davis of Flytrap Music Production, and Migrant Birds
Mixed by Doug Davis of Flytrap Music Production and Migrant Birds
Mastered at The Kitchen in Carrboro, NC and by Stuart Johnson of Sapsucker Studios
Artwork by Tara Logue
Cover design by Jon Riley

Spencer Ayscue: guitars, percussion, keys, mandolin, vocals
Tara Logue: vocals
Scott Peters: cello, bass, upright bass, vocals
Sam Amos: banjo, guitar, piano
Ben Hardie: vocals

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Migrant Birds Winston Salem, North Carolina

Migrant Birds is an indie folk band from Winston-Salem, NC. Their debut album My Honest Face was released on September 29.

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