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The Lakes Of Alberta (Part Two)

by Graham Wright

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1.
I sat in your driveway until the battery died I called CAA and they showed up in the nick of time I got back on the highway And drove a hundred miles In exactly the wrong direction I woke up in that same room At that same motel I don't think That I wound up there on purpose It was something I could do, Then it was something that I'd done It was something more than nothing But a little less than anything at all The colours in those pictures Were fading in the sun So I stuck them in a drawer Where they got buried under Bills, receipts, and envelopes and pens I wasn't using any more I find them when I'm cleaning I never throw them out Which is something more than nothing But it's not exactly something to be proud about I thought that I saw you Is this where you live I thought that was you when we passed in the parking lot Sorry for staring, I just couldn't believe it was you It's been, God, it's been, God, this is weird I don't know what to say after all these years So here's something I've held on to But don't get your hopes up It's only something more than nothing It's a whole lot less than anything much
2.
Fresh Start 03:38
You look good He seemed nice You're too kind I look *fine* for my age What i'm trying to say Is we could start again What do you say Won't you give me another try Won't you give me a fresh start We could skip to a blank page Go straight to the good part We can call it a new day We can shoot for a clean break I don't know if you wanna run I don't know if i wanna stay But look at that horizon Look at that horizon Listen I feel bad If it got weird I was just tired It's been twenty five years What i mean, my dear Is twenty five years ain't nothin Won't you give me another try Won't you give me a fresh start We could skip to a blank page Go straight to the good part We can call it a new day We can shoot for a clean break I don't know if you wanna run I don't know if i wanna stay But look at that horizon Look at that horizon I saw your face In the strangest dreams Too little too late Maybe You always said Fate takes her time And as usual You were right I know I know It's different I know that time Goes by alright I know i know But I feel it And I know i know That you feel it too So what do you wanna do
3.
Different 05:18
Grass Brittle with frost Fog on your breath Words wandering round your head Wondering What if you'd left When you had the chance When you had the chance at a new life but then Your voice Quiet on the phone Heavy with wine Saying my name one more time Saying things You'll probably regret When you have the chance "If things had been different Would things have been different?" You said A life More or less lived Pinned to the fridge A riot of birthdays vacations and kids Whatever it feels like That's what it is But if things had been different It might have been my face instead And last Last but not least Things i have been Listed from one through one hundred and three Your name is on there Obviously And sure It might not have been Quite what we dreamed Quite what our records had led us to believe But who's keeping score It means what it means And If things had been different We'd probably be asking If things had been different Would we still be asking If things had been different and different again In an alternate universe would we be wondering Is there a different where it doesn't end After twenty five years with your voice on the phone saying Hey I know i left But what if I came back?
4.
The honeymoon suite Is a sad scene It's a gong show It's a bad dream It's a six bed dorm Full of German teens Tripping balls and venting spleens The whole hotel Is different now They fixed it up nice Tore the soul out They kept the smell, though That's something And it's fifty five bucks For a private room I thought, hell, I'm here I'm not too good to stay I wanted to be honest, now The dawns about to break I'm trying to remember What you told me by the lake That was so long ago I was somebody else In those days I'm writing just to tell you I've got nothing left to say I'm tired of being awestruck By the mountains and the lakes They used to be new I forget how that felt And now I only come to canmore When I'm feeling sorry for myself The bar still smells like cigarettes But the brawlers either moved Or died, or haven't woken up yet The ghosts that used to haunt this place Got exorcized by time and taste Or gentrified, accessorized, and tamed But I'm still up To get real down I came all this way So lets drag these chains around I wanted to be honest, now The dawns about to break I'm trying to remember What you told me by the lake That was so long ago I was somebody else In those days I'm writing just to tell you I've got nothing left to say I'm tired of being awestruck By the mountains and the lakes They used to be new I forget how that felt And now I only come to canmore When I'm feeling sorry for myself In the morning The weather wasn't perfect But I figured that I better hit the road I took the short way To the highway Skipped the scenic route entirely It's just another cheap horizon Making promises that it can't keep It was open mic The place was packed There were young men Singing sad songs You just have to laugh, sometimes I bummed a smoke From a local girl She said being from here's Just like being from anywhere else And she was friendly She said let's dance I thought what the hell But I lost her on the way back in I'm trying to be quiet now The spells about to break I'm trying to hold onto What it felt like by the lake But it slips through my hands Like a fistful of sand These days So i'm writing just to say I won't be writing you a-gain It's time to say goodbye To all the mountains and the lakes They'll be here when we're gone They'll be looking out But, me I only come to canmore when i'm feeling sorry I only come to canmore when i'm feeling sorry I only come to canmore when i'm feeling sorry for myself
5.
I was working in this tourist store Giving directions to the dinosaur Handing little maps out through the window You'd pretend to be from out of town Like you didn't know your way around I'd say "step into my office and i'll show you" You'd close the blinds Kick off your shoes Say "god, it's good just to sit with you" We didn't need to touch We'd only hide I had a bottle in the bottom drawer We used to look out at the dinosaur And pretend she was coming to life We'd be like "Oh my God, we've got to go! There's no time for goodbyes So grab your keys So start your car And let's just drive" It was only a bit But I still have these dreams where it happens It was only for the summer It was intended to be temporary Then i blew all my savings on the volvo You had this map of all the lakes We drew a route in ballpoint The plan was to get started In the fall Oh And didn't the road seem so long back then? Wasn't the landscape vast? Didn't the lakes seem infinite and bottomless? You sat there in that office once Crown Royal in a coffee cup Said "quiet now, I'm trying to remember this" And oh my god It was getting so late The sun was going down already We thought we could Hold it in our hands It was only a moment It slipped through our fingers like sand It's a hundred and six steps Up to the so called observation deck I think we just went up there That one night As we looked out through her mouth I was saying to myself We got time We got time We got time We got time We got time We got time

credits

released March 28, 2023

Produced & Mixed by Jesse Turnbull
Mastered by Dan Weston

Dave Monks: Bass, Electric Guitar
Adam Hindle: Drums, Percussion
Tom Power: Banjo

Photography by Riley Taylor
Layout & Design by Josh Hook

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Graham Wright Toronto, Ontario

of tokyo police club and girlfriend material

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