When I was 16 years of age I stole the brand new razor blade
And peeled off all my boyish skin And slipped into that dress
When came a sound like crashing steps My puckered mouth made useless
Beaten down with callused hands Oh jesus what a mess
There’s a young girl staring back at me
Behind the bloodied nose
She thinks she’s got it figured out
She’s finally cracked the code
But there’s no cryptic cipher
There is only the absurd
And she thinks she knows the language
But she only knows the words
When I was 19 years of age I threw out all my razor blades
A grew my beard as long and thin And wiry as it would go
My skin fit like a wetsuit tight And not uncomfortable despite
The nagging feeling that I might Be more suited for the shallows
There’s a young man staring back at me
Behind the crooked smile
He doesn’t know what’s coming
And he won’t, not for a while
But there’s no cryptic cipher
There is only the absurd
And he thinks he knows the language
But he only knows the words
When I was only twenty three I turned into a willow tree
And weeping by the river’s path I learned to grow again
My hair is to my shoulders And I’m only getting older
But I love myself enough to know The saints are marching in
There’s someone staring back at me
Who’s learning how to pray
They don’t believe in God but they
Don’t know another way
But there’s no cryptic cipher
There is only the absurd
They are learning the language
They are learning the words
The gentle lo-fi songs on the latest phoneswithchords LP develop their granular sketches of childhood and coming of age into full portraits. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 25, 2023
The London musician recorded the dreamy psychedelic pop songs on his third album in churches, bedrooms and kitchens. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 15, 2023