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We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Our Place

by Ben Levin

/
1.
In 02:38
To bacteria I'm a place To an ant I'm a natural disaster To a stranger I'm a face And to our planet I'm a passenger I caught a salmon swimming upstream I dropped my mother's wedding ring An eye for an eye A life for a dream Native to nothing and hungry An eye for an eye A life for a dream Native to nothing It keeps the boat moving Look up to the skies The paddle steers you on Look deep inside We're here without directions An eye for an eye A life for a dream It keeps the boat moving Look up to the skies The paddle steers you on Look deep inside We're here without directions An eye for an eye A life for a dream
2.
Waiting Room 04:27
I'm here with my mother Waiting now for hours All that came before us Waiting for the surgeon To let us out the bottle With all that came before us I'm alive, give me what I came for I'll rot beside your lawn chair And summon me When I've run out of love And chances left Waiting for the surgeon Keep us both distracted All by myself Weighing circumstances Memory and answers All by myself I'm alive, give me what I can afford I'm wrecked and running out love So summon me With every copy of my code When all is still and smoke Behind the sun, behind.
3.
The User 06:21
We are sedimental Pieces not essential Eroding into +1's and likes We are YouTube teachers We are Reddit preachers We're a box of pixels and lights Measure life in numbers Slopes are curving upward Happiness a straight skyward line It points me in directions that I just shouldn't mention Cause there's no fucking end in sight I'm soft I'm warm I'm full of blood It's blue and red I'm running just like everyone Straight to my death And it's nice to know there's not much more to life than that I'm soft I'm warm I'm full of love Let's go to bed Without knowing why or how or when Without knowing why or how or when I've got dirty laundry I've got stale clothes on me I look like a total mess I'm an eccentric winner Or a rat straight out the shitter It depends on my commercial success And if I live for pleasure Or if I hold out forever Does it make any difference? When music among mortals Is a timeless portal One fraction of an atom thick I'm soft I'm warm I'm full of blood It's blue and red I'm running just like everyone Straight to my death And it's nice to know there's not much more to life than that I'm soft I'm warm I'm full of love Let's go to bed Without knowing why or how or when Without knowing why or how or when The code is not the killer The hardware's no blood spiller It's the user that rings his own neck.
4.
Look at this man I've got his beard I've got his walk And his blood Look at this man I've got his love Sometimes I want to push him out Sometimes I want to push him out Look at this man He's all I want No looking for another now You've got what you've got The crowd round his bed trading winks and nods "We've got you brother" Sounds funny to me He knows what to ask He knows what they'll say But when they finally wheel him out He looks strange and afraid I've never seen him look that way They push him out Hand on his chest With all that came before us I've never seen him look that way They push him out And I forget All that came before us I've never seen him look that way I push him out And my man fades behind a crowd of strangers I've never seen him look that way I turn around Unable to sleep with all the sounds.
5.
There's light everywhere the sun touches A truly solar powered planet So many breathers So many breaths Thank you decomposers for cleaning up the mess Among the monkeys, flies, and shrimp Are some lives we hold most precious And when those few meet their death We may lose our will to live And forget the sun that spins And the earth speeding round it While the decomposers catch the scent Last memory last glimpse The coffin slowly sinks I put some dirt on it The decomposers clean And I may lose my will to live But my mother kept her spirit And her mother never quit And neither did his children They're a solar powered grid Of love laced through genetics And grit The pieces never picked The memories pierce our heads We limp on without him The decomposers clean our mess.
6.
Throughout winter I'm afraid In an hour I walk into your room In ten minutes you're awake And for a moment I notice you.
7.
Mom and Dad 03:07
Sixteenth summer I'm moving on I'll leave with my brother to sing my own song The campus air, the classes there I will be waiting for you without even having a clue Sixteenth autumn I'm waking up With drive in my mental and boys to charm Well love's a mess for most I guess But I saw you waiting there too And you held my hand in secret in my dormitory room Some things just work out I guess I've loved you forever now my friend Some things just keep feeling so good And you know I'll never leave even if another would Fifty eighth winter I'm holding on To the half of myself I'd kill the other for The sterile air the gown you wear I will be waiting for you In your chest they found my heart there beating too Some things just work out I guess I've loved you forever now my friend Some things just keep feeling so good And you know I'll never leave even if another would And you know I'll never leave.
8.
Out 04:48
I'm out buying lightbulbs If just keep my eyes closed Fall into a manhole Tires bump on my skull I cling close to this world But the reins are fragile Like a waistline seatbelt Or skinned knees on the asphalt Kissing in the shadows Choosing our battles Guessing at what matters With no clue Waiting for the surgeon Shrinking with each second Stroke or mutilation Coinflip from the heavens And I see my grandmother I see my poor uncle Telling me in riddles Of my place in this world It keeps the boat moving The paddle steers you on We're here without directions An eye for an eye A life for a dream It keeps the boat moving The paddle steers you on We're here without directions An eye for an eye A life for a dream.

about

Lyrics:
In

To bacteria I'm a place
To an ant I'm a natural disaster
To a stranger I'm a face
And to our planet I'm a passenger

I caught a salmon swimming upstream
I dropped my mother's wedding ring
An eye for an eye
A life for a dream

Native to nothing and hungry

An eye for an eye
A life for a dream

Native to nothing

It keeps the boat moving
Look up to the skies
The paddle steers you on
Look deep inside
We're here without directions
An eye for an eye
A life for a dream

It keeps the boat moving
Look up to the skies
The paddle steers you on
Look deep inside
We're here without directions
An eye for an eye
A life for a dream

Waiting Room

I'm here with my mother
Waiting now for hours
All that came before us

Waiting for the surgeon
To let us out the bottle
With all that came before us

I'm alive, give me what I came for
I'll rot beside your lawn chair
And summon me
When I've run out of love
And chances left

Waiting for the surgeon
Keep us both distracted
All by myself

Weighing circumstances
Memory and answers
All by myself

I'm alive, give me what I can afford
I'm wrecked and running out love
So summon me
With every copy of my code
When all is still and smoke
Behind the sun, behind.

The User

We are sedimental
Pieces not essential
Eroding into +1's and likes

We are YouTube teachers
We are Reddit preachers
We're a box of pixels and lights

Measure life in numbers
Slopes are curving upward
Happiness a straight skyward line

It points me in directions that I just shouldn't mention
Cause there's no fucking end in sight

I'm soft I'm warm I'm full of blood
It's blue and red
I'm running just like everyone
Straight to my death
And it's nice to know there's not much more to life than that
I'm soft I'm warm I'm full of love
Let's go to bed
Without knowing why or how or when
Without knowing why or how or when

I've got dirty laundry
I've got stale clothes on me
I look like a total mess
I'm an eccentric winner
Or a rat straight out the shitter
It depends on my commercial success

And if I live for pleasure
Or if I hold out forever
Does it make any difference?

When music among mortals
Is a timeless portal
One fraction of an atom thick

I'm soft I'm warm I'm full of blood
It's blue and red
I'm running just like everyone
Straight to my death
And it's nice to know there's not much more to life than that
I'm soft I'm warm I'm full of love
Let's go to bed
Without knowing why or how or when
Without knowing why or how or when

The code is not the killer
The hardware's no blood spiller
It's the user that rings his own neck.


Stranger's Face

Look at this man
I've got his beard
I've got his walk
And his blood

Look at this man
I've got his love
Sometimes I want to push him out
Sometimes I want to push him out

Look at this man
He's all I want
No looking for another now
You've got what you've got

The crowd round his bed trading winks and nods
"We've got you brother"
Sounds funny to me

He knows what to ask
He knows what they'll say
But when they finally wheel him out
He looks strange and afraid

I've never seen him look that way
They push him out
Hand on his chest
With all that came before us
I've never seen him look that way
They push him out
And I forget
All that came before us

I've never seen him look that way
I push him out
And my man fades behind a crowd of strangers
I've never seen him look that way
I turn around
Unable to sleep with all the sounds.


Bless the Decomposers

There's light everywhere the sun touches
A truly solar powered planet
So many breathers
So many breaths
Thank you decomposers for cleaning up the mess

Among the monkeys, flies, and shrimp
Are some lives we hold most precious
And when those few meet their death
We may lose our will to live
And forget the sun that spins
And the earth speeding round it
While the decomposers catch the scent

Last memory last glimpse
The coffin slowly sinks
I put some dirt on it
The decomposers clean

And I may lose my will to live
But my mother kept her spirit
And her mother never quit
And neither did his children
They're a solar powered grid
Of love laced through genetics
And grit

The pieces never picked
The memories pierce our heads
We limp on without him
The decomposers clean our mess.


Small Stuff and the Rest


Throughout winter I'm afraid
In an hour I walk into your room
In ten minutes you're awake
And for a moment I notice you.


Mom and Dad

Sixteenth summer I'm moving on
I'll leave with my brother to sing my own song
The campus air, the classes there
I will be waiting for you without even having a clue

Sixteenth autumn I'm waking up
With drive in my mental and boys to charm
Well love's a mess for most I guess
But I saw you waiting there too
And you held my hand in secret in my dormitory room

Some things just work out I guess
I've loved you forever now my friend
Some things just keep feeling so good
And you know I'll never leave even if another would

Fifty eighth winter I'm holding on
To the half of myself I'd kill the other for
The sterile air the gown you wear
I will be waiting for you
In your chest they found my heart there beating too

Some things just work out I guess
I've loved you forever now my friend
Some things just keep feeling so good
And you know I'll never leave even if another would
And you know I'll never leave.


Out

I'm out buying lightbulbs
If just keep my eyes closed
Fall into a manhole
Tires bump on my skull
I cling close to this world
But the reins are fragile
Like a waistline seatbelt
Or skinned knees on the asphalt

Kissing in the shadows
Choosing our battles
Guessing at what matters
With no clue

Waiting for the surgeon
Shrinking with each second
Stroke or mutilation
Coinflip from the heavens
And I see my grandmother
I see my poor uncle
Telling me in riddles
Of my place in this world

It keeps the boat moving
The paddle steers you on
We're here without directions
An eye for an eye
A life for a dream

It keeps the boat moving
The paddle steers you on
We're here without directions
An eye for an eye
A life for a dream.

credits

released May 18, 2018

Music composed and mixed by Ben Levin
Engineered by Vince Welch at The Record Co in Boston
Mastered by Randy Roos at Squam Sound

Ben Levin - vocals, guitar, and production
Kyle Harris - drums
Chris Baum - violin
Josh Friedman - piano
Jessica Kion - vocals and choir vocals
Emmanuel Lee - choir vocals
Tim Doherty - choir vocals
Bradley Goff - choir vocals
Abigale Reisman - violin
Ben Swartz - cello
Sam Morrison - bari sax
Storm D’angelo - tenor sax
Bryan Murphy - trumpet

Album art by Ben Levin

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Ben Levin Boston, Massachusetts

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