Lyrics

I'm carrying something
That I can't release
The familiar weight
Is starting to smother me
I feel myself sink
In unavoidable gravity

I walk the dog
And listen for blue jays
And keep writing songs
And looking for new ways
To dream myself out
Of this underworld I've found

I'm lost in the fog
The light's fading fast
Don't know how much longer
My strength will last
But I won't be answered
If I never ask

I walk the dog
And listen for blue jays
And keep writing songs
And looking for new ways
To dream myself out
Of this underworld I've found

In search of clearer skies
He throws caution to the wind
Says his long goodbyes
And sheds his thicker skin
Blindfold over eyes
He's ready to begin

He's been feeling restless
People say he's reckless
Pack upon his back
He'll hit the open road
Searching for his North Star
Don't tell him what the risks are
He'll take a leap of faith
Pretend that he is bold

She skips across the roof
Her skirt flaps in the breeze
Feels the need to move
Like wind over the eaves
Flying birds the proof
That life's meant to be free

She's been feeling restless
People say she's reckless
Pack upon her back
She'll hit the open road
Searching for her North Star
Don't tell her what the risks are
She'll take a leap of faith
Pretend that she is bold

Ooooh

We've been feeling restless
People say we're reckless
Packs upon our backs
We'll hit the open road
Searching for our North Stars
Don't tell us what the risks are
We'll take a leap of faith
Pretend that we are bold

We are symphonies of stardust
We are miracles of chance
We are sparks in cosmic darkness
We are laughing as we dance

Listen
Listen, children
Listen
Breathe

We are singularly stunning
We are particles aglow
We are complicated beings
We are learning as we go

Listen
Listen, children
Listen
Breathe

We are beautifully broken
We are powerful and whole
We are strongest in our softness
We are yearning to be known

Listen
Listen, children
Listen
Breathe

You've tried to make yourself digestible
You hope it's for the best if you'll
Fit in and find a place where you
Can feel like you belong
But is it worth the sacrifice
Contort yourself around the lies
To be the things they want
Even when it feels wrong

Your body knows the truth
It's waiting for the rest of you

You are not too much
You are just enough
Exactly as you are
Darling, you are not too hard to love

You shrink, try not to be too strange
You've forgotten it's a game
You played before you knew the rules
You used to improvise
How would it feel to take up space
To give yourself a little grace
Take off the careful mask
You've learned to hide behind

Your body knows the truth
It's waiting for the rest of you

You are not too much
You are just enough
Exactly as you are
Darling, you are not too hard to love

You're scared that if you step outside the lines
No one will come to find you
But you were never meant for boxes
So let yourself unlock it

You are not too much
You are just enough
Exactly as you are
Darling, you are not too hard to love
Darling, you are not too hard to love
Darling, you are not too hard to love

When everything's on fire
And full of pain and sorrow
When you're feeling anxious or alone
When depression is a liar
That tries to steal tomorrow
Together we can find our way back home

And breathe in the light
Breathe in the light

I will catch you if you fall
Through the cracks of your existence
If you're shrinking from the horrors of the world
I will answer if you call
My heart will not resist it
As we watch the days ahead unfurl

And breathe in the light
Breathe in the light

Exactly who you are
Is cause for celebration
You're wonderful, and I hope you know
You're an incandescent star
In my favorite constellation
I'm happy to be basking in your glow

And breathe in the light
Breathe in the light
Breathe in the light
Breathe in the light

It doesn't need to be convenient
You're allowed to ask for help
I will be there if you call me
Don't have to do it all yourself

It doesn't need to be convenient
That is not why we are friends
We can lean into each other
We can help each other mend

There's a new world that we're building
Full of possibility
A world where care is not a burden
To give or to receive
In a world that's disconnected
I am reaching out because
I want to be inconvenienced
By the people that I love

So if the world feels overwhelming
Or there's a fire in your brain
It doesn't need to be convenient
I will love you just the same

There's a new world that we're building
Full of possibility
A world where care is not a burden
To give or to receive
In a world that's disconnected
I am reaching out because
I want to be inconvenienced
By the people that I love

In a world that's disconnected
I am reaching out because
I want to be inconvenienced
By the people that I love

The soft animal of my body
Loves cuddles on the couch
Loves wrapping its arms
Around those in its care

The soft animal of my body
Loves petting the dog
Loves those who it loves
Almost too much to bear

The soft animal of my body
Loves what it loves
And that includes you
Yeah, that includes you

The soft animal of my body
Loves looking like this
Loves the sound of its voice
And its long, braided beard

The soft animal of my body
Loves all its tattoos
Loves being a person
Its friends never fear

The soft animal of my body
Loves what it loves
And that includes me
Yeah, that includes me

We just want to belong
Find our place in the family of things
We already belong
We have a place in the family of things

The soft animal of my body
Loves what it loves
And that includes you
And that includes me

The soft animal of my body
Loves what it loves
And that includes me
And that includes you

I've never understood why romance
Should matter more than friends
Why we feel the need to minimize
As if some bonds should somehow count as less

There are many ways to love, and yet

I didn't always know
That love could feel like breathing
And I've been told
That love's more than a feeling
It takes work
But with you here beside me
We make it easy

I am more of who I am
When I'm with you, and I know
That who I am is not too much
We're truest when we let ourselves be loved

We're co-creating sanctuary
Another sort of home
I would never say you're "just" a friend
We're building something we can call our own

Language can be limited, and yet

I didn't always know
That love could feel like breathing
And I've been told
That love's more than a feeling
It takes work
But with you here beside me
We make it easy

I grew up knowing that there was
No greater love than sacrifice
I'd give anything for you
But I think we'd both prefer to stay alive
Side by side

I didn't always know
That love could feel like breathing
And I've been told
That love's more than a feeling
It takes work
But with you here beside me
We make it easy

May we have hope
For they want us to be hopeless
May we believe defiantly
That justice will prevail
May we be brave
In the face of such uncertainty
May we face the future
Knowing fascism will fail
This is a prayer
A prayer for the rest of us

May we choose joy
Despite the present darkness
May we notice what delights us
And allow ourselves to laugh
May we feel
The grief that's inescapable
May we not let numbness
Hold us long within its grasp
This is a prayer
A prayer for the rest of us

May we be real
Though they deny that we exist
May we live with authenticity
Stand boldly in our truth
May we know love
And the power of community
May we find connections
To sustain and help us through
This is a prayer
A prayer for the rest of us

This is a prayer
A prayer for the rest of us

What if you let it be easy
What if you let it be good
What if you let out that long-held breath
Oh, do you think you could

What if you chose to be honest
What if you said what you need
What if you let your tight shoulders drop
And took the space to breathe

Honey, you are safe right here
And yes, there is a lot to fear
But right now, right now, my dear
Honey, you are safe right here

What if you let yourself want it
What if you let yourself feel
What if you let yourself fall apart
And had the space to heal

Honey, you are safe right here
And yes, there is a lot to fear
But right now, right now, my dear
Honey, you are safe right here

What if you let it be easy
What if you let it be good
What if you let out that long-held breath
Oh, do you think you could

Honey, you are safe right here
And yes, there is a lot to fear
But right now, right now, my dear
Honey, you are safe right here
Honey, you are safe right here

We were fourteen, and I handed her a burned CD
A song I'd written and recorded in my bedroom just for her
I knew that I'd transgressed some rule I didn't understand
When I saw the look she gave me in return
Oh, I didn't have the words yet
But I knew then that I loved a little different

Three years later, online with another friend
In a chatroom, where we would talk for hours after school
I don't remember what I said; she told me that I was intense
It stung and left me feeling like a fool
Oh I didn't have the words yet
But I knew then that I loved a little different

I grew up hearing that one love should be all I need
But why do we limit what love can be?
I tried to fit into that story but I think I'm in a different book
Because I've always loved my friends more than the world seems to think I should

A year ago, I wrote a friend a letter
And worried once I'd sent it that perhaps I'd said too much
But instead I found my words were welcomed and reciprocated
But someone who understood the way I loved
Oh, do I have the words yet?
I'm not the only one who loves a little different

I was told so many times that I was too much
Because I always put my whole heart on the line
But I'm learning I just needed to find the right people
Who claim me back when I say that they're mine
Oh, do I have the words yet?
I know I still love a little different
I know I still love a little different
I love that I still love a little different

I have so many literal spoons
But not nearly enough metaphorical spoons
I'm hanging on by a thread
So much in the world right now fills me with dread
And I can't help but wondering why
The people in power don't care if we live or we die
And I'm short on emotional spoons
But I have so many literal spoons

They're breaching the bounds of their place in the drawer
Some days I swear there are more than there were before
Dishes are done, and it's out of control
Where they all come from nobody can know

I have so many literal spoons
But not nearly enough metaphorical spoons
I'm hanging on by a thread
So much in the world right now fills me with dread
And I can't help but wondering why
The people in power don't care if we live or we die
And I'm short on emotional spoons
But I have so many literal spoons

There's fascists in power; the world is on fire
The fight's just beginning, and I am already tired
But I guess that's not true; we have been here before
It's an uphill battle but I hope we'll win the war

So many literal spoons
But not nearly enough metaphorical spoons
I'm hanging on by a thread
So much in the world right now fills me with dread
And I can't help but wondering why
The people in power don't care if we live or we die
And I'm short on emotional spoons
But I have so many literal spoons

I have so many literal spoons

He's always making coffee
In case they come to stay
He knows he'll drink it all himself
But he's smiling anyway

Edges worn and tattered
Faded coffee stains
Coffee stains the pages
Memories remain

It's a long way down from Ursa Major
But she survived the fall
Doesn't worry what she might have been
She knows who she is now

Edges worn and tattered
Faded coffee stains
Coffee stains the pages
Memories remain

My heart's a source of beauty
Questions blooming in my chest
Caught aloft on dragonfly wings
This cloud is where I'll rest

Edges worn and tattered
Faded coffee stains
Coffee stains the pages
Memories remain

Took the Universe out for coffee last night
We talked about color and stardust and light
Cosmic accidents, imagined destinies
What might have been, and what could still be

Her favorite colors are black holes and fire
I said I understood, and she called me a liar
We talked about living and whether she cares
And whether some secrets are meant to be shared

She sings a supernova
A nursery rhyme of her own devising
Of her own devising
Of her own devising

The cafe was closing, they asked us to leave
She gathered her coat and her hat and her keys
I asked her if someday we might meet again
She said she would always have time for a friend

Took the Universe out for coffee last night

Pen and ink
And paper combine
Alchemical fire
As you write the Big Bang
World spring into existence
Ready or not
Connect the dots

Stop, take a breath
Feel the magic in your chest
When you know who you are
You are born of stars

At the top
It feels like flying
Giddy with altitude
One with the sky
In this earthbound apparatus
There's no risk
Just innocence

Stop, take a breath
Feel the magic in your chest
When you know who you are
You are born of stars

Some love starts
With warm beverages
Held in nervous hands
As voices spill secrets
And you slowly learn to ask
If you can dare
For what they might share

Stop, take a breath
Feel the magic in your chest
When you know who you are
You are born of stars
You are born of stars
You are born of stars

Close your eyes tightly
Unleash your best dream
On candle flames flickering
And starlight beams
On birthdays, and first stars
And planets aligned
If wishes were horses
Then beggars would ride
If wishes were horses
Then beggars would ride

On dandelion heads
Fallen eyelashes blown
Float wistful ideas
Into the unknown
To whatever god's listening
We pray, eyes shut tight
If wishes were horses
Then beggars would ride
If wishes were horses
Then beggars would ride

Shapes seen in clouds
And the patterns in leaves
Elephants, faces
Imagine with me
Dreaming all day and all night
Side by side
If wishes were horses
Then beggars would ride
If wishes were horses, love
Beggars would ride