maru liner notes

Brother Man

(you gotta decide)
I don't need to tell you you're my brother, man
And you know that I love you like no other man
I just think she'd be happier with another man
You just don't love her like I love her, man

For 20 years you've been my brother, man
I can't believe you'd do this to another man
You've got to stop behaving like you're my mother, man
You just don't love her like I love her, man

You'll never stop being my brother man

Music by Stephen Dranger, Mike Regan, and Garrett Schultz
Lyrics by Stephen Dranger
Stephen Dranger: Vocals, keyboard, trumpet
Mike Regan: Guitar, harmony
Lucas Sgouros: Bass
Matt Sigler: Drums
copyright © 2010

Parables

She told me to put my back against the wall
She told me to put my hands where she could see them
On a dark corner alley just west of South Halstead
I was down on my knees with a gun against my head
She said, "Now, you could choose to live or you could choose to end up dead,"
"Either way is fine, but you know it's your choice, after all."

She told me to cast my net out to the sea
She told me if I sowed, then I would reap
She told me, "Everybody's got a reason to be here
And even though I know right now might not be clear,
You'd better find out what it is before you disappear.
Either way is fine, but you know it's your choice after all."

Music by Stephen Dranger, Mike Regan, Matt Sigler, and Lucas Sgouros
Lyrics by Stephen Dranger
Stephen Dranger: Vocals, rhythm guitar, trumpet
Mike Regan: Guitar, harmony
Lucas Sgouros: Bass
Matt Sigler: Drums
copyright © 2010

Jungle

Are you full today?
Did you get your fill
When you bought your grain?
Did the best you can
You polished, man
But it still looks the same
And out you came

Deep in the jungle when you lost your mind
Down in the ocean there's a friend of mine

You can stop in place
And curse my name
But it'll taste the same
It's the price you pay
You concentrate
But it all feels the same
It's how you came

Music by Mike Regan, Stephen Dranger, and Matt Sigler
Lyrics by Mike Regan
Mike Regan: Vocals, guitar
Stephen Dranger: Keyboard, harmony
Lucas Sgouros: Bass
Matt Sigler: Drums, glockenspiel
copyright © 2010

Welcome

Hello, baby doll
I'm glad you could make it
Give me your coat I'll take it
Let me show you around

Grab a couple beers
There's food on the table
We'll have to catch up later
Haven't seen you in years

And the years, they go by in the blink of an eye, it's unbearable
'Cause we've just realized that everyone dies someday
So we try to get by, and on nights like tonight we'll enjoy ourselves
'Cause without any fun we just might go insane

Anything could happen
Anything could happen tonight

Music by Stephen Dranger and Garrett Schultz
Lyrics by Stephen Dranger
Stephen Dranger: Vocals, keyboard
Mike Regan: Guitar, harmony
Lucas Sgouros: Bass
Matt Sigler: Drums
copyright © 2010

Waiting For Sunshine

When I left the house
I didn't think that I'd made a scene
But then scenes just seem to happen around me
So I'm driving home
Whiskey and half a tank full of gas
But I've driven like this tons of times before

And I see the lights
Whizzing 'round my head
And I think that I might be better off dead
But then I recall
What the drunken prophet said about the stupid lives we led

So I'm in the snow
Huddled up, freezing, calling mom & dad
And I think that they're just happy I'm alive
When the cops show up
They don't even check my breath
And I see my father handing them a bribe

And I see the lights
Going down the street
And I don't even know what all this means
Besides more regret
And I think that I might fall apart if I knew what it meant

It's a silent night
As the snow falls down
Gathers round my feet
As it settles down
When the sun comes
Maybe never now
I will sing to you
I will try somehow

I'm waiting for sunshine
I'm waiting for my time
To feel safe in my own mind
I'm waiting for a sign

Music by Stephen Dranger, Mike Regan, and Matt Sigler
Lyrics by Stephen Dranger
Stephen Dranger: Vocals, piano
Mike Regan: Guitar, harmony
Lucas Sgouros: Bass
Matt Sigler: Drums
Isaac Hoffer: Cello
copyright © 2010

Last Words

So long my friends, I must be moving on
Please think of me as long as I am gone
No need to bother finding someone else
No one could replace someone like myself
And so I left and everybody's lives
Continued just if I'd never left
And I went on to be a man of international

Fame and fortune
And I remembered
All the folks back home that now seemed like
Spoiled, rotten fruit
That mysteriously decayed
Despite no one coming near it
And they all seemed like shadows
That forgot that I exist

So now I'm stuck in Dallas Airport bar
Surrounded by people I don't know
Last call, I order tonic and gin
And thought does anybody really care that much about...

Music by Stephen Dranger, Mike Regan, Lucas Sgouros, and Matt Sigler
Lyrics by Stephen Dranger
Stephen Dranger: Vocals, rhythm guitar
Mike Regan: Guitar, harmony
Lucas Sgouros: Bass
Matt Sigler: Drums
copyright © 2010