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Entanglement

by Ben Somerville

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1.
The Tension 03:56
(narrated by Benjamin) I am a foreigner I don’t know my name in this tongue I’m glad to be alive here, I’d say But it’s hard to say I have my family near We dance together all day! That is foreign here, I heard Those are foreign words My father took me out to observe Evasion Eyes pressed in Pretending they see no life Stumbling away from every living thing Yells Nothing withheld Until one breaks the other’s shell It makes me want to run back to my mother’s arms Tension Feel the tension Every single place I’ve been It sings and somehow everybody listens Listen!!! We can’t read this contradiction Let us in, LET US IN LORD! Oh to be a learned citizen Oh to be, OH! to understand! But I am a foreigner..maybe it’s all for nought I hate to be lost all day, but I will today Once again Keep me in Slow success Amen.
2.
(Benjamin) Diminishing eye, all alone Passing by me every sunrise I don’t want you, but I need you Oh brother I’m alone too The weight of necessity Why must it burden me?? Diminishing eye, all alone Feels obliged to show me God’s mind This love I know, but you? I don’t know Oh brother where is your glow? Yet..you sought me out, I suppose There must be something in my eye! The weight of necessity Where could it take me! Where could you take me? What could you teach me? Brother, maybe you can teach me My name in your tongue
3.
The Stage 04:01
(RV) Once upon a long, at the turn of the cent We hear our future drift over the crest All the elders crying, and they drag us along We don’t know better than to join in song A couple of us gather at the age of ten We jibe at this idea of a crest Let the elders cry and let them fight While we create our everlasting light! We were just children Strength in numbers worked back then Such a city I had never seen before And for eyes like mine, never again Never again! Selfishness and its infinite hands Little actors on the stage And we thought it was all real Little lovers of the stage And we swore it was all real Little lovers, little lovers Lord I swear it was all real
4.
(RV) Never have I felt so used Give it up, give it up I’m not enough Never have I felt this used Bring it down, bring it down Hold it up Everyone acting out my own desires Everyone yelling Legally I could behave the same way No, no, please don’t pull me apart I’m lost in loyalty I’m lost In rage!!! Look at me, behaving the same way No, no, I’m pulling myself apart They know us too well No, no, we’re pulling ourselves apart They know us too well
5.
Rest 03:11
(Benjamin) Brother, brother, brother Look at me and wake up The sun is rising! What’s said and done is said and done Lift your head Lift your head The sun is rising! The sun is rising REST I want you to rest Just get up and rest Get up and rest
6.
Mr Foreigner 05:05
(The Children) look there, a foreigner.. let’s go see what he knows stuuuuuuuck between the devil and insanity neither cares much for anything so why would we show them anything? come together come and drink come with me it’s all a trip to me dance the part dance it whether it’s with me life’s all a trip you see no one respects us no one buys us clothes no one here wants us come together come and drink come with me it’s all a trip to me dance the part dance it whether it’s with me life’s all a trip you see calm the weather calm the storm calm her down or just come dance with me read the storm read together read with me? ok...I think I’ll go to sleep no one ever hears us no one ever tells us how not even how to write our own names step away, mr foreigner step away from the madness!
7.
(RV) Benjamin, I have some news.. Things I have been telling you May or may not quite be true What have I been telling you? Brother, what’s going on! You see There’s a voice in me that sometimes (maybe I’ve been dramatizing) There’s a voice in me that sometimes ? There’s a voice in me that sometimes rises! This imaginary pain This imaginary pain This imaginary pain All the past I’ve already said I made some friends when I was ten I built the world, the world turned red And it was probably my fault again ... But never again! You see I ran into one just last night and Sat myself next to his tight hands All our youth brought back to light I watched his icy silence melt All our youth brought back to light I watched his icy silence melt almost to life! This imaginary pain This imaginary pain This imaginary pain Brother, father What is this, what have I been thinking? I made a war out of hibernation What is this, a dream?
8.
(RV and his Queen) Have I shown you the tower of Babel? Do you realize what it means to me? I worked hard for the stories that I tell you I worked hard for myself and everybody else To share is to love! where would we be without you? where would we be without you? oh bless the lord for you my lord!! My queen Have I shown you the tower of Babel? Do you realize what it means to me?? So I gave it away for my queen I gave it for love, love everlasting That’s how it’s done, my friends. TO GIVE IS TO LOVE where would we be without you? where would we be without you? oh bless the lord for you my lord! My queen My fainting saline My cunning figurine.. My lying callous !! q-
9.
(RV) I don’t understand my lies Guess I am a smooth demise Tyranny, emotions-wise Cuts most deep in this reprise Kid, I’m just trying to get home Please let me atone alone What’s said and done is said and done Oh, I feel everything I’ve done. I’d love to be on your side! But please don’t seize me by my mind Let’s reach out from our own sides Together we can run Together we can run I made some friends when I was ten My only means to every end Guess I’ve always thought too much of them Ignored all my own cheated men It’s about time I joined them...
10.
(Benjamin) Entangle my soul I’ve watched each turn and every pull And I still don’t know what to say No, I still don’t know what to say Should I watch it break without a single push? What would you say? What would you do? Father, awaken us Father, awaken us Father, awaken us Father, awaken us

about

This is a story about a tired but ever hard-working man named Perse. It is bookended with the prayers of a young, confused outsider named Benjamin, who just wants to understand the strange sufferings of the new world he has entered. Most of the album is a discussion between Perse and Benjamin, except for “Mr Foreigner”, where Perse's children give their take, and "I Thought", where Perse is mostly talking to himself. The Queen, who narrates the chorus of “To Give”, is synonymous with the friends-made-at-the-age-of-ten, who are mentioned by Perse in several other songs. Good luck!

credits

released December 6, 2017

recorded between March 13 and July 6, 2017

writing begun in summer 2016

All lyrics, music, vocals, instruments, and engineering by Ben Somerville.

All tracks recorded onto a battery-powered field recorder in various locations, then transferred to a computer for editing. Editing consisted of compositing multiple takes and occasionally looping a drum part; no manipulation of pitch or time allowed.

Cover photograph by Joe Somerville.

Most special thanks to Neal Stuckenschneider for sticking around and providing crucial feedback throughout the process.

More thanks to:
Fred Cunningham, John Behrens, Jamison Lyman, Rob Porter, Elisha Somerville, Elizabeth Somerville, Adam Huie, Patrick Maresco, Lucas Barnhill, Anthony Huff, Joe Somerville, Meredith Cheatwood, Nicole Warren, Joe Veirs, Josh Khan, James Linn, Aaron Huie, Tom Mindte, Ken Boer, Greg Somerville, Suzy Somerville.

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Ben Somerville Charleston, South Carolina

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