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From Birth, to Breath, to Bone

by Gretchen Pleuss

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bluesandstuff
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bluesandstuff Not sure that this is the best of her releases, but it's not far off - which makes it very good indeed. A musician with integrity and intelligence - and a great voice, too. Favorite track: Ceremony (Speak).
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1.
The Unknown 04:35
The Unknown I used to falter when I heard my name As if those syllables sounded of shame I used to let the darkest thoughts permeate my brain Those darkest moments are from where the lightest part of me came I used to wish the sky would swallow me And spit me out in the Pacific Sea Surrounded by a crowd and unaware of how to just be A captive of my discontent until you set me free Now the sun seems to follow us But in my dreams the rain feeds my rust Sometimes I still hide behind changing plans I fear the encounter with who I am There’s parts of me that neither one of us can understand It’s in the way I hold my head and how I clench my hands It’s a slow march, a wounded beat, But I’ll get there if it bloodies my feet At 23 nothing is set in stone Sometimes I wish I had a sense of home There was a time I thought I couldn’t be more alone Now with your help I’m learning to make sense of the unknown It’s all unknown and we’re anxiety prone But our weakness is atoned from birth, to breath, to bone It’s all unknown and we’re anxiety prone But a radiant light has shone from birth, to breath, to bone
2.
Waves Like Drums There is a legend of a girl Whose flesh was stretched between two worlds Lost for words she began to hum A desperate call for help to come Her feet in the bog, head in the sky A distant, mystic lullaby Echoed in pastures west to east The mountains howled like feral beasts Shadows danced when she sang in prayer Waves like drums beat at the Cliffs of Moher Then an angel heard her sing An angels voice, he gave her wings She flew along the sea Made a home in a Thuja tree Now when she cries the flowers bloom Her smile brings the midnight moon And when she sings of light and love It’s carried on wings of a white dove
3.
Percy Fawcett Searching for my heart in some foreign land A pursuit only Percy Fawcett would understand Floating down river in some harsh terrain I feel at ease while any other would go insane ‘Cause there are splendors only God himself would know If we never ventured, if we chose not to go Most people cower when the future is unclear But a scripted future is the only thing I fear I dream of mountains, I dream of trees I dream of everything but a husband and babies I’ve got no money, I can’t hold a job There’s always somewhere to be and somewhere that I’m not (chorus) Never before, have I explored The stealth of my inner self, The workings of my core I wanna lay down under the stars I don’t wanna see the sky from the window of my car I wanna let go, I wanna feel free, Enjoy the contentment of my own company (chorus and out)
4.
Noah and the Ark You are the light in all things dark, Noah and the ark, my shelter in the storm We saved each other in a way Welcomed each new day like Jesus was reborn Now our love steady like the snow In Ohio when the winter beats us blind Or shadows blanketing a field When the winter yields to warm rain and sunshine I guess I knew before you Human souls are split in two Our incompletes are directed by our hearts To find and bind our missing parts Days pass like kidney stones around here But each new year comes faster than before Do feelings change with passing time Or age like wine for richer or for poor? Well I’ve seen many good loves die Let the wells run dry and search for a new source But you are ageless like the trees And the steady breeze that keeps a river on its course (back to chorus) We stumble here, year after year, We’ve won the war we still fight for Sometimes I long for a gypsy life A long distance drive to take me somewhere new But I’m only lost when I take leave All roads seem to lead in circles back to you ‘Cause I see your smile in each new face And in each new place I swear I hear your voice Your laughter drowns out all my fears And steals my tears in exchange for my favorite noise (chorus and out)
5.
Jane Eyre 04:35
Jane Eyre Cast out and poor, plain and obscure Passion for life led me to your door Your face is stark, your thoughts are dark But I know your light, we share the same heart Unhinged, unearthed, my soul’s rebirthed When you are near A love forbade, an unknown fate, I have no fear Oh still I need you here In shadows you hide what lives inside Intent on this secret kept from me, your new bride I was confused trusting in you A fool could see it was too good to be true I run, I cry, my soul has died now that I know Young and naïve, I can’t believe you deceived me so I love you, let me go Lost on the moors I’m searching for a dim light Plagued by your memory you call for me, call for me I follow my own name to the ashes of the insane The walls have all burnt through still I call for you, call for you I find you blind, half out of mind, you hear a noise ‘Is that my Jane? She finally came by her own choice? My Jane am I still yours?’ Yes says mine own voice
6.
Ceremony (Speak) Let my body shake with every breath I take I’m alive but I am not awake Until the full moon rise, until I shut my eyes And recognize I am not my past mistakes (Speak) Will you feed your anger, will you act a stranger Will you live your life as if you’re dead Or let your spirit walk, let your spirit talk If you decide to step outside of your head (Speak) A sensation coming, rabbit nation running And birds, they fly against the wind Back by brazen force to the river’s source If this is real, how can I feel this way again? (Hiye, Aho) Like a faint light on a dark wall A siren’s voice and hand as I stand tall You are here, you are now, you are enough Then she whispers ‘my sister, you are love’ You are love With the scent of burning sage And my heart it flutters like wings in a cage As they call out my name If you search you will find the reason you came We evolve on this earth Happy Big Bang, Auld Lang, until the 21st With every path that you pave, Will you enter the womb when you enter the grave? (Iye Hantu)
7.
Covered Windows Covered windows when your eyes are closed Swept in my tide, from these currents you hide You are a spark, illuminati of the dark When you share the blame, do you dare douse the flame? Now I carry the weight of these rules Heavy lifting is only for fools And though I’m wrought with the fixings of fate Tell me, is it too late? We both have settled, made our pact with the devil The fields they frost, all urgency lost Yes I am young, but words have aged on my tongue And somehow you’re caught in this tangled web of thought (chorus)
8.
Move On 05:15
Move On You’re the only one who wants to stay The rest of us would gladly run away Cutting through this bamboo just to find God Claiming that we’ve found him when we’ve not ‘Cause there are men who’re fond of bearing their arms War on their tongues and hate in their hearts The only peace that I can find Is somewhere deep in my own mind And I’m gone It’s the way of the world, that’s what they say The night will come if we just black out the day Well here I am in the same town, in the same home Raised on faith and fear of being alone (chorus) We all watch the news from time to time Lock our doors to predators and the sunshine Pray for change and sing joy to the world Then call each other names and poison our soil Maybe we are fond of bearing our arms War on our tongues and hate in our hearts The only peace that we will find Is if we alter our state of mind And move on
9.
Floating 05:25
Floating I would come home if the flowers had grown, The snow was asleep in the gutter But I have been told the ground is too cold, They can’t bury my grandmother Maybe we’re stars, just dust from Mars Maybe we are just floating If we don’t want to stay, we can float away With our bodies unknowing There’s no fountain, no holy mountain To put a stop to the years So we smile, but all the while We think how could they leave us here? When I was five on a Sunday drive, There she sat in the back seat If we could all see angels like Marie Fear and death would never meet So fare thee well onto heaven or hell, I’ll see you when the ash settles In the wind, in the ocean, Surrounded by rose pedals (chorus) Dressed up in silk and bow Look nothing like who we know One last party before you go One last show

credits

released March 4, 2016

All songs written by Gretchen Pleuss. Produced by Gretchen Pleuss and Matt Shultzman. Mixed by Spencer Martin. Recorded by Matt Shultzman in Wooster, Ohio November 2014 - June 2015. Drums, vibraphone, piano, modular synthesizers recorded by Ben Vehorn at Tangerine Sound Studios in Akron Ohio, November 2014 and June 2015. Additional keys recorded by Spencer Martin in Canton, Ohio, July 2015. Mastered by Kim Rosen at Knack Mastering.

The musicians:
Gretchen Pleuss- acoustic and electric guitars, vocals
Justin Sustar- drums and percussion
Matt DeRubertis- bass guitar
Appearances by:
Spencer Martin- electric guitar on tracks 1 and 4, piano on tracks 3 and 8, vibraphone on tracks 3 and 9, modular synth and keys on tracks 6, 7, 9.
James Harris- electric guitar on tracks 2 and 6
Ed Marthey- keys on tracks 1, 3, 4, and 5

Cover design by Brant Moore
Photography by Emily Speelman

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