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Small Guarantees

by WILLIS/SELVEDGE

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1.
The world outside is indifferent hears only itself churning the smell of my skin raises only the briefest interruption in its turning back to the door Hey, present the fireworks and speed bring on the hungry and poor the world outside is indifferent to me and now the era wants us working The evil infectant worms its way into the heart first the eyes go black then decades of structured values fall apart right in front of you right on the same streets that taught them to you I worry the infectant's in me and now the era wants us working Spit fills the air spit tells us nothing transmit to me your knowledge that this is helping instant karma's gonna get you it was said and it will be but you've not begun to feel the world inside of me and now the era wants us working
2.
FIRE, SNAKES AND BOOZE FIRE, SNAKES AND BOOZE FIRE, SNAKES AND BOOZE FIRE, SNAKES AND BOOZE FIRE, SNAKES AND BOOZE FIRE, SNAKES AND BOOZE
3.
We carry our bodies with far too little water Far too little water Far too little sand Then when asked Present your arms Far too quickly We present harm Still you do what's expected of you Today's a day, not two They said to travel to find your place To find your place To find your land But confusion reigns Along the highway side Exits were missed By confusion's pride Still you do what's expected of you Today's a day, not two We calloused our hands on archaic plows On archaic plows On archaic demands The fight was fixed Could tell by the silks he wore The blows kept coming Till we kissed the floor Still you do what's expected of you Today's a day, not two Stitch it up with a horse hair cross With a horse hair cross With our own hands When the bleeding stops There'll be a scar It makes the story better At the bar Because you do what's expected of you Today's a day, not two
4.
Rain Page 05:05
Count mine blessings Count mine sticks Read the rain page Till the lightbulb clicks Sat on the porch Drinking gin Caught the roof water In a Prince Albert tin They say the days pass away like apricot blooms on a windy day apricot blooms in the rain Tell mine fables Tell mine dreams Read the rain page Like I know what it means Maybe it's an omen An owl perched on a sign Maybe it was nothing All the time They say the days Pass away Like dandelion tufts On a windy day Like dandelion tufts In the rain It's his kindness, it's his grace It's his kindness, it's his grace It's his kindness, it's his grace That allows me to stay Grant mine strength Grant mine joy Read the rain page Like a happy boy I'll restring my chair When it sags low I whistle a tune Only I know
5.
It's the hunger of the times The high life of the low Dragging the table and glasses When you go The choke back of real talk Replaced with cliche Yes, the grass reflects the sun On a perfect day To roll out the back and forth The pirouette and twirl Of making small talk at the end of the world Tiger Balm for my ache Bubble for my stink A splash of water To complete my drink Why, yes, I did I heard that news And I have to say that it's a shame If it's really true By the way have you seen How my marigolds unfurled Are we making small talk at the end of the world I just bought a TV One with a curve Stayed up late thinking It was more than I deserved But, you know That's just between you and me By the way, can you believe These riots in the street I guess it's really that bad But, I always thought life was a pearl But here we are making small talk at the end of the world
6.
7.
I feel You're the better life I'm not I know I owe a debt to you I believe There's time to reach mountains we'll reach If we move Fast and care for our feet But for now You're almost asleep I was once Careless with my heart I let Love fall in the dirt It wasn't good I took chances foolishly But now you're here Here with me And I can see You're almost asleep Out beyond the dreaming reach Distant planets, starry seas There's a world I see you in Happy and carefree Though I know It's a world That may Exist beyond me I'll stand guard All night I'll be right here Won't let The night creep in on you Because I I'm scared of reality But I feel blessed That you came along to me And I can see You're almost asleep
8.
Factual Earth And the few things where we agree It's more about who you believe in Than what you believe Right hand slaps the left In the middle of the street I turn from you You turn away from me I swear I dreamed this conversation and still can't make you see All guarantees are small when love's involved Factual Earth Diamonds pass for care You can travel point A to B And find that language anywhere Like that crisis in Cuba Had to have your way right then and there I nodded in agreement But knew there'd be no easy repair Dogs of Havana chorused above the square All guarantees are small when love's involved Factual Earth American point of view I used to believe some treaty Could be struck between me and you I followed you to the dirty river My loyalty never in dispute We drank inky wine Till you tripped on the truth I never believed I'd hear anything so cruel from you But all guarantees are small when love's involved when love's involved
9.

about

Small Guarantees is the result of a collaboration between singer, songwriter, and musician Til Willis and experimental music-maker Selvedge. Though coming from different musical backgrounds and styles, Willis and Selvedge find common ground in the noisy melancholy of our era.
Refracted through Selvedge’s elongated noise tracks, Willis’s voice provides direction, witness, and even hope. Created during the darkness of 2020, Small Guarantees reflects our need for meaning in anxious times.

From Selvedge / Chance Dibben
“As the first crest of the pandemic hit, I began to make long, noisy electronic tracks, that I later processed to sound like a guitar. I was seeking to reflect (and escape from) the relentless dread, the sense of time lost, the uncertainty of it all.
Til passed along guitar lines he thought I might have use for, and not sure what do with the growing batch of tracks I was collecting, I sent him mine. I was absolutely gobsmacked by what I heard once he’d worked with them. Til had taken cues from track titles (often borrowed from a poem open at the moment of naming) and developed full-bodied songs. All credit to Til for his vivid, moving songcraft and impeccable (actual) guitar work on these tracks.”

From Til Willis
"Collaborations draw out different skillsets and colors in what each other does, so I'm usually pretty interested in getting together with someone. Especially, when what they're doing is removed from what I'd typically do. With the Selvedge tracks Chance sent, I found myself using a bit of a Bowie influence when picking out melodies and chord structures. I also began to think of the sonic landscape as one where a space western could take place, and set that against lyrics I would base off of the titles Chance sent me."

credits

released October 30, 2020

Til Willis- Vocals/Guitars/Percussion
Selvedge (Chance Dibben)- Synth/Processing/Electronic Contortions

Mixed by Til Willis
Mastered by John Hruska

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Til Willis Lawrence, Kansas

Til Willis, born in the heat of 1980, has been making music for a long time. Currently, when not performing solo, he makes noise with Erratic Cowboy. The style of music is lyric driven rock, that draws influence from many sources. Some have described it as Tin-Roof-Rain-Water-Bop. In his years of touring the country, Til has had the pleasure to perform with such notable talents as Pete Seeger.... ... more

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