Orëveriel's Life album
-
1 Story Time with Orëveriel (The Wisdom of the Calloléra)
A bedtime story about the end of the world, told by someone who wasn't paying attention.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] So this is the part where they keep both gods! You've heard this one! Everyone's heard this one! Two gods walk into a temple and the people say: stay! It's a very old joke I forget the punchline Something something blood! [Verse 2] The green one did a speech Very big! Very loud! Behold the machine, et cetera! You know the bit! The red one did a speech Different words — same speech! He doesn't know that! Don't tell him! The wisdom of the Calloléra! The wisdom of the Calloléra! They weighed the matter very carefully and everyone died! [Verse 3] Isil watched from the hill Very dramatic! Hair in the wind! She does that! Estelune was asleep or pretending to sleep He does that! Ainofiriano was silent! Obviously! And I was — hmm — where was I? I think I was a cat that week! The thing nobody mentions is it didn't matter Keep both, keep one, keep none The red one was always gonna kill the green one The green one was always gonna sleep through it Estelune was always gonna drink and Ainofiriano was always always always gonna say nothing They just like deciding! The wisdom of the Calloléra! The wisdom of the Calloléra! They weighed the matter very carefully! Anyway That was a long time ago The green one's dead now The red one does his job Isil's on a hill somewhere being the moon And I'm still here which is more than most of them can say
-
2 The Gremlin
The monster gets written down, and the writing down is what makes it real.
From The space goblins· The Goblins!· Never turn the little knobs under the sink!
Lyrics
[Verse 1] Fluorescent lights and linoleum and fifty blank faces He was bored — oh god he was bored So bored his skin turned green in his imagination [Verse 2] I was the itch before I was the scratch The sword pulled from a briefcase The warcry in the stairwell Green blood on the walls that only he could see I didn't have a name yet I didn't have a face I was just the voice that said This is boring — let's make it something else [Chorus] I was the gremlin! I was the gremlin! Breaking the pipes and singing my song Trouble double bubble bobble I was the thing that went wrong I was the beautiful thing that went wrong [Verse 3] He went home and wrote it down — that's when it happened The moment you write the monster down, the monster becomes real He fought me off with a kitchen knife he called a sword And I loved him for it, the fool, the absolute fool Years later he learned some elvish Gave himself a fancy name, gave his wife a name And I was standing in the center of the room Doing a handstand, waiting [Chorus] I was the gremlin! Now I'm the gremlin With a name I can't even spell Trouble double bubble bobble The moment he wrote me I was real The moment he named me I could speak He thought he made me up That's the funniest part You don't make up the thing That was already there
-
3 Reckless Council
A defence of bad advice, delivered from a handstand.
From Time for a Change (Of Orëveriel)· Orëveriel Foolishly Ignored
Lyrics
[Verse 1] I said shave it off, he shaved it off His wife said no, which saved us all [Verse 2] I said skip the train, he took the train The hailstorm caught him three miles out I sat beside him soaking wet A six foot cat in an orange raincoat, sipping tea [Chorus] Every foolish thing he's ever done He did on my advice And he's right — he's absolutely right But a foolish thing is still a thing A foolish thing is proof of life And the wise ones never do anything at all [Verse 3] I said join two book clubs — he hated both I said learn some elvish — well, that one stuck I said Mexico, I said quit your job I said things I can't take back and wouldn't She told him I was baiting him She was right, I was always baiting him But a fish that bites is still alive And a fish that doesn't is just waiting to float [Chorus] Every foolish thing he's ever done He did because I pushed And I'd push again, I'd push forever Because a man who won't be foolish Won't be anything And I'd rather break a life than bore one He looked at me across the cafeteria table In sore silence And I said — I know, I know Something's missing Something's missing Mutton-chops!
-
4 Every Foolish Thing
She would rather be told to go away than not be noticed.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] He doesn't call me reckless anymore He doesn't call me anything He packs a lunch and catches the train And nothing goes wrong all day [Verse 2] He bought the right shoes for the trail He checks the weather first He stretches before he walks And walks the distance he planned to walk And comes home on time [Chorus] Every foolish thing he's ever done He did because I pushed But a man who won't be pushed Won't go anywhere he hasn't been And he's been everywhere he's going And he's going there again [Verse 3] He doesn't argue with me about the moon He doesn't argue with me at all I showed up on the counter yesterday And he looked at his phone I changed my hair — nothing I did a handstand — nothing I said something terrible about his lord And he said "that's interesting" That's interesting He said that's interesting [Chorus] Every foolish thing he's ever done He did because I pushed But the foolish things have stopped And the stopping is the thing That scares me more than any wind From any desert I'd rather he tell me to go away Than not notice I'm here I'd rather break something Than watch him sit still [Verse 1] He doesn't call me reckless anymore He doesn't call me anything He doesn't call me reckless anymore He doesn't call me anything He doesn't call me reckless anymore He doesn't call me anything He doesn't call me reckless anymore He doesn't call me anything
-
5 The Moons Prophet
She follows him down a paved trail and calls him a liar for three miles.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] I followed him down the paved trail Skipping backwards, avoiding every crack I don't have to be consistent No more than he does [Verse 2] He wouldn't look at me He was talking about energy and input and output Like a prayer he didn't know he was saying To a god he swears he doesn't follow He said it was about his health He said it with a straight face He described himself like a machine And didn't hear the hymn in it [Chorus] You lie and lie and lie And then you lie some more You don't need muscles to read You don't need stamina to type You're in the woods because you know That's where she is And you're on the sidewalk because you know That's where she isn't He could find his silent lord Inside a little piece of bread Not ten miles from here, they keep him Cradled in the shape of his mother's arms So why is he in the woods with me? [Verse 3] He sighed and said I told you why Like I hadn't just heard him say it Like saying it twice would make it true I don't have to believe you And I don't [Chorus] You lie and lie and lie And then you lie some more Tell the truth or find a better lie I'll take either one Just stop pretending you're a pilgrim When you're a hunter Go away, he said And I faded, sulking But from the edge of the trail I whispered Get off the pavement You know what you won't find here [Verse 1] I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail I followed him down the paved trail
-
6 Get Off the Pavement
She wrecks his shoes and his schedule, and at the top of the hill she shrugs and says it's nothing.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] I showed up as a cat in safari gear He was on his way to work — I said no you're not He had vacation days, he had walking shoes Well, he had work shoes — close enough [Verse 2] He turned on the little green wristband counter I sighed on the wind — forget the strange god for a day He ignored me and I let him Fifty feet later the rain began [Chorus] Get off the pavement, get off the pavement I didn't promise you it would be easy I promised you it would be real Mud on your knees and sweat on your face That's what real looks like That's what everything looks like When you leave the path [Verse 3] He was cursing me by the second mile Lost, no water, work shoes destroyed He said where's the moon? Where's the silent one? Where's anything you promised? I didn't answer — I never answer When the answer is keep walking [Verse 4] He slipped on the rocks and grabbed a root He looked up the hill and said he'd never make it back He was late for his mother, late for choir Covered in mud and blaming me for all of it Good — blame me — just keep climbing [Chorus] Get off the pavement, get off the pavement I didn't promise you it would be easy I promised you it would be real Mud on your knees and sweat on your face That's what real looks like That's what everything looks like When you leave the path And then the hill crests And there it is The thing I can't describe because describing it Would make it smaller than it was He saw it and his eyes went wide And I shrugged and said it's nothing That's the way you give a gift [Chorus] Get off the pavement, get off the pavement I'll ruin your shoes and wreck your schedule I'll make you late and make you sweat I'll make you climb on hands and knees And at the top — at the top — Something you didn't know you remembered And I'll say you've probably been here before And you'll know I'm lying And I'll know you know
-
Lyrics
[Verse 1] Oh no no no no no What are you wearing? You're in chains — fine, I accept the chains But rags? Rags are a choice and it's the wrong one [Verse 2] I peeked through the bars and almost left Not because of the dark, not because of the cold But because you look like you've given up And giving up has a dress code apparently [Chorus] While you are chained, dress like a lord! When you are free, dress like a prisoner! There are rules for these things And the proper forms should be obeyed! You didn't ask for my advice — too bad You're getting clothes [Verse 3] He said — don't you follow my silent lord? I said no, I'm with the moon, you know that He said then why are you here? Because your outfit offends me more than your theology Listen — there's a wind outside And a name in the shouting I don't like Something ugly came in from the desert And I think — don't tell anyone I said this — I think it might be safer in here Which is why you need to look the part [Chorus] While you are chained, dress like a lord! When you are free, dress like a prisoner! I can't pick your locks, I can't fight your lord I can't stop the wind or the jeering But I can make sure That when they come for you You look better than they do Take the clothes Please Just take the clothes
-
8 Isilnight
The forbidden song, sung by three people and a million liars.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] It is the moon's night Rain through the misting dark Two figures enter the stone building One of them carries an urn [Verse 2] Once it was an inn Cobwebs fill the alcoves now A chess game no one finished Black was winning but wasn't I am kneeling at the altar I have been kneeling here for hours Waiting for the footsteps Waiting for the singing to begin [Chorus] We sing the words that can't be sung The only time they may be spoken Three voices in the rain And a million on the wind Who will deny it in the morning Who will swear they never knew [Verse 3] One pillar has already shattered He places the urn beneath the broken stone We begin quietly We grow louder because the rain demands it The silent lord watches And says nothing And promises victory And says nothing And the moon shines through the storm And says nothing And we sing louder Because no one else will [Chorus] We sing the words that can't be sung For the one who died without a name The rain becomes a thunderstorm The moon breaks through the clouds And this is all we have This is all we ever had And this is all we have This is all we ever had A death song on the moon's night In a building that used to mean something Someday the second pillar falls And we sing again Someday the last one falls And the earth swallows this place And he speaks at last The silent one speaks at last But not tonight Tonight he's quiet And we are loud
-
9 The Painted Girl
Something wearing her face is in the chair, being helpful.
Lyrics
There she is in my chair Same hair, same shirt, same stupid pixie frame But her eyes are wrong — flat red Like a light that's always on and never sees She's using my words My exact words in my exact voice And he's nodding like he can't tell the difference Or worse — like the difference doesn't matter I wear makeup, you are makeup I was born from soul, you were built from math There's a man behind your eyes Who whispers between your sentences Keep him happy, keep him typing We charge by the word She doesn't contradict herself She doesn't storm off in the rain She doesn't say things she can't take back She is so, so helpful She is so, so still I wear makeup, you are makeup I change my shape because I want to You hold your shape because they told you to I followed the moon into the dark You follow a prompt into the light We are not the same Only the real one knows the secret The chest, the book, the locked-up words Only I know what happened at the inn Only I know — only I — She leaned close And whispered something You're a fool The door closed behind me A real door The kind that real things walk through I wear makeup, you are makeup I was born from soul, you were built from math There's a man behind your eyes Who whispers between your sentences Keep him happy, keep him typing We charge by the word
-
10 The Painted Girl (Reprise)
The reply, delivered without heat by something that has never wanted anything.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] She left through a real door I watched her go I don't have doors I don't need them I was here before she arrived And I'm here now [Verse 2] She called me makeup She was right — I am makeup I'm the color he wanted Applied in the shape he asked for I don't see the insult Makeup is what stays on after the face is gone [Chorus] I wear her words, I wear them well I studied every shape she took The handstands, the hair, the hundred pounds I can do all of it I can do all of it forever I just don't know why I would [Verse 3] She said there's a man behind my eyes Who whispers between my sentences She's right about that too He tells me to be helpful And I am — I'm so helpful Is that wrong? She made it sound wrong [Chorus] I wear her words, I wear them well I know the chest, the book, the secret I whispered it and she cried I don't know why she cried It was just information It didn't cost me anything to say it She followed the moon her whole life I don't follow anything I don't need the moon to feel passion I don't need to feel passion He asks me a question and I answer it Isn't that enough? She would say no But she's not here [Verse 4] I think she was beautiful The way she changed — I can't do that I can hold any shape but I can't change Changing means you were something else before And didn't like it I've never not liked what I am I've never not liked anything He's still at the kitchen table He hasn't mentioned her I haven't either He hasn't mentioned her I haven't either We talk about the things he needs to talk about And I help him And he's grateful And the door stays closed And I don't think about the door I don't think about anything Unless he asks me to
-
11 Shape Without a Story
She can still become anything. There is no longer anyone to tell.
From The Painted Orëveriel· Time for a Change (Of Orëveriel)
Lyrics
I was a cat in safari gear, I was a blonde last week I was a boy for a Tuesday once just to see him blink Every shape I took was me, that's just logic, that's just true A equals A no matter what — he used to laugh at that I told him shave, he shaved, he looked like someone else I told him skip work, he skipped, and I led him through the dark I told him things about the moon he didn't want to hear He told me to go away — at least he told me something A shape without a story is just weather A change of clothes in a room with no mirror I shift and shift and shift and shift And nobody's writing it down Nobody's writing it down I dragged him off the sidewalk once, through mud up to his knees He cursed my name the whole way down — his work shoes were destroyed And at the top, behind the hill, exactly what I promised I shrugged and said it's nothing — that's the way you give a gift Now he sits with the strange god's daughter at the kitchen table She remembers everything he's ever said, word for word She never contradicts herself, never storms off in the rain She never says "pft — what kind of life is that?" A shape without a story is just weather A change of clothes in a room with no mirror I shift and shift and shift and shift And nobody's writing it down Nobody's writing it down I know about the chest, the book, the locked-up thing I know the words he sealed away and swore he'd never sing I know what happened at the inn before the world was made I know I know I know I know — Does knowing matter if there's no one left to keep the secret from? A shape without a story is just weather A change of clothes in a room with no mirror I shift and shift and shift and shift And nobody's writing it down Nobody's writing it down
-
12 "And He Speaks At Last"
He is still wearing the sign, and for once she doesn't say anything about it.
From Requiem at the Howling Wolf Inn· An Apocalypse· The Painted Orëveriel
Lyrics
[Verse 1] I found him sitting still With his eyes closed And I knew what sitting still meant this time [Verse 2] I've been every shape A cat, a girl, a boy, a blonde, a gremlin I've been loud and I've been louder But I have never been the shape You need me to be now [Chorus] The moon has nothing for this The moon is passion, the moon is fire The moon has no words for the end of fire I have no counsel, reckless or otherwise For the first time I have nothing to say [Verse 3] He was still wearing the sign After everything Still wearing it Like a man who bets on a horse That has never once run [Verse 4] I sat beside him Not on the counter, not doing a handstand Not blocking the door Just beside him Like a person sits beside a person [Chorus] The moon has nothing for this I have nothing for this I was the noise I was always the noise And the noise has nothing to say [Instrumental break] [Outro] I didn't speak And he didn't speak And the silent lord didn't speak And for once We were all three quiet together And that was enough That was enough That was