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Carnelian

by Kill the Vultures

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    Hand-numbered deluxe release of Carnelian. Includes two bonus tracks "Last Time" and "The Jackal (featuring Channy Leaneagh)". Beautifully packaged in an embossed cover.

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1.
Fortune teller tellin' me The year of the rat is upon us at last And its gonna last us til the calendar crash I flip page after page after hours after days After some after shock after all that's the chase Trying to catch a breath before it escapes Don't show me your face until you show me your faith Drop down on your bad knee/ yes, in your good clothes Reach for the sky/ that's where everybody good goes Round and round and two flights down Keep your eyes to the ceiling and your ear to the ground I hear 'em chant in pain as they dance with their hands in Chains/ at last there's a chance for rain Avalanche is the name and I got this here covered I'm sorry that you suffered/ now go and tell the others to Shake your bones, rattle your nerves, chase the devil out Shake your bones, rattle your nerves, chase the devil out Shake your bones, rattle your nerves, chase the devil out Why you turning back, there ain't no turning back now I told 'em listen/ they didn't I told 'em look/ and they missed it They're looking ignorant staring off in the distance Don't blink/ you might miss the pivotal plot Don't think/ you are what a criminal's not I shot holes in they theories til the light shined clearly Trick magic, magic trick/ that's their logic disappearing I watch the drama go up like marijuana smoke What, you're on a roll? only if you're dominoes Falling back/ laying down You're tresspassing on sacred ground When you're breaking down alone does it make a sound? Probably not, that's my two cents All these pickpockets got me burying my blueprints Caught you red handed/ here's the blacklist to prove it There ain't nothing to prove/there ain't nothing to lose just Shake your bones, rattle your nerves, chase the devil out Shake your bones, rattle your nerves, chase the devil out Shake your bones, rattle your nerves, chase the devil out Why you turning back, there ain't no turning back now
2.
Topsoil 03:39
Clawed my way back up to the top soil Got coiled up to the point it made the pot boil Not loyal to the/ not committed to those Unfaithful, unstable hitting new lows A few blows below the belt/ one right between the night-goggles I could give a hot piss to fill an empty Sprite bottle If they even notice the bottom of the boat is Corroded with holes and the captain’s fully loaded Hold it so close that it cannot breathe right Seems like the Devil only dances under street lights From these heights the city looks like constellations But the stars are falling faster than the camera man can make ‘em Kiss the pavement/ carve a couple names in Stomp out your cigarette and notice the arrangement Tell the complacent blank pages we should trade places Now will they make changes or remain nameless? We stain the glass, the clothes, the curb, the paint We don’t deserve to turn the page/ earn your weight And if you don’t, you can’t carry it But who’s gon’ be the one to pull your casket in the chariot Tying up some loose ends/ high strung and too thin The rope that I’m climbing starts looking like a noose, friend Who’s them always whispering and pointing fingers Avoid the paranoid/ fill the void, let the voices linger Now what they singing, what they singing from the other side? Sounds like they warning me, the beast gon’ bring a rougher ride Shackles ‘round the wrists, dogs and a cage waiting Stay patient, demons disappear when the day’s breakin This crime ain’t feeling right, boss Looked better with the lights off Seeing blurry and my mind’s lost White cross burning in the sky on the night watch You play the darkness, I’m gonna play the light Never met a constellation that was so afraid of heights Name your price/ everything is up for grabs They used to wanna touch the cross /now they wanna touch the cash Forgive me father/ I just take in what the city offers Many authors died once they tried to touch your pretty coffers Is that really copper? I scoff at penny droppers But if it lands heads-up I’m feelin’ pretty proper Ain’t no telling what I’ll do to make those ends meet And if I’m short, ain’t no telling what you’ll lend me At your weakest moment what would you compromise? I’d tell you take a minute think it over if i wanted lies On the rise/ what could possibly go wrong? The emperor’s a cover up and he ain’t got no clothes on If I gotta go I wanna go to a slow song/ just to keep it prolonged So on and so on Now what they singing, what they singing from the other side Sounds like they warning me/ the beast gon’ bring a rougher ride Shackles ‘round the wrists, dogs and a cage waiting Stay patient, demons disappear when the day’s breakin This crime ain’t feeling right, boss Looked better with the lights off Seeing blurry and my mind’s lost White cross burning in the sky on the night watch
3.
Broke 03:34
Broke as a joke ain't much of a Joke, 'cause it stings like smoke in the Eye when you bring it too close by Want another drag/ never know why Take me on a ghost ride/ choke my Pride/ watch the hopes die Smoke rise when the soul flies But won't fly in the cold sky (that's why) Broke ain't meant to fix Broke is your only way out Broke ain't meant to fix Catch a break til it's broken down I wear grief like a bow tie I buried you in cheap suit You wear worthless on both sides And torn rags you can see through It must be you ain't fed right I bleed blue not the red, white I heard truth is a lead pipe If I don't split then my head might Broke ain't meant to fix Broke is your only way out Broke ain't meant to fix Catch a break til it's broken down You've had me all wrong all along Don't judge a book that ain't written yet I must've come on too strong Now you're standing there with frost-bitten flesh How low can you go I'm talking bout temperatures of snow Ice storm and its 40 below That's the realm of the dead man's soul Broke ain't meant to fix Broke is your only way out Broke ain't meant to fix Catch a break til its broken down Broke ain't meant to fix Broke is your only way out Broke ain't meant to fix Catch a break til it's broken down Look me in the eye if you gonna lie Let me down slow if you gotta go Did you watch it die or did you walk by Guess you don't know 'caus you're too stoned Ever seen a man leave his own shell? Lose his own mind in his own hell? Dirty little secret that you don't tell All behind the doors of a hotel Broke ain't meant to fix Broke is your only way out Broke ain't meant to fix Catch a break til it's broken down Danger, danger Move back 'fore my cool snap/ who's that Stranger, stranger Tryin' to count these vultures but I lose track Vapors, vapors Follow holy smoke trails better use that Anchor, anchor or you might drift off on a new path Maybe that ain't so wrong Maybe that ain't so bad Maybe fresh winds give a new spin Maybe worst trip you ever had Broke ain't meant to fix Broke is your only way out Broke ain't meant to fix Catch a break til its broken down Broke ain't meant to fix Broke is your only way out Broke ain't meant to fix Catch a break til its broken down
4.
The River 04:54
Flash of the cold chill in the heart of a heat wave Tension hangs thick enough to keep my crooked street paved Haven't worked in three nights/ ain't slept for three days There's Freeway Jesus/ I wonder what would he say Freeway Jesus, wonder what would he say (Repeat 2x) The price tag is prominent/ he'll take whatever we pay What's behind the curtains/ uncertain but determined To reveal the gears turning/ the machine behind the person Pulled back the fabric/ head spun in a whirlwind It was nothing but a white wall/ lightbulb and a serpent Nothing but a white wall, lightbulb and a serpent (Repeat 2x) Nightfall despite y'all/ invite all the servants Hello operator won't you kindly call me Lazarus Been dead a while now/ wonder what comes after this Only see the light the few moments that the match is lit I've heard about the other side/ this ain't how I imagined it Heard about the other side, this ain't how I imagined it (Repeat 2x) Someone must've stole the best pages out the manuscript Went down to the river/ to wade in the water Wade in the water/ and come back to life But when I got down/ got down to the river Was nothing but puddles/ river ran dry (Repeat) The faded photographs taped to the monolithic street posts Remind us of the ghosts that we held dear but couldn't keep close And now they watch us blankly/ but each one at least hopes If their picture fell we could still see 'em here like these folks (Repeat 3x) For now we've got to let them rise and fly away like sweet smoke The woman upstairs is giving birth inside the bathtub She's calling on her maker/ his hotline must be backed up We knew there would be blood/ never guessed it would be that much That's the second time we lost our harvest to the flash flood (Repeat 3x) Lost all my faith but at least I never had much Went down to the river/ to wade in the water Wade in the water/ and come back to life But when I got down/ got down to the river Was nothing but puddles, the river ran dry (Repeat) I only see the light the few moments that the match is lit Heard about the other side/ this ain't how I imagined it
5.
Vandal 02:51
Everybody’s looking so stunned, shocked, stone-faced and awe-struck Not a thing to say but can’t nobody keep their jaws shut Raw guts in your drinks and your chandelier You be the witnesses/ I’m the vandal here Piss in your pulpit/ ri-ride the bullshit Right down the lane/ don’t look so insulted Whatever happened to Baby Jane? Too many daisy chains/ found her face down in the gravy train Think I give a buck about a bank note? One less distraction make you wonder where’d the day go Most of us look better in our own eyes Hard enough to get by/ try doing it with no lies Aspiring low brow, just gimme the know how Don’t know which shit road to go down Pass by the window and they're just toys Watch ‘em fall/ house of cards, boss man to bus boy It's just noise/ don’t know what to make of it Can’t hang that picture then don’t try framing it Gotta wonder if it carries weight It's your ocean, I’m just trying to keep your Bering Strait Killed enough time to make a criminal wince It never helped me in a critical pinch Its all gone digital since Must’ve never known Jesus in the biblical sense Brown Child where you at/ rest in peace Was always good people/ none of this shit makes sense to me But I guess that’s how the globe spins Born alone, die alone/ tell me where the road end No ends doesn’t always mean no skins But if it do/ you gon’ have to be your own friend Drink it up here’s truth serum for bad liars Running on gas fumes, bad news and flat tires Black male, black mail, Black male victim Caught up in the curve of the pass/fail system Last seen walking singing parts of old spirituals Some one must have left him by the river for a miracle Park bench folk want smokes but they save a seat Higher up the food chain they ain’t so neighborly Hold up/ what’s that dude calling me? Change their tune quick once they find out what mulatto means Look it up or I might be looking out the door Hard rain is coming and its nothing worth drowning for Bang my skull on the wall for a kick drum I’ll play a victrola before I play the victim River runs wide where’s the bridge to the other side? I can sniff it out like a lover’s lie/ otherwise It’s time for Hail Mary, pack bags, run and hide Colors dried/ paint a new lifestyle to suffer by
6.
Pull the stones out your pockets/ slide your money ‘cross the table What you doing dancing with cement shoes/ you’re bound to lose Found a fuse so I lit it/ then I hid it- then I wondered what didded What have I committed/ feeling parasitic Bear witness of a perfect crime/ criminal the prime time I’m blind, blind side/ my, my, the time flies Wise eyes would never look twice into the paradise You did it once it spared your life/ don’t try again, it’s theirs tonight Damn I’m getting old/ there’s creakin’ in my bones I feel the frozen air that’s leakin’ in my home/ feed the coals Felt the soles of my feet walk on graveyards and souls in the street Its just gon’ repeat/ its just gon’ repeat Rob me of what’s mine/ sell it on a bus line Sew my thick lips closed and tell me it’s just fine Thumbs up, dumbstruck/ hit me with the raw deal uncut All night and can’t tell the sun’s up Two ton truck walks into a bar Orders a gallon of gas, a rag, a match, a spark Its too dark these days, wouldn’t you agree? Soon you’ll see us light the sky up like god’s jewelry its too dark these days, wouldn’t you agree? soon you’ll see us light the sky up like god’s jewelry its too dark these days, wouldn’t you agree? soon you’ll see us light the sky up like god’s jewelry Bang, bang, bang, that’s the sound of the chain gang Sound of the same pain suffered just to maintain Preach the sermon/ teach peace and speak with purpose But behind the curtains you speak cheap and sleep with servants Secret service/ it’s better that you didn’t know The kisses blown fell short and wound up on the kitchen floor Vision slow/ mugging hazy individuals All eyes on me/ they should be out there skipping stones Listen close/ I promised you a pulse D to the O to the A is the result You wanna shock me then turn up the volts Don’t try to give me the ghost/ it's clear you need it the most Let’s see what fate has to offer/ roll the dice Don’t give a drowning man a glass of water Pass the coffers/ now fill ‘em with the ashes of propaganda’s authors The newsprint imposters/ witch doctors The empty rhetoric bottom-feeder sediment believers Playing broken trumpets just to be heard Bang, bang, bang/ that’s the same thing playing Let the broken record skip just to maintain-tain Its too dark these days, wouldn’t you agree? Soon you’ll see us light the sky up/ like god’s jewelry Its too dark these days, wouldn’t you agree? Soon you’ll see us light the sky up/ like god’s jewelry
7.
If I walk blind/ they'll lay me down in chalk lines The spot's mine if I travel with a soft spine The city's hungry/ everyone is fair game Spare change ain't blood money to a pair of fangs The air hangs like sneakers on the phone wire Too thick to breathe in/ too thick to go higher They sound like angels/ voices out the black church Tracked dirt inside didn't notice til the last verse Amazing grace lay your hands on my face So I can fin'ly feel like I've abandoned my ways Trying to own land 'fore I land in my grave How come I'm three steps ahead of you just standing in place? I felt the earth move/ under my blurred view The curfew, the proud, their hurt is on the curb, too Swerve through with nothing but a word and Disturbed truth/ to neglect and to serve you Bite the bullet/ this is gonna sting a bit Come to think of it/ this the iceberg to sink your ship No signs of life by daylight Ask the hangman if he ever gets stage fright Eyes rollin' back like a slot machine Must've been the two-faced woman I got caught between The poison could've used a little seasonin' Lies blinded both eyes but fuck it you can leave 'em in Made a mess out of something so beautiful I'm trying to get front row tickets to my funeral Just to see the look on my face when my maker came Now throw my ashes like paper planes/ make it rain Just another ghost on the night beat Gayngs is half-dead walking 'round under white sheets I promise I won't promise you nothin' And you can have it all/ now isn't that somethin? Coins on the open eyes / flies in the open mouth Alone- how I came in / that's how I'm going out
8.
A little blood in the liquor makes the night go quicker It ain’t lights out ‘cause a lightbulb flicker White folks whisper/ black snake moan Whole town fits in a halfway home Cause unknown but the outcome clear Gotta catch my breath when I outrun fear Now now here, give me both of your ears Take an intermission listen to gears gr- grinding Climb in the back/ hide in the stack Don’t let nobody see ya/ once they find you that’s all Folks wanna act like they don’t know how to act Let ‘em in the front door I’m walking out the back Try to follow my tracks/ they’ll lead you off the map Now you trapped and you don’t know where its at Tell me where it went- you part of an experiment High as a seraphim/ eyes on the cross and your hands on the theremin Who ever said worship was simple? The smoke in the temple ain’t leaving out the window Who ever said worship was simple? Purify the sinful they’ll recognize our symbols Who ever said worship was simple? The smoke in the temple ain’t moving when the wind blows Who ever said worship was simple? Now baptize the info and feed it to your kinfolk Spin ‘em ‘round and ‘round till the lights fade Not yet, it ain’t dark yet The price paid drips slowly off the knife’s blade Not yet, it ain’t dark yet They spin us round and round till the lights fade Not yet, it ain’t dark yet Its time to pull the blindfold/ stop thinking that your sight’s lame Not yet, the light never left Here’s a toast: give up the ghost You hold it too close and I don’t say that to most You're blinded by the imagery, mimicry, trickery The cracks in your mask shine vividly Keep spinnin' me/ blur the lines of symmetry Suffocate the suffering/ I'm a let the embers breathe Suffocate suffering/ orchestrate the misery But if I'm the conductor I'll have to face the symphony Take a bow for the crowd- own it The pill tastes better on the way down, don't it? Sell it to the camera/ hold it, hold it The picture last longer than the nightmare, won't it? False idols bridle the pulpit While the saints go marching in with Bibles and bullets If it's tribal they rival with bull whips Like we on some Man-Tan minstrel sideshow bullshit You better dance for that dollar with a smile on Whether in night gowns, fishnets or nylons Every dollar’s born filthy But we baptize the young in our river water, guilty.
9.
Simmer 03:26
By the time they seen the light/ All we heard was sirens blarin’ bright Neighbors staring right at the mess/ feel the fahrenheit Rise like the tide when the moon’s pulling puppet strings Cut the links that bind us to all our earthly suffering Shadows paint a grimace on the witness Now if he talks he might not walk but if he don’t then that’s his business All the facts have been distorted/ certain as the smoking gun Ceiling swings in the circles- windows here won’t open none Smoke around my head looks like treble clefs I lost the level step/ went through hell until the Devil left The kettle kept me up always screamin’ from the blue flame Digging through ditches, dumpsters, dying for a new name Who changed the locks/ don’t even recognize the building The figures on the walls are hallways of hungry children Got nothing for ‘em/ don’t got a penny for a peddler They're only smoke screens I’m looking for a dust settler Picking apart the pieces of the puzzle to relieve the inner struggle Even leeches in the puddle know to leave the trouble ‘lone/ Who’s knockin’ on my telephone? How many dial tones will convince you I ain’t home? Let the bad blood simmer Let the bad blood simmer Let the bad blood simmer Now you lost in the center of the temper and the temperature (Repeat) Tell me who to pray to/ who's supposed to save you? There's nothing to escape from/ nowhere to escape to The moment that I came to they asked me where I came from Pointed to the blank sky/ couldn't speak the same tongue Name one night that didn't end in mourning The storm brings hope but never gives warning Ain't enough police tape to cover up this mess No matter how you frame it we're just decorating shipwrecks Ingest a hard pill to swallow filled with shards of the bottle Tip the jar, let the scars fill your hollow The soldiers walked in/ should've seen the clock spin We covered up our ears cuz poisoned mouths talk sin- Sation temptress/ offensive to the senses Now who would ever guess you'd be imprisoned by a sentence? Before I spoke I filled the room with smoke to cleanse it I conjured up the wrong ghosts/ had 'em begging me to end it Begging me for friendship/ begging me for rations I told them I’m a fraud, a freeloader and a has-been ‘Lone/ who’s knocking on my telephone? How many dial tones will convince you that I ain’t home?
10.
Everybody’s clingin’ to the upside/ can’t they see its upside down? Better buckle up/ we're in for a rough ride now Cruising through dark rain/ sharp pain lives in our veins Is that the Holy light or headlights in our lane? Settle down/ deep breath- pull yourself together now Don’t swerve/ don’t blink- don’t bring the devil out Duct tape covers up the rear view mirror When the stuck brake grinds, I hear you clearer Will this road end? oh no, there’s no end- the gates been opened Clinging to your fate/ your fate’s been holding by a clothespin Someone’s on our tail/ the tank’s almost outta gas No one taught me how to drive/ no one taught me how to crash Ask the deck of cards "what’s the deal?" I’ve been banging rocks together trying to reinvent the steering wheel Real funny how its all coming back to me slow But it freezes up the faster we go Should’ve never left the factory doors But it did now I’m practically broke Asked my pocket lint ‘how you gonna pay for that’ All my drinks try to hide their faces in a paper bag It’s a long ride back from the wrong side of tracks Lose the map ‘cause I’m wiser than that The almighty dollar meets the unholy weapon Karma’s at your door for the collection Return my body to the dirt where it came Strip me of my goods and my name Stretch me on the tracks for the midnight train We can’t recognize the darkness till we recognize the flame (Repeat) All the voices in your head got your vision painted red So you brake, brake, brake We flew forward and drew closer to other side That’s never been my choice to make make make We know people who know people who sew evil seeds The ego bleeds and breaks, breaks, breaks The hearts and minds and vital nerves, the suicidal urge One of us is bound to take, take, take Me out the frame/ the rust stains cover the name Smother the flame/ what you running from, discover the pain Glance over at the passenger/ we’re one in the same Rolling with no aim/ only got each other to blame What I wouldn’t give to rest and park But I’m driving on a question mark Bad directions and arrested hearts Hanging out the window/ will it end? no That’s the bestest part Never-ending night drive/ trying to keep my tires in the white lines But they keep leaning to the right side Gotta keep my bloodshot eyes open Looking like a mugshot and whatnot underneath the sky, broken The black air is clearer than you'd expect And now all my glass got a mirror-effect I can see my past sins plus the here and next But the disease will take years to detect Return my body to the dirt where it came Strip me of my goods and my name Stretch me on the tracks for the midnight train We can’t recognize the darkness till we recognize the flame (Repeat)
11.
Crown 03:24
Down, down, in the flood Blood in my eye/ mouth full of mud River gon' rise/ city gon' rust Not much left but we know what was Round, round, spin me round On the rooftop looking down Angel on my wing, devil on my crown Which one gon' hit the ground? Sane, sane, we're all insane Clinging to the rail of a runaway train Taunting thunder, lightening, rain Vanish quickly as we came Run, run, get your gun Pointer finger and a thumb Shoot the heart of the heartless sun Watch it fall til the day drops done (Repeat)
12.
Amnesia 06:47
Behind the curtains are closed doors/ half truths and cold floors I got my backbone/ sorry you sold yours Untold wars burn in our sleep Surrender to silence and the turn of the key Learning to speak the tongue of looking busy when the preacher comes Never learned the manuscript proper but I could teach you some Two doors in front of you/ don't settle for either one Son of a gun or another believer's son Inhale dust particles/ flipping through old articles Trying to find the source of where it started from its hard to know I know conviction is a lost cause carved in stone That still remembers dull blades long after the scars are gone Pulled the plug but the motor's still running It ain't over till something stops the overkill coming Take the sober pills from me/ I'm not in good company The wallpaper's dizzy and the paranoia's unleashed Runs free, runs wild like God's son's bastard child Living on the stoop with cheap beer and Black & Milds Pass the vile/ I wouldn't mind forgettin' some For getting high, forgetting dumb, whichever one is quicker, son Ridiculous, it's only neckties and hypocrites Reading from a book and drinking fake blood it was written with Splitting hairs, splitting families and splitting lips Get in bed with them and spread the politician's syphilis Amnesia, now you're a believer But the drugs won't save you and the church won't either Amnesia, now you a believer Hands up, face down, you know the procedure (Repeat) What you running from/ its standing there, must be fate Might as well look your demon in its ugly face Go ahead and try to turn it into something safe Until you realize you're brushing your teeth with a rusty blade Let's escape through the unified solitude Humanize the bottle, too and pray nobody follows you Cover your tracks well/ holler if you catch hell If I'm not there in time I didn't know you that well No pressure/ hold tight, no pressure Don't look down, don't look back, they'll get'cha Bet 'cha bottom buck/ cool and cordial is not enough They went to tip they wine glass/ bottoms-up and got 'em stuck Must be tripping off your own supply/ living life in one gear: overdrive No surprise Here's a blessing to the frozen sky/ let us see just one more sunset it's closing eyes I broke the bottle that's buried inside my pigment The pigment is just a color that colors all of my vision I seen it clear enough for the both of us I'm bout to fill your sober cup so maybe you can open up Open up a little more Put it on the killin' floor/ and you can fight your civil wars That's not a riddle or simile, metaphor It's just the goddamn truth that you must need a symbol for Amnesia, now you're a believer But the drugs won't save you and the church won't either Amnesia, now you a believer Hands up, face down, you know the procedure

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released October 23, 2015

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