Optimist

by Ben Franklin

Optimist cover art
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1.
04:14
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2.
03:50
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3.
03:05
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4.
02:35
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5.
02:45
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6.
04:29
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7.
01:44
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8.
04:14
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9.
04:17
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10.
03:04
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11.
03:30
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about

Optimist is our first full-length record.

credits

released 03 September 2009
All performances by Ben Franklin:
Billy Gray on Guitar and Vocals
Eddie Garza on Bass and Vocals
Sarah Tomek on Drums and Vocals

Recorded at Pigeon Club in Hoboken, NJ.
Engineering and mixing by Daniel Schlett at Pigeon Club.
Mastering by Roger Quinn at Asbury Media.

All songs are © 2009 William Gray and Eddie Garza. All songs (P) 2009 William Gray except tracks 7 & 10 (P) 2009 Take Me Music and track 8 (P) 2009 William Gray & Take Me Music

tags

tags: power soul punk rock brooklyn indie rock leftist punk tiny giant artist collective

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all rights reserved

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Track Name: Tell Us How You Really Feel
I wash, I run the water down my back
I try to clear my head
I have to tell myself, "this is what you're doing,
You're washing yourself right now"
But the moment I let go
I let go of the loofa

I lose control of my heartbeat
And I lose control of my memories
They're all I can see in front of me
Best friends and back stabbers
Go ahead and fuck yourself
I sing alone in the show

I was the loyal one, remember? Remember?
I believed in you before you believed in yourself
Too cruel, the way you spoke to me
Too cruel to wish you well
I'd like to think I've earned a
Little more than that from you

When I was a little boy
My father told me about friends
He said, "son, when you get to my age,
You'll be lucky to have two good ones"
Now I'm gettin' older, I cannot help but believe it

I lose control of my heartbeat
And I lose control of my memories
They're all I can see in front of me
Best friends and back stabbers
Go ahead and fuck yourself
I sing alone in the show

I was the loyal one, remember? Remember?
I believed in you before you believed in yourself
Too cruel, the way you spoke to me
Too cruel to wish you well
I'd like to think I've earned a
Little more than that from you
Track Name: Drink to Forget
This week is gonna be better than last week
I feel so low, I've gotta get up again somehow
Mostly I drink to forget, and you know it's a safe bet
When I get to Monday, my problems haven't gone away

So I'm goin' thru a cleanse
It's like goin' thru the bends
I live off lemonade
I'll drop all this extra weight
And it's only until Friday
My friends, they do it for ten days
But I won't pretend
I just do it for the weekend

Nobody believes you get a fresh start
So I'm throwing back and I'm giving up
They say self-control is all you need
Still got the shakes from last night I shake it off

Tonight, tonight
On the rocks I'm served
Don't you say another word
At all your speeches I fall to pieces
At all your barbs I fold my cards
But tonight's the night
Pleasure shivers down my spine
I drink to forget and that's just fine
If I've got to stop I'll stop
Stop on a dime

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who's face is this in front of me?
Am I looking at the past or the future?
Is this the price you pay for memories?

Tonight, tonight
On the rocks I'm served
Don't you say another word
At all your speeches I fall to pieces
At all your barbs I fold my cards
But tonight's the night
Pleasure shivers down my spine
I drink to forget and that's just fine
If I've got to stop I'll stop
Stop on a dime

Soon, I will save myself as
Soon as I change myself, I said
Soon, I will save myself as
Soon as I change myself
But not now
Track Name: Ghosts
She said:
Aren't you afraid
That someone better will come along and take me away from you?
And I answered:
I am not afraid
I don't think anyone will take me away from you?

I don't believe in ghosts
I don't believe in fate
I don't believe in staring at the past
It can't come back to hurt us now
So please don't mind me when I still frown
I'll be right here, I won't let you down

I'll do whatever I can to make you feel loved
I'll do whatever I can to stay all your fears
I don't know how to make it last
I don't know how it falls apart
But I know how to love a broken heart

We start with hearts made of pure gold
And they're robbed like tombs in the night
In the morning light we sew up the wounds
And we wonder if we've ever really been loved

I don't believe in ghosts
I don't believe in fate
I don't believe in staring at the past
It can't come back to hurt us now
So please don't mind me when I still frown
I'll be right here, I won't let you down

I'll do whatever I can to make you feel loved
I'll do whatever I can despite all your fears
I don't know how to make it last
I don't know how it falls apart
But I know how to love a broken heart
Track Name: Montclair
Goodbye, my Jimmy Jones
I'm sorry, I've got to go
If I stay here, I'll lose my mind
So I'm never coming home
This town, it knows my business
This town, it knows my shame
So I'm going back to the ocean
Where no one remembers my name

Well, I moved away when Amelia never came home
She was still in town
But I don't think she slept alone
And I was tired of seein' her face
Though I never saw her again
Every time I'd leave the house
I'd see a ghost in the street or my day dreams
We painted this town red
Got caught by the cops once or twice
And I told her parents they could go to Hell,
And I took her in with me
But she couldn't run from her problems
And she couldn't run from her family
When she finally left
I shouldn't have been surprised by the relief

I packed one bag for the train
(Lord, I end up in such strange places)
Bought a ticket back to the coast
(Lord, I end up in such strange places)
I wasn't gonna tell anyone that I was leaving
(Lord, I end up in such strange places)
But I stopped to write my only friend a note, and it said
(Lord, I know I done it to myself)

Goodbye, my Jimmy Jones
I'm sorry, I've got to go
If I stay here, I'll lose my mind
So I'm never coming home
This town, it knows my business
This town, it knows my shame
So I'm going back to the ocean
Where no one remembers my name
Track Name: The Face of Proposition 8
They start with the clarion cry:
"We've got to save our culture!" (Our vulture culture!)
Under attack, we're under attack
We've got to save our sons from the advancing horde
Marriage! Straight and narrow
It's such a sacred, ancient institution
Until we get bored and we're sick of the kids
Then we lawyer up for half and go back to the chapel

They march on the capitol
Dung forks glitter in the sun
They march to stop the sodomites
Taxes for all and marriage for some

The opposition, under the overpass
The screaming nutter with the over-weight children
Don't get too close, they're known to attack
For the love of God bears a righteous sword
A proposition made under the overpass
It's hard to hide from the love of the Lord
Don't get too close, they're known to attack
For the love of Man bears a constant stain

So keep your secrets to yourself
Don't confess a crush, don't tell no one else your love
When they find out, they might be ashamed
They might fly into a blind rage!

Homo-sexual Panic Disorder:
It's the humiliation of the straight-shooter
It's a legal defense for murder
It's a legal excuse for murder

They march on the capitol
Dung forks glitter in the sun
They march to stop the sodomites
Taxes for all and marriage for some

The opposition, under the overpass
The screaming nutter with the over-weight children
Don't get too close, they're known to attack
For the love of God bears a righteous sword
A proposition made under the overpass
It's hard to hide from the love of the Lord
Don't get too close, they're known to attack
For the love of Man bears a constant stain
Track Name: Catalyst
He's an agent, he's an agent of the status quo
Loves his country, he's never gonna let it go
Into the hands of us freaks and losers
This is America,
If you don't like it you can fucking leave

Never forgive, never forget
It's the mission number one: neutralize the threat
Never forgive, never forget
You watch what you say, they heard what you said now

He's an agent, he's got money and time
A world of ideas, connections and designs
He's working for us all when he's working the phones
He heard what you said, he's coming to your door now

Never forgive, never forget
It's the mission number one: neutralize the threat
Never forgive, never forget
You watch what you say, they heard what you said now

You couldn't pay me enough to forget it, forget it!
I'm a volunteer corps
And I'm in love with your cross-hair
You couldn't pay me enough to stay quiet, to stand down
I'm an easy target
And I'm in love with your cross-hair

Now friends, I'm not conspiracy theorist
But the agents of change, they're crawlin in the walls
And I read it in the papers, I saw it in the tubes
This is America!
If you don't like it you can fucking leave!

Never forgive, never forget
It's the mission number one: neutralize the threat
Never forgive, never forget
You watch what you say, they heard what you said now

You couldn't pay me enough to forget it, forget it!
I'm a volunteer corps
And I'm in love with your cross-hair
You couldn't pay me enough to stay quiet, to stand down
I'm an easy target
And I'm in love with your cross-hair

Never forgive, never forget
It's the mission number one: neutralize the threat
Never forgive, never forget
You watch what you say, they heard what you said now
Never forgive, never forget
The screech of the sirens, the roar of the jets, yeah
Never forgive, never forget
The roar of the silence, the screech of the jet set

You couldn't pay me enough to forget it, forget it!
I'm a volunteer corps
And I'm in love with your cross-hair
You couldn't pay me enough to stay quiet, to stand down
I'm an easy target
And I'm in love with your cross-hair
Track Name: Timmeh
Timmeh! Geithner!
Where are my taxes?
Where are my taxes?
Where are my taxes partying tonight?

Are your investments paying off alright?
How is that viper with the yellow racing stripe?
Do you suggest I stop paying my tithe today?
Buy friends and land a job at the Treasury?
I don't know what I have to do or say

Timmeh! Geithner!

I betcha don't think I'll put up a fight, right?
Well I think I'll take it lying down
I think, I think I'll take it lying down
I'm not Biggie
I'm not ready, I'm not ready to die
Gun to my head
I'll pay and pay
Pay 'til I'm dead

I don't know what I have to do or say
I guess it's good your kids will have an easy way
And it won't matter because it's me who had to fucking pay

Don't mind him he's just the help
Larry Summers, you can go to Hell!
It's too much for you to understand
I guess you're right, I should just trust that man named

Timmeh! Geithner!

What am I workin' for you for?
What am I workin' for you for?
Is it your Summer home on the Jersey shore?
Does it pay for the help that cleans your floors?
What am I workin' for you for?
What am I workin' for you for?
Is it your Summer home in the Hampton hills?
Does it pay for your wife's four thousand dollar heels
What am I workin' for you for?
What am I workin' for you for?
What am I workin' for you for?
Who am I workin' for?
Track Name: Had it Comin'
Let's keep this simple
We'll make it easy
And no one'll get hurt
We'll keep your conscience clean
We'll say what we mea
We'll keep our noses out of the dirt

I don't wanna know where you've been
I don't wanna care too much
Just don't lie to me, don't lead me on
And save the pet names for your boyfriend

What did you expect?
What do you deserve?
What do you expect when you know
My heart's as loose as yours?

Baby give it a shake or you can
Maybe give it a jump start
But you won't get very far
This heart won't break for yours

Well, you've gone and done it now
'Cause I'm pretty laid back except for when it counts
(Is that right?)
Yeah, my skin ain't as thick as I'd like to admit
And I think that, oh maybe, I love you

I know we all need our space
But your clothes are all over my floor
You came in, took off your pants
And you spoke of romance
And I think that
I had it comin'

What did I expect?
What do I deserve?
What do I expect when I know
My heart's as loose as yours?

Baby give it a shake, (it's broken!)
Maybe you should drop it or kick it
Baby take it back to the store
The safety seal is broken
Track Name: Fren Banklin
Lifetime .551 average! 75 home runs!