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Dear Ohio

by Drill Bit

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1.
When I first came here, I felt like a stranger I couldn't leave my parents or my brother I sat on the grass as the time slowly passed Watching people try to talk to one another And no one knew me We all had dispositions of our own I stared quite rudely Wishing I could leave and go back home But then you touched my shoulder And I no longer felt concealed You whispered "Here be mountains, the kind of flesh and bone. "The others don't quite notice. "They won't believe it's real, "Until you show to them that you are not alone." Just like I'd imagined, I found some companions And it felt like we'd been friends in other lifetimes But I couldn't see if this was real intimacy Or maybe prattle chasing fear into the sidelines 'Cause no one knew me We all had dispositions of our own I stared quite rudely Wishing I could leave and go back home But then you touched my shoulder And I no longer felt concealed You whispered "Here be mountains, the kind of flesh and bone. "The others don't quite notice. "They won't believe it's real, "Until you show to them that you are not alone."
2.
Far away from home There resides a broken kingdom of gold A call to roam Outside the little Hobbiton house and the comforts of The Shire He was a simple man That is, until he found himself with the dwarves Then off he ran Toward The Misty Mountain and the heart of dragon fire The girl two rows behind me bellows cheap and harrowing profanities It seems that all the Tolkien fans have had a little more to drink than me On the mountainside The light of Durin's Day reveals a stone door He crept inside To find the family heirloom and reclaim the golden hall Then the dragon wakes Flies into town and there is shot through the heart The kingdom shakes With fervor of the dwarves' return and the mighty dragon's fall The girl two rows behind me bellows cheap and harrowing profanities It seems that all the Tolkien fans have had a little more to drink than me My friends and I, we do our best to keep our own opinions to ourselves Surrendering to the fairytale, the land of eagles, wizards, wraiths and elves
3.
The sun had not yet arose Before all sensation was lost in my toes And so I woke early that morning The walls were weathered and frail Unable to hold back the south wind's assail The cold had come without any warning And I'm afraid of what the winter brings Turning roads and breezes into treacherous things So I'll stay inside and reconcile with phantoms Finding proverbs on the walls of solitude I went to the corner cafe The first time I left my apartment all day Thinking I'd find someone who knew me Clearly, no one was there I sat in the corner and tried not to care But my unease, it filtered right through me And I'm afraid of what the winter brings Turning roads and breezes into treacherous things So I'll stay inside and reconcile with phantoms Finding proverbs on the walls of solitude Reading "Loneliness is safer than abandon "It's a part of how you see this journey through."
4.
Jessica 02:18
My oh my, my lady dear I can hear your laugh from here Jessica, I'll be your man It's not impossible All I need is the recipe That makes this dream a reality But then, would we be able to Evade the obstacles Of this life? I don't know
5.
Do you remember when I, I invited you to the reservoir? Instead you turned to wine and cigarettes outside the local bar I know I wove excuses out of paper bags as an odd retort But I will try and turn my toleration into my support We're lost in Ohio I should have known that he would, he would take you down like he did before He knows a thousand ways to break your heart and leave you wanting more My only remedies are songs and fairytales I cannot explain But I will try and stand beside you now as you tango with your pain
6.
I tried reading all your pages I sat in restaurants and stared you down But though there's wisdom in your phrases I couldn't quite keep up with what you'd found One day, I'll take the time to find out who you were But now, I think it's time I take you back to her To the one who dances every single day Setting fire to her worries with a prayer Once we sat across each other Drunk on bourbon and devoid of time Then we said to one another I know I'll see you somewhere down the line One day, we'll take the time to find out who you were But now, I think it's time I take you back to her To the one who dances every single day Setting fire to her worries with a prayer Crying, "Open, world, and carry me away "Let this fervor reign and conquer my despair."
7.
On a January day, in the shrill Ohio cold I strolled into a bar to quell my fears of growing old To poison the inception of this bright and angry day Oh, I ordered an old fashioned and I drank my pains away I ordered an old fashioned and I drank my pains away One went down without a fuss, so another was bound to come But the girl behind the bar was fighting off the local bum He swore at her and then he broke his glass upon the wall Then the liquor took ahold of me and I began the brawl The liquor took ahold of me and I began the brawl I didn't land a single blow, though I tried my very best He laughed and then he landed seven blows upon my chest I staggered for a moment, then I hit the wooden floor The bum gave me the bird before he stumbled out the door The bum gave me the bird before he stumbled out the door When I stood back up again, I turned to the girl behind the bar Her eyes were red with tears, and her mouth was quite ajar She spoke, and for a moment I did think I heard her say Have another good old fashioned, boy, and drink your pains away But she kicked me out the bar to face this January day
8.
With my forsaken thoughts I muse alone beside the shore For I must journey on, without a notion of wherefore I plead towards the sun, "Release your knowledge unto me "Else I shall only know imagined solace by the sea" There's something about the whims of solitude It points to the road that takes me back to you I tread through shallow ground without a guide to help me through But then, I hear her voice: the wounded angel I once knew Her song pervades the air, relieving me of my pretense And now, a garden grows. Affections have no self-defense There's something about the whims of solitude It points to the road that takes me back to you
9.
Here in the corner, reticent as can be I plan my divulgence, contingent on what they see Oh, you, my undertaker You, my avatar You hold the romance, regardless of who they are And no word can be erased My ghost will be in space Not in the ground On a listless night, I can't shut you down Or wield a light more suitably condoned But these moors of solitude are all abound With all the "Once upon a times" I've overgrown There came the answer, the call to a prayer at bay Take your leave of the wrong lights, the stratagems of decay But who will listen to me? Who, who knows I'm there? Where are the totems? Combatants of my despair? And no word can be erased My ghost will be in space Not in the ground On a listless night, I can't shut you down Or wield a light more suitably condoned But these moors of solitude are all abound With all the "Once upon a times" I've overgrown For when I finally convince myself to go And step outside and wander away It's just as lonely now as when my eyes were closed How can I leave your glow to face another day? How can I leave your glow to face another day?
10.
I said to my lord and savior That "I don't want a ship to sail "And if you ever need me, I will be here in the glen" But after a couple hundred years The memories turn to fairytales And all I ever dream of is him coming home again I know that he's probably long and gone A mortal man's a feeble thing Regardless of his sorcery, he is somewhere in the ground As soon as I find the fortitude I'll travel there upon my wings And mourn the one who set me free to caper all around
11.
Last Look 06:14
Four fine years have passed me by Four years of grass and snow It's part of the design The time has come, and now I have to go One last whiskey for the road One last walk through the glade We're crowned in our own scars Thriving off of the mistakes we made The road to go back home, it never seemed so strange But in taking the posters down, we turn another page Now we tread on ice in the spring Knowing the ground could crack like a wishbone and desecrate everything I feel you pulling me close Whispering temptations of burning my bridges and claiming what matters most In the early after-hours We're drunk on fireball And still we stay outside We're not inclined to go to sleep at all The road to go back home, it never seemed so strange But in taking the posters down, we turn another page Now we tread on ice in the spring Knowing the ground could crack like a wishbone and desecrate everything I feel you pulling me close Whispering temptations of burning my bridges and claiming what matters most You've been staring me down Waiting 'till you could grab both my shoulders and throttle me all around But I've resilience in me I'm flanked by a hundred dreamers whose notions are sturdy as maple trees We have broken through We're not afraid of you It's clear now that we can be Masters of agency Tried and true

about

This album is dedicated to all the teachers and friends I've met during my time at Oberlin College.

credits

released February 28, 2015

All tracks written, performed and produced by Arif Silverman
Additional vocals by Rayna Storm

Immense special thanks to my parents Jeremy Silverman and Shaheen Rushd, and to my brother Nadim Silverman, for their instrumental insight into this record and their unwavering support and enthusiasm.

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Drill Bit New York, New York

Drill Bit is a solo project conceived by New Yorker Arif Silverman. The project is continually expanding and experimenting. Feedback is much appreciated!

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