The composite soundtrack for Magnolia’s Early Morning Walk, a short game done for a game jam.

The different sections of this piece are the short looping motifs for the various scenes in the intended game, with different emotional variations on two overall themes that represent the protagonist’s state of mind.

Game: Magnolia’s Early Morning Walk

This song was inspired by repeatedly tapping the tuning fork button on my portable amp.

Lyrics: A Long Plastic Hallway

it’s inimical inimitable and so predictable not a miracle

it’s despicable deliverable get irritable, with a thread to pull, feeling minimal

a seeming emptiness encroaching loneliness result of pettiness, try to redress the phoniness

acrimonious sanctimonious a former holiness, the brokenness melodious

finding time to spare sit in the broken chair being unaware, without a care all thoughts laid bare

a tantric suicide already dead inside climb up the hillside, across the divide, smell insecticide

there’s a new tomorrow, it’s falling into place there’s a new tomorrow, it’s running out of space there’s a new tomorrow, it’s all fucked up get your new tomorrow, you’re out of luck

get a steady job, and another piece of me get a big tv, and another take get a new degree, stuck in the machinery in the new tomorrow, you get what you make

it’s inimical counterfactual and so predictable not a miracle

it’s despicable deliverable get irritable, with a thread to pull, feeling minimal

and you simply cannot see what this all has done to me simply cannot see through the crooked lies simply cannot see everything that’s eating me nobody is looking through each others’ eyes

simply cannot see what this all has meant to me simply cannot see through the skin disguise simply cannot see all the greater piece of me walking through the hallway something on the rise

feeling critical and irritable analytical parasitical

apocalyptical stereotypical it’s predictable, hypocritical, and a miracle

This song was originally written for Song Fight!, as part of the “Live Fight” challenge for Song Fight! Live 2021.

On the blog I have written up a detailed explanation of the lyrics and video.

Lyrics: Behind a Mask

Feeling lost in an elephant’s dream Caught up in the digital stream Cave of shadows, can’t say what I mean A million miles far from home

Best foot forward, take a step back Play defense while on the attack Sowing discord, can’t cut them no slack Everybody so alone

If everyone could see Themselves through some other eyes Innocent, caught up in the machinery An algorithmic disguise

Making everything great again Forget about your family and friends Looking for a means to an end Just don’t want to be alone

Fragile gem, split in two Internal dialogue of them vs. you Find acceptance with nothing to do The voices there are all your own

If everyone could see Themselves through some other eyes Innocent, caught up in the machinery An algorithmic disguise

A deeper body ache, and make a bad mistake A million jumping on Sharing a bad take, Nobody can quite shake The feeling that you’re gone

Feeling lost in an elephant’s dream Getting washed away by the digital stream If it feels better to share another meme Doesn’t make you less alone

If everyone could see Themselves through some other eyes Innocent, caught up in the machinery An algorithmic disguise

If everyone could see Themselves through some other eyes Innocent, caught up in the machinery An algorithmic disguise

Video: Behind A Mask

Lyrics: No Brakes

i’m feeling numb head banging drum where i come from, i’ll die another day

what happened to me setting myself free an absentee I’m turning away

I know I could be stronger Hold on a little longer Try not to fall in the water But I’ve heard enough

I just keep going faster Heading towards disaster Too late to stop me after I’ve heard enough

Too late for me So let me be We’ll just have to see how this all works out

What things may come I’m feeling dumb Gonna succumb To another doubt

I know I could be stronger Hold on a little longer Try not to fall in the water But I’ve heard enough

I just keep going faster Heading towards disaster Too late to stop me after I’ve heard enough

How hard I try I’m asking why staying dry for now i’m fine

too late, it’s done it’s time to run under the gun your life is on the line

I know I could be stronger Hold on a little longer Try not to fall in the water But I’ve heard enough

I just keep going faster Heading towards disaster Too late to stop me after I’ve heard enough

I know I could be stronger Hold on a little longer Try not to fall in the water But I’ve heard enough

I just keep going faster Heading towards disaster Too late to stop me after I’ve heard enough

Lyrics: Safety In Numbers

See the little ants walking down the path They don’t know how to do anything they’re bad at math But a little tiny queen can make some more One and one make two, two and two make four

And then what happens next is the worlds collide When a little tiny ant finds the world inside And the little worker ants can all pass the test They all work together to bring everything back to the nest

And when someone finds out it doesn’t matter The little tiny ants have made their queen get fatter So she can lay her eggs all day So it doesn’t matter when the people get the spray

There are so many ants that they cannot die For every ant that’s in the house there’s two outside All that we can do is let them be Learn to love each other for the world to see

I feel safe without you I feel safe when I’m with you I feel safe when I’m near you But I don’t think that I need you

You know what it is like when you are alone Walking in the dark trying to get home Every little thing that can make a sound Scares you half to death and you look around

You cannot help but fear for your life What if somebody is there who has a knife But you know that in your heart you will be okay And that everything will let you live another day

When you get inside you look around Thousands of little black dots are on the ground They go on with life without a care Eating all the food that they find lying there

It is no matter what you do or say Nothing will make the ants ever go away The lesson that we learn is when the day is done The little tiny ants are the ones who have won

I feel safe without you I feel safe when I’m with you I feel safe when I’m near you But I don’t think that I need you