AORTA BOREALIS LYRICS
What to Tell You
I remember where I
Sat on the bedroom floor
And heard your diagnosis
Over the telephone
In the eleventh hour of
the night that you were born
The holes found in your heart now
Echoed in my own and
Trisomy 21 was
A kick when I was down
In the dark, aloud, I thought,
What do I do now?
Unequipped to relay the news
Forgive me if I seem a bit confused
I know we’ve prayed for a brighter view
But I just don’t know what to tell you.
I just don’t know what to tell you.
I don’t know what I
Expected friends to say but
Not congratulations
Not it’ll be ok
And sorry for your loss, well
All I could do was wait.
All night long I wrestled to make sense
Of how a blessing turned into a mess
I hope someday we'll have a clearer view
For now I just don’t know what to tell you.
I just don’t know what to… what to tell you.
What to tell you.
What to tell you.
What to tell you.
Together
The length of the road is more than we had bargained for and now
We're underprepared to have the strength we need to walk it out.
All systems are not a go and we're afraid you're shutting down.
The time has come to grow up.
But
I will fight for you
I will fight for you
Give my life for you
Maybe
We can get through it if we do it together
We can get through it if we do it together now
Nobody sees the desert island you feel stranded on
Nobody knows the the ache, the guilt, the grief, the fear, the loss
But footprints are found sunk in the sand if you look hard enough
You're not the only one
I will fight for you
I will fight for you
It's all I can do
We can get through it if we do it together
We can get through it if we do it together now
Resilience is grown, it's earned, it can't be handed out
You're cut, you bleed, you heal, you scar, repeat
Nobody can take the journey for you now
But I will carry you when you are weak
I will fight for you
I will fight for you
I will cry with you
We can get through it if we do it together
We can get through it if we do it together
We can get through it if we do it together
We can get through it if we do it together now
Lullaby for the Frail
As you can see, I'm holding it together
This is certainly a storm that we can weather
By the time that you awake, I'm sure I'll have figured out a way to keep you safe
from the heartache that you fight
Another phone call from cardiology
They told me little ones need nourishment for brain functionality
My little girl's a little frail but strangely stubborn and tough as nails
I just wish the answers were simpler than the ailments
As you can see, I'm holding it together
I am nowhere near the end of my tether
Someday we'll go climbing trees and I can stop thinking about what I would say
for your eulogy
Another day another specialist
Whose advice doesn't help me make sense of this
To get ready for surgery, we're going to need another surgery
It's time to feel the sense of urgency
As you can see, I'm holding it together
Before you know it we will have you feeling better
By the time that you awake, I'm sure I'll have figured out a way to keep you here
in my arms another day
I just wish there was any other way
Run the Long Race
Zip line day's upon us
Fix your broken heart
We're all so exhausted just to reach
the start
As the surgeon sweeps you
Towards florescent lights
Sleep so sweet but don't forget to fight
For your life
Run the long race
We're bringing you back home
That's the hope
Onward Christian soldiers
Marching as to war
March like you have never marched before
Run the long race
We're bringing you back home
That's the hope
How it Feels to Be Something On
(Sunny Day Real Estate Cover)
If I break down all that I am
A field of wires we'll see what it's worth to walk
To break the lines of alternate steel
If I turn around what matters the most in time
We're going nowhere
Don't tell me now
The days I've had
To fill it up but spill instead
Talk to remind
Days weeks and hours
All in time will be
Later on we'll try
Hollow peaks we've climbed
All these things I've seen
How it feels to be something on
That's how the days go
If I break down all that I am
A field of wires we'll see if it hurts to walk
To break the lines
Of all that I feel
If I turn round what matters the most
In time we're going nowhere
Don't tell me God
The dreams I've had
To fill it up but spill instead
Talk to remind
Dazed weak as I run
All in time will be
Later on we'll try
All we gave to fly
Hollow peaks we've climbed
All these things I've been
How it feels to be something on
All in time will be
Everything we've tried
Just to stay alive
All these things I've seen
How it feels to be something on
Recovery
Recovery surprisingly felt like coming out of a cave
Recovery repeatedly felt like being spit on shore after a tidal wave
And as it turns out, I'm not alright
Recovery's velocity felt like trying to breathe with partially punctured lung
Recovery was killing me like my blood circulating and oxygenating was superfluous
And as a searchlight fading out I'm malfunctioning in the dark of night, crashing like waves.
Could anybody tell me why my body's nailed to the floor?
I wish I knew what we were arguing about anymore
The issue's unidentifiable and cannot be cured
Maybe it's just time
To admit that I
Maybe I'm not fine
That I'm not alright
Recovery frustratingly wasn't synchronized onto the timeline I told it to be
A mystery, what's ailing me, complications of stress, the residual effects are catching up to me
Could anybody tell me why my body's nailed to the floor?
I wish I knew what we were arguing about anymore
The issue's unidentifiable and cannot be cured
Maybe it's just time
To admit that I
Maybe I'm not fine
I'm not alright
Maybe it's just time
To look at myself
And to get the help I need
To get myself right
Symptomatic, automatic, post traumatic, problematic, unapologetic
I need more time
I just need more time
Darkness to Light
Some wounds should never be reopened
What has been taped up and glued shut should not be re-broken
You were zipped up and now they'll hold your heart in their hands... again
I'd take your place but instead here I pace merely praying your heart can beat all on its own in the end
How much longer now?
How much longer now?
Glimmer of hope arise, and magnify brightness.
Could you learn to beat it? Could you learn to fight it? Could this be where the darkness turns to light?
Round two you come out of your corner swinging.
You can't be knocked down for too long, with how hard you've been training.
Maybe you're stronger and tougher than I understand.
Can I return to my old optimism? Can I not be the unluckiest one percent?
Not much longer now
Not much longer now
Glimmer of hope arise
To infinite lumens
You're learning to beat it, you're learning to fight it. And this is where the darkness turns to light.
Crack me open I'll heal again. Look!
I have the scars to prove.
Crack me open I'm still breathing. See!
I'm not broken, not completely.
Deeply breathing now
Deeply breathing now
Open up your eyes
The daylight is blinding
You've learned how to beat it, you've learned how to fight it, and this is where the darkness turns.
You've learned how to beat it, you've learned how to fight it, and this is where the darkness turns to light.
The Lucky Few
Look at the fortunate ones
Look at the wonderstruck fathers
So serendipitously they've received
remarkable sons and daughters
Look at the fortunate ones
Look at the marveling mothers
Beyond any measure they are blessed for knowing love at 80 miles an hour
Now we could be the narrative shifters
Inclusive to the outsiders, the outliers
We could be the truth tellers, the game changers,
setting straight the naysayers
We could be a voice for the silenced
for those who feel inaudible, omissible,
invisible, atypical, we can do the impossible
This time I'm telling you, telling you
We are the lucky ones
We are the lucky few
We are the lucky ones
Who get to get to be loved by you (x2)
Look at the fortunate ones
Look at the sisters and brothers
They know the magic that's involved
in being loved with superpowers
All together now
we could be the narrative shifters
Inclusive to the outsiders, the outliers
We could be the truth tellers, the game changers, difference makers
All hell can't stop us now
We are the lucky ones
We are the lucky few
We are the lucky ones
Who get to get to be loved by you
You Are
If you want a love letter
I will give you one better
I'll write you a love song
So that all of the world can sing along
If you want to know your value
I can't begin to tell you
It's vast like the ocean, expansive as space
An infinite number, beyond what my words can convey
Independent and capable
Your love's inescapable
More than we think you are
You are, you are, you are
Bringing light to my darkest days
A rainbow of color through all the grey
Perfect the way you are
You are, you are, you are
If you want a love letter
I will give you one better
I'll write you a theme song
Because every superhero needs one
If you want to know the real truth
I will always love you
No matter what you say
No matter what you do
Simply because you are you
Independent and capable
Your love's inescapable
More than we think you are
You are, you are, you are
Bringing light to my darkest days
A rainbow of color through all the grey
Perfect the way you are
You are, you are, you are
If you want a love letter
I will give you one better
I'll write you a love song
So that all of the world can sing along
You are, you are
You are
If you wanna be an astronaut
Don't let anyone tell you you cannot
If you wanna be a physicist
Don't let anyone tell you to desist
If you wanna own a restaurant
Don't let anyone tell you you cannot
If you wanna be a zoologist
Don't let anyone tell you to desist now
Independent and capable
Of anything dreamable
More than we think you are
You are, you are, you are
You're a powerful gale wind's force
You can make anyone change course
You can take us so far
You are, you are, you are
You are, you are
You are, you are
More than even I think you are
you are, you are, you are, you are
Ode to Luigi
With an L on his hat and a black mustache
His pumpkin pail filled up throughout the evening
So confident in who he is
While hand in hand together with his sibling
It's hard to compete with someone
Whose strength was touch and go
It's hard when you're starving for attention
And you used to have it all
If what you feel is overshadowed
You're not the sidekick you're the hero
And if you feel unseen and lonesome
That doesn't make you any less awesome
Llama Llama books and Dr. Suess
They laugh with Barnyard Dance and Duck for President
Planning a surprise or a brand new heist
They make such great accomplices and advocates
You'll make an unbreakable team
If you'd stop kicking each other for just one minute
Please
You need to compete with no one
I couldn't love you more
I'm proud, I'm amazed
You have made me better than I ever was before
If what you feel is overshadowed
You're not the sidekick you're the hero
And if you feel unseen and lonesome
That doesn't make you any less awesome
It's hard to compete with someone
Whose strength was touch and go
It's hard when you're starving for attention
And you used to have it all
If what you feel is overshadowed
You're not the sidekick you're the hero
And if you feel unseen and lonesome
That doesn't make you any less awesome
If what you feel is underpowered
Be sure to stick up for each other
And if you feel unseen and lonesome
Then carry one another's burdens
Uneven
When I've got my head down
Endeavoring to sidestep around every setback
Looking up is paramount
To envision clearly how you're keeping me from falling down
Life has been a little bit uneven
Highs and lows and rarely in between them
As much as we may wish the path was different
We've built a foundation that can't be shaken
Central to every story
Definitively the better half of me
You're one who really knows me
and regardless still loves me in each and every way
Our life has been a little bit uneven
Highs and lows and rarely in between them
As much as we may wish the path was different
We've built a foundation that can't be shaken
After all that we've been though
9/11, a worldwide pandemic
The good the bad the mundane too
I have assurance we'll endure it
I know it's been hard for you
And being with me is not always pleasant
We stuck it out, we made it through
And luckily, I'm stuck with you
And I wouldn't change a thing
I wouldn't change a thing
Life has been a little bit uneven
(I wouldn't change a thing)
Highs and lows and rarely in between them
(I wouldn't change a thing)
As much as we may wish the path was different
(I wouldn't change a thing)
We've built a foundation that can't be shaken
Welcome to Sydney
Packed my bags for the Cayman islands
Gathered up all the best Intel
Bought gear for long hikes, prepared for a short flight
Booked a beachside hotel
But to my surprise, when I arrived... I heard
Welcome to Sydney, it's a wonderful place
What a beautiful city, an urban landscape
Welcome to Sydney, we're glad that you're here
A short ride on a ferry can get you practically anywhere
It's time to begin again
Checked on policies for refunds
Threw my guidebooks in the trash
Wondered if in 20 years I'll lament
The trip I never had
But when I walked outside and rubbed my eyes
I thought
Welcome to Sydney We've got so much to do
we can take a wildlife tour,
Fist bump a kangaroo (or two)
Welcome to Sydney with open arms
Doesn't matter how you got here but you're here now
It's time to begin again
I don't mind change
don't mind adjustments
But let me adapt
Without any judgments
I don't mind change
I might seem reluctant
But I think that my best life lies here
In the present
If your heart breaks
And your chest feels empty
Put in the time
For reassembly
Welcome again
To your new reality
It's not the same
But it's staggeringly beautiful
Staggeringly beautiful
Staggering
Staggeringly beautiful
Welcome home
Welcome home