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Very Close to Strangers

by Matthew Black

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1.
I Will Hold Your Hand 04:14
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I will hold your hand It’s gonna be alright Trust me, I know, I have been there It’s hard to see the path in this part of the forrest It’s hard to see the trees for the leaves It’s gonna take some time Before you can believe what you’ve seen It’s hard to trust the magic when you’re still learning It’s hard to fly when you’ve fallen down But I will hold your hand all the way, I will hold your hand all the way I will hold your hand all the way, yeah, I won’t leave you It’s gonna be okay. This is the way it always happens It’s hard to see the dance in the light of the stars It’s hard to jump over the moon You’re gonna find your way It’s always cold before the sunrise. It’s hard to see anything beyond the horizon It’s hard to believe the world is round. But I will hold your hand all the way, I will hold your hand all the way I will hold your hand all the way, yeah, I won’t leave you All shall be well and all shall be well and all shall be well and all shall be well….
2.
Falling 03:22
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Falling If I lay it down, would you pick it up? If I gave you my crown, would it be enough? And if I've hit the ground, why do I keep falling down? Why do I keep falling? Do I have to cry for you to stay around? If I get too high, would you hold me down? Cause learning how to fly feels so much like falling down Feels so much like falling When I hear you call And if you stole my heart would it ever be found? If I have to choose, do you really care? Would it be good news, if you're not really there? Cause there's so much to lose, every time I'm falling down Why do I keep falling When I hear you call And if you stole my heart would it ever be found? Learning how to fly feels so much like falling down Feels so much like falling down Feels so much like falling Falling Falling
3.
Count to Five 03:44
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Count to Five Journey in the dark, that’s why I take such small steps I’ll get there someday Look into my heart, the places where I’ve fallen They can show the way If I fell apart when I heard your voice calling It’s just my own fear This is where I start, the place where I’ve been stalling I’ll see you next year If I count to five, will I still feel the sadness, will you still be here? If we stay alive, will we believe we’ve had this, or will it disappear? One more step today, one flower we can measure Easy does it now We don’t know the way, and it might take forever We’ll get there somehow If I fell in love when I heard your voice singing Who am I to blame? Over and above, in ending and beginning I still hear my name. If I count to five, will I still feel the sadness, will you still be here? If we stay alive, will we believe we’ve had this, or will it disappear? If I count to five, will I still feel the sadness, will you still be here? If we stay alive, will we believe we’ve had this, or will it disappear? If I count to five, will I still feel the sadness, will you still be here? If we stay alive, will we believe we’ve had this, or will it disappear?
4.
God Is a Woman 03:33
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God is a Woman God is a woman Strong as the ocean A poet in motion Soft like the rain Moves like the wind blows Loud like the cymbals See her within those You love by their names She rescues and frees us She comes to me like Jesus She moves in between us She changes my heart She blesses my body The meek and the haughty She says we are godly She opens our minds She huddles the masses And where her hand passes Out of the ashes New life begins She loves and frustrates us And she creates us Wherever she takes us She changes our hearts
5.
The Rest of Our Days 02:42
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The Rest of Our Days Let this life flow over me Carry myself out to sea Take the wave that comes to me And do not be afraid I will write five hundred songs Sing them to you all day long Next to you where I belong For the rest of my days Promises are better kept But only if they’re still alive And all my tears are better wept Than burning in my heart inside Every word and offering Every line I wrote for you And would it be an awful thing If I sang them all to you? Let your life flow over me Carry ourselves out to sea Dream of all we’ve yet to be And do not be afraid Make a nation made of two Celebrations old and new A love that’s made in me and you For the rest of our days
6.
Carolyn 02:42
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Carolyn Anything that I can bring you? You've got a smile that I could sing to I just haven't done it yet Counting hours on the Sabbath It can be hard to break the habit Sometimes you've just got to take a rest Carolyn, there are stars above you There are arms to love you You know every name by heart Carolyn, there are stories calling When the skies are falling Every step is where we start Take a walk along the border From the books of love and order Or maybe leave them on the shelf See the sunlight when it wakes you Find the joy where it will take you Some days you've been there yourself And the questions swirl around you While you lie awake at night You don't have to know the answers It's alright Carolyn, there are stars above you There are arms to love you You know every name by heart Carolyn, there are stories calling When the skies are falling Every step is where we start
7.
Summer January 02:41
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Summer January Summer, January I’ve got sunshine when you smile Daylight after midnight And it’s all right. Yeah, it’s all right Every time you look at me, Every time you look at me, Every time you look at me I fall Baby, sing a love song Make a new year. Hope it lasts long Baby, Happy Birthday I go crazy, I go crazy Every time you look at me, Every time you look at me, Every time you look at me I fall And all I want, All I want, All I want is you Starshine, hey, good morning How you doing? How’s it feeling? Play out. Take a picture See the beauty. See the beauty. Every time you look at me, Every time you look at me, Every time you look at me I fall And all I want, All I want, All I want is you Summer, January Let’s go outside. You’re my sunshine Daylight after midnight And it’s all right. And it’s all right. Yeah, it's all right. Yeah, it's all right.
8.
Sleepy 03:19
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Sleepy Sleepy, sleep sleep sleepy Where are you going? Can I come, too? Weepy, weep weep weepy Why are you crying while I’m holding you? You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be just fine. Rockin’, rock rock rockin’ Back and forth and forth and back again Knockin’ knock knock who’s there At the door and should we let ‘em in? You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be just fine. Take your time now, come and lie down, Baby, baby, you’re just fine now Make it rhyme now, come and find out Maybe, maybe, lullabye now. Lovely, love love lovely Drift away and take your rest Nothing, no no nothing Can stop a dream once it’s been blessed You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be just fine. Take your time now, come and lie down, Baby, baby, you’re just fine now Make it rhyme now, come and find out Maybe, maybe, lullabye now. Take your time now, come and lie down, Baby, baby, you’re just fine now Make it rhyme now, come and find out Maybe, maybe, lullabye now.
9.
Walk Right Through 04:12
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Walk Right Through Never seen the other side of the river But I would cross the ocean for love Shot down for the message I deliver For all I’ve lost I always have enough I’ve been labeled, I’ve been lied to, and I‘ve been lonely Waiting by the phone for the call Some days you just have to go home early Some days you just can’t go home at all Somewhere there’s a dream that I’ve been given Sometimes late at night I dream of you Find ourselves a world that we can live in Find ourselves a door and walk right through… Walk right through Waiting by this table for a living Pour a cup that maybe you can bless Hold our hands and listen for forgiving What we hear is anybody’s guess Somewhere there’s a dream that I’ve been given Sometimes late at night I dream of you Find ourselves a world that we can live in Find ourselves a door and walk right through… Walk right through
10.
Für Alise 03:19
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Für Alise She walks like a waterfall Cascading, parading down a rocky wall She’s the child of the roaring flood, She walks among the waters and leaves her footprints in the mud She moves with the gentle breeze Her arms reach up to heaven and sway with the trees She’s held the sun and kissed the sky, And any day now she’s gonna learn to fly When the sun goes down her eyes shine even brighter than the moon She hears the sound of nighttime and she dances to the tune There’s rhythm in the starlight and her smile sings along She dances there in silence because everything’s a song La da da da da…. She walks the line between earth and sky She sits on the horizon and composes lullabies She frolics in the woods and laughs with the rain And in the still of dawn she hears the morning whispering her name When the sun goes down her eyes shine even brighter than the moon She hears the sound of nighttime and she dances to the tune There’s rhythm in the starlight and her smile sings along She dances there in silence because everything’s a song La da da da da….
11.
The Same Train 03:45
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The Same Train Walking fast with our eyes down on the sidewalk We run up the stairs then we just stand around Come together, standing very close to strangers Someone’s talking on the phone but we don’t listen. (come on, come on, come on) The doors are closing (come on, come on, come on) All aboard now (come on, come on, come on) There’s always room for five more We all ride the same train at the same time on the same day We call it the red line Will we get home before bed time? I will try not to look you in the eye But I might stare at your reflection in the window Will you marry me? I don’t know your name This is my stop. We don’t speak, and it’s over. (come on, come on, come on) The doors are closing (come on, come on, come on) All aboard now (come on, come on, come on) There’s always room for five more We all ride the same train at the same time on the same day We call it the Blue line And your blue eyes look into mine Standing close, we are all here by ourselves Private symphonies and novels we don’t share Every color, we are precious in God’s sight I see Jesus in the eyes of a little girl (come on, come on, come on) The doors are closing (come on, come on, come on) All aboard now (come on, come on, come on) There’s always room for five more We all ride the same train at the same time on the same day We call it the green line I’ve seen your house have you seen mine? We all ride the same train at the same time on the same day We call it the pink line Come see my place in the springtime We all ride the same train at the same time on the same day…
12.
Under These Stars 03:35
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Under These Stars When the sun is down I’ll tell you my secret Stay very still while I open my heart I’ll climb out on the limb for you I’ve already fallen and I feel like I could fly When the door is closed, I’ll take off my armor Put down the shield you always get around And my freedom is trusting your shelter With you I would brave any storm in the sky. I go tumbling into your eyes I am tangled up in your arms I am stumbling and fumbling but you make me feel Like a dancer under these stars When the morning comes, finally I’ll kiss you Took so many years to get up my nerve We are laughing and nervous together Then you ask what I’d do if my dreams could be real. I go tumbling into your eyes I am tangled up in your arms I am stumbling and fumbling but you make me feel Like a dancer under these stars

about

Matthew Black's first full-length studio album, Very Close to Strangers, is a collaboration that includes six short stories by Matt Lang and a painting by Shawna Bowman.

See the painting, the stories, and more at matthewblackmusic.com

credits

released October 13, 2014

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Oliver Holmberg.

“God is a Woman”: additional recording by Doug McBride at Gravity Studios, featuring:
Rob Clearfield: keyboards, electric guitar; Patrick Mulcahy: bass; Quin Kirchner: drums.
Special thanks to LaSalle Street Church and Gary Rand

“Carolyn”: written by Matthew Black and David LaMotte

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Matthew Black Chicago, Illinois

Imagine if the Fleet Foxes went to seminary. Or if Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young were all one guy. Or if Joe Pug channeled James Taylor instead of Bob Dylan, shaved his head, and started wearing glasses.

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