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Old Reliable

by RMS Olympic

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  • Cassette + Digital Album

    "Old Reliable" (2013) on transparent red cassette
    These tapes play the album in entirety on both sides
    Limited to 25, hand numbered
    Made by the lovely DIY punx at Driftwood Records

    Includes unlimited streaming of Old Reliable via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 25 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
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1.
Forgive me I'm not miserable today I can't conjure one depressing thing to say I've got a girl I love In a desperate sort of way And I am learning to let that be okay I think about the times when I was sad But now I even made up with my dear old dad I really miss all my old friends I'm grateful for the times we had But our lives just went in different ways And I am learning to let that be okay Sometimes I think about the universe And how time and size are relative to earth And how no matter what I do I will be forgotten someday But I am learning to let that be okay
2.
We kept on walking West Until we found the water's edge We turned 'round to start our journey 'Til we could find ocean again We refuse to let the sands of time Erode to make our beds We'll make our own and lay down in them With no second thought regrets 'Til we're down again They sneer and call us foolish But I think we're awful brave They pass judgment on appearance Instead of the choices that we've made It's not the net number of digits That your bank accumulates It's not the sum of years that you survive Before you find your grave When you'll be down again So put away your weapons I'm just offering my hand And we'll all be down together In the end
3.
I remember watching New York City Passing by outside my tiny window I took a picture of the Statue of Liberty But I never developed it I just kept the negative I remember the dark, cold waters of London Passing by under my feet As I stared up at Big Ben And all I wanted was home in California Well now I'm here And I wish I could go back again
4.
There is a storm on the rise And the land won't ever look the same again I'm hearing whispers in the dark And I thought I saw the Devil's jagged grin The kids have a riot Occupying every single waking thought And in the silence I could swear I heard the first raindrop... Can you feel it in the air now? There is a stillness calling out for tragedy And look The rats ain't even running There ain't no rat ever accepted his own death at sea There are believers praying "Someone save us" Trembling at the thunder in the sky And every lonesome prisoner Is sounding out his tortured cry There ain't a man carried a gun that I respected Oh, but it seems I should be gearing up for war There is a faceless enemy on the horizon And his battleships float, silent, off the shore I feel the Earth under my feet I think she's holding her breath Fearful of what still is yet to come There is a swiftness in the breeze Feels like it's running Oh, it's chasing down that ever setting sun
5.
For The 'Bot 02:40
I like Star Wars And I like Dr. Who But not as much as I like you I like my dog And all of my friends, too But not as much as I like you I hear your soft breathing When my brain won't let me sleep I wake up to your smile and we get up And find something to eat And I could never ask for anything more than that I like punk rock And I like writing songs But not as much as when you sing along I like comics And traditional tattoos But not as much as I like you So let's sit together and watch nerdy shows Let's sing along to Dead To Me and Bouncing Souls Let's buy you a pup so it can learn the tricks from Bear It doesn't matter to me If we're on the floor of the living room of a friend's house For the rest of our lives If that's where I can be with you Then I can be happy there
6.
I worry I might never cure myself of this disease It's an action I rely on to keep my troubled mind at ease I know this bottle was supposed to just be celebratory But the pills won't seem to put me to sleep I can even see concern now in the face of my dear dog She is usually more preoccupied with her food And her bi-daily walks She wants to bark at her rival in apartment 13 But tonight she won't stop staring at me "Why must you do this to yourself? Don't you know if you go I've got nobody else? What would I do without you? Isn't my love enough To keep you from giving up? I traded my home town for this cage Everyone here is an inmate of inconsolable rage Mutilating our bodies to watch our old selves fade away Plagiarizing just to fill up the page I was blinded by youth at the time I tried my best to see you through the tears That were forming in my eyes My heart was breaking in my chest So I could barely hear you say "I'm sorry that it has to be this way" Now my glasses are fogged up again I guess I still blame you for leaving me alone With this fucking ball point pen And nothing but time to keep reliving that night On the front yard of that yuppy house We had our last fight Where you said "You can't help destroying everything that you touch" And I said "Please don't abandon me like everyone else I ever loved!" And you said "Each day you kill yourself And I can't lie down and die with you My dear Nathanael, I still love you I just don't know what else to do Can't you see that I'm going through hell? But I'll have to be strong and rely on myself 'Cuz I know now My love will never ever be enough To keep you from giving up"
7.
Cold chili from a can With corn chips and a plastic spoon The curb near the back of an empty parking lot My pockets overflowing with things I didn't need to steal But I did it anyway I guess I do that a lot And everyone's so jealous They "could never be so brave" At least, that's what the strangers each night say But I fail to see the courage spending years running away Too scared of what it means To just stay in one place I wish that I could find a job And work it every day Come home to a cold beer and some TV Let go of this ambition driving me to sleepless nights But that has never been And never will be me
8.
I was sent to defeat all your demons And to a lasting paradise I have wandered these lands And seen all that they have Through a humble Less than perfect pair of eyes But I sharpened my teeth On a stone of bad luck And I'm discovering the freedom There can be in giving up I've been having all these strange visions lately I keep dreaming that I'm standing face to face With the man that I was Just a few years ago And he wears a look Of disgust and disgrace He calls me a sellout And I call him a child And I say to him "Don't worry You'll be seeing things my way in a little while" And the truth is that I feel like I'm arriving Like maybe being no one really ain't so bad Let the weight of the world Rest on somebody else Along with all the other shackles that I had I will always evolve I will live and breathe art I will think with my head And love with all my heart
9.
You were the mouthpiece to a generation of romantics The drugs and instability were unfortunate specifics But I never sang along to anyone the way I sang along to you You were the reflection of what our parents had created You were self-destruction in the most artistic, charming way But I guess these days you've just got way too much to lose Well I know that you're just human And I understand that life gets in the way But when you love one thing so much It'd break your heart to let it go You'd give anything to make it stay the same You were the reason that I first picked up a guitar And I played your records until I knew them all by heart But man, you just fell apart trying so hard To keep up with a changing scene The last time I saw you, you were playing to a half-empty bar And you played the old hits that once had taken you so far And I left half-way through your set What you've become is something I can't bare to see Well, from here on out, I guess I'm on my own I guess it's true that nothing gold can ever stay But I'll keep your memory in my heart And tear my vocal chords apart Just pushing back the time that they might say
10.
Steadfast 03:17
I see a tidal wave a-comin' in I'm wide eyed and I'm wondering If I should be bothered to run away See, when I's a boy I learned to swim Much too old, now, to start drowning Preparing my whole life to face this day And the whole world is holding it's breath Yeah, the heavens' eyes are all upon me now Oh, I'm not a fool to lie And say that I'm not scared to death But I am steadfast I was born to stand my ground You are sails on the horizon Leaving stormy skies behind you Ain't no anchor built could ever make you stay No, you worked your hands too long You bled your love 'til it was gone Ain't no flowers growin' in soil watered this way And the whole world is holding it's breath Yeah, the heavens' eyes are all upon you now And all you want is one last glimpse To look behind at what you left But you are steadfast You were born to stand your ground I want so badly to admit I'll miss you more than life itself But I am steadfast I was born to stand my ground

credits

released March 5, 2013

Nathanael S. Millar - Vocals, guitar, harmonica

Ashley Meadows - Background vocals, "Bad Call, Felon"

All songs and lyrics were written by Nathanael S. Millar
Recorded and mixed by Jordan "Bird" Dau
Art by Cat Houngsombath

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RMS Olympic Portland, Oregon

Folk Punk / Folk / Anti-Folk

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