Get all 7 Austin Taft releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Instrumentals Volume Two, The Instrumentals Volume One, Skeletons, The Human Condition, War of the Songs of Light Against the Songs of Darkness, Fragments of the Absolute, and Beneath The Sun and Beyond The Reach of God.
1. |
Skeletons
03:58
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Sick of this reality -- this never-ending fallacy
With gums filled with blood like a sacrificial slut
I will cut through the language that feeds from the TV
"Who's behind the door?
I don't want this anymore
Whoever you are, or whatever it is
Stay away from my god and my kids
Don't need to be reminded of my skeletons"
This lacking of profanity is weighing on my sanity
But I'll make you dirty like the clerics in the clergy
I'll burn down the chapels and bathe in controversy
"Who's behind the door?
I don't want this anymore
Whoever you are, or whatever it is
Stay away from my god and my kids
Don't need to be reminded of my skeletons"
This ethical deficiency welcomes inefficiency
I'm leading the revolt against democracy and polls
You're hemorrhaging every single lie you've ever told
And you can try to fuck with me if you'd like to kiss the concrete
Like a sentinel watching cities drowning in a flood
The gun's filled with slugs; I'm about to pull the plug
"Who's behind the door?
I don't want this anymore
Whoever you are, or whatever it is
Stay away from my god and my kids
Don't need to be reminded of my skeletons
Who's behind the door?
I don't want this anymore
Whoever you are, or whatever it is
Stay away from my god and my kids
Don't need to be reminded of my skeletons
Don't need to be reminded of my skeletons
Don't need to be reminded of my skeletons"
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2. |
Endless Sky
07:55
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How do I escape?
How do I escape from the boredom,
The feeling that I'm concealing my potential?
The hands on the clock keep turning
Reaffirming that with every day that I remain here
I move further away from who I'm supposed to be
Stuck and slaving away for vermin
Exhausting my mind and soul for inadequacy
All that I should be, I'm not
This is what failure looks like
This is my fault
These scum fucks are dirt, bile, liars
The most fraudulent, the most counterfeit
And they impede my growth because I let them
My lungs are filled with shit, and I cannot breathe
Do good things come to those who wait?
A joke born from weak will and distorted perception
I have the capacity
Let me cut this rope and free myself
Now -- In a flash, I'm alive
On my own, I can dream of an endless sky
In the flesh, I've arrived
On my own, I can dream of an endless sky
Now at last, I'm alive
On my own, I can dream of an endless sky
I'm amassed, I've arrived
On my own, I can dream of an endless sky
I have survived
My ambitions remain, and this world is without limit
The colors of the surrounding firmament multiply inside my eye
I'm heading upstairs -- heading up there -- teleporting out of range
Boundless is this calming reverie -- never-ending, immeasurable
Time is trivial -- the horrid suffering gone and only peace remains
Now
Now
Now -- In a flash, I'm alive
On my own, I can dream of an endless sky
In the flesh, I've arrived
On my own, I can dream of an endless sky
Now at last, I'm alive
On my own, I can dream of an endless sky
I'm amassed, I've arrived
On my own, I can dream of an endless sky
I have survived
My ambitions remain, and this world is without limit
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3. |
A Winning Strategy
06:02
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A temple of innovation reduced to forgery
The wheels have fallen off the bus, but the pedal is to the floor
And here we are -- let's celebrate our apathy, our negligence and sorrow
Gather us in, take your seats, remain orderly
And "Good afternoon, 682; hey, we're just fine, and how are you?
Thanks, but no thanks -- this is where the ride stops and you get off
We will show you to the door"
It's like ripping off a band aid
A minor adjustment, and we are on our way
Consider this a price we choose to pay
You can only sell your soul if you have one
The shareholders are on patrol and they want blood
These folks are family
Let's throw them to the wolves
I support this strategy
Deep down, I pine for the days of yesteryear
It was when we had less that every piece meant more
But we've come this far // we're in too deep
I am the shepherd // you, my sheep
We'll fly this plane straight into the ground
I just hope my parachute will open out
You can only sell your soul if you have one
The shareholders are on patrol and they want blood
These folks are family
Let's throw them to the wolves
I support this strategy
I support this strategy
I support this strategy
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4. |
The Ladder
09:08
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Never mind me while I steal your shit
While I stab your back
And I smile wide
Never mind me while I cut your throat
And I take your pride for my trophy case
Enslaved, ungrateful, and happy as can be
I'm climbing up the ladder, and you can't stop me
Money in my fucking hand
Power in my fucking head
Excess is my god
And damaged is my self-respect
I'm working just to fill a hole that only I have left
My ego is my joy
And perfect is my dialect
To speak the corporate language that these pricks all want to hear
Money in my fucking hand
Power in my fucking head
Betraying a trust for a tiny reward
The carrot is dangling in front of my face
I will sell you out to any bidder that gives me a taste
Operating under the guise of a friend
A two-faced fuck is what I am
This chosen duplicity is justified just to go up a rung
I'm climbing up the ladder
I'm climbing up the ladder
I'm climbing up the ladder, and I'm happy as can be
I'm climbing up the ladder
I'm climbing up the ladder
I'm climbing up the ladder, and you can't stop me
I'm climbing up the ladder
I'm climbing up the ladder
I'm climbing up the ladder, and I'm happy as can be
I'm climbing up the ladder
I'm climbing up the ladder
I'm climbing up the ladder, and you can't stop me
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5. |
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Idle minds sleep soundly
Awaken from your dreams
There's a world outside, beyond the screen
The days seem strangely cloudy
The night can bring no peace
Our guard has been let down
Liberty screams
All around me
All around me
Diminishing returns
We missed the call to action
Distracted in our cloud
So far from heaven and on our knees
Where once was strength in numbers, there now remains the weak
Inertia seeks to paint its greatest masterpiece
Everything we get, some deserve
The sheep will blindly hang on every word
All around me
All around me
Diminishing returns
I'm drowning
Does it hurt you to know that we have allowed this?
You are just as much at fault as I
Across the hemisphere
The point of no return is dangerously near
It's a wonder we can still breathe
Separate a mother from a son from a father from a daughter
Things will never be the same
Keeping kids in cages while the true terrorists are held blameless
Can there be a greater shame?
The only thing to fear is ourselves
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6. |
Just Above Zero
08:18
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Time and time again, we are given choice and given voice
But we speak primitively with our tongues
Swiftly and collectively accelerating toward the wall
Who is to blame? Follow the trail of crumbs
Lacking the spine to do what's right
In the company of thieves
Driven by their false beliefs
Warped in their philosophy
Sustained by greed
Heavyweight champions of deceit
And now our bones are in pain
We sense what we've done, desperate to look away
But the clouds are approaching; still we remain
Faced with the truth; it is going to rain
What are the chances that we will be fine?
What are the chances that all will be okay?
What is at stake in this time of change?
What are the chances that we will be saved?
Just above
Just above
Just above zero
Opportunity after opportunity after
Opportunity after opportunity squandered
Opportunity after opportunity after
Opportunity after opportunity squandered
It has taken us a long time in the blink of an eye
Alighting from a shadow's bite and forgetting how to fly
What are the chances that we will be fine?
What are the chances that all will be okay?
What is at stake in this time of change?
What are the chances that we will be saved?
Just above
Just above
Just above zero
Just above
Just above
Just above zero
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7. |
The Line
07:45
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The innocents have had it with the failures
The innocents have shown composure and given time
The guilty, the immoral, free to target -- plague without restraint
The arrogance is left unchecked; entitlement runs wild
Intimidate within a place we've trusted to be safe
To keep our sisters out of harm's way
But everything is broken
Just how many lives have felt the strain of ethics, honor, self-control -- corroded and decayed?
We've found our voice
We know our strength
This truth will liberate
We know our light
We know our power
And you should be afraid
You're moving, you're moving
So very, very close to the line
You're crossing the boundary
We see you, and there's nowhere left to hide
No pain can be undone
And not all suffering can be overcome
How many more stories have we not yet heard?
Phallus in hand, attempted force
Label the victim as a whore
Every account swiftly ignored
Fuck the protectors
Fuck the silent
There is no savior for you
Our angels will have justice
This world belongs to the pure and true
You fucking coward
You fucking liar
You'll get yours, motherfucker
We shine brighter and brighter still
You're moving, you're moving
So very, very close to the line
You're crossing the boundary
We see you, and there's nowhere left to hide
You're moving, you're moving
So very, very close to the line
You're crossing the boundary
We see you, and there's nowhere left to hide
We shine brighter
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8. |
Unraveling
12:02
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No faith, no fight
No dreams, no light
I hope you drown in your alcohol
I hope you overdose on your shit
I hope you choke on the air that you've sucked out from everyone else
I want to burn your eyes
I want to set them on fire
I know what you're like
I feel betrayed
The future is so black
it frightens me
I hope I drown in my alcohol
I hope I drown
I hope I overdose on my shit
I hope I overdose
I hope I fucking choke on the air that I've sucked out from everyone else
I want to burn my eyes
I want to set them on fire
I know what I'm like
I feel betrayed
The future is so black
it frightens me
Pain, pain is mine
I deserve everything I've received
I feel betrayed
The future is so black
it frightens me
Pain, pain is mine
I deserve everything I've received
I've seen just who I am
And I have never known a hate that feels like this
A hate that stings like this
I can feel myself slipping
This helplessness overtakes each moment
And I cannot see past this eventuality
Every lie before me
My mouth has dried from death of faith
Beneath a broken sky
The burial of my desire
My ambition lost
My potential gone
Left to witness the untying, the unraveling of a web, my sanctuary
Everything that I have built, everything that I have loved
Taken from me, piece by piece
My grip has weakened, and I am only meters from the edge
This unraveling of my home is the undoing of my soul
This unraveling of my soul is the undoing of my home
This unraveling of my home is the undoing of my soul
This unraveling of my soul is the undoing of my home
This unraveling of my home is the undoing of my soul
This unraveling of my soul is the undoing of my home
This unraveling of my home is the undoing of my soul
This unraveling of my soul is the undoing of my home
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9. |
The Road To Happiness
07:52
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I don't know what to do with this
I am at a loss for words
I have tried to never lie, and I have tried to be kind
And through my sincerity, I have failed
In this moment, I am drowning in misbelief
And attachment is synonymous with deceit
Trust is an illusion; understanding is a myth
And I am left on the other end, powerless
The road to happiness is paved with aches
The road to happiness is paved with pain
The road to happiness is paved with sorrow
And this road stretches onward for miles ahead
Time will pass; how will I feel?
Will these bruises fade away or grow pale?
There is a chance for learning after every burning
But I don't want to learn anymore
The road to happiness leaves me bitter
The road to happiness leaves me tired
The road to happiness leaves me dejected
And this road is a road with no end in sight
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Austin Taft Colorado Springs, Colorado
Drummer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist focused on making unique and intriguing music – whatever that should entail. The
new album, “Skeletons”, has been self-described as “Prog-Metal-That-Sometimes-Isn't”. The album before that was acoustic-focused.
So...you never know what you're going to get (hopefully).
... more
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