We gracefully wandered into each others heads and fell into each others beds nervously, carefully, fearlessly. But never alone...and wasn't that always the point. We have seen the clouds form around our heads and the trees grow around our ankles...but we're still the same So why is it if I try my hand at less macabre ways less talk of sleeping giants and sinking ships less talk of invalid children and invalid fathers I come so so short...for you. I've needed, I've wanted, I've failed, I've triumphed. I have lived, loved and lost. Who's to say that we define ourselves by our names. Who's to say that we all live and die alone. I want to be more than a memory placed above mantles in empty and broken homes. I want to be more than a name sliding off the tip of your tongue. We are more than dates, we are more than names, we are more than the numbers that we assign to ourselves We are more than ghosts, more than spirits. We are more than the arguing with the silence. Who's to say.

I'm seeing faces in the crowd, I'm seeing tracks in the snow and I'm wondering why I've become, I've become a shell. I once stood, but now I lie. and my family's so worried, my family's so scared as I thumb at the pills I'll be just fine, I'll be ok and I wonder if they know the van was there again this morning, fresh tracks on a white road, fresh tracks on the street glow of embers, finger prints in the frost. he's been watching me. the smell of cigarettes over my shoulder, looking over your shoulder, he's looking at me I'll be just fine, I'll be ok and I wonder if they know each breath is becoming increasingly difficult to take over and over and over…. remember me as I was and I wonder if they know each breath is becoming increasingly difficult to take over and over and over…. Forgive me because I cannot forgive myself and I wonder if they know ~For weeks on end I would wake up every morning and there would be a white van parked outside my house. Being the paranoid nerd that I am, I googled "White Van Outside My House". I didn't find any solutions to the problem, but I did find the story of Iris Chang. Interesting and heartbreaking.

Wake up the sun has risen again rejoice the giant king is dead Wake up the child prince is crowned rejoice the sun will rise again I once fought the wars and once defeated demigods I once slung the stones and felt the dust upon my hands Toppled and crumbled these empires by the stone removed the head and cleansed the sword and took my rightful place I once slung the stones and felt the blood wash my feet I once fought the giant king and looked upon my hands five smooth stones I held slung by side five smooth stones I held I beat my fist upon my chest and gasped and choked on the rising dust I looked upon my cracked and bleeding limbs and saw the giant's hands as my own David beat his fists against his chest looked down and saw Goliath's hands I once slung the stones and felt the dust upon my hands Toppled and crumbled these empires by the stone removed the head and cleansed the sword and took my rightful place Five smooth stones is all I had Five smooth stones Five smooth stones is all it took Five smooth stones is all I was ~We all get into punk rock for our own reasons. When I was a teenager, punk rock was a knee jerk reaction to the jock/bro culture that permeated my high school. I was drawn to what I felt was a different kind of community and I felt a sense of "us against the world" camaraderie with others at shows. As I get older, whether it's more prevalent or I notice it more, I see the bro attitude seeping into the community. I even feel myself taking part in it at times. This song serves as a reminder to never become what I spent the greater part of my youth fighting against.

cold sweat, cold city, cold stone. chilled brick through the soles of my feet. the parts and processes feel older, and my body aged more than i'd care to admit. slide my toes over the edge and curl down. stare down. stare down, stare down. tiny shafts of...dust and light. tiny lines of ...air and atoms. breathe in. breathe in and hold tight. hold tight. slide my toes over the edge and curl down. stare down. stare down, stare down. and this city breathes me in, holds me tight (Hold tight) clenching me in it's soot encrusted lungs suffocating, suffocating, limitless and real suffocating, suffocating, suffocate me breathe in. breathe in and hold tight. breathe in. breathe in and hold tight. and this city breathes me in, crushes the will, and this city breathes me in, and crushes the way suffocating, suffocating, limitless and real once I saw light, piercing through the thickness, through the dark. once I saw light and forgot what the feeling was on my skin I rubbed the dirt from my skin and it pierced further past the skin, past the tendons, past the muscles and bones it surrounded me and cleared the air breathe in. breathe in and hold tight. and this city breathes me in, but I will not be still breathe in. breathe this in and hold tight. and this city breathes me in, and I breathe back breathe in. breathe this in and hold tight. cold sweat, cold brick, cold skin, cold feet. again and again. cold sweat, cold brick, cold skin, cold feet. again and again. cold sweat, cold brick, cold skin, cold feet. again and again. it reminds me that you and i are more than this home, more than this band around my limbs. it reminds me that you and i are more than this skin, more than the weathered scraps. we are willing. willing to fill this heart and these lungs with more. we are willing. willing to fill this life with love i hold tight for you. you hold tight. hold tight.

white lights and highway lines always ran together as we rumbled past those tired and failing city limits like the freshest blood creeping closer to the margins these small towns could never, never really contain us we lived like the wild ones and teenage kings young lovers we sawpast past the horizons past the flags past man made borders this is not not my home not my life I'll be bigger we saw past past the horizons past the flags past man made borders we lived like the wild ones and teenage kings young lovers we saw past past the horizons past the flags past man made borders white lights and highway lines always ran together as we rumbled past those tired and failing city limits like the freshest blood creeping closer to the margins mad to live? too mad for these latitudes desirous lives at the edge of town shambled on, after all the appealing ones desirous lives at the edge of town ~I'm almost embarassed to admit, but this song is heavily inspired by Kerouac. Take from that what you will.

Trudge on, see through the grit of winter See to the glare of summer Boundless drive, Endless drives, we all wished that we had And you will learn more behind those, behind loudspeakers, than those behind classroom walls. My friends once said "steady on the plough, steady on the wheel" My friends once said "steady on the plough, steady on the wheel" Those words engraved on my heart, entrenched in my mind spilling out of me. You will travel every road... and they all lead back… champion city. champion hearts You will travel every road... and they all lead back… champion city. champion hearts and they all lead back… this is a song for the beautiful vagrants. this is a song for the wage slave students writing history books and basements. please come home ~Response to a beautiful song by Stalwart Sons. I've met some amazing people through punk rock and this is my way of telling them I miss them and hope to see them again soon.

When I was younger I'd wish I could take this space, and place it between us. I'd lay awake, dreaming of your unmarked, and unloved grave. and I have tried, sometimes in vain, to be so unlike you. an I have tried to remove the stains from this name. You have left me a hollow and broken man, but I'll rebuild You have left me in this wasted space but I'll find a way I wanted to occupy the dark places in your head. I wanted to terrify the very core of you I wanted you to feel this way I used to believe that I'd sink your every ship I used to believe your loved ones would drown I used to say I'd flood it all. Flood it all. ~These are actually a version of the very first Book of Caverns lyrics ever written. When I found them in my notebook I was taken back a bit by the amount of vitriol behind them. The first EP had a lot of anger on it and I felt like reworking this song was a good way to help put that behind me and move on. It's still almost embarrassingly angry and melodramatic, but acts as a good bridge between that era of the band and the new era of the band moving forward.

one hundred moving mouths one thousand flickering screens all cameras on this moment, and the movement with no path I was born with a silver spoon firmly in my cheeks born with a fiery tongue licking at the crown unread books, they burn better unwed mothers and their bastard sons so throw that child to the river outreached hands will guide her home meet them at the shoreline and scorn their unclothed skin meet them at the shoreline and scorn their unclothed skin "you have found our only bridge on it's way out of town, you broke its sagging back and burnt it's tinder bones" show some skin you are the means to an end hold your tongue the men will guide you home unread books, they burn better unwed mothers and their bastard sons so throw that child to the river outreached hands will guide her home so place the right hand on the leather and the left hand on the spine these misread pages as my guidance lips pressed up against the mic the crowd, they're anxiously awaiting for this callous and misguided speech one hundred moving empty mouths unread books, they burn better unwed mothers and their bastard sons so throw that child to the river outreached hands will guide her home meet them at the shoreline and scorn their unclothed skin meet them at the shoreline and scorn their virgin skin ~It's easy to forget how much power your words have when you're a position of complete acceptance and privilege. Hiding behind free speech or religion or ignorance is an archaic way of thinking. Be accountable for your words and actions. This song is for those amazing friends and acquaintances that have helped teach me this lesson in the last few years.