Get all 69 Jonathan Segel releases available on Bandcamp.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of And Then..., They Got the Beets, Super Music Simulator, Spaceman With A Suntan, Downstream Motion, Current Motion, There (2023 remaster), Here (2023 remaster), and 61 more.
Excludes subscriber-only releases.
1. |
||||
After the drive in closes
and the people all go home
then the monsters can all come out
in the privacy of their little lives
they’re outside shouting at everyone
about some outdated morality
meeting later in some dingy stall
hiding their activities
No you don't get no rights
but you know I'll get my own
All the downtrodden will just suffer
You don't get no government loan
the minister who chokes in his tutu
at least he found what made him come
the others just suppress the demons
and take it out on everyone
which one
lives a lie
who is true to themselves?
is that the way to be?
|
||||
2. |
Blank Slate
02:34
|
|||
Sand moves through the hourglass
Our memories slip away
Sense of self and placement
Nothing seems to stay
Then one day we wake up
And everything is new
Step outside to meet the day
Ignore what we've been through.
Some strains are familiar
In the chaos of the same
Greed and belief still control
People's preferred game
Blank slate
Easy to fill
When nothing else feels right
Doesn't take an argument
To line us up to fight
Don't tell me about the past
Or everything we've lost
gotta get these colored shapes
Into to the right box
|
||||
3. |
Call Your Gods
03:57
|
|||
call your gods.
make them stop,
they seem to be rampaging again
I thought they were your friends
didn’t you pray enough to make everything good
wasn’t that your point, I guess i misunderstood
even till today you said you were on the side of right
everything in your dogma’s name has turned into a fight
have you ever stopped to think what would happen anyway
the simplest explanation is always that human nature causes pain
you turn your head
|
||||
4. |
Compartmentalize
06:01
|
|||
I put this experience in here
I put that experience over there
Keep them separate to keep me sedate
I can't be bothered by all the hate
Compartmentalize, compartmentalize
keep it all in check
Compartmentalize, compartmentalize
till we’re all a living wreck
You think those little bits don't affect the whole
But really, I know, that's not the way that it works at all
Compartmentalize, Compartmentalize,
keep everything away
Compartmentalize, Compartmentalize,
nothing affects my day
Some people over there are living in a war
Some droughts and floods they don't effect me much at all
Keeping it all separated keeps it away from me
I don’t have time to think about anything I see
Compartmentalize, compartmentalize
keep it all in check
Compartmentalize, compartmentalize,
I’m sure that’s not why you feel sick
When they tell you some reason that prices are going up
You blame the wrong things whey it costs more to fill your cup
When they tell you some reason to justify a war
You file it away so you don't have to think about it any more
Gotta keep those walls in place or we'll start asking why
|
||||
5. |
Electricity
02:50
|
|||
falling in the supermarket no one there even remarked it
wavy moving oscillations caterpillar integrations
triangles of every color falling all into each other
electric lines and shapes and arcs fluttering like wings of larks
i can’t see, i can’t see electricity between my eyes and me
falling in the public square no one there would even care
wavy moving oscillations caterpillar integrations
triangles of every color falling all into each other
electric lines and shapes and arcs fluttering like wings of larks
i can’t see, i can’t see electricity between my eyes and me
everything is flickering
|
||||
6. |
Every Little Thing
03:44
|
|||
every little thing reminds me of you
and that you were once mine
and I was once yours
sun glinting off a window pane
and empty car on an evening train
the smell of petrichor before a rain
pushing on a bruise to feel a slight pain
every little thing reminds me of you
and that you were once mine
and I was once yours
every little thing reminds me of you
and that you were once mine
and I was once yours
scuff of my shoe as it hits the street
friends in public who happen to meet
the taste of cinnamon in baked bread
the ringing sound inside my head
every little thing reminds me of you
and that you were once mine
and I was once yours
The key sliding into the front door lock
the minute hand on the living room clock
sitting down to dinner facing the west
eating a meal that I know you love best
finding a new and useful word
telling stories that you’ve already heard
falling asleep in front of the TV
any small animal I happen to see
the chill of the water when you jump right in
the feeling of dizziness when you enter a spin
every star in the night sky
every time I wonder why
all of these things remind me of you
every little thing reminds me of you
all of these things remind me of you
every little thing reminds me of you
and that you were once mine
and i was once yours
and you were once mine
and i was once yours
every little thing reminds me of you
|
||||
7. |
For the Glory of What?
05:18
|
|||
I was hanging at the renn faire with all the people whose times had come and gone
Told them I was from the future but they never asked which one
We danced a little gavotte, the favorite of the age
I said goodbye and walked slowly back to a moving metal cage
For the glory of what
Who are we anyway
we expand out little empires
like an algae bloom on a tiny pond
and the temperatures are just getting higher
till there’s no room left to sing this song
Are we who we were, who we become
We expand our empires as if make a difference in the long run
For the glory of what
If not yourself right now. Shall we dance
a million years hence
somewhere in the past we didn’t have enough
now we all keep thinking that there can never be too much (we’re programmed to think there can never be too much)
we grow our little fiefdoms till they strain at the edge
a bloom for a moment till the system can’t sustain
we head blindly for that ledge
I was hanging with the chimpanzees in the year ten million and eight
They'd had their civilization but abandoned it before it was too late
Now we're swinging in the trees baby, eating fruits and nuts
But still they all laugh when anybody farts
|
||||
8. |
||||
Hippopotamus unicorn of god it’s flying through the sky today
everybody says hey look look at that thing it’s so nice
it’s the cutest thing, they say
Hippopotamus unicorn of god
it’s part crocodile but it’s mostly kittens and capybaras
Hippopotamus unicorn of god it’s flying through the sky today
nobody wants to admit that’s it’s not even real
it’s the cutest animal, they say
Hippopotamus unicorn of god it’s part crocodile and a bunch of kittens stuffed into a pouch
|
||||
9. |
In the Back Room
03:53
|
|||
what little deals going on in the back room
some little steals selling out anyone
what covert reels are showing on the wall in the back room
we’ll never know how decisions are made in the back room
we’ll never hear the things that were said in the back room
but we always knew the things they never said
in the papers black and white
and red
in the back room
never on display
in the back room
the game is still in play
we’ll never know what’s going on
some people gonna lose their lives
in the back room
|
||||
10. |
Keep on Walking
02:56
|
|||
Walking, just keep walking
put your head down and just go on
feel the pressure on your shoulders
feel the pain and just go on
don’t listen to the other people
feel it in your heart
take in all around you, you can’t hide
but take it all in stride
|
||||
11. |
Metal & Ghosts
03:14
|
|||
it’s all been done before
that’s just a simulated door
you’ll never get anywhere that way,
yet here we are
i used to be smart
but it wasn’t ok
and my mind caved in on itself
anyway
so we’re just
reinventing the wheel
remaking the past
now at least we can steal
Atropos would tell you
to put down the book
come on at least have a look
at where we’re going
|
||||
12. |
Never What You Need
03:18
|
|||
never what you want
never what you need
never the right way
never what it seems
then they take you down another road
but it’s not where you want to be
never what you need
then they sell you some new shiny toy
but it’s never what need
never the right thing
but here’s a new part this one’ll gonna work
but it’s never gonna be exactly the right thing
First you gotta get the thing that everybody needs
You have to deal with the world through the feeds
All the newest ways to get in between you and what you need to do
Every step of the way takes their cut, just dipping their beak, the burden's back on you
There's no easy step to take to fix the shit that's broke
We end up with piles of toxic trash till we choke
Planned obsolescence pulls a bigger cut for sales
Never mind the waste
You wanted to keep what you had, you say?
Sorry man, you're gonna have to upgrade
To something you don't want
|
||||
13. |
One Falcon in Flight
03:56
|
|||
one falcon in flight
two hares try to hide
many swallows harass the bigger bird
till his prey is safely interred
Get up stand up
Do we even have rights
We have to take some responsibility
It's hard to teach a person with their face in a screen
about empathy
one falcon in flight
two hares try to hide
The swallows protect their young
It's enough time for the hares to run
Some old law on the books
Gives authorities their hooks
While communities are afraid
Of the violence now in play
Get up stand up
Do we even have rights
We have to take some responsibility
It's hard to teach a person in a bubble about empathy
one falcon in flight
two hares try to hide
|
||||
14. |
||||
selling the paper out by the gate
smelling of piss and venting the hate
standing there and trying to care, watching the passengers get to the trains
selling your crap by the station gate, smelling like piss still fritzing your brain
Doing a crossword to tickle your mind, finding a old word left behind
don’t you wish you had one of those hypnotic phones?
wouldn’t you like to get on one of those trains, get somewhere else away from this place
but where would you go when they’re all the same
every station smells the same the scent of sweat of stress and pain
human urine washed by rain abides
one more little nightmare, one more bad day, one small act of kindness, who can say?
|
||||
15. |
Painted Over Eyes
03:12
|
|||
painted over eyes acting in disguise
no-one wants to know how your feelings show
interact with masks people never ask
pretending that we’re great what is our real state
intertwining lives still just speak to walls
moving in the hive can’t you hear the calls
somebody is real, i guess it’s no big deal
doesn’t affect you or change the way you feel
what if we dropped the pretense?
Hello.
|
||||
16. |
||||
Down in the city where all the cool kids work
they are making our drugs
a new tv show or a brand new app
with new features and new bugs
They send it out to everyone
and everyone knows the name
there’s no nutritional value
but if that’s your choice, who’s to blame
then from the sticks, comes a sound
that is real
it’s a sound that is clear
it’s a sound that has appeal
it’s full of love and fear
so the factories retool
so they can make you what you want
a replicated version
with this week’s cool font
the sound itself dies off
as its copies are copied off
the customers are happy
eating copies with their combo meal
they’ll never know what they’re missing
hell they don’t even feel
then from the sticks, comes a sound
that is real
it’s a sound that is clear
it’s a sound that has appeal
it’s full of love and fear
|
||||
17. |
Ruth & Rhonda
05:19
|
|||
I’m fonda Rhonda, I ain’t fonda Ruth
Ruth is liar Rhonda tells the truth
I may be useless, I may be lame
Ruth makes fun of us but Rhonda feels the same
Ruth’s the princess of the ball, Rhonda stays at home
Wanda helps with everything, Ruth just sits on her throne
Ruth says everyone is awful, Rhonda disagrees
Wanda’s wearing plain old blue jeans, Ruth's got dungarees
Ruth and friends do loudly party, Rhonda hits her bong
Ruth and posse watch eu-ro-vi-sion
Wanda hears my song
I'm fond a Wanda I ain't fonda Ruth
Ruth stirs up the shit, Rhonda stays aloof
Every little thing just makes Ruth annoyed
Rhonda doesn't care about playing with new toys
I’m fonda Rhonda, I ain’t fonda Ruth
Ruth chases status, Rhonda butterflies
I know which one is better in my eyes
|
||||
18. |
||||
I heard a rumor you’ve been breaking the law
baby that’s just fine
what you do in your spare time, that’s not up to me
long as you get to school by nine
Baby I don’t care your secret’s safe with me,
I don’t even think anyone should know about it
it’s no-one’s business but your own
so they’ve been snooping in your messages
trying to find what fits their world
all these things they are illegal now
they’re just common sense haven’t you heard
no-one knows what makes you tick
no-one knows what makes you sick
|
||||
19. |
Serious
02:04
|
|||
I’m serious as heartbreak
maybe that’s not coming through
It’s moving me like earthquakes
but I guess maybe it don’t interest you
cuz it’s real we don’t stand a chance
it’s real we don’t stand a chance
so come on baby now one last dance
cuz I’m serious
I’m serious as that old grim reaper
he’s coming after all of us
no-one get’s out alive
so come on let’s all get on the bus
cuz it’s real we don’t stand a chance
it’s real we don’t stand a chance
so come on baby now one last dance
|
||||
20. |
Thumb Twiddling
02:49
|
|||
21. |
Trapped in the House
02:45
|
|||
22. |
||||
when you said not right now i didn’t know
you meant not ever
when you said take some time i didn’t know
you meant forever
we made a few hops into the future and things did’t go as planned
every new landscape was worse than than a foreign land
whenever I arrived you were never to be seen
i guess you must have landed in those places in between
so take another jump a few years or or further toward
I’ll be there somewhere in the flow inexorably moving forward
so now i’m waiting at the end of time
for you
|
||||
23. |
We're All the Same
01:36
|
|||
We're all the same
|
||||
24. |
The Wizard Guy
02:18
|
|||
oh I wish I knew that wizard guy
every morning through the park, he walks by
one day I’ll say “hey”
but I guess that’s not gonna be today
he’s dressed up all mystical
I hope he’s not egotistical
he looks so cool all in clad in black
his very presence shows us there’s something that we lack
he must be up working every night
keeping his temple clean and bright
he’s tired walking home in the morning hours
his head must still be flying with the stars
bet he’s got a lot on his mind
not many other people ‘round here of his kind
you never see many magicians these days
maybe it’s a trend, I hope it stays
oh I wish I knew that wizard guy
every morning through the park, he walks by
one day I’ll say “hey”
but I’m afraid it would scare him away
bet he’s walking home in a trance
or maybe he’s doing a secret dance
conjuring with some sacred words
or listening to metal on his in-ear buds
|
||||
25. |
Whatever Happened?
06:50
|
|||
Whatever happened to that world we had
feels like everything just got so sad
whatever happened to the sky at night
it wasn’t always just a burning blight
maybe things just go away.
maybe nothing’s ever here to stay
maybe things just disappear,
falling stars burn up in the atmosphere
whatever happened to those living things,
trees and birds and those little submarines
whatever happened to the human beings
they seemed so sure about everything
|
||||
26. |
World of Trouble
03:36
|
|||
I’ve said it before you know I’ll say it again
maybe life it just ain’t worth it without a friend
there’s a world of trouble right outside
you know I wouldn’t blame you if you run and hide
there’s a world of trouble right outside the door
there’s always more
everybody’s yelling nobody hears
the dogs are howling it’s feeds the fears
there’s a world of trouble right outside
you know I couldn’t blame you if you run and hide
there’s a world of trouble right outside your door
there’s always more
I tell you the truth no I won’t pretend
if you need me I’ll be your friend
|
Jonathan Segel Sweden
Jonathan Segel is a musician and composer, playing guitar, violin, computer, keyboards, electric bass and singing,
etc.
He plays solo and with Camper Van Beethoven and Øresund Space Collective
oresundspacecollective.bandcamp.com
and Sista Maj
sistamaj.bandcamp.com
... more
Streaming and Download help