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The Dream

by Tracie Potochnik

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    A tri-fold matte cd cover with lots of artwork, plus a 12-panel booklet with all the lyrics... AND more artwork! I know you don't buy a lot of physical cds anymore... but you will probably want this one.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Dream via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Kind of Mind 02:34
It’s just the kind of mind I have, it all fades away Dissolves like water into clay Nothing more than a shadow when the evening turns gray It’s just the kind of mind, just the kind of mind Just the kind of, kind of mind It’s just the kind of mind I have, it’s for my own good It’s not made of straw, it’s not made of wood It’s American steel and barbed wire and a big bad wolf It’s just the kind of mind, just the kind of mind Just the kind of, kind of mind It’s the kind of mind that reads words on a page Can recognize the hand but not the day Can’t rewind, recover, or replay Doesn’t even know what’s been betrayed It’s just the kind of mind I have, to put it back in the box I won’t throw it out now, but I’ll keep it locked Watch it slink deep into the dark like a little red tail fox It’s just the kind of mind, just the kind of mind Just the kind of, kind of mind It’s just the kind of mind, just the kind of mind Just the kind of, kind of mind It’s just the kind of mind, just the kind of mind Just the kind of, kind of mind
2.
Jimmy took the money took the money took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head Jimmy took the money took the money took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head They were driving on the south side Armored car, smooth ride Turned to his partner Said I’m tired of the nine to five If you don’t speak a word of it I’ll do a eighty twenty split The man said Jimmy what the hell Ran a stop sign Jimmy took the money took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head Jimmy took the money took the money took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head Well he left a pile of dough In the graveyard with a note It said I’m so sorry, mama, so sorry sorry so so Daddy shook his head and said That boy ain’t got a lick of sense Looked at the bloody coat Wiped his eyes, called the po-po Jimmy took the money took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head Jimmy took the money took the money took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head Now he’s out there on the run Another white boy with a gun He said I’m sick of this steel town Want some Florida sun It’s a shame he never got to see His picture on the TV By the time he hit the state line Everybody knew what he done He took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head Jimmy took the money took the money took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head Everybody knows that he should have gone to Mexico Should have took the back roads Should have kept his mouth closed He’s sleeping in a crack house That’s how it’s going down now There’s nowhere to go, Jimmy There’s nowhere to go, Jimmy, Nowhere to go go go Jimmy took the money, took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head Jimmy took the money took the money took the money Put a bullet in that poor man’s head Jimmy Jimmy He put a bullet in that poor man’s head
3.
Raymond Jones came home to Greenville After his second tour They showed a video on the local news Of his kids waiting at the door He threw his boots down on the carpet They were still filled with desert sand He laid down on the couch for the next three days Because he couldn’t bear to stand But he’s proud to be an American Where at least he knows he’s free And he won’t forget the men who died Sometimes he says it should have been me And he can’t escape the movies running Through his mind most every day Well there ain’t no doubt that boy’s not the same God bless the USA He spent six months pacing the floors He didn’t know what else to do Then he got a job pushing a broom around At his old high school He looked down when he passed the teachers Of every class he flunked The kids would sneak up behind him and yell boom boom Just to see how high he’d jump But he’s proud to be an American Where at least he knows he’s free And he won’t forget the men who died Sometimes he says it should have been me And he can’t escape the movies running Through his mind most every day Well there ain’t no doubt that boy’s not the same God bless the USA From sea to shining sea Bombs are bursting in the air And sometimes you take the long way home Just to find them still exploding there But he’s proud to be an American Where at least he knows he’s free And he won’t forget the men who died Sometimes he says it should have been me And he can’t escape the movies running Through his mind most every day Well there ain’t no doubt that boy’s not the same God bless the USA Well there ain’t no doubt he’ll never be the same God bless the USA
4.
When my mama moved south she was chasing a man Who was chasing the American dream The one with women and wine, driving fast, doing time Spreading wildfire and misery And it seeped in the ground, in the water, the air In our hearts and our bodies it seems Now Ryan’s out on parole, Dylan’s 19 years old Dealing junk and shooting off steam And as for me, I’ve been dancing at Betty’s again Jesus Christ, hallelujah, amen Well come on my brothers let’s go find some trouble We better run like the devil, run like the devil Out of this town Well we might bring some fame to the family name We ain’t had no luck climbing up Let ‘em take us down So we put all our guns in the blue Buick trunk And from then there was nothing but noise Robbed a bank in Algiers, dumped the car in Eau Claire Felt my first little glimmer of joy We were cutting our teeth When we made that man bleed And when we mixed the weed and the wine We took the AK47 in a 7-11 And they chased us across another state line And then we saw our faces on the six o’clock news I said come on boys we got nothing, nothing to lose Well come on my brothers let’s go find some trouble We better run like the devil, run like the devil Out of this town Well we might bring some fame to the family name We ain’t had no luck climbing up Let ‘em take us down Well they took us in alive Outside of Maryville, Missouri Tell me who you have to kill these days To get a little blaze of glory Well come on my brothers let’s go find some trouble We better run like the devil, run like the devil Out of this town Well we might bring some fame to the family name We ain’t had no luck climbing up Let ‘em take us down We ain’t had no luck climbing up Let ‘em take us down We ain’t had no luck climbing up Let ‘em take us down
5.
The Dream 03:47
Honey was the hottest thing on eight little wheels Down at The Dream every Friday night She’d roll backwards and forwards, let herself be adored Under the disco ball’s sparkling lights There was a boy one summer working at the hotel And the way he moved suited her fine He said she’s the one thing worth stealing From this tourist town And I’m gonna make her mine They went round and round and he took her hand Like it was shipwrecked treasure he’d found She could still remember every moment The day The Dream shut down They’d go and sit on the beach The future just out of reach He’d point across the waves and say There’s a big old world just waiting We can see it all someday Honey tried to act unimpressed But couldn’t help to confess The dreams she’d never said out loud How she wanted to be more than a roller queen Or a standout in a small pond crowd They went round and round and he said my love You can be bigger than this town She could still remember every word The day The Dream shut down The days grew shorter and the seagulls all soared off To a warmer coast He said another month I’m leaving Come with me when I go She went round and round like a riptide Felt her courage growing thin He pulled up to take her away She said maybe one last spin He sent postcards from Paris She got pregnant and married Never seemed to want much more She tried not to think about how she could’ve got out Till she watched The Dream close its doors She sat across the street and wandered back When hope hung heavy like a crown She could still remember every moment Clear enough to make her drown She could still remember every moment Though she never made a sound She remembered every moment The day The Dream shut down
6.
I saw you in line at the grocery store I tried to turn tail then my basket hit the floor Dropped down to the ground But I still caught your eye Before I could take a breath You were standing at my side I said hey old friend, well I guess it’s been some years But I finally swum out of my big puddle of tears And you’re finally back on earth after that long sky dive I guess it’s good to know you’re still alive There was fire, flood, wind and rain and Fear and hope and doubt And all that time I was just waiting around I was just waiting around I was just waiting around Does your dog still spin when he wags his tail? Did your brother ever get clean, is he out of jail? Does your knee still ache after the first frost? Did you ever find those pictures that we lost? And did she finally let you have the boat? Or did you find something else to help keep you afloat? Do I cross your mind every now and then? Are you still searching your soul and living on dividends? You had to go and try to get yourself all figured out And all that time I was just waiting around I was just waiting around I was just waiting around Did you ever wonder if you were a fool And how a human being could be So goddamn accidentally cruel Do you ever feel frozen counting days and marking time Did you ever look up and see me Writing love songs in the sky? You said you hoped that I was doing well So I curled my toes and opened my mouth to tell How you wore down that one spot in my heart Then she came and stood beside you With a baby in her arms She had a baby in her arms And gee I guess it’s good to see you’re finally happy now And you didn’t waste your time Just waiting around Like I was just waiting around I was just waiting around I was just waiting around I was just waiting around
7.
I walked 20 miles in bare feet as a child to see your face Dragging hope and fear and loneliness Across the Spanish plain My arms and chest were leather brown My mouth was desert dry But my thirst evaporated in the shadow of your eyes Now I walk into this holy house, a pilgrim bowed and bent Seeking gossamer connection, ever throwing filament I kneel and light the candle, say a prayer and genuflect But only gazing on your golden lips Can make me feel correct It’s a parable of gratitude and cavernous, cruel faith In the strange misshapen beauty of Cecilia and the saints I have watched you as you flickered I have watched you dull and fade As the glowing, tireless growl of time Coerced you to decay And oh Santa Maria, for this man that I behold Send strength coursing through this body Emanating from my soul Please bless these trembling fingers Bless the shiver in my hand Bless the naked blazing empty space In every mortal man Bless the pigments and the brushes Bless the deep burnt browns and reds Bless these pious pure intentions Bless what commenced instead It’s a parable of gratitude and cavernous, cruel faith In the strange misshapen beauty of Cecilia and the saints In this stucco sanctuary, fiery frescoes beaming down Watching wretched resurrection Hang upon your thorny crown I lean into the withered comfort of your flowing robes For at last we are together, at last we are alone And when I finally touch your hair It’s like a floating fever dream Can you feel me, are you reaching The sublime or the obscene Please accept my true apologies My passion and my ache And this graceless, sacred offering Left tumbling from your gates It’s a parable of gratitude and cavernous, cruel faith In the strange misshapen beauty of Cecilia and the saints
8.
Tell me who put the water in the well? Tell me who put the water in the well? Who put the clouds up in the sky And made them fall to the ground when the dirt was dry? Who put the water in the well? Tell me who put the cotton in the fields? Tell me who put the cotton in the fields? Who made the fall wind blow and sing And lift the blossom on the air like angel wings? Who put the cotton in the fields? Tell me who put the muscle in the man? Tell me who put the muscle in the man? Who wakes him when the rooster calls And makes him break his back till darkness falls? Who put the muscle in the man? Tell me who, who put your hands in chains? Tell me who, who put your hands in chains? Who stole you from your earthly home And fed you bit by bit to the beast below Who put your hands in chains? Tell me who put the hate in your heart? Tell me who put the hate in your heart? Who crawled into that blood red cave And made your soul the devil’s slave? Who put the hate in your heart? Who put the water in the well? Tell me who put the water in the well? Who put the clouds up in the sky And made them fall to the ground when the dirt was dry? Who put the water in the well?
9.
Are you from around here Won’t you tell me your name? You know the faces they all change here But the scenery, it stays the same I’m a lonely man, it’s another lonely day It seems nothing besides loneliness Ever really comes my way People say, well he’s so nice But none of you ever look at me twice Are you scared of me? Are you scared? Why are you scared? Are you scared of me? Are you scared? Why are you scared? Why are you scared? You know there’s something dark Something running deep And with all that shouting, all that noise No one wants my soul to keep We all have demons we shove down inside And we walk through the world like everybody else Till one day they refuse to hide Just one touch would mean everything to me But you’re all whores and you look right through me Are you scared of me? Are you scared? Why are you scared? Are you scared of me? Are you scared? Why are you scared? Why are you scared? The earth moves round in circles Hands move round the clock I love to watch your body move Now I’d love to make it stop Are you scared of me? Are you scared? You should be scared Are you scared of me? Are you scared? You should be scared
10.
If grandma taught me one thing From the wisdom of her years There’s a surefire way to save some time And dry up all your tears You can’t turn the streetlights into stars A field of rocks don’t make a farm You’re better off if you can see Things for what they are If it don’t feel right There’s something wrong with it You can try for your whole life But you’re better off to quit When you push and shove with all your might But you just can’t make it fit Remember only this You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit You came on like lightning In the middle of July And I gave up my heart and brain To give you a good try I thought that love would bring you help Or turn you into someone else The kind of someone I had always Wanted for myself If it don’t feel right There’s something wrong with it You can try for your whole life But you’re better off to quit When you push and shove with all your might But you just can’t make it fit Remember only this You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit There’s nothing in this great big world Could make you right for me Not one more promise from your mouth Or all the mayonnaise in Tennessee If it don’t feel right There’s something wrong with it You can try for your whole life But you’re better off to quit When you push and shove with all your might But you just can’t make it fit Remember only this You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit
11.
The overpasses turned to covered bridges On the two-hour drive down to my grandma’s house We pulled off on the dirt road that led to Bedford County Where the August sun burned the grasstops brown She’d tend to the zucchini in the garden And I’d run straight down to the creek to wade When evening came she’d pick and slice the peaches That will always be how summer tastes There was so much I didn’t know back then And so much that I’d give now to talk to her again I guess I never really thought to ask her And I’ll never get a chance now that she’s gone The fading twilight swallowed our unspoken words We sat silently when the day was done You know she’d never talk much about trouble But others told me that she had her share The nights that she was left with just a prayer to her name Did she feel broken down beyond repair? As the sunset turned the steel blue sky to red So many things between us were left unsaid I guess I never really thought to ask her And I’ll never get a chance now that she’s gone The fading twilight swallowed our unspoken words We sat silently when the day was done If I had just one more day There’s so much I’d want to know How to make it through the heartache Of having nothing real to show Why the world turns so fast When there’s still so far to go I’ll have to find out on my own I guess I never really thought to ask her And I’ll never get a chance now that she’s gone The fading twilight swallowed our unspoken words We sat silently, we sat silently We sat silently when the day was done
12.
Children you’ll find me at the bottom of the lake Children you’ll find me at the bottom of the lake I’ve had about as much of this old world as I can take Children I left your supper on the stove Children I left your supper on the stove Now feed the dog and the baby if you make it home Children he left me and he ain’t coming back Children he left me and he ain’t coming back The day he walked out the door is The day my heart turned black So come along children, let’s go for a ride Come along children, let’s go for a ride I’ll leave the window open See if you can make it out alive Children you’ll find me at the bottom of the lake Children you’ll find me at the bottom of the lake I’ve had about as much of this old world as I can take

credits

released October 15, 2013

On this record:
Tracie Potochnik: vocals, acoustic guitar
Eric Lichter: acoustic and electric guitars, piano, organ, banjo, mandolin, pedal steel guitar, bass,
drums, orchestron, vocals
MorganEve Swain: fiddle
Dustin Meadows: drums
Bill Michalski: vocals
Photography: Matthew Clowney
Design: Matthew Clowney, with Bill Michalski and Tracie Potochnik

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Tracie Potochnik Providence, Rhode Island

Providence-based singer-songwriter Tracie Potochnik is noted for applying simple arrangements and delicately crafted narratives to songs exposing the complexity of the human condition. Tracie brings three chords, the truth, and occasionally a mandolin to her shows. She once killed a man in Reno, but not just to watch him die. Bastard had it coming. ... more

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