1. |
Life's A Joke
02:56
|
|||
I'm a slice of life, no wait
Imma slice the life out of your party make your face white
Cut the tension in the room with a dull knife
Make you overthink the world until you hate life
Oh there goes Chance Lewis again
Making a fool of us watcha gonna do with this kid
Bringing his crew with him into Muse Music at ten
For a secret set, pay him no attention
I'm not trying to rain on your parade
I'm just saying that the whole thing's a big charade
And if I have to stage a fake parade to illustrate my point
Then it's already been made
When a terrible movie is a box office smash
Or a horrible artist lives large off his cash
When life gets you so down it's not even funny
When headlines look like they came from The Onion
Hold onto your money and don't lose hope
You just figured out that life's a joke
And one of these days, you're gonna figure out soon
That if you get lucky the joke is on you
I'm not bad, not well
Just happy to be here can't you tell
We're living life like it's all gonna end
Cause it feels like we're ancient
They say good things come to those who wait...
...and patience is a virtue...
But they also say that the early bird catches the worm or
Life's a race, you can justify
Just about any way of life with some old wive's tale or saying
A half truth cliche to explain away the world
Like there's reason or rhyme, instead
I like to live by this one liner:
Life's a Joke, for better or worse
Setup, punchline and then you die
I'm not bad, not well
Just happy to be here can't you tell
We're living life like it's all gonna end
Cause it feels like we're ancient
And if you cry all night, we're all gonna laugh with you
The secret of life is that it's all one big joke
And the reason it stays a secret is this:
Any time someone exposes it, they're labeled a joker
And no one takes them seriously
Meanwhile, every artist you ever loved is a standup comedian
And you refuse to notice
I'm not bad, not well
Just happy to be here can't you tell
We're living life like it's all gonna end
Cause it feels like we're ancient
And if you cry all night, we're all gonna laugh with you
A musician, salesman, and a politician all walk into the club
The host looks em square in the eye and says "What'll it be?"
He's like "Table for one"
God bless the overlooked jesters
Who make more sense than their masters
Take more shots than the messengers
Save more souls than the ministers
I march to the beat of a sinister drummer with two left feet
And he plays just a little too fast to the pace of a life that's
A joke so funny I forgot to laugh
|
||||
2. |
||||
They told me that I'm too specific and that's why I've got no appeal
(Try singing more about peace and love and California, buddy)
They told me "Lewis you're such a pessimist"
I was like, maybe you don't realize who you're messing with
I've been calling out the whole world from an SM57
Ever since I was a minor and you called me Clift
Back in Nazareth, Blue Eagle freshman
Wrote a song about some older kids that I thought would get my ass kicked
Called it Rappin Minivan it was my first quote "hit"
We were Peyronies I was hype man to Chris Wojcik
I was a product of the homophobic 90s
Post-Ricky Vasquez Pre-Glee find me
Before it was cool to wear glasses
Before CNN told my atheist friends what LDS meant
Post-grunge pre-9/11 bleached tips The Infinite
Sadness was gone, we had nothing yet to be angry with
I kept my head down cranked a few tunes out
And took the first chance I got to move out
They told me that I'm too specific and that's why I've got no appeal
(Try singing more about peace and love and California, buddy)
I was a Provo rookie can you picture this
Innocent pop-punk kid misfit?
Not the kind who wear eyeliner and a Misfits shirt
C. Montgomery Clift, kinda reminds you of that selfless elf dentist
Those were the days when every band in town was named after its frontman
So I thought it would be funny if a punk band
Did the same thing to get some more exposure
Maybe try and trick some young fans
Who never knew us into thinking the Chance Lewis Project was just like
The newest chill acoustic group of students making music
And the truth is when Matt Lewis heard about what I was doing with his name
He was too pissed, but now it's who you know me as
They told me that I'm too specific and that's why I've got no appeal
(Try singing more about peace and love and California, buddy)
Shoutout to my east coast natives turned Provo transplants
With stage names and changed plans, throw up those hands
(Chance, that only applies to you and Allred)
Alright then, here's to our ten years of 100 block handstamps
(They told me that) I shouldn't sing about my band face
Cuz I would alienate my fanbase
Always a little too on the nose
Tried to write jingles but instead I kept coming up with long prose
Check out my single and listen to how this song goes
Anyone who's been around me long knows
There's no mystique to me, I'm just an honor rock & roll
Band nerd with the ego of a rapper in the wrong clothes
They told me that I'm too specific and that's why I've got no appeal
(It won't suffice to say I was born now I made it up to here)
They told me that I'm too specific and that's why I've got no appeal
(Try singing more about peace and love and California)
|
||||
3. |
||||
For the fellas, let me hear you scream
Babes come dance with me
For the ladies, let's retaliate
No way Jose
I nearly lost it when I saw you there at Starry Night
Hired a secretary to schedule you into my life
I was a loner artist; a stranger to the block
Tried unsuccessfully to make a little small talk
But the whole crowd there danced so loud
I couldn't see the notes coming out of your big mouth
I tried to let loose; was trying way too hard
Knew I was doomed from the start
It doesn't matter what I say here
When words lose all of their meaning
As long as we can keep the lights out
It doesn't matter what I say here
For the one who got away I sure do see you here an awful lot
You probably got a scripted weekend with a thoughtful plot
Your love is like the pointless banter in between my songs
Thought you paid attention to it all along but I was wrong
It doesn't matter what I say cuz I'm invisible
It doesn't matter what I do it will be pitiful
It doesn't matter how I say it too because you'll still
Think I'm only kidding so...
What's the point, it doesn't even matter what I say here
As long as we can keep the lights out
It doesn't matter what I say here
For the fellas, let me hear you scream
Babes come dance with me
For the ladies, let's retaliate
No way Jose
And you can be my philosopher
If I can ride your dinosaur
I was a stupid kid, I was a maniac
I'm just an idiot man, I'm still a train wreck
I broke down you provided me the soundtrack
You cam around back then I had a little black
Book with your number written in it like a tattoo
Got a new phone put your info into that too
Sent out a mass text when I had a show
You replied "who's this"? and so I say
It doesn't matter what I say here
When words lose all of their meaning
As long as we can keep the lights out
It doesn't matter what I say here
|
||||
4. |
I Need Myspace
02:14
|
|||
I handed out those fliers
Copied em black and white
Til I got that grand exposure
Since then I've seen the light
Since then I caught fire
Kinda blew up overnight
But never got closure
Got caught up in that fight
Between a bitter veteran
And spoiled younger gentleman
Who can't remember when
A band like his would have to
Test their mettle in a bigger city
Just to have an itty bitty shot of "making it"
These days if you're in last place
Can't blame the race
Cuz your shoes weren't laced
And you fell flat on your face
If McLuhan were alive
Today
I'll bet he'd say
that this whole
Medium is up in flames
I NEED MYSPACE
Words are my weapon
Put a bullet in my bulletins
Got some fancy ammo
In my bio yeah i'm full of it
I'm what would happen if Ann Landers
And Sam I Am had a kid
Wouldn't be the first or last
I Am to come from Nazareth
Give me a moment of your time
I'll cherish it
I'm on cloud nine
Where the cherubs sit
Sitting online in my chair I get
The contact info of my nemesis
I was playing Sego Fest
And he was rocking Sega Genesis
And now they're telling me that
He's the one who's supposed to represent the rest of us?
Don't wanna hear a song that's dissing on technology
Blowing up my twitter feed
And constantly barraging me
In the garage when we were
hashing out this section
of the instrumental
Musical direction was a sentimental
process
Sprung from experimental nonsense
Not from how many plays your little bot gets
I handed out those fliers
Copied em black and white
Til I got that Grand Exposure
Since then I seen the light
Since then I caught fire
Kinda blew up overnight
But never got closure
Got caught up in that fight
I got that Grand Exposure
And now I'm seeing the light
|
||||
5. |
100 Block Summer
01:50
|
|||
It was a 100 block summer
The kind where you forget how much you hate life
I was just another up & comer
Never destined for a meteoric rise, more like a safe climb
Indie deserts, fake beaches, what a bummer
I've been on the list for so long I
Forgot there was a cover
It was a 100 block summer
No sign of a 100 block summer
That was my recipe for madness back in '05
Hanging out on Gif's Corner
We used to renovate Velour so it could go live
I was too high strung for a lover
I was way too numb to feel the vibe
Like a good drummer, we were living under rocks & lumber
You livened up this slumber, so did I
You start believing you're a menace to society
When life gets boring you start looking for variety
But I was a one-man-street-team
Always hitting shuffle on a one-track-mind
I tried to relax, but couldn't ignore the facts I did the math
Aligned my state of mind on an X-axis over a Y-timeline
Carried the 5, If this is how
Depressed I am in August, you don't wanna see me Christmastime
It feels like winter's on its way, but it's not coming
It was a 100 block summer
|
||||
6. |
||||
Did you miss me?
Did you even notice I was gone?
Did you even think to look in the last place you saw me?
Are you already moving on?
Vagrants
Blankets
Statements
Patients
Wait this
Sick town just started to
Make sense
Switch up that cadence
High-life low-maintenance
Tried to get clean
But stand the fragrance
Make friends
Date
Send
Letters to my folks
Lie
Say I got a girlfriend
Life like a vacation
Too punk rock to pay rent
Too proud to live with parents
I'm on my own errand
Programmed to be a salesman
But got distracted by the cheering
When you're a singer
You're not just slinging merch
You're getting people to purchase a piece of a politician
Hey you with the red hair and earrings
Heard you're trying to get to heaven lemme be your red herring
Wearing that pair of jeans says hipster when you're
Bearing your hips it screams sorority sister
We're Back
Did you miss me?
Did you even notice I was gone?
Did you even think to look in the last place you saw me?
Are you already moving on?
Vacant
Hated
Born sixth of 8 kids
Always told she'd get by if she faked it
She translated that to mean
she'd get what she wanted
from all men if she would only get naked
So indie her first words were DADA
Dated a drummer just to piss off her father
He didn't bother to teach her the difference
between a no-good dropout and good kid with ambition
I'm just a good kid with ambition
Did you miss me?
Did you even notice I was gone?
Did you even think to look in the last place you saw me?
Are you already moving on?
|
||||
7. |
Crash And Burn
03:24
|
|||
Just like my younger brother
And all my closest friends
I see your world falling apart
I crash and burn again
I see you there and I remember
how it was back then
You know how this all started
I'll show you how it ends
First comes the paranoia
Then loss of appetite
Constantly overthinking
Things will keep you up at night
But here's the twist:
You weren't overthinking things enough
You're outta luck and it's too late to call her bluff
Imma crash and burn
From being in love
Imma crash and burn
From being someone
Starts on a cloudy morning
Back roads icy be warned
No heater front seatbelt torn
Just trying to keep yourself warm
You crash into that bank
Cause it looked at you a little wrong
You make sure she can hear it
You know she wanted you gone
She did a number on you
You did a number on her front lawn
All of the leaking fluids fall
To make a little pond
Your tires dig into the gravel
of that awful liar
Starts on a cloudy morning
Ends with the smoke and fire
Imma crash and burn
From being in love
Imma crash and burn
From trusting someone
Starts with these crazy stories
Denying all the guys she's kissed
Start running for the door because
This chick is a lip fictionist
The only way you can win her back is to
live like a limp bizkit riff
And even then you have to live with this
My prediction is:
She'll run around town for years
Spinning her gears
Getting burnt out, shedding tears
She's got that trying so hard to be every thing to everybody fear
But she'll end up nothing to nobody here
Preying on the broken hearted
So you give in and end up
right back where you started
Imma crash and burn
From being in love
Imma crash and burn
From trusting someone
Imma crash and burn
From being in love
|
||||
8. |
||||
I'm a squeaky wheel
Who speaks evil of snakes & weasels
If you say please I'll
Plug your measly blog to all these people
See everyone's a cheerleader
And nobody's a critic
No report about the train wreck
Everyone was in it
This DJ made me fire Cory Layton then unfollow him from Twitter
Just to have one of my rap songs be considered
For a little online local music contest
The winner gets the privilege of selling 50 tickets to a dinner
And a concert, now I'm bitter cuz I didn't win it I found out
You can't get very far unless you are the highest bidder
Don't call them out just let them go and carry out their schemes
Regurgitate that bio, local journalist you're burying the lead
Ah here we go again it's this guy grabbing the mic?
He's so white so I'm panicking right
Bet half of his life has been spending pacifist nights
Him manage a fight? Nah he's never knuckled in his life
Where's the street cred? This guy is so effeminate
His offbeat nasally tone, there's no defending it
And while we're mentioning what's up with the chains and locks?
It's a shame to watch, I'm saying just stop
And not for nothing, I bet he's on the low though
I know he's never in his life said "No Homo"
Yo, yo, must like to show off his figure too
Tight clothes, skinny jeans, haircut like Hitler Youth
That's not enough reason alone, well beyond these
This dude's only on, cuz he's down with Neon Trees
The name's Apt and the picture's incomplete
They sound so daft when they're burying the lead
Provo's not the next Seattle, Brooklyn or next anything
But it's not something to be apologized for in SLUG Magazine
Or hidden from your bio, let me fact check your resume
I'll proudly rep this town & all the friends I've made
And since the university without diversity assigns these
Naive writers to its local culture beat
In the Daily Universe we see the same old boring
Surface-skimming stories quarterly
Maybe if you dug a little deeper and wrote more you'd see
This town for what it is: Dopest local scene per capita
But the fact that you don't recognize it is the very reason I'm attacking you
Like Bleeding Gums Murphy's fate come fall
If you're sleeping on 100 block consider this your wakeup call
|
||||
9. |
||||
He switched states
His state of being
His state of mind
He say he leaving
I say he lying
He weighs the meaning of his life as he rises to the grind
He contemplates the signs
Despite those self-righteous freaks who determine what those signs mean
So in spite of them he takes his life
And he spins it with his own hand
He's weaving what he's woven
It's something great
He hears the claps and the laughs
And it seems that he's met his fate
Here he is on the stage
He does it for himself
But the wealth's in your scream
And if you wanna love me, love me
And if you wanna hate me, hate me
But I don't believe in anyone
I don't believe in anyone
I don't believe in anyone but you
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch
Chance Lewis, and I'm here to call myself out
Shoutout to self doubt I do this for myself now
In other words, this is not a comeback
I never left, so I'd prefer you didn't call it that
Spoiler alert: I've been dead all along
Music really was the girl in the song
By next summer she'll be gone
And by fall we'll all be trying the new lineup on
Lining up just to be proven wrong
And if you wanna love me, love me
And if you wanna hate me, hate me
But I don't believe in anyone
I don't believe in anyone
I don't believe in anyone but you
Brothers and sisters,
Have you got the weight of the world on your shoulders?
Well I'm telling you, shrug
You only get so many exhales in this life
How many you wanna waste on sighs?
You say the skies are too gray?
Well I say gray's a mighty beautiful color
And if you wanna lose the clouds
You damn well better bring the rain yourself
Cuz it goes pay that toll
shake, shake roll
Two dice weight the same as a soul
Turn around no eyes on the goal
No lady luck, got stuck on your own
Don't fuss and moan
Upend the throne
Fate's been dead since tusk in the bone
Heed your guts and trust in your goal
Light that fire clutch it and own
What are you waiting for? GO! GO! GO!
I get the feeling that my life is like a movie and I'm losing control
And it goes flashback, montage, credits are rolling
Who decided when the good old days officially ended?
I'm not ready to roll over and give up like my friends did
I'm not here to tell you what to believe
And by you I mean I, and by I, I mean we
We are Chance Lewis, we're just happy to be
Right here, right now
On the block, no end scene
And if you wanna love me, love me
And if you wanna hate me, hate me
But I don't believe in anyone
I don't believe in anyone
I don't believe in anyone but you
|
||||
10. |
My Roaring Twenties
04:09
|
|||
Poor you
Reality's hit you like a pound of feathers
Is it getting better or
Is the weight of the pillow on your head too much?
I know that life is hard
Hell I'm a walking example of how to play your cards wrong
But I get by from good friends who stay in touch
Poor us
We're a part of a narcissistic generation
Overfed with attention
Where the kids in glass houses only wanna go and play in the sand
I know that wherever we go
These pitiful partiers will never fly solo
Despite the word on the street
Life's not that bad
What's going on?
Where did everybody go?
It's like I see you every day
Every day you're reaching a new low
Like it or not, looks like I'm here to stay
Cuz I took off my PA plates today
Sorry about that time I missed your birthday
Sorry about that time I missed your game
At least I saw you at the show we had last weekend
I'm so glad that you all came
Poor me
I'm becoming redundant like a broken record
Is it getting better
It's insignificant, cuz I'm indifferent today
I haven't done much with my life so far
That's what I'm playing with a full deck of sympathy cards
So come on over
We'll gamble our lives away
What's going on?
This place is falling apart
Can't look you straight in the eye
Cuz it breaks my heart
Like it or not, looks like I'm here to stay
Cuz I took off my PA plates today
You're sitting in a car down in east-coast-burg
You're singing in your car but you don't know the words
You're trying so hard to be like all the other girls
Like you're going somewhere slow
|
Chance Lewis Provo, Utah
Chance Lewis is a producer, songwriter, and rapper from Provo, Utah. He is a co-founder of hip hop collective House of Lewis and has produced tracks for artists such as Dessa, James the Mormon, and Madge.
Streaming and Download help
If you like Chance Lewis, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp