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A Sword of Holly (2018 VERSION)

by Flora

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1.
Grow 04:45
Early in the morning when I wake up I see you you you you You you you you You you you Early in the morning when I wake up I see you you you you You you you you You you you And you're a little predictable You're a little disorganized You're a little too comfortable You've got some notion that we care what you have to say So you say it really loud I mean really, really goddamn loud And you make us uncomfortable I promise We do not care what you have to say See, if I wasn't such a coward I would tell you how I really feel right now But instead, I just write it down I crumple up the paper just to toss it at your blabbing mouth Ignorant, accusing mouth You use so well You know it gives you power You've always had the power You'll always have the power And that right there scares the living shit outta me That right there scares the living shit outta me Early in the morning when I wake up I see you you you you You you you you You you you Every single morning when I wake up I see you you you you You you you you You And you need some water to grow You need some water you know
2.
Sleep 03:10
I find it hard to explain these days How you get me, it's so easy In my brain, whispering things Falling into bed alone We hold each other tight To have you by my side Reminding me to wake on time And there are days I still hope I never see you shine But somehow, I still know You will always be mine Truthfully our parents know what it is to really be alone They used to sleep the night Without having to put up this fight Won't you rest your mind Pour a glass of wine Waste a little time Just a little time Pass away the days Act in my plays Swim through my gaze Melt in my maze In the end this time shall pass and I'll have kids who laugh at this But darling, think of all the time we missed Just staring at our phones All alone
3.
And so I I'm able to admit My main switch is self destructive You know, baby, I can't help it I'm sick, I'm hurt, and I am freaking out Some may call it nervousness But I call it my self doubt What's worse, the ways I overthink before You come knocking at my door And I'm lying on the bathroom floor Or the way you let me go tonight But maybe now I'll know alright That this love is a dying light I run, I run into the rain I run, I run into the rain I run, I run into the rain I run, I run into the rain You know I've forgotten what the feelings like To stay with someone through the night Like puzzle pieces fit just right I make sense of all these reasons why Why I could never fake a try Too many shallow laughs and lies But when autumn falls, I'll see it through Look back on what we used to do And hope I was wrong 'bout you For now, these days go on in vain But I'll tie my shoelace Cuz up ahead it looks like rain I run, I run into the rain I run, I run into the rain I run, I run into the rain I run, I run into the rain
4.
Olive Avenue 03:44
Pass me the time See if I Can do anything to slow the motion Passing us by We can try Can't do anything but swim the ocean I'm awful chilled Wearing shorts and sneakers Wasn't dressed for this And though we're awful skilled Know the drill I ought to have been dressed for this So pass me the wine See if I Can do anything about my anxious ass I'm a mess Can attest I smoke so much more when you're not here I fear, but it's cool Wearing shades In converse, need convincing that I'm cool Cool enough, up to snuff Pretending like I'm dressed for this So seize me the day Where you'll stay Where the leaves will change And you'll stay in my bed Through the night, through the day Through the night again But until then I'm stuck in our farewells These never ending byes and farewells See you later Stuck in our farewells These never ending ciaos and farewells I'll see you soon, my love, in our farewells Terrible walks home after our farewells Trying not to cry every farewell Goodnight goodbye love Our farewells Goodnight goodbye love
5.
Let the water flow naturally Here it runs down you and me Here, the flies and the buzzards and fathers and mothers are not Let the feelings be spiritual Here the day performs miracles Here, the lies and the stutters stuffed deep in cupboards can rot I know you feel the wind when it lifts you I know you know the end, it would gift you But gifts are for people who need things from people, you'd rather be never that way I know you feel the moon when it's real blue Lonely Luna's crying who creeps through bedrooms You stay up with people They're in your mind, people You'd rather not mention their names Let your magic be pure and sweet Here we always taste an apple treat Here, the water can wash and a wash it sure will till I mop Let vibrations be good and well Here we show and we often tell Here, the complex emotions confusing in motion can stop I know you feel the wind when it lifts you I know you know the end, it would gift you But gifts are for people who need things from people, you'd rather be never that way I know you feel the moon when it's real blue Lonely Luna's crying who creeps through bedrooms You stay up with people They're in your mind, people You'd rather not mention their names Let your magic be pure and sweet May you always taste an apple treat Where the water, it wash and a wash it sure will till you mop When vibrations are good and well It's the easiest thing to tell When the complex emotions confusing in motion can stop
6.
Hail It's coming down hard now Better find cover in the blankets and the sheets Pale The dark ain't kind now Why do these shadows always follow me Remember last night when I was dreaming You gave me the time of day You surprised me with your interest You seduced me such a way And I awoke in such confusion I coulda sworn I felt your touch But I romanticize illusions far too much Far too much Fail The word flies through our ears It lays a trail A fire burns our eyes Oh, is it hell or limbo We don't even know it We don't even know it Let me sleep away Holly till the darkness goes away Jail The prison in your mind This lonely cell Time to flee away to another land Call it hell or limbo You don't even know it You don't wanna blow it You just sleep away Holly till the darkness goes away Sail You're moving with the wind now And I don't know when I will see your face Bail You're leaving it behind now I'm begging it'll do us good this way Remember those times when it was different When the sunshine and the rain Fell together through the trees And all the colors knew our names You know I'm trying to keep you with me But you're water in my hands Falling through my fingers Disappearing in the sand Fail The word flies through our ears It lays a trail A fire burns our eyes Oh, is it hell or limbo We don't even know it We don't even know it Let me sleep away Holly till the darkness goes away Jail The prison in your mind This lonely cell Time to flee away to another land Call it hell or limbo You don't even know it You pray you don't blow it You just sleep away Holly till the darkness goes away Till the darkness goes away Till the dark is gone I just close my eyes and pray Till the darkness goes away
7.
Holly Wonder 03:36
Holly knows the people in town Happier times when she was around Holly would light up the room, it's true It's just something she could do Holly knows the people in town Lately, they haven't seen her around I heard she's down Fishing for golden crowns Think we better send the clowns I try to be a good friend and a lover And I cry every time I think that I was But I wasn't enough And I lie, cause it keeps you at bay Far far away from my heart Oh baby Holly's thinking bout some crazy things Holly's having awfully sexy dreams She's kissing a woman Touching a woman Loving on a woman And she couldn't be happier, no no Oh baby! Oh yeah you, what you put me through!! Holly has the magic in hand Sneaking out late any time she can She’s dancing with the fairies of land and sea in skies of berry green But dreamings just for sleeping There ain't no use in keeping hold of something if something's nothing Well she's sick of nothing but asking for better days I try to be a good friend and a lover And I cry every time I think that I was But I wasn't enough And I'll die, but I damn sure won't let a man make a fool outta me Oh baby Holly dusts off her sword and shield Travels by horse through crimson fields Destined to find where monsters lay She rides with the night She couldn't be happier Up a mountain, into a cave Where the monster sleeps And she softly creeps And she sticks that sword right between his eyes Screaming "glory be!! I'm me, I'm free, and I'm bad!" Oh baby, I'm bad! Dontcha know I'm bad, baby!! And I won't ever let a man make a fool outta me again, no no no! Holly's thinking bout some crazy things Holly's having awfully sexy dreams She's kissing a woman Touching a woman Loving on a woman And she couldn't be happier, no no
8.
Clementine 03:34
She got a cloudy look about her, so she went on home It's like we had her for a second and then she was gone Clementine, I'll never tell you how many stars she's stolen from these eyes She got a rainy day moving and for five weeks long It's like the whole world was draining down a lavender song Clementine, I'll never tell you how very hard she's holding lovely lies She goes upside down for love But the daylight calls her bluff The girl is all tangled and tied up And it's messing her up She gets to singing sometimes in her room at dusk It's romantic, the ways she ignores all the dust Clementine, how can she make it eight more months without a phone call home She gets to breathing real easy as she paints in the sand Illuminated by Luna lighting over the land Clementine, help me fake it, take my pants and dance with me lone, all lone She goes upside down for love But the daylight calls her bluff The girl is all tangled and tied up And the moonlights had enough She goes right side up for love Been real accustomed to this kinda stuff The girl is all tangled and tied up And it's messing me up How dumb must I look After all these years, after all these years Clementine, I grow fonder of you still How much gold they took Wasted on those ears, wasted on those ears Clementine, paint me naked if you will How dumb must I look Clementine, I'm free falling through my bed How much gold they took Clementine, keep these flowers in my head
9.
I waited four years for someone Who never showed up at all I wasted away my time And now I'm washed away Glowing in the snow Mountain boys and girls And I won't talk to anyone of them They all hurt the same Oh, joyous days I'm counting all the ways I feel like I'm something else The untouched book Forgotten shelf I want to be free I want to feel what it's like to be touched and sought after But I'm a natural disaster And now I'm washed away I've got a secret, it's mine And it's been messing me up inside I'm gonna keep it I'm shy when it comes to laying it on the line Maybe that's why I'm so fine wasting away all this precious time We all have our secrets and Clementines We all have those things that we choose to hide Way deep in our minds There's darkness to find Way deep in our minds I used to think I loved to be all by myself But I just want that option I don't function all that well here with myself I've got a secret, it's mine And it's been messing me up inside I'm gonna keep it I'm shy when it comes to laying it on the line Maybe that's why I'm so fine wasting away all this precious time We all have our secrets and Clementines We all have those things that we choose to hide You're there inside What is it like Being so beautiful Passing the time Loving the wine Laughing for hours Remaining beautiful What if I was There in the crowd Would I stand out Would I be beautiful I just need you to say You can't look away I love the power We all love the power We all love the power And if you say you don't love it, you're a liar There's darkness in all of us Burning and screaming for power!! Memories holding onto my waist Play with me, dancing in a sweet taste Melody, harmony, spring days Stay with me, tell me that we're ready For a finer stage, flowers at our feet Fine wine, we'll age, spinning down a rain soaked street in May Funny how we're ruined by games we play And who am I to say I'm any better than you We're a couple saps, can't kick the blues Just a couple saps, can't kick the blues Just a couple saps, can't kick the blues How dare I even say I’m any better than you!! We're a couple saps, can't kick the blues Just a couple saps, can't kick the blues Just a couple saps, so blue
10.
I don't know what I'm looking for But I know that I'll be bored When I get there I don't care It’s just the state of affairs International sad girl And I've been to England, Spain and to France But I always knew in advance There wasn't a home for me As far as the eye could see International sad girl And as I think back to the past I knew that it never would last With far too much pretending In watercolors blending Watch as I lean over this bridge If I become unhinged I think I could do it There's really nothing to it International sad girl And I know I just stole this But I'm hopelessly hopeless I hope so For you And I just don't know what to do International sad girl
11.
Between Time 03:21
Dear, I look to the sky And it's just so lovely today In the simplest way Here, clouds are rolling by Telling tales in shifting shapes Diamonds dance above Waters as they flood Toes and ankles warm In the sands near shore Wind, it whispers soft Dreams of days now long time gone And what are they all trying to say These delicate wonders here I like to think that I'm okay And I'm not all that weird There ain't no wrong time to say it There ain't no wrong time to feel There's only this time And it's precious and it's real Dear, I can feel the sun And it's warming me all around Inside and out Here, I swear I'm having fun Don't you pay that no mind now And the time apart Weighs heavy on my heart Leaves me on the ground Bruised and broken down But the sky reminds These are temporary lives And what are they all trying to say These delicate wonders here I like to think that I'm okay And I'm not all that weird There ain't no right time to say it There ain't no right time to feel There's only this time And it's lonely and it's real It's just so hard to do I grow so close to you And that's just how it seems to go for us You know it's true One hour, you're here Two hours, you're gone again Oh dear, it never ends This ride we find ourselves upon, old friend But in the meantime In this between time

about

The debut record from Flora is the product of nearly three years of listening, writing, arranging, and recording. Inspired by classic albums from The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads, and countless others, ‘A Sword of Holly’ offers a modern spin on timeless pop music, while addressing universal themes such as loneliness, anxiety, and overcoming deep fear. This cinematic full length project weaves a thematic narrative throughout and features performances by many of Chicago’s currently renowned jazz, rock, and pop musicians.

We invite you to dive into the world of Holly. From Flora with love.

credits

released June 9, 2018

A Sword of Holly Cast

Ryan O'Toole: Vocals, Piano, Wurlitzer
Max Miller: Piano, Wurlitzer
Jakob Allen: Bass Guitar, Percussion
David Lopez: Drums, Percussion
Connor Udvardy: Electric and Acoustic Guitar
Karolina Prus: Tenor Saxophone
John Cunningham: Tenor and Soprano Saxophone
Duncan Lee: Electric Guitar
Mallory Linehan: Violin
Nora Barton: Cello
Thaddeus Tukes: Vibraphone
Kris Hansen: Trumpet
Dre Meza, Corey Castillo, Imani Williams, Sloane Crawford, Jakob Allen: Choir Vocals
Monica Hamada: Additional vocals on 'Between Time'

Music written, arranged, and directed by Flora
Engineered and mixed by R. Andrew Humphrey
Mastered by Greg Obis at Chicago Mastering Service
Recorded at Decade Music Studios and Treehouse Records
Album artwork designed and illustrated by Lucy Gombas

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Flora Chicago, Illinois

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