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Why'd I have to get so high?

by Shellshag

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1.
Unacceptable 02:16
You came home with me Not the way it seems Talk about your dream Drifting off to sleep Stop the urge to scream Friends we'll always be If we could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing No not a thing But it's unacceptable With no apology It's only just a dream A secret sort of scream If we could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing No not a thing Except the feeling Except the scream Your secret is safe with me cause If we could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing No not a thing (guitar solo) If we could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing No not a thing
2.
Captivator 00:56
Trying to keep my cool Gotta sit this one out Mind evader captivator Pretty please let me out You will disappear Like you did in the rear view mirror You will disappear Like you did in the rear view mirror Love you bye bye Love you bye bye Get out of my mind Get out of my mind It hurts Gets worse No words No way Today Cause I want out
3.
Blowin it 02:31
If I knew the answer to the question I would tell you Your the only one I wanna save Possibly from you Then I try so hard to be so strong And not die trying But it's coming back in full force A flood of reminders Don't blow it again Don't blow it again Don't blow it again Well this time's been coming along Guess we never took a good look around Til the daybreak and the sun in your eyes It could blind us So yeah you could say we're blowin it I guess this is blowin it Don't blow it again Don't blow it again Don't blow it again And there is all this space that we could use To fix this place Clean up our mess we won't confess Or look behind us And in our new place we'll look back and Think that this is funny We won't laugh but rest assurded in this place We don't blow it Don't blow it again We won't blow it again Won't blow it again It's gonna be okay
4.
She looks down at five foot one Brighter than the sun She can tell when it's a lie Fuck with her and you'll die If I could pull her from my woom And find a way to call her The one I spawned I'd take all of the credit for her 5 1 N Change don't ever change Your bigger than I am 5 1 N Change don't ever change Your keeping me alive Yeah with that smile That goes a mile That makes me cry Your my love child 5 1 N Change don't ever change I'm so glad that I found you And you found me too And it comes as no suprise You could tell it was meant to If I could pull you from my woom And find a way to call you The one I spawned I'd take all of the credit for you 5 1 N Change don't ever change Your bigger than I am 5 1 N Change don't ever change Your keeping me alive Yeah with that smile That goes a mile That makes me cry Your my love child 5 1 N Change don't ever change 5 1 N Change don't ever change Your bigger than I am 5 1 N Change don't ever change Your keeping me alive Yeah with that smile That goes a mile That makes me cry Your my love child 5 1 N Change don't ever change
5.
Rattletrap 2 01:17
Rattletrap, rattle trap We're caught in a rattletrap Rattletrap, rattle trap We're caught in a rattletrap Doin karma sittin still Yeah it'll haunt ya Hit the road you punkin punk Aw, we don't want ya Give me, please please please Give me, give me, give me, give me, give me Give me, give me, give me, give me Rattletrap, rattle trap We're caught in a rattletrap Rattletrap, rattle trap We're caught in a rattletrap (guitar solo) Give me, please please please Give me, give me, give me, give me, give me Give me, give me, give me, give me, give me 2
6.
90's problem 04:12
don't hold your breath waiting on my impending death it's not your fault that I am lost don't blame yourself there's no road map you can sell me to help me find my way around the ghosts that I create it doesn't mean a fucking thing you see unless you're saying you don't love me i came by to see you at home stopped along the way and I tried to use the pay phone heard your voice via answering machine I left a message there and a note on your windshield now we don't know how to sleep so we just pass out gotta work this 90s problem out you were out looking for me you stopped by the practice space dressed like a punk rock barbie remember when we owned the night rode around pasting stars into the light now we don't know how to sleep so we just pass out gotta work this 90s problem......out gotta work it out flashback friday break out the drugs everybody let's get high all my troubles are in the past my 90s problem's far behind i quit them drugs I kicked them bugs i licked them slugs i quit them drugs back in 1999 i surely would've done those lines I can't get high why'd i have to get so? wham bam shimmy sham thank you mam thank you for the tiger stripes i sure do love animals why'd i have to get so high? why'd i get high? why'd i have to get so high? why'd i have to get so high? why'd i have to get so why'd i have to get so why'd i have to get so high? we never died of an overdose but a lot of our friends did we thought we walked away unscathed just to find we're addicted to the way it was the way it should be the way it could be now we've got to find a way to swallow down this bitter pill somehow
7.
Tiger stripes Dressed in white Oh so bright Tiger stripes See them run See them hide They collide Tiger stripes Tiger stripes Dressed in white Oh so bright Tiger stripes See them run See them hide They collide Tiger stripes Tiger stripes Dressed in white Oh so bright Tiger stripes See them run See them hide They collide Tiger stripes
8.
RIP 01:40
I didn't know I wouldn't see you again We had some plans and we had always been friends But I didn't know How down you'd been I'm so sorry I wasn't there I wanna call you right now but it's too late I want you to know I'm trying to let go But you're not here I hope you know what you meant to me I hope you know what you meant to me Yeah I know, you know, cause you're still here
9.
Stars Moon Sun I love you like the sun We bleed the blood I breathe you in like oxygen Sun moon and stars I love you like the sun We bleed the blood I breathe you in like oxygen Sun moon and Stars Moon And sun Sun moon and stars Sun moon and stars
10.
Pretty Eyes 01:52
You've got pretty eyes And I won't be denied Gonna get my way again I won't be surprised Just look into my eyes And tell me I want you And only you tonight Ain't quite nothin like Lookin in your eyes Oh baby I want you Can't you see With those pretty eyes That see right through me Right through me Right through me Right through me Look into my eyes I think I'm going blind Gonna find my way again Get lost every time Just look into my eyes And tell me I want you And only you tonight Ain't quite nothin like Losing every time Oh baby I want to Can't you see Anything at all Except right through me Right through me Right through me Right through me
11.
1 2 3 4 I wanna hold you I wanna hold you in my arms tonight And if I told you Would you let me wrap my arms around you And squeeze you tight I.... I.... I... I.... I.... I... I wanna I wanna kiss you I wanna kiss you on the lips tonight And if I told you Would you trust my kiss To make you feel alright I.... I.... I... I.... I.... I... I wanna I.... I.... I... I.... I.... I... I.... I.... I... I.... I.... I...
12.
Baby come back Oh baby come back It's not the same since you left The change It's insane But then again what'd you expect When we're together We get all tethered Oh what'd you expect For you to come back Oh baby come back It's not the same since you left The change It drives me insane But then again what'd you expect When we're together In the nasty weather Oh what'd you expect For you to come back Oh baby come back It's not the same since you left Oh baby come back Oh baby come back It's not the same since you left When we're together Everything is better Oh what'd you expect For you to come back Oh baby come back It's not the same since you left
13.
50/50 02:13
Doper couple from Pasadena Left California so they could get cleaner Drove across country in wagon He couldn't kick it he was chasing the dragon And once she got sick of his lying She through him out and he started crying He stayed behind on the streets of Ohio She made it home to the folks in Rhode Island That's how it goes First you tell a lie and later on your nose grows I know it's quite sad But she still goes by and visits him in rehab And although he says right quickly She really feels his chances are more 50/50 I hope he pulls through It doesn't matter anyway because she's already started anew (guitar solo) That's how it goes First you tell a lie and later on your nose grows I know it's quite sad But she still goes by and visits him in rehab And although he says right quickly She really feels his chances are more 50/50 I sure hope he pulls through It doesn't matter anyway because she's already started anew
14.
I wouldn't wait for Waste away or watch it sour You couldn't teach me All the ways to protect the flower And now It's a golden rule Play it cool No one's fool In the staring duel Guarded forever The secret rituals of our power Teaching the children All the ways to protect the flower And now It's a golden rule Play it cool No one's fool In the staring duel When you get up too late The early bird gets the worm Honor and cherish All the days gone undetected Peace and slumber For all the flowers you protected It's a golden rule Play it cool No one's fool In the staring duel When you get up too late The early bird gets the worm
15.
Baby's arms 02:18
I can't feel my hands And I can't move my feet I can't hear the notes And I can't find the beat It's as if my world has fallen apart I can't wait to get back in baby's arms Back in baby's arms Tonight I'm gonna be back in Baby's arms Back in baby's arms Back in baby's arms Yeah you're my pal But I ain't much of a pen pal I don't like to talk on the phone I just want to go home Let's get the show on the road Let's get crackin I miss my girl And I wanna be back in Back in baby's arms Tonight I'm gonna be back in Baby's arms Back in baby's arms Back in baby's arms Back in baby's arms Back in baby's arms Back in baby's arms Back in baby's arms Back in baby's arms Tonight I'm gonna be back in Baby's arms Back in baby's arms Back in baby's arms
16.
And if it's over How will you know Would you say you seen it coming Why skip when you can throw Rock on the water Organic glow It doesn't matter That I feel low Where are we headed? Do you know? Never been here before So I wouldn't know But if it's over Want you to know It was all worth while Bought that time and now it is all sold Down the river Down the river Down the river Down the river I let it go Down the river Down the river Down the river Down the river I let it go

about

Shellshag's fifth full length album recorded in Kentucky by Jerome Westercamp and John Hoffman

Any musician you talk to that is familiar with Shellshag regularly uses one word to describe these DIY stalwarts: Inspiring. Over the years, the duo has grown into Brooklyn’s answer to Dead Moon, transcending the simple label of “a band” and becoming an institution in their own right. They are true out-and-out lifers, in it for the long haul, and a reminder that perseverance is key in any artistic endeavor.

While many of their fans were too young to have even heard about “punk” in the mid-‘90s, Jen Shagawat was already running the infamous Starcleaner Warehouse in San Francisco, an integral part of the city’s independent music scene, and playing in a number of Bay Area bands. In the meantime, John “Shellhead” Driver was touring throughout the country with his band 50 Million and penning songs for his stripped down acoustic project, some of which would later be re-worked as Shellshag staples and crowd favorites.

After meeting in the Mission in the late ‘90s, romance ensued, as did their music together, and the two have never parted. With each LP and every tour that has taken them across the US and back again, Shellshag have proven that they cannot only survive in a changing music industry, ethics intact, but can thrive as underground musicians without compromise.

Why’d I Have to Get So High? is Shellshag’s fifth LP, and the culmination of 20 plus years of resilient effort and artistic growth. Recorded by Jerri Queen (Vacation) and John Petty (Vacation, Sleeves) at The Lodge (Kentucky), the sixteen tracks represent the band at the peak of their career, reinforcing their stripped down sound with additional instrumentation and the occasional lush arrangement, and guest appearances from members of Vacation, Tweens, Pretty Pretty, Swim Team, Pookie and the Poodlez, Black Planet, and from long-time collaborator Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females.

The LP is chock full of the brazen jangly distorted pop that typifies the Shellshag sound, with songs like “Pretty Eyes,” “Rattletrap 2,” and “Baby Come Back.” “Captivator,” “Tiger Stripes,” and “Sun, Moon, and Stars” turn the aggression up to 11, harkening back to some of the band’s earliest punk-inspired rippers. The piano lines and echo chamber guitars of “RIP” and the fuzzed out closer “Down the River” take the record in some haunting new territory, while no one could deny that the honesty of the harmony-laden “Blowin It,” the ‘90s alt-rock vibe of “Hold You In My Arms,” the emotional “5 1 and Change,” and the melancholy-turns-glam “’90s Problem” showcase some of Shellshag’s best material to date. These are songs of turmoil and love, hate and longevity, regret and hope, from two people who know the subject matter intimately.

Seeing Shellshag live is an experience unto itself—two people giving it their all, free of pretense, whipping up a sweaty frenzy of fans singing along to every word. They will be on tour throughout October and November, hitting almost every major, and some not-so-major, US cities in support of the new LP, which will be released October 6th on Don Giovanni Records and, Shellshag’s own, Starcleaner Records. - Zach

credits

released October 2, 2015

recorded by Jerome Westercamp and John Hoffman
at The Lodge in Kentucky
guest appearances from members of Vacation, Tweens, Pretty Pretty, Swim Team, Pookie and the Poodlez, Black Planet, and from long-time collaborator Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females.

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Shellshag New York

Any musician you talk to that is familiar with Shellshag regularly uses one word to describe these DIY stalwarts: Inspiring. Over the years, the duo has grown into Brooklyn’s answer to Dead Moon, transcending the simple label of “a band” and becoming an institution in their own right. ... more

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