Get all 11 JOHN COMMON releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of THE LOW WINES Vol 1, YOU AINT BROKEN, THE MOON AND ME, MAKE IT REAL, TWO RIVERS, Side 3, Beautiful Empty, Why Birds Fly, and 3 more.
1. |
The River Is Moving
03:59
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THE RIVER IS MOVING
Copyright John Common Music
Got my hand in my pocket
And my money in my hand
I’m all twisted and folded
‘cause I need to dance
I wouldn’t know beauty
If it kissed my mouth
But the river is moving in me
Something good’s about to break free
There’s a pillow full of lonely
And trash in the sink
Come on over baby
And bring me something to drink
The black dog’s on me
I can feel his teeth
But the river is moving in me
Something good’s about to break free
River purify
River purify
River all my life
Tried to take me down, testify yeh
My roads lead to bridges
That’ll never be built
My head is flooded
And filled with silt
I wrecked my kingdom
… I don’t even care
But the river is moving in me
Something good’s about to break free
River purify
River purify
River all my life
Tried to take me down, testify yeh
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2. |
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I HAD A DREAM ABOUT A RIVER
Copyright John Common Music
It was evening. I was walking along the river. My boots made a shushing sound as I moved through the tall, soft grass along the bank. The night air felt warm and open and alive around me -- like I was slow dancing with the air as I walked. It was a perfectly clear night. The honeyed nebulae twirled above my head like a chandelier you'd just spun with your fingertip.
The night exuded magic and boundless possibility.
I looked across the river to the other side and sitting on the bank was a white Bengal tiger—it was licking its chops, silently observing, tail switching a bit, waiting... vaguely menacing.
That's when the feeling in the air began to shift from wonder and beauty to lawless disaster.
I noticed that the ground had changed beneath my feet. What had once been a well-worn dirt path was now a muddy wash, slowly filled with water. The river was steadily rising past its banks.
I hurried to the house by the river. I didn’t live there, I was just a visitor. I walked inside and went to tell the son and the old man (his father) what was happening. Such a strange occurrence. Was this normal? They both ignored me, refusing to listen. The old man looked annoyed when he turned around and hobbled upstairs saying, “Ehh... I’m going to go take a nap.”
I looked out the windows of the first floor, alarmed at what I saw. The surrounding fields were glassy in the starlight, already filling with water.
I followed the old man upstairs saying “Look out the window! Any window!” He wouldn’t to do it. He refused to believe.
I ran downstairs, gathered my things… I found the old man’s son and said, “This is real. What are you going to do?” He just looked down, spread butter on his toast, and murmured something I couldn’t understand.
I decided to get the hell out of there.
The water was moving faster now – I could feel it.
Out in the front yard, wading through chest-high water, were 2 men – one with a rifle, the other holding a two by four. They looked hungry. Hungry for something that would never satisfy them.
I pointed them out to the old man’s son. He ignored me again, playing with something in his hand… a twig or maybe a paperclip. Water was entering the first floor now… it was spilling through the windows.
I ran to my truck, I found the gun, I started the engine, and I drove up toward the main road through a mud and wash.
As I turned the bend, the house began to break apart and float into different directions.
I had a dream about a river that flooded its banks.
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JOHN COMMON Denver
Confession: I like broken shit. I’m just drawn to it. Always have been. I like it even more if it used to be shiny, beautiful, innocent or full of promise. See, the way down is so interesting to me. The way it actually happens, why it happens, the little details that break off as it’s happening. ... more
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