We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Pinky Swear (split EP)

by The Michael Character & Lawn Care

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
    Purchasable with gift card

      name your price

     

1.
Single guy orders take-out Thai Two entrées and an appetizer Then the cute, young waitress asks him "how many pairs of chopsticks" does he need? He replies with one sad, sullen squeak One.
2.
Keep your eyes closed or you'll get the spins Keep your eyes open or you'll get the spins Fell asleep on the 66 Woke up by Northeastern, in whatever neighborhood that is Stumbling sideways Can't hardly find my way Just the railing of a concrete stoop to keep me off the ground 'Till she approached me, with no judgment Said "smile, it'll be alright" then kept on her way Snapped back, still unsober, to find myself forgiven That woman in Allston doesn't like you anyway... So just go home.
3.
My house that I rent has white siding and a literal picket fence Symbolic of growing up Symbolic of taking on responsibilities that don’t matter to anyone but me I spent all day cooking and cleaning And finding new ways to organize my closet so that my instruments stay temperate And don’t get too humid when the summer comes Well now the servers at the diner all know my name Because I order the exact same breakfast every Sunday At a slightly different time each week ‘Cause on the weekends I’m free to fail at punctuality We went out to a hotel bar, bought a fancy fucking cheese plate and Tuesday Margaritas Then we went right back, right back to the grind Friend’s weddings, a bar’s close And other times I’m embarrassed to be alone I merge onto 93 But can’t risk a solo flight in the special designated lane for HOVs I spend all day grading and planning my lessons So I could do some more than merely teaching to a test Oh! But the boredom brings them down So I pack my shit, move on to another town What do you say to a friend you haven’t seen in 6 months? Don’t think about them that much Have another beer and then pretend to give a shit About how 23 ain’t so bad Things are going alright Work is still a drag and you’re still tired from these long nights But things could be worse as much as they could be better now Maybe it’s preferable to be bored together than bored on your own
4.
I like my routines They give structure to me They make my life easier I know where I’m going I know where I’m going to next But my tracks always showin’ I’ve got a shadow on deck It’s not boredom it’s not lack of fulfillment it’s not hung over mornings it’s not wasting the weekend it’s not being too lazy not ignoring all my friends it’s just I’m really fucking tired and could use a little rest that’s all Long night out in the city Phone out Gettin’ sad getting’ shitty Scrollin’ past your name I’m on my way out I’m on my way now Yea I’ll be on my way out Just gotta pin this feeling down It’s not boredom it’s not lack of fulfillment it’s not hung over mornings it’s not wasting the weekend it’s not being too lazy not ignoring all my friends it’s just I’m really fucking tired and could use a little rest It’s not the dead weight of anxiety that pinned me down in college Or the fear of dying lonely without ever being acknowledged As worthwhile human person with a little more to give Than half-way virtues spat with arrogance after a couple beers Oh no, it's not that It’s just I’m really fuckin’ tired
5.
I'm gonna cut wood all day until I feel okay I'm gonna mow the grass and weedwhack like it's motherfucking prozac Gonna trim the trees like they're all my bad memories And when I lay down fertelizer it's gonna be so I can forget about her Need a beer, need a smoke, need a reason not to love you Or a break, just some time, to catch my breath and figure out what I'm doing here Cause I'll go back to you even if I don't really want to If just to bide my time 'till I feel less alone And no this isn't love but it's close enough neck-deep in neuroses I won't write you that letter and I won't pick up the phone (Just kidding) Cause it's summer now and Orion's gone and when I stand out on my lawn All I see is that fucking swan and Cygnus don't know shit about me No it won't take me out of here, I have a savior it's called beer It's funny after all these years I'm somehow still surprised that I'm lonely So if I can't find love I'll just put on gloves and rearrange some organic matter I'll pull up all the roots like I'm seeking truth, but I really just wanna lose this farmer's tan
6.
Well I don't care if it meant nothing Or if it meant the fucking world 'Cause for one reason or another I can't convince myself you're just another girl No, we've got history Oh yeah we spent a lot of time Saying "holy fuck I miss you, what did I get myself into, is there any way out of this state of mind?" Don't be sorry, just be careful. Some chances only come once Some chances never come at all So move your ass Some chances only come once You'd better learn to recognize them when they call Well when did you become so bitter? And when did I become the same? There has to be a concrete problem and there'd better be someone that I can blame who isn't me I don't have energy to change I'll make the same mistakes I used to 'till eventually I lose you I push everyone away with enough time I do it every time
7.
She says the seven years between us have her feeling old as hell But can you blame me if often lately I don't feel all that young myself? I mean really, since when do I know people talking about getting married? I mean really, I've got this terrible feeling that in seven years I'll feel just as fucked, That I can settle, get lucky, or just give up I'm through worrying about capital "Y-o-u" And telling myself I'm another sad story Thinking that I'm always gonna be lonely It just isn't true (At least I hope it's not true) But you've still got me living from weekend to weekend I'm sick when you leave and I'm stuck with these few friends It's forty-five minutes to this stupid campus So what happens when there's an ocean between us? Don't go. Don't go. God DAMMIT Daryl She says we've only got a few more weeks before you go back home But I can't think about time without thinking about being alone She says she's pretty goddamned certain this ain't our last goodbye But I don't need seven years to know how time can fly
8.
Well the love hit me hard but so did the resentment It's hard to be too happy when you're baffled by contentment Got a pile of year-old problems that I swear I'm gonna get to As soon as I can figure out how I feel about you And I don't think I'm sorry Are we even still friends? You talk about the future Do you not know how this ends? We can talk about the weather, we can talk about whatever Just promise this feeling isn't gone forever Got a taste of the life that you could have lived, But it's hard to forget and it's harder to forgive I'm sick of being sorry Can we jut all be friends? I think about the past these days and I don't know how this ends Three people all stuck in one shitty situation Two houses, three buildings, four months Fallen out of love twice, broken more hearts than I cared to Can things just work out for once?

about

I met Cameron of Lawn Care when we played the same Pittsburgh house show back in the summer of 2012. I was immediately struck by how much more like Jeff Rosenstock than me his song writing style was; in other words, I immediately became a fan.

This in mind, it is a real honor to put out this split with him.

These songs are our way of identifying what is really bothering us at any given moment so that we can do something to improve ourselves. I'd like to think that we're a tiny bit better for having made this split. If nothing else, I don't feel bored anymore.

credits

released February 7, 2014

Everything written and recorded and played and mixed by The Michael Character.

Recorded at Bane Voice with a single condenser mic and some sort of baby version of Protools that lets you do like two things. Not mastered because I don't know what that even means.

Art by Joey Gambatese

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

The Michael Character Boston, Massachusetts

It's political music, whatever. Based in Boston, MA. Absolutely willing to drive very far to play for you and five of your vaguely alternative friends in your combination kitchen/laundry room. Hit me up. I'm fully serious.

contact / help

Contact The Michael Character

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

The Michael Character recommends:

If you like Pinky Swear (split EP), you may also like: