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Natural Progression

by KJ Johnson

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1.
Intro 00:35
2.
You were a shiny new coin from the pocket I’ve been green copper for years You entered the room, me, I felt nothing Forgetting the unpredictable I see your portrait through my eye’s corner You just see straight through I move closer to you, but it means nothing It’s just to feel a connection ‘Cause you are beautiful, I am a child Neither of these things, neither of them relate You are a voice, I am a whisper But nothing works with these two Accidental hand brushes will happen But my stomach jolts anyway A friendly hug turns into a sigh Light pat on the back becomes heavy Notes serve as a mask Pianissimos drain me in The rhythm of morning, the silence between Grace falling over the ictuse But you’re still an angel, I am a student I feel a cliché transgression You sing like virtue, I stand and watch you Averting my eyes from your glance You are collected, your smile is fire I’m none of the above You are a blackboard, I am a desk Let crescendos bury this You are beautiful But I’m so young
3.
The War stays raging. I stay pacing You keep smiling and I’ll keep buying Life keeps speeding, proceeding, Propelling me forward again This world wasn't made for you and me It was made for people we ain’t never gonna’ see And we may work real hard and work real fast But here's the key: As soon as we're done the moment will have passed You you sing to me, baby You sing the whole night through You sing to me baby You never understood I'm working, traversing fourteen hour days Building platforms for your theater of war We race and trace, retrace and re-race. The ground you penetrated with bombs and blasts Fears and whores for miles But after it all will I still be the place you call home? You sing to me, baby You sing the whole night through You sing to me baby You never understood You never understood I worked all night and I worked all day To build the bomb that blew you away And here's the key: I did finish and you did die But the war we're raging isn’t worth paying with our lives You sing to me, baby You sing the whole night through You sing to me baby You never understood
4.
Independence Day (free) 04:50
Independence day come reaching ‘round the corner There’s nothing left to do but wait for the rising tide I stumble across the beach, toes gripped fast against the sand And shoot up a firework as a warning sign every once in awhile Will the days rush by? Or will they disappear before my eyes as if they never passed? Maybe I’ll call you in the morning, ask you how you’ve been Will I get your machine again? Take your time, but not too long All I’m looking for is an answer Independence day comes creeping ‘round the corner I take my car around the block a few times to speed things up Maybe I’ll leave this town on the first wind coming from the south But I’m scared of where I’ll end up Don’t believe a word I tell you ‘cause it’s just the way I feel Who knows what’s really there underneath the rubble? Smile once again and alleviate this heavy state I swear I’m still here Take your time, but not too long All I’m looking for is an answer Just hold me Independence day comes streaking ‘round the corner There’s nothing left to do but wait for the rising tide It rages up around my neck now Maybe I’m waiting for the tide to go out Take your time, but not too long All I’m looking for is an answer Take your time, but not too long Maybe I’m searching for the question
5.
I Wish I Were A Man (free) 03:52
I wish I were a man so that urination would be convenient I’m sick of all the running faucets and pack mentality Standing would be much nicer and I could mark my territory With the world as my urinal, I think I’d be happier. I wish I were a man so I could make more money I’m sick of all the worrying about bills and sexual harassment I’d fill larger venues without removing a single garment With the industry in my favor, I think I’d be happier. I wish I were a man so that you would take me seriously I’m sick of all the nodding smiles and, “you must be PMS-ing” I wouldn’t just be a pretty face, I’d be regarded for talent With people seeing me eye to eye, I think I’d be happier. I wish I were a man, but couldn’t give up being female Despite all the advantages of being born with a penis I wish I were a man, but I wish that men wished that they were women sometimes I think we’d all be happier.
6.
Don't Say A Word (free) 02:35
It’s just another word while you lay on the floor And you gaze around the room like you haven’t before And you scratch your head twice, thinking about what to do. Take a run around the block just to pick up my feet With the wind in my face and the air so deep My future’s in the stars but I haven’t figured out what it means. Don’t say a word It’s all right. You fall asleep at three in the afternoon Wake up half past nine with the same old tune in your head And you can’t quite remember how it really goes. But your eyes they turn a different shade of blue And they light up bold as if you never knew That it could brighten up the dense night sky. Don’t say a word It’s all right. And your ears they scream as if they never heard And you paint the earth gold You prefer to do more than defy. It’s just another word while you lay on the floor And you close your eyes and smile like you haven’t before And you imagine yourself at the bottom of the ocean. You wobble so close but you don’t have a chance ‘Cause you’re always half stoned and faking romance And you and I both know you could do better. Don’t say a word It’s all right.
7.
Maybe this time you could just walk away from your man-made disaster Maybe this time I’ll shed my skin You’d be better off if you learned to sit still Take your hand off the trigger—you can’t afford to lose No need to break it down, it’s just a distraction from the truth: You are the drama you find in your life It’s taking a toll on every inch you touch Take your hand off the trigger—you can’t afford to blush Wake up I know you can’t seem to wake up Step by step you’re destroying what’s certain without a second thought And later you’ll claim you’re finding yourself Take your hand off the trigger—you can’t afford the fall If you weren’t such a liar you wouldn’t lie to yourself You never learned to forgive before you forget Go stare yourself in the face for just one second And take your hand off the trigger—it won’t make you right Wake up I know you can’t seem to wake up Oh, I know what I’ve been told I’ve heard it many times before But pull yourself together Or we’ll crumble up for sure Wake up I know you could Crawl into my arms I’ll take you home
8.
In the darkest of hours I’ll match it to the teeth To promote an unwillingness to commit to disaster There’s a shadow creeping at the end of the hallway With a price to settle and ulterior motive Twisting beneath the sheets, I abide to such laws A weakness within I have yet to resent You’ll break down all logic until there’s nothing left to argue And everything is individual I won’t be the result of such failed promises On an evening to be described as hazy at best With a voicemail that should have never been left Your honesty is a game with few set rules Yet I always seem to find myself stumbling through When you look me in the eye I want to believe you I want every syllable to dribble out truth Perhaps my expectations are too high I can’t afford to be the result of such failed promises And I’m staring at the ceiling hoping that something will change Or maybe I’ll find an easy way out Is time the key? The missing piece of this puzzle? Or am I just shooting for another dead end? It’s times like these that I wish I understood That I knew how many glasses of turpentine it took But I’ve failed once before and I’ve got no excuse Just thoughts on occasion that can’t be refuted I’m not the result of any failed promise I’m the change at best and the cause at worse Just don’t leave me hanging as to which one came first
9.
Pick one or the other ‘cause god knows you can’t have both You’re a paper airplane with no direction Staggering your breath so no one can see you sweat Knowing at the surface you’re all talk You’re only talk and I’m only a distraction You’ll take any excuse to avoid self-reflection And I may have no idea how I met you But you have no right to believe I don’t see your bullshit I know what I am; I’m just a replacement For whatever convenience I wanted to stick around But why am I the next name on your list? Do you think that I just didn’t care? You’re so simple minded, how can you be the judge? Think you’re pulling the wool over But don’t you know that everyone knows what a sleight of hand looks like? Why would you be the exception? Sex isn’t intimacy, sex is an action Action means nothing if there’s nothing But if being between a pair of legs is the only place you’re happy Let your libido lead the way, but it doesn’t make you a victim I know what I am; I’m just a replacement For whatever convenience I wanted to stick around But why do you think that you can just push me around? Do you think that I just didn’t understand? Don’t you know you’ve made an ass out of yourself? I know what I am; I’m just a replacement But you’re so repulsive; it’s about time this ends And baby next time you better damn well watch your step Do you think that I’m just stupid? I know what I am; I’m just a replacement But you’re so destructive; it’s about time this ends And maybe next time I’ll think twice When I pick my friends Don’t I know I made an ass out of myself? I know
10.
Homesick (free) 06:28
I’m homesick, darling, I’m homesick for your breath Expand my lungs underneath the palms of your hands Late at night I imagine you beside me, but it doesn’t change a thing Come around again, come home. I lay down by this heartbreak of a city My limbs feel weak as I gaze up to the darkness I wonder to myself are you looking at the same sky I’d like to think you are, but I’d rather you remember. What have I done to put so much between us? Deep in, deep out, I want a change in season Lately I’ve grown quite tired of endless April showers When will the miles collapse to bring me to your side? How much more will I bear to take? What have I done to put so much between us? I’m ashamed of myself to have put so much between us. I’m the fool now, darling, it’s a wonder I can speak I know I’ve created an awful, awful strain The truth is that I miss you more than words themselves Every inch of me aches for the simple things. What have I done to put so much between us?
11.
Break me down and tell me what you see A product of hegemony? Am I strong or am I weak? You’ve finished sentences and said some things in time It’s obvious there’s something we haven’t given credit for ‘Cause I want to fall asleep to the taste of your spine But I can’t read anything from your face And I must admit that I’m terrified to say I don’t know who you are We sing along to the four right chords tonight I feel you tugging at my chakras one by one Do you feel heartbreak? Do you feel pride and insecurity? My walls are down—you should be pleased with yourself ‘Cause I want to fall asleep to the taste of your spine But I can’t read anything from your face And I must admit that I’m terrified to say I don’t know who you are Press your palms to mine…tell me do you feel a spark or a pulse? But you wouldn’t touch me if your life depended on it And I feel weird about the way I feel So I’ll take a step back and hope to make up the difference someday ‘Cause I want to fall asleep to the taste of your spine But I can’t read anything from your face And I must admit that I’m terrified to say I don’t know who you are

about

Thank you to everyone who has ever supported me in my musical and artistic endeavors in any way, especially those who directly worked on the album. There are no words to describe the immense appreciation that I feel.

You know who you are and I love you.

credits

released June 29, 2010

Music and Lyrics by KJ Johnson
Except lyrics for "The War Stays Raging", written by Gil Riley
Guitar and Keyboard by KJ Johnson
Drums and bass by Gunnar Jebson
Produced, Engineered, and Mastered by William L. Cox
Recorded at Brandy Brothers' Studios, Chicago IL (brandybrothers.com)
Art Work by Gil Riley
Layout by Lisa Danielson (www.lisadanielson.com)

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KJ Johnson Chicago, Illinois

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