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Truths and Lies and Make​-​Believe

by Gray Rinehart

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Taking You Out to See the Stars, Taking You Out to See the Stars (Demo), Distorted Vision, Truths and Lies and Make-Believe, and The Monster Hunter Ballad. , and , .

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1.
STEAMPUNK PIRATES Some hearties sail the high seas And cowboys ride the plains But I sail the skies with gold in my eyes And ride like thunder on the winds of change Chorus: Spread the canvas port and starboard Full sail, while we build the steam Hold steady with the wind now, sharpen up your eyes There's battle in the offing and there's treasure in the skies Tonight the airship pirates are going to prowl among the clouds With cannon at the ready on the lookout for a prize Taste the spray of grease and oil Hiss of steam assaults your ears Fit your goggles tight, keep your daggers bright Jolly Roger's flying past the turning gears Chorus Bridge: Dive, dive, with the sun at our backs Grapples at the ready, boys, we're on the attack Flying caravel, galleon, brigantine, or bark If they won't let us board them then we'll ride them to the dirt Who among you knows what their cargo holds? Casks of liquor, chests of silver, diamonds, pearls or gold Fire up the boilers, then, and ready all the guns We're after Fortune's hoard tonight ... there's glory to be won I'll forever climb the thermals Sails trimmed, racing 'round the clouds Ride the winds of fate, with the fortune that I've made 'Til my last pennies finally hold my eyelids down Chorus ___
2.
ANOTHER ROMULAN ALE Some people ... swear by Mudder's Milk, for nutrition and a buzz A nasty little throwback to the beer on Earth-That-Was And some folks go for Synthehol, to avoid intoxication But they will never know the joys of my preferred libation Chorus: Bring me another Romulan Ale Its social lubrication leads to my inebriation And the relaxation of my inhibitions without fail I'd like another Romulan Ale Bring me the brew that's bold and blue Call all the crew, or just me and you For another Romulan Ale I tried a little Tranya but it didn't have much kick And the taste of Klingon Bloodwine made me very, very sick The time I tried Amgrosia was a planet-scale disaster But it still rates higher than the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster Chorus When it's cold outside it's great to have the warmth of Butterbeer And I'd love to try an Ent-draught but you cannot get that here And the perfect pick-me-up is a shot of Elvish Miruvor And I really feel at home whenever the Fire Whiskey's poured Chorus Sometimes it's Saurian Brandy, sometimes it's Vulcan port Sometimes it's Aldebaran whiskey when you want a little snort Sometimes it's really ancient Scotch that you hold in high esteem And sometimes you don't know what it is, all you can say is that "It's green" Chorus, & Tag ___
3.
THE MONSTER HUNTER BALLAD They say that what you don't know, it won't hurt you But everything "they" tell you is a lie Jethro Tull had it right, there are beasties in the night Better keep a loaded weapon by your side Don't you worry, little darlin', Monster Hunter's on the call Protecting you while you sleep safe and sound We've got the bounty on the beasties and the Good Lord on our side Anytime the scary monsters come around . . . we'll put them down I believe the best vampire is a dead one And most werewolves aren't all that civilized I sure don't want one of them dating my daughter You know they only sparkle when they're on fire Don't be afraid now, little darlin', Monster Hunter's on the case Against everything that goes bump in the night Lock your doors and draw the shades and keep your weapon close at hand We'll do everything to get to you in time . . . and you'll be fine When the monster's at the door you can run or you can fight You can call on 9-1-1 for your protection The boys in blue won't be as much help as your trusty little friend Samuel Colt or Glock or good old Smith & Wesson Hold your ground now, little darlin', Monster Hunter's on the way Stand and fight, and this may be your finest hour Whatever monster's got your cornered we will fight them one or all We'll keep the peace through superior firepower . . . 2nd Amendment firepower Bridge: The Queen of Elves lives in a trailer in the middle of the woods Drinking beer and heating Ho-Hos by the score The orcs all like to party, you see, they're just misunderstood They're our friends and allies in the monster war Don't you worry, little darlin', Monster Hunter's on the call Protecting you while you sleep safe and sound We've got the bounty on the beasties and the Good Lord on our side Anytime the scary monsters come around . . . we'll put them down ___
4.
DARE TO DO GREAT THINGS Every single day is a mystery to me, A puzzle to be solved, a secret code I have to break A map without a legend, or a scale or compass rose A game with rules in a different tongue, a precious stone that might be fake Chorus: And in the noise and confusion am I listening for the voice To call me to the chance to do more than I have ever dreamed Am I training and preparing for the day I face my choice And will I live up to your faith in me . . . will I dare to do great things? In my head and in my dreams I would love to be a hero I would save the day or pave the way for a hard-fought victory But I'm a coward deep at heart, fighting off the urge to turn and run How can I overcome my fears and be the man I want to be? Chorus Bridge: Am I afraid of failing, or more scared I might succeed? Could it ever be that daily tasks can turn into mighty deeds? Or if I trap myself in the mundane, will I leave the great undone? When the call comes, will I leave my nets, and dare to walk beside the Son?   Chorus 2 But in the noise and confusion I am listening for the voice That's calling me to the chance to be more than I have ever dreamed I am training and preparing for the day I face my choice And I will hold fast to your faith in me . . . when I dare to do great things -- My appointment with my destiny . . . when I dare to do great things -- When I dare to do great things -- When I dare ... to do great things! ___
5.
Mortal Men 05:08
MORTAL MEN Long the night and cold the day and hard the road we travel Evil's hold upon the land is strong Duty calls and on we march to join the final battle To stand our ground, defending right from wrong Chorus: Some of us may be heroes, some of us may be fools We can't know when or where or how we'll fall We face our foes with honor, a thousand separate duels We've heard, and we are answering the call We are the mortal men, doomed to die The mortal men, doomed to die Behind us lies the land we love, our homes and precious families Before us lies the clash of sword and shield Our blood may run from hot to cold, but our resolve is granite To hold our ground, and never once to yield Chorus   Bridge: What is life without Valhalla? Or Elysium, or Heaven to pursue? The grave is dark and cold, and eternity too long And in the end, there's nothing we can do But to live our lives, and to fight our fights And to love, the best way we know how ... Will they greet us in Valinor, or send us to the Timeless Halls? No matter -- for the time that counts is now ... Chorus & Tag ___
6.
TAUNTAUNS TO GLORY I dreamed that I was on the ice-world Hoth And high above in orbit was our Imperial foe And they sent down their crazy elephant-walking machinery of death So we saddled up our Tauntauns to meet them in the snow -- and we were Chorus: Riding, riding our Tauntauns to glory Riding our Tauntauns to glory (Repeat) Now, if the tree-huggers have their way And our SUVs are rusting in the salvage yard I hope the geneticists make some Tauntauns out of recombinant DNA 'Cause then life in the new ice age might not be so hard -- and we'll be Chorus When you venture out, riding on your Tauntaun Be careful not to stay out too long in the night Or you might want to take a pop-up igloo and survival kit So you won't have to cut up your Tauntaun and spend the night inside -- 'cause we'd rather be Chorus & tag ___
7.
HELP MY UNBELIEF Running through the course of human events Causes and effects, roads paved with good intents Difficult to see any purpose in the chaos Chorus: So please Help my unbelief Ooh Help my unbelief Struggling to comprehend all I read, and see and hear Afraid of disembodied writing hands that may appear To tally up my failures, shortcomings, fears and doubts Chorus My philosophies are all heresies Help my unbelief, help my unbelief My words and deeds are mere absurdities Help my unbelief, help my unbelief My fondest dreams are only sinful schemes Chorus x2 'Cause I'm straining to see some purpose in the chaos
8.
I THINK I'LL RUN FOR CONGRESS I think I'll run for Congress 'cause I've got some bills to pay Vote myself a pay raise on the very first day Give jobs to all my buddies, and even my family I don't know how much they'll bribe me, I'll just have to wait and see Chorus: Politics, that's the life for me It fits my arrogant, megalomaniacal, personality I'll get my name in the papers and my face on your T.V. And take good care of myself, my friends and my family -- yes, that's the life for me I'd like to be called "honorable," but I'm really not that good I do lots of things I shouldn't do, and not the ones I should I'm not a good role model and I've burned a lot of bridges I'm probably unelectable because I tell it like it is Chorus I won't make you any promises and I'll only tell you lies If I think I can get away with it, or call it a surprise Kissing babies at campaign stops, kissing interns in the halls Looking out for any scandals so I can get involved Chorus I'd like to run for Congress, and play the political game But I don't have very much money, to wage a big campaign I'm okay with giving speeches and debating might be fun If I took myself more seriously, then I might really run Chorus But I think I'll run for Congress and even if I lose I'll use my lack of knowledge to be a pundit on the news Or maybe land a teaching gig at some university If they can mix their political science with my engineering degree Chorus Oh, won't you vote for me? ___
9.
DAY TO DAY DISGUISES Pondering my own insecurity Wondering about the reasons why I am the way I am My permanent and personal insanity Can I ever come to understand the boy within the man? Chorus: Can I be the only one who wears disguises day to day? I've heard "all the world's a stage," but I don't know what part to play When I try to play the hero I know I really act the fool I'm improvising badly ... forgetting all my lines and missing all my cues ... Trying to make sense of my reality Perceptions and illusions, truths and lies and make-believe Questioning my faith and my maturity Will the fears that haunt my dreams and waking hours never leave? Often disappointed in humanity We're think we're far evolved but we've got a long way yet to go Admitting to my lack of objectivity I can't be your Fair Witness, or keep my emotions in control Chorus Bridge: I'm not even sure what I'm doing anymore I don't think I was sure in the beginning I never really know which is the right way to go Or if the race I'm running is worth winning ... so I'm Considering the limits of mortality It's the gateway to the future that we're destined to pass through Offering you proof of my sincerity If it takes laying down my life, then that is what I'll give to you Chorus ___
10.
FINDING SERENITY Every battle has unintended consequences Especially when you're on the losing side When you sacrificed your youthful dreams to fight for freedom And you still see the faces of the friends you left behind When you lost your faith because it failed to bring you victory And you can't reconcile the simple facts of loss And you can't survive under the eyes of their benevolent dictators Because you've got to breathe free, no matter what the cost ... (repeat line) ... so you Chorus: Find a ship and call a crew and seek your freedom in the flight And keep flying on, far as you can, throughout the endless night And keep searching for that glorious place where you can finally be free Where you can ease your mind and rest your soul and find . . . Serenity They say they seek Alliance but they just want to control you Every aspect of every mortal life They want your blind obedience and in exchange they offer safety Why don't the citizens see through all their lies? They give thanks on Unification Day and they dare to call you traitor And their reach extends a little farther every year Things will all be shiny if you can just stay Independent And you'll never give up flying if the way ahead is clear ... (repeat line) ... you will Chorus Bridge: Finding Serenity may be a lifetime's futile quest A pearl of great price that you'd give everything to possess Harder to discover than treasure or true love But there's a piece of it inside you and sometimes that's enough ... to Chorus & Tag ___

about

Songs inspired variously by: Firefly/Serenity, Star Trek, Star Wars, and many other shows; the Monster Hunter International series by Larry Correia, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and many other stories; every arrogant, megalomaniacal politician who ever served a day in public office; Moses, Peter, Thomas, and many other Biblical figures who show that even inarticulate, inconsistent, and doubting people are welcome in God's Kingdom; and more.

If you like a song, share it with your friends. (If not, share it with your enemies.)
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credits

released August 21, 2013

Words and music by Gray Rinehart
Arrangements by Mark Minervino

Gray Rinehart: Lead and some backing vocals
Mark Minervino: Instruments and backing vocals
Christopher Rinehart: Violin on "Finding Serenity"

Engineered and mixed by Mark Minervino at MKM Studios, Cary, NC
Mastered by Brian Ceccarelli at Talus Music (talusmusic.com), Apex, NC
Published by Gray Rinehart (graymanwrites.com), Cary, NC

Photography by Paul Cory Photography (paulcory.com)
Typography and graphic design by Christopher Rinehart

Special Thanks ...
To Edmund Schubert for his lyrical contribution to "Day to Day Disguises."
To James Maxey for requesting an original song for his Winter Tales event.
To Stephen Weese and Fans For Christ for the genesis of "Dare to Do Great Things."
To Betty Adorno, Stephanie Rinehart, Elizabeth Scott, and Jessica Smith (pictured inside the CD and on the bonus image, with Gray).
To my wife, Jill, and my family and friends, for encouragement, opportunities, and inspiration.
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Gray Rinehart North Carolina

Gray Rinehart writes science fiction, fantasy, assorted nonfiction, and the odd song. Or odd songs.

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