Get all 14 Jake Gussman releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of I Can Sincerely Say I've Tried, the princeton e.p., Love I Shouldn't Feel & Friends I Shouldn't Have, Easy (2023 Single Version), When the Woods Whisper (2023 Single Version), The Midnight & Morning EP, Baby Boy, Damage Control: Demos for our Friends, and 6 more.
1. |
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[Verse 1]
When he was young, the world was small[
The people and places seemed so tall
Riding home in your car, head out the window and hair on the wind
The evening leaves they seemed to call him
Through winding streets and neighborhoods
He pedaled; he pushed as fast as he could
Trusting only tires and steel to hold his weight
If he could move fast enough, he’d be safe
[Chorus 1]
Garages and basements and trees are the most accepting place that a boy will ever see
‘cause the people may scream but the woods only whisper
[Verse 2]
He heard the crashes in his dreams
But he woke up to a louder reality
In bed he tried to sew the seams
He thought if these sheets could only swallow me
In old photos he’d never smile
Sometimes he could only be a problem child
Behind these walls or off for miles
Doesn’t matter sometimes these things just take awhile
[Chorus 2]
Garages and basements and trees are the most accepting place that a boy will ever see
‘cause the people may scream but the woods only whisper
[Bridge]
He’s all alone in the forest
He wonders if they’ll even notice as the roots let loose that he’s falling down
[Chorus 3]
Garages and basements and trees are the most accepting place that a boy will ever see
‘cause the people may scream but the woods only whisper
The people may scream but the woods only whisper [x3]
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2. |
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3. |
The Devil's Friends
02:41
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[Intro]
Better days they come and pass. We’ll have to work to make them last
It’s worth it all if you’ll smile just once more
[Verse 1]
The devils friends take turns to beat
Her up until she cannot sleep
She smiles she smiles he’s gone away
The pain comes back another day
She asks her god “is this the end”
“Should I pack up and leave my friends?”
He says the end you’ve yet to meet
‘Cause it’s yourself you can’t defeat
[Refrain]
Is it time that we leave this all behind?
Don’t worry darling; another day comes after night
Forget the part of us that eats you up inside
Just remember it gets easier with time
[Verse 2]
Depression comes to hold your hand
To stab you before you can stand
Oh my darling please believe
Your faith and love I cannot see
I’ll hold you close and mend your heart
And give our love a brand new start
The day’s so long, I feel so weak
I pray the lord my soul to keep
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4. |
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[Verse 1]
I don’t know you As well as I’d like
All I know is things are gonna get a little complicated on the other side
Me and my ex, we been hangin’ out
How can I tell her there’s someone new that I been thinking about?
Met her at a party up in central jersey now she’s coming to another at my good friend’s house
Ain’t a thing gonna be alright; gonna get to drunk tonight
Probably say something stupid gonna make a damn admission of the insecurities inside
[Pre Chorus 1]
Friendships are getting harder The distance is feeling farther from you.
It’s all because I hold onto
[Chorus 1]
Love I shouldn’t feel. Friends I shouldn’t have. And time I shouldn’t waste on chances
I didn’t have
[Verse 2]
I asked you out. You said “let’s be friends”. You see for me this was something new
You said you were taken but you must be mistaken I won’t listen ‘til I see the proof
This was the first thought of dating since the two year relation with the first girl I ever had
Stress took us under then we had a crazy summer now the fall has got me feeling bad
When it came down to it, it’s the point that I missed, that sometimes you gotta take a step back
Let my friend make mistakes let my ex take a break give myself a moment to relax
[Pre Chorus 2]
I’m losing track of the truth
And I really don’t know what to do
It’s all because I hold onto
[Chorus 1]
Love I shouldn’t feel. Friends I shouldn’t have. And time I shouldn’t waste on chances
I didn’t haaaave!!
[Break down]
And I can’t stop thinking of these women like they’re all a chance
Like I can’t just relax and have a girl as a friend without thinking about making a pass
The truth is I never really saw you as you were
cause’ when I get in my head, and I pick at the dead all the lines they begin to blur
So maybe I’ll turn to drinking so I can stop thinking
My friends are getting high, now they seem a bit different
The states separate us like sister from brother
It was time for one now it’s time for another
and now
Nobody’s sober
Do we remember each other?
And we’re all gonna take it back
in the morning
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5. |
The Procedure
02:13
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As I Wait Alone For you
I hear the sounds within
I don’t care to listen to
I don’t know that you care as I stare
There’s something empty
And I hear your voice it won’t stop
And there’s nothing to do
As it rings too true just like
The break within you
Don’t wanna keep clearing my head
Just to Forget You
Just to Forget You
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6. |
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7. |
Already
03:32
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[Verse 1]
You stare at me while I sleep
At least a gentleman can dream
Still the summer tastes so sweet
With you two years apart two weeks
I feel like myself about once a day
But it’s okay That’s what they say
I talk to him I talk to her
They’re not the same as you were!
[Chorus]
And she knows what she wants ‘cause she’s already gone
I don’t know what I want; it’s probably what I’ve got
And I feel self-assured in these words
As you’ve heard
I don’t feel anything that’s alright I’ll just sing
[Verse 2]
There’s really no reason not to like you
But it can be scary starting something new
Maybe I wasn’t ready for the end
But I can’t rebound on all my friends
I guess life’s a joke and then I’ll choke
Upon these words as if you’ve heard
That I’ll be down around this town
Fighting off the need to see you around!
[Chorus]
And she knows what she wants ‘cause she’s already gone
I don’t know what I want; it’s probably what I’ve got
I still care for you dear but your voice I can’t hear
In my ear all along ‘cause you already
Gooooooone!!!!!!!!! Goooooooone!!!!!!
[Break-Down]
I didn’t expect to see you with another guy
When you told me you needed time you looked me in the eye
They said that you lied
but it doesn’t feel right
I’ll probably be sleeping heavy on this for a month or two of nights.
Now she knows what she want but she’s already gone [x4]
Goooooooone!!!!!! Goooooooone!!!!!!
Goooooooone!!!!!! Goooooooone!!!!!!
At least for a week
Maybe a few
I’ll find something to do
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8. |
Letting Go (interlude)
00:54
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9. |
Dysphoria
04:00
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It’s been seeming to me lately
That you don’t know me Any longer
I expected you to hate me
Because I am slowly getting farther
From the person I used to be
Who I once was is falling deeper
Into the confusion inside me
And thinking clearly is getting harder
Friction’s building between friends
Our birthday candles burn both ends
The loneliness is setting in
Is it a sin when we turn to our vices to burn it down again?
I’m still bursting out in anger
I thought it’d be better by now
Lust and love are latent landmarks
If I could leave them, just hope my car starts
I’m losing contact with my context
And life seems sacred only in past tense
The present tense is pressing weaker
As if somewhere back there there’s something sweeter
These open doors are closing in
The clarity cracks through the din
The loneliness is setting in
Is it a sin when we turn to our vices to burn it down again?
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10. |
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All you wanted I could never be
But I could cause you trouble quite faithfully
Still this break feels wrong ‘cause in your eyes I see
The warmest home from which I’d ever want to flee
I could show you if you’d only see
That I could leave this life I you’d just let me
Plunge me into darkness leave me be
Because the candle of your love can’t set me free
Forget me finally Forget me finally
Got my tangled rope all tied up with yours
And I brought my stress right up to your door
I don’t know if I have enough in store
Unless you expect less I’ll disappoint you more
I’m on trouble waters and my minds at war
And my sanity has surely washed ashore
I’m a danger to myself and all my friends
But I never thought this love would have to end
I’m always late, I’m always listless, Always in need of forgiveness
I’ll make you sad, I’ll make you miss this inclination to just exist
I’ll waste your time and all my friends; I’ll fight with myself to the end
The past and present brought me one wish
To just learn to let go of some things
Finally
Forget me Finally
Forget me Finally
Forget me let me be
Forget me Finally
Just forget me
Sometimes I dream I’d drive away Ride for miles nowhere to stay
Pull the wheel and end my life it makes my stomach sick at night
Chasing thoughts of razor blades getting crazier each day
If you’re the cliff: I’m at the bottom too nervous to solve my problems
I broke your heart but you broke mine first ‘cause you’ve seen me at my very worst
Just when we get settled in then it will all happen again
Pull away from all my friends but it’s harder that way in the end
It’s all just a selfish fantasy
Wish I could forget it
Finally
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11. |
Princeton
05:58
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The moths are flying towards the light
You’ve been dancing in their shadows through the night
If you’re unsure what to do, don’t worry I see you
I’ll lend my hand I’ll give you my advice
I can’t believe the time you’ve wasted just to be
With a manager who could never manage faithfully
Now he’s got you down and the tide’s come up
And the things you’ve done are eroding us
This has come down to a simple thing. When it’s not about you it’s about him
And the tears you’ll cry through your naïve eyes but you saw this coming
And the way he steals the way you feel it’s a long time coming
There must be a different way. Don’t you play dumb with me.
I’ll read your texts, we’ll talk all night, you’ll waste my time
You want pity for your sadness but you’ll never make it right
How could you defend a coward who is hiding from the truth?
He says “I’ll talk to you when I talk to you”
But he was never there to leave you
I don’t care if she’s a bitch he’s still her man and she’s alive
You hoped for this all along and now you’ve crossed a line
You can sleep with whom you like
but I’ll tell you when you’re wrong and when I’m right
The tears you’ll cry through your naïve eyes but you saw this coming
And the way he steals the way you feel it’s a long time coming
Don’t you lie I know you see. The truth is out, so who you gonna be?
I never meant to hurt you; I only wanted you to see
If it’s worth trusting him is it worth trusting me?
What happened to the innocence that we once knew
What was lies and what was truth?
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12. |
Shelter (interlude)
01:15
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13. |
Braided
02:36
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How do you say goodbye to a friend
When all you know is braided ‘til the end?
Can’t forget or just pull a lever
All mixed up and worse for the weather
I had a second thought the other day
I saw You’re doing better and that’s great
Should everybody get right back together?
All mixed up and worse for the weather
It makes you question yourself
And put your heart on a shelf
You wonder “what did I say?”
Either it’s wrong or it’s gray
Another chance will not make it better
All mixed up and worse for the weather
‘cause I remember every time that you cried
Always drama ensued; It’s good times coupled with lies
Maybe apart from the past is not a bad place to be
Let’s face the truth you were a bad friend to me
We were bad friends can’t you see?
It’s not like before
I don’t know how to talk to you anymore
I know you can’t say goodbye to the truth
I guess it’s just the past You’ve gotta lose
It’s gonna hurt before it gets better
All mixed up and worse for the weather
It makes you question yourself
You put your mind on a shelf
You wonder “am I an ass?”
Forget it all in the past
We tried it over again
It didn’t fit in the end
Commit it to memory
We’re braided eternally`
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14. |
Fence Sitter
05:13
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Ever since high school I been careening for this blinding life
And I feel ten years older damn near every night
Everybody round here’s shootin’ for the country or the city scene
Somehow they think they’re better coming from in-between
I don’t know my neighbors, and they don’t like me neither
Half of my friends’ parents are divorced but mine are much worse off together
Every yard has a fence, everything stops making sense
I swear to god I forgot to dream. These nights keep passing without sleep
I am well aware that this life ain’t just a dream,
But this ain’t nothin’ like those nights we’re dreamin’ of
And I am fine and well with living in the suburban scene
But this ain’t nothin’ like those lives we been dreamin’ up
I am mighty proud livin’ with the life I lead
But this ain’t nothin’ like those dreams you been givin’ up
Somewhere along the lines we all stopped hangin’ out
Everybody started smokin’ and faded into the crowd
Sitting round here getting drunk with all my friends
As if a bottle of jack could tie up all of our loose ends
Always watched more king of the hill than I ever felt like Family Matters
All you get is a family tree and a status stick to measure
You used to draw comics and play in bands, Now all of your dreams are lying at the bottom of some empty cans
Anywhere else feels like the place to be, when you’re hangin’ around in bars like these
I am well aware that this life ain’t just a dream,
But this ain’t nothin’ like those nights we’re dreamin’ of
I am mighty proud keepin’ all your company
but this ain’t nothing like the lives we’re dreamin’ up
So grab another drink and then pass one back to me
cause this ain’t nothin like those, dreams I been giving up
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15. |
Outside (interlude)
00:45
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16. |
Down Wind
04:35
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I smell a memory upon the breeze; it makes me feel like I am home
If I could find it now I’d turn around, follow it back where it came from
You have your friends to help you through the hard time when you’re only feeling low
But times like these it seems to me you simply have to find yourself alone
Jealousy ain’t worth a damn to me you see we all get second chances
To get all that we want and probably there’ll be a couple more romances
What we had was beautiful and I’ll always have a special place for you
But I have to rely on myself now. It’s getting easier to do
It’s growing with every year and now the truth is coming clear that
All I’ve seen. And What I’ve done. We’ll see it all pass in time.
It may seem that everybody’s found their happiness beyond your door.
But you can’t live comparative, so stand with your own feet upon the floor.
You’ll rush to find the finish line but all you’ll see is the familiar reality
That you need some consistency; you cheat yourself by changing your life constantly
How’s my life gone on so far? It feels like everything has come apart
And there’s a sadness sinking in so deep I can’t tell where it ends and where I start
The weight of your mistakes will drag you down unless you learn to let them go
And it’s time you recognize that you’re not perfect but you’re better than you know
It’s growing with every year and now the truth is coming clear that
All I’ve felt, and all I’ve learned, we’ll see it all pass in time.
When you get too aggravated
You become the anger that you’ve hated
When you’re complaining and you’re fighting
It’s only yourself you’re stifling
Its self-destructive Instigating, Can’t you see the time you’re wasting so
If you don’t like the life you’re living, turn it into something different
‘Cause memories they seem so fleeting but present time is faster even and
You and I will meet again sometime
but not tonight…tonight
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17. |
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I wanted to be wading into deeper waters but you always gotta check the coastI remember the moment, the clouds as they came
The distance from everything as they took my reason all away
Suddenly I felt like I was alone watching the new growth as they became decay
Couldn’t tell you the reason, why things went astray
My insecurities caught up with me just when I really thought I got away
It chases me down again [x3]
It chases me down
And it always feels the same, it always feels the same
It always feels the same, I hate it.
But it always goes away, it always goes away
It always goes away, I’m waiting
Something is missing; I hope the bottom is close
I don’t know whether this is heaven or hell but for me it’s a little bit of both
I only want to understand the life I’m living but the future seems to be a ghost
Motivations eroding, I started feeling alone
When sanity becomes a fragile thing are you the parasite or are you the host?
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18. |
Still Life
02:44
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19. |
Easy
03:05
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When I was young, time it slowly passed
But when it was fun, well it never seemed to last
Your friends our bikes and the convenience store
Every crush a closed door but I was busy drawing pictures on the floor
And I don’t know, nothing seems, special anymore
Your sudden screams, the broken glass, and the toys across the floor
It comes to me, in images, and faded memories
It’s always been the simple things that make it easy
The simple things they make it easy
The simple things they make it easy
To feel nostalgia, for the past forever gone
Always closer to the end, I think I knew it all along
These cops in my house, ask if I’m alright
Christmas tree on its side, Drywall holes, but I nod as though it’s fine
Get the hell out of my house, with your badge and your questions
All my demons live here, so why don’t you just let them
And I know, and I know, and I know, and I know
That eventually you’d show
I could have thought without a song, life could have left me all alone
Pious in your views, but lovely eyes aglow
Buried in your beliefs, but it ain’t above nor down below
It’s a curve, it’s a kiss
It’s the hand that holds the pain
It’s a voice, it’s the truth
It’s singing gonna keep me sane
It’s the fall before the plea
And it’s time I finally see
It’s always been the simple things that make it easy
The simple things they make it easy
The simple things they make it easy
The simple things they make it easy yeah
And I knew it all along
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Jake Gussman Medford, New Jersey
My New Album: I Can Sincerely Say I've Tried has been in the works for my entire adult life and I really think you'll love
it.
I tried so hard to tell the story of suburban youth and adolescence and tell it beautifully.
Album out Friday Nov 10th
Singles out now.
Princeton EP out now.
I hope you like it
... more
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