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Cardboard Ox (2015 EP)

by Cardboard Ox

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CDs will be shipped at the beginning of November. Comes in an eco-friendly sleeve with artwork by Jesse Thompson and Matthew Clowney.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Cardboard Ox (2015 EP) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Old Pete White could never erase His pale blue eyes or the scar on his face That runs below his left eye across his cheek Only makes him look just a little more antique Born and raised as a fisherman's son One hand in the ocean and the other one Grabbing on to whatever he could hold Like a trap, or maybe faith or just fools gold Living on his boat like a second home A wooden frame on the water with a little chrome And rust And he can't believe it's been three years The sea has taken all his tears Damn those shores that hold him in He'll never see that face again Taught his son from the age of nine How to haul a net and how to tow a line Fishing's the only thing he's ever had Passing wisdom to his son from his own dad And that boy learned quick and he grew up fast You don't have a choice if you want to last Out on the North Atlantic Sea Cause in this line of work there's never a guarantee And you gamble and pray every single night Cause you never know when your good luck just might Run out And he can't believe it's been three years The sea has taken all his tears Damn those shores that hold him in He'll never see that face again Whenever they'd ask him about his scar Well he'd get real quiet and he seemed so far Came across as being unaware Either lost in thought or maybe lost in prayer The people who knew didn’t bother to ask About the scar or about the past They all knew the story of old Pete And the local townies all wanted to be discrete He runs his finger across that mark All day until the sky turns dark And he can't believe it's been three years The sea has taken all his tears Damn those shores that hold him in He'll never see that face again Now the paint on the boat has gotten chipped and stale With a sign on the front that says for sale
2.
Falling 04:42
Is this how it feels when something you never expect Sings sweet the siren song until you dive into the wreck And is this how it feels when your heart rattles in your chest Like snake eyes on the table staring at your Sunday best I don't know, I don't know I don't ever want to know I don't know, I don't know I don't ever want to know Is this how it feels when you try tilling frozen ground But pray the seeds stay silent until springtime comes around And is this how it feels when you go driving in the mist And inch by inch you hope that home waits at the end of this You tell me so, you tell me so We don't ever want to know You tell me so, you tell me so We don't ever want to know Cause it feels like flying When you're falling This is how it feels when your mouth is full of dirt There's a secret and a switchblade inside of every word And this is how it feels with the hand that we've been dealt It's fine, it's fair, we're better off Just keep it to yourself And now I know, now I know That I don't ever want to know Now I know, now I know That I don't ever want to know That it feels like flying When you're falling
3.
Well they brought me in to see her putting up her final fight Oh and the shadows on her face were dancing from the candlelight And I wished that I could give her any parts that I could spare Because the broken parts she had were just too far beyond repair And we stood around the bedside and we sang Amazing Grace Cause that song would always bring the biggest smile right to her face Well I didn't want to lose it and I tried with all my might When she took my hand and smiled at me on that quiet, quiet night A true matriarch well all the kings would bow down at her feet She became a mother fairly young and drank her whiskey neat Well it made her numb but it made her tough she never did lose sight That love was still the greatest weapon, love could win the hardest fight And she fought with both arms open for her neighbors and the poor And she never turned away a stranger knocking at her door She was socially adept, she was clever and polite I remembered everything she was on that quiet, quiet night Her husband was a farmer who was up before the sun Oh and the daylight was his wristwatch she always knew when he was done Then one year there was a problem, the government came by And took the land behind the tree line but she saw right through the lie And she marched to City Hall and told them all it's not for sale So they held her in contempt and threw her in the county jail Well she never backed down from the threats and in the end she won the fight We reminisced about that story, on that quiet, quiet night Her husband died twelve years ago but she stayed in their home And even though she lived all by herself she never was alone Cause au the good she did came back to her over tenfold more And everyone took turns to visit or to bring her to the store Now tonight she takes her final breaths it all just seems surreal My emotions span across the board, I'm not sure how to feel Just past eight o'clock her body becomes quiet in the light Now she's made her way to the other side on this quiet, quiet night
4.
I don't miss the east side, not one little bit I'm on the other side of town now, I escaped that tiresome shit Rich white housewives in the park with cappuccino breath Their kids are so well mannered until they trample you to death I don't miss the east side, glad I got that off my chest And I don't miss that hound dog barking in my neighbor's yard Always howling out the window when the moon rose high and far They never paid him any mind or took him for a walk His lonesome cries could terrorize three surrounding blocks I don't miss that hound dog he was dumb as a cardboard box And I don't miss that black cat who came scratching at my door Or that one old stubborn nail was always poking out the floor And I don't miss the front porch swing where we would sit and sway And watch the clear cool evening swallow one more sunny day I don't miss seeing your face everywhere I went Always showing off that new girl like you were president It's just like I told you in those letters that I sent My heart is mostly mended, maybe just a little bent I don't miss seeing your big blue eyes everywhere I went I don't miss the east side, not one little bit I'm on the other side of town now, I escaped that tiresome shit It was like a t-shirt that never seemed to fit Or maybe that was me who started growing out of it I don't miss the east side, not one little bit
5.
Under 04:35
The sky parted and the sea started to swell When the waves rolled, they swallowed me whole And nobody else could tell Where I stood there was empty space Every shadow had been erased No blue eyes, no red mouth, no trace One more girl gone away Under, don't you weep Under, rock me to sleep Under, don't mourn for me Now I'm under, five miles deep Oooh, bury me Bury my memory Bury my memory When I stopped doubting fins were sprouting right through my skin The whales whispered, Oh my sister Begin, begin, begin Now forget everything you knew It's just static and residue There's no choice, this is what you choose Fade into the blue Under, don't you weep Under, rock me to sleep Under, don't mourn for me Now I'm under, five miles deep Oooh, bury me Bury my memory Bury my memory
6.
Face to Face 03:41
I want to reclaim all the years I spent inside a fog I was a hammer desperately seeking out a nail Then you came along, it's like our voices became one And this story had begun and we set sail I have a wide past like the Mississippi River And it creeps up on those levees like a thief So I decided that it was time to move to higher ground What I lost and what I found was a relief And all this time that we've been spending face to face And all the things you've said have kept my head in a better place And when those thoughts creep in and I begin To feel like I'm losing the fight Well I can just look across at you And know that everything will be alright Yeah I can just look across at you and it will be alright We all have hard times can we conquer them with patience But that clock keeps pushing back on everyday Time is a killer, soon we'll be off to meet our makers We're the movers not the shakers in this play I'm not a gambler but I'm taking all my chances Giving up the ghosts and the guarantees And Lady Luck, well I won't be traveling with her For my money you're much better company And all this time that we've been spending face to face And all the things you've said have kept my head in a better place And when those thoughts creep in and I begin To feel like I'm losing the fight Well I can just look across at you And know that everything will be alright Yeah I can just look across at you and it will be alright Well I thought I only needed sunshine I was so naive But I started wilting heavy and I lost most of my leaves The rain came hard and jarred my fragile frame until I realized The struggle's only there to keep you alive I want to reclaim all the years I spent inside a fog I was a hammer desperately seeking out a nail Then you came along it's like our voices became one And this story had begun and we set sail

about

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Ross Lenzing at Lion Recording Studio in Cranston, RI

credits

released October 24, 2015

Tracie Potochnik: vocals, guitar, mandolin
Steve Allain: vocals, guitar, banjo
Amato Zinno: upright bass

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Cardboard Ox Providence, Rhode Island

Well-established as solo performers in their home state of Rhode Island, Tracie Potochnik and Steve Allain joined forces in the spring of 2014 when Tracie showed up on Steve's doorstep with her mandolin and said, "Let's write a song together!" The two have since formed a duo featuring sweet and soulful harmony, thoughtful musicianship, and delicately crafted lyrical storytelling. ... more

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