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Stones, Bones and Boxes

by Astra Kelly

/
1.
Excuse Me, Sir Why just today a drunk man in filthy pants tried to kiss me in the middle of a song. Big ole’ wet wine-smellin’ lips comin’ at me, I of course had my eyes closed really into it. Oh....... and I said excuse me sir, didn’t you see me standin’ here? Pardon me sir, didn’t you see me standin’ here? Excuse me mister, I was standin’ here. sometimes I wish they’d all just go away. Chorus: I don’t really know who they think I am. I’m sure they’d say I’m like someone else. I beleive that everybody’s different. with a different job here and different stories to tell. I ran into a door to door preacher sellin’ knives just the other day. He said you’re going to go to hell if you don’t buy this today. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no. and I said excuse me sir, didn’t you see me standin’ here? Pardon me sir, didn’t you see me standin. here? Excuse me mister preacherman, I was standin’ here. Sometimes I wish they’d all just go away. Chorus: I don’t really know who they think I am. i’m sure they’d say I’m like someone else, but I believe that every body's different. With a different job here and different stories to tell. Well, a nice man strolled up to me just the other day. he had carnations painted blue. he did a dance, whistled a tune, threw me a flower and just skipped away. Oh...yeah. and I said thank you sir for seein’ me standin’ here thank you sir for noticin’ me standin’ here. See me, I can see you, did you see me standin’ here?
2.
Evolutionary 04:34
EVOLUTIONARY This is only the beginning, this is only the beginning. Only the beginning gonna’ wake up, gonna’ wake up one day. Only the beginning gonna’ wake up, gonna’ wake up on the way. seeing myself as it comes around, comes around naturally. see it for yourself as it comes around, comes around naturally. Oh and mother nature knows we’ve got to get back to the soul It’s Evolutionary. Circle on, come around, follow it, come on hurry. Circle on, come around, follow it, come on hurry. Come along, follow it, feel it come alive with me. Come along, follow it, feel it, come alive with me. Oh and mother nature knows we’ve got to get back to the soul It’s Evolutionary. This is only the beginning....
3.
Maya 06:08
Maya Maya, Maya there she goes she takes her time but she never knows where she’s going, even where she’s been Maya look at the trouble you’re in She waits with patience, she knows no wrong she prays her heart out and it keeps her going strong she thinks so clearly but walks the other way Maya, she’s lost her heart today. Chorus: She talks and laughs about the days that go by She sees the things that people do and asks why? There aint’ no way, there aint’ no way there aint’, there aint’, there aint’ nothin’ left to say. Maya waits for her train outside she sings in the stairwell and it echoes thru her mind her dark hair blowin’, her hands a little cold she takes a deep breathe and then checks the time Maya’s waited all her life for people, places really anything at all and when her fears have all been realized after that moment another one comes to call. Chorus: She talks and laughs about the days that go by she sees the things that people do and asks why? There aint’ no way, there aint’ no way There aint’ there aint’, there aint’ nothin’ left to say. Bridge: She lets the cold in brings with her the rain she pours the coffee but caffeine drives her insane. Maya close that door. Close that door.
4.
Here’s My Shoes Don’t you see? We must move ahead Check out our feet and take the next steps We cannot continue, we cannot survive We simply cannot live without opening your mind You see there’s this place we haven’t been, well of course you cannot see it C’mon let me take you in, I tell you you won’t believe it The most sensually exotic, insatiably erotic place I’ve ever been Turn your head and look at me for the first time in your life Here’s my shoes Just put em on and I would be there right beside you baby Here’s my shoes Just put em on and I would be there walking, keeping time Barefoot beside you Are you that fucking blind To think we all just live and die I have given you my hope I have given you my heart I have given you my love and my time and my words and my sight And my efforts and anger and sex and my pride And everything I thought you needed to make you realize Something, anything And you took all of that. Never listened to a word that I said Never let me come to a conclusion about if there’s hope for you I’m sorry to be a little harsh my friend But things can’t continue as they have been So listen.. Here’s my shoes Just put em on and I would be there right beside you baby Here’s my shoes Just put em on and I would be there walking, keeping time Barefoot beside you Are you afraid, is that what it is? Afraid that you actually might find something more intense more primal More contradictory to anything you’ve ever seen? Oh, I really think it’s up to you And I know it’s an easy job to play the fool And somebody’s got to do it, but baby it can no longer be you Cuz if I’m in this and I am and you want this as bad as it seems You gotta give a little, shut up a little, listen to me a little Quit running away to your safe little world I’m offering you a chance to see this thru Let me take you Here’s my shoes Just put em on and I would be there right beside you baby Here’s my shoes Just put em on and I would be there walking, keeping time Barefoot beside you Honey, at this point you really got nothing to lose I would be right there for you I would be there for you
5.
Why would You Want To Do That? People are always walking away from me like I said something wrong like words were the disease. but if you turn your back on me how am I to know if I said something wrong or offended you without even trying. You see... honesty isn't about being wrong or right cuz' you can always hide the ugliness with a little white lie. I embrace your differences, now at least accept mine are you part of a bigger picture, or a prisoner in your logical mind? what is the mind, if we don't feed our thoughts, and what is hunger if the food passes right thru us? this cell isn't big enough for both you and me you could stare through your bars, while we all run free. but why would you want to do that? tell me....... I'm asking you.. why would you want to do that? My house is a library with all the books in the middle of the floor, I am putting things back in order, I can't rely on chance anymore. How can I find what I need, if my house is a mess? I will put the books back on the shelf and use the floor to dance. If I need information, I'll just look it up, I am cleaning up my rooms, writing page by page, and whistling a tune while I work. I have opened up my windows.....OH...now I have a view.
6.
Among the Spirit world Like a ghost, I am invisible an apparition.... with knowing eyes and a vibrant soul. but today I am alone. Simply observing, traveling through dimensions and ignoring the clock. Within love, I am mad wearing white, I silently tiptoe through these halls with my fellow observers of life. I AM ALIVE. I create my own freedom, coinciding with my identity. I create my own world, and it seems to me that I am alone today, Maybe its best to be alone. to remain silent, though I am desperate for a voice. Constantly seeking, constantly changing, and making my reality. BUT THERES DAYS like today when everything I thought was true and real, spins and whorls out of control, leaves a ghostly haze upon my soul, then scatters to a hundred-billion pieces. Among the spirit world, nothing seems tangible though the light illuminates my being. IN THE SHADOWS it seems far, far away, but the road is golden, paved by those who have traveled that way, those who have walked the great distance........and cried many tears. FOR THE JOURNEY I know..........seems long and dreadful, but each moment filled with the wonder of life. My passion is strong, but today my vision is weak. so I glide knowing that above the surface of the waves, I will return safely to shore eventually.
7.
Watching Wasps Today, I am not afraid to be stung, to be hurt Pain is an emotional teacher, and if it is knowledge we seek then why are we afraid to experience everything? For in experience we may truly know, this is the best teacher....LIFE. In living we will become aware, in awareness we, as persons will find that these glass houses in which we live, are those walls that have been built. Break the glass? NO.......why, when there is a door? but now the door is locked from the outside, and the world is strolling by and we are calling, "hey somebody let me out!" but out there the world is the same, and in here our reality is changing, so we give up, and we grow hungry and tired, and we starve, and we wither away. Once upon a time I awoke to find myself torn and tattered.........but I could see until the ends of the earth. and I stood and looked upon a whole new world, a place of possibility where so much more could be done by everyone. and I turned to see the glass was now a mirror and there was me. and I looked into my own eyes, and saw that which is truly me. and I ran.... towards the image, towards the glass shattering, I fell to the other side into the world unlocked FREE. With the scars of my imprisonment, I stepped into life, and now I am ready, and I am ecstatic.
8.
Krishna 05:06
Krishna Had some time to kill, too restless to sleep Figured I’d come see you, that is, if you’d like to see me So, I’m here to see you and I watch you while a scattered barfly rambles on beside me You’re so smooth, tending the sheep feeding the flock, and I think, you make me think Chorus: Does anybody really know you? Have you ever been alone? Does somebody love you? Is there something in there you can’t let anyone see? Are you afraid of affecting people, of affecting me? So in a sea of blood red light and late night chatter I touch you and attempt to take you in And over and over curled on the bottom of the ocean floor I hear the melody, show me your soul And I wonder and I wander and we move And I think Chorus: Does anybody really know you? Have you ever been alone? Does somebody love you? Is there something in there you can’t let anyone see? Are you afraid of affecting people, of affecting me? I listen closely to your heart beating ferociously Inviting me to come inside, where it’s warm where it’s bright, where no one has anything to hide And there is no fear and we can all just love one another Come on people now smile on your brother And you make me think Chorus: Does anybody really know you? Have you ever been alone? Does somebody love you? Is there something in there you can’t let anyone see? Are you afraid of affecting people, of affecting me?
9.
Who I Am 04:32
Who I Am People are so protective of what they make What they create could be shared and bared so that I could really see you You know, I’m not trying to steal your precious truth I just think we should all start talking about the things we know Maybe we’d find we’ve been wrong Then maybe we’d finally be right A friend of mine and I were talking about dust clouds And how you gotta leave a few behind And how the space between crushing and uplifting Seems a very fine line sometimes But I give myself freely; I am who I am Let’s give ourselves freely, so we can be who we are Chorus: The earth shows us how to die every year when the winter comes Last year I died with her I came into this world screaming and I’m gonna leave it singing How come we stop growing, but we still grow old? People are so protective of what they make they create more and more ways to be afraid and with an ego bound mainstream and a world governed by fear I just think we all need to realize there’s a revolution going on here Maybe we’ll be blind and never ever see Or maybe we’ll find we don’t have to be It’s such a shame to see dreams die like watching a baby cry But if we give up when life becomes too hard How can we ever expect to survive? So I give myself freely, so that I can be me Let’s give ourselves freely so we can be who we need to be Chorus: The earth shows us how to die every year when the winter comes Last year I died with her I came into this world screaming and I’m gonna leave it singing How come we stop growing, but we still grow old?
10.
Teach Me to Love I can fly when the wind is high and washes through my widespread wings. Silence is my velocity free from ground I can see everything. The night has been calling me in the white light of the new moon. The day sends me a message, I said I'd be there soon. Teach me teach me to love teach me to love my hunger. I can glide through the silver sea like the wind it carries me. A letting go, a soaking in free from ground I can be everything. The tide has been calling me from the boundless depths of the timeless deep. It whispers come be a part of me, but I have already gone. Teach me teach me to love teach me to love my hunger.
11.
Brink of Things When I’m feeling on the brink of things And I’m starting to think about things And if I’m acting a little insane It’s simply cuz’ I was waiting to be saved Chorus: I start to think, why do people think That this day ain’t anything. My mind’s confused, my senses blown, my thoughts flown into Spring. I look back to where I’ve been, can’t see where I’m gonna go Doesn’t really matter, then again What do I know? Do, do, do, do ,do, do…… I’ve been there, once or twice Oh, no, no, no, no Maybe three times When I’m feeling on the brink of things And I’ve gotta gotta let loose of things And I’ve lost my direction and I’m afraid It’s simply cuz’ I was waiting to be saved Chorus: I start to think, why do people think That this day ain’t anything. My mind’s confused, my senses blown, my thoughts flown into Spring. I look back to where I’ve been, can’t see where I’m gonna go Doesn’t really matter, then again What do I know? Do, do, do, do ,do, do…… I’ve been there, once or twice Oh, no, no, no, no Maybe three times Maybe three times Maybe three times
12.
Back to the Oneness We fade into each other From an ancient time and place Blue became and then fluttered Oh, our saving grace And I did not hear the thunder In the flame of the morning, now it’s day And the sky oranged with the break of wonder Oh, I am taken away. Chorus: Somehow a thousand faces, become one She reflects on yesterday, while he is gone And the waters that flow, bring a rush of letting go And we sail into a calm On a wave of peace On a wave of peace Each piece of you wrapped, neatly folded I feel circle inside these bones Unlocks the door for all to see It is what sustains our breath. Inside we are each other, making us all one another Tell the new stories my friends, as we complete the ultimate Concrete journey back thru time We discover we can uncover a misuse of time And now here we are again, asking the questions but then Finding the answer. Lets head back to where we came from. Back to the one, back to the oneness Back to the one, back to the oneness Chorus: And our course cannot be broken, for our roots have grown to deep And we drift into one another, floating, floating on a wave of peace And tranquility, tranquility, oh, let’s go Let’s head back to the one, back to the oneness Back to the one, back to the oneness Back to the one, back to the one, back to the one, back to the one
13.
‘Til the Sun Rose Hiding in the shadows, he was waiting for me Took me by surprise, as I turned to see I didn’t expect to fall, but I woke to find him catching me He saved my soul, saved my life thankfully He was simple, as was I, livin’ life from day to day Had a dream in mind, just looking for a place Something missing, could it be a person, place or thing Oh Murphy smiled at me and I knew that it was him Chorus: When we held the time, we traveled thru the night Chasing a blind man, telling a tale Of some wanderer who robbed a man with an arrow We spoke words of wisdom and the night became day We had all the answers and we rode ‘til the rose ‘til the sun rose He bought me a drink and we talked about our adventures He toasted to our soon to come future He said, “to you”, “no, to you….to us.”, I said And then we drank a few just to celebrate He went away that day, promised to return How can my life be content while that fire still burns? Once upon a time, he told a fantasy Oh Murphy smiled at me, then he to leave Chorus: When we held the time, we traveled thru the night Chasing a blind man, telling a tale Of some wanderer who robbed a man with an arrow We spoke words of wisdom and the night became day And we held all the answers and we rode ‘til the rose ‘til the sun rose Oh, ‘til the sun rose Oh, ‘til the sun rose Oh, ‘til the sun rose

about

During a three-year stint with a touring jam rock band that almost got signed, Astra hit the streets of Chicago to hone her guitar skills and make some cash. Soon with a pocketful of songs of her own, she went solo and holed up in her Chicago apartment with engineers, Kevin Fugiel and Paul Wright, to record her first record, “Stones, Bones and Boxes.” Driving past a Louisiana graveyard her car mate asked, “how do you feel about graveyards?” and Astra’s reply was, “…just Stones, Bones and Boxes.” The A Ha album title moment came!

It was recorded in the summer of ’96 and featured a cast of characters from the Chicago scene…different players on each tune. It is an album with a concept. All of the songs are themed and laid out to inspire the dropping of the mask of self. Thus the album artwork…wearing a mask, and on the back, throwing the mask to the ground.

**You hear some really cool audio tricks if you listen to it with head phones.

credits

released January 1, 1996

All songs written by Astra Kelly
Recorded by Kevin Fugiel and Paul Wright at Astra's house
Mixed by: Kevin Fugiel and Paul Wright
Other mixers: Sean Morrison, Neil Gustafson, Scott Tallarida, Gerey Johnson
Photos by: Victor Sanabrais
Graphic Design: Brett Callero

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about

Astra Kelly San Diego, California

With a lyric-based, melodic sound and soaring vocals, Astra fuses her Chicago roots in blues and soul
with indie folk and alt-country. The lyrics read like poetry, speaking of emotional transformation and freedom. She's been nominated for nine SD Music Awards, her music video was showcased in the SD Film Fest. She wears many hats in the industry including helping others find their music mojo. ... more

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