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Dispatch from the Lesser Middle

by Tom Alter

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1.
A Wilderness 04:14
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I had a dream An old man sat down with a younger man A memory A ghost, a phantom, rising from his past Said you're just getting started In time you'll face a lot of hardship but Don't let the world get you downhearted You better buckle up 'Cause living takes a lot of trust If you're feeling pain remind yourself it's just there to instruct you (Take instruction from it) It's the structure (Take the structure from it) It's the barbed wire (Take instruction from it) Showing where you should not go We're in a wilderness Everyday the pathway's changing Only thing that's worse than losing is to keep from playing Most beasts you are hiding from are hiding too and just as scared as you Don't give up the dream to escape the nightmare Everyday is A wilderness Never knowing what you'll face Don't be afraid It's just a test The only way to fail is to give up and back down Young man buckle up Living takes a lot of trust If this sounds cliche Don't know another way I can instruct you If only I had A wise old man Tell me what he'd come to know when I was young.
2.
I Should Have Brought You Out 03:22
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Last night I should have brought you out I should have put you into my car And drove to where we could have seen the stars We should have traveled to the ocean So you could taste the salt spray on your lips And get a taste of freedom once again I should have brought you out I should have brought you out It was the last time I could have brought you out The last time we could share a laugh Talking 'bout the ironies of life I should have listened (I should have listened) to you reminisce With stories (I should have listened) that I've heard time and again (again) And lamented over all the friends we miss I could have brought you out I could have brought you out It comes out in my dreams (I should have listened, I should have listened) It's running through my head (I should have listened, I should have listened) It's too late to repair (I should have listened, I should have listened) It's something I, it's something I, it's something I Something I regret (I should have listened, I should have listened once again) (I should have listened, I should have listened once again) (I should have listened, I should have listened) (I should have listened, I should have listened) Last night I should have brought you out I should have put you into my car and Drove to where we could have seen the stars.
3.
Galapagos 05:11
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One million years from now What will we be? What will it mean to be living? What will it mean to be breathing? What will it mean to be human? Will we solely exist for survival? Satisfied to be living in exile On some islands just like Galapagos In endless days Ten thousand years from now Have we devolved? Through our own fault and misguided progress Automating our consciousness Leading us to uselessness Will we solely exist for survival? Satisfied to be living in exile On some islands just like Galapagos In endless days Obsolete Are we Only safe in a fort on an island We survive Still alive Isolated like Galapagos islands Isolated like Galapagos islands One thousand years from now What will be think? Have we given up hopes and dreams to microchips And artificial intelligence? Will our reason to live be nebulous? Will we solely exist for survival? Satisfied to be living in exile On some islands just like Galapagos In endless days One hundred years from now Will we miss The gifts we forfeit Or simply forget?
4.
Tissues 04:09
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Tissues on the night stand near the Photographs in case the thought of You is simply more than I can take There's only so much I can take, no I can't take much more Bottles underneatth the pillows On the sofa in the front room For when I hear the knocklng at the door There's only so much I can take, no I can't take much more Keeping close the melatonin For the hours slowly rolling To another dawn waiting to break Could more than I can take Tissues folded in my sleeve and On the dashboard within reach Keep an empty box on hand In case the disappointment's more than I can stand, no I can't stand much Order up some comfort food to Fill me up on something good Something that will mask the bitter taste There's only so much I can take, no I can't take much more Swallowing two melatonin Stop my mind from keeping hold of Pounding bad thoughts drumming to the dawn Can I make it to the dawn Tissues on the night stand near the Photographs in case the thought of You is simply more than I can take There's only so much I can take, no I can't take much more I can't take, no I can't take much more
5.
Desperate Need 04:04
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I have cash Yes I'm rolling in green But I find myself in a desperate need I need you To show me you care For the hardships befalling this billionaire I made my name stripping books off of shelves Just order from home and receive in the mail Then I took those pages and put them on screens Now you can thank me for the jobs I create And there's more Yes I moved on from there To selling electronics, product for your hair Pots and pans Anything you can dream You need never abandon the comfort of screens Now all that I ask (all that I ask) Is you lend me a hand (is lend me a hand) See I've built me a boat in the Netherlands (in the Netherlands) It has three giant masts length of four fifteen feet (four fifteen feet) Yes it's worthy of a job creator like me Worthy of a job creator like me There's a bridge in Rotterdam That's been drawing for ships since nineteen two seven It's served well For near a century But it can't draw enough to let mine out to sea My yacht has three masts, three masts of steel And I've built them higher than anyone's seen Now I need a favor, dismantle that bridge It's the least you can do for the value I bring All I ask Is dismantle it fast And it would be best at public expense Then I'll be on my way as I sail out to sea I'll get back to my work of counting my money Believe you'll be serving the world indeed By helping a job creator like me Believe you'll be service the world indeed By helping me with my desperate need
6.
I Just Want a Life 04:31
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I would walk a thousand miles And I would walk a thousand more I would push through fields of stone and mud To shield my family from the wars I don't carry on me a gun I don't carry very much at all I don't carry on me no drugs I don't carry on me fentanyl You may call me desperado At the wall You may call me desperado But not a criminal I'm not a criminal I don't want your money I don't want your home I am just the mother of my sons I care for nothing more I just carry with me my prayers Like anyone I carry my own sin I promise you we come here Meaning you no harm If Jesus was here he would take us in Todo lo que quiero Es una vida Dejame Tener una vida Una vida I just want a life (solo, solo una vida) I just want a life (solo, solo una vida) I just want a life
7.
Ezekiel 03:59
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If I was born to a different age They might listen to my message I might gather more attention But that's not me No that's not me Some say I need some medication When I'm preaching revelation But that's not me No that's not me I shave my hair And lay my body in Times Square While the passersby throw change down at my feet But they don't see I'm not the only one in need It's not easy being a prophet in the twenty first century No no No no If I was born to a different age A scribe might gather up my words And write them on papyrus scrolls But that's not me No that's not me Others stand out on the corners Selling week-old roses But that's not me No that's not me I raise my voice Trying to speak above the noise But I'm drowned out by the traffic on the street I beg and plead For the repentance we all need But no one listens to a prophet in the twenty first century No no No no I've slept alone out in the cold Had muggers hold knives at my throat When all that's in my pockets are some seeds And like all prophets through the days I warn that there'll be hell to pay But no one stops to listen to me If I was born to a different age They might listen to my message I might gather more attention But that's not me No that's not me I shave my hair And lay my body in Times Square While the passersby throw change down at my feet But they don't see I'm not the only one in need It's not easy being a prophet in the twenty first century No no No no no
8.
Reggie, Reggie 04:11
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Tell me Reggie what you're running from Did you have to run away from success? Tell me Reggie did you grow too large To ever just feel right in your skin? Tell me Reggie were the corner boys The only ones that let you fit in? Was attention too intense? Step out on the floor Odds in your favor A million to one And you were the one Tell me Reggie were escaping from Expectations hanging over your head? Tell me Reggie now your numbers up Are you feeling any sense of regret? Tell me Reggie was it worth the cost Days and nights left in the waste? You don't get back shots you missed You don't get back shots you missed Step out on the floor Odds in your favor A million to one And you were the one Did you have to go to the club? Do you have to steal that truck? Do you have to shoot that drug? Did you have to take that knife When you gave that girl a ride? Did you have to mess her up? Reggie couldn't you just play the game Was there too little action there? Reggie tell me what it worth the price Living in that Jackson cell? Reggie, Reggie did you feel like a man Just before your final defeat? Now you're shot down on the street Now you're shot down on the street Now you're on the floor What's your final score? From a million to one You end up with none
9.
Tulsa Underground 04:15
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The shovels start to dig While others throw dirt in Blanket over misery Fight with nail and tooth To keep me from the truth Busy, busy White washing history In Oaklawn unmarked graves They're finding the remains Crimes covered up Don't make a sound (Don't make a sound) May never know their names Recovering bits today They've tried to keep Tulsa underground One hundred years after Unveiling the matter Bodies buried, homes and lives burned down Hidden from the pages Secret through the ages They've tried to keep Tulsa underground Protecting me from guilt 'Bout how this nation's built Piling dirt over evidence Covering up my eyes To keep the truth inside The wooden walls of hastily built caskets One hundred years after Unveiling the matter Bodies buried, homes and lives burned down Hidden from the pages Secret through the ages They've tried to keep Tulsa underground Oh, one hundred years after Unveiling the matter Bodies buried, homes and lives burned down (Don't make a sound) Hidden from the pages Secret through the ages They've tried to keep Tulsa underground (They've tried to keep Tulsa underground) Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah. yeah
10.
Am I Losing You? 04:18
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Fog on the Laurel Highlands Forty miles since reading names on walls Like the leaves that fall We're breaking into pieces Splintered, shattered, angry, battered And I have to wonder why Am I losing you? Am I losing you? Am I losing you? Pass through the county lines Watching graze land change to pavement Swap the colors on the signs The photo's fading fast now Of the time we sang out on the stair step And I have to wonder why I fear I'm losing you Fear I'm losing you Fear I'm losing you Was it immersion or chemical reaction? Is it in our nature, something from our background? Was it intentional or something that just happened? Was it predictable, breaking into factions? How did we get to where we can't agree what truth is? If facts don't suit you, just choose your own alternative Your tribe is your tribe and there is no use in listening Your every belief's reinforced by algorithm If there's an open window Seems the space is growing narrow We teeter on the brink We've broken into pieces Only weaker from erosion And I have to wonder why Am I losing you? Am I losing you? Am I losing you? Am I losing you? Am I losing you?
11.
Words / Hope 03:12
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Just because I sound cynical Doesn't mean I've no hope Doesn't mean I've no hope Just because I sound skeptical Doesn't mean I've no hope Doesn't mean I've no hope It's true I sing out loud about Things that bring me doubt That everything is going to be okay Yet I pack those words up in a sack And read the words to take me back To the promise that sustains me to this day Just because I've been skeptical Doesn't mean I've no hope Doesn't mean I've no hope Just because I seem cynical Doesn't mean I've no hope Doesn't mean I've no hope And just because Seems things are breaking down Doesn't mean I've no hope Doesn't mean I've no hope Just because Seems things are breaking down Doesn't mean there's no hope Doesn't mean there's no hope Hmm mmm mmm Hmm mmm mmm mmm mmm Hmm mmm mmmm mmm mmm mmm Hmm mmm mmmm mmm mmm mmm Hmm mmm mmm Hmm mmm mmm mmm mmm Hmm mmm mmmm mmm mmm mmm Hmm mmm mmmm mmm mmm mmm

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released February 2, 2024

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Tom Alter Detroit, Michigan

Tom Alter is a singer-songwriter based in Detroit. The influences of jazz, folk, pop, and Latin genres are found in his original compositions. Tom's lyrics mix world events with the affect on his personal ideals. He has released 3 EPs and 2 albums since 2019. His work can be found on digital and streaming music platforms. He is also a member of the duo After Blue.
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