Get all 9 Stephen Rippy releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Lamplighting, Anvil: War of Heroes Original Soundtrack, Chemistry of Confusion, Dungeon Boss Original Soundtrack, Mainland Static, Points, Diplomacy of Distance, Somewhere Close to Near, and 1 more.
1. |
The New Normal
06:12
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I. UNTIL YOU'VE GONE
The coldest breath of winter
Chilled the air between these walls
And knocked me over frozen to the floor
I'm left behind with half a mind
To wish the worst for you
And half a mind to call you back for more
Well, I've never felt the years like I do now
And I see them in the way your face is drawn
As true as I can be
And as you as I can be
We won't know what we're not
Until you've gone
So long
The darkest shade of midnight
Drained the color from these walls
And slipped into the shadows like a thief
I’m left awake to blindly shake
With sorrow and with rage
With alternating grievances and grief
Well, I've never felt less hope than I do now
Never felt that I've had less to rely on
The trust has gone away
Leaving just the chance to say
We won't know what we're not
Until you've gone
So, here’s a broken promise between friends
Here’s a chance to second-guess the motive of a touch
Here’s one more shattered heart crying to mend
Here’s a future left to wonder how it was we loved so much
So long, so long
II. TWO SETS OF THREE
Resigned to know that any step forward
Walks me away from the life that we made
Resigned to know we built a foundation
Only to trade it for this barricade
Now there’s a door with a lock just for me
Now there’s a four split in two sets of three
Resigned to know that every so often
It seems a vow might be written in smoke
Resigned to know we painted this picture
Of unity that dissolved at a stroke
Now there’s a dream with a hole cut for me
Now there’s a four split in two sets of three
So long, so long
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2. |
Just Beyond the Pale
03:21
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As the sun sets on an empire
With no more bets to hedge
From down below you call to me
To slide one foot off the ledge
Well, you’ve never caught the looks I’ve thrown
So honestly I might have known
A leap into those arms was bound to fail
I crash down beyond the pale
Just beyond the pale
As the sun sets on an empire
A fumble in the dark
The chemistry of confusion
Was close enough to a spark
‘Cause your sweetness burns a bitter blue
That colors everything I do
Combustion on a slower-motion scale
It lights up beyond the pale
Just beyond the pale
Sure, the grass looked greener
From the side of innocence
That tired tale is what got us to now
Still, if I had half a chance
To climb back on the fence
I couldn’t tell you why, let alone how
So I leave behind the road ahead
To stumble back to you instead
And lose myself far off the beaten trail
I’m somewhere beyond the pale
Just beyond the pale
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3. |
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A twenty for your thoughts
An hour of my time
Where the needle jumps
From the ridiculous to the sublime
I followed your lead from
The garage to the bar
Left her sleeping down the hall
At least she knew I wasn’t far
But would it have meant anything to you?
How could it mean anything to you?
Tried hard to see myself
As you were in your prime
Putting one foot past the other
Up the stairs you used to climb
To ease an aching heart
You’d never even know
From a distance of 5000 miles
Some 50 years ago
And would it have meant anything to you?
How could it mean anything to you?
The list of what I care about
Looks smaller every day
But still, I'm glad we had you for so long
If I got better than I gave
I hope at least it's clear
You’ll always find me wanting one more song
A twenty for your thoughts
An hour of my time
Where the needle jumps
From the ridiculous to the sublime
Watched every move you made
And learned how to survive
On the middle ground we found
Between the stages of our lives
For what it’s worth, it meant a lot to me
All of these things meant a lot to me
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4. |
Almost Just Enough
04:09
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Moonrise or a streetlight
From the backseat
Does it matter either way?
Drifting through the distance
As the music
Leads me slowly through the day
Changing of a season
If I could, I’d keep the world
From crashing in
Hold you ‘til the moment
That you’re called
To push out further than you’ve been
I guess this thing I’m on about
Is the way we choose our diamonds from the rough
Which ones are worth the memories that we make
And which are almost just enough?
Still, what’s left to say of the passing of time
That hasn’t all been said before?
Only that it’s my turn to feel it brush by
And soon enough it will be yours
I guess what keeps me up at night
Is the way you’ll choose your diamonds from the rough
Can I be worth the memories that you’re making -
At least almost just enough?
Moonrise or a streetlight
Through a window
Shining silver at the seams
So long to the shadows
As the music
Leads you slowly to your dreams
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5. |
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Remember when she was a fever dream?
An apparition passing like a drug
Through your bloodstream
Elusive and impossible to touch
Sometimes appearing almost real
And sometimes not so much
You toss and turn the night away
Open up your sleepless eyes
‘Cause you’ve seen enough of her
To last the day
Same room, different window
Maybe find some other angle on the scene
Same room, different window
Nothing’s changed but how it looks
If you know what I mean
Remember when she was a lighted fuse?
Inching closer to you
When you had everything to lose
Explosive and impossible to hold
She stoked the fire
While doing her best to leave you cold
Same room, different window
Over here, the cracks are clear behind the sheen
Same room, different window
Nothing’s changed but how it looks
Do you know what I mean?
Remember when she was a nagging doubt?
A pointed question cutting
From the inside slowly out
But it never mattered
And how could it matter?
In the end, she was the wind
That made a whisper of your shout
Same room, different window
Separate corners and the distance in between
Same room, different window
Nothing’s changed but how it feels
If you know what I mean
Do you know what I mean?
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6. |
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Took your turn at the wheel of a sinking ship
And saw disaster rising through the swells
Maybe you jumped headfirst for the shallows
Maybe you’ll find out the ground is there as well
I used to dream you’d send us over the edge
A helplessness confused for trust
The last safe place is blown to dust
Took your turn at the wheel of a sinking ship
Ignored the chaos churning in its wake
Maybe you waved away all the warnings
Maybe what the left hand wants, the right would break
I used to dream you’d send us over the edge
A quiet just before the crash
The last safe place scatters like ash
Had to take a little time
Had to lose a little blood
Had to teach myself to let the walls close in
Just to make it through the night
Just to watch everything fall
Just to try and stop it happening again
But still, I’d dream you’d send us over the edge
A lifetime hanging in the air
The last safe place becomes nowhere
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7. |
Zero Crossing
02:54
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8. |
Shouting in the Wind
05:14
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White horses drift
Like chalk dust across the water
I can read the river
Well enough to get along
For all your wills and won’ts
You’ll need me ‘til you don’t
And I’m not gonnna hang around to see
How I’ve been wrong
So sleepless night
Slips into a sunless morning
With its own headache
That takes the edge off of the guilt
Of moving on alone
While you turn over stones
And gather up the scattered pieces
Of this thing we built
I know you never heard me in the end
And I was only shouting into the wind
Shouting in the wind
That steady ache
Of a blameless situation
Just enough to mark the passing time
In shades of gray
A tower made of dreams
Can trap you ‘til it seems
There’s nothing left to do but burn it down
And walk away
But how much would it matter in the end
When I’ve only been shouting into the wind?
Shouting in the wind
Your sweetness burns a bitter blue
Lights you up and draws me near
It pulls me to this darkest place
Flickers out and leaves me here
Shouting in the wind
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9. |
Evangelina
03:40
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Beautiful Evangelina
Tell me what you hear
This surely can’t be as good as it gets
Rearrange the things I’ve said
In confidence and fear
And show me to a day with no regrets
I couldn’t guess how bad it was
‘Til you gave me the space to fall apart
To piece together who I am
Before the real mistakes could ever start
For that I thank you
More than I think you know
Beautiful Evangelina
Tell me what you see
This surely can’t be all that I’ve got left
From out of the blue
You and your smile brought back to me
Some of the hope I’d lost to time and theft
I couldn’t guess how bad it was
‘Til I could feel the blood rush through your hand
So when I was left fumbling
At least you had the grace to understand
For that I thank you
More than I think you know
Bittersweet Evangelina
Here’s to a life that might have been
A chance to rest a troubled mind
A chance to leave the past behind
A chance for both of us to dream it up again
I couldn’t guess how bad it was
‘Til somehow I walked into your embrace
A season of uncertainty
One that you made just possible to face
For that I thank you
More than I think you know
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Stephen Rippy Dallas, Texas
Stephen Rippy is a Texas-based game soundtrack composer; notable releases include the "Age of Empires" series, "Halo Wars,"
"CastleVille," and "Dungeon Boss."
Maintaining a separate body of work as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Stephen has independently released numerous solo albums as well as 2 EP's with Dallas band The Presumptions.
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