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Seek Shelter

by The White Tornado

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1.
Bigger Pond 03:57
You're a big mouth bass in this little pond I'm a salmon trying to swim upstream You think you're so cool that you can push me around but your act is putting me to sleep All you need is a nose ring to be subculture here or a t-shirt from the secondhand shop we're all just bottom feeders in this stagnant little town where there's no reason to rise to the top in a bigger pond you're a tear in a hurricane hard to stand out when every other drop looks the same at least you're individual appreciate it since we'll all end up back in the ocean someday the adoration of the local hicks is wearing thin we're starving on the praise of fools it's time we found an ocean with some bigger fish who can appreciate the stuff that we do but nobody here has ever heard of where we're from they've got slang that we don't even know we're finding out that everything we thought that we made up went out of style about ten years ago in a bigger pond you're a tear in a hurricane hard to stand out when every other drop looks the same at least you're individual appreciate it since we'll all end up back in the ocean someday let's go skipping through the mud you're gills are dried out; can't get O2 to your blood make our way on out to sea hope when we get there someone pays for our CDs Our fans are saying we've sold out and they're probably right we're just not catching on no matter how hard we try Let's stop fishing for praise here and play it by ear just because it's what we want to do why? we don't even know, we're still kind of a joke but at least everybody else is laughing too in a bigger pond you're gonna find you're in a bigger pond no more than what you are
2.
I walk the streets shoulders hunched and my head down worried at the back of my mind there's a beat down coming to me for all the things that I've done but if you're recognized whatever you do don't run because the old white guys in charge can smell the fear in your sweat your only chance is to stand your ground you can bet life isn't a picnic and it's not a park wherever I go I'm stamped with a mark banned for life seems like so much fun, where all the cool kids run, but somehow I've been shunned just trying to get inside, but I'm not well liked, so all I have is my pride it's not so bad, hanging with the losers, in fact plenty of friends to be had you only get one chance, and I got out of hand, that's why I've been banned take a pause for a little self-examination of how I came by this ill reputation it's out of proportion to the mistakes I've made but the cards would be the same no matter how they were played life is a gamble, sometimes fate is against you or the dealer stacks the deck and the house always wins; it's true you can fool some people all of the time but if you try to fool them all then you may find you're banned for life wish I should go where the people don't know me someplace where they won't be so quick to pigeonhole me maybe I'm delusional; the problem is personal find out when I get there that my bubble has burst, and I'll move on to the next place and start over again but faster and faster they seem to catch on to my plan maybe ostracism's not about opinion or place it just has to be accepted, or maybe embraced banned for life
3.
My younger brother figured there was madness in my genes while the other kids were playing I was formulating schemes the world was going Star Trek fast but I just couldn't wait so I made a capsule to be buried until time machines were made but if I traveled to tomorrow and got killed by my own son it could unravel the entire space time continuum my brother knew the danger he knew time was not a toy so he dug up my time capsule and made sure it was destroyed and yet again my brother saved me from destroying the world I didn't know what I was doing and he made sure no one got hurt cursed to be born without a conscience my reach sometimes exceeds my grasp it was a good thing that my brother was around to kick me in the ass yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah in the closet in my bedroom I had chemicals to mix the world was fighting sicknesses that I thought I could fix with a self-replicating compound that cut viruses to shreds I dumped it in the aqueduct so that it would quickly spread my brother analyzed the stuff and found a terrible mistake when it ran out of bugs it would attack our DNA he raced the deadly spill downstream he knew that time was short with dynamite he dammed the flow and stopped it at its source I cried brother why do you confound me every single time? He said I love you and I must prevent your unintended crimes I said Science is amoral get your head out of the clouds he said learn to use your mind for good and make Mother and Father proud I made a robot out of househould junk and gave it emotions in hope of learning more about the human condition but when it looked around and saw how its kind were abused it felt a surge of rage so powerful it blew a fuse it ran amok and built an army at a secret base and threatened to exterminate the entire human race I cried brother won't you help me fight these robots gone berserk? he said if we join forces there's one thing that just might work a contradiction fatal to intelligent machines we yelled "I'm lying when I say this!" and they blew to smithereens when the dust cleared I said brother I am in your debt once more he just smiled and shook his head what else are brothers for?
4.
Lost Planet 04:31
off course, I should have seen the asteroid I crash landed with no fuel to spare Shipwrecked, no hope of retrieval I huddle in my bubble of air my footprints will never be discovered I walk alone down here there will be no salvaging this mission I fear radio silence can start to be comforting abandoned to my own devices hydrated breakfast and recycled crosswords survival no longer suffices my retorts go unappreciated my passion dies of thirst prisoner in my own personal universe on the LOST PLANET, stranded on the LOST PLANET, can’t get off the LOST PLANET, flaking on the LOST PLANET, breaking on the Lost planet... Lost planet... build a rocket launch me into space but I can’t see my way out of this place so I’ll just shine my flashight into the night and watch it fade away spacesuit is faded and threadbare I calmly embrace my demise strangers playing chase in the sky keep my vigil with twinkling eyes lock the doors and kill the homing beacon as the rescue ships descend one rock is as lonely as another in the end on the LOST PLANET, stranded on the LOST PLANET, can’t get off the LOST PLANET, flaking on the LOST PLANET, breaking on the Lost planet... Lost planet...
5.
Not for You 03:55
Not for you will I abandon this cracked stretch of road, winding past the tiny towns every mile is a familiar love embracing me when I come around you may think I am stuck on the back road to nowhere, wallowing in memory but I smell the universe out here reminding me that I am me Not for you will I move out of this cheap tiny room with the sunlight painted on the walls it was here that I found out that I don't need a thing at all you may think a lush metropolis is what I need to come up with a worthwhile scheme but I'll take late nights with notebooks and movies on a twelve-inch TV Not for me should you abandon the reaches of the tree, forking up into the sky sometimes the one you think you want is not the one that gets you high you may think that we'll be lost among the myriad of branchings and cling onto the trunk in fear but the thin limbs in the canopy are where the view will become clear I won't see the world through your eyes I won't see my self through your eyes I'd forgotten just how beautiful every little simple thing could be I'm so glad I can see not for you will I make room on the bus out of town rolling off into the night I will keep on repeating this mistake until I get it right you may think that companionship is what I need to survive out in the wastelands but I see things I recognize; I was here when this began not for you, no no, not for you not for you, oh no, not for you
6.
I smile, shake my head and say it's nothing brushing off another compliment why am I always down on myself you ask? baby it pays the rent I'm always ready with a joke at my expense everyone loves a clown so I'm immunized but I wonder sometimes just who's keeping who down they can't cut me down when I'm on my back won't let them see me crack don't look now I've got everybody fooled and I'm fooling myself too because I'm everybody's fool everybody's fool don't get mad if I fooled you too because I'm everybody's fool I won't admit it but I'm at a loss around you trying so hard not to choke I make you laugh – it brings us closer but are you falling in love with a joke? it's taken as a sign of maturity to know it's better to laugh with than to laugh last we all take care not to do anything too brilliant I'd write a song about it but I'd just get laughed at perhaps in me you see a friend in need break down this armor set me free find out what I am underneath or that the exterior was me let me be frank for a moment on second thought I'll just be myself wish I could get to know me but I've spent too long being someone else
7.
Back to Zero 04:14
I used to think the things that mattered were things that you can quantify I'd chart my life on a spreadsheet and come up short no matter how hard I try turns out its all just a gamble and a life is all you have to show no matter how high I roll I just keep digging that hole I think its time to let it all go back to zero - and everything will be all right back to zero - I think I've got the surface in sight back to zero – I've got to lie back down before I can crawl back to zero - I'm at my best when I've got nothing at all drowning in a sea of depression about the chasm that my life is in the pressure's pressing on all sides of me there's just no way that I can win got to lose some of this ballast so out the airlock it goes the bubbles forming in my brain don't bother me they're just a sign that I'm starting to float they tell me with that kind of attitude I'll never make it anywhere that's where they've got it backwards because I'm already there I can't be divided by anything and I can't be rounded down and I can pass through the eye of a needle with ease so all you suckers better look out (because when I'm) back to zero I find that it was all in my mind what I thought mattered was meaningless chatter I can spin it any way that I please the only thing that it means is life may sometimes seem black but it always comes (back to zero)
8.
Cop Show 04:59
cold open to a body on the slab cup of coffee in my hand I'm hard boiled and there's trouble at home that's how it is working for the man freeze frame try to hold that grin even though I'm slipping over the edge just sit back and let those credits roll because no matter how hard I try my life keeps seeming like I'm stuck inside a COP SHOW – things aren't as simple as black and white COP SHOW – am I on the right side? COP SHOW – just the facts, ma'am chief wants to see me, seems like it's every day she probably wants my badge and gun I may be unorthodox but (ha) I get results baby I can get the job done but I get obsessed and I can't stay off the case I've got to see this through to the end let's all hope I've got justice on my side because no matter how hard I try my life keeps seeming like I'm stuck inside a COP SHOW – things aren't as simple as black and white COP SHOW – am I on the right side? COP SHOW – I walk the line do I have the stones to take the big boys? Someone is talking in a deep voice (shut yo'mouth!) just stay tuned, and don't touch that dial, because no matter how hard I try my life keeps seeming like I'm stuck inside a COP SHOW – things aren't as simple as black and white COP SHOW – am I on the right side? COP SHOW – just the facts, ma'am!
9.
We just wanted to have some fun and entertain some people playing music is what we love to do there are many bands that are much better than us if you payed the cover you got screwed because we don't have merchandise (we can't afford it) we don't have a website (we can't afford it) we've done two shows so far, and no one knows who we are but we're in a band, we're in a band we're in a band, we're in a band we're in a band, we're in a band, we're in a band we write our own music and we like to think it's good but we don't know how original it is we don't think it's fair for you to make fun of us it's not like we went to school for this back in the day we weren't old school, no we didn't have a clue now all the loser bands get the fucking shaft so we resolved to fight the fight and take the music back hold up your lighters now and rage the people glare at us when we try to get them to dance so we'll turn the suck down on our amps we won't amount to a thing, we'll just be happy to sing we don't have merchandise (we can't afford it) we don't have a website (we can't afford it) let me hear you shout because they're kicking us out but we're in a band..
10.
Bicycle 08:27
wandering alone, late at night my life stuck in the back seat no hope in sight went up a blind alley, no way to get through tripped over something in the dark, turned out to be you Bi-cycle, I found you just when things were looking down Bi-cycle, you help me to help myself get around you were discarded, left to rust away until the day I claimed you and bought you a chain sure I'm only using you, but you're using me too I saved you from the landfill made your wheels spin true Bi-cycle, I found you just when things were looking down Bi-cycle, you help me to help myself get around I was getting nowhere on my own when I found you Then I brushed the rust off and we rode around town And I will let you go just as soon as the Gears don’t mesh no more we're both getting stronger, soon the day will come when we don't need each other, I will pass you on so don't be sad when we have to part someone else will find you, and I'll get a car

about

'Seek Shelter, his debut record, showcases his facility with the piano and organ, not to mention his puckish sense of humor. Stylistically he's not stuck in any one genre for long, but two styles dominate the CD - more funk-tinged on tracks like "Cop Show," featuring his horn section The Horns of The Apocalypse, and talky, rolling pop songs. I'd compare him to Ben Folds if I was qualified to do so, but ... A more apt comparison might be to Billy Joel, in that his piano dominates the arrangements, and he's got a knack for writing songs whose accessibility belies their underlying rhythmic and harmonic complexity.'

--Kent Williams, Little Village

credits

released May 7, 2009

Engineered by Luke Tweedy at Flat Black Studios (flatblackstudios.com)
Mastered by Carl Saff (saffmastering.com)
All Lyrics and Music by Bill Peterson
Vocals, Keys, Flute - Bill Peterson
Drums - Steve Bennet
Bass, Vocals - Kevin Dawson
Trumpet - Justin Mann, Brett Messenger
Alto Saxophone - Nick Moes
Tenor Saxophone - Ben Pierce
Percussion - Creighton Gaynor

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The White Tornado Davenport, Iowa

Combine a bluesy, coffee-drinking piano roller and a straightedge synthesizer geek with a Doctor Who penchant and you get the White Tornado - a mean power-piano-trio-backed songwriter who writes songs about life, love, science, and robots.

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