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When This Goes Bad (2011)

by Robert Gay and the Alarms

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Gino Castillo
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Robert Gay
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R S Hudson
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Russell Rubman
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Miyuki Kimura
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Marcos Peña Sánchez-Covisa
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LORDconspiracy
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themartinator101
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1.
When This Goes Bad 02:39
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Love is nothing more than a close-and-open door And it'll shut you out before you're through Every time I start to fall, I make myself recall That it's just what I don't need ...and what I do Oh, but you're the highest hope I've ever had It's gonna hurt when this goes bad Love is like a song that carries you along It's in your heart, but never in your hand Though I'll never live without it, I know I'll always doubt it: The Melody that I can't understand Oh, but you're the highest hope I've ever had It's gonna hurt when this goes bad Oh, it's everything, but every thought is mad It's passionate, but just a passing fad And you're the highest hope I've ever had It's gonna hurt when this goes bad.
2.
The Sight of You 01:47
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I have known the cold of Winter's snow On white December trees And watched it turn to water as it melts But the coldest chill that's bit my bones In recent memory Is the sight of you with someone else I've been bitten up, beaten bad And stung by honeybees Covered up in callouses and welts But the hardest hurt that I have had In recent memory Is the sight of you with someone else I've seen starving little babies And a mother asking "Why?" I've seen villages with water-stricken wells But the only thing that's ever made me Hang my head & cry Was the sight of you with someone else I've seen starving little babies And a world that didn't care I've seen wishes made on water-stricken wells But the only thing that might or may be More than i can bear Is the sight of you with someone else Oh, the sight of you with someone else
3.
I Can't Miss You 03:08
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I can call you on the phone Count the days 'til you come home But i can't miss you I can think of you & smile Make you happy for a while But I can't miss you You can bend or you can break But we'll see how long it takes Until you run along & find somebody new I can tell you that it's fine 'Cause you were never really mine and i can't miss you I can keep it to myself Read each book upon my shelf So i won't miss you I could use some time to rest I'm so tired that I might confess I miss you I can look you in the eye I can tell the perfect lie And say it's better off if you & I are through I can turn & walk away But I'll be waiting for the day when I don't miss you You can bend or you can break But we'll see how long it takes Until you run along & find somebody new I can tell you that it's fine 'Cause you were never really mine And i can't miss you I can turn & walk away I'll be waiting for the day When I don't miss you
4.
Wait For the Sun 03:01
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You're bright as the morning You're light as the breeze A wisp of the willow A kite in the trees And I don't wanna lose your light I don't wanna say goodbye If you're thinking you just might turn & run, Wait for the sun You rise with the morning You fall with the tide A flash in the distance A thief in the night And I don't wanna lose your light I don't wanna say goodbye If you're thinking you just might turn & run, Well I don't wanna lose your light I don't wanna say goodbye If you're thinking you just might turn & run, Wait for the sun
5.
Fermez la Bouche 02:12
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Fermez la bouche Shut your mouth, baby Don't say a word without me sayin' so Lift up your head Oh, and look me in the eye 'Cause we've got a long, long way to go Tete-a-la-tete Read my mind, sugar I wanna set those rosy cheeks aglow Lift up your head Oh, and put your hand in mind 'Cause we've got a long, long way to go The highway is my home And I was made to roam But not alone And as we babble on Another hour is gone So let's get on down that road And shut your mouth, my baby We'll have time to talk before you know Woah, lift up your head Oh, and let me see you smile 'Cause we've got a long, long way And you know it's such a long, long way We've got a long, long way to go
6.
Over & Over 02:00
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Each day I find new ways to say I'm done with you Each week I'll never speak to you again 'Cause I've had enough of each and every one of you And this is where your worn-out story ends 'Cause it's over, and over again Over and over again Well I'll tell the world I'm wise and well and older now But no one will believe it very much So when you say I need someone to hold me now, I must insist that I don't miss your touch 'Cause it's over, and over again Over and over again Yeah, it's over, and over again Over and over again It's over, and over again Over and over again Yeah, it's over, and over again Over and over again
7.
Hold On to My Heart 03:35
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I took her out on Tuesday I thought that all was well But then I heard the news today Seems I shot it straight to hell She said, "You better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone" Oh, you better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone For all you know You're all-too-slow So don't let go Baby, hold on Tried again on Thursday I thought we'd get along I couldn't find one word to say When you told me I was wrong She said, "You better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone" Oh, you better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone Oh, you better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone Yeah, you better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone For all you know You're all-too-slow So don't let go Baby, hold on (x2) (solos) For all you know You're all-too-slow So don't let go Baby, hold on For all you know You're all-too-slow So don't let go Hold on ...to my heart or I'm gone Oh, you better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone Oh, you better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone Yeah, you better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone Oh, you better hold on Oh, you better hold on Oh, you better hold on Oh, you better hold on to my heart, or I'm gone
8.
(Underwater) 02:06
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9.
Fishing 03:52
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I was feeling lonesome in a little fishing pond Wading through the water with my boots & britches on I was only biding time Throwing out a line or two Sudden movement made me turn – A glimmer caught my eye Something in the shallow end was flickering with light There was something hidden here It was clear what I must do Close my mouth & bite my tongue Fill my lungs & dive below Close my eyes & listen I am fishin’ for what I don’t know Oh, I don’t know Stories told of treasure drive a man to seek his own And in this little fishing pond, a seed of hope was sown A sight I’d never seen before Evermore I’ll search the blue Close my mouth & bite my tongue Fill my lungs & dive below Close my eyes & listen I am fishin’ for what I don’t know Oh, I don’t know Where are you hiding? Where are you hiding? Where are you? Where are you hiding? Where are you? Where are you hiding? I was feeling lonesome in a little fishing pond Wading through the water with my boots & britches on I was only biding time Throwing out a line or two
10.
Better With You 02:34
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Well I’m not like the man on the radio There’s a lot that I’m still figurin’ out But it don’t take a half-hour slot to know That it’s better with you than without Well I can’t be convicted of anything I’m a man with a reasonable doubt But it don’t take a jury or judge to see It’s better with you than without Well I don’t have a fail-proof philosophy I don’t know what this world’s all about But it don’t take a doctorate, no P.H.D. It’s just better with you than without

about

Everyone knows that point in a relationship when things are about to go sour—maybe it’s a heated argument, or maybe it’s a subtle passing comment that, to untrained ears, would sound like nothing. It’s when things go bad, and in a lot of cases, there’s never really any avoiding it, hard as you might try to steer things in the other direction.

The music of Robert Gay, though, doesn’t have one of these sour points, doesn’t have an expiration date. Echoing a wide range of classic artists from Paul Simon to Bob Dylan to even the Jackson 5, the Nashville singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is able to craft his own brand of music that is at once timely and timeless—seamlessly striding a fine line any musician would tell you is not easy to walk.

On his debut solo album When This Goes Bad, Gay sings of love found and inevitably lost, of the pains of going separate ways and the inexplicable urge to keep trying after all seems hopeless yet again. The self-produced record takes a stripped-down musical approach that is as honest to the ear as the lyrics are the eye. Tracks like “The Sight of You (With Someone Else)” and “Better with You than Without” especially exemplify this aesthetic, and each track shows off the record’s live feel— most songs feature a band made up of Gay’s close friends, who recorded all at once with only a handful of takes.

A standout track is “Wait for the Sun,” the chorus for which Gay says he awoke singing one November morning. He recorded what he had and finished the mysterious song over the process of a few months, letting the song sit as he wondered about its meaning. It wasn’t until a childhood best friend’s passing in October that Gay suddenly understood what he had been singing nearly a year before. It’s a song about loss, but it’s also a song about hope in the face of loss, a theme that’s echoed elsewhere on the record. The deeply personal nature of the lyrics is another common theme, with tracks like “Fishing” drawing on Gay’s own need to find an outlet through music.

Fans of the Nashville music scene will also appreciate Gay’s commitment to his community, as the record features Nashville musicians as well as recording and mixing credits from area engineers. This should come as no surprise, though, as Gay, the son of two Nashville music producers, grew up and grew as an artist in the heart of Music City, studying violin, trumpet, singing and guitar from an early age. Gay also helped organize “How Can We Help,” a concert benefiting victims of the May 2010 Nashville floods. He hasn’t been shy in other aspects of Nashville music, either, recording projects for various artists and friends and serving as frontman for cult-favorite ska band the Nova Ray from 2006 through 2008.

When This Goes Bad is that record you could listen to whether you’re lamenting a lost love or daydreaming about the next one—as with anything authentic, it has staying power, and it’s not going to go bad any time soon.

-Brittney McKenna

robertgay.virb.com

credits

released January 11, 2011

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CREDITS

Robert Gay: Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Robert Hudson: Bass
Robert Mogan: Keys
Will Presley: Drums
Charlie Whitten: Lead Guitar, BGVs
Jared Ziemba: Percussion

Recorded & Mixed at Beech Creek Studios by Jack Whitis
Additional Engineering by Aaron Cieslikowski

Mastered by Luke Gilfeather

Photography by Penny Felts

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Robert Gay and the Alarms Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville native.

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