Love/40 is a song about rebellion, rather than resistance. It was hatched after a show years ago at Perch in Brooklyn, NY. Prior to my set, while I was walking from the train, I noticed some kids on 5th drinking rum and Diet Coke from a two-liter. They had skateboards and were mixing the alcohol and passing the bottle among themselves right there on the sidewalk. One of them had a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. It was (and still sort of is) poetic. The song grew and evolved over the years but it still remains a song about rebellion--rebellion directed toward a hopeful end, but grounded in the present moment. Essentially, it's one small voice in the firestorm.
lyrics
The curl of your lips and the hide-a-way
Soft drawl with the Queen of Hearts
Poison buckles and debutants
And everybody knows my name
“When the drags ain’t around to remind you; we all gotta plan tonight
As the carousel slides through the promenade
And the slate just burns in her eyes
Silver lines and the summer is done, the cold is cutting in
The scars of youth ain’t enough--the kids are alright
Down through the streets and the boulevards
In the back of a long lit line
Dovetailed reminders of who we were
But there ain’t nothing punk about love
“Where will you go when you need a rest? And where will you close your eyes”
One small voice in the firestorm
And everything fades into lies
The score is love/40, hey hey, my my
The score is love/40, separate you and I
The score is love/40, the tears have all run dry
The score is love/40, the kids are all right--the kids are all right
Holding you, touching you, losing only light
Let the walls burn down, time means everything
Holding you, touching you, losing only light
Let the walls burn down, time means everything
The score is love/40, hey hey, my my
The score is love/40, separate you and I
The score is love/40, the tears have all run dry
The score is love/40, the kids are all right--the kids are all right
credits
from These Ghosts,
released November 25, 2016
Tommy Vollman: Music, Lyrics, Instruments, Vocals
Copyright 2016, Tom Vollman, Whiskey Contrails Music, ASCAP
All Rights Reserved
Tyne Darling is a Milwaukee, WI-based musician. Sometimes, though, he lives in Brooklyn. He has some black-ink tattoos on
both of his arms. He often spells his name "Tommy Vollman." He’s toured throughout the U.S., Europe, and Canada, played festivals such as SXSW, Wakarusa, and CMJ....more
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