Flashbulbs And Futures
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Jumping off from the last two groupings, Flashbulbs And Futures adds something new to the mix.
While exploring similar ground as In Times Of Transition and It’s The Thought That Counts, these lyrics cover new themes that prevent it from being a retread. Having enough distance from the last grouping allowed me to focus on things from an alternate angle and it made a huge impact .
What makes these different is the theme of expectation vs. reality. At the time, a lot of friends were getting married, having kids and dealing with domestic issues. As a result, I began picking apart how many things people do based on what they’re conditioned to think is the right thing. In that way, the title Flashbulbs And Futures is a metaphor to describe the idea: Flashbulbs represents the idealized version of life we’re sold and Futures is the actual reality of it. Playing these two off each other is the core conflict behind the lyrics as a whole.
Although they’ve been revised like most stuff here, I’m really satisfied with this grouping. While creating this page, I removed two things and replaced them with Flashbulbs. That means it’s a bit shorter and more concise, which is definitely a good thing. My favourites include Simple Complications, Heart Of Hearts, Falling From Fiction, No Sacrifice and Flashbulbs. (Struggle For Control and Telephone Booth also get honourable mentions.)
If you want to check out the original version of Flashbulbs And Futures (with all 12 pieces still intact,) it can be found in the Fireteddy National Library. For those interested, you can browse what didn’t make the cut here.
Lyrics Content
02. Heart Of Hearts
04. Bandwagoners
06. Eaten Alive (Darwinism On Hold)
08. No Sacrifice
10. Telephone Booth
11. Flashbulbs
Simple Complications
If I were a cynic would you wanna sit with me?
I swear I’ve paid my dues and I’ve been waiting patiently
Holding onto hope enough to last me through this life
Sonar waves and heartbeats bowing out before the night
there’s simple complications and I know that it’s the truth
But in these times of change, don’t let the flashbulbs get to you
Burning these horizons with some dark spots in your eyes
Rubbing all the sleep away to meet with your surprise
The only things that hold you back
Are the ones that you deny
Obsessions make you uglier
But these roles are well defined
These roles are well defined
If I were a cynic would you wanna sit with me?
I swear I’ve paid my dues and I’ve been waiting patiently
I’ve been waiting patiently, I’ve been waiting patiently
Heart Of Hearts
You’ll learn to suck it up again
because that’s just the way you are
A martyr played for all your friends
Until you turn and fall apart
And somewhere in your twisted brains
It keeps coming through the fog
Some calculated fake restraint
To leave you chained up like a dog
But in your heart of hearts you feel
Forcing things you knew weren’t real
Selecting words you’d wanna hear
Inside your heart of hearts I fear
And words like that can disappear
Your terms will learn to meet the space
With some silent compromise
These fears aren’t processed face to face
But your thoughts are unrefined
It seems like you can’t go without
These ideals you were sold
Imbedded deep within your doubts
For some clout and more control
But in your heart of hearts you feel
Forcing things you knew weren’t real
Selecting words you’d wanna hear
Inside your heart of hearts I fear
And words like that can disappear
So watch these feelings come around
They’ll warp your mind and bring you down
Ground to dust and burnt to ash
I think the time for talk has passed
And nothing here was meant to last
But in your heart of hearts you feel
Forcing things you knew weren’t real
Selecting words you’d wanna hear
Inside your heart of hearts I fear
And words like that can disappear
So watch these feelings come around
They’ll warp your mind and bring you down
Ground to dust and burnt to ash
Might Have To Crawl
Only blowhards still think that they know everything
Like there’s rules always written in stone
But if this were the truth, we’d have wasted our youth
With all the cynics who end up alone
In the song that you sing as you wait for that ring
With the couplets made of lines you were sold
There’s an image adorned as your life gets ignored
Now you’re dropping the things you can’t hold
If the love that you feel couldn’t pierce through these shields
What’s the point of your dreaming at all?
While you wait on the brink for your lips to be sealed
You should know that you might have to crawl
Well baby you might have to crawl
Why do you waste your time?
Why do you waste your time?
Every leper seems sick but they all have their tricks
From being selfless and humble in spades
Well they know how to hide and can find compromise
With the plans they still struggle to make
Don’t stop to forsake this
they’re praising your mistakes
If the love that you feel couldn’t pierce through these shields
What’s the point of your dreaming at all?
While you wait on the brink for your lips to be sealed
You should know that you might have to crawl
Well baby you might have to crawl
Nothing to say? Well it all floats away
But you don’t want to be in the cold
While the lines that you read only fall in between
You keep buying the lies you’ve been told
Like a squatter still mining for gold
Bandwagoners
everybody’s in when it looks like we’ll win
But when it looks like we’ll lose they’re all out
Nevermind the times where we all stood in line
Because I guess that they’ve all got their doubts
It’s strange that we’d quit but that’s just how it is
And when we win they all act like it’s theirs
But the truth in the lies is that we all earned the prize
With the bandwagoners falling impaired
I’m not sure what you thought your responses meant
Can’t carry your weight without a stumbling stride
I don’t have the time for all of your compliments
Backhanded comments that’ll never subside
But that’s how the bandwagon rides
Nothing will change but I still find it strange
Yeah and they think they all fake it so well
Don’t stop to think of when we stood at the brink
For in the end they’ll condemn you to hell
Watch the ground swell, it’s no surprise
I’m sorry I can’t sympathize
I’m not sure what you thought your responses meant
Can’t carry your weight without a stumbling stride
I don’t have the time for all of your compliments
Backhanded comments that’ll never subside
But that’s how the bandwagon rides
Coming down, it’s coming up
But you can never get enough
And everyday you want some more
You don’t know what you’re looking for now
Yeah the lights are all going out
The lights are all going out
I’m not sure what you thought your responses meant
Can’t carry your weight without a stumbling stride
I don’t have the time for all of your compliments
Backhanded comments that’ll never subside
But that’s how the bandwagon rides
Yeah that’s how the bandwagon rides
And these shadows won’t ever subside
Falling From Fiction
You’re a slave to the rules that define you
And I’m a slave to the things that you do
Well I really don’t need to remind you
But I can’t let this slide and it’s true
For every last reason I’m listing
In all of these problems I’ve had
I’ve found that there’s nobody listening
And I’m the one who’s been stark raving mad
Well somewhere I just lost my way
And now I’m trying to get back
I’m a slave left in line but I’m trying to find
Yeah I’m trying to stay well intact
I’ve been trying to find a few reasons
For these feelings I can’t set aside
You’ve got boundaries and rules to believe in
But I’m jealous and can’t compromise
Look into my eyes she said
It’s really all the same my friend
Look into my eyes again, look into my eyes
Well somewhere I just lost my way
And now I’m trying to get back
I’m a slave left in line but I’m trying to find
Yeah I’m trying to stay well intact
I’ve been trying to stay well intact
Sail into the starry night
I keep colliding with the dark
And everywhere I try to turn
I can’t get to where you are
It’s nothing but decay that’s torn apart
Nothing but anger and it’s all in the facts
Falling from fiction, I know that there’s no turning back
Eaten Alive (Darwinism On Hold)
The strong survive but not this time at all
Our weakest links have held on for too long
While in this jungle there’s no refuge left
And nothing in this life is a sure bet
Hold on to your wallet and your change
It’s falling out but you don’t find it strange
Though in these lies the sky begins to fall
But that don’t seem to matter much at all
Well isn’t that the answer?
Isn’t that the reason we’ve survived?
In remission like a cancer
But it eats you up alive
It eats you up alive
A few things to get off my chest
It’s Nothing more and nothing less
And in your lust, you must confess the truth
A million served and selfishly repressed
Now you can’t even tell there’s something left
Attention paid just costs us way too much
And still they end up leaning on this crutch
Well isn’t that the answer?
Isn’t that the reason we’ve survived?
In remission like a cancer
But it eats you up alive
It eats you up alive
Take your time to fall back down
Don’t stray too far but look around
You’ll find your place is nowhere to be found
Well isn’t that the answer?
Isn’t that the reason we’ve survived?
In remission like a cancer
But it eats you up alive
It eats you up alive
A few things to get off my chest
It’s Nothing more and nothing less
And in your lust, you must confess the truth
I know it doesn’t matter much to you
Put Out The Lights
For all the words we strained to shout
I’ve gotten tired of screaming out
It seems you find it much too loud
So you sneak by without a sound
Now hold on tightly to my hand
As I try my best to understand
Why raging rivers need a dam
You’re just a boy, you’re not a man
I’ve wasted so much time on this
But every single point’s been missed
Gone out of mind and out of sight
It’s late so please put out the lights
You know I love you in my heart
But now it’s being torn apart
I don’t know why it’s still so hard
To leave behind this house of cards
We waste our time with stupid games
While all these orders stay the same
Please tell me when you’ll just refrain
From judging things you can’t explain
I’ve wasted so much time on this
But every single point’s been missed
Gone out of mind and out of sight
It’s late so please put out the lights
Take responsibility, now look into this mirror
You’re always quick to criticize when the image isn’t clear
You think that we all owe you but we’ve never owed a thing
It’s a bond that’s made with bloodlines, we aren’t bound by puppet strings
We aren’t bound by puppet strings, oh yeah
I’ve wasted so much time on this
But every single point’s been missed
Gone out of mind and out of sight
It’s late so please put out the lights
I’m getting sick of all these fights
It’s late so please put out the lights
Well I am not a marionette
The things you say, I won’t forget
I’ll live my life with no regrets
But nothing much has happened yet
Nothing much has happened yet
No Sacrifice
Don’t sign me up for a life full of bliss
A scratch on the line or confirmed with a kiss
With nothing to fight for but a taste of the top
Or how it’s perceived when the bottom, it drops
Holding my breath with a cynical glance
So in love with the past but it’s a fleeting romance
As the patience wains steady with a cursory thought
To pretend what you are through the things that you’re not
Well maybe I’m the hard one here
But I refuse to roll the dice
Life ain’t a game of chance to play
And it ain’t no sacrifice
It ain’t no sacrifice
Don’t push your feelings of love and regret
Obsessed with the image but living in debt
In servitude missing, you’re still missing the point
With some abstract intentions from the flip of a coin
You’ll stalk it for a living
But you’re giving us no choice
Well maybe I’m the hard one here
But I refuse to roll the dice
Life ain’t a game of chance to play
And it ain’t no sacrifice
It ain’t no sacrifice
I don’t regret a single thing
And I won’t let you clip my wings
It’s time I finally break away tonight
Well now that all your lies are breached
I’ll never turn on my beliefs
For you and now I’m giving up my plight
I think it’s time to push it out of sight
Struggle For Control
I’m never good at awkward situations
Ugly and restrained, I don’t know what to say
Well maybe if I tried some salutations
My thoughts would all expire, retreat and fade away
But greed is such a simple thing I know
Falling to the wayside while we struggle for control
I’m sorry that I couldn’t be
Everything that you would want from me
Though maybe soon I’ll finally see
And figure out what’s wrong with me
I’m sure that every action has its reason
We’re all misunderstood, but it still won’t help a thing
While every time we face a changing season
Shopping for some fantasy, to find out what it brings
And greed is such a simple thing I know
Falling to the wayside while you struggle for control
I’m sorry that I couldn’t be
Everything that you would want from me
Though maybe soon I’ll finally see
And figure out what’s wrong with me
This isn’t what I ever wanted
Demons kept and memories haunted
Daunting tasks that we’ll relay
But we ain’t fooling anyone these days
I wonder if it’s make believe
But you don’t wander much at all
If nothing comes without a fight
Then tonight I’ll take the fall
Tonight I’ll take the fall
I’m sorry that I couldn’t be
Everything that you would want from me
Though maybe soon I’ll finally see
And figure out what’s wrong with me
This isn’t what I ever wanted
Demons kept and memories haunted
Daunting tasks that we’ll relay
But we ain’t fooling anyone these days
We ain’t fooling anyone these days
And greed is such a simple thing I know
Falling to the wayside while we struggle for control again
Telephone Booth
The future’s bright as you want it to be
Don’t waste your time on the things you can’t see
It’s just an image that you stitch and you sew
To lose your head because you can’t let it go
Deep in your heart you can see that it’s true
They can’t decide each decision for you
To hold your head as you push us away
And live to fight as your memories decay
But you’ve waited all too long for an escape
I’m sorry but it isn’t so bad now
Well I’m sorry that you can’t call a truce
In the space where the fog’s slowly lifting
Crossing lines in a telephone booth
The past is bright if you live in denial
Don’t waste your time on the things you revile
While in your head there’s a space to react
A fleeting glance as you stop looking back
But you listened far too long before it cracked
I’m sorry but it isn’t so bad now
Well I’m sorry that you can’t call a truce
In the space where the fog’s slowly lifting
Crossing lines in a telephone booth
The noose is slowly tightening
And there’s nowhere to escape
Your stories only run so long
Until there’s nothing left to say
Decide on what you want, it haunts you
Forever’s gonna start again today
I’m sorry but it isn’t so bad now
Well I’m sorry that you can’t call a truce
In the space where the fog’s slowly lifting
Crossing lines in a telephone booth
I’m sorry that you can’t call a truce
Flashbulbs
Falling to the wayside
I can’t pledge to see a thing
While this world’s still kept in darkness
Only strangers find the spring
But somewhere in your memories
Are the photos that you keep
Of some better times to file away
Down across these busy streets
Maybe soon we’ll find the light to guide us
Enough to make it through this endless night
Resistant to the rules that might define us
But somewhere with the flashbulbs out of sight
Sometimes out of focus
Not aware of what’s been taught
Always struggling for this image
Until it’s everything we’re not
Distraught and so you shy away
You want the future here today
Maybe soon we’ll find the light to guide us
Enough to make it through this endless night
Resistant to the rules that might define us
But somewhere with the flashbulbs out of sight
Somewhere with the flashbulbs out of sight
There’s a fire that’s lit beneath us
As we strive to make it last
Now it’s time to face our future
Because we lose ourselves so fast
And once you’re lost there ain’t no turning back
Maybe soon we’ll find the light to guide us
Enough to make it through this endless night
Resistant to the rules that might define us
But somewhere with the flashbulbs out of sight
Somewhere with the flashbulbs out of sight
And this is where we start our lives
This is where we start our lives
Somewhere we can move across the night
Somewhere with the flashbulbs out of sight