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Haunts & Wants

by Joseph Houck

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1.
Invocation 03:26
INVOCATION In the witching hour, by the candle light Hell-bent, I labored through the night And as I dozed on the pages of that very spell Her spirit yawned awake in its mortal shell I didn’t know what time it was When stirred by the storm in the window pane, I Was astounded, did I see? She was standing right in front of me! Some say you can’t will to life what you crave the most Even if it haunts your soul like some demon ghost And looking back now, I guess they’re right Still I remember how we met that night She was an angel in the flesh But I the modern Prometheus With blind ambition and vanity How could it all end happily? All the townsfolk And their hounds woke To the downed oak’s smolder Such a swell joke When the spell broke Or was it something that I told her? I didn’t know what time it was I saw the swarm ‘round the windmill vanes Their torches blazing, spirit free How could it all end happily? Lalalala-la-ta-da Lalalala-la-la-la-la-la-la Lalalalala la-la-la la-la-la
2.
NEXT BEST THING Make your stand Next to me I’ll give you everything you need We’ll make a love Made to last, Lash our bodies to the mast Now it’s beyond me What this love will bring As we shimmy along To the songs that the sirens sing But what you saw In that crystal ball Was just the next best thing I gave it up I gave a lot But I never gave more than I got Got to get enough When the getting's good And hope you never got more than you should ‘Cause It’s beyond me What this love will do And I know that you told me so It’s beyond you While next to me In our front row seats To see the next best thing Oh I’m lying In waiting New to love But it’s not too late With all this Heart-aching Do you feel the same? Oh I’m lying In waiting Still new to love And it’s not too late With all this Heart-aching Do you feel the same?
3.
WHAT AM I GONNA DO? Raúl was drifting into space When he turned off his little screen Far off look upon his face And one that I’ve so often seen He said that’s how they say That dreams go down Get stripped away and come apart But do they really matter To me now? Those cryptic matters of the heart (Chorus) What am I gonna do With my life? What am I gonna do? Janet wiped the tables down Swept the dirty kitchen clean And you could hardly hear a sound Save for the hum of some machine She comes across those crumbs called memories Thinks how the days pass like the clouds Says I can’t pretend those changes don’t change me I’ll sing the quiet part out loud: (Chorus) What am I gonna do With my life? What am I gonna do? Graham grinds those days with grit and gratitude The humdrum mind-numb of routine But seldom speaks in more than platitudes And returns scrolling on his screen (Chorus)
4.
All the Time 04:16
ALL THE TIME (Chorus) All the time All the time I need your love All the time All the time I need you love, baby All the time When I play the joker And when I play the fool… I was never good at poker I was never good at pool But love is on the docket Of games of skill and chance And you're calling every pocket And I’m all in on romance (Chorus) Tonight I want to hold you That’s all I really want to do How many times have I told you All I really want is you? Darling, there ain’t nothing Can match your healing touch To my blues, it is a bludgeon And I use it oh so much (Chorus) (Bridge) I need when I’m empty I need it night and day I need it good and plenty I need it right away All the time, time, time!
5.
6.
Jetsam 03:19
JETSAM I was born in the water Washed ashore a barren coast And I sailed the Marauder But I came back home a ghost Now my shipwrecked bones reside Where no bars of light can go The vessel rusts in tide And her mem’ry rusts in tow And now every waking hour Of every endless day I sink further without power In the depths that wash away Through the gales she bade me cast Out the weight of shame and guilt But those glimpses of the past Have settled in the silt At the bottom of the ocean On a dark and quiet floor Ever anchored to the notion I just can’t wash ashore
7.
Blown Away 04:16
BLOWN AWAY I wish that you could see Just how it’s going to go And how it’s going to be I’m sure with time We’ll surely know The seasons have their say But wasting all the while And wasted all the way Oh stay with me A little while (Pre Chorus) The wind blows Behind my windows When I just can’t seem To find the words to say They must have Blown away (Chorus) Blown Away Blown Away Blown Away Blown Away Blown Away Blow Away They’re gone And all that used to be Or never really was Oh stay here with me A little while Well just because Their remnants come to me Like ghosts in the reveal They haunt the in-betweens Of what is false And what is real (Pre Chorus) The wind blows Behind my windows When I just can’t seem To up and walk away It’s left me Blown away (Chorus) Blown Away Blown Away Blown Away Blown Away Blown Away Blow Away I’m gone (Pre Chorus) The wind blows Behind my windows When I just can’t seem To fight the urge to stay Before I’m Blown away (Chorus) Blown Away Blown Away Blown Away Blown Away Blown Away Blow Away I’m gone
8.
LONG LOST LOVE Whiskey’s on the table Won’t you come on in? I’ve picked upon the label But I’d say you were a friend Ah, but time Well who knows where it’s going Or where it’s been? Yes, and I’m Just figuring that I’m owing This one to my (Chorus) Long lost love And will I ever find you again? Long lost love, And if I were inclined to Would you let me in? Would you like me to refill it And do away with doubt? And I’m sorry if I spill it Can’t seem to neatly pour it out We’re apart Well, could there be a reconnection With new insight? Oh the heart So complicated with affection Pain and spite for this (Chorus) Long lost love And will I ever find you again? Long lost love, And if I had a mind to Would you let me in? (Bridge) I dreamt last night That I lay cold and shaking And aching From a fast The years slipped by And I was old and quaking For upon waking, At long last Was my (Chorus) Long lost love And would you really find me again Long lost love, And though I sometimes pine thee Would I really let you in?
9.
I WILL NEVER FORGET I will never forget All the things we have done All the places we’ve been All the battles we’ve won Saw you coming my way Your radar seemed to work too And I’m glad it was early And I’m glad it was you Who stood beside me in Eden And when the apples came down We weathered the seasons Kept our feet on the ground And saw the shimmering diamonds Among the shivering coal Watched them light up the night sky Felt them piercing the soul And Moby Dick is still swimming The blind captain in tow And he watches for angels As he plunges below And when I forget to remember Or can’t hyperbolize When there’s only the embers Left to smoke up my eyes There’s still a flame in the distance And it burns through the night And it fuels its insistence From the wrongs that we right Oh all the things we have done I could never forget All the places we’ve been And those we haven’t been yet And I wrote you this song Capoed on the twelfth fret Oh all the things we have done I could never forget (repeat first verse)
10.
Empathy 05:42
EMPATHY So many times I feel an anger Swelling up inside of me But now I’m focused on the danger That it blinds a part of me So I’m not here to bless you out To try and change your core beliefs So let’s put our fingers down And let’s show a little empathy We’ve got our tribes, we show our branding Sometimes for all the world to see But with truth and understanding Lies a greater loyalty And I don’t have it figured out And I don’t aim to be the priest Who thinks he’s holier than thou Oh no, I’m just preaching empathy (Bridge) ‘Cause you’ll be wrong and so will I But we can help each other see When we can find each other’s eye Reveals sincere humility So let’s put our fingers down Before we light another tweet Have we really thought it out? And could it spread a little empathy? So let’s put our fingers down Before we smoke that bitter meme Feeling righteous and proud Well there’s a higher pride in showing empathy Hope hasn’t died when there’s still empathy I’m still on your side, the side of empathy At least we can say we tried to show some empathy When I get cruel and snide, I hope I will remember…(a little empathy) Help me to remember…(a little empathy) Please help me to remember…(a little empathy)
11.
One Step 04:44
ONE STEP (Repeated Chorus) Taking it one step now! Taking it one step now! Taking it one step now! You know I can see the answer It’s taking it one step at a time Learning from what the wounds are revealing Holding out hope for their healing Keeping an eye on forgiveness, Tolerance, kindness, tenderness Scaling the plates of perfection Breaking it down into manageable sections Laughing at all of the weirdness Keeping track of the child in the wilderness Releasing when it’s time to let go Learning when to say yes and when to say no

about

What does your soul desire? What does it take to make it real? And if you do, was it worth the cost?

These questions are at the heart of my song “Invocation,” a tune inspired by Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein" (and some of its countless adaptations). When I was making my previous album "Congeries," I originally intended to include "Invocation" as it fit with the theme of magical creation. But I wasn't quite happy with all the lyrics, so fittingly like the song's speaker, I "labored" on. When I finished writing it, I knew it would be the opener of a new album, one that's been my passion project for some five years now.

The new album "Haunts & Wants" is produced by Knoxville, TN musician Bryan Ciliberto. A mix of pop, soul, folk, and rock n roll, the project was recorded over eighteen months. Bryan and I shared files with each other from our home studios, recording several instruments between us. I was compelled to express the songs in a grand, colorful style with full band arrangements and exciting sounds (a blend of retro and modern). The record features friends and talented musicians from across the globe.

By turns joyous & lively and moody & forlorn, the songs are about longings, regrets, memories, and places we go in the everyday quiet times. At its core, "Haunts & Wants" is about how we cope with our desires and obsessions.

credits

released October 6, 2023

Joseph Houck: vocals, electric/acoustic/nylon-string guitars, bass, and keyboards (piano, organ, synths)
Bryan Ciliberto: backing vocals, drums, percussion, electric guitar, bass, piano, and organ
Henri Ciliberto: additional drumming on 10
Martin Lucas: piano on 6
Betania Hernández: violins and viola on 7
Yona Marie: backing vocals on 1,4,10, & 11
Jessie Morgan: fiddles on 6
Ib Delight: saxophone on 9
Matthew Wilson: pedal steel on 10
Maria Grigoryeva: violins and viola on 5
Natalia Nazarova: cello on 5
Anna Houck: backing vocals on 3,4,7,8,9, & 11
TrippTrappTrull Horns:
Elin Andersson - trumpet
Nicklas Dahlin - saxophone
Simon Fransman - trombone
On 1,4, 10, & 11

Songs written by Joseph Houck, except “We’ve Never Met Before” by Joseph Houck and Bryan Ciliberto

Produced, Mixed, and Mastered by Bryan Ciliberto
Cover Art by Lisa Taranchenko
Special thanks to Jeff Martin and Joe Drzewiecki
Lyrics/contact/booking at josephhouckmusic.com
© 2023 Joseph Houck, All Rights Reserved.
© 2023 Joseph Houck and Bryan Ciliberto, “We’ve Never Met Before,” All Rights Reserved.

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Joseph Houck Boone, North Carolina

Singer-songwriter from the mountains of North Carolina

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