I hear it calling from the road
The day in and outs are getting old
I want to write songs from nowhere in the middle of the
night, I want to fall asleep to passing car headlights

And you're driving
And I'm half asleep
And you're singing a song about the crazy life we keep
And it ain't the first one that you wrote
But its beautiful and the baseline is the wheels on the road

That sweet steady sound under our lives
I turn down the music to hear it go by
Somebody told me today to breathe it all in
Or just wanna write it all down so I can leave again
[chorus]
I want to be a song builder working with my hands
I want to be the traveler lying under distant stars
of distant lands
I want to forget about myself and swim in forgotten seas

I need I need I need...
I need you to drive when I'm half asleep
Singing a song about this crazy life we keep
And it ain't the first one that you wrote
But its beautiful and the baseline is the wheels on the road

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sense from sight

I fear my eyes have finally found a voice this time
as the paper becomes a stream of words made
sense from sight.

Wild Irish daffodils climb these walls of grass
Pushing the stones aside with my shoe – so I may read you

Climb inside your hallways, The silhouette of stone at Slaine
against the blue sky sings through your broken pieces
It was just that I wanted to wander secret stairways,
all stories inside. Open air only where you once were, Castle
light awaking only with sunshine sleeping until dissolving
with day.

With every breath creeping up on the window.
Suns light feels warm on my face, its keeping me awake

And I fear my eyes have finally found a voice this
time, as the paper becomes a stream of words made
sense from sight.

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falling forward

There are spaces right inside me
Somewhere right beneath
Where there's finally room for us to stop
and begin breathing

Come closer that voice behind the words,
that voice behind the kitchen slow dancing afternoons
where there's finally room

Winter-blue, colored night, beautiful, so quiet
We wear smiles like gratitude
Safe enough to sit still, way worth the fear of falling

I am quiet. I am kind. I'm confused. I am crying.
I am selfish. I am scared. Apologize and dare you to love me
I am laughter. I run towards. I am falling falling
further forward
I am still I am still I am still I am still standing.
[chorus]
I am still I am still I am still I am still standing
I am still I am still I am still I am still standing
I am still I am still I am still I am still standing
I am still I am still I am still way worth the fear of falling

There are spaces right inside me
Somewhere right beneath
Where there's finally room for us to stop
And begin breathing

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mentionings

Mention me – in your sleep – and I'll dream – you're awake
– mention me
Me and her driving home from Meredith into
the outside of a storm.
How do I manage questions for he who throws
one hundred million raindrops from the sky.

Mention me – in your sleep – and then I'll dream – you're
awake – mention me
The leaves here are only beginning to blush
The colors of October hush
Passing the purple mountains draped in misty morning
Piles of thoughts inside my hands this morning

Mention me – in your sleep – and then I'll dream – you're'
awake – mention me
I can convince myself that loneliness is freedom
And I can convince myself that there's happiness in silence
And I can convince myself that nothing is forever and
this all is for the better but I can't fall asleep tonight....

Mention me in your sleep and then I'll dream you're
awake and then I – will fall asleep – until you –
wake me with day

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reckless affection

Reckless affection, suspended from the end
of my fingertips
just in reach of a daydream that I casually mention
about some soul I've watched forever.
Your singing along to my song.

My tiger lilly June moves through August heat, Sweet
Virginia your soft voice, singing me to sleep.
Sunlight like love moves from rooftop to next
in between the spaces in the sidewalk to our
footsteps... reckless affection.

And if I end it, I can't begin again. And if it all goes
along too soon too smooth, someone might misunderstand.
Blue sky is bringing in the rain.
I'll close my eyes till I can see again...
[chorus]
Steady silence words sent up to heaven
for hearts so broken from before
you seem to me to be an angel breathing
you seem to me to be an angel breathing
(up high-don't come down)
you seem to me to be an angel breathing
you seem to me to be an angel breathing
(up high-please come down)
And the question keeps me...ever faithful.

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softly spoken

Under this canopy of love I write
by the lanterns soft spoken sacrifice for my sight
My intentions shaken upward
single solitude carries me forward

I need the arms of a kinder and sweeter soul
to hold my days in the highest of regard.
I want to spend too much time in your mind making
thoughts and plans, intricate ramblings where you
don't make much sense until you say you love me.

And as if I never...awoke...to all of you, I speak blind
I am folded in threes which one will I be next.
My subtle selfish gaze is far far away from whomever
gives their 6nal breath to me.
[chorus]

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words fall

When the muse speaks, I have to listen
When the mood falls, I start to fray
When the tears break, they break me open
Where the walls rise, get out of the way

But you come running when the words speak
And you come catching what I say
And you come crying when I'm broken
And you hold the pieces

And I know, now, what your love is
And I know, now, how it heals

When the words fall, you keep me kinder
when the breaking begins, I'll hold you tighter
when our bridges burn, we'll build them higher
and we'll build from the pieces

But you come running when the words speak
And you come catching what I say
And you come crying when I'm broken
And you hold the pieces

And I know, now, what you love is
And I know, now, how it heals

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delightful

Falling behind on overused ground
Fed from the delights descending from your eyes
I am beside myself every time I watch you
move near the aisle.

And the chill slides down my back like fire down a match
I want to listen perfectly – I can't hear what you just said
Diamonds darling glitter magazines are everywhere
but I'm not there.

This skin, just a covering for my soul to keep it in
I am standing off to the side of the center aisle
and you begin
and I smile as you move down the aisle
[chorus]
And the final piece of sunset as it reaches the very top
of the church spire at 4:00 I remember they said
this life comes with a lot less of you.

And as I fell, off to sleep, I notice the stained glass mosaic
winter was, leaving me, on my window, lit up from behind,
by the yellow street light outside and my prayers,
tumble forward, for you.

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certain ground

Keeping calm and certain ground
Resting high upon the clouds
I cant imagine, being without

The simplest things astound me
The way your silence speaks,
The way you bend the light around the music you make

Heal me from the heights I've fallen
Hold me to the words I've spoken
Keeping calm, Keeping certain...

The simplest things astound me
The way your silence speaks,
The way you bend the light around the music you make

and I am falling I am falling I am
not allowed to say so soon

It feels different when I breathe
God I want him for me
you let me catch you looking
leaving me barely breathing
not even silence left to speak

I am falling I am falling I am
Not allowed to say so soon

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Credits

Produced by Ms. Dooley and Andrew Luman
Engineered by Rich Durkee and Kenny Lewis
Mixed by Kenny Lewis
Mastered at M Works by Paul Angelli
Recorded at Mixed Emotions Music, Middleton, MA; 978.744.7413; mixedemotionsmusic.com
Photography by Andrew Luman
Album design by Erin Dooley and Chris Carlson

Original music and lyrics by Erin Dooley (Falling Forward co-writen by Erin and Andrew Luman)
Lead vocals / acoustic guitar - Erin
Background vocals - Andrew Luman, Gretchen Hill, and Erin
Catchy guitar lines - Luman
Drums - Russ Lawton
Bass - Michael Bean
Violin - Chris Cavanaugh

Thanks to russ, michael, gretchen and chris for the beautiful music, jason ackerman (MabLab Records) for the west coast support, to all at the coffeehouse WERS 88.9, my dearest dineen, the sweet virginia girls, andrew gruden, jaxon, alisonn'tim, missyn'eric, my fam and my beautiful andrew.

Big kinds of thanks to
nathan olson and chris carlson for all things computers and design
and to Kenny Lewis for all the everything else along the way.

and you,
thankyou for listening
i hope you like this one.

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