Instructional Songs For Quality Living

by Chris Darby

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10 song CD, plus a lyric booklet and story about the album.

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7

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Get all 7 Chris Darby releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Love Or The Wilds, Here You Are, Live at The Yurt at Dancing Cow Farm, Instructional Songs For Quality Living, Cabin Songs, 2013 Independent Chicago Songwriter Festival, and Road Songs. , and , .

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1.	Intro 00:32		buy track
2.	You Are Beautiful 05:18	lyrics	buy track
Do all that you do for the people you love. This moment in time it will be enough Do all that you do for the world that you know. Outside in rainstorms, sunny or snow Make fast friends in summer, June or July. Then hold them tight when the wind blows your way Remember the lessons you’ve learned in the dark. Do away with the things that make you feel small Let yes be your answer where no was your truth. Before there was nothing, now there is you Consider each question before giving up. Believe yourself worthy of love Because you are beautiful Be all that you are for the person you were. For the person you thought you’d be once long ago Be afraid of no person, placement or thing. Know yourself well, you will know what you need Be strong in the face of fire and war. This life is a moment, this moment is short Collect your misfortunes, turn them to gold. The past is the past, the future is yours You will side against the lies in the mines of time. You will sing slave songs on your long journey home You will find blue eyes, wet with joy, paralyzed You will build this whole world, it sounds absurd, but it is yours Yours to shape, to change, to mold and rearrange Yours to laugh in and play, in the night and through the day Yours to wander free from where you’ve been to where you’ll be Yours in harmony with all the creatures that you meet This world is yours Do all that you do for the people you love. This moment in time is more than enough Do all kinds of good in the place where you are. Down in the sea or high in the stars Don’t be ashamed to let yourself sing. Be strong in the face of all you have been Live every moment no future or past. These moments are all that we have
3.	Reach For The Stars 02:48	lyrics	buy track
May all your dreams come true wherever you are Whatever you do, reach for the stars You are capable of more than you believe No matter who you are, you have more to be Love the person you are, love the people you meet Love the places you’ll go, sing your song to the street Feel the movement of time, pulsing right through your veins Place your bets on this life, and its joyous refrain Wash your sorrows away, in the cool morning air At the end of the day, just be glad you were here When the path seems so long, and the journey so hard Consider your voice. Take note of the sound May all your dreams come true, wherever you are In whatever you do, reach for the stars, reach for the stars Reach for the stars Reach for the stars Reach for the stars
4.	Don't Look Back 04:30 video	lyrics	buy track
Don’t be afraid of what you will find Inside and outside, up on the mountain top, down in the diamond mine Don’t be afraid to search out all the ends of the earth Your dreams are much bigger and brighter and more wonderful Than you give them credit for Don’t be afraid, be yourself Be alone, wander around, forgetting exactly where you are Don’t be alarmed, when everything falls apart When those you love run away, vanish or fade in the dark It happens If you know what you are, nothing can harm you No one can stop you from dreaming and living out all your beautiful dreams If you know what you are, nothing will hurt you And even the things that make you cry, will only add fuel to your hearth So go. Love and be loved. Feel and be felt Fashion an amulet around your blood And go. Love and be loved, find and be found And don’t ever look back Don’t look back Don’t be afraid, be yourself Be alone, wander around, forgetting exactly where you are Don’t be alarmed, when everything falls apart When those you love run away, vanish or fade in the dark Don’t be ashamed when falling down Just stand up, shout around, all that you are now What are you now If you know who you are, nothing will harm you No one can stop you from dreaming or living out all your beautiful dreams If you know what you are, nothing will hurt you Even the things that make you cry, will only add fuel to your hearth So go. Love and be loved. Feel and be felt Fashion an amulet around your blood And go. Love and be loved, find and be found And don’t ever look back Don’t look back
5.	When The Dark Finds The Dawn 04:07	lyrics	buy track
These words were my absolute friend at the dawning These words were my famous last ones These words are my children I’ll tend them uncovered like gardens grown in the sun Still I come to you brothers, and sisters and mothers And fathers and eldest loved ones I come to you pleading, though I know not the reason We were brought here all deaf, blind and dumb These times are a constant reminder to wander To learn of our ancient regret Embedded in tragedy, the soul of our country, redacted from histories text Still I ask you to open your eyes, ears uncovered Keep your thoughts to yourself For the more you try speaking, the less you can listen The less you will see where you are And these days will be famous to all who come after These days will be known for all time The question remaining is what will they be known for, and who will remember them Still we all hold our cards tight, afraid of the answer Afraid of a change of plan But let us be honest, this course will destroy us If we do not find new direction So these thoughts are a worry, just momentarily These thoughts will still lead us to shore These thoughts are our children, the song of our garden, the hope of a new world restored Still I come to you brothers, and sisters and mothers And fathers and eldest loved ones I come to you pleading, to discover the reason Your sleep is untroubled and calm I come to you pleading, unfettered but bleeding I will sleep when the dark finds the dawn
6.	Things You Know 02:56	lyrics	buy track
It’s important that we know what we need To find ourselves and follow dreams No one else knows what we need, it’s up to us It’s on everything you’ve ever seen Your notes and your papers and your leaves The ways you’ve always wanted to be free All point to this If we don’t go facing our fears What the hell are we doing here? The only point to life is to live it See there’s nothing left to do But wake in the morning at 6:02 And take the very next train, to wherever Pack the books and board the train Make sure someone thinks you’re insane Leave it all up to your dreams, and you’ll be fine I’ve got two tickets to run Purchased for the dawn Answers for anyone Will be denied Every single day that we stay Is one more day, closer to the grave Making the most of this means just what it says I remember things about this, no one else does Pictures only show you the things you want to see And the people who don’t know, only know the things they know These people were not made for you or me.
7.	Days On The Road 04:17	lyrics	buy track
Take the future and the past Take the past and present tense Take the moment to be heard, in a song Make mistakes and take a chance Open doors with half a glance Go and do the things you most want for yourself You only have one life to show, for all your days on the road You only have one love to grow, then you’ll be gone Best to make the most of this, love and hope, this pain and bliss Best to feel all we can feel before it’s forgotten Let’s not forget it Take a minute, make it right Skip the worry and the fight Hold your fears up to the light Let them all go You have the power to create Don’t sit around and wait Just believe that you are great Live your life You only have one life to show, for all your days on the road You only have one love to grow, then you’ll be gone Best to make the most of this, love and hope, this pain and bliss Best to feel all we can feel before it’s forgotten Let’s not forget it I will grow old, and pale and grey My eyes won’t see the same array My ears won’t hear and voice won’t sing But I will always remember these things You only have one life to show, for all your days on the road You only have one love to grow, then you’ll be gone Best to make the most of this, love and hope, this pain and bliss Best to feel all we can feel before it’s forgotten Let’s not forget it
8.	With Love 01:35	lyrics	buy track
Wherever you are, be there for love Whatever you do, do it with love Whoever you greet, greet them in love Love is enough It is enough to tear down the walls Divisions great or small To connect us, one and all Love is enough So wherever you are, be there for love Whatever you do, do it with love Whoever you greet, greet them in love Love is enough
9.	Be Brave 04:18	lyrics	buy track
When you feel that the world is destined to do you harm And reactions you see are ones of fear and alarm Remember your voice. Use words of careful choice There’s not a thing that you can do, if you leave things alone You can start by forgetting the things you think you know Reject any doctrine that holds you afraid or alone There will be times when you can’t laugh But as long as you are intact Don’t tell yourself there’s nothing you can do Go On Be Brave Run Fast Don’t Wait Make Love Make Hope Don’t let your dreams erode A notion that exists in many I have found Is not everyone can change the cards they’ve been dealt While that is true to an extent The thing that’s truer yet Is you can never catch a wind unbound. And there may come a day when you’ll have to let your loved one go Be true to yourself don’t forget you are not alone I know that you are bound to fear, yourself your thoughts for years So I want to show you what makes this river flow Go On Be Brave Run Fast Don’t Wait Make Songs Make Amends Let your dreams be your best Friends When you feel that the world will never hear your plea And reactions you see are shock and misery Remember your voice Use words of careful choice And I believe that dreams are all you need to be free I believe that dreams are all you need to be free I believe that dreams are all you need to be free Go On Be Brave Run Fast Don’t Wait Why Not, this life is yours And you will be gone tomorrow
10.	The Day Will Come 05:10	lyrics	buy track
A day will come when you’ll bind your life together And wonder if you made the right choice A day will come when you will not be a stranger To this life, and to your voice A day will come when you will move a mountain The very one you set out to move A day will come when peace will be upon us The answer to unanswered news The day will come, the day will come The day will come, the day will come May that day be this one A day will come when we all are free To be the ones we were made to be A day will come when shadows flee When our hearts hear the faint, soft plea A day will come when it matters not The things you have, or the place you’ve got A day will come, we will agree Peace inside is what we need The day will come, the day will come The day will come, the day will come May that day be this one And may our love fly upon Wind and air, current song And may our dreams take shape this night And fly, fly, fly till the edge of the light fly, fly , fly, till there’s nothing in sight fly, fly, fly, through the crisp morning air you were born to be here. The day will come, the day will come The day will come, the day will come May that day be this one
11.	Every Day And Every Night 03:22	lyrics	buy track
Every day, the sun will rise Orange fire, surrounding skies Every day, we’ll wake at dawn Greet the sun, new horizon Every day, as seasons flee The warm wind calls, come dance with me So you will go, to the sea Surrounded by a formless breeze And you will sleep on ancient shores Forgotten once, long ago Every night, the moon will rise Surrounded by her yellow light Every night, we sleep the stars In tune with our forgotten hours Every night, seasonally The winter wind cries dance with me So you will go with the wind In times of war and good fortune And you will sleep on ancient dreams Forgotten once, now remembering Forgotten once, now remembering

about

To capture the singular spirit and infectious energy of a live performance, this album was recorded without the use of overdubs in one 9 hour session. Chris welcomed two respected and talented musicians as accompanists on the new release: Andru Bemis (John C Reilly, Tom Brosseau) on violin and vocals, and Charles Murphy (Duck and Goose, The Diving Bell) on lead guitar, dobro, piano, ukulele, and vocals. In a change of tone from 2014’s powerful yet melancholic Cabin Songs, the new album presents a cultivated collection of ten tracks with the ambition of imparting gentle advice for living well.

credits

released August 11, 2015

Lead vocals and guitar: Chris Darby
Lead guitar, dobro, piano, ukulele, and vocals: Charles Murphy
Violin and vocals: Andru Bemis

Recording, mixing, and mastering: Justin Birchard

Photography: Chris Darby
Layout: James Musselman

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about

Chris Darby

Chris Darby is a folk musician whose true home is anywhere his music takes him. Though his singing sometimes reaches the ferocious roar of a territorial lion and other times sinks to the gentle whisper of a wise sage, his vocal style embodies a rare emotional honesty which captures the full range and depth of his life experience. Sign up for the Newsletter here- www.eepurl.com/Lgoz5 ... more