Best Laid Plans Lyrics

Recorded in November 2014 in the Red Room at
Cue Recording Studios, Falls Church, VA
Engineered and Mixed by Blaine Misner
Mastered by TJ Lipple

Released January 2, 2015

“Hit Or Miss” was awarded “Finalist” in the Pop Category of the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest by the Songwriters Association of Washington.

Album Credits:

Patrick Garrity: Vocals, Rhythm Guitars
Aaron Lowenberger: Lead Guitars
(Lead Vocals on "Odds and Ends")
Dave Mehring: Bass Guitar
(Lead Vocals on "My Stubborn Pride")
Paul Nicholas: Drums

Featuring:
Mark Bower: Organ on "Chasing You,"
Piano, Organ on "My Grand Designs"
Anand Varghese: Backing Vocals on
"Chasing You" & "Hit or Miss"
Arch Alcantara: Electric Guitars on
"Forget Me Not"

Lyrics & Song Thoughts

1 - Chasing You
written by Patrick Garrity
©2015 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

The first album opener that checked every box I was aiming for: immediately catchy, upbeat, and easy to digest. Really happy with how all the elements came together: our friend Mark Bower’s organ, Anand Vaghese’s terrific harmonies, Paul using the bell on the ride cymbal in the choruses, and of course all of Aaron’s work throughout. - Patrick

Here comes my waitress
Been working all day long
She’s an expert in aimless
Gorgeous and headstrong
A double shift from one to the other
She’s out on her feet
Adrift soon to discover I’m watching

One day I’ll break through
The walls you put between
Fear and the truth, baby I’m scared too
You say we had some fun
But now you think you’re done
And you’re on the run
But I’m still chasing you

There goes my heartbreak
She doesn’t even know
That I’m dreaming of daybreak
Won’t wake up alone
I’d melt when I hear her laughing
Music to my ears
The hand dealt soon
I’ll be asking for years

Chorus

What’s left, tell her I love her
Will she let me in
This mess the spell that I’m under again

Chorus

2 - Something’s Missing
written by Patrick Garrity
©2015 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

This one got started when thinking about some friends’ approaching wedding. Even though it’s about being smitten with someone, my favorite line is the only one that shows a hint of hesitation (towards the end of chorus). But I intentionally wanted it to be super simple and catchy. Aaron’s guitar solo is ridiculous. - Patrick

The only thing I ever saw
The first time I looked at you
Was the girl I knew I’d fall for
Acting like she knew what was in store

The first thing I ever heard
That came out of your mouth
Was the sound of perfect words
Causing me to almost lose my nerve

Finding someone’s rarely easy
We’re far from flawless, both you and me
Excited at what we have started
We might end up broken-hearted
But I wouldn’t change a thing
Cause without you by my side
Something’s missing

The first time that I reached out
So I could hold your hand
I felt a spark between our fingers
Startled me in how it lingered

Chorus

The only thing I’ll ever know
Every time I look at you
All I want for you is happy
And I hope that you’ll allow me to

Chorus

3 - My Grand Designs
written by Patrick Garrity
©2015 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

I wasn’t sure if I was happy with this one until the first time the band played it, then immediately realized it was a keeper. The song has a surprise in terms of the reveal at the end of the chorus, but it’s lots of fun to play and this recording is really augmented by our pal Mark Bower’s terrific piano and organ additions, my favorite of which are the three descending piano notes into the choruses. - Patrick

I happened to see her by mistake
I did my best not to fixate
Impressions she left I couldn’t shake
Not even a day that I could wait
To call her and ask her for a date
She told me you better not be late
I put on a suit and my best tie
The dress she had on it blew my mind
And we started up the rest of our lives

Nobody’s luckier than me
That much is obvious to see
Must have been all my polished charm
That’s keeping her always on my arm
I don’t know what else that I can say
No one else makes me feel this way
She’s more than I ever could expect
Too bad I haven’t met her yet

She wasn’t surprised how hard I fell
And told me I had an easy tell
She noticed the same thing in herself
We were together all the time
Laying out all our grand designs
A happier pair you couldn't find
I know it’s crazy to believe
How can we be so damn naïve?
Sometimes each other’s all that you need

Chorus

There’s nothing left to do
The dream of her just might come true

Just because our paths haven't crossed
Doesn't mean that the love is lost
Some things are always well worth the cost

Chorus

4 - Hit or Miss
written by Patrick Garrity
©2015 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

This tune was written years before it was recorded, and considered for "Hanging By A Thread” as well. Our first drummer Paul called it our “power ballad,” and the harmonies our friend Anand Varghese added really elevate the song. The big takeaway with this one is that sometimes a bad breakup isn’t anyone’s fault; it just doesn’t work out. Which is why it was also important to me the song had some silver lining to it. - Patrick

I can hear the horns of
Freight trains in the distance
The hours of trying to sleep met with resistance
Lying in a lonely empty bed
Wondering why she said the things she said

In the morning wash my face look in the mirror
It’s curious the picture isn’t clearer
Taking stock of who I see
Contemplate the question before me
Who should I be?

One day when you look back on all of this
You’ll say you were glad that you took the risk
Remember that you’ll never forget
Sometimes you hit sometimes you miss

The rain it hits the gutters with a vengeance
It’s New Year’s Eve and all I’ve got are remnants
Of great hellos and long goodbyes
The times we laughed so much we cried
They’re wiped away like the tears in your eyes

Chorus

Two weeks worth of stubble on my face
Another fourteen days to run in place
It’s not a case of moving on
Of who was right and who was wrong
I’m just trying to figure out where I belong

One day when you look back on all of this
You’ll say you were glad that you took the risk
It’s okay to regret what you can’t dismiss
In some way this could help you find happiness
Remember that you’ll never forget

5 - Odds and Ends
written by Aaron Lowenberger
©2015 Soul Lever Music

Aaron thoughts

Peeling posters on the door
Crumpled clothing on the floor
Paper bags and sagging chairs
All this stuff is everywhere

Cardboard boxes open cans
Silverware and pots and pans
Candy wrappers, broken toys
All just daily background noise
I try to change, but only rearrange

Every day my time is spent
On all these little odds and ends
More and more it seems to be
That this is all there is for me
These odds and ends

Empty mugs and coffee-spoons
Measure hollow afternoons
Broken bottles on the ground
Where forgotten time is found
Another year and I’m still here

Chorus

They say that life is more
Than the sum of all its parts (I’m not so sure)
When I add it all up it seems like
There must be something more

Pointless papers crowd the desk
Adding weight to all the rest
Dulling pencils blunted mind
Trapped by all the stuff I find
I’d walk away if I could find the way

Chorus

6 - So Much More
written by Patrick Garrity
©2015 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

Another song written years before we recorded it. Based on a real couple I knew whose pairing made no sense to me. She was way out of his league but for whatever reason seemed to go for him. I didn’t know them well so wrote the song as a plea from one of her close friends. I think the drum part is the glue for this tune and Paul did a great job with it. Also a rare song of mine in the fact that there’s no section for a guitar solo. - Patrick

I’m tired of this whole charade
You know how I despise delay
Some kind of feat
You’re suspending belief again
We go back such a long way
Caught me off guard when I heard you say
That this guy you found has
Got you all turned around my friend
Guess I’ll bite my tongue
And hope for a different end

If it was anyone other than you
I’d say do what your heart says to do
But I know you too well
And I’d never tell lies to you
There’s so much more that you could be
So much more that you should need
And I’d give it all up and risk our history
If only you could see

He’s young so you’ll have your fun
Unless he asks you how it’s done
If he’s so naïve then
It’s hard to believe he belongs
Is he truly who you’re looking for
Uses the 80’s for his metaphors
You think he’s the one
I think his trial run’s going long
I don’t know how you dance to this guy’s song

Chorus

What can I say, that hasn’t been said
There’s men lining up
You chose your boy instead
You think he’s everything you’d ever dreamed
Hard to keep quiet when I want to scream

So if you said you’d marry this guy
Would the wedding have “Cracker Jack” style?
I’d still be there to bear the plastic ring
But why did you have to go and choose…him
(I think you could do so much better)

7 - Nothing Left to Say
written by Patrick Garrity
©2015 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

This song was intended to capture more or less a specific groove. It was always meant to be an album track, though the recording turned out better than I anticipated. I always liked the little guitar riff (and its harmony line) into the choruses.
- Patrick

Wasting time again
With the same refrain
Memories of you won’t go away
Pretending to pretend
That I won’t replay
Each and every one of my mistakes
Maybe I’m afraid that things won’t ever change

There’s nothing left to say
It’s not the kind of bed in which
I know that I must lay
When you can’t see through the grey
All out of words, to be sure
There’s nothing left to say

So many years have passed
Since my fall
I’m not sure why I’m still feeling stalled
Some things shouldn’t last
The order’s tall
When you’re not satisfied to have it all
Maybe I’m afraid that things won’t ever change

Chorus

Hope is what you make it
She won’t be the only one you’ve found
Happiness you can’t fake it
So get up every time you get knocked down

Chorus

8 - Mystery
written by Patrick Garrity
©2015 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

This one was fun to write in terms of taking a break from a relationship theme; what would happen if you woke up unable to remember anything about yourself? I remember borrowing an idea or two from the Guster song “Ruby Falls.” Aaron’s guitar solo here is great. - Patrick

Wake up to sunrise as you get up off the ground
It’s a daunting light
Listen for anything unsure to make a sound
Where the echoes hide
All you’ve got so far
Is that you don’t know who you are
You feel like hell as you reach for the door

I’m lost, help me rediscover who I am
Who I was who I might be
A high cost, to finally reveal and understand
What has happened to me
All alone in my own mystery

Searching for something
To remind you of the past
Anything to convey
Some sign that memories will wash over at last
That some pieces can be saved
The only thing you’ve learned
With each and every turn
Is the questions only beg a hundred more

Chorus

Familiar steps that feel the same
Like I’m drawn to a flame
Nothing can be retained
I’ve got so much at stake
And there’s scars I can’t explain
If I don’t keep on fighting for my name
I might go insane

I can’t stand what I don’t know
Can’t live without a soul
Can anyone give my life back to me?

Dave thoughts

I can’t hide my stubborn pride
Lord it may be a sin
But I can’t hold it in all the time

There’s been times when I’m quite diplomatic
Very reasonable and pragmatic
Swallowed my pride and
Lived to fight another day

It’s the rule more than exception
I’m a study in discretion
Holding my tongue searching for
The humble thing to say
I find it’s usually best that way

Chorus

I’ve tried to explain this mystery
This minor anecdote to my history
The moderation and self-deprecation
Are just a clever guise

Can’t say that it’s there for a reason
To think I know best would be treason
Moving along till I find someone
To cut me down to size
And make me finally realize

Chorus

As vices go it’s not much cause for worry
Not like anger, envy, sloth or greed
Cause the only one it’s hurting
Winds up being me

You can chalk it up to my youth
But it wouldn’t be God’s honest truth
It’s head versus heart
And it’s bound to go all fifteen rounds

I can’t hide my stubborn pride
I can’t hide my stubborn pride
It may be a sin but I can’t hold it in
It may be a sin but it won’t do me in
It may be sin but a man can’t give in
All the time, woah
It may be a sin
But I can’t hold it in all the time

Can’t say I remember a whole lot about writing this one. I definitely had the feeling it’d be more of an album track. To me the chorus certainly has a bit of an Oasis vibe I was happy to borrow from. But I was just aiming for a big sweeping rock ballad. - Patrick

She said it’s okay and I’ll be fine
Lamenting with another glass of wine
Thinking that she would have seen the signs
Her patience is wearing thin

Loneliness my only true companion
Never one to ask too much of me
Just like tossing coins into a canyon
Accepting so tacitly
The unknown so harrowing

When you’re on the edge
Sometimes there’s no net
You have to risk it all
Allow yourself to fall once again

Holding on to what went wrong it suits you
It’s easier never to resist
All alone is what you’d call home
If you had to choose
Convince yourself that’s okay
As if there’s no other way

Chorus

Wounded in the memories gone by
Doesn’t mean you’ll only know goodbyes
We often learn the most after we cry
A heart that’s breaking is not the end
The failing’s if you never try again

Chorus

This one fell out in an evening pretty easily which was unusual. It’s a quiet, solo piece to anyone saying goodbye to someone very important. It was a real treat for our friend Arch Alcantara come in and add some beautiful electric guitar textures to it which most certainly gave the song the atmosphere I imagined. - Patrick

Here we are all alone
Shooting stars keep us warm
And the sky belongs to us
You say it’s beautiful
I say it ain’t got nothin’ on you

The city lights show the way
They flicker bright, a grand display
And as we reach the fountain square
You say it’s beautiful
And I say it ain’t got nothin’ on you

Forget me not after I’m gone
Don’t ever stop, keep holding on
We had a hell of a ride
I’ll see you on the other side

The silhouette of my sweetheart
One last sunset before we part
And the cycle carries on
You say it’s been beautiful
And I say that I’ll always be with you