Inner Voices Lyrics — Round About

Recorded December 2021 in Studio R
at Cue Recording Studios, Falls Church, VA
Engineered and Mixed by Blaine Misner
Mastered by TJ Lipple

Released February 4, 2022

“Sending Out Signals” was awarded “Finalist” in the Pop Category and “The Blind Lead the Blind” was awarded “Honorable Mention” in the Rock/Alternative Category in the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest by the Songwriters Association of Washington.

Album Credits:
Patrick Garrity: Vocals, Rhythm Guitars
(Bass Guitar on “Better With Time” & “In Between”)
Aaron Lowenberger: Lead Guitars
(Lead Vocals on “Menagerie” &
“Sending Out Signals”)
Dave Mehring: Bass Guitar
(Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitar on
“Better With Time” & “In Between”)
Phil Raino: Drums

Featuring:
Mark Bower: Organ on “The Blind Lead The Blind” & “Try As You Might”
Michael Clem: Harmonica on “A Single Kiss”
Blaine Misner: Shaker on “The Most Important Thing”

Lyrics & Song Thoughts

1 - The Blind Lead the Blind
written by Patrick Garrity
©2022 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

I couldn’t be happier with how this one turned out; great band performances (especially Aaron’s ripping guitar solo; 2nd take!), and our friend Mark Bower’s perfectly supporting organ part. The song is asking what happens when neither person sees the breakup coming? - Patrick

“Never again,” she said as she explained
That it’s all gone up in flames
Something she’d rather not remember
I’m not the same, and yet I never complained
What’s escaped can’t be contained
When it takes two to stay together
It’s said we’re drawn to what we need
For our company, we’ve chosen misery

When the blind lead the blind
They’re surprised at what they find
That they placed the bet
But there’s nothing left to save
Cause they thought their stars aligned
That their fates were intertwined
Though they tried to stall It was all a big charade
It’s hard to see the signs
When the blind lead the blind

We had it all, with no need to overhaul
Never bracing for our fall
It felt exactly as intended
I didn’t know that we were putting on a show
We were reaping what we sow
As it turned out we both pretended
When you’re left chasing silhouettes
It’s the shared regret that you can’t forget

Chorus

But when you’re inside and it starts to slide
And you cannot hide and it won’t subside
With no real guide to help you decide
You can’t stem the tide of your great divide

Every heartbreak is well earned
Cause we’ve all been burned
That’s the way you learn

Chorus

2 - Better With Time
written by Dave Mehring
©2022 Yamato Group Music

Straight-ahead song about getting older and not dwelling on regrets. Patrick laid down an awesome bass line and Aaron added so much as usual. I especially loved his work during the verses. Simple but deadly. “Pause for Effect”… Vocals are probably the best I had. Trying to sing from the chest more.

- Dave

Walking down this road
Trying to do just what we are told
Never worried that we’re growing old
Til’ we’re past our prime

Lost in the day to day
Always worried what they will say
We’re looking for a better way
But we’re running out of time
To make up our minds

It takes so long to figure out
This life’s too short for doubt
We can take these years
And leave them all behind
We’re getting better with time

You’re carrying around a load
It follows you wherever you go
What could have been you’ll never know
You’ve done your time, ease your mind

Chorus

We can’t keep on going like this
Filling out these bucket lists
Looking back at all we have missed
Running out the time, standing in line

Chorus

3 - Menagerie
written by Aaron Lowenberger
©2022 Soul Lever Music

I was a little bit unsure about how this one would work for the band, but it ended up sounding great once everybody got comfortable with it. The main riff has a diminished chord in the middle of it, which is a bit unusual in a pop or rock song. I like throwing in an unusual chord here or there to try to tweak the listeners' ears a little bit. I think the lyrics in this one show some development on my part as a songwriter when you compare it with my songs on the earlier albums, and this is my best vocal performance on record. - Aaron

She whispers quietly into your ear
She knows exactly the right words to say
She’ll tell you everything that you want to hear
Then she’ll quietly put you away

She’s got some pets on the side
To keep her warm at night
When she lets you inside
That’s when you know
That she’s made up her mind
You’re part of her menagerie

Well she’ll lead you with the touch of her hand
To the edge of some unknown terrain
She’ll let you gaze upon the promised land
But you know you’ll never get to remain

Chorus

She’s a collector she’s a connoisseur
Always wanting something more
Never finding what she needs
With a heart that’s iron to the core
She’ll leave you lying on the floor
And never really let you free

You’ll give her everything that you have to give
You’ll pay whatever price you’ve got to pay
And when you find that you need her to live
Is when you find that she’s gone out to play

She’ll let you go for a ride
So she can say that she tried
When she puts you aside
That’s when you know
That she’s made up her mind
You’re part of her menagerie
Isn’t it a tragedy

4 - A Single Kiss
written by Patrick Garrity
©2022 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

I’ve always been a fan of what I call “chugga chugga” songs (where drum brushes are usually used on the snare for what’s often called the “train” beat). Phil did a great job with my request for it in this one, and Aaron’s restraint in playing to best serve the song also elevates it. Finally, I asked Michael Clem from another favorite band (Eddie From Ohio), if he’d provide some harmonica for the track, which he graciously did remotely. Put it all together and I was delighted with how my twangy contribution to this album turned out. - Patrick

Open up what’s inside
Frightened by exactly
What it is that I might find
Had enough fighting blind
Tying to avoid admitting
What I left behind
The memories unkind

Had everything I ever wanted
Now I’ll always be haunted by this
Everywhere I go I’m taunted
My biggest swing and miss
All because we shared a single kiss

As something new we couldn’t lose
Not recognizing anything
Was trying to break through
As it grew the truth did too
Resentments worn like badges
Still we didn’t have a clue
Until it broke us in two

Chorus

Some things ain’t meant to be
Warning signs are never guaranteed
Hearts are being broken every day
Intentional or life gets in the way

Moving on, faking strong
Looking for the shortcut
When it’s taking far too long
Another song, you sing along
Hoping you’ll forget that
Sometimes being right is wrong
And then it’s gone

Not anything I ever wanted
But now I’m free from being haunted by this
I’ll carry on as if undaunted
I know what I’ve missed
All because we shared a single kiss

5 - In Between
written by Dave Mehring
©2022 Yamato Group Music

Specifically designed to drive Phil crazy. Lots of time changes. I liked the echoing vocals throughout. F in the bridge and Aaron kicks some booty. Patrick holding down the bass once again. I think the only tune I’ve written which deals with politics. - Dave

You go up and I go down
And that’s how it shall be
Till we can find some ties that bind
And make us family
I know we have always found a way
This time it feels our trouble’s here to stay

Markets rise, goodwill dies
Stuck in our own scene
Lines are crossed, forget the cost
Don’t matter how you lean

Gotta find another way
When there’s nothing more to say
We gotta find a way
To reach some common ground
So take a step and meet me in between

Days gone by, our flags would fly
But reason won the day
Now we side in deep divide
And all must pay to play

Chorus

Gotta find another way
When there’s nothing more to say
Gotta find another way
When there’s nothing more to say

You go up and I go down
But one day in my dreams
A fact’s a fact, good men act
And we meet in between

6 - Course Correction
written by Patrick Garrity
©2022 Waltzing on Glass Music (ASCAP)

The one got going with the thin E string being tuned down so that the acoustic chords would sound bigger and more full in sharing a lot of common notes. I really enjoy the drum part Phil plays and Aaron’s guitar swells. The lyrics ask if you could go back in time and fix your screw ups, should you?

- Patrick

I come from the way back when
To offer you what might have been
The chance to go back and try again
Oh the potential

Is there something you’d replace
At the expense of time and space
All the mistakes you could erase
So exponential

So if you could get it right
Would you give up your current life
For a past you could rewrite, for perfection
A course correction

You’d have no more regrets
No more “If I’d only saids”
Every failure could be reset
But is it essential

Chorus

When there’s no cause for concern
You fear your fortune’s been unearned
You wish it all could be returned
It’s nothing special

Who says you didn’t do it right
When all you love is in this life
The only legacy we write is imperfection
A course correction

This is another song that has a strong influence from The Police in a couple of ways. The verse guitar part has a bit of a reggae feel which comes straight out of their playbook. The concept for the lyrics was to take the idea from "Message in a Bottle" but update it so that the lonely person was searching across space for connection rather than the ocean. I struggled to hit some of the vocal parts while we were recording, but in the end we captured something that sounded pretty good. - Aaron

Looking through a telescope
At the craters of the moon
Searching for some evidence
Of finding someone soon

Watching all the asteroids
Spread across the sky
Trying to read the hidden code
The gods have left behind, and you know
I’ve been at this for years
Phone is ringing but no one seems to hear

Sending out signals
Searching for signs of life
Sending out signals tonight

Tuning into frequencies
Beyond the radio
Listening for anything
A voice to say hello

Reading all the instruments
Looking for a sign
Nothing is so delicate
As a lost and lonely mind, and you know
I’ve been at this for years
Phone is ringing but no one seems to hear

Chorus

All this time I fantasized
Tantalized by endless skies
I believe in fantasies

Across eternal emptiness
Across a million miles
Spending all my energy
Just to find your smile

Chorus

This one was intended (and succeeds I think) as an exercise in soft/loud song dynamics, and is also where this album’s title comes from. I love the tremelo on the rhythm guitar and how the band slowly builds into this one (along with our friend Mark Bower providing some great organ as well). Aaron’s guitar solo is really great, and then the final quiet section before the concluding crescendo is exactly what I was hoping for. Definitely my best effort in terms of writing the “big rock ballad.” Even our engineer had his lighter waving at one point during playback. - Patrick

It’s said that we learn from mistakes
But I’m still unsure if I’ve got what it takes
If that thing that’s inside
I was promised is inside of me
Yeah we’ve all screwed it up
The sign says to open
The door I’ve just shut
As if my inner voices
And my curious choices agree
I guess we’ll see

They say “Look how he’s grown”
A favorite reminder of feeling alone
And everyone else
Seeming sure of themselves
Welcoming all the unknowns
It’s hard measuring up
When there’s no waiting line
To beat yourself up
Yet the only opinion
To which you’d ever listen’s your own
I thought I’d understand
Nobody’s dealt more than one single hand
You can walk on the beach
Or keep counting the grains of sand

Easy ain’t what I’m after
Life’s a lot more
Than the good stuff and laughter
Funny how often a moment can soften and turn
I try to live in the now
To take from the past as the future allows
Somewhere it’s written
That great things aren’t given but earned

Through the rise and the falls
You can finally show all that you’ve learned
Try as you might
Once you’re gone you can never return

This tune was the result of a songwriting retreat I attended, and ended up being about what can happen when you let yourself be influenced instead of following your gut and your heart. Most people know the right thing to do; whether they do it or not these days seems another matter entirely. Certainly the truest chorus lyrics I’ve ever written…

Though we previously never really consciously wrote about the world around us, I’d say both this tune and Dave’s “In Between” from this album speak most directly as to how we’ve felt about the state of things in recent years. - Patrick

Weightless like I’d float away
Before I knew what I would say
It’s true that words can always bring you down
Ears for listening hear truth
The obvious does not need proof
Unheard voices very often drown

The answers don’t appear out of the blue
Be careful of the gospel that you choose

Lighter than I’ve ever felt
They’re looking up because they’ve knelt
Imagining my words can lead the way
I’m lifted up unfairly now
They hear only themselves somehow
Meanings meaning more than what I say

The answers don’t appear out of the blue
Be careful of the gospel that you choose
The only thing I’d always swear is true
Love’s the most important thing we do

Find your own voice
It’s the loudest in the room
Make your own choice
It’s the most familiar tune
And the only one that’s you

Keeping footsteps on the ground
Reminds me of the path I’ve found
To walk among all those who came before
Ensure that I can see them still
Instead of wanting newer thrills
In danger of forever needing more

Chorus