Sweet Denial

How Oh
Oh how I love your bitterness
Oh I can taste it in your kiss
It's how I know it's over
So very over
Except for one thing
Oh sweet denial
And oh salty pain

Water Tower

Just between the two of you and me
The timing was all that mattered
Just between the two of me
It's a lifetime thing

It's a basement thing
Wedding ring glued on the wall
Freezer burn the bricks return
And which of them are leaning

It's a living room thing
The cake we bring is just enough for us all
Yeah I’ll take my turn but so will you
And which of them will soon be leaving

It's a haystack thing
The needle sting
the cars and towns below
I can see it now but so can you
Which of us will get our fill

Water tower's gone
We all we all drank it down
So where do you and I sleep now

Yeah the money's dry
It's a it's a morning thing
Which of them is believing

Avocados

Took my girl on a picnic
and the sky got cloudy
it was windy
She took the last avocado
and threw it in the creek
I jumped in after it I found it
I started eating it
and then we got to talking
She said Rich why is it that you and I
are always so seven sided all the time
I said I don't know I said man this city gunnah
It's gunnah swallow me whole I dodge the question
I said you know I stopped on top
of the bridge today I saw the front line
And I could swear I caught up with my soul
from flyin away
She said I know you want guacamole
but you can't save them all
She said no matter what you do
sooner or later
it's going to happen to someone that you know

She said so much for winnin
when blood cells are thinnin
I said I think that's just street light poison
She said oh come on Rich
there's fear in the stairwell
there's a hush you can hear
There's panic in the lighthouse
and there won't ever be a cure
I said that lighthouse is in Evanston
it watches over lake Michigan
But it isn't at all how you knew it
no no it isn't
I said I've been there
I can prove it
I took pictures before they moved it
Down to where it only rains once a year

She said if you sleep without a dream
You are one of the lucky ones yeah
But if you are awake boy without a dream
You are crazier than me

So I went to the doctor
who lives in the woods
just to see what good he could do me
I knocked on his door
he opened it up
I said I need your help
they tell me you're the best
You see I fell in the dirt
I swallowed a stone
and now I have Armageddon in my chest
He said come in sit down my boy
you don't need any money
all I can give you is rest
and maybe some advice

He said if it's a beautiful woman
trust her body
but don't you trust her eyes no sir
He said pay all of your bills on time
and never buy anything on credit
He said always remember
your mother's birthday
and never respond to a chain letter
He said here take two of these
I'll give you them for free
and I swallowed them whole
He said pay attention to your health
pay attention to the health of those around you
He said like this hammer on your knee
like that siren in the hall
let all of your thunder come out
He said whatever you do
recover your sense of anger
I think that's what you're missing

He said if you sleep without a dream
You are one of the lucky ones aw yeah
But if you are awake boy without your dream
They will all say you are crazier than me
And they're going to be right

I said is that it he said no one more thing
I want you to see a colleague of mine
he fixes clocks in his free time
Yours is probably broken
he's an old man who paints by the river
You can't miss him go go now so I went

There were two old men
painting by the river that day
I walked up to the one with the longer beard
I tapped him on the shoulder
his canvass was covered
I asked him what he was painting
He said I could show you a corner
but you'd have to find the other three
on your own and he laughed
I said your friend sent me
he told me you might fix my watch

He said here it is be normal and noon
be smart at three
be crazy at six
and just be an idiot at nine o'clock
He said gather up rocks
and spell out the word OUGHT
everywhere you go
leave it there for others to see
He said keep all of the religions
entertaining for the children
beware of omniwaste
He said write hello on one palm
and goodbye on the other
and then wave at people with both hands
See what they do
He said whatever you do read lots of books

He said if you sleep without a dream
You are one of the lucky ones aw yeah
But if you are awake boy without your dream
They will all say you are crazier than me

And then the old man disappeared
he was suddenly gone
Oh right before my very eyes
as the saying goes
I couldn't believe it

And then the woods disappeared
and my girlfriend disappeared
And the river disappeared
and the lighthouse disappeared
And the lake disappeared
and my watch disappeared
The avocados disappeared
the other painters disappeared
All seven sides
of all the chain letters disappeared
Just like the pills disappeared oh
Auditors cooks and doctors disappeared
Lawyers prostitutes and priests disappeared
Kings Queens and diseases disappeared
Comedians mechanics and cashiers disappeared
Hamburgers pianos and Frisbees
Schools telephones and horses disappeared
Soup spoons flashlight and fallout shelters
Easels brushes and converging lines
Filing cabinets dragons
and stairways disappeared aw
Shaving cream remote controls
mp3 players elevators
philosophies candles
and rectangles disappeared
Overcoats underwear and secrets disappeared
Hinges mirrors and keychains disappeared
Cardboard boxes wings
and steering wheels disappeared
Fire hydrants disappeared
Imaginary pets disappeared
Craters ice cubes and necklaces
And it kept on going
Posters
water bottles
fiction
problems
transistors
helium
Algebra
fly swatters
thermometers
and languages
Windows wormholes and chairs disappeared
Networks
knee braces
disagreements
compasses
Calendars
buckets
shadows
ufos
All three things
that you would bring to the island
Monitors
manuscripts
fences
deserts
silhouettes
Protein bars disappeared
Fireplaces and beach balls disappeared
I think that's about it
Yeah I think that's about it

Oh oh oh I said oh oh oh
I said what do I do with my dreams
I said what do I do with my temporary things
What do I do with my dreams
I said to myself
I said what do I do with my temporary things
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh I said
What do I do with my dreams
Oh oh oh
I said to myself I said
Oh oh oh

Whale Bones

Oh what are they feeding you
Oh how are they bleeding you
Skin is warm but my bones are dry
Spend all of my time chasing dragon flies
I'm just prayin for the winter to come
Built my house out of whale bones
I built my house out of whale bones
I built my house out of whale bones
I built my house out of whale bones

Oh what are they feeding you
Oh how are they bleeding you
Skin is warm but my bones are dry
Spend all of my time chasing dragon flies
I'm just prayin for the winter to come
Built my house out of whale bones
I built my house out of whale bones
I built my house out of whale bones
I built my house out of whale bones

Horse

[Center Voice]
Out on the border riding alone
I was singing a song of long ago
Out there alone on the plains
I saw a campfire burning
Riders in saddle nearby
Above the thunder was rolling
And lightning lit up the sky
I said Paint let's join their circle
Maybe someone I know
In the distance I can't tell
I'll just have to stop
We'll give it a rest somewhere then
And the wind got behind me
I said Paint it sure is funny
Because all the stars still shine
Everything was strange and quiet like
Just like the break of day
Paint it's something that I can't explain
And there's something faded away
Thunder rolled across the wind swept plains
And the rain came pouring down
Through the lightening pierce
and the ragged glare
I saw a stampede born
I could see into their fear crazed eyes
My heart it kind of chilled
I reached down to pet old Paint
Everything was dry
but then the herd began to move
And from the North
the guard came riding hard
To try to stop the tide
He was a small sort of fella
with a jacket pulled over his head
I couldn't quite make everything out
He was riding a blue pony I guess well
I reached for my Rollins
I was nervous about now
Nervous
Then when I looked up everything was gone
I was curious to know whatever this was
So I thought I'd look around
I found a kinda hole in the ground
Weather worn slab
with some boulders all around
I tried to think of that song I just sung
It's hard to think straight now somehow
I wish that I'd know how all those words go
All the words to Wrangler Joe

[Left Voice]
Keeled over bluish grey the beast goes to rest
In front of my house blocking my doorway
And my meat supply is endless
Dead elephant on my front lawn
and I'm late to work late to play
Seems like he could have dodged the mines
if he had bothered to look down
Dead elephant on my front lawn
didn't think twice about the mouse
Just assumed it was there
and the trampling was necessary
Trunk full of dust
Full of broken shells
Dead elephant tried to swing from the trees
Came down hard and broke his back
And he can't jump for the life of him
On his side eyes still open
With one leg on my porch
And the others carved by parasites
And they all think it's funny
But there's a question in his mind
And I wonder if I should take his ivory
And play piano until the body is gone

[Right Voice]
The scenario will be that of a defense
lawyer agreeing to defend a client
And then later that lawyer gaining full
knowledge that that client is guilty
The Buddhist lawyer would most likely
begin with deontological reasoning
The first rationale my be that of an
objective approach to the dilemma itself
Following the eight-fold path
the lawyer would have to
Through understanding and intention aspects
Realize that the situation
itself is subject to change
And can be corrupted by his or her
own desires on the matter
The very presence of the dilemma
may affect the lawyers performance
This rationale may be immediately
followed up with the teleological concern
Of whether right work
is being fulfilled in the first place
If the defendant is given freedom
the crime may be committed again
And the lawyer will have
participated in harmful work
Further deontological conflicts arise
when right speech and
right action are considered
There will undoubtedly be
circumstance in which the defendant
will be called to the stand
And right speed will not be achieved
because the lawyer will
have to deceive the court
By portraying innocence
in a guilty person
Right action towards others
may be disrupted
Through emotional harm
if the victim is present at the trial
This might happen when the victim hears
true accusations being
swiftly challenged and denied
While in traditional western thinking
Emotional harm to the victim may be seen
as having varying significance in varying cases
Buddhist philosophy stresses as before mentioned
Completeness one each of these aspects
of the eight-fold path

Mirrors 1

Instrumental

Mirrors 2

Instrumental

Rich Art
Indie Rock (c. 2008)

Production

Rich Art comes from the center of Kern's nihilist/absurdist phase. Songs are generally minimalist in instrumentation and often contain improvised lead melodies and structures, and at times, improvised lyrics as well. Kern's performances made significant use of loopers during this era. That essence is captured in "Whale Bones" which was recorded, in its entirety, solo in a single take.

One notable work here is the epic, 10 minute long, story-song "Avaocodos", in which the narrator goes on a quest to find the best advice, but ends up in the singularity the universe's upheaval.

In the same spirit of as the aforemention, "Sweet Denial" was also recorded as a single take with Kern performing vocals and singing simultaneously, with some partial partial improvisation on the guitar.

Publication

The left voice for "Horse" is the poem called "Intolerance" by Kern. The poem was published as the first place poetry contest winner in Spire Magazine.

In "Horse" three voices compete for the listneners attention. Among The Right Voice is an excerpt from an ethics essay written by Kern and the Center Voice is lyrics from a song by Arty King, who was Kern's grandfather.

Eudaimonia Theatre

Mirrors 1 and Mirrors 2 were composed and produced by Kern for Eudaimonia Theatre's dramatization of "All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten" By Robert Fulgham. At the climax of the play, actors used a collection of Djembes and Congas to drum along with the guitar work, which was performed as a duo by Rich Kern and fellow guitarist Doctor Koz.

Credits

• Produced by Rich Kern
• Center Voice lyrics in Horse written by Arty King
• Album cover art by Rich Kern