The Sleeper Pins
Minnesota-style indie pop
The Sleeper Pins band Web site. Indie pop from Minnesota songwriter Tyson Allison and percussionist Justin DeLeon.
"KEEP IT COMING LIKE A MIRACLE"
"I'M GOING TO WRITE A SONG IF IT KILLS ME"
Just call me determined
I'm going to write a song if it kills me
I'm sinking and hurting
I'm going to write a song if it kills me
Your blank white pages won't scare me away
Your blank white pages won't scare me today
I could go from zero to hero in 3 minutes flat
"SONGS FOR BLACK SWANS"
As useless as a firetruck in the rain
Stock footage nightmares play for days and days
As lonely as a shut down landing strip
I never learned to make a good paper airplane
This is a song for black swans
A lightning rod for bad luck is in my brain
Everything I love is on a moving train
Pick up your feet, prick up your ears my friend
There's always room for underdogs in the end
This is a song for black swans
Hope and faith will carry you all the way
This is a song for black swans
Like us
"HEART OF HEARTS"
A friend of mine told me you are where you are now
Because of things that you did 10 years ago
First I thought it was bullshit
But now I know it to be true
Things like that always seem to sneak up on you
In your heart of hearts
I don't tell too many lies
The ones I do are to myself
Like everything is going to be all right
But no matter how bitter I taste on the outside
Inside I'm sweet candy coated sunshine
In my heart of hearts
"MY STUPID BRAIN"
Thanks for all the help, but I'll do this one myself
I'll think about it all night, think about it all night
Until my heart does what is right
You see I get into these habits
At first it seems so harmless
And then I find myself saying this is the last time
I swear this is the last time
That these thoughts will fill my mind
"KEEP THINGS COOL"
I wanna go home with you
Show me all the things you do
And I've got 100 questions
And I want honest answers
I wanna pry so bad, I wanna pry so bad
It makes me feel so bad
So I'll just leave you alone
I'm in love, so it's wrong
And I can't pull 2 hearts along
And when you're gone I forget about you
But then sometimes I remember
I don't wanna be a fool, don't wanna be a fool
I wanna keep things cool
So I'll just leave you alone
"TITANIC, ARISE!"
Used to be brave, now I think about the grave
And I would walk to the ends of the Earth just to be myself
At the bottom of the sea there's a ship just like me
And it would sail all the seven seas just to be itself
When I was a kid I was the king
Not afraid of anything
A shakey heart and a nervous brain took that away from me
Labeled unsinkable--it was unthinkable
But the tip isn't all that you see; the danger is underneath
I just wanna bring myself back
Titanic, Arise!
I just wanna bring myself back
Titanic, Arise!
"RESTLESS"
I swear I just saw the walls move a little closer
I feel their cold white breath on me
I swear my hands are tied behind my back
And I have never met Houdini
I'm restless
I've got blisters on my feet from walking the line
I've got blisters on my hands from taking all the time
I've got gold inside my head, but most of it is fool's
I've got no time left for patience and everything to lose
I'm restless
"WATER IS WARM"
This is going somewhere but I don't know where
Now that I know where we stand I can start making the plans
I'd rather move ahead than fall way back
Push aside all this tall, tall grass
The sand is old and marked by footsteps
I dip my toes in the water's edge
We are here, it ain't so bad
Come on in, the water is warm
We are here, it ain't so bad
Come on in, the water is warm
"THE LIGHT"
Don't you worry; I am watching
You're so quiet; the dark is winning
I am stronger than I realize
I can beat it; I'm here all night
Don't you worry; I'm not leaving
I'll protect you; the dark is bleeding
You can sleep now; you're not alone
I've got the light and I know how to use it
Oh, I know how to use it
Oh, I know how to use it
To see you through
"GOODNIGHT"
It's easy to say goodnight
When birds are siging lullabys
Goodnight.
"THE SLEEPER PINS (SELF TITLED)"
"NEVER CUT DOWN" (Listen)
I've been a lot of places
Where I've never stopped to look
I do all my best traveling in my mind and a blank book
Cuz if you're always taking pictures
You know you're just a crook to your own heart
And then one day I stopped to say hello to a pretty girl
Standing outside in the park with a fudge banana swirl
I said the only thing I could think of
She just looked at me and said show me how
I said you can be this piece of glass and I'll be this bottlecap
I'll show you how this game works with a stick in the sand
You go run off this way and I'll meet you out that way in the back
We paid for time with nickels and dimes and long tired rides
When will you be coming home was the soundtrack to our lives
I said I know how we can stay here
She just looked at me and said show me how
I said you can be this big old tree and I'll be this pocketknife
If you don't mind I'll carve a tattoo lasting long as life
And no one can erase it
This tree never will be cut down
No one can erase it
This tree never will be cut down
"SUCCUMB" (Listen)
Sunlight strobes through the trees
The flashing lights make me tell the truth
I've been tempted by the darkside
Pull my hat down to hide my eyes
Cuz they speak louder than my mouth
And I can't help it if I tried
I've seen the light bouncing off her sweat
I drank it warm baby like her breath
And it tastes just like the darkside
Ring this out until it's dry
Unlike the black river running through my mind
I sink to the bottom every night
Sunlight strobes through the trees
And I blend into the shadows
Coming home to the darkside
"SIN"
It's a sin
Not to try
To be happy and alive
It's a sin
Not to care
To be priceless and not share
It's a sin
To pretend
To aim true but stray again
It's a sin
Not to leave
To stay present and not believe
"THE SURPRISE THAT HURTS" (Listen)
Flirting with a headache
And the pills are in your purse
And you are locked in your room
You're talking to your girlfriend
And I know it's about me
Cuz I'm outside in the hall
I don't mind the secrets
It's the surprise that hurts
But I'll keep it all to myself
Packing up a few things
And I'm looking to the sun
While your mascara runs
"LOOKING AT WHAT IS ANYTHING BUT A FULL MOON" (Listen)
Silent sliver in the sky
Without a word you change the tide
Cold wind by your nightlight
Snowflakes fall on every side
I wanna see it all I wanna know
As sure as I leave perfect footprints in the snow
Walking far away from you
Walking far away from you
We cannot admit defeat
Nothing left but hope to keep
Craters touched by human hands
Moonbeams reach to where I stand
I wanna see it all I wanna know
As sure as I leave perfect footprints in the snow
Walking far away from you
Walking far away from you
"CANNONSHOT"
If you come within a cannonshot of my castle
If you come within a cannonshot of my castle
I'll draw up the bridge
I'll draw up the bridge
You know I've got this mighty shield to hide behind
You know I've got this mighty shield to hide behind
And armies stand in line
And armies stand in line
To protect the chinks in my armor
To protect the chinks in my armor
If you come within a cannonshot of my castle
If you come within a cannonshot of my castle...
"RADIO" (Listen)
You sound like static to me
You summer buzzing honeybee
And if I had hours to kill
I'd surley listen to you spill
About the things
That you've always been afraid of
About the things
That you never want to tell nobody else
If you'd just tune into me
You'll find me on my frequency
I'm not as far as you think
Just close your eyes and slowly sink
Into your dreams
Where you'll find me right beside you
In your dreams
Where your favorite song is playing on and on
"MAY OCCASIONALLY"
I may occasionally run right over you
And I may occasionally kick a habit or two
And I may occasionally think you're out of your tree
And I may occasionally look for misery
But when you're feeling lonely
I know sometimes you do
I'll still be my same old self for you
I may occasionally drink till I think I look good
And I may occasionally choke my morning wood
And I may occasionally hit on the right chord
And I may occasionally wish I'd bought that Chinese sword
But when you're feeling lonely
I know sometimes you do
I'll still be my same old self for you
"DEAR YOU" (Listen)
I write this letter
It's still unsealed
I haven't quite summed up
The way I feel for you
Only look into your eyes
When I'm honest
It'd be so easy to lie
Like a con artist to you
Dear you there's so much left here that I could say
Dear you there's so much left here that I could say
Humor me until the end
I believe in words
Imagination stole my pen
But I'll try again and again for you
Dear you there's so much left here that I could say
Dear you there's so much left here that I could say
To dear you from sincerely me
To dear you from sincerely me
Dear you there's so much left here that I could say
"TONIGHT"
Tonight this room is twice as quiet
Tonight this bed is twice as cold
Tonight this room is twice as dark
Tonight this body's twice as old
And do you feel the same?
And do you feel the same?
Tonight when you're so far away
Tonight your body's twice as close
Tonight I hope you're thinking of me
Tonight I feel you in my bones
And do you feel the same?
