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The Spark

by Kevin Heider

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    + two bonus tracks and a 32-page digital booklet w/ song lyrics, production credits, album artwork, and a tribute to all the fans who backed this album on Kickstarter
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

1.
It’s the 1st of February And we all have gathered here To drink up for King and conscience From this glorious lake of beer And drink we will straight on ‘til morning Drink we will all through the night And if the sun should cease to give it This lake of beer will be our light They say the first shall be the last So Sister Brigid, fill my glass I’ll be the first to drink and the last to die Oh, but I’ll have glory at my side I refuse that it should come to pass That when I look back on my life I’ll see an empty home and an empty heart And a boy who never found his wife And if a thief should sneak up on me And take from me my cup, my share I’ll say, “There’s plenty more where that came from Come with me, I’ll take you there” They say the first shall be the last So Sister Brigid, fill my glass I’ll be the first to drink and the last to die Oh, but I’ll have glory at my side They say the first shall be the last So Sister Brigid, fill my glass I’ll be the first to drink and the last to die Oh, but I’ll have glory at my side Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh, when the saints go marching in They will behold a lake of beer And they all will dive right in
2.
Firefights are raging In the dead of night The conversation is In black and white The Son is shining But our eyes are shut so tight We’re goin’ down, down Whether we go left or right I don’t want to run And I don’t want to hide I just want to seek And I want to find All I want, yeah, all I want tonight Is for love to come alive O Love, come alive tonight It’s an old familiar cry “Oh the humanity!” When each newborn bullet flies It breeds more insanity Where sin and death abound They say grace abounds And what once was lost and gone Can be found I don’t want to run And I don’t want to hide I just want to seek And I want to hide All I want, yeah, all I want tonight Is for love to come alive O Love, come alive tonight O Love, come alive Come alive tonight O Love, come alive Come alive tonight O Love, come alive Come alive tonight O Love, come alive Come alive tonight
3.
Enola's Wake 04:09
Her passing was quick and quite a surprise To everyone under the sun As the devil’s a catchy tune in disguise The virtue of progress was won Enola’s wake left everyone dead It’s only a matter of time I never believed a word that she said I knew that we wouldn’t be fine And yet, here I have been called on to speak To give such a woman a toast The words of my heart bear the truth that I seek And I long to speak them the most So sleep, Enola Sleep and don’t ever wake up I’m sad to have known ya And the death that your life was made of She was a strong bird and, oh, could she fly Steady and swift and true When she married that Fat Man I turned a blind eye I shuddered when she said “I do” The light that she brought us was no light at all And I say that in full confidence Are we to reap what her Little Boy sowed When he stole our innocence? Her family will live on long after her passing They’ll grow bigger and stronger than she So pull out your rosaries and lift up your glasses And pray hard and sing out with me Sing sleep, Enola Sleep and don’t ever wake up I’m sad to have known ya And the death that your life was made of Oh, sleep, Enola Sleep and don’t ever wake up I’m sad to have known ya And the death that your life was made of Her passing was rough as she screamed in her bed And I prayed that our souls would be fine ‘Cause Enola’s wake left everyone dead It’s only a matter of time
4.
Hush, little darling, don’t you say a word I’m gonna buy you a mockingbird And if that mockingbird don’t sing I’m gonna buy you a diamond ring And if that diamond ring don’t, don’t satisfy ya I’ll say good-bye If that ring don’t satisfy ya And if I have to say goodbye then Well, I don’t want your love No, I don’t want your love I’ll be your Jack, if you be my Jill Baby, for you I’ll climb any hill Forget that pale of water, if you be my girl Darling, for you I will fetch the world And if the whole wide world ain’t big enough for you Then I’ll say good-bye If you want more than I can carry You and me, babe, We ain’t never gettin’ married, and Well, I don’t want your love No, I don’t want your love No, I don’t want your love (Tell ‘em how it is, Mikey) You can call me Sampson, if you want to I’ll fight any army just for you And if you want me to be your man There’s something you’ve got to understand Questions shouldn’t lead to lies, and I don’t wanna have to say good-bye If you tell me that you really care, then You turn around and try to cut my hair Well, I don’t want your love No, I don’t want your love No, I don’t want your love No, I don’t want your love No, I don’t want your love No, I don’t want your love Oh, I don’t want your lovin’ No, I don’t want your lovin’ Oh, I don’t want your lovin’ No, I don’t want your love
5.
La da da… Hey…. (etc.)
6.
Wait a minute, baby Don’t be so forward If I want to call, I’ll call you Don’t go spittin’ digits If I want your number I know how to ask It’s not that you ain’t pretty Oh, but in your eyes All I see are dollar signs And you got a reputation They say you wanna change me Into someone I don’t wanna be If I could ask you just one thing Who died and made you king? No, you can’t have my money If you won’t say you love me ‘Cause to you it’s all the same Oh, oh, you want my lovin’ But you won’t get nothin’ I refuse to play your game They tell me you’re the Sue Who likes to run around Then chew them up and spit them out They tell me you’re the one The one who decides Who lives and who dies They tell me that it’s you You make and you break They give and you take Well, if all you want is more control You can keep your world I’ll keep my soul No, you can’t have my money If you won’t say you love me ‘Cause to you it’s all the same Oh, oh, you want my lovin’ But you won’t get nothin’ I refuse to play your game If I have learned just one thing Pride always comes before the fall Your love is a big machine, yeah And it’s gonna kill us all No, you can’t have my money If you won’t say you love me ‘Cause to you it’s all the same Oh, oh, you want my lovin’ But you won’t get nothin’ I refuse to play your game
7.
Looking out over your kingdom As far as your eyes could see Did you think that you would live forever? Did you think you’d always be a king? Your life, your love, and everything Did you ever think you’d lose it all? ‘Cause I’m standing on top of your kingdom On these decrepit castle walls Oh… Was your kingdom as big in reality As it was inside your head? You wanted a mighty empire But you got crumbling walls instead You didn’t count on your mortality As a hurdle that would make you fall And now I’m standing on top of your throne And all I see are ruined castle walls Oh… I’m standing in your brokedown palace On these fallen walls I see I’m standing on the hope of your future And it’s a past long gone for me
8.
Was it rage or relief or garish grief, callous and coarse in kind? An eye for an eye for an eye, I suppose And soon we’ll all be blind You give a man a gun, you tell him who to kill You teach him how to turn and shoot But someday, man, he’s gonna cut the strings And turn that gun on you And then you’re gonna say “He was mad all along!” And add him to your list of names And fight fire with fire with fire with fire As the world goes up in flames While the kings and their squires stand in their squares Soaked in black gold and blood Like lambs leading lions into the fray They’ve all gotten lost in the flood And I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water It’s easy to admire progress When you’re on the side that lives But when innocence dies with every drone that flies Well, no one really wins But you need someone to blame, so you pick a name And the truth is up to you Their pulses rise while your numbers fall So any name will do And this wild wind that you’re blowin’ Will blow right back again And then before you know it You’ve lost 5,000 men While the kings and their squires stand in their squares Like a pack of puppeteers You’re the best decision they’ve made in 20 years And I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water When I was a child, I thought like a child I believed you when you spoke It was a dark and stormy moment That morning when I woke To find the blood on the money Had turned the gold red And when it all disappears the system is dead But it’s just fool’s folly, this freedom charade I refuse to be the fool dancing in your parade While the king’s and their squires stand in their squares Soaked in black gold and blood Like lambs leading lions into the fray They’ve all gotten lost in the flood And they’re taking everybody with them In the words that they spew 24 hours a day, 7 days and nothing new If I’m going down, I’m going down Going down a free man I will not be a slave in your false promises land And I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water I say, Lord, take me down, down to the water
9.
“Baby, will you go with me,” he said “To a brand new city across the sea To the middle of the desert Where men with names control reality?” “We’ll eat until we’ve had our fill And then, babe, we’ll eat more still So go and get your bags all packed Be careful what you photograph, my dear” So they left and went far away Now they don’t know what to say She’s living in a busted car He’s dying in a dungeon all alone Oh, tell me, what it’s like on the dark side Where nothing is ever what it seems? Oh, tell me, how’s life on the dark side? Oh, tell me, Love, are you alive at all? “Don’t you worry, darling,” he said “I’ll be back when my work’s done” He sold his land and said good-bye To his daughter and his son And so he sought his fortune Where the rich men with names dwell He left his wife for heaven And ended up in hell Now the lords, the gods of nothing Have him dying on the land Enslaved to the Emirates The pirates of the sand Oh, tell me, what it’s like on the dark side Where nothing is ever what it seems? Oh, tell me, how’s life on the dark side? Oh, tell me, Love, are you alive at all? And if you ask the beauty queen The girl of only 17 “What’s really going on here?” She’ll put her face down in her magazine The rich young man takes unholy pride While the old man justifies Their lives and how they made them “Don’t you judge us!” he cries And all those who’ve spoken out Who refuse to fetch the bone The devil took their tickets out Now they’re prisoners in their homes The ex-pats from the western world Rarely seem to show remorse For how they treat the servant class Those girls aren’t even whores Credit is a cancer here It lets the rich men with names steal Every smile has a secret Oh, nothing here is real We’re all sons of Abraham But we’re nothing at all like him He dug holes to honor God We dig holes to hide the bodies So eat until you’ve had your fill Look at the ground, see what you’ve spilled Throw a cloth and hide the scraps Be careful what you photograph ‘round here Oh, tell me, what it’s like on the dark side Where nothing is ever what it seems Oh, tell me, how’s life on the dark side Oh, tell me, Love, are you alive at all? Oh, do you like what you’ve seen on the dark side? Oh, can you see anything at all? Oh, God, please shine Your light on the dark side ‘Cause we can’t see anything at all
10.
The Spark 01:03
Something that was true in the ancient world, and it’s still true in our modern world, is that every great civilization has been built on the backs of slaves. And what amazes me about this oft-ignored reality is that despite man’s tendency towards evil, towards his “self,” I can still see his capacity for and I still have hope in his ability to do good. And this reminds me of something that mother always said when I was growing up. She always said: “Don’t let the glimmer of gold shine brighter than the spark in your soul.” That’s something that’s always stuck with me.
11.
O how great was the flood That washed over me Like a kiss between two lovers Were your hands upon my feet O how great was the flood That passed my lips unsung Like a newborn babe’s first taste of life It danced on my tongue O how great was the flood That fell from your side Like a knife into a mother’s chest When her only child dies O how great was the flood That swelled in this sea When the water rose it took my breath But You gave it back to me When the water rose it took my breath But You gave it back to me O how great was the flood That was poured out on my head Giving love to what love had brought forth And life to what was dead
12.
Another night, another flight And in the morning I’m gone from all of this I suppose, I’m going home Though I don’t know that I know where home is I’ve felt this way for quite sometime For reasons I’m not sure I can explain But it’s lonely in St. Louis, babe And I can’t wait to board that aeroplane I went into an antique shop And all the books reminded me of you Then I waited for you by the river But your breeze, I guess it never blew Well, tonight I’m here in this hotel Tomorrow I’ll be back in Baltimore It’s getting lonely in St. Louis And I just don’t want to be here anymore Yeah, I’m lonely in St. Louis, and I can’t wait to be back at your front door Oh, and I will be there soon Oh... Tonight I’ll sleep beneath this arch Oh, and I will dream Yes, I will dream and any dream will do Then in the morning I will leave this city far behind And once again I’ll find my way to you ‘Cause I went away for a whole year Now I’m counting down the days So when I see your face, I will say I will tell you that “I missed you, babe” And then you’ll say it back And everything we lack will fall away It will all fall away Oh... I will tell you that “I missed you, babe” And then you’ll say it back And everything we lack will fall away Maybe that’s just wishful thinking Or maybe I’m confused Or maybe I’m just lonely Here in old St. Louis
13.
Baltimore 05:00
There’s a new life breathing downstairs It’s another beautiful night in late July I can see the moon and the stars are all out tonight I can see the airplanes flying high It’s just me and these smoked-out cigarettes I’m staring at a high-wire crucifix And I’m praying, yeah, I’m praying for some guidance On a rooftop in Baltimore I feel like an old life suffocating in the night air Looking down over these lights and wondering where mine went When I was a child I swore that I’d always let it shine Maybe up here God will help me find it again It’s just me and these smoked-out cigarettes I’m staring at a high-wire crucifix And I’m praying, yeah, I’m praying for some guidance On a rooftop in Baltimore On a rooftop in Baltimore I feel like an old soul stuck in its dark night Until the day finally breaks I won’t give up And lately I’ve been thinking Oh, I’ve been thinking it’s high time That I get up, go out, and start looking for love It’s just me and these smoked-out cigarettes I’m staring at a high-wire crucifix And I’m praying, yeah, I’m praying for some guidance On a rooftop in Baltimore On a rooftop in Baltimore On a rooftop in Baltimore On a rooftop in Baltimore
14.
It’s 6 a.m. in Montreal I’ve been walking all night long Trying to figure out Oh, what’s going on I was talking to a girl Who said that she would meet me Early in the morning But she never did show up I guess that’s what I get What I deserve For not calling her back six years ago I guess we’re even Now I’m standing in this old hotel alone And I’m looking for a face that I might know So I don’t have to eat alone Maureen Has anybody seen Maureen? Has anybody seen her? Maureen Well, me and all my friends We’ve been here before In a place quite similar That left us wanting more And Pat, he said, “I love her, man!” So it’s Montreal or bust Then I’m gonna take a trip In a broken down old bus And I might lose everything And if I do, I suppose I had it coming For not running after Maureen Has anybody seen Maureen? Has anybody seen her? Maureen Ma-ma-ma-na-ma-ma-ma-Maureen Ma-ma-na-ma-ma-ma-Maureen Has anybody seen her? Has anybody seen her? Ma-ma-na-ma-ma-ma-Maureen Ma-ma-na-ma-ma-ma-Maureen Ma-ma-na-ma-ma-ma-Maureen Has anybody seen her? I once said I don’t wanna have to say good-bye Until I get the chance to say hello Well, that was long before I ever knew her name Now I do, but unfortunately nothing else has changed And I might just have to take a trip to New York City Where a friend of Wayne’s told me that the The girls are pretty But they’re not like Maureen Has anybody seen Maureen? Has anybody seen her? Maureen Oh, Maureen Has anybody seen Maureen? Has anybody seen her? Maureen Oh, Maureen
15.
Hey, Depression I see you lurking And I don’t like you none I’m gonna keep my eye on you Mr. Serpent, come take a good look At the bottom of my boot I cleaned it just for you Decompression Please, come infect me I have learned my lesson One man can only take so much Of this wandering Of Ms. Low Income’s tender touch Of the faces And all the names one head can’t hold And the places I must be wicked ‘Cause I can’t seem to get no rest This old crow can’t find a nest Hey there, Darkness Quit filling up my lonely drives With your thoughtless And your deceptive crooked lines I must walk straight and tall Believing in an end In a light that’s beautiful But oh so hard to see When I’m stuck in a tunnel filled with me Hey, Deflation Come hit my head like a brick made of iron An arbitrary simile The road has changed me Made me just like the walking dead I keep talking But there’s nothing left inside my head That’s of value That hasn’t been utterly misconstrued There ain’t no substance Nothing adequately processed That’s worth sharing And yet I’m sharing it with you So if you’ve any semblance of wisdom in your soul No doubt, you’ll find You can disregard my mind Hey, Defenses Why are you on the verge of war With our senses? This lack of sleep is clouding up my mind And so I’d like to pose a question To all those who might yield to Descartes If I can’t think, am I not?
16.
Barcelona 05:30
42 hours riding on buses and trains Two of them were for sleeping The other 40 for going insane I was trying hard, trying to make my way To meet some friends of mine On the sunny side of Spain Oh, but my plans were falling apart And my wallet wasn’t getting me far And I was sleeping on the ground Just south of London town Wondering, “what would my mother say If she could see me now?” Oh, Barcelona How could I not have grown up I made so many mistakes But I still found you and you found me too Oh, Barcelona You were my Sharona A love waiting to be gotten But for some reason playing hard-to-get Oh, Barcelona I have heard it said “If you seek, then you will find” But what they never tell you is Sometimes it takes some time Oh, and I missed my aeroplane And the trains kept running away And I was lost and couldn’t get found In some dirty old Spanish town Wondering, “what would my mother say If she could see me now?” Oh, Barcelona How could I not have grown up I made so many mistakes But I still found you and you found me too Oh, Barcelona You were my Sharona A love waiting to be gotten But for some reason playing hard-to-get Oh, Barcelona Oh, Barcelona How could I have known that Everything would go the way it’s gone? And I feel like I haven’t slept in a year And Pat is dancing like a girl And Michael’s rolling on the floor And I don’t know what’s going on around here And yet I’ve never been so in love with a place before And I’ve never had so much fun getting lost As in Barcelona How could I not have grown up? I made so many mistakes But I found you and you found me too Oh, Barcelona You were my Sharona A love waiting to be gotten But for some reason playing hard-to-get Oh, Barcelona Oh, I was looking for love in Barcelona I was looking for life in Barcelona I was looking for a bed in Barcelona I was looking for my friends in Barcelona I was looking for the Spirit in Barcelona I was looking for adventure in Barcelona I was looking for the ocean in Barcelona I was looking for the right train in Barcelona I was looking for cathedrals in Barcelona I was looking for myself in Barcelona
17.
I fell in love with a girl from Frederick And for almost two years she ran from me When I finally turned to walk in a new direction She said, “Maybe we can try and see” Election Day came and we drove through the countryside Then we went to church to pray It was the 2nd of November, clearly I remember Oh Maryland, you were beautiful that day I drove while she sat with her feet up on the dashboard Staring out the window at the trees She turned on the Avett Brothers And I remember thinking "I should write a song that sounds like these" And to think that it was only in September We had our hundredth conversation About the sordid complications we faced She said we weren’t meant to be I swore she’d be the death of me And I think she would have been if not for grace ‘Cause I fell in love with a girl from Frederick And for almost two years she ran from me When I finally turned to walk in a new direction She said, “Maybe we can try and see” Maybe we can try and see Well, I don’t want to try to and see I just want to be part of you and me After such a long time I’d finally been given The chance to be the one to hold her hand But I couldn’t seem to shake the road My feet needed to shuffle And I knew right then I couldn’t be her man So I packed up my guitar and I got into my car And I drove to Boston for the first time I wanted to be wild I wanted to be innocent I wanted to chase these dreams of mine But I’d fallen in love with a girl from Frederick And for almost two years she ran from me When I finally turned to walk in a new direction She said, “Maybe we can try and see” Maybe we can try and see Well, I don’t want to try to and see I just want to be part of you and me I don’t want to try and see I just want to be part of you and me I don’t want to try and see I just want to be part of you and me
18.
I’ve been patient I’d like to think that I’ve been kind I wish that I could say That we were always on your mind For so long I thought I knew what you wanted But love is hard to grow And it’s harder to forget And you just wanted to remember What it was you grew with him Sometimes it doesn’t matter How well you play your part ‘Cause if you’re only playing You can’t give of your heart And I was never sure If it was me or if it was him But I grew restless When you were scared to try again And as you sat there time was passing The seasons changed and so did I Sometimes love is complicated
19.
It’s 7:30 on a Friday evening He drove nine hours to the show He clips the mic and picks up his guitar “Check 1, 2, all systems go…” He plays his music and tells his stories He sells some records and meets some fans Their admiration is encouraging But there’s something no one understands It’s after midnight on a Friday He’s got 12 more hours to go He loads the car and makes his way From Connecticut to Ohio His friends all tell him that he’s lucky He’s got freedom or so it seems But sleeping in a car outside of a gas station in the rain Is a funny way to live your dreams It’s two o’clock now in the morning He’s been in his car since yesterday And in the quiet he starts thinking About the one that got away Well, she was young, and she was pretty He made her laugh, she made him smile But for some reason or another The timing wasn’t right If they’re still meant to be, it’ll be a while And he remembers talking to her For hours and hours on the phone And these memories keep him company While he’s off chasing dreams alone It’s 4 a.m. now on a Saturday He’s driving as the whole world sleeps There’s no one awake for him to call He is living the dream Or so they say
20.
21.
The Waiting 05:08
I’ve done right Oh, but darling, I have done wrong I have loved and I have lost I’ve let go and I’ve held on I have emptied myself of jealousy And all the rest But when it comes to being a man Have I done my best? You may have heard some things about me And maybe some of them are true Oh, but please, believe me When I say, my love That I’ve been waiting for you I don’t know where you’ve been Or what you’ve been through Maybe you’ve been hurt Maybe you don’t believe That love can be true Well, I believe that grace does more Than simply cover up our scars And I believe that you and me We’re a work of art You may have heard some things about me I can’t imagine they’re all good Oh, but please, believe me When I say, my love That I’ve been waiting for you I read about you in the paper And you felt so far away Oh, but please, believe me When I say, my love That I’ve been waiting for you
22.
27 02:48
January came and then it went February the same, but with a quicker end Oh, by March I was bound safely home And in April I found a love of my own But then somewhere in May My love ran away She ran right into June And heard a more pleasing tune In July I fought with money and strife Then in August I bought A chance at new life Sweet September was kind When push came to shove And October helped me find A truth I once loved And that fire that burned in November Is one I will always remember It carried on into December And remains in my heart, now an ember

about

An eclectic double album featuring 22+ original songs, THE SPARK's ambitious soundscape showcases a range of musical styles — indie, folk, rock, blues, gospel, bluegrass, Irish drinking songs, and more. One review hailed it as "an album unlike anything I’ve heard for a while...an album that really couldn’t be born outside of the American experience."

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released March 26, 2013

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Mike Ofca at Innovation Studios in Steubenville, Ohio. Produced by Mike Ofca and Kevin Heider. All songs written by Kevin Heider.

© Copyright 2013 by Kevin Heider

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Kevin Heider Dayton, Ohio

Creator + host of the popular Song & Story podcast, Kevin Heider is a singer-songwriter from Dayton, Ohio.

Whether he's writing hymns or drinking songs, his music is imbued with an earnest social consciousness.

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