Get all 8 Asela Perera releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Chasing Joy, Impossible Standards, GOLD, COURAGE : A Mixtape Compilation, Coraline : A Homage To Jon Foreman, These Years, Evenings In The Sun, and Paper Boy.
1. |
Chasing Joy
04:47
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On either side of the room,
You were me, I was gone too soon,
Is it safe to say that we’d spent,
A million conversations here in my head?
And as the living room was a ring,
For the struggle that our parents were in,
We built a castle with a safety net,
And asked each other how our days had progressed.
As the years came and rolled on by,
I had you always at the back of my mind,
From being a wing man to coach carter’s best,
You watched me grow till I was in over my head.
And as I spiraled in the company of love,
The days became a blur at my best,
Burnt some bridges but your hand was in mine,
You reeled me in just short of the line.
After all the races we’ve run,
The main event is right upon us,
And as a countdown starts to sing,
I hear you calling at me from within.
All our lives we’ve spent (time),
Chasing after all the dreams,
It was time well spent.
All our lives we’ve cried,
Hugged our parents as we kissed them goodbye,
All our lives, you and I,
We’ve been chasing joy time after time.
All our lives we’ve spent (time),
Chasing after all the promises,
It was time well spent.
In our lives, we met some friends,
Who had voices in their heads that said,
All our lives, you and I,
We’ve been chasing joy time after time.
All our lives we’ve spent (time),
Chasing after all the hopes,
It was time well spent.
In our lives, we met a girl,
She heard your voice and shared it with hers,
All our lives, you and I,
We’ve been chasing joy time after time.
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2. |
EOD
04:26
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I woke up this morning,
And the world was on fire,
Apathy was drifting among the sick and the vile,
Pointing our fingers at the ones in the mirror,
Why are these streets filled with disillusioned shoppers,
I woke up this morning,
And the world was on fire.
I woke up this morning,
To a world gone insane,
Desperation buying hope in spades in shopping mall lanes,
Take a crisis in your hands and wash it down in due time,
I woke up this morning,
And the world was drained dry.
I woke up this morning,
To the sound of birds crying out in joy,
Vibrant greens, steady waters and new life,
The streets were filled with lightness, not a man seen in sight,
I woke up this morning,
To a world where man had no plans.
Let hope fill our bodies,
Let the sun fill our souls,
Here's another chance my friend,
To learn, love and show,
Will we take the road less travelled or replay our history's toll?
Let's wake up this morning,
And start over again.
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3. |
Impossible Standards
03:01
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You would find me,
Standing underneath the sycamore tree and,
Often lost in thoughts of when the end is near cos we are,
Blinded by what's in and held to ransom by impossible standards, chill out
Give you a reason to love yourself cos you deserve it.
Let's be realistic, hit pause and take stock of your position
Are we six feet under gasping under weight of opinions
I find me speaking frankly, adherence seems a rather pointless virtue
In truth when your time comes along now, how would you rather be remembered?
In hindsight, i'm sat here at midnight, contemplating what life's brought me,
Four walls, one roof, close friends and a "what you see is what you get" kinda love,
It's just that simple, not held to ransom by impossible standards,
Fail once, fail twice, chill out, love yourself cos you deserve it.
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4. |
Undone
04:50
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To lose,
The sight,
The sight of your eyes,
The sound of your voice,
To the breaking of your heart.
To shape,
To form,
The voice of a thought,
The shrug of a fear,
A fear that clutches you.
Cos you are coming undone,
Without a reason,
With open arms you're taken.
To fight,
To disagree,
To realize what she means,
Ironic though it seems,
To trust,
To give,
To pin your heart on sleeve,
To give, to give to give.
Cos you are coming undone,
Without a reason,
With open arms you're taken.
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5. |
Good Night World
03:17
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Welcome to my head,
I'm sorry it's a mess,
I've deserted all my friends,
But it can't be helped.
Vision's blurred,
By a storm,
Not quite sure what's going on,
It's all just a little too much.
Oh, I'm tired of the stress,
Need a place to rest my head,
Paper bag on my head,
Caffeinated insomniac.
Good night world.
Good night world.
You might ask why,
Why ignore,
After all, if you hurt you learn,
Take a dive for a better turn,
My answer is that I just don't know.
Do you ever feel comfort,
In disconnect,
You know the feeling,
When there's just no feeling,
This is my god honest conclusion,
That once in a while we all yearn for that place.
So, my heart took a stroll,
Disconnected from my soul,
There's no pressure, no regret,
No compassion, no correct.
Good night world.
Good night world.
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6. |
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Down by the river,
I find myself another time,
To be here alone with you.
Stare at your reflection,
A state of mind,
Why this misdirection now?
Are we strangers who've outgrown?
How do we survive?
And now why do I not find a common ground to stand at?
When we're down by the river,
A drop of rain divides an ocean,
Please bring perspective in disguise,
Countless moments of silence,
Where we lost our way stranded on different islands,
Each to their own, so it goes.
May you find your own river,
Of tides that bring a fortune,
At the end of the line,
May we sail to an ocean,
A guided resolution like the time.
We were down by the river,
Wild & free with a childlike notion,
Of how our days should be spent.
Singing songs of revolution,
Summer days where our hearts knew better.
Staring at the storm up ahead,
Down by the river.
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7. |
Take
03:09
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Take without question.
Take all that you can.
Take from a life that lifted no finger.
Take leave of the others who can.
Why?
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8. |
The Day I'm Gone
03:13
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The day I'm gone,
That's fear,
That is left in my heart's veneer.
To a time,
When my voice,
Would no longer still the tides,
The guiding lights.
The day I'm gone,
Is the day that I fear.
Time is a reason to embrace,
A promise held in place,
For a mind to stay cognizant of its space,
To lay the grounds ablaze,
Call yourself a maze.
The day I'm spent,
That is the fear,
Will you carry my remnants through the clear?
Is it vain,
To leave a piece of me behind to tell the world,
"Hey! I may be gone,
But remember me the same."
In a world where millions come and go,
Will I keep the afterglow?
When the sun sets in the background of a bay,
Will our stars not fade away?
Fade away to grey.
Today's the day,
My mom would say,
"You've run 35 years around the sun,
Fighting fear with the light,
You've been carrying my hopes within you bright.
Don't you worry child,
The day I’m gone,
I never did fear."
The day I'm gone,
There will be no fear,
Your love has filled my heart's veneer,
To a time,
When my voice,
Would no longer still the tides,
You'll be my guiding light,
The day I'm gone,
is the day I hold dear.
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9. |
The Wilderness
04:28
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Out in the wilderness
In the view of the all-seeing eye
Feels a little bare, a little rusty, all in all a little risky to be in disguise.
Out in the sun-drenched land,
Feels a little unfamiliar,
Should I find a way back, through the exit, through last fragile corners of my mind.
Is living just a simple theory,
Of long nights in disco revelry?
In the search of a wide mass approval,
Take me back.
Caught in the eye of a storm,
Trying to navigate in your direction,
Feel like I'm in open view, hunted, wanted, just a prey being sussed for a kill.
Out in the wilderness,
I've been put on the stand to make a statement,
Could I possibly be in over my head, stumble, fumble, make a dash for the door.
Is living just a simple theory,
Of long nights in disco revelry?
In the search of a wide mass approval,
Take me back.
After years spent in isolation,
Under cover from the all-seeing eye,
Felt a little safe, a little jaded, all in all at peace with who and what I've become.
In the land of the second guessing,
Welcome back to a state of paranoia,
Is there progress in the right direction, or am I moving backwards in time, time, time.
Is living just a simple theory,
Of long nights in disco revelry?
In the search of a wide mass approval,
Take me back.
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10. |
Not The Way It Ends
06:22
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As soon as the words left his tongue,
"I'll see you son, a few months down the line."
I swear it was a reflex, it was a smile,
"Sure, alright, everything's going to be just fine."
Through the highs and through the lows,
It wasn't lost on me, this is not the way it probably goes,
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad,
Even while you faded, she held the line and played her hand.
A voice reminiscent was all that's left,
And if I tried real hard a few Christmas nights would come to pass,
Sure, I saw the fights, I heard the tears,
But at end of day, we both know it was you who walked away.
As soon as the words left your tongue,
"I'll see you son, a few months down the line."
I swear it was a reflex, it was a smile,
"Sure, alright, Dad, everything's going to be just fine."
And that's the way it's always been,
We're worlds apart, surely that's not the way it ends.
Surely this is not the way it ends.
A mother's child, a father's son,
Shaped by the years, with love lost, love earned,
Chasing joy amongst the fears,
It's not as easy as it seems,
And if I'm being quite honest,
It's in all the failures in between,
All the words left unsaid,
Not just by you, I could've asked "Won't you fight for us instead?"
And in the moments of here and now,
I can safely say, I've come to peace with the ghosts of all my doubts,
And then the words left my tongue,
"Don't worry Dad, surely that's not the way it ends."
Surely this is not the way it ends.
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