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Balance

by Rain Perry

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1.
Say Yes 04:57
Say Yes words by Rain Perry music by Rain Perry & Michael Bolotin © 1998 Precipitous Music/BMI & OogieBoo Music/BMI All rights reserved. Early in the morning down by the sea The fishermen have been up since long before me You kiss me good bye sleepily Then you roll back to your dreams — back to sleep Last night something inside Told me it would be alright to say Yes So I said Yes, Yes, Yes I've been clinging to No 'cause I needed it But now it's time to let go No has been good to me - It's kept me safe But sometimes you gotta say yes Part of it is you, baby — and part the way the air is here But driving along by the water, it's all coming clear I was staying inside because I'd stepped out too far And I finally felt secure But something you said last night made me see That's only part of the picture You said security can keep you from being free So I said Yes I said Yes, Yes, Yes I've been clinging to No No no no But now it's time to let go No has been good to me - It's kept me safe But sometimes you gotta say yes Oh, No is the foundation You need it by your side But be able to let it go You can learn to trust yourself enough To sometimes say Yes Say yes, yes, yes You can hold on to No When you need it But then it's time to let go No will be good to you It keeps you safe But sometimes you gotta say yes Yes I said yes I will yes
2.
Four Cylinder Love words by Rain Perry music by Rain Perry & Michael Bolotin ©1999 Precipitous Music/BMI & OogieBoo Music/BMI All rights reserved. I drive a four-cylinder car It makes up in pep what it lacks in power It gets me to where you are Even if it can't do a hundred miles an hour I know it's not a Mustang or a GTO But here I am with you And it’s where I want to go I bet you thought I’d choose a V-8 But whatcha got must be good enough 'Cause you got me with four cylinder love You’ve got a four-cylinder voice You make up in heart what you lack in muscle You don't have to make too much noise You don't gotta make too much fuss You’ll never be Aretha — no body could be But let my voice reach ya ‘Cause you’re strong enough for me I bet you thought I’d choose a V-8 But what I got must be good enough 'Cause I got you you you with four cylinder love
3.
Yosemite 03:57
Yosemite words & music by Rain Perry © 1999 Precipitous Music/BMI All rights reserved. Behind the backstop And at the breakfast table On the school bus And other assorted torture chambers The temperature drops The snow falls The glacier forms Ten thousand tons of ice Are crushing you Into a beautiful, one-of-a-kind boy The thaw will come And you will be Yosemite Year by year Hour by hour Insults scrape Lonlinesses scour Leaving erratics And striations A glacial terrain I've seen the brightest sparks Glowing from the faces Of my friends whose lives have been The biggest mess They don't make landmarks Out of ordinary places Only landscapes that have seen The most distress Someday you'll dare To open your heart And you'll melt one like mine Because you are worth knowing Worth loving After all
4.
Balance 05:54
Balance Words & Music by Rain Perry ©1999 Precipitous Music/BMI All rights reserved. Don't tell me you're not satisfied 'Cause I've got nothing more to give Go on, retreat to your own side And dig your heels in And pull to the left And I'll pull to the right It's been this way for you and me No lack of passion or sensitivity And sometimes, you know, it really seems We're going down, down, down But somewhere in the sliding sand The skinned-up knees and the rope-burnt hands We find a way to make our stand On the balance The balance Lost inside a song The second verse won't work And something must be done It probably won't take long But that means nothing to a little one Who needs me now Can't you give me Just a minute? Oh, my little angel, I want to be If not everything you want, at least what you need But judging by how you look at me I'm going down, down, down Come over here and let me hold your hand It's a different life than the one we planned And I'll do my best to help you understand About the balance The balance When I was young I knew my life would be A tango with success But no one taught the dance to me So now I'm picking out the steps You set one foot down Then you set down the other It feels more like a high-wire walk And I do my best with what I've got Nothing ventured without the thought "I'm going down, down, down" And in the first part of life upon the rope I've been terrified by the ground below But I'll be a little less, I hope, In the balance The balance
5.
Girl in the Doorway words by Rain Perry music by Rain Perry, Michael Bolotin & Lewis Carlino ©1999 Precipitous Music/BMI, OogieBoo Music/BMI & Elysium Arts Music/BMI All rights reserved. My girl in the hospital doorway Saying goodnight to me I say I'll be here in the morning But you know I won't be Oh I'm letting you go You're on your own Make your way In a year you'll feel steadier But in ten years you'll fall In twenty years you'll be frightened And grateful At tiny cracks in your wall Oh I've let you go You're on your own Make your way You will put yourself to right Every day and in the night My girl in the doorway You won't be alone I'll come to the surface When you have a girl of your own Oh I let you go You're on your own Make your way
6.
Let's Burn Down the Cornfield Word & Music by Randy Newman © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc Let's burn down the cornfield Let's burn down the cornfield And we can listen to it burn You hide behind the oak tree You hide behind the oak tree Stay out of danger 'till I return Oh, it's so good On a cold night To have a fire Burnin' warm and bright You hide behind the oak tree You hide behind the oak tree Stay out of danger 'till I return Let's burn down the cornfield Let's burn down the cornfield And I'll make love to you while it's burnin
7.
Dance With Me Word & Music by Rain Perry c1999 Precipitous Music/BMI All rights reserved. When you were young they said you were loved The great man in the beard and the robe smiled from above But at the same time you were taught Every thought mattered and you'd always be caught You gave your best shot to comply But that's impossible, no matter how you try So you decided God is gone He set this world spinning and then he moved on And now you feel you're alone And anything you need you gotta get on your own It's a lonely way to be So you're looking for a connection Well, the connection is me When you don't know what to believe in And faith is a dated theory While you're looking for an answer Take my hand and dance with me Well, there are reasons to be afraid It's a frightening world that whoever-it-was made A dam in China a mile long Evangelists who can make you change the words to a song We give our best shot to stand tall When there's so much in this world to make you feel small But there are reasons to take heart Like the things that happen between us in the dark 'Cause I suspect if God exists It's in the way you love me — it's in the way we kiss That's what I'm banking on When I'm down and I can't find the means to go on When I don't know what to believe in And faith is a dated theory While I'm looking for an answer Take my hand and dance with me When we don't know what to believe in And faith is a dated theory While we're looking for an answer Take my hand and dance with me Dance with me...
8.
Idaho 03:47
9.
The Real Thing words by Rain Perry music by Rain Perry & Michael Bolotin ©1999 Precipitous Music/BMI & OogieBoo Music/BMI This is your life Set up just right Your heart closed tight It ventures open When you're feeling low When you need some affection There are places you can go But you've always got the back door To slip out if you need to When any of your lovers Starts acting like she needs you Well, welcome to the Real Thing This is the deal It's hard and it's frustrating And I can't make you feel Satisfaction A glad reaction I don't hold the key But take a part of me And maybe this will be the Real Thing This could be it Now, you say that you want romance You like the mystery And who wouldn't choose passion Over responsibility It's the chase that you like The capture It's all that stuff that follows That's really not what you're after But how long can you keep it up Even if the girls are willing It's got to be exhausting The pressure to be thrilling Well, welcome to the Real Thing It's not ideal It's hard and it's frustrating And I can't make you feel Satisfaction A glad reaction I don't hold the key But take a part of me And maybe this will be the Real Thing This could be the Real Thing Welcome to the Real Thing Where the girl's not always pretty The bed's not always made And often you're both too busy Or too tired But the passion That she shows you It's because she knows you What more could you desire?

about

Refreshing and unaffected." -- Ojai Valley News

I can't remember the last time an album brought me to tears..."Balance" is exceptional debut album and Perry is the real thing. -- Cinescene: an eZine, October 1999

Its a dark, moody debut, spackled with the wry humor and hope of songs such as "Say Yes" and "Four Cylinder Love." An absolute jewel, "Yosemite"... -- Ventura County Star, August 31, 1999

credits

released August 10, 1999

Thank you to:

—the musicians who contributed their talent and goodwill to this project. The more we mixed, the more we appreciated your great playing: Charlie Benton, Michael Bolotin, Reb Bradford, Jim Calire, Patricia Cardinali, Lewis Carlino, Steven Cooley, MaryAnn Grayson, Richard Hardy, Andro Kotula, Gary Peterson, Lee Rollag, Alan Thornhill & (all the way from Nashville) Martin Young;

—the visual artists whose wonderful work is represented here: Christine for the painting, Timothy for the pictures, and Bob & Paty for the graphic design;

—those who gave a push, a needed connection, or vital encouragement: Ozzie Ahlers, Jana Anderson (for introducing me to Emmet), Eric Barnet for help with the drums on “Balance,” Patricia Clarke, Chris Columbus (for letting us invade his living space), Dale Eucker, Denzyl Feigelson, Alex Kopf, Terry Mettala, Leah Rose, Sasha Stone, David Tate, and a special thank you to Sara Hickman, Jo Miller, Angela McCluskey & Mary Sharp for offering thoughtful and heartfelt advice just when I needed it…and another one to Nancy Bertlesen and David Gamble, for a very sweet and unexpected boost, as well as your enduring friendship;

—my friends and family, whom I tried listing by name, but got scared I’d accidentally forget someone, so I hope you all know just how much I love and appreciate you;

Most of all, thank you from the bottom of my heart to those people without whom this album would not exist: Karen Beasley, mom #2 — you allowed me to not be mom in my mind so I could do this; Emmet Sargeant, for your skill and great attitude and for cheerfully enduring all the smut; Lewis Carlino, for your strange and wonderful ideas, which were key to everything that came next; Richard "Reb" Bradford, for appearing at just the right moment and dedicating yourself with generosity and humor, as well as dramatically increasing the coolness of the whole project; Sally Kopf, my friend & the world’s hippest suit, for making this all possible, and with style too, and...Mikey - there's no way I can adequately acknowledge one of the most generous gifts I'll ever receive, so the best I can do is pledge my love and gratitude forever - that's from cirque to terminal moraine...

I love you, Woogie & Stelly-Boo. Thank you for not only putting up with this, but dancing and singing along too.

My sweet Billy, your love and support are the foundation on which this whole thing is built. Consider this the equivalent of one of those “Fourteeners” cards you always leave for me…

This album is dedicated with love to John Hazen Perry and Melody Anne Perry.

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Rain Perry Ojai, California

Rain Perry’s “Beautiful Tree” was the theme for the CW Network’s Life Unexpected, on which she also had the surreal pleasure of appearing as herself. She has released four albums on her own Precipitous Records, as well as writing and touring a solo play about her childhood. In 2016 she completed The Shopkeeper, her first film. She teaches a series of classes called Songwriting for Civilians. ... more

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