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Namesake

by Them Coulee Boys

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1.
Namesake 03:51
Met my grandpa, he was black & white And a few years from his teens Held my father towards the flashing light In 1963 There’s my grandma standing to the side Got my auntie round her knees Only standing about 5 foot 5 But she seemed so tall to me And I’m told I have the same face as my namesake We’re all going to the same place when we’re done Even if we all ain’t got the same names I’ll be proud to call you family sure enough Some jumped from airplanes, some ran the family farm They raised my dad, my mom, and they raised me Some aren’t related by words or blood But they’re still your family I hope I’ve grown to be my mother by the time I have a son I hope he takes after my father, I hope they just be who they want I hope my friends will all surround them like crazy uncles and aunts I hope they know that they don’t have to be related to be loved It’s just love
2.
Given Up 04:07
Got a friend that I don’t get to see too much Called me up and told me that he fell in love Said he’s getting married in about 6 months Gotta beat the baby if they can I don’t think we’ve talked since graduation day Guess I’m lucky that my number didn’t change Tried to call but I didn’t know what to say Guess I’ll try to make it if can He said “I’ve given up on getting much from you” x2 Know a girl who lives a couple states away Asked her why she always felt the need to stay I am hypocrite but I’m trying to change Isn’t that a part growing up? She said that she’s working on herself this time “Baby what can I give to you if I ain’t got mine?” Guess that all I lost was all my precious time Guess I thought that I was showing up She said “I’ve given up on getting much from you” x2 Sometimes I like to go out where I can’t find friends Stumble home and leave a bucket by the bed I go to sleep on fire wake up soaking wet I thought I could do it on my own I open my eyes and see her standing there Mother Mary in a T-shirt and her underwear “I don’t know how to help you but don’t be scared. Nobody can do it on their own” I have not given up on getting much from you x4
3.
Phil's Song 03:56
Dearly beloved, we have gathered round this phonecall Can I put you on speakerphone? I just punched a hole in my wall We’ve been sifting through the memories of the last we got to see that shit eating grin Would it be beautiful if we could see that smile once again Damn I still love you Damn man, you got to know I still love you Have you heard the one about the two kids swore that they’d get out? See the world, kiss those girls, make that noise they swore they’d heard But you’re not really from here, are you? Hometown hero meant for stardom Dammit man you said what you’d said you’d do Damn man you got to know I still love you x2 There’s a time to laugh, a time to cry There’s one for both at the same time Sometimes that’s what I feel when I think of you Do we ever really die if love is what we left behind? Sometimes that’s what I feel when I think of you Damn man you gotta know I still love you x2 Do we ever really die if love is what we left behind? Because love is what I feel when I think of you Damn man you gotta know I still love you x2
4.
April 1st 04:41
You said your middle name was tragic, and it was stitched into the fabric of your shirt But by god it felt like magic when we sang it back to you on April 1st I know you’ve heard it all before but I’ve been trying to be more careful with my words I’m just trying to say I love you without it ever feeling so rehearsed Saw you again in summer weather, wearing an ugly christmas sweater in July You assured me I’d feel better so I relented and I stayed with you that night We had a spirited discussion about the lasting repercussions of that fight I’m just trying to say I love you, because I’ve tried it and no other words seem right. You handed me my heart back, bought a ticket for that amtrak rode away As I was standing on that tarmac, you checked it for an expiration date There’s not a night that ends without me wishing that I hadn’t been with you that day I’m just trying to say I love you because by now there are no other words to say I let my hair grow to my shoulders and a beard to feel a little older than I was You told me this would all blow over by the 18th of October sure enough I am not the man you think I am, but maybe you can see what I’ll become I’m just trying to say I love you, and hoping that this time it will be enough
5.
Daddy was a knuckleballer in the minor leagues We’d head to the park and holler for some kind relief He had half a shot at stardom and he had half of me Daddy was knuckleballer in the minor leagues Momma wore a bluer collar than seen on TV She watched daddy live in squalor without no release She had half a mind to leave but then she’d have half of me My mama wore a bluer collar than seen on TV I have been mistaken for them both Each time I have taken that as growth Clara wears a ball cap and hits her balls off a tee T-shirt tucked into her pants, brand new baseball cleats When my baby smiles, she’s missing half her teeth My daughter throws a knuckleball and she learned that from me I have made more mistakes than them both Each time I have taken that as growth Daddy was a knuckleballer in the minor leagues Anything to make a dollar for my momma and me Momma loved that pitcher, and both of them loved me Daddy was a knuckleballer in the minor leagues
6.
Canyon 03:52
I am a canyon , You are a creek You wove and you wound to the bottom of me 10 million years after, your mighty river a stream I am a canyon, you are a creek Call you Colorado, but you’re from the midwest Met you in December in a floral print dress Those honky tonk ceilings like me were low But you laid down beside me and I felt you flow The morning after, my sides were sore From all of the laughter from the night before And all over breakfast you were reckless in love My heart it flowed over, I have more than enough. You walked on water, and said I could too When I stepped to follow the thin ice fell through Hope my love can hold you like your love held me Felt like a lake laying next to the sea
7.
She drove her leather jacket f’n classic Chevrolet with vanity plates When she left me standing silent on the corner of 16th & State I was lost in my hometown And I didn’t know what I could do I started to panic, f’n classic, you can see the lines on my face There’s gray in my hair from the times that I stared off in space I was lost in my hometown And I didn’t know what I could do Guess I’m on my own now This town’s different when it don’t got you I tried to be happy with you not around But all of my smiles felt like repurposed frowns It felt automatic, out of habit, the way that you told me farewell You can leave with my heart but don’t keep that part to yourself When you’re lost in your hometown That doesn’t mean that things have changed You’re on your own now This town’s different but it all stayed the same I tried to be happy with you not around But all of my smiles felt like repurposed frowns Lying back then feels like loving you now Truth is hard but it pays to go through it Life is hard but it pays to go through
8.
Just Friends 03:34
Well the last time that I saw you I gave you a bloody nose That dry air in my apartment went and ruined both of our clothes Took that sweatshirt that I loaned you, took the t shirt you left I said “We’re mutually self destructive” as we shared a cigarette If you’re leaving here tomorrow, I’ll be leaving here tonight I’m gonna beat you to the punch without putting up a fight Self care for the selfish, self prescribed, self diagnosed Don’t tell me what it is doc, I don’t even wanna know Took the 8-ball from the corner pocket, threw it towards the bar And I watched that mirror shatter down into a million parts When I saw my reflection in that smithereen display I knew I couldn’t wait no longer, I should be leaving here today Took those lost loose leaf love letters, put them on a shelf Drank my weight to celebrate they were addressed to someone else And on the outside looking in at the beginning and the end You know I’m happy that it happened, but maybe we should be just friends Just friends
9.
I had first team All-American dreams 17 to 23, I ran this fucking town State school ball caps, name spelled out in all caps I have a tendency to tear the whole thing down You never thought you could fall in love in somewhere so small This city’s full of people who will tear down your walls High school sweetheart cut you into three parts Put you back together when you stumbled into town Backwards car seats, syncopated heartbeats She wasn’t supposed to be the one to slow you down You never thought you could fall in love with someone so small But the notches in the bedpost turn to lines drawn on the wall. You’re an all american boy, you’re an all american boy You’re an all american boy, just like all american boys I like to make something out of nothing So when it falls apart I can pretend I didnt care You have spent your whole life building something I’ll stick around until I got some more to spare You’re an all american boy, you’re an all american boy You made a promise you would never be the one to destroy, Just like all american boys You’re an all american boy x3 Just like all american boys
10.
Hallelujah 03:47
Stream of consciousness Vowels and consonants Feeling confident today Dad’s cardiologist Don’t think that they know shit Always had his heart in the right place Hallelujah Hallelujah til it works Hallelujah Hallelujah til it hurts Learning right and wrong Through classic country songs Willie and Waylon and the boys We tried to get along Dreamed of playing G chords on a Jumbotron Silly for staying unemployed Paint by number masterpiece Fill in the blank biographies Plagiarized apologies to you all I read the words they put in front of me Hoping they’re not making fun of me I am not having any fun at all

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released August 6, 2021

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Them Coulee Boys Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Them Coulee Boys are Folk-Punk Americana band from Eau Claire, WI playing everything from pure and genuine ballads to a leaping, countrified take on rock and roll.

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