Get all 8 Max Knightley releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Star Seeker OST, Rat King, Gigantic Robot Girlfriend, Out Of The Bunker, Things Have Been Weird, Proud Of You, Killer Killer 22, and Pastel Hand Grenade.
1. |
Modern Punk
01:30
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Drivin' down the highway
Got a six pack in the trunk
I'm just here to see the starlight
That's modern punk
I've got no money,
got no game
Don't got much chance
of findin' fame
But put my foot to the floor
and keep movin' along
All I need is speed
and my favorite song
Three bucks in your pocket
Is a sandwich in your hand
My tastes ain't all too pricey
But they sure are grand (whoa-oh-oh-oh)
It's an uphill climb,
bein' who I am
Folks say "play it safe" --
I don't think I can
Not sure I got a future,
that ship might be sunk
but I keep on movin'
that's modern punk
Let's be clear, I'll rip your throat out
if you're spoilin' for a fight
But if you aren't a jackass
We'll be alright
I don't care much 'bout
"fake" or "real",
Won't hear me whine 'bout
mass appeal
We got real problems,
so it seems absurd
to freak out about which albums
some dude's heard!
I don't know where I'm going
And I don't know where I am
But hey, you don't know either
So let's go hand in hand!
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2. |
Burnout
01:51
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I'm flying through a void
that I can't understand
and I cannot imagine a world in which I land
But then I see Earth's shining beauty, such potential there
I change my course and all seems well, until I hit the air
Can you see those meteors
all lighting up the night
they're burning down to nothing
but good god, do they burn bright
We'll be gravel if we're lucky
by the time we make contact
but that gleaming golden instant
leaves a crater-esque impact
I'm starting to get too hot
think it takes what I just haven't got
I'm cracking and crumbling --
it oughta be humbling --
knowing it's all just for naught
Torn apart at the seams
by fruitless hopes and dreams
and this need for success
is just making a mess
but if I should die then at least they'll hear me scream
Sea nowhere to be seen
and I'm engulfed in flames
it's choking, crushing, broiling hot, and there's no one to blame
God knows I shouldn't stay the course, and yet, God knows I must
I'm going too fast -- I can't turn back before I'm ash and dust
Can you see those meteors
all lighting up the night
they're burning down to nothing
but good god, do they burn bright
We'll be gravel if we're lucky
by the time we make contact
but that gleaming golden instant
leaves a crater-esque —
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3. |
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Ever since I can remember
I haven't been human quite right
And ever since I can remember
I've panicked and fled from the light
The darkness, you say, overwhelms you
That's precisely why I'm still down here
I know what you'll do if I leave to face you
But if you can't reach me I'll live without fear
So crush me, burn me
Smoke me out, and spurn me
I'm lower than dirt, I'm the scum of the earth
But I'll stay alive all the same
I've given you trouble and failure
Since I was just seven years old
Your fire burns hot even now, to this day
And by god, do I wish you'd grow cold!
You're convinced there's some brilliant potential
You'll draw out through your nagging and screams
No matter how I beg and I wail "just give up"
Well, I hope it lives up to your dreams
So crush me, burn me
Smoke me out, and spurn me
I'm lower than dirt, I'm the scum of the earth
But I'll stay alive all the same
And you still think you're owed an apology
For everything I'VE put YOU through
You still think you're owed an apology
Because I wouldn't bow down to you
Eleven years telling me it's for my good
This unceasing verbal war
I hope you don't think I still love you deep down
I pray that you've heard me like never before
So crush me, burn me
Smoke me out, and spurn me
I'm bloody and bruised, and it's all 'cause of you
But I'm still alive, all the same
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4. |
Open Up Your Eyes
06:18
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My son, I know that things between us now are kinda rough
But don'tcha know sometimes — love's got to be tough
So listen to me, please, as I explain why I was right
And then you can apologize, let go of all that spite
It's petty, son, to tell me how I made you want to die
Some folks would neglect you, too, so — someday you'll realize
Least I did the bare minimum, I think that's pretty swell
Hey, what does that mean, "damn me to hell?"
Aw well - someday you'll open up your eyes
You oughta know you're lucky, I did not call it a sin
Just said you didn't strike me as very feminine
You have to understand, my son, you're my entire world
And I just can't believe you really feel like a girl
I'm sure you didn't know that sometimes people like that die
Oh, you did?
Well, just wanted to know that you realized
That everything you want will leave you BLEEDING, broke or dead
Come on, my child, get it through your head
Come on, my child, open up your eyes
I mostly never hit you, though I should've done it more
Maybe then you wouldn't hide behind your bedroom door
Just let me say my piece and I'll be done, you piece of shit
Don't act a spoiled child, now, just let me throw my fit!
If you would only listen, I'm so sure you'd understand
We'd all be fine if you would simply bow at my command
Perhaps I've said it thirty times before, to no avail
But there's no way the thirty-first will fail
Come on, my child, open up your eyes
I tell you, when you're older, you'll see where I'm coming from
when I tried so hard to keep you underneath my thumb
I wanted what was best for you, which you could not have known
Not at sixteen, not at eighteen, and not when fully grown
I tried to be supportive; tried to help you reach success
and I did well, I'm still convinced, though maybe not the best
And so I'll assume forgiveness, I'll assume it's all okay
right up until my final dying day
I'm so glad that you opened up your eyes.
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5. |
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Go and flood the castle,
show the knights and nobles hell
but regardless of your motives,
know the town will drown as well
So if you would sleep soundly,
and if you'd lay down your arms,
you should help rebuild the houses
and you'd best go drain the farms
With careless swings you'll surely hit
the ones you hoped to save
and righteousness is rarely stark and clear
The pattern spins in circles,
sometimes wider, sometimes smaller
but it never, ever, ever disappears
Evil men aren't hard to find,
but good men surely are,
and the best of us tear at each other's throats
Now go pick up the pieces
and repair what you have done,
lest you find yourself adrift without a boat
So harden on the outside
but stay tender at the core
you must know how to broker peace
before you go to war
And though the sword is beautiful
know it can only kill;
Be the axe or be the hammer:
you'll be crude, but you will build
With careless swings you'll surely hit
the ones you hoped to save
and righteousness is rarely stark and clear
The pattern spins in circles,
sometimes wider, sometimes smaller
but it never, ever, ever disappears
Evil men aren't hard to find,
but good men surely are,
and the best of us tear at each other's throats
Now go pick up the pieces
and repair what you have done,
lest you find yourself adrift without a boat
And strike back at the beast if it should bite you,
and blaspheme any god who dares to smite you
but keep clarity of purpose,
don't fight foes who never were;
control your flame, don't let the pain ignite you!
Half the heroes you could name
were cowards, fools and jerks;
and yet, in spite of all of this,
gaze awed upon their works!
The rest of them were monstrous,
wrongly praised upon their deaths;
strive always to be better
'til you take your final breath
'Cause careless swings ensure you'll hit
the ones you hoped to save
and righteousness is rarely stark and clear
The pattern spins in circles,
sometimes wider, sometimes smaller
but it never, ever, ever disappears
Evil men aren't hard to find,
but good men surely are,
and the best of us tear at each other's throats
Now go pick up the pieces
and repair what you have done,
lest you find yourself adrift without a boat
Stay angry but stay hopeful,
bring each task the proper tools
that's the only way you'll keep yourself afloat
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6. |
Advance To The Rear
03:04
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When I was young, they told me "pick your battles"
now they want me to fight one I can't win
And back then, they said "do what makes you happy"
but now they're tellin' me that that's a sin
They taught me all the tactics and maneuvers
but won't admit they're hit by what I've learned
No matter what I do, can't change their minds
so consider this bridge to be burned
They say don't burn your bridges,
but they're not on the defense
They say stick to the play
but the playbook don't make sense
They say all's fair in love and war,
and I know that one's true
so I won't stop at anything
to run away with you
Run for the hills and they will not pursue us
they think we'll either starve or come right back
But I don't care what it'll take, they won't take me alive,
and I'm well-prepared if they should dare attack
It shouldn't have to be this way, I'm certain,
but all the same, some things can't yet be changed
You wage war with whatever troops you've swayed onto your side
so let's draw up some plans, see just what we can still arrange
They say don't burn your bridges
but they're not on the defense
They say stick to the play
but the playbook don't make sense
They say all's fair in love and war,
and I know that one's true
so I won't stop at anything
to run away with you
And they will shout, but trust me,
I've out-shouted them before
They'll take a thousand miles,
but we'll take four thousand more
We'll be two girls against the world,
so stand tall and break through!
No wall or sword can stop me,
when I'm here - I'm safe - with you
There's no way they can stop me
being me and loving you
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7. |
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You know I've always kept my head down, out of the clouds
My feet planted squarely on solid ground
Even when it was all too hot, harsh, loud
But now that everything is falling
(falling up, now)
(falling up, now, yeah)
I hope I never come down
Everything is falling up
(Up so high)
Everything is falling up
(To the sky)
Everything is falling up
And everything is falling apart
So why, oh, why, does it feel so right
Why's there no hole in my heart
If they stay down there, let's ditch our families
Forget about the mountains and the seven seas
Say your goodbyes, 'cause in the skies we can do as we please
All I need is for my friends
(all my friends, now)
(you and them, now, yeah)
To come and float along with me
Everything is falling up
(Up so high)
Everything is falling up
(To the sky)
Maybe the bricks just don't fit
Together quite as well anymore
But who needs ceilings, walls or floors
When you can soar
So we don't lose each other, I'll hold you tight
As the sun rises down, gives way to night
The stars beneath us are a million thousand ten spotlights
And the closer we get
(closer we get)
(closer we get, get, get)
Things only get more bright
Everything is falling up
(Up so high)
Everything is falling up
(Past the sky)
Thought it would hurt more than this
Thought I might miss the ground
But I don't think that I'd complain
If we never come down
No I don't think that I'd complain
If we never come down
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8. |
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I had some interviews,
I had some interviews!
Got me a brand new suit and polished up my fancy shoes!
I thought that they went well,
thought they went pretty well,
nineteen weeks later they call back to tell me "go to hell!"
Feebly claim they're more than just a check
(I'm honored and impressed, you're the best at -- what is it that you do?)
Oozing schmooze and spewing mindless dreck
(I am so confident hard-working and so happy and so)
Starting to become a nervous wreck
(Please just one offer man, I gotta fill my coffer man)
'Cause it feels like everybody's breathing down my neck
"Gimme all you got," they say
"Gimme all you got"
They won't settle, won't take one ounce less
"Grind you to the bone,
squeeze the blood out of your stones
Do you want to just get by or are you aiming to impress?"
I got an office job!
I got an office job!
Ain't much, but hey, at least I feel less like a lazy slob!
Put forty hours in
Put fifty hours in?!
I get no overtime, just gotta take it on the chin
Pays a-bout four hun-dred bucks a week
(That good? That bad or is it good or is it)
Go to meetings, never get to speak
(Of course I could, if I wanted to get fired)
And when I'm checking out on Friday night
(Open my car, bring it home then run straight to the bar)
Boss pulls me to the side and in five words he steals my light
"Gimme all you got," they say
"Gimme all you got"
They won't settle, won't take one ounce less
"Grind you to the bone,
squeeze the blood out of your stones
Do you want to just get by or are you aiming to impress?"
VERSE 3
I got promoted now!
I got promoted now!
I guess the bosses think I'm gonna be devoted now!
New title and a raise
A one percent raise!
Talk about being damned by faint praise!
Wondering why I am even here
(Could be most anywhere but here, could be most anywhere)
Wasting all my finest youthful years
(They promised me one day that I'd do things that matter, matter)
Claiming I'm advancing my career
(I'm on a treadmill going nowhere so it blows, man)
Manager stops by and once again he makes it clear:
"Gimme all you got," they say
"Gimme all you got"
They won't settle, won't take one ounce less
"Grind you to the bone,
squeeze the blood out of your stones
Do you want to just get by or are you aiming to impress?"
BRIDGE
All I want's the right to fucking live
Without giving more than I can give
The minimum is excellence
And so I'm left directionless
because my best's just "fine" and that ain't something they'll forgive!
VERSE 4
I got a molotov! (SAY WHAT?)
Mixed up some molotovs! (OKAY!)
I'll burn it to the ground and maybe then they'll call it off!
This ain't my style, aye
so with a smile, I
light up a beacon that they'll see around for miles! And
Soon the cops are comin' down my way
(Got too excited in deciding to ignite it)
At the courthouse I don't even play
(They saw me there, ashes blowing through my hair)
Least in jail I'll get three meals a day
(Plus my own bed, and a roof over my roof over my)
But when I get there here's what the warden has to say
"Gimme all you got," he says,
"Gimme all you got
Those license plates ain't gonna press themselves
Got chairs to build, got mouths to feed
No breaks until you break and bleed
That dime-an-hour labor's gotta fill those great big shelves"
"Gimme all you got," he says,
"Gimme all you got"
Guess I got myself in quite the scrape
They'll grind me to the bone, and
squeeze the blood out of my stones
Guess I'm a fool to think I could escape!
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9. |
Oubliette
02:38
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The peasants have taken the palace
The army has fled for the hills
The burghers go forth, driven by righteous malice
for freedom, for gold, for the kill
The nobles, now, must face their fears:
for the common man finally prevails
And the king who, for years, stole their blood, sweat and tears
Has been cast to the depths of his jail
And he's certain, so certain they'll come crawling back
He just needs to wait long enough and they'll crack;
In truth, they've long seen him for all that he is:
A miserable, self-centered, cold-hearted maniac
It's a prison of perfect construction
a hundred feet under the ground;
though he's witnessed dynastic destruction,
he sings, and no one hears the sound
He sings of the crown's restoration,
how the realm that he ruined will thrive;
of inevitable adoration —
Not a soul wants to see him alive!
Yet he's certain, so certain they'll come crawling back
He just needs to wait long enough and they'll crack;
In truth, they've long seen him for all that he is:
A miserable, self-centered, cold-hearted maniac
The water stopped coming
the bread is all gone
but he keeps on singing
the same old song
The water stopped coming
the bread is all gone
but he keeps on singing
the same old song
And he's certain, so certain they'll come crawling back
He just needs to wait long enough and they'll crack;
As soon as they realize
As soon as they realize
They'll come crawling back
They'll come crawling back
He knows that they'll come crawling
Knows that they'll come crawling back!
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10. |
Event Horizon
02:55
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It was you
who bounced between support and relentless attack
And now you
are desperately trying to bring me back
You're a miserable, joyless hole in the world
and you're anglin' to drag me down
I'm gettin' close, close, close, but I won't fall in
Past the event horizon
Try and crush my soul, and I'll tear you apart
Event horizon
It ain't my job to fix your broken heart
Event horizon
I know someday I'll get a brand new start
And though I need you now, might not be long
Before I'll finally be gone
Event horizon, I'll be gone
Yeah, it's you
who demanded a standard of perfect production
And it's you
who taught me self-hatred and so self-destruction
Your praise and your kindness is empty as hell
your cruelty and insults still worse!
You've pushed me far, far, far but I won't fall in
Past the event horizon
You say I'll find salvation if I come near
Event horizon
You say I'm being foolish, got nothing to fear
Event horizon
You claim to hold me so esteemed and dear
But if you love me so much, set me free!
Event horizon, let me be!
Event horizon, let me be!
And it's me
I'd already be gone if I were just a bit smarter
And it's me
Could already be gone if I worked a bit harder
Yeah that might be true, but all the same
ain't over yet and I've come so far
And I've come close, close, so close to bein' dead
But up 'til now I've managed to keep my head
So here's! four! words! for! you instead:
Event horizon so long!
Event horizon so long!
Event horizon so long!
Event horizon so long!
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Max Knightley Chicago, Illinois
Trans lesbian who makes punk, electronica, and music for video games. Stay angry, but keep your eyes open to the beauty of the world.
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