90s music

The complete lyrics of Last Days of August

Limited Double Cassette, Digital, and Streaming available at https://linktr.ee/beginnerstapes

WISHFUL THINKING

WHEN I SEE YOU IN THE STARS, SETTLES MY SOUL LIKE SAND. WELL, I AM JUST ERODING IN YOUR EMBRACE. SHE'S THE TRIP THAT I CAN'T STOP FROM TAKING. I'LL WAIT THERE AND I'LL KNOW. AM I SILT SLIPPING THROUGH YOUR HANDS? SHE'S THE LIGHTHOUSE AND THE CLIFF I AM FACING, BUT NOW YOU PROJECT YOURSELF SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE CRACKS AND THE CLOUDS. ONLY RECOGNIZING THE BUILDINGS WITHOUT ELEVATORS. SO SADDENED THEY LOOK HIGHER EVERY DAY. WITH A CRAZY-EYED CURRENT AND A WIND SHE SAID SHE'S BEEN MAKING, IT'S OVER. I MAY NOT SURVIVE WITHOUT TWO.

BRAILLE

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO KNOW I BEAT YOU AT YOUR OWN GAME? YOU'RE THE ONE. BECAUSE TONIGHT IS ALL I KNOW AND THE SKY IS WHERE I'LL GO. YOU LOOK IN MY EYES AND SEE A MAN YOU NEED TO BE. IN MY MIND, EVERYONE HAS DARK EYES. YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD SOMETHING... WELL I SHOT THAT DOWN. DIDN'T I? IT'S OVER, I BEAT YOU. YOU KNEW IT, I PROVED IT.

IN HEAVEN EVERYTHING'S FINE

WAITING FOR DAYBREAK, MINUTES FROM HOME. MAYBE YOU'LL SURVIVE WITHOUT AUTUMN LEAVES IN VERNAL SNOW. I SAT THERE WITH YOU, MY FINGERS TRACING OVER YOUR FACE, THEN CLEARING YOUR TEARS. I CAN SEE THE BOTTOM YOU'LL SOON BE HITTING, BUT I'LL BE THERE. SOMEDAY WE'LL FIND OUT, AND WE WILL NEVER LURE, THE LIGHT THAT BLINDS US, TO WHAT WE HAD BEFORE. WE'RE NOT FALLING DOWN ANYMORE. I GUESS THE THINGS WE HEARD YESTERDAY CAN'T SCARE US.  

A SAILOR'S DREAM

WITH FEAR FACING EACH DAY, I'VE BECOME AN EXPERT AT PRETENDING. MY REFLECTION IS RARELY CLEAR IF EVER THERE. I'M NOT CRAWLING TO YOU; I'LL WAIT FOR YOU. THE BLUE IN HER EYES IS ENOUGH. WITH THE SUDDEN FALL OF HER GRACE, AND THE STUNNING CALMNESS OF HER VOICE. I'LL BE WAITING FOR MY SLEEP, WHERE I'LL SEE HER AGAIN. I MISS YOUR HAND IN MINE.

MARATHON

"BOYS DON'T CRY", I HEARD YOU SAY. SO WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME? I ASK MYSELF EIGHT DAYS A WEEK. I WOULD RACE THE SUN DOWN TO THE END OF THIS ISLAND. "YOU KNOW DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THINKING. YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT I'VE BEEN DREAMING. I LEFT YOU WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING. I ONLY SAID I LOVE YOU". SHE SAID, "BOYS DON'T CRY, I HEARD?" I GUESS THERE'S NO BETTER TIME FOR ME TO BE A MAN.

FIRST LIGHT, FALSE DAWN

DON'T SAY I'M LIKE YOU. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT RUNS THROUGH MY VEINS. YOU'RE THE RAIN THAT WASHES ME AWAY. KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME.

THE ART OF BREATHING

I SILENTLY MOLD CLOUDS INTO PLANETS AND THE BIRDS INTO BRILLIANT STARS BEFORE THE EYES OF NOBODY. NOBODY'S EVER WATCHING. EVERY SINGLE THING IS IMPORTANT, BUT NOBODY'S EVER WATCHING. TODAY I WANTED TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. TO STARE AT THE DENSE AIR AND REVEAL THE HUMILITY IN THE ART OF BREATHING. TO DANCE IN THE MOTIONLESS RAIN AND REPLACE THAT HUMILITY WITH JOY... WE PLAY THESE GAMES, JUST TO FIND OUT WHO WE ARE.

CAROUSEL

IT'S HARD NOT TO REMEMBER, AS THOUGHTS OF WARMTH LINGER ON. YOU'RE MY CAROUSEL, LIKE THE ONES WE USED TO RIDE. ALWAYS WE WILL CHANGE, AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS TRUE, LIKE SHATTERED STATUES ON MY WALL. AS THE DARKNESS STEALS MY LIGHT. I BEGIN TO TAKE BACK MY LIFE. ROUND AND ROUND (FOR WHAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN FOREVER), TAKE COMFORT IN YOUR FRIENDS, OR THIS DAY WILL NEVER END. DON'T SPEAK; YOUR VOICE MAY MAKE ME FALL APART. YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN THE LOVE I FELT FROM YOUR CARESS, THE HOLY IMAGE THAT IT LEFT.

CHEATING DISTANCE

IT'S ALL I EVER KNEW, I GUESS IT'S ALL THAT I HAD TO KNOW. SHE SAID, "I WON'T GO THERE". MY BLANKETED SIGHS WERE USED, AND THEY WILL BE SURFACED SOON. WITH ALL THE KILL OF MARCH, I FADE AWAY FROM YOU. CAN YOU REMEMBER ONE THING ABOUT ME? MY TEARS FALL LIKE RAIN FOR YOU. EACH PASSING DAY IS LIVED FOR YOU. DO YOU STILL THINK OF ME, THE WAY I STILL DO OF YOU? WITH ALL THE KILL OF MARCH, I FADE AWAY FROM YOU.

PAPER HEARTS AND BROKEN GLASS

THESE ARE THE LAST WORDS I SAY TO YOU. EVENTUALLY FORGOTTEN, BLURRY-EYED FAR AWAY FOREVER. AROUND THE CORNER IN MY MIND, I MIGHT JUST HAVE TO GIVE IDEAS A TRY. SO WE CAN BOTH BE WRONG THIS TIME. WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE DISAPPEARS, AT LEAST I WON'T HAVE TO PRETEND.

WRITTEN IN WHITE INK

I TRIED. WAKING UP AGAIN SEEMS SO THOUGHTLESS. LOOKING FORWARD TO NOTHING BUT USELESS TRIES. SUNLIGHT'S DENIAL OF MY SKIN LEAVES ME ALONE WHERE I BEGAN. IT'S WHERE I BELONG. EACH TEARDROP THAT I SHED. HOLD GALAXIES WITHIN. WHEN TIME FLIES I WANT TO GRAB ITAND BREAK ITS WINGS. DO YOU SHARE THIS WITH ME? I'LL WALK ONE STEP FURTHER TO DENOUNCE THE WAY I FEEL. IT'S WRITTEN IN HER DIARY, HER DIARY. LOOK INSIDE MY EYES. I'M HIDING PRECIOUS LIES. STILL I MUST IMAGINE. THIS IS ONLY PRETEND. IT'S GLOWING OVER ME. THAT RAN MY MOUTH FOR ME ONLY A FLASH COULD CAPTURE. RAN MY MOUTH.

BALTIMORE AGAIN

WHEN THE HOURS TURNED DAYS INTO YEARS, I GAVE ALL I COULD I LOVED ALL I WOULD. THE RED INTERVENTION BURNED MY THROAT AS IT RAPED ME BEFORE I COULD SCREAM. IT WAS GONE... IT SALTED... IT WAS GONE... IT SALTED... SWEAT FROM MY HANDS DOVE OFF MY FINGERTIPS, IN HARMONY WITH MY HEART BREAKS. I'LL NEVER FORGET THIS. I'M FORCED, TO REMEMBER, TO REMEMBER. LET ME TASTE YOUR BREATH ON MY LIPS, RUN MY FINGERS DOWN YOUR FACE. I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK; I NEED TO TOUCH YOU. I'VE SOARED ON WINGS THAT CAN'T HOLD ME BACK ANYMORE. EACH SCRATCH ON MY CHEST SPEAKS THE WORDS. I DON'T REFLECT IN YOUR EYES ANYMORE.  

SIX WAYS FROM SUNDAY

YOU’RE LIKE AN ORNAMENT DRESSED UP IN GOLD. WHEN I DISHONOR YOU, YOU JUST RUST AND GROW OLD. I’M LOOKING FOR NOTHING. I’M LOOKING FOR NO ONE, AT ALL. I TAKE A LEAP IN THE DARK MY NEXT STEP IS LUMINOUS… GOEDEL’S SHADOW’S ON MY TRAIL, HOW BAD I WANT TO LOSE HIM. THIS IS WHERE IT HAS TO LAY. WHOSE WORDS ON ANGELS PROVED TRUE? THEY WERE HIDING IN THE ARCHITECTURE ALL ALONG. WITH A KNIFE IN MY POCKET AND A HEART IN MY HAND, I’LL MOVE ON. YOU’RE SO OLD, YOU ARE SO DEAD. SIX WAYS FROM SUNDAY.

WORDS I WISH WERE MINE

I LONG FOR LIFE I LONG TO BE LIKE EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU. IT HURTS TO BE ME. SO PLEASE TAKE IT IN. WHERE YOU GONNA GO WHEN I AM NOT IN YOUR PICTURES ANYMORE? BUT FACES NEVER SUIT THE NAMES THEY GAVE THEMSELVES. YOU JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND. EYES AWAY.

DEAD BOYS CLUB

WATER-FILLED LUNGS ARE HELPING ME BREATHE THE STREET SIGNS HUM YOUR NAME, IT’S SLOWLY KILLING ME. MOVE FROM THERE YOU’RE BLOCKING MY WIND. THE SIMPLEST THINGS ARE WORTH MORE THAN YOU HAVE. I’VE BEEN SET AT HALF-MAST. I’VE CAREFULLY PLANNED MY CLUMSINESS TO THE POINT OF EFFORTLESSNESS. I’VE LOST MYSELF WITH THE LOSS OF YOU. YOUR CHEMICAL IMBALANCE IS MAKING ME NAUSEOUS, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS I AM MEMORIZING WALLS. I’VE BEEN SET AT HALF-MAST. I TRIED TO RELAY THE URGENCY.

CAROUSELS

SEE LYRICS FOR CAROUSEL

MY SKY

I AM SLOWLY STARTING TO REMEMBER YOU, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS… AND THE STORIES, THE ECHOES, ARE STAGNANT IN MY MIND… I MISS YOU, THE STORIES, THE ECHOES. GROWING UP WITHOUT YOUR SOFT TOUCH HAS AFFECTED ME MORE THAN YOU CAN KNOW. IT BURNS INSIDE TO THINK I WASN’T THERE WHEN YOU DIED. ONE PHOTOGRAPH, THE LOOK IN YOUR EYES MAKES ME CRY AND I WANT TO SEE THEM AGAIN. WE SAW IT, WE FELT IT, WE HAD IT. WE KNOW THAT YOU SAW IT. I FELT IT, I FELT IT. I KNOW YOU’RE REACHING OUT; YOUR HANDS ARE IN THE CLOUDS. WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU’RE GONE.

HOLY THURSDAY

SEE LYRICS FOR THE ART OF BREATHING

FAY

The formation of Last Days of August occurred approximately 25 years ago. I don’t remember many of the specifics myself, so I took to the internet to refresh my memory.

From our “official” Fadeaway Records bio:

Formed…when guitarists Josh Chaplinsky and Phil Capone were looking to find a way to vent their rockstar tendencies, Last Days of August started playing all over the United States before the people in their home scene even had a chance to bitch about them.

Hahahahaha. No offense to the author, Nicole Keiper, who was only working with the information the band gave her.

From The Long Island Music Scene Wiki:

Last Days of August was started when Josh Chaplinsky left Irony of Lightfoot and met Phil Capone. Capone was friends with Inside and Glassjaw and wanted to play in a band as well. Corey Martin, a drummer that was formerly in Irony of Lightfoot was brought in by Chaplinsky and Mario Leston, a bassist was also brought in. Sal Montemaggiore joined as a singer.

So it seems we formed by “meeting” and wanting to be in a band. Pretty standard stuff.

And finally, from an article in the short lived Long Island Voice, titled “Don’t Hate Me ‘Cause I’m Emo” (which we all hated, but couldn’t blame on anyone else, because it was just us contradicting one another):

Formed after Capone and Chaplinsky met up at Nassau Community College…

If I remember correctly, despite what these sources say, Phil was the 2nd to last piece of the puzzle to fall into place. I had been playing with bassist Mario Leston, and original drummer Corey Martin had pledged his support (he played drums in pretty much every band in the town I lived in at the time). Phil joined, and Phil knew Sal. That was that.

I did speak to Phil, though, and he confirmed our meeting at NCC. So I guess that’s canon.

Fun fact: Mario, Corey and I had one “practice” with Vinnie Corrigan, guitarist of the band Inside, on vocals. It consisted of us playing a half-written song with Vinnie singing directly into my ear, because we didn’t have a PA. Parts of that song would eventually become “Carousel/s”. We called the project Pretty Vinnie Band — although I believe someone suggested the name Narnia — but that was as far as it went.

And that pretty much covers our humble beginnings. Which leaves the question, how the hell did it all end? 

From The Long Island Music Scene Wiki, which seems to have the inside scoop:

The band split up in 2000, unable to agree on success and what its definition was. Chaplinsky and Capone also disagreed on what direction to go in—Capone wanted to play poppy melodic punk rock and Chaplinsky favored melodramatic music ala Radiohead.

Hahaha. I mean, I guess that was part of it? It’s as good a story as any, since there isn’t really an official story to our breakup. Like so many other bands, we just couldn’t keep it together. The wiki also says Phil went on to form a sleaze rock band, which is pretty funny, and 100% true.

The usual nonsense aside, there was a lot of awesomeness packed into those few years.

Last Days of August would like to thank all the bands we played with, the people who helped us book shows, gave us places to stay, bought our merch, and sang along. A lot of the specifics are lost to time, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t appreciative. Top of that list is Charles Murphy/Eudora Records/Beginners Tapes, and the band Hamilton. Also, Spread the Disease (yes, one of our tours was with a Canadian grindcore band). Neil Rubenstein for hooking us up with said Canadians and helping us book shows. Mike Dubin and Fadeaway Records, of course. Thanks to all the parents who let us practice in their homes. Joe Corbo for taking over behind the kit. I’m sure there are plenty of people I’m forgetting. Needless to say, we love you all. Thank you for listening.