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1000 Masks

by Brynna Campbell

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1.
Unbroken 02:31
There's a reason That I'm looking for some meaning In the starlight As I'm standing on the rooftop Something's missing I can't see the Milky Way Just because it's drowned out by the city lights Doesn't mean it's not still there Burning, unbroken No one sees me I am just a sexy lamp inside their story But they don't feel what I feel And I'm unnoticed Standing in the grocery aisle People passing No one sees the light behind my eyes Burning, unbroken I'm unburdened Of the changing of the seasons The warblers landed in their favorite branches Where they wait And now it's raining People keep their heads down Can no one smell the petrichor that's calling Hey, I'm still here Burning, unbroken All I'm asking Is for a minute just to prove I'm someone Someone who has substance Give me one chance Take me to the desert Where I'm shining Every pinpoint is a distant hope Burning, unbroken Give me one chance Give me just a chance Give me one chance Give me just a chance Give me one chance
2.
Okay 05:52
Little girl sitting in the back of the class Drawing horned puffins rolling in the grass She's got better spatial reasoning than any one of her peers She wants to ask her classmates what they think about death And what their favorite turf is, she bets it's baby's breath But because she's six she can't connect with colleagues over beers And I wish that I could take away her fears I'd say You are all right I am with you I'll be right here While you go through your day I know things can Seem so daunting So look me in the mirror and I'll say You are okay She sits there and she fidgets 'til the teacher says to stop Now she's terrified of disappointing this new classroom cop And she learns the way her body moves is wrong and must be fixed No slouching and no doodling, no humming and no noodling She doesn't want to daydream, her anxiety's quadrupling The things that make her spirit sing are the things the teacher's nixed And I wish I could tell her that someday things won't be so strict You are all right I am with you I'll be right here While you go through your day I know things can Seem so daunting So look me in the mirror and I'll say You are okay When she's a little older she'll be lost in introspection Stuck behind her brain, a mask of perfection She's the only one who's going through the rules with a fine-toothed comb She looks like she's listening and she's making all her grades But secretly she's dodging some emotional grenades They all say she's so quiet, does she even talk at home? I wish I could tell her she won't always be alone You are all right I am with you I'll be right here While you go through your day I know things can Seem so daunting So look me in the mirror and I'll say You are okay I know that when she's grown she'll figure out that they were wrong Her differences aren't failures, they're the things that make her strong And she'll only attract the people worth her time But until then it'll be an uphill climb You are all right I am with you I'll be right here While you go through your day I know things can Seem so daunting So look me in the mirror and I'll say You are okay You are okay You are okay
3.
Party 04:32
Tonight is the night where I will finally be free Show up feeling confident and have somebody see me They'll start listening to my quiet thoughts and my opinions And when I leave they'll all say, there goes a girl with ambitions So get out of the car Get out of the car Get out of the car That's all you've got to do Get out of the car Get out of the car Get out of the car That's all you've got to do Walk into a mansion and I don't know where the host is I can kinda hear the conversation from the corner where my post is I open my mouth to speak but feel like a burden Edgewise is not an easy route to try to get a word in So try to break your silence Try to break your silence Try to break your silence And maybe you'll be heard Try to break your silence Try to break your silence Try to break your silence And maybe you'll be heard I've listened to them talk about their hopes and I remember When we all sat by the fire to the last remaining ember I know all of their dreams and what puts smiles on their faces Don't know if they know my name, don't invite me to their spaces Please don't close the circle Please don't close the circle Please don't close the circle I don't know where to go Please don't close the circle Please don't close the circle Please don't close the circle I don't know where to go I am fumbling with the tchotchkes when a man comes by to speak He sees me as a vessel to try out his new technique He's just here to test material, he's not here to talk and listen I'm supposed to make new friends, why does this feel like an audition? They say be yourself but your self's too intense So you keep your mouth shut and you wait They say be yourself but your self's not enough So you mumble until it's too late So get out of the party Get out of the party Run across the pavement Go cry in the car Get out of the party Get out of the party Run across the pavement Go cry in the car Two years have passed and maybe now we're all on equal footing Maybe this time will be different and I won't be so off-putting Someone will listen to my quiet thoughts and my opinions And when I leave they'll all say there goes a girl with ambitions So get out of the car Get out of the car Get out of the car Get out of the car Get out of the car Just get out of the car The party's not that far You've got to get out of the car Get out of the car Why can't you get out of the car It shouldn't be this hard You've got to get out of the car Get out of the car Why can't I get out of the car It shouldn't be this hard I've got to get out of the car
4.
Dragon 04:51
In a rakish bar with drink-stained floor I spy the dragon at the door He hides his wings under his coat His shoes step over the whiskey moat He's on the prowl, he'll make his kill No one resists the dragon's will I'll lie in wait, stay out of sight There'll be a hunt to watch tonight Tongue of flame His eyes the ocean Is he gravity Or accelerated motion? His blistering gaze scans the crowd The bleating lambs are screaming loud He listens for a flush of wings The pulsing pound of plucked heart strings His nostrils flare, he's caught the scent Too late for me to circumvent His subtle spell works its way in Electric currents on my skin Tongue of flame His eyes the ocean Is he gravity Or accelerated motion? I've faltered once, one small mistake I fall into his wicked wake I risked a glance, he bares my soul The dragon's eyes swallow me whole But time stands still, frozen in place The touch of his hand on my face He didn't know, he took a risk He's facing down a basilisk Tongue of flame My eyes the ocean Am I gravity Or accelerated motion? Tongue of flame Our eyes the ocean Are we gravity Or accelerated motion?
5.
1000 Masks 02:35
A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks Put your own mask on first, then put on mine We'll both pretend everything is just fine (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) One mask to make sure I look like a princess One mask to pretend that I'm not a huge mess One mask for making sure my mind's on track One mask for listening and responding back (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) One mask of patience so I'm not being rude One mask for cursing so I'm not a prude One mask for being strong and ready to rumble One mask to keep me meek, quiet, and humble (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) One mask to show that I am perspicacious One mask to hide big words - too ostentatious One mask to smile so I'm flirty and breezy One mask to cross my legs so I don't seem easy (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) One mask to show that I'm proper and wise One mask to show I can hang with the guys One mask to hide maladaptive daydreaming And one mask to fantasize so I stop screaming (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) One mask to hide parasocial affection One mask for logic, one mask for direction One mask for friendliness, one mask for silence One mask for instinct, and one mask for science (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) Put your own mask on first (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) Put your own mask on first (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) Put your own mask on first (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) Put your own mask on first (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks) (A thousand masks, a thousand masks A thousand demands, a thousand asks)
6.
Be A Man 06:02
Be a man Don't show fear We need you to be the brave one here Take the bullet, take the blame, take the stress You're so tough Just be strong Be confident even when you're wrong No one wants a man who stops to second guess We've told you We've told you We all told you that you were not enough But you can be a man who's feeling very fragile Like an extra straw would tip you over You can be a man who wants a little respite When your burdens become too much to shoulder You can be a man who doesn't take the lead You shouldn't have to be the first to bleed They say be a man, be a man, be a man Well, you already are Be a man Never lose Make your pals all pay their dues Don't be soft or they'll take your power away Speak your mind Say your bit Keep it to yourself if your words don't fit The things we've told you that you're supposed to say We've kept you We've kept you We all kept you from who you're meant to be But you can be a man who's gentle with his friends Who gets them little gifts, and calls them in the morning You can be a man who cooks everyone pancakes Makes sure the tea pot's always warming You can be a man holding people close to you Life's too short not to love them, too They say be a man, be a man, be a man Well, you already are Be a man One who imposes Don't waste your time on roses Frivolous things will shrivel your dreams of a corner office view Don't be tired and weary You can cry in theory Bear the load until the world is born anew We've caged you We've caged you We've all caged you in a room without a key But you can be a man who tears up at the movies Happy when the doves have come to visit You can be a man entranced by stained glass windows Wanting to dance to sentimental music You can be a man who misses all his shots Doesn't have to be something he's not They say be a man, be a man, be a man Well, you already are You don't have to be a tiger You can be a little bird You don't have to know the answers Marching forward undeterred It's okay to rest your head It's okay to need a hand It's okay to ask for Someone else to understand You can be a man who's been thrown off his balance Stunned by someone's beauty, scared to make the first move You can be a man who's hiding from the question Holding your heart in your hands You can be a man who can't compete with kings Just trying to heal your broken wings They say be a man, be a man, be a man Well, you already are
7.
The Heat 02:45
Winter isn't coming, that tv show lied It's 90 in your bedroom and there's coughing outside Swallow your pills along with your pride Your neighbor's getting sick 'cause they're afraid of social suicide We're preaching to our choirs in 280 ways Issues don't resolve with a three word phrase Save the bees, save the trees, plant more milkweed, on your knees Everybody's shouting while I'm whispering, please The heat is rising The heat is rising Complex problems have complex solutions We're lost in the haze of airdropped pollution Context is the first thing you lose then Aphorisms won't direct you through the minotaur's den Cry about the polar bears that we won't save Alexa, am I safe from the tidal wave? Introspective on the sea where we naval gaze We're killing all our insects, totally unfazed The heat is rising The heat is rising We're signing our petitions like it's part of progression Misinformation, inbox congestion A traffic jam, we traffic spam, just asking questions Eating sweet and salty, that'll cause indigestion Why do we have the same character limit When the world has dishonest characters in it? Pill pushing pedagogues, oil pulled snakes Retrograde thinkers, mercurial fakes The heat is rising The heat is rising Scientific information locked behind a paywall Flocking to Jerusalem to shout at a pray wall Wailing over whaling while the ecosystem's failing Rough beast slouching from his hours of emailing The falconer's yelling at the falcon, he Got sick of watching someone else's freedom from his balcony And I'm nobody like that guy from the Odyssey Hiding from a one-eyed creep, bleating audibly The heat is rising The heat is rising The heat is rising The heat is rising Take the gold coins off of your eyes and Put your money where your mouth is We can all see you're faking Put your money where your mouth is Take the gold coins off of your eyes and Put your money where your mouth is We can all see you're faking Put your money where your mouth is The heat is rising The heat is rising The heat is rising The heat is rising
8.
Do you remember what it felt like To stand against the wind? It's been so long since I've been out there Steady in my skin What is her value is the question that Leaves everybody's lips How can we sell her, they all say, Their smart-watched hands upon their hips I can't remember what it felt like to live life on my own terms I'm casting shadows in the caverns while You're out nursing your burns Don't tell me I'm a broken record It's okay to skip some time Don't tell me I'm a broken record It's okay to skip some times I've spent too many years Negotiating When the rules just keep the chaff and wheat From separating Don't try to make me indiscrete Won't play your game I won't compete Can't stop me now Can't make a dent Because I'm already irrelevant They cannot count the ways they love me They all just count the views Their walls are covered in spaghetti While I'm slow-cooking a stew I've got no sense of algorithm My heart doesn't keep their beat Everyone's sprinting in their heels When I have only found my feet I've spent too many years Not realizing That the rules are just a lid That keeps the cream from rising Don't try to make me indiscrete Won't play your game I won't compete Can't stop me now Can't make a dent Because I'm already irrelevant I'm already irrelevant I'm already irrelevant
9.
Lullaby 02:02
Goodnight, my love You'll have the sweetest dreams Of seeing your friends And high self-esteem You'll see the sun Shine in the sky And no one's worried That someone could die There's nothing you can't do right here So sleep, sleep, my dear Sleep well, my friend Your loneliness is fleeting Like that old cartoon Where starving kids dream of eating Shed some tears They'll help you sleep And when you wake There'll be more time to weep There's nothing scheduled, no one near So sleep, sleep, my dear Grind your teeth at three and Pass out 'til ten Morning will bring The same day again Don't forget to brush And unclench your fist Someday we'll all Cease to exist You've already had your best years So sleep, sleep, my dear Sleep, sleep, my dear
10.
Untethered 04:36
Ice pick sitting in my chest Can't sleep but I'll try to rest I don't know if I've slumbered here While these visions did appear Months and months have flickered fast Frozen in a distant past I don't know if I'm just a ghost Listening to the sounds friends post Base reality's been broken Watching life pass through a screen Touch my hand so I know I'm not dreaming Hold me so I know I'm still here Pull my soul back into my body I'm a little untethered this year Synecdoche will be my doom I'm just the heartbeat of this room The picture of this place seems blurred Dissolved into a thousand words Breathe the stale air, hard to swallow Eyes can see but brain won't follow The people I've cared for so much Do they exist if we can't touch Base reality's been broken Watching life pass through a screen Touch my hand so I know I'm not dreaming Hold me so I know I'm still here Pull my soul back into my body I'm a little untethered this year Touch my hand so I know I'm not dreaming Hold me so I know I'm still here Pull my soul back into my body I'm a little untethered this year Breathe Breathe Breathe (His eyes the ocean) Breathe (Burning, unbroken) Breathe (Can't stop me now, can't make a dent) (the heat is rising) Breathe (Can't stop me now, can't make a dent) (His eyes the ocean) Touch my hand so I know I'm not dreaming Hold me so I know I'm still here Pull my soul back into my body I'm a little untethered this year Touch my hand so I know I'm not dreaming Hold me so I know I'm still here Pull my soul back into my body I'm a little untethered this year Touch my hand so I know I'm not dreaming Hold me so I know I'm still here Pull my soul back into my body I'm a little untethered this year Touch my hand so I know I'm not dreaming Hold me so I know I'm still here Pull my soul back into my body I'm a little untethered this year
11.
Siren 03:57
You heard my melody out on the rocks And you thought that my song was for you And you cursed out my name as you crashed on the cliffs Because you said that's what sirens do But I sing my song for the notes I can hear In the unexplored isles of my soul Like a surveyer of uncharted land I sing to make myself whole La la la la la la Don't swim in my private canyon La la la la la la A siren is not your companion You saw me dancing across the pavilion My joyful moves caught your eye And you hurled all your insults as I skipped away Bemoaning that women all lie But I dance because I am hearing a tune My bare feet touching the stones I'm listening to leaves as they whisper their names I can feel branches sway in my bones La la la la la la Don't swim in my private canyon La la la la la la A dryad is not your companion You saw me immersed in a book on the subway And thought I was reading for you The look of indignance when you took off my headphones And I wouldn't praise your review But I read my novel to light up my nerves Experience something subjective Run through a strange town bisected by asphalt To touch someone else's perspective La la la la la la Don't swim in my private canyon La la la la la la A stranger is not your companion A stranger is not your companion La la la la la la
12.
Selfish 03:14
Three fish heads in my trash can From where the neighbors left them Guess they didn't want red snapper Stinking up their yard And every time I'm out there I'm greeted by the ocean Like somebody's weird, passive aggressive Hallmark card Maybe we can't rise above it It's just predetermination Let's all fight inside our bucket Dabble in carcinization Let's pretend we haven't buried our heads in the sand Every man's an island, so get yours while you can Lady at the counter Yelling at the checker About the 40 seconds it took To ring up a hat Every time her voice breaks Her screaming sounds like seagulls The moment they've discovered A delicious piece of fat Maybe we can't rise above it It's just predetermination Let's all fight inside our bucket Dabble in carcinization Let's pretend we haven't buried our heads in the sand Every man's an island, so get yours while you can If your friend is going under Let them take a dive Who cares if other people suffer As long as you're alive Empathy's for suckers You don't need to waste your time It's okay to live your life on someone else's dime Man outside the bathroom Knocking on the locked door Asking his coworker if they're doing okay Weird. Maybe we can't rise above it It's just predetermination Let's all fight inside our bucket Dabble in carcinization Let's pretend we haven't buried our heads in the sand Every man's an island, so get yours while you can
13.
Friend 03:35
Let's be introverts together Sit there with our hearts in hopeful knots Fumble over sentence structure Peeking from our shells to take our shots It's not going the way we planned out When we penned each other walls of text We were gracious, eloquent, and thoughtful Forgetting that the scary part comes next But I'll listen close I'll be your fan I'll be a shoulder when I can When your supports begin to rust I'll walk you home I'll be your friend When the world is caving in I'll hold your hand up to my chest When our words have turned to dust We'll pretend that we're not anxious Like two teens rollerblading in the dark We've got to let go of the handrail If we want to find a spark Suddenly it's like we've stepped on copper Words like currents flowing from our lips Years of unheard thoughts spill on the park bench The moment where we've both thrown out our scripts I'll listen close I'll be your fan I'll be a shoulder when I can When your supports begin to rust I'll walk you home I'll be your friend When the world is caving in I'll hold your hand up to my chest When our words have turned to dust Friends who stop on by won't understand us Only we can see the threads we've sown We'll slip back into derivative discussions Lie about our tangents 'til they're gone Let us find a lull in conversation Seconds where the silence lifts us Fill our lungs with the Santa Anas Side by side as we walk to our bus I'll listen close I'll be your fan I'll be a shoulder when I can When your supports begin to rust I'll walk you home I'll be your friend When the world is caving in I'll hold your hand up to my chest When our words have turned to dust When our words have turned to dust When our words have turned to dust
14.
Arthropods 02:52
There's a pseudoscorpion who rides the leg of a fly Just waits up on the rooftop 'til his taxi comes by And he travels round unchallenged by the man's winking eye That tiny pseudoscorpion on the leg of a fly Hey hee The insects all see The world's little hopes In the land of the free Hey ho The insects all know That life may be brief But there's places to go There's a clearwing moth taking his flight from the ground It's the wrong time of day for him to be around And he loops and he loops as the air fills with sound That clearwing moth taking his flight from the ground Hey hee The insects all see The world's little hopes In the land of the free Hey ho The insects all know That life may be brief But there's places to go There's a rove beetle looking for something to eat She'll bring all her children to some kind of treat And she crawls on the white bag zipped up on the street That rove beetle looking for something to eat Hey hee The insects all see The world's little hopes In the land of the free Hey ho The insects all know That life may be brief But there's places to go
15.
Drought 04:16
The clouds are heavy Blankets grey in the solipsistic dusk Wanting to break Every sorrow a frail, deciduous husk You've waited three summers For the monarchs to make their way back home Remembering a mountain That no longer stands on its own Buried somewhere you've known who I am And you can't blame a raindrop for breaking the dam It's not weakness to cry, It's not weakness to grieve It's just watering the flowers That you need to believe It's not weakness to care It's not weakness to love Don't roll your eyes skyward Let it rain from above The trains aren't running Furrowed fractals frame skeletons lost on the ground Stripped of their metal Broken ties cover lies without making a sound You've strayed from the footpath Cursed each bramble you've memorized by name Forgetting to breathe You've knocked over your pieces and ended your game You're just dormant Give it a minute Let your branches return It's not weakness to cry, It's not weakness to grieve It's just watering the flowers That you need to believe It's not weakness to care It's not weakness to love Don't roll your eyes skyward Let it rain from above Let it pour from your soul Let the seeds get their start Let the lightning strike down from the clouds to your heart Let your redwood grow roots It's the hard path to take If you're given the choice Let things change, let them break It's not weakness to cry, It's not weakness to grieve It's just watering the flowers That you need to believe It's not weakness to care It's not weakness to love Don't roll your eyes skyward Let it rain from above It's not weakness to grieve It's just watering the flowers That you need to believe It's not weakness to care It's not weakness to love Don't roll your eyes skyward Let it rain from above Let it rain
16.
Butterfly 03:47
Butterfly Fly away before the hurricane can catch you in your sleep Take the sky You don't realize you've sown way more than you could ever reap People try To find meaning in the way that you have flapped your ragged wings They don't know That although you caused the storm it was by doing mundane things Run, just go, don't delay Hide your light, hide away Butterfly You forgot to close your window when the hail began to fall Flowers grow But it's only for a second before crows begin to call Did you know When you fluttered through your garden you'd kick up more than a leaf? Time to go You flashed your colors to find friends but predators have shown their teeth Run, just go, don't delay Hide your light, hide away Used to be When your scales flashed in the sunlight your reflection kept you warm Trapped within What was once kaleidoscope has now become a roiling swarm Get thee hence There's a danger in pretending things are how they used to be Consequence Doesn't mean that it's your fault but now it's time to flee Run, just go, don't delay Hide your light, hide away Follow me Don't be fooled by all the porch lights as they start to glow Chase the moon I can't hold the doors much longer so you've got to go Cut the rope Find your purchase before all the cards begin to fall Just take hope Pack your things before the pale collectors pin you to the wall Run, just go, don't delay Hide your light, hide away Hide your light, hide away Hide your light, hide away
17.
The Stoat 03:09
There's a stoat in my heart She's been there all my life She wants to run with hyenas On a dark winter night And I hide her away 'cause I don't want her to blow my cover I keep her close to my chest 'Cause she's unruly as hell She wants to say what I'm feeling But she'll poison my well She's a demon of chaos but you'll never find another Let me play I promise I'll be good She can't stay I love her but I don't know if anyone else could She says Run, let me run down the highway at night Give me something to chase, give me someone to fight You're stuck in the mud and you're trying to hide But I know that you're dancing You're dancing inside I'm doing cold calculations Like some corporate thrall She wants to Kool-Aid man Through the nearest brick wall She's a strange contradiction holding light in her hands but I love her I am calm and collected While I'm working the grind She's making off-color jokes In the back of my mind And if I took her off-leash I don't know if I'd ever recover Let me play I promise I'll be good She can't stay I love her but I don't know if anyone else could Run, let me run down the highway at night Give me something to chase, give me someone to fight You're stuck in the mud and you're trying to hide But I know that you're dancing You're dancing inside It's two in the morning and nobody's around It's too cold for the crickets, no one's making a sound Maybe it would be fine if I just let her out for a minute Her smile's an infection spreading over my face My skin's getting goosebumps as she's taking my place And I might have regrets but it's too late to put a pin in it Run, let me run down the highway at night Give me something to chase, give me someone to fight You're stuck in the mud and you're trying to hide But I know that you're dancing You're dancing inside You're dancing inside

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released July 21, 2022

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Brynna Campbell Los Angeles, California

I write and sometimes perform things.

"1000 Masks" credits:

Guitar/Bass/Ukulele: Rich Campbell
Drums: Ryland Steen
Mixing/Mastering: Kern Haug

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