The Hour Before, by Elaine Romanelli

The Hour Before

by Elaine Romanelli

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Full Digital Discography

6

releases

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Christmas Any Time, Better By Far, We're In This Together, The Hour Before, Real Deal, and Up On The Housetop. , and , .

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1.	25 02:50	lyrics	buy track
25 feels like nothing to me I wish you’d stop pointing out It’s a quarter century Come and dance with abandon, Be messy, and free Here’s to life as a fresh 25 By 35 I’ll be working like crazy Running some kind of company And saving the planet I’ll have moved from the city To a town that’s more lazy I’ll have a backyard when I’m 35 By 45 I think I’ll have it made Or else I’ll be back in school In the 29th grade I’ll have married my true love We might raise up some babies But I’ll still be sassy when I’m 45 Though what if life doesn’t follow My big plans What if unforeseen barriers daunt me Will my internal compass Keep guiding me back Or will the paths I abandon Still haunt me? Some day I’ll be retiring from… Something When I get that gold watch I hope you’ll all still know me We’ll shimmy and shake With our arthritic knees Like we did when I turned 25 ‘Cause all I know is I love to dance To be lost in the music and motion And one thing that won’t change Is I cherish my friends Like they’re golden 25 feels like nothing to me So let’s all stop pointing out It’s quarter century Come and dance with abandon Be messy, and free I don’t care how old you are Pretend to be me Let’s be young and immortal, and joyful And we will remember The rest of our lives How it felt when I turned 25 When you turned 25 … we turned 25 How it felt when I turned 25
2.	Forty Back 03:08	lyrics	buy track
You are overwhelmed, I know I’m not picking up the slack I’m awash in my own woe One foot forward, forty back I am struggling to speak You’re not picking up the slack You’re defeated more each week One foot forward, forty back How’d it come to this What set us adrift Thought these rings would keep us Facing our true north But we are headed nowhere fast And we’re not picking up the slack We’ll be miles apart before we notice One foot forward, forty back All the bills piled to the sky No one’s picking up the slack We’ll be desperate by and by One foot forward, forty back How’d it come to this… But we are headed nowhere fast And we’re not picking up the slack We’ll be miles apart before we notice One foot forward, forty back
3.	Real 04:07	lyrics	buy track
It was clear When he broke his hand that day After walls I would be next Except my Grandma’s vase I won’t miss anything Got the car, took the kids and left Nobody knows Just my momma and the children They seem more together than I feel I didn’t see it coming since you ask I never did Hard for me to fathom that this is real Real We first met in a diner on a Friday He paid my bill and asked me on a date He knew Airplane & the words to ‘9 to 5’ Everything about it felt like fate Finally someone who held open the doors Washed the dishes after every meal I didn’t see it coming when he asked But I said yes It felt like a fairy tale turned real Real When it starts, you’re so stunned Never thought that he’d be one First the doubt, then the fear I gotta get us out of here Help me get out of here My youngest asked How much longer now I’ve been wondering that, too But we are safe I’ll be damned if my kids witness Any of what I saw Mom go through Two hundred miles ‘Til we cross another state line I can rest between turns at the wheel You never know what’s coming But I think we’ll be okay One step at a time is how we’ll deal With what is real Real This is real
4.	The Difference 02:30	lyrics	buy track
That is the difference, she said I am not fearless, anymore Love cannot go to my head Caution is blocking it at the door I feel you pulling me to you Your tractor beam charm Has unsteadied my stance I long to fall into you To let down my guard At the hint of your glance But often what happens is this: Love does not blossom, I don’t know why Bitterness follows the bliss Next time you hold back instead of try Falling’s so inviting The tingle and tangle of limbs and of lips You are so enticing Your breath on my neck and your hands On my hips I am no frail wounded bird I am no jezebel, spinning through spoils I feel alive, and ready to thrive But you are a kite or a cliff And no way of knowing yet which So I’m going home now, she said Don’t say you’ll call me, just don’t or do Yeah, it’s a big empty bed I know you were hoping, I was too Maybe tomorrow’s the day fearlessness rises again from the ash Maybe I’ll call you and say I am immortal, who cares if we crash Til then, goodnight and sweet dreams It’s always so lovely to be with you
5.	She & He 03:38	lyrics	buy track
He thinks she is beautiful No matter what she’s wearing Even if she’s been in those same clothes Since Tuesday She thinks he is fun to be with Even when he’s arguing Because he’s had too much caffeine To see straight They are so in love You will roll your eyes She will always talk to strangers Charms the pants off anyone Who meets her Even if they don’t speak English He can sit alone for hours Playing with the dog Or reading articles On why the moon looks yellow How they fit so well Is a mystery But they have what I wish for you Dry your tears; he’s not the one who will Love you in the morning when your eyes Are crusted shut with sleep And kiss your nose in wonder That he’s found you And you will love the freckles Clumped in threes along his neck And think he smells terrific Even when he’s sweating He won’t start a fight just to try to win Stay your perfect broken self He will meet you as you are And the sparks will fly, or maybe not It could be awkward You may not be instantly agog Like in the movies But kindnesses will pile up And soon enough he’ll crave your laugh And you’ll adore the frown lines On his forehead When we see you kiss We will roll our eyes You will make popcorn on Fridays And stay in
6.	Red Tail 03:28	lyrics	buy track
This ledge is plenty big enough We’ll be fine for a while Until they grow But the hunting is harder without him How could he know He soared through the open sky Now he is gone And we don’t know why These canyon walls are deceptive Dark and smooth underfoot The surface sheer And the echoes confound me Any way you turn it’s hard to hear I will adapt by and by But I long for the open sky Blue and vast Scent of summers past Undulating fields and sentry stones Take me there Updraft of warmer air Home to rest my hollow bones For now this city suffices I can manage here alone And we have almost made it Through this toughest of times On our own As soon as the weather turns dry We’ll ascend to the open sky Grow up, my babies, and fly Let me show you the wide open sky
7.	Starting Over 03:20	lyrics	buy track
When the house lifted to the sky It was not like in that movie The screaming of the wind And the splintering of the wood There’s no place that is safe If you’re not inside a shelter I wedged into a doorway Hid my face under my hood And prayed Summer is the season And we’ve all been through it plenty The whole town hits the basement When the siren starts to sound But this time there was silence Just the funnel, out of nowhere Trees, cars, people In the path where it touched down All razed Up inside I can’t describe it Roiling swirl of dirt and noise A thousand tiny darts attack you Breathe As best you can Classes started late this fall In trailers in the back lot I’m out for a while Gonna join the class below Seems unreal that life goes on As if it didn’t happen People say with time All the signs of it Will slowly fade
8.	Heart Has to Know 03:46	lyrics	buy track
You’ve been turning up a lot Smiling your hellos You’ve been mumbling sweet words Staring at your toes You finally bought me dinner We drank too much wine Now I suspect you’re thinking: ‘Your place or mine’ I want your hands on my body But my heart isn’t ready I want your lips on my skin but I won’t Ask you in tonight ‘Cause my heart has to know that it’s right A little bird is trilling There’s more to this than lust A little bird has mentioned You’re someone I could trust And anyway it’s thrilling Just to hold your hand Why skip all the little joys And risk a one-night stand? I want your hands on my body… I confess I am terrified by the flash I see You and I, several years gone by We appear to be quite happy Together Damn, your eyes are gorgeous Shimmering and bright Maybe it’s too early to be calling it a night Touch my arm again, please I can stay, for now A couple moments longer Then I’ll break loose somehow I want your hands on my body… I want your lips on my skin But you still can’t come in tonight I want your hands on my body But my heart has to know that it’s right
9.	The Year of Death 04:08	lyrics	buy track
First it was Larry, collapsed in the street Then it was Sarah, of a stroke Then Jenny and Adam Who never did meet At least this way no one’s heart is broken Except mine One every month Each month for a year What’s up with you people, anyway? Facing the year of death alone Facing the year alone Facing the year of death alone Next it was Thomas - at least he was old Then it was Laurie, who was not Then I closed the curtains Stopped answering the phone Started saying, “I love you” a lot To everyone Except for one guy One guy in a year Of too many unexpected sorrows Facing the year of death alone… If God is real, he’s certainly creative About how to get the job done Baby, I’d fear the reaper If I were you After Vanessa, I finally went numb Barely registered Peter or Daisy But that guy kept calling Boy I thought he was dumb Clearly not superstitious, clearly crazy To want me An echoing jar of broken heart shards Still saying ‘there must be meaning in this’ Facing the year of death alone… If God is real, he’s certainly creative About who he brings together Baby, I’d stay in pieces If not for you Facing the year of death alone – If not for you
10.	Shine 03:15	lyrics	buy track
Come with me, raise your eyes Rest your heart and hand in mine It is not too late We are all longing to see you Free your light and shine You are not alone in feeling broken Not alone in doubt or debt We’ve been just as overwhelmed As you are Struggling with our own regret Come with me, raise your eyes… Who you are Someone’s been wanting Waiting, just as much as you What you have is what’s been missing Try again to let it through Come with me, raise your eyes… It is not too late We are all longing to see you Free your light And shine
11.	Afterward 04:38	lyrics	buy track
Afterward In the car I thought of what to say Afterward I turned the wheel But you were already on your way I saw you walking through The one-way door Before you turned I tried to catch your eye Don’t the years merit One look over your shoulder goodbye If I’d said different things to you There might not have been An afterward I know after words Are spoken They cannot be unheard But you did not warn me It was kryptonite that I hurled I only meant to say We both have feet of clay I love you anyway I know you can’t come back The place we made is gone But I could come forward And together we could move on Before you know New roots would grow Who said what when Wouldn’t matter then Afterward

about

Catchy tunes for searching souls. (If you like Dar Williams or Sara Bareilles, you'll like Elaine!)

'The Hour Before' offers a collection of beautifully crafted songs, taking listeners into stories both serious and playful.

Chosen as one of ten 'Favorite Albums of 2017' by nationally syndicated Chicago DJ Rich Warren of The Midnight Special -- AND by three more DJs from around the country!

credits

released April 21, 2015

Co-produced by Elaine Romanelli and Si Kahn.
Recorded by Chris Garges at Old House Studio in Charlotte, NC (tracks 1-8 & 10), and Mark Dann in NYC and Woodstock, NY (track 6 vocals and tracks 8 & 11)

Mixed & mastered by Mark Dann, markdannrecording.com.

All songs written & performed by Elaine Romanelli (SESAC) ©2015 Elaine Romanelli.

Elaine Romanelli: Album design and layout.

Nejat: All photographs of Elaine except back cover clouds & keyboard/guitar. Nejat.com.
Melanie Hubener: Back cover digital composition, retouching.
Chris Mindrum: Liner notes photo editing.
Yolanda de Montijo: Front and back cover design.

license

about

Elaine Romanelli New York, New York

Recording Academy member Elaine Romanelli is an award-winning singer/songwriter, composer, writer, actor, and comic performer.

She loves to dance! If you swing dance in NYC you'll run into her eventually.

Affiliations: BMI, EMC, Grammys voter, Maestra, OneLicense.

Learn more:
elaineromanelli.
com ... more