"Gussle's Backward Way"

Lyrics By: Josh Spurling

Come on in. Time to begin...

Memorized greeting. Rehearsed response. Contort the face into a smile. Vacant eyes all the while. Dance the dance of the machine. The illusion of life made of Plasticine. Glue the eyes on, looks so real, but paint the eyelids crystal clear. Eyes closed, wide open.

Come on in to have revenge. Come on in. It's time to end this game that we call life. We cannot win. Come on and dance the dance of the machine. Spin and tighten up the lyre strings. But all the evils of the gods are locked inside your tiny golden box. The gods have promised all the eyes can see. Your mind, it burns with curiosity. Your hands are bloodied, and your face is guarded. Buried your secret out in the backyard.

The moonlight's so inviting, inviting you insane. Coaxing you to shadows, the shadows of your brain. Your curiousity is piqued. I'm afraid tonight they'll be no sleep. The moonlight paints your eyelids clear.

Come on and dance the dance of the machine. It's time for you to end this sad routine. The rock removed, the battle waged and lost. You open up the box.

Just a quick twist of the golden key opens the lid and sets them free. Slithering serpents on the wing. Hark! the putrid creatures sing. Death, disease, insanity. Open the lid and set them free.

How can we close the lid unscathed with all the horrors left uncaged? Pretend it's just a fairy tale. Recite the words, our daily jail. When foreboding rears its ugly head, we'll know precisely when we're dead. Man can live on hope alone. Close the lid to atone. We'll reap the seeds that we have sown.

©2018 Shamalamamusic

"Gussle Tied to Trouble"

Lyrics By: Josh Spurling

How can we come back from this unscathed? Battered and broken, our bodies bathed in regret. Can't reset. The clock keeps ticking on and on after we're gone. Your body's floating out to sea, but it's me who's drowning.

As you walked through the sea of snakes, like a fool I thought I'd keep you safe. The stakes were high, and I know we all must die. Mistakes were mine. I cannot cut the ties.

For a year and a day, seasons change, you decay. Jackals come, jackals go, leave with your soul. Neither cry, nor sing. Broken fingers stroke the strings. Cannot sing, cannot cry as your body lies.

Shuffling off to Hell, I've come undone, but I have no penny underneath my tongue. You are just a shade, and the debt must be paid, but obsession drives my song to be sung. How can I go back when all I've loved has turned to black?

Playing for the devil takes its toll, and all I've got to lose is your soul. Mercy, like a flash, lights up the sky which only illuminates the swarm of lies.

How can I come back with you on faith? Shake the devil's hand and the past erased.

Eyes closed, wide open.

©2018 Shamalamamusic

"Gussle the Golfer"

Lyrics By: Josh Spurling

Spinning faster, we see through glass darkly. Wind in hair and butterflies. Merry goes 'round and lava surrounds. We close our eyes, hold on tight. My hands, they look so strong, but I could not hold on. The Nothing has come.

Reaching higher, we do conspire to kick a hole through the sky. Released the chains that enslave our brains, so it's high time that we all fly. My shadow looks so tall as I brace for the fall. The Nothing is all.

Fake it 'till you break it. Alive to survive. Unleash the clown inside. I painted that smile upon myself. Oh, the little lies we tell ourselves. Don the mask and join the masses. Wake up in the morning with another piece of soul missing. Repeat to yourself, "This is only a test." Oh, the little lies we tell ourselves.

There's a rumor going 'round in this one-horse town. We stole a glimpse right through the facade. Tie a cloth across your eyes, an impenetrable disguise. Fall on your knees for an invisible god. Now the lure of true love's kiss becomes a slit across your wrist, and your eyes are no longer deaf. An awakening in the brain sets you apart from the sane. You've got to laugh when it's all you've got left.

We clawed our way out of the shell. Oh, the little lies that we tell ourselves. Deliver us unto this hell. Oh, the little lies that I tell myself.

And what did you expect to find down the rabbit hole, inside the wardrobe, at the end of the rainbow? There's nothing in the looking glass but you. Only you.

©2018 Shamalamamusic