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King of Small Talk

by Steve Hartsoe

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1.
V1 See me come around Gonna tear me down I’m your King of Small Talk V2 Every side-eye grin Cuts me deep within I’m your king of small talk Chorus I’m your king of small talk Where I been you don’t walk (Behind my back you just mock) I’m your king of small talk V3 Here I come again Treat me like a sin I’m your King of Small Talk
2.
v1 When sorrows come by the dozen And your morning star is lost in gray And you can’t get out of a green room Where fault lines run through every stage Chorus Can i hide in your shelter? Canyon high above the freeway And I won't look back Ever again v2 When truth becomes a suggestion And the life you save might be your own Well you know my love it is forever So when i’m gone you won’t be alone
3.
V1 I hear you’re walkin' after midnight I hear you talkin' something ain’t right Because the life you chose didn’t choose you And now he ain’t coming back Yeah the lies he told did what they do But look who’s laughing last Chorus Because it’s your time now Yeah it’s your time now (spoken) Honey it’s your time V2 There’s awkward silence when they come round They call you “sister” with their knives out You got a heart-shaped soul filled with regret Heading for a crash You got a long-gone feelin’ You can’t find it But look who’s laughing last
4.
Ocracoke 03:35
V1 Blue coquina shells surround the doors Faded walls in paint say welcome home Jesus weeps for all your missing ones Blackbeard speaks through toy telephones Chorus Ocracoke Exiled and alone Ocracoke You come back for more (you’re somebody’s home) V2 Hurricanes and floods and ferry boats Tourists, fascists and artists they roam Highway 12 is split beneath the foam Lighthouse rises with life and hope
5.
She left her heart in Oklahoma Left her dead boyfriend too Caught a bus up to Tulsa The pain still new V2 She gave up school for the Army And a tank with her name Digging holes at Fort Benning Keeping us safe Chorus I’ll be with you At our grave for two I’ll be with you When my days are through V3 She wears polka dots and camo Hits the night-clubs til dawn Because that wreck in Owasso Has left her scarred Bridge It’s all I can do So I can be with you
6.
Splendor 03:48
V1 Looking out past the/my burned out/broken Christmas lights When all my hopes/plans were in a dead letter file Where the debutantes burn flags in the street And deplorables got nothing to believe Chorus Keep me in your splendor When you know I am trembling V2 On a canvass she paints what no one sees Through her looking glass I’m who I meant to be She said don’t waste waste your time to live is to fly I see your heart is broke your mind is defiled v3 I came to you too with nothing to believe l On your canvass I’m who I’m meant to be
7.
V1 If you don’t mind she’ll walk her line Take your gaslight When you’re sideways Stuck in replay Nothing to say chorus Between heartaches Wear your best face Let go of your bouquet of blues V2 Hope can fall short Ain’t no sweetheart Deal that don’t scar She bled her heart Shoe fits wrong shirt Why won’t this work? V3 Thought you’d found home You don’t belong One more sick burn
8.
V1 The music box is playin’ familiar song She looks into the mirror and sings a long She’s holding on to memories She won’t let go The past is always perfect when you’re alone Pre-chorus Ooo she don’t know why Ooo she bought the lie Chorus: You’re not alone honey Maybe you wound up here To see beyond the pain To Live by Faith To Live by Faith V2 She reads through letters she got When he was near Between the lines the answers Become so clear Pre-chorus Ooo she don’t know why Ooo he bought the lie

credits

released April 29, 2022

Recorded at various homes in North Carolina, Nashville and San Jose. Mixed/mastered by Kevin McNoldy at Cphonic Studios, Raleigh, N.C. All songs written by Steve Hartsoe, Pitcairn Music (BMI).

Steve Hartsoe: Vocals, six- and 12-string guitars, bass
Eli Hartsoe: Drums

Guest Musicians:
Jennifer Allred: Harmony vocals on "Polka Dots and Camo"
Francessca Belisario: Harmony vocals on "Canyon Song"
Russ Bullock: First guitar solo on "Ocracoke"
Chris Carbone: Bass on "King of Small Talk" and "Canyon Song"
James Cook: Harmony vocals on "To Live By Faith"
Kevin McNoldy: Keyboards on "Ocracoke," "Your Time Now" and "Bouquet of Blues." Harmony vocals on "Ocracoke"
Dave Ristrim: B-bender guitar leads on "Polka Dots and Camo," pedal steel on "To Live By Faith"
Wahba: Bass on "Ocracoke" and "Polka Dots and Camo," keyboards on "Canyon Song"

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Steve Hartsoe Raleigh, North Carolina

Steve Hartsoe is a Raleigh, N.C.-based singer-songwriter who blends the rock and folkie strains of Americana with keen lyrical observations ranging from the daily of life to the eternal – a thread that resonates throughout his new indie album, “Faithless Town,” out March 8, 2024, on digital platforms and CD. ... more

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