A hard copy of Here, We Are, by Tenrai Kenshin. Includes a 20 page lyric booklet, and a download code for Here, We Are [Profound Mix], an uncut edition of Tenrai's entire performance at The Dial Studios.
Booklet and insert formatting by Elizabeth Rhea
Cover Photo by John Cuyugan
All Photo Editing and Other Photography by Michael Lee
(except pg 1-2 by Mikkesha Mannings, pg 4 by Josh Nuñez, pg 9-10 by Eboni McClanahan, pg 19 by Loyde Cordero)
Includes unlimited streaming of Here, We Are.
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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Streaming + Download
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
"It's hard to look yourself in the face and tell yourself the whole truth. For some of us it's easier to tell ourselves good things about ourselves, and push the bad things behind us. For some of us it's easy to tell ourselves the bad things and then push the good things behind us. But to look yourself dead in the face and give both sides of the story is hard.
And I hope you all learn to do it. And I hope that I learn to do it better, not just when I'm writing a poem."
-Tenrai Kenshin
This single will remain free until the full album is released in January 2015. We can't wait to show you the finished product. For now, enjoy this single, and thanks for listening.
lyrics
You are so bravely broken,
Eyes: Oceans of starlight
and uncried tears, I admire you;
Shifting all the shit you've seen to beauty takes it toll,
But it'll take that type of sight to guide us home,
You see like we all should.
That no whole or broken exists;
on this side, they coincide
We know inside we are each:
No one is complete.
And you see this:
Teach us there is freedom there
That Jesus meets us in our weakness
And you're unafraid to lead the way
Your two-toned face radiates grace,
makes no promise of perfection
Accepts whoever comes before it, no exception.
You grin like God, and your heart loves like Him.
Your chest burns like a hearth
Heartbeat steadies the stress in any head you hold close;
Your hugs are homes
Your arms; open altars
How much healing has sparked here?
How many tears have come seeking rest?
How many quiet confessions gained breath?
How many friends found their first safe place beneath your throat?
I praise you.
You love like the savior.
Your arms are spirit bombs, built for passion and wars
Your legs are jet-powered citadel towers built to chase storms
Your engine burns relentless
Brain processing endless;
You spend more time listening and helping than sleeping,
Keeping other people so far above yourself you forget you are there.
Where are you?
What are you doing?
Where are your dreams?
Can you really call this a legacy?
Or are you so obsessed with fixing those other messes so that you don't notice your own?
What's it all for?
You poor thing,
can't even see the man you've become,
Look at yourself, see how few men are built in your mold:
They are boastful and brittle
Getting much but gaining little
Growing old without growing up
But what about you?
Let your fists fight for hope and the beauty those eyes hold
Let poems pour from your throat golden
Know your bones are wielded in wisdom
You are liquor,
A malty black butterscotch;
bold and balanced
clean and complex.
So drink to that!
You are worthy!
No matter what those voices in your head say.
I know it's tough to see so just believe until you do
God bless your irresponsible mess
God bless your recklessness,
Bless your self-indulgent lust and the trust it's broken
Bless your open wounds and your never-fading scars
Bless all the girls who have broken your heart
Who you are today makes each one of them worth it.
You are no savior to be worshiped
You are loved too much to waste your life that way:
Not everyone is worth waging wars for.
And that girl will stay a storm if you chase her or not:
You are not in love, simply trying to find a nice place to throw your life away and a wife who will let you do it.
You are foolish,
But don't be fooled
I still believe in you,
So bravely unbroken:
Entire oceans glow in your eyes
I wish you could see just how lovely you are.
credits
from Here, We Are.,
track released December 26, 2014
Written and performed by Michael Lee
Recording/Mixing Engineer: Nick de Gangi
Recording Assistant: Bianca Hollins
Producer: Kenneth Foster
Album artwork by Michael Lee
Poet Douglas Kearney and composer/producer/drummer Val Jeanty link up for a a compelling LP that feels like the written word come to life. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 30, 2021
