Get all 18 Old Man Mike releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Greenback, Friend of a Friend EP, Silent Times, Two For Flinching, Arizona, Greene, Supervoid III, Selfie Immolation, Precursor, and 10 more.
1. |
Long Way
06:20
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Saw the flash from the gun
Came to pass
Tried to dodge the bullet
But it came too fast
Hit me square on
Left me lying on the floor
If I’d have only took
another step out the door
But then I can’t complain
maybe that’s what it’s like
When you're balancing your life
On the edge of a knife
Yeah the same old thing
Should have foretold the night
Instead of playing the fool
And picking a fight
I just saw the flash
From the barrel of the gun
I just saw the smoke
From the muzzle
Its a long way
Between here and there
Such a long way
Such a long way
My memories are my own
And I earned them despite
Never having a friend
That didn't wish that I would d-
But even when I sit alone
And I stare at the stars
I can't keep those little voices down
They're tearing me apart
Well maybe that's just me
Probably shouldn't even start
Gonna get wound up
End up taking it to heart
So I keep my mouth schtum
And my mind gets full
And I swear I won't utter
One single syllable
Time just slips away
Like a rabbit on the run
Forget the sound
Of the voice
Of your mother
Its a long way
Between here and there
Such a long way
Such a long way
How can a man exist
When his spirit is crushed?
How can a castle stand tall
When it's turned into dust?
When you can hold your life tight
And it slips through your hand
Do the histories passed
Then turn into sand?
Its a question for the Gods,
If that's what you like
Or a message that is whispered to you
Soft in the night
But the ordinary man
Has a typical plight
As he drowns himself
In drugs, women, liquor and a fight
Clocks will turn around
At the edging of your life
The minute hand
Turns the knife
In your stomach
Its a long way
Between here and there
Its a long way
Such a long way
Has the bullet been coming for me since I took my first breath?
What can I say its a tragedy but then I think its kind of funny as well.
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2. |
Missing
05:36
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Combing my hair
In the morning
It’s a blessing
It’s a blessIng
Laugh at the things
I used to think
I was missing
I was missing
I wake up late
The moon is still I
You fix my plate
The sky will never fall
With raindrops
And my arms are aching
There is a fever inside
You say we’ll make it
To the border line
Make my feet run
It’s a story
Older than time
Mountains rise
And fall down
With your smile
With your smile
My glass is half full
I broke it
Down upon the kitchen floor
You are the strings
Plucked by those mystic winds
I am the chord and progression to sing
We’ll work the numbers
Make them add up right
And our eyes will
Meet through
All day and all
Night
My rifle volleys
On the valleys
Of your quarry
And shells fall down
That echo to tomorrow
To Tomorrow
Combing my hair
In the morning
It’s a blessing
It’s a blessIng
Laugh at the things
I used to think
I was dearly missing
Sincerely missing
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3. |
Rump
03:36
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Girl I see your rump
(shakalakalaka)
Shake it to the front
(shakalakalaka)
Make a pocket jump
(shakalakalaka)
Its the first of the month
Yeah I see your rump
And its shaking all around
What do you want from me (hmm)
Five pound?
Spent all my money
On last nights jam
And I made a sandwich of
Cheese and ham
You're welcome to the crust though
Its quite nice
Seven seed loaf
And a nice think slice
Spread a bit of butter
It'll do just right
At least get you through
To the end of the night
Girl I see your rump
(shakalakalaka)
Shake it to the front
(shakalakalaka)
Make a pocket jump
(shakalakalaka)
Its the first of the month
Its getting quite live
Keeping up at this pace
With your knee shake drums
And your rubble double bass
Face it you'll always be
Two step away
Cos my feet go shhhwm
And my toe taps ace
No matter competition is replaced
With a contest
For the most debaucherace
Applications should be taken care of
With haste
'Cos its first come first served
It don't matter what you make
No gain if you didn't do the pain
Insane if you think that its the same
This fame game is a study in shame
You can hold a smoking pistol
And still not get the blame
But your soul gets sold all the same
No matter of your ethics you're a puppet on a string
So be wary when you're choosing stones to sling
'Cos the walls of a glass house are never what they seem
Girl I see your rump
(shakalakalaka)
Shake it to the front
(shakalakalaka)
Make a pocket jump
(shakalakalaka)
Its the first of the month
(Now once there was a time
When I cared about something
But right about now
I couldn't care about nothing except
Me and mine and mine and not yours
If you got a problem
Then you know where's the door)
'Cos when the snare
And the kick
Makes a double team, Jamin
Not an army in the world
Are gonna stop your feet tapping
Its a liberation cause
Right before the great panic
When there's fighting in the streets
And there's raving in The Attic
Bought draw maybe twenty years or more
Spent a small fortune on Rizla and Raw
And poxy twenty bags that couldn't make it to a score
And broken garage pipes fell and cracked on the floor
No saying why my back is so sore
I haven't done a press up
Since Gazza last scored
The crickle in my spine
Makes me feel like I could fall
And my legs don't ache anymore
They just bawl
Girl I see your rump
(shakalakalaka)
Shake it to the front
(shakalakalaka)
Make a pocket jump
(shakalakalaka)
Its the first of the month
(Interlude)
This house party should be what the doctor warned
I balance my prescription with drum and baseball
And talking shit to me is like a competition sport
I can wax lyrical with the worst of them all
Anyway should be quite a nice do
Keep an eye on the door for the bad man crew
We don't need no people trying to make this go rude
We got sausages on sticks and a vat of home brew
Girl I see your rump
(shakalakalaka)
Shake it to the front
(shakalakalaka)
Make a pocket jump
(shakalakalaka)
Its the first of the month
Girl I see your rump
(shakalakalaka)
Shake it to the front
(shakalakalaka)
Make a pocket jump
(shakalakalaka)
Its the first of the month
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4. |
Eviction Notice
04:54
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Here's your eviction notice
Signed to the letter, day
You've got until the fifteenth
To make this thing go away
We notarized this notice
Made it official, kay?
Because it aint not joke now
That you refuse to pay
Now its not that I refuse
Its just I can't
My hours went from
Full time
All the way to part
I'm working at the video shop
And things are hard
The boss is saying he might
Have to sell it up by March
At least I've got my girl though
She's always by my side
Whatever comes the weather man
She's got a heart that's right
She says she doesn't care
What I do as long as I
Am happy in my doings in the day
And in the night
You've got your marching papers
So roll on up away
It doesn't take an Einstein
To read the signs at bay
You'd better sharpen up son,
because its getting late
You ain't as young as you was
Even yesterday
Got to find a way to get some dough
Look around the house
For things that I need
And things I don't
This four slice toaster
Might just get me twenty notes
And these football programs
From the fifties could be gold
But this is stupid
Cos the answer, well, you know I know
The only real money
On the street is selling blow
When times are hard
The moneys found around
Those peoples nose
It breaks my heart to know
That I'll be circling with those
The time is up now Mikey
You've got to pay to play
Best to pony up now
Or just walk away
Its not a personal shot
This is the business way
We can not profit from your loss
For another day
My feet are on the pavement now
My hands are by my side
I'm looking at these geezers
Weighing me up left and right
I'm dealing with these demons
So that good can come to light
To pay the landlord off
I'd risk my limb I'd risk my life
I don't carry a gun
I do not even have a knife
My will is not to hurt
Is only just to stay alive
I know my girl is waiting for me
At the end of night
These thoughts keep my head high
So I don't fall in to the spite
Here's your eviction notice
Revised for payments late
Another twenty percent
Because you failed to pay
Don't test our patience Michael
Because it's worn away
This is your final opportunity
To set things straight
Walk into my home now
Sun is nearly in the sky
I need to take a shower
And wash away these times of grime
I got a little higher on this mountain here to climb
To pay my landlord off
My eyes are focused on the prize
At least I've got my girl man
Yeah she's right there in my mind
Her steady understanding
Keeps me reaching for the sky
I don't know what Id do without her
Should she ever fly
My heart belongs to her
The only thing I can provide
The time is closer on now
So what you got to say?
Better get back to work
Or pack your bags today
Your options are all run out
So don't pontificate
You've got to make your mind up
If you would like to stay
Coming through the door
There is an emptiness inside
The freezing winter air
Follows me on every stride
I'm looking for my girl
But she is clear out of my sight
On the dining table
Left a little note for my to find:
Dear Michael now you know
I love you yeah
You know that's right
But I can't waste my
Time with you
Its really just too tight
If we was maybe younger
We could make it through the night
But I don't see you ever
Ever reaching your objectives, sigh
And she signed it with a kiss
That's my girl
Girl
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5. |
Papi
03:26
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I remember when
I'd be the only one
That shed say those words to
She called me
Papi
Papi
Papi papi papi
Papi papi
Never would there
Be a time
That she'd address
Anybody else
Or even speak that way
Papi
Papi
Papi papi papi
Papi papi
Now I see her
Walking down
That street
And she's calling out
To everybody she meets
Papi
Papi
Papi papi papi
Papi papi
I could only
Grit my teeth
And my
Knuckles whiten
In disbelief
(Wheres she gone?
I saw her coming this way
I swear I saw her this way
Oh wait a minute.
There she is
Sigh)
I could easily
Lose my shit
But I stay inside
Its so discreet
Papi
Papi
Papi papi papi
Papi papi
Idle hands
Make demons weak
They don't know
The cards
Are up my sleeve
Papi
Papi
Papi papi papi
Papi papi
She sits at the bar
Chatting some fucking Geezah
He's wearing white shirt and
Clean as fuck sneakers.
I’ve got a T-shirt
Fraying edge collar
He’s got a black card
I’ve got scrumpled up dollars
My molars grind tight
Like I’m chewing through solder
Electrical lights shine so bright
Yet they’re colder
I once was her hero
The Fox to her Mulder
But times change
I’m no good
And this girl
Won’t call me her
Papi
Papi
Papi papi papi
Papi papi
Weight of the world now
Is left on my shoulder.
Give me your hand so I
Only could hold her
The chance we take last
Is the one that slips forward
Between empty fingers
Winters thaw takes longer
Now diving much deeper
Inside my own thoughts I
Can see maybe I
never earned the reward of her
Trust in my side,
in my heart
or my world and I
curse on the day that
I ever thought I was her
(Papi)
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6. |
Lying Eyes
03:45
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One time I asked you
Where you wanna go?
You replied:
"Don't you know?"
Caught in a landslide
Covered in snow
Lying eyes
Never show
Could have been on the edge
Of all good things
If I'd have only took a step
Into my daydreams
I was fearful of the judgement
That was held deep within
And I put it on a pedestal
Anxiety would win
And I was always told the truth
That the chances were slim
But this world wasn't made
For a her or a him
If you're part of the club
Then you know what's the score
But the 99%
Just be standing at the door
One time I asked you
Where you wanna go?
You replied:
"Don't you know?"
Caught in a landslide
Covered in snow
Lying eyes
Never show
I believe all them words
That were spoke in haste
And Id always walk the path
At my own damn pace
But I'm stuck on the outside
There looking in
And I've gotta make my mind
Between rum and gin
Its the same old thing
You know just how it goes
When the letters of your life
Are just lines for your nose
Wether I'm talking to friends
Or Im burying foes
And I never gave a
Good God damn about those
One time I asked you
Where you wanna go?
You replied:
"Don't you know?"
Caught in a landslide
Covered in snow
Lying eyes
Could they know?
Straight embarrassment
(Is what kept me from)
Is what kept me from
(Walking the path that I headed on)
Walking the path
(Path that I headed on)
That was most trodden on
(Its the path I was headed on)
Blazing a new trail
(Walking the path all alone)
Takes such a toll
(Never went to the door or answered my phone)
Shouldn't come as no wonder that
(Friends came friends gone)
All your heroes are gone
(That's it)
Long gone
One time I asked you
Where you wanna go?
You replied:
"Don't you know?"
Caught in a landslide
Covered in snow
Lying eyes
Never show
One time I asked you
Where you wanna go?
You replied:
"Don't you know?"
Caught in a landslide
Covered in snow
Lying eyes
Never show
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7. |
Powder Burns
03:32
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I never wanted to
Pick up a gun
Never wanted to
Pull that trigger
Never wanted
Powder burns
Upon my
Fingers
I'm a singer
And a poet
And a lover
And a thief,
And I’ll take
What you’ve got
But I’ll be very discreet
Now this lesson number 9 in your desk book
Please turn to the right page
And pay attention
I’m only going to say this once
And I won’t mention
The other times I tried to explain
But you weren’t listening
Music can be mastered in many different ways
It can be a tool for war it can be a road to peace
It can glorify an ego to the point of human waste
It can educate the masses or reduce us all to hate
If you stake your claim in music that denies intelligence
You are what you eat, stupid people go fuck yourselves
This planet doesn’t have the time for your distractionism
Take a long walk off a short cliff that’s called altruism
Now if you have even a shred of human decency
Perhaps you will be interested in better led societies
This life isn’t a joke so don’t be frivolous with your voice
Use it where it matters defend your rights that’s a PRO choice
Moist eyes in the house know of what I’m speaking
Horror unfolds every day resistance is retweeting
We’ve been convinced that our thumbs can to do the thinking
While your arse is back at work counting pennies, fleeting.
I never wanted to
Pick up a gun
Never wanted to
Pull that trigger
Never wanted
Powder burns
Upon my
Fingers
I'm a singer
And a poet
And a lover
And a thief,
And I’ll take
What you’ve got
But I’ll be very discreet
So discretion is advised
If you like your
parables metaphoric
As opposed to on the nose
If you show then don’t tell,
If you tell they won’t show
there are rules to telling stories
Not just seeing where it goes.
But in the long term plan
we are nothing but a stubbed toe
On the footnote of man
Civilization unfolds
We’re at the dawning of a new age
A cross in the roads
Another panic deep in your brain.
One path leads to a land of redemption
The other down a rabbit hole
Joined by demons from the ninth dimension
Tripping on adrenochrome
It's like the new bad habit
Opioids was just a test
And we passed with flying colors
Pharmaceutic overlords
Are happy with their pet maggots
Now to feed them new solution
Soylent Red White and Blue
You can see it on the news
Another city caught in flames
Another boat in sinking seas
Another massacre of trees
I never wanted to
Pick up a gun
Never wanted to
Pull that trigger
Never wanted
Powder burns
Upon my
Fingers
I'm a singer
And a poet
And a lover
And a thief,
And I’ll take
What you’ve got
But I’ll be very discreet
Another burger on your plate
With a stack of double cheese
Drink it through an IV
You can remain upon your knees
Don’t upset the applecart
Because they’ll point the finger at you
Suddenly you are the heart of the problem
Always was you though
Wasn’t it?
Tabloids smear your name
With criminal surveillance
And fabricated legends
Written simply to
Promote an agenda
Keep the mechanism moving
Old debt and new lenders
The never ending spiral
Comes undone
Don’t call in your favors
Expirations slated
You could stand a chance
If you would only
Tow the party language
But you won’t will you
Cos your pride is fucking with you mate
I never wanted to
Pick up a gun
Never wanted to
Pull that trigger
Never wanted
Powder burns
Upon my
Fingers
I'm a singer
And a poet
And a lover
And a thief,
And I’ll take
What you’ve got
But I’ll be very discreet
I think that's all we've got for this lesson
I hope you were paying attention
You can fine the Cliff notes
On all my previous records
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8. |
The Emptiness Inside
04:04
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There is no time
After the end of things
Once thought to be
Here everlasting
The night darkens corners
Of mans understanding
Cannot be drawn
From the edges of others
Oh, the emptiness inside
It's a feeling so good
That I just can't explain is as real
Relinquished to sands
That were sinking
One losing hand
Stuck in
Was a loss of importance
A bottle spins round
The cap overflowing
Two colors intertwined to make one
Oh, the emptiness inside
It's a feeling so good
That I just can't explain is as real
The chains will not hold
Your heart from its beating
You asked for a chance
But there was nothing to repay
I've asked you all
To not be so fleeting
To ensure the words you speak
Are written for the day
Oh, the emptiness inside
It's a feeling so good
That I just can't explain is as
Oh, the emptiness inside
It's a feeling so real
That I just can't explain is at all
Cradle your head
On the pillow
Don't open your eyes
Stay there sleeping by my side
I will be there in the morning
Once again
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9. |
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I believe
I see your feet
Start tapping again
The temperature's
About to break
One million
And the skin
Over your eyes
Starts bleeding again
Because the secrets
That you lie
You can't keep them in
Past after last before takes the thing quicker
Her nose like when salmon swims up the river
Gaped wide and welcoming snorting all manner
Of powders white yellow and pink it don’t matter
The patter was empty, encouraged, I sat her
Upon fine embroidered corduroy silk mattress
The vacancy lights were like neon advances
That shone upon each of her miserable glances
She knows just enough to not ask me for dances
This night is a stone tied to one of my ankles
The other drags forth through the empty romances
And half screamed proposals of midnight encounters
My tears turn to ice as I bury my doubters
Shouted from tree tops and derelict penthouses
The rent is soon due as I ponder an outage
A trip to a finer display of vitalis
I believe
I see your feet
Start tapping again
The temperature's
About to break
One million
And the skin
Over your eyes
Starts bleeding again
Because the secrets
That you lie
You can't keep them in
Life moves too quickly my memories faded
The bartender asked me to pay with my wages
I start up a tab to be sorted at laters
And wonder if death will be faster than pay check
Left here forgotten our rock spins for ages
In some empty corner this galaxy drainage
Humanity calling demands explanations
Of why and wherefore art though hashtagging aimless
Pointless and flaccid our great advantages
That history gained through the blood in their veins
The culture forgot was a gift to be saved
To be guarded steadfast not traded forsaken
Mistaken beliefs change on trending verbatim
Our heroes today sell a lifestyle of hatred
But playtime is over
I’ve not learned a whisper
Except that the gun that shoots first
Is the victor
I believe
I see your feet
Start tapping again
The temperature's
About to break
One million
And the skin
Over your eyes
Starts bleeding again
Because the secrets
That you lie
You can't keep them in
Could I feel inside
Could it ever be so wrong?
I don't know
I was there by your side
But you were feeling oh so low
I don't know
Maybe next time
Maybe next time
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10. |
No Vacancy
04:28
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No vacancy signs
Shining my way
This town is forgotten
One more for the good guys
Erasing the times
Blinded by hate
One hand wash the other
The rivers are swollen
The radio plays
Static and silence
Emergency warning
Your heart is a puppet
One more for the good guys
One more for the good guys
One more for the good guys
One more for the good guys
No vacancy
No vacancy
My feeling subsides
I'm much too restrained
I cannot fathom
This emptiness calling
It's like an old flame
That died in the night
Got caught by the river
And drown'd by sunrise
The radio plays
Angry and violent
Emergency warning
Your love is a murder
One more for the good guys
One more for the good guys
One more for the good guys
One more for the good guys
No vacancy
I once saw you cry
Shamefully wasted
Sitting alone
At the edge of forgotten
I will not die
I just refused it
Make a rain check
For the day past tomorrow
The radio plays
And I should be happy
The static went silent
All hearts are verboten
One more for the good guys
One more for the good guys
One more for the good guys
One more for the good guys
No vacancy
(No vacancy)
No vacancy
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Old Man Mike San Juan, Puerto Rico
Music for just after the after party
Hi, I'm Mike, I've been making music as "Old Man Mike"
since 2009 after a friend jokingly called me that when I was listening to some nice morose (in the best possible way) Nick Cave music. I thought it was funny in my 20's, because everyone else was tiny and lil and baby. And those will get old quick. But Old Man Mike is ready made history: timeless
... more
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