"Cycles" - Lyrics

Panic Attack // Cycles

Lyrics

G Major

Comfortable Walking Tempo

count your lucky stars

I’m goin’

oh my God

and one day

hope you find

reflection

and oh my God

I think I’m breaking clear

whutchu want from me?

ey!

ooo please shut up for me?

ey!

whutchu want from me?

and you say, oh

eyy-deh-buh-baaaaaaaah

and I say, oh

I’m in luh-huv

hey yea

in cycles

o-ver again

hey yea

i’m alive with my friends

don’t go

don’t let this one end

hey yea

wake up do it again

did you get from me?

ey!

ooo what you needed babe?

ey!

whutchu want from me?

and you say, oh

ey-deh-bu-baaaaaaaah

and I say

I’m in lu-uv

hey yea

in cycles

over again

hey yea

i’m alive with my friends

don’t go

don’t let this one end

hey yea

wake up do it again

I played “Cycles” during my recent solo shows in Allentown, PA and Venice, CA. Feel like the arrangement is finally starting to translate, after lots of experimenting. I played a show on 11/11/2022 singing and playing guitar to a backing track of this tune. It felt like sad karaoke. Impotently masturbatory. cowardly.

Shoutout Basir for helping me load in / tear down at that gig! There was a torrential downpour during load-out. We had to wait over an hour before we could move the gear. The lights were on at Bull Run in Lewisburg, and we were making eye contact with lots of liberally and artistically educated 21/22 year-olds. Basir has endless stories, so it was a great hang.

During proceeding gigs, the arrangement felt too thin, too stagnant, too damn long. I tuned 3-half-steps down, cut about 1/3 of the song, and improved my mic technique.

Live, the Intro has been connecting to letting go, accepting where I / others / situations are at, and feeling lighter. Really digging having more bandwidth as a result of less confusion and an increased habit of negotiating with reality.

Verse 1 reminds me of working as a barista, and hoping people realize you can't give them what they need to feel better, besides excellent coffee. Second half of the verse can be in conversation with someone else or myself, yet either way is a whimsical reminder to let the details work themselves out as I lead with love. deliciously cheesy, just like the really good cashew cheese I had on Friday at Nature's Plate in Keyport.

The Chorus reminds me of the seesaw of highs with lows, feeling more fully alive around friends, developing a healthy relationship with attachment, and the importance of staying grateful for the opportunity to experience it all. Even the bad stuff can be a blessing ‘cause croissants and records and phone calls all feel more cathartic after someone tries to steal your catalytic converter while you're eating french fries in the van.

Verse 2 is - get this - an expansion upon the vibes of V1. with yelling.

Chorus 2 vapin’ in Michaels’, yet again. And Greg Tock on cymbals. Kory Burrell mixed this track, and added lots of production, including yet not necessarily limited to those heavenly vocal counterpoints, bass, guitar, and digital drum programming. Justin Perkins handled mastering. I sang lead / backups / counterpoint, played guitar, Moog DFAM analog drum machine, software synths, Arturia MicroBrute bass synth (?I think? I'll have to check with Kory to see if these made the mix) and possibly some other instruments. Guys, Greg's back at it at this point in his set :)