Joshua Ketchmark

Blood

June 20, 2022

BLOOD

Available Lyrics

No Stopping Us

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

She was in mint condition the day I got her

Passed down to me from my father

He had inherited grandma’s Cadillac

And the day I saw that Chevy,

There was no turning back

We were right outside of glory

Held to a never ending story

Setting the world on fire wasn’t good enough

We were building the perfect beast

Everything was how it had to be

Runnin with the devils luck

There was no stopping us

They’re some timeless traditions small towns conjure

Dark roads your youth is meant to wander

I sold every excuse to my old man

But in the cold morning light,

Raising hell never stood a chance

We were right outside of glory

Held to a never ending story

Setting the world on fire wasn’t good enough

We were building the perfect beast

Everything was how it had to be

Runnin with the devils luck

Back then,

There was no stopping us

Now the weeds have taking over my stony heart

And they’re probably pulling her apart

In the back of Smitty’s junkyard

Chorus

Covered In Blood

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Don’t ask me why

It’s to late now

Stepping over me

Looking for your shoes

Did you come back?

To feel me out

Swearing not to keep

Dancing around the truth

Turn either way

And there’s a sacrifice to make

A good run of bad luck

Seems to be enough

To leave our hands

Covered in blood

No need to try

To drag me down

When these black days

No no higher ground

I push to breathe

Till my lips go numb

The last of a dying breed

Crawling out from under your thumb

Well all it took

Was a second look

Who knew?

A good run of bad luck

Was reason enough?

To leave us where we stand

Covered in blood

Don’t believe everything you hear

Let it keep playin on your fears

Cause leavin was the last thing on my mind

To keep my conscience clear

But not tonight

Chorus 2X’s

Follow Me Home

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Here comes that time of night

It feels like I should leave

No one’s willing to give me a ride

To watch me drink myself to sleep

Please,

Follow me home

I can’t help what I’ve done

To who I use to be

I’m someone I never thought I’d become

Someone I never thought I’d see

Follow me home

I still come back to where I found you

But this old place doesn’t look the same

Strangers are all I run into

I never wake up, to a familiar face

Here comes that time of night

When I don’t mean a single word

So tired of doing what is right

Maybe it’s more than I deserve

Come here, and

Follow me home

Been Gone

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I remember afternoons’ in the sun

Leaning over the edge of the dock

Fishing with a coffee can of crumbs

When burnt was all we got

Still got that old radio from your garage

From the shelf above your workshop

Back then you taught me to how to stop

And start being who I am

Then trying to be something I’m not

I carry you with me everywhere I go

A part of you lives and breathes in my soul

It’s that solid ground that keeps me strong

No matter how long, you’ve been gone

I was in such a hurry to grow up

No one could save me from myself

Ran like razor through the people I loved

Can’t imagine how it felt

I haven’t the courage to stand in front of your stone

That’s not how I see you when my eyes are closed

I still feel bad for how we lost touch

Until we meet again

I’I can’t apologize enough

Chorus

All the stories might as well be true

Life very rarely plays by the rules

I’ve finally learned I can’t escape my past

And it’s taken me this long to realize that

Chorus

Death Trap

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

There’s a cold wind blowin through town tonight

A hungry stray looking for a warm place to hide

An old grey cameo praying it can turn back time

Covered in the weeds out past Kingston mines

There’s only so long I can hold on before it’s gone

When the whisper in my ear starts to steer me wrong

So give all you got

Try and take me apart

Never know when to stop

But you can only push me so far

With no gas in the tank

On this twisted frame

White knuckling through a sea of shattered stars

Dressed in black, here I am,

in a Death Trap

I swore that I would move somewhere out west

That this part time job was a means to an end

But after graduation my life had other plans

So I spent my nights wishin what might could’ve been

There’s only so long I can wait out this feeling now

When the whisper in my ear, stirs up my fear and doubt

Chorus

My windshields cracked,

Cigarette holes in the dash

And it’s almost too cold for the engine to start

No ghost of a chance,

To heal my past

Though nothing can strip this dream from my heart

Chorus

All I See

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

There was hate, in your voice

Lies on your breath

No way to ignore

What you thought I meant

Now I have seen some things

That I wish weren’t true

And I know more than I care

To know, about you

There’s no better time then now

To get up on my feet

There’s nothing left to sort out

So get up off your knees

Cause baby when I look, into your eyes

It’s all I see

The words grew, in my throat

From good to bad

And knew you, had me cold

With that knife in my back

And now I hear your secrets

When you think you’re alone

And I know there’s not a curse

That’s worth calling home

There’s no better time then now

To get up on my feet

There’s nothing left to sort out

So get up off your knees

Cause baby when I look into your eyes

I can’t believe

It’s all I see

You said stay, one more night

To hear you out

And craved to justify

How you’re better now

But I am not some wreck

In need of rescue

To tell me you’re all that’s left

That keeps me safe and bulletproof

There’s no better time then now

To get up on my feet

There’s nothing left to sort out

So get up off your knees

Cause baby when I look into your eyes

It’s all I see

Deadliest Thing

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Hold up

Before you burn down this place

Had enough?

Of whatever it takes

Well I couldn’t have know it

But now it’s hard to look the other way

How many moments have been stolen?

That can’t be replaced

How many times have hearts been broken?

That can’t be saved

It can be the deadliest thing

Slowly

You waltz around with these chains

Till my knees hit the ground

Dizzy and spinning out of this cage

Your no where to be found

It’s getting hard to not let it bring us down

Chorus

*You can be so deadly

Closer, Come here closer

Could be over, or not over

With all of this pain

Chorus

Casual Subtleties

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Boarded up and closed down

Tired of this marry go round

Every warning you gave me

Was wrong

Fired up and burnt out

This foundations smoking now

Every desire that I had

Is gone

I don’t recognize this road were on

Don’t tell me we’ve been lost here all along

You’ve always been a mystery

Livin in a fairy tale

A complicated history

Where whatever I need is for sale

Baby be careful before someone gets hurt

Please don’t keep confusing my words

Is this all were meant to be

Just you and I

And these casual subtleties

Strong enough to break ground

Every grudge so tightly wound

I can only fake it for so long

Broken trust full of doubt

These four walls make no sound

The night is darkest just before dawn

I don’t recognize this road were on

Maybe we’ve been lost here all along

Chorus

Ashes

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Did you give it all you had?

To shelter me from all that,

Wasn’t right

Are you haunted by the past?

Now that you can’t take back,

All your lies

Have I been cursed, with every good intention?

Famous last words, when there’s no one around to listen

With these bridges burned

Do you, take it for granted?

With these bridges burned

The truth, is the only thing that lasted

To rise from the ashes

Caught fire so fast

I’ve never seen eyes as evil as,

Yours that night

Are you to afraid to ask?

Cause it might dig up the last,

Reason why

That I’ve been cursed, with every good intention

For better or worse, to this day still can’t be forgiven

Chorus

Have I been cursed, by every good intention?

Famous last words, when there’s no one around to listen

Chorus

Crossbone

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Headed into the unknown

Opened doors that can’t be closed

Bandaged every blood soaked, cross bone

Left out here to die alone

What’s left to say that hasn’t been said?

When all you feel is that hole in your chest

Haunted by the voices in your head

When what you want is not what you get

Save your breath

When goodbye is all that you have left

Hunger drives your weary soul

Knowing now what you should have known

Hoping against hope, comes and goes

My youth might be gone, but those songs never get old

Chorus

Last words die-hard

Chasing after demons you can’t catch

Lovers leave scars

Caught somewhere between life and death

When goodbye is all you have left

Chorus

Once The Whiskey

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

There’s an old road, past that empty house

It leads to ghosts. I don’t talk about

In the evenings when I sit back

Alone with my first drink

It stirs up something awful

And I can’t help but think

Just how I miss used the way you treated me

When there was music in the air

Melody in every step

And I never use to touch that bottle

But now there no promises left

And every change I swore I would make

Has met every tragic end

I don’t blame you for leaving the way that you did

Once the whiskey moved in

Now this bar stool, has me figured out

It can be cruel, until I wear it down

Though I’m never able to get past

The answer I live with

I know I swore I would Quit

And somehow I wish I did

I crack and bleed, I beg and plead

And I see now

What you were trying to say

When there was music in the air

Melody in every step

And I didn’t reach for that bottle

To put your promises to rest

And every change I swore I would make

Wasn’t the beginning of the end

And I never thought you’d stay as long as you did

Once the whiskey moved in

When there was music in the air

Melody in every step

And I didn’t need to touch that bottle

But now there no promises left

And every change I swore I would make

Didn’t save us in the end

But I don’t blame you for leaving the way that you did,

I never thought you’d stay as long as you did

Once the whiskey moved in

Tazewell County Line

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I thought I knew you

Was I ever wrong

I took for granted

What you kept from me for so long

I won’t ask how you want to be remembered

How could I ever forget?

Don’t act like all of my prayers have been answered

Wishing me nothing but the best

Walking that Tazewell county line

For the very last time

You swore you’d slow down

That the worst was gone

So we took our chances

And I crossed my fingers we’d finish strong

It wasn’t hard to see what was coming

Once you started taking the long way home

Those nights you left your son waiting

For a family he’ll never know

Don’t ask how I want to be remembered

And make me sit through your list of regrets

Don’t act like none of your prayers have been answered

While you were drinking yourself to death

Walking that Tazewell county line

For the very last time

Out on that Tazewell county line

For the very last time

I thought I knew you

Was I ever wrong

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Covered In Blood – Official Video (Video Premieres on 07/08/2022 at 9AM)

INDIE BAND GURU

Experience Your Life Blood with Joshua Ketchmark

Joshua Ketchmark is a living portrait of midwestern, roots Americana. This reviewer happened to live in the rural Midwest for six years and I can attest to the genuineness of what the soil in that part of the country produces. Although Ketchmark also cut his teeth out here in Hollywood studios and playing gigs at the legendary Roxy, he never lost his language from the land of hearts as he continues to prolifically record from his studio in Nashville.

Ketchmark’s highly anticipated tenth studio album “BLOOD”(due out in July) is shaping up to hold the torch of such middle America greats as Dylan or even The Replacements, while maintaining the unassuming vibe of acts like The Jayhawks.

His latest, tantalizing single “Covered in Blood” is a steady, anthemic alt-rocker that not only showcases his trademark ability to tell jugular vein stories drenched in melody, but it also portrays his penchant for intoxicating arrangements. Just a simple, audio injection of Michael Webb’s organ layering on top of the band’s gritty, electric, strumming is certain to trigger an increase in your white cell count.

Notice how the words and melodies play with the listeners emotions – blending irony and despair along with an underlying sense of liberation:

“A good run of bad luck

Is reason enough

To leave us where we stand

Covered in blood ”

Is the storyteller in an utterly, anguished loss of heart? Or is he secretly relieved the relationship’s consummate spilling has finally taken place? You can decide for yourself as you make Ketchmark’s “Covered in Blood” part of the story of what’s running through the veins of your own life.

By Francis Itch

View Source

SKOPE MAGAZINE

Joshua Ketchmark Releases Reflective Album with ‘Blood’

It’s safe to say that Joshua Ketchmark poured his ‘Blood’, sweat and tears into this new record where Joshua Ketchmark can be heard laying it all on the table. ‘Blood’ is Joshua’s 10th studio album and the singer/songwriter states that this project is all about his past. Joshua provides an all-access pass and inside look into the life & times of Joshua Ketchmark. ‘Blood’ is based on true events and gives an accurate & intimate perspective on one man and his storied past.

I truly enjoy Joshua’s approach here because he’s not afraid to be vulnerable for the listener’s sake by showing that he bleeds red just like everyone else. That vulnerability makes Joshua Ketchmark a certifed pro when it comes to being a real artist. Actual ‘Blood’ was not shed during the making this album however Joshua’s personal accounts were put on full display for all to hear. For that reason alone, I commend Joshua Ketchmark and his efforts on this sincere project.

Let’s dive into ‘Blood’ now! The record starts up with a great intro on “No Stopping Us” that proves to be a lively ride that is heading in the right direction. Next is “Covered in Blood” that is a total joy to listen to and the song has an incredibly catchy hook/melody in place. “Covered in Blood” seems to have that major Pop appeal that makes it 100 % radio-friendly, in my opinion. Track three, “Follow Me Home”, provides a strong delivery and powerful performance by Joshua K, so brace yourselves for a phenomenal listening experience. Moving along, we hear “Been Gone” that contains emotionally-driven lyrics & vocals along with a gripping & inviting sound overall. Track five, “Death Trap”, showcases Joshua Ketchmark as a premier storyteller where he is able to paint a vivid picture through music while keeping the audience engaged from start to finish. Next, on “All I See” Joshua can be heard delivering a rock-star performance and fan-favorite, in my honest opinion. Track seven, “Deadliest Thing”, is a killer track where the singing & instrumentation are both spot on and the song, itself, will instantly grab you and not let go. Joshua decides to go very direct and personal on “Casual Subtitles” where Ketchmark is singing & playing from a deep place and the result is wonderful to witness. Track nine, “Ashes”, is on fire and offers complete symmetry from a musical standpoint. Get ready for striking chords that will hit you hard on “Crossbone” and then prepare to consume “Once the Whiskey” that will brighten your mood and get you feelin’ good real quick! Joshua is closing the show with style & class, so let’s all head to “Tazewell County Line” and meet the man of the hour there.

Joshua Ketchmark is bearing his soul for us on ‘Blood’ and the end result is a resounding triumph. Joshua impresses me with his ability to craft a song into a well-versed story that will capture the hearts and imaginations of many people out there. Joshua Ketchmark is hoping that this record “will find its way into the soundtrack of your life” and I have a funny feeling it will. ‘Blood’ is set to be released July 08, 2022, so think about adding Joshua Ketchmark to your library; you won’t regret it!

By Jimmy Rae

View Source

LINER NOTES

All songs written by Joshua Ketchmark/ KETCHMARK MUSIC © & ℗ 2022 (BMI)

Produced,Engineered* & Mixed by Joshua Ketchmark
Mastered by Michael Bozzi at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood CA.
*additional engineering : Blake Parris & Johan Glidden

No Stopping Us : 
DRUMS & PERC: Zak St. John / BASS: Ger Hoffman / GTRS: Sadler Vaden /
ORGAN: Michael Webb / HARMS: CC Wyle /
Joshua Ketchmark: Lead Vocal, Acoustic & Electric Guitars

Covered In Blood : 
DRUMS & PERC: Zak St. John / BASS: Ger Hoffman / GTRS: Sadler Vaden /
ORGAN : Michael Webb / HARMS: Joey O, Kenny Wright /
Joshua Ketchmark : Lead Vocal, Harms, Acoustic & Electric Guitars

Follow Me Home : 
DRUMS: Zak St. John / BASS: Ger Hoffman / GTRS: Sadler Vaden / Joshua Ketchmark : Lead Vocal, Harm, Acoustics, Synth, E.Piano, Programing

Been Gone : 
DRUMS & PERC: Zak St. John / BASS: Ger Hoffman / GTRS: Sadler Vaden / PIANO & ORGAN : Michael Webb / Vocal Pads : Joshua Ketchmark & Kenny Wright / Joshua Ketchmark : Lead Vocal, Harm & Acoustics

Death Trap : 
PERC: Zak St. John / VOCAL PADS: CC Wyle / Joshua Ketchmark: Everything else

All I See : 
DRUMS & PERC: Zak St. John / BASS: Ger Hoffman / GTR: Sadler Vaden / ORGAN: Michael Webb / HARMS: Heather Luttrell, Candace Devine / Joshua Ketchmark: Lead Vocal, Acoustic & Electric Guitars

Deadliest Thing : 
DRUMS & PERC: Zak St. John / BASS: Ger Hoffman / GTR: Sadler Vaden / ORGAN & WURLY: Michael Webb / HARMS & VOCAL PADS: Dvniel / Joshua Ketchmark: Lead Vocal, Electric Guitar, Piano & Synths

Casual Subtleties : 
VIOLA: Nick Nguyen / HARM: Candace Devine / Joshua Ketchmark: Everything Else

Ashes : 
DRUMS & PERC: Zak St. JOHN / BASS: Nick Culbreath / ORGAN & PIANO: Michael Webb / HARMS: Candace Devine / STEEL: Tony Paoletta / Joshua Ketchmark: Lead Vocal, Acoustic & Electric Guitars,

Crossbone : 
DRUMS: Zak St. JOHN / BASS: Ger Hoffman / GTRS: Sadler Vaden / ORGAN & PIANO: Michael Webb / HARMS: Heather Luttrell & Kenny Wright / Joshua Ketchmark: Lead Vocal, Synth, Electric, Acoustics, & Resonator Guitar

Once The Whiskey : 
BANJO & VIOLA: Nick Nguyen / Joshua Ketchmark: Everything else

Tazewell County Line : 
DRUMS & PERC: Zak St. John / BASS: Ger Hoffman / GTR: Sadler Vaden ORGAN: Michael Webb / HARMS: Candace Devine / STEEL: Tony Paoletta / Joshua Ketchmark: Lead Vocal, Electric & Acoustic Guitars,

The Huntington Hotel

March 12, 2021

The Huntington Hotel

Redemption Street

December 4, 2020

Blood

Waiting in the Wings

June 19, 2020

Waiting in the Wings

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Available Lyrics

Waiting In The Wings

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Tan smoking jacket
Horn rimmed glasses
Pants waiting for a flood
Sunburst jazz master

Pulled, bent, bruised and battered
Still sweating out blood

Is it your eyes, your tie,
or that perfect crooked smile?

Why is there always something better?
To make me wonder what she sees in me
She puts me on like a broken record
Knowing every time my heart skips a beat
It’s pulling at my strings
Waiting in the wings

Is there always something better?
Waiting in the wings

Running me ragged
So attractive
Can’t help but bite my tongue
She so obsessed
It’s left me a mess, that
You’re still her number one

It’s in your rhymes, your lines,
that make you the perfect alibi

Is there always something better?
Waiting in the wings

I know your aim is true
But you fill her head
Full of all these rules
What am I to do?
When she only wants To wear your red shoes

Chorus

Section 2

The Jilted Lovers EP

February 14, 2020

The Jilted Lovers EP

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So Wrong Official Video

So Wrong “The Lost Boys Cut”

Available Lyrics

So Wrong

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

The Wreckage

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Call It a Night

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Bitter Pill

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

The Misses

March 30, 2018

The Misses

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Her Voice in My Head Official Video

Available Lyrics

Cold Feet

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I’ve been sitting here waiting on your call for so long
I’ve got nothing left to drink
You’ve used up every minute of my time it’s so wrong
That now I don’t know what to think

It can
Drive Ya crazy
Could be
A conspiracy
Or might
Just be a case of
Cold feet

Not a moment I haven’t thought of where you belong
Waiting for the phone to ring
Spent so many nights with wine, women and song
Until you changed everything

Chorus

Cold feet
Where they got ya running too?
Cold feet
Did they buy ya walking shoes?
Cold feet
Are you standing toe to toe with your
Cold feet

I can’t tell you where I was before you came along
Those stories should die with me
I’ve been sitting here waiting on your call for so long
But the phone has yet to ring

Make No Apologies

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I’ve always tried to be so careful
And not trample on your broken bones
But underfoot are nothing but eggshells
That now litter what was paved with stones

Now I’m outa luck
Asking for to much
It’s cut deep enough
Into me
Make no apologies

You always sound like a bad burnt record
Mudding up all of the frequencies
Now gone for good even speaks for itself
But I can’t commit to what it says it needs

You’ve run outa luck
Asking for to much
It’s cut deep enough
Into me/ to not bleed-not to bleed
Make no apologies

For every word you didn’t mean to say
All of the nerve you’ve thrown my way
For what it’s worth there is no saving grace
Let it be

Come True

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I was never good at this
Finding something to fill the silence
Don’t tell who else you’ve been with
Don’t want to hear those words from your lips

What have I to answer to?
Maybe I’m not as curious as you

Come on, don’t hold anything back
You know, you can’t change the past
Because you want to
Because you want to
It won’t come true

Don’t act like you don’t know me
Given all the secrets that you keep

What have I to answer to?
Maybe I’m not as curious as you

Dancehall Blues

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Baby who you got to talk to tonight
Your sitting all alone and it doesn’t seem right
Is it about the boy you had by your side?
I saw you two dancing sweet and slow by the exit sign

Did he tell you what you needed to hear?
After he got what he wanted did all hope disappear?

(So/Come) get up on your feet
You’ve got nothing left to loose
Come here next to me
This old tune will have to do
To shake off these dancehall blues
Don’t let ‘em get to you
These Dancehall blues

Now don’t believe a word of his lies
Just let the music fill up the corners of your mind
I hate to stand here and see you cry
Come on it’ still way to early to call it a night

Will you tell me what you’re needing to hear?
I know it’s not what you wanted once the smoke starts to clear

1988

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Two blocks down from the murder mart
Caught smoking cigarettes in an abandon car
Waited for the lights to change
In the rain
Made it back to her mothers house
Followed her upstairs as she took her hair down
Stripped out of her wet clothes
What can I say?
That was 1988

Days like those you always remember
They stay burned in your brain

And don’t let go
Won’t let go

Heard the sound from the parking lot
Hustled Aerosmith tickets with our fingers crossed
Somehow we snuck backstage
And saw them play
And later that night I slid out
And into her window on the south side of town
I had never been that close
At that age
It was 1988

Nights like those you always remember
No matter what it takes?

It don’t let go
Won’t ever let go

Must have spun that record a thousand times
Must have spun that record every day and night

CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I can’t be your friend
I want you too much
To pretend
I could be your friend
It’s not good enough
In the end

Everybody here wants to catch your eye
Full of sweet nothings to get you high

Is this what you want?
When the night starts closing in
You know you can’t be too careful these days
I’m not going to say it again

I can’t be your friend

I can’t be your friend
You know all too well
To pretend
I could be your friend
You can’t help yourself
In the end

Everybody here wants to take your pride
Begging you to believe their lies

Chorus

No mater how many ways you ask
We just can’t be friends
You know I want to be more than that
And I know you don’t want any of them
I won’t fall for that again

HER VOICE IN MY HEAD

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I’ve never driven down this road with the radio up
Drownin out the sounds of the world with the songs I knew when we were young
The steering wheel is cold and too slow to turn in this mud
This Cadillac has more miles to burn before either of us have had enough

She don’t rely on the shoulder
She acts like I hardly know her

Pushing the red line
Not a car in sight
I can hear her voice in my head
Driving through the pines
In the dead of night
There’s so much I wish I had said
When I hear her voice in my head

Maybe this is how it goes when the going gets rough
A highway of holes led to parts unknown along side a river run

What can I do to earn her trust?
Once we walked on water, now we’re drowning in the flood

Flashing are the signs
On the bridge tonight
I can hear her voice in my head
The dams open wide
There’s no ground in sight
There’s so much I wish I’d said
When I hear her voice in my head

If she’s said it once
She has a thousand times
I can hear her voice in my head
I know what she wants
Her heart doesn’t lie
There’s so much I wish I had said
When I hear her voice in my head

ROCK & ROLL

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I saw you in the record store
In the summer of 1994
Spinning Joan Jett
Loud enough to go deaf
You never heard me say hello
As you stood there reading the liner notes
In a fine mess
Of records and cassettes
Looking just as good as the day we met

I got to know
Why you don’t want me
I got to know
Why you don’t need me
Anymore
I can’t let go
I can’t let go
Rock and Roll

You said you’d be my troubadour
And I’d be the muse that you would die for
After all these years
Is there nothing for you here?
I’ve kept your secrets and dirty jokes
And why you can’t live without your cherry coke
Still wearing that worn out Stones shirt
I got you for your birthday
How you only love the clash when it rains

Chorus

Rock and Roll
Let me go

STRAY

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I got to know
Why you don’t want me
I got to know
Why you don’t need me
Anymore
I can’t let go
I can’t let go
Rock and Roll

Chorus

Rock and Roll
Let me go

THOSE WERE THE DAYS

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I haven’t seen you in forever
I’ve always loved that summer dress
Has it been since last September?
I’ve had this feeling in my chest

When,
We parked the car out on high point lane
Just two fools, top down in the rain
Those were the days
We made the best mistakes
Past the trespass sign at the reservoir
It was your greatest hits and my guitar
That I can’t erase
Even if times have changed
Damn. Those were the days

With every sunset I remember
What the whiskey helps me forget
And the long drives through the canyon
Makes me wish I never left

Chorus

Those were the times we loved
The times we lived
With you by my side
There’s nothing I wouldn’t give
To have just one more day
Can we make the world go away?

Lets,
Park the car out on high point lane
Be two fools caught out in the rain
Just like the days
We made our best mistakes
Past the trespass sign at the reservoir
Your greatest hits and my guitar
What a pair we could make
Like nothing has changed

And we’ll say

Those were the days,
Those were the days.
Those were the days

DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE

I remember Joshua Ketchmark’s last single, 17, very well. Firstly because it was the last review I wrote before shutting things down for Christmas. Secondly because it dripped with a real Neil Young vibe. But mainly because it was a cracker of a song, one that understood its place on the singer-songwriter timeline whilst helping to take that style forward into the bright new future. Her Voice in My Head grooves on a more countrified feel, but one invested with a slice of rock muscle sailing it closer to an early Ryan Adams feel. How does this guy keep referencing all my favourite artists but still sound like his own man?

Her Voice In My Head is the perfect follow up to 17, and it proves that Ketchmark really has the acoustic rock, singer-songwriter thing sorted. After all, anyone can sing, anyone can write songs, but the term is more than the sum of its parts. In the case of Joshua Ketchmark much, much more than the sum of its parts.

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SKOPE MAGAZINE

In the song, the delicacy of Ketchmark’s voice showers through the well-written yet simple lyrics. In fact, both the lyrics and the performance style of Joshua has some sort of magical and spellbinding effect that it provokes the mind of the listener to enjoy a refreshing nostalgic encounter with the past. This remarkable song shows the world Joshua Ketchmark’s capability of songwriting in a graceful story-telling manner. The lyrics will wrap around the listener in such a way that he will feel like the song is telling his story. ”Her Voice In My Head” is a very soft, mellow, ad soothing song, through which Joshua is soothing his heart, comforting his mind.

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Under Plastic Stars

June 9, 2017

Under Plastic Stars

[musicbox musicbox_id=”8″ collection_name=”0″ description=”0″ autoplay=”0″ tracks_perpage=”6″]

17 Official Video

Available Lyrics

WE WERE EVERYTHING

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

The most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen, in the kitchen light
You were fumbling through the drawers, nothing left to hide
Before that night I thought I’d seen it all, much to my surprise
Watching you naked on the floor
When you looked up and smiled

All I could do was stare, as I stood there
You had me hypnotized
I couldn’t believe my eyes

Both drowning in romance
You were every breath I’d breathe
Lost in our innocence
I was falling at your feet
You put your heart into my hands
Safe for me to keep
I was there, I believed, we were everything

I guess autumn got the best of me, there’s no place to hide
The chill I felt in the air, followed us inside
When the leaves started changing, I thought all we had was time
Before this place became a vacancy
Where nothing could survive

Now I just sit and stare, at your empty chair
And long for days gone by When we were bulletproof

Chorus

Long walks in the pouring rain, wine in the park
Sunday mornings kept in bed, with my queen of hearts
Slow dancing in the dinning room, under plastic stars
Until the day they burnt out, left me lost in the dark

All I could do was stare, I just stood here
You left me paralyzed
But I remember a time, we we’re

Chorus

EVERY MYSTERY

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

It’s just another lonely night
I can’t get you on the phone
I know something aint right
I saw it in your eyes
When I drove you home
Is there a reason for this distance?
Do you need some time alone?
Can’t get you off my mind
How can I make you mine?
I feel you in my bones

You’ve left me lost with no way out

I can’t stop falling
I can hear you calling me
From every place I thought I was safe
You’ve got me runnin’
I can feel it comin’
To a choice I don’t want to make
Every mystery gives you away

Am I the next guy in line?
Some kind of carnival prize
To sit up on your shelf
And leave for someone else
To tell you it’s alright
Has new worn off inside and out

Chorus

Time is my enemy
Every second it betrays me
Sworn to secrecy
Is this all we’ll ever be?

LET IT RAIN

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

There’s a longing in your voice
I haven’t heard for years
It draws me in and makes me believe
There’s a silence in this noise
That I don’t want to hear
It might just be the cure that we need

I don’t want to be too quick to call it out
No, don’t want it that way
I won’t let the air get too thick we can’t breathe now
No, I’d rather let it rain
I’d rather let it rain

You’ve left me without a choice
No matter how sincere
It’s pushed us out and made us so weak
And I can’t be one of your toys
You only want when I’m near
I can see in your eyes it’s not me

Chorus

These nights are dark and lonely
The pavements cold and cracked
From everywhere we’ve been
There’s no coming back

Chorus

LUCKY AT LEAVIN'

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

This is some kinda run we’re having,
of mistakes
Some promises that we’ve both broken,
we can’t save

You act like you’ve got nothing to loose
Your eyes are on fire,
and your hearts an open wound

Is there no changing your mind?
You’re standing here waiting for a reason to fly
Here comes your next goodbye
To lucky at leavin’ to be left behind

I know you get tired of asking,
what it takes
It’s always easier to cash in,
then stay

If what you keep on saying is true
Your eyes must be lyin’
How can you give up so soon?

Chorus

Now I do not know what I will do
If this is the ending
I’m sorry for what I put you through

Chorus

This is some kinda run we’re having,
of mistakes

HEREAFTER

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Sitting here, staring at a blank page
Thinkin’ of the right words to say
I can’t get em down
They won’t come out
Souvenirs, secrets and ashtrays
See the look written on your face
Readin this aloud
Who’s sorry now?

For your broken heart
For this twist of fate
Who have you had waiting in the crowd?
To save the day

There’s a lot of truth I chose not to believe
When the air gets thin
There are a million ways that I’ll have to bleed
To atone these sins
But I’ll act like none of it matters
To stop the walls (from) closing in
I’ll pray for the hereafter
The hereafter to begin

Falling tears, out in the pouring rain
Anything to cover up my pain (face)
Before I’m found out

Look at me now
With this broken heart
Left, lost and betrayed
Just another face fading in the crowd
Let slip away

Chorus

Hopes and fears, drinking em all away
Old habits are hard to break
All emptied out
Scattered across the ground

GET OUT ALIVE

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

She found her home in the heartland
Where dreams come to die
Spends her nights in roadside bars
With strangers passing time

She saves her change for the jukebox
Plays what’s on her mind
And before the beat begins
She starts to sing every line

‘Cuz she loves it when they say
Girl what are you doing here?
Your name should be somewhere in lights
As the song remains the same
It goes on through the night
Until she whispers
“I was lucky, to get out alive”

No one can truly understand
All she sacrificed
And what that town did to her
Under that bright Hollywood sign
These days she’s become a regular
Blames it on the wine
As the band butchers her favorite songs
You can see the stars haven’t died

Chorus

SATURDAY NIGHT

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

It was early July
Late night summer
Something ’bout her smile was almost southern
That I
Couldn’t let her go
Without a fight

There were so many ways
I tried to tell her
Sitting on that tailgate seeing fireworks
Sky-high
Nothings ever felt so right

There was something ’bout the way her eyes were shining
Straight across the field in the pale moon light
All the stars sparkled like diamonds
A magic in the air that you couldn’t deny
Said. Love her; hold her, pull her closer
Do it now before you run out of time
I fell in love on a Saturday night

We saw the sun rise
I drove her home
As she reached for the door she leaned back slow
And she
Gave me a kiss
And said goodbye

Over and over
It goes through my mind
How that was the best damn 4th of July
That I’ve ever had
Or will again

Chorus

And some years later I saw her again
Painting the town with a handful of friends
And I couldn’t help but wonder
What could of been

HARMS WAY

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Lies
Are all we have to lose?
Can’t change the truth tonight
Nowhere to run too
Pride
Gone without a clue
One to many false moves
Between wrong and right

Scars heal
But they never go away
Deep down
Blacked out
What doesn’t bend, breaks
Can’t steal
A heart you have betrayed
With miss steps
Neglect
And the bitter end of faith
Left in harms way

Time
It plays by it’s own rules
Can be a cruel surprise
Harsh in the morning light

Chorus

Don’t take another breath
To fill that whole in your chest
There’s nothing you can say
That you won’t make me regret

SWEET SURRENDER

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Forgive me baby
It was a little bit rash
But I thought you should know I think were moving
Just a little bit fast
And the scars are starting to show

I’m not looking for a way out
I have no reason to keep you down

So come here closer
I’ll be your shoulder
You don’t have to make a sound
There’s no defeat
In this sweet surrender
Even the truth is tired now

I’ve seen us lately
Both headed down a path
Together but alone
I think were losing
What we’ve tried to get back
From every sinking stone

I’m not asking to wait it out
They’ll be nothing left without you around

Chorus

There’s no sense letting this sea swallow us whole
No defense against this bitter cold
If either of us could just leave now
Walk out and believe our doubts
Where would you call home?

Chorus

I’m not looking for a way out

17

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Some nights you still haunt me
I start feeling like I’m 17
Old enough to know the truth
Still young enough to be naive
Those days echoed with rumors
And the walls found it hard breathe
I can still smell the wind in your hair
And I hear your promises in the backseat

Dark circles lied in wait
Excuses grew like a disease
Miles and miles of blacktop fade
Upholstery breakin’ out at the seems
Those days your parade losers
Became a sad novelty
All seeing how far they could get
All by the time that you turned 19

I’ll never know where we so went wrong
Now only a memory
Lost somewhere in-between every line of this song

I remember the light was low
When you pulled me to your parent’s bed
You said to never you let go
And now I finally think I know what you meant
These days I recount the moments
As every car I see passes me by
Some people die before knowing
Maybe they were meant for another life

LOOSING CONTROL

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Not a soul in sight, I can see for miles
Down this open road, I’d rather be alone
Something don’t feel right, in the air tonight
Passing all the signs, but there’s no going home

There’s something about the way she laughs
I can’t figure out, why I’m not turning back

I hear every word, on the radio
Grip the wheel, I can’t let go
So good it hurts, nothing comes close
She’s in my head and I’m loosing control

Haven’t seen headlights, for quite sometime
Living in the past, it got me nowhere fast
Should I call it a night, let it eat me up inside
You know the truth doesn’t lie

I don’t even know what I could say
Gotta turn this around, the chance I have to take

Chorus

How did I find myself outside, her house?
Flashing my light
Watched her come down, get in the passenger side
Lay her head on my shoulder, and say “baby its alright”

Chorus

THE GREAT UNKNOWN

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Summer breeze is calling you home
Back to where the tall trees grow
To flashing lights and old dirt roads
Where you never grew up and never grew old

Take the top down hand me the keys
If we loose our way we’ll find our feet
Turn the radio up lay back the seat
I’ll take you where you want to be

Let’s roll, let’s roll

Come with me
Down this open road
Into the great unknown, we ride
Come with me You never let go
Never have to say, goodbye

There were times I chose to be on my own
Had to be wild and free and on the run
I raced those stars to the setting sun
But one look from you and I knew I was done

Now honey I know it’s my first time
But something tells me that you’ll survive
They sheltered you and raised you right
Through the windshield I see the city lights

Almost home, your almost home

Chorus

Now I’m on one knee
With your father beside me
Asking you to be
My bride

Chorus

Music You Can Use

By Alonzo Evans

Illinois-bred singer/songwriter Joshua Ketchmark has built a slow and steady career on excellent musical craftsmanship and stellar guitar playing that’s spanned a dozen releases to date. He’s brushed shoulders with Melissa Etheridge and has worked with the production teams that have brought to life recordings by Elvis Costello, Don Henley and Ryan Adams. In a tough modern musical climate where it’s very difficult to get your own original compositions out there for the public to hear, Ketchmark has accomplished way more than most. It’s his talent that his gotten the singer/guitarist to where he is and it’s his talent that can be heard all across his latest release, Under Plastic Stars.

The album opens with a gentle, trotting acoustic number that’s draped in dusty folk influences and tinged of rural, back porch country jamming. With his heartfelt lyrics detailing a passionate relationship and instrumentation that puts a production focal point on Joshua’s breathy voice and muscular acoustic guitars while the rhythm section dives into a little groove that pushes the material forward with grace and goodness. Subtle church organ atmosphere is introduced on the twinkling, starlit magic of “Every Mystery.” Gorgeous acoustic guitars draped in reverb and slight echo provide a launch pad for Ketchmark’s earthy, infectious vocal delivery that paints a forlorn picture of being pushed away by the one that you’re in love with. This cut leads directly into the harder, bluesy 6-strings, dark keyboard shades and rumbling bass lines of the crunching “Let It Rain.” An electric guitar buzz sometimes cuts through the thick, dense instrumentals and the vocals slip more into a heartbroken roar that still shows a surprising amount of melody and restraint. Even slide guitar makes an accompaniment appearance to round out the sound on this excellent number.

Breezy and autumnal in its aura, “Lucky at Leavin’” pairs an energetic acoustic line to smooth flowing melodies with a recording quality that leaves the impression of Josh playing alone onstage at a large concert hall. Sweet back-up vocal harmonies from an unknown female guest provide further emotive expression to the song while lap-steel and layered keys add to a great deal of texture to the music’s many charms. “Hereafter” returns to semi-rugged country/blues backed by a rousing drumbeat, lamenting and powerful vocals overflowing with stunning vibrato and several climactic breaks where the volume swells and the instrumental tones rise to the sky. Hymnal organ playing and a fireball electric guitar solo renders “Get out Alive” an edge that only further mixes up the varied moods and sounds on the record. Elsewhere the entirely acoustic “Harm’s Way” sucks the ears in from the very first note, the vocal/piano led soul tune “Sweet Surrender” really provides a showcase for Ketchmark’s gripping singing and awesome multi-instrumentalism and closer “The Great Unknown” mingles rock volume and tempos with country music’s ol’ fashioned vocal harmony standards and simplistic but hook-y guitar/rhythm shakedowns.

Joshua Ketchmark pulls out all of the stops on Under Plastic Stars. With excellent musical chops, stellar songwriting skills and great arrangements that blend a multitude of different instruments together, there’s not a misstep to be found on this album. It’s certainly won over this first time listener to Ketchmark’s wonderful audio world.

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Where Lovers Come to Die

December 9, 2016

Where Lovers Come to Die

[musicbox musicbox_id=”2″ collection_name=”0″ description=”0″ autoplay=”0″ tracks_perpage=”6″]

Available Lyrics

WHERE LOVERS COME TO DIE

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Take a look around
There only shadows for us now
Hidden in the clouds
These walls are never coming down

All we have are memories
But I don’t know what for
At the gates of the cemetery
Could you wish for something more?

Please
Is this how we make it right
On our knees
Is this how we say goodbye
Is this the place?
Where lovers come to die?

Your eyes look tired
Haven’t you the strength to hold me dear
Before we expire
One last kiss, from your pale lips, before all hope disappears

All I have is agony
But I don’t know what for
At the gates of the cemetery
Could you wish for something more?

Chorus

What do you have in mind?
To consummate our demise
Come and lye here with me
Where lovers come to die

Take a look around
There only shadows for us now

Chorus

Is this the way, I’ll learn to survive?
Is this what it takes, for you to live your life
Is this the place? Where lovers come to die?

All She Wrote

October 11, 2016

All She Wrote

[musicbox musicbox_id=”3″ collection_name=”0″ description=”0″ autoplay=”0″ tracks_perpage=”6″]

Available Lyrics

Fever

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

It’s like a fever
Burning me out
Sun settin’ fire
To all my doubts
Groveland blacktop
Heat rising now
Comin’ up fast
I won’t back down

It’s time like these
That my heart don’t lie
Thick as thieves
Come morning light

Come on baby get up
Let’s get out of here
Let’s leave this place in the dust
Drive out of fears
Can you feel it in your blood?
We’ll just disappear
We were born to run
Let’s get outta here

Your bodies restless
Pickin’ up speed
Dashboard tappin’
With your tan bare feet
Nothing to stop us
What more could we need
But you in my Petty t-shirt
And an empty back seat

If I am guilty
That suits me fine
Just two gypsies
Lost in paradise

Chorus

Lets hit the open road
Destiny’s calling, into the great unknown

How

MUSIC BY: J. KETCHMARK, D. SMITH, K. WRIGHT
LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Where have you
Been off too
Is there something?
I should know
How does the end of our story go?
Tired of stealin’ the show?
When I said
I was all in
You know I meant
Every word
How I didn’t want to see you hurt
Guess I wasn’t the first

Don’t tell me that you’ll be fine on your own
We both know you won’t spend much time alone
Not alone

I thought I had all I needed
How could I have been so blind?
I thought I could shake this feeling
How can I change your mind?
How can I make you mine?

Don’t just say
It’s to late
Is there nothing?
I can do
How can you just up and walk away
How is everything okay?
I don’t get
When we met
Why you told me
That I was
What you’ve been waiting for all your life
How now can you lie?

Dig down deep and just leave all you have known

Chorus

How can I make you mine?

Lie

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

All the stars keep on falling
The storm came without a warning
Clawing through the walls that kept us safe
After dark ghosts come calling
Right now the wind sounds so haunting
Comin’ down the halls where I first heard your name

This goes on and on, and feels
To never reach an end

But should I
Lie to the stars to save me
Should I
Curse the ground that we laid
Face up to all my fears, for what we had
And I could
Lie to the stars to save me
Should I
Stop before it’s to late?
How could we end up here, torn in half?

All we are left us wanting
Another chance to be something
More than these reasons that hold us back
Once again no use hiding
Couldn’t stop our past colliding
To every season where the sun set to fast

It goes on and on, and feels
To always come again

Chorus

Is it all in vein?
Now that you’re gone
Has our future crumbled away?
Am I wrong?

Once

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

It happens once in a lifetime
Then you can’t let go
You’re looking in from the outside
It speaks to your soul
And when it comes down to this
It’s all that you’ve missed
So?

You run all of the red lights
Nothin’ tells ya no
Can’t imagine what it’s been like
You feel it in your bones
And when it’s hard to admit
With a stiff upper lip
You know there’s no sinking in slow

It’s all on the line
Let’s take it for a ride
You know it only happens once
It’s all on the line
Let’s take it for a ride
You know it only happens once
In a lifetime

All at the right time
There’s no coming close
When you see the end is in sight
When ya need it most
When it comes down to this it’s all that you’ve missed
Your soul keeps telling you so

Chorus

It all seems, to answer all your dreams
It’s a feeling that you’ve never known
And it’s all you need for it to be
It the first time that you’ve come this close
When it comes down to this
It hard to dismiss
So?
You know it only happens once

Over

MUSIC BY: J. KETCHMARK, D. SMITH, K. WRIGHT
LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK, D. SMITH

I can’t talk about it baby
Let’s not say anymore
The verdicts in, were all done for
Just as empty as broken, from this war
I know you said it’s over
But you don’t sound sure
Your words begin, with ‘been hurt before’
One to many unspoken, back and forth

Don’t tell me it’s to late
To turn this thing around

I can’t
Breathe with you here
It’s not over
But it’s coming clear
I can’t
Breathe with you here
It’s all coming down
It’s coming clear
All coming down

I can’t walk away this easy
I just can’t pretend
What went down, you played no part in
Just as guilty as I’ve been, in the end
We can’t get any closer
I can’t tell you when
This turns around, we atone our sins
In the moments we’ve stolen, still caught up in

Pure Desire

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Chances are
You’re tired of waiting
It’s getting late
You want to go
I can sense
Some hesitation
Are you sure?
I should drive you home?

Maybe I’m the one
You’d be better off to forget
So boy
Tonight might be all you get
Desire
I wanna know what that means
Pure Desire
I wanna know how that feels
Pure Desire

This place
Is shutting down
Maybe one more before they close
I’m wearin’ thin On conversation
But your eyes
Still don’t say no

Maybe what you want
You’d be better off to forget
This choice girl
Tomorrow you might regret

Chorus
Maybe what we want
We’d be better off to forget
But tonight might be all we get

Savannah

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Out a thousand miles from nowhere
Georgia on your mind
How the ocean smelled in the air
Leaving Chatham Street, to find
Deep inside you knew
It would come to soon
Down to last goodbyes
How your days were numbered
On the dock that summer
Watching the world pass by

How does it feel?
Have you come as close as you’ve ever been
Just take it slow
How does it feel?
Are you getting close tonight?
To leaving Savannah behind

Endless golden skies and warm beer
Mix tapes pass the time
No tell, motels everywhere
Billboards stretching cross state lines
Left nothing to loose
But to help except the truth
You want more than to just survive
From you’re new adopted home
On the California coast
And all those Hollywood nights

Chorus

How does it feel?
Is Georgia on your mind?

Secret

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

The sky,
Seems so endless
All the worlds asleep,
Except for you and me
Your eyes,
Have me captivated
Held in disbelief
Of what’s in front of me

How can I be the only one to witness?
I honestly can’t believe it exists
How can I be the only one with this secret
Inside of me buried deep I resist
To keep this secret

Tonight
I’m so restless
The streets are all empty
Not a soul in sight I see
As you lie
Next to me naked
And watch the autumn leaves
Pass the Chelsea marquee

Chorus

Should

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

People ain’t gotta do what you say
Don’t matter what it means to me
I ain’t gonna tell what to do babe
No ones ever who they seem to be
Don’t get carried away
With what you can’t let go
And watch what you say
To the next unsuspecting soul

You should, you should
‘Cuz you might get lucky
You should, you should
‘Cuz you might get lucky

Even I’ve never seen you this way
No, nothings ever meant to be
Tell me really what difference it makes
Close your eyes and breath in deep
It’s bitter to the taste
Stone deeper than you’ve known
Take it on faith
Before the second guessing shows

Chorus

Watch what you say
To the next unsuspecting soul

Chorus

Sugar

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Save some sugar
For me girl
Tell me all the sweetest things
I’ve never heard
Pull at my shirt
Bite your lip
Give me what I’ve been missing
Play hard to get

And when we’ve come to our senses
Can we fight the urge?

To Surrender

Without a prayer
To catch my breath
Tangled in the curls of your hair
In your uptown address

I’ll offer up my defenses
‘Til there’s nothing left

To Surrender

Save some sugar
By your bed
There next to your diamond ring
And all the words that we forget

To Surrender

The Call

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Why ya hangin’ ’round, baby it’s not cool
There’s some talk around town, about what he did to you
No matter how it sounds, it’s nothing new
You never wanted out ’til he was through with you

What ya say
Who’s to blame?

Now it won’t be long
Before ya been wrong
I can’t be the one you call
Now it won’t be long
Before ya been wrong
I can’t be the one you call

Let me break it down, do you want the truth?
There’s no going back now
When you’ve been broken into
Your turned inside out and feel so used
Just another hand me down
With something to prove

What ya say
Will ya ever be the same?

Chorus

Let me break it down, do you want the truth?
There’s some talk around town, ’bout what he did to you

What ya say
Will ya ever be the same?

Wheels

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I wanna run
Far away from
To go back
Feel the sun
I wanna steal
What’s left undone
Just to heal
What we’ve become

Tell me what’s left of the truth?
What should I have kept from you?

Finally hit the ground
Pieces lie broken
Don’t make a sound
Please just hear me out
My arms are here open
Don’t give up now
The wheels are in motion

I wanna shake
Until we’re numb
I wanna make
You come
Back to this ache
When we were young
I wanna taste
You on the tip of my tongue

Don’t tell me that you feel used
I’m here at your feet, no one knows you like I do

Chorus

Say I’m crazy
For what I want
Can’t you hear me?
Just this once

Tell me what’s left of the truth?
What should I have said, what should I have kept from you?

Chorus

The Cypress Point Demos

July 12, 2016

The Cypress Point Demos

[musicbox musicbox_id=”4″ collection_name=”0″ description=”0″ autoplay=”0″ tracks_perpage=”6″]

Available Lyrics

AT OUR WORST

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I have a right to keep my secrets
from your enemies
They’ve taken more than they have sown
as far as I can see
Laid side by side in this shallow grave
It’s getting hard to breathe
Holding up this nameless headstone
My back is getting weak

Remind me how we got here
Before we say goodbye

Countless bars and soulless stars
Chances we never deserved
Classic cars and boulevards
Both a blessing and a curse
No ones ever cared who we are
Only what they’ve heard
And when they say we’re at our best
We’re really at our worst

Maybe you should tend to your regrets
Out here in the weeds
It’s taken this long to forget
What father said to me
At the end it seems that he knew best
Where this road would lead
Remind me how we got here
It just might save my life

Chorus

Are the glory days behind us
Is it all a memory?
Is there some favor to forsake?
That will let me rest in peace

Chorus

08/14/2014

Inspired by a friend and the early years of living in Los Angeles.

DELICATE IN WHITE

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Steady your hands, it’ll be over soon
One last stand, there’s nothing left to loose
The DJ spins, some forgotten tune
One last glance? I can feel the needle move

Don’t waste a word,
Don’t waste a breath

No there’s nothing I can tell you
To help you through the night
There’s nothing you can say now
That won’t cut like a knife
And there’s nothing to hold onto
Once this moment passes by
You’ve never looked more beautiful
So delicate in white

All of my plans, run like an open wound
To see firsthand, the devil have his due
baby there better ways to ignore the truth
This last chance, across a crowded room

Pre-Chorus

Chorus

I thought I saw our future so clear
Church bells echo,
it should have been us standing here

Chorus

05/25/2014

Centered around a line from a movie “we’re gonna stay friends.”

*Kenny Wright : Tambourine

DESERTERS GRAVE

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Tonight these bones have been picked over by vultures
Standing under this mistletoe here alone
Waiting on your doorstep like a soldier
Back from war but still not welcome home

The whisper in my ear is littered
with background noise
And somewhere in this house
I can still hear your voice
And the whiskey on my lips,
stains the words I shouldn’t say
Some lovers understand, while others,
just fade away

I remember all the mornings we got snowed in
Keeping warm by the radiators close
When the radio held much more magic and mystery
Then either of our lives have ever known

Chorus

I’m guilty to a fault for all my mistakes
I’m sorry to have always kept you at arms length
But I’m trying now to do my best to turn the page
looking back into this deserters grave

Because,

Chorus

09/16/2014

This tune came to me one night after looking at
old photos of past holidays in my hometown.

SIN

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Maybe it’s time to sort this out
Before loving you gets the best of me
There’s no sense in talking me down
You know that this won’t end that easily

Don’t look at me so jaded
Lying here frustrated
I know you’ve seen it coming for so long

Don’t tell me you don’t trust me
That things aren’t what they should be
With the morning light reflecting off your skin
You can call it sin,

Gotta get my feet back on the ground
I thought you long lost what use to be

Now,
Your answers are so weighted
Left so understated
Just look away and say nothing’s wrong

Don’t tell me you don’t trust me
That things aren’t what they should be
With the morning light reflecting off your skin
You can call it sin,
You see what you want to see
Are you sleeping with the enemy?
Is it feeling like the walls are closing in?
You can call it sin,

You see what you want to see
Sleeping with the enemy
Terrified the walls are closing in
You can call it

Chorus

02/17/2014

Originally worked up as an uptempo rock song until it became
what you hear here.

*Kenny Wright : Tambourine

EVERYTHING SHE WANTED

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Two bodies in the cold
Together but alone
Praying for some mercy
It’s better not to say
Blame the renegade
Don’t get your hands dirty

Father never made a sound
When the truth came out,
Mother stood there so proud
Looking down
Now she had everything she wanted
Everything she wanted

Hard landing on your feet
Might bruise but don’t bleed
Can’t get any lower
Torn apart piece by piece
Shoulder deep in novelty
When the ship turned over

Chorus

Everything she wanted
Made no apologies
Spared no expense
Everyone became a casualty

Two bodies in the cold
Together but alone

Chorus

08/01/2014

I had just started my coffee around 6am, I picked up my
Hummingbird and this song just came out. It pretty much wrote itself.

HAZY SHADE OF WINTER (Written by : PAUL SIMON)

WRITTEN BY: P. SIMON

Time, time, time
See what’s become of me
While I looked around
For my possibilities

I was so hard to please

Look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky
Is a hazy shade of winter

Hear the Salvation Army band
Down by the riverside
It’s bound to be a better ride
Than what you’ve got planned

Carry a cup in your hand

Chorus

Hang on to your hopes my friend
That’s an easy thing to say
But if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend

That you can build them again

Look around
Grass is high
Fields are ripe
It’s the springtime of my life

Seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won’t you stop and remember me?

Chorus

Three words sum up the reason “Less Than Zero.”

*Kenny Wright : Tambourine, Chimes, Bells, Shaker

LEGENDS NEVER DIE

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I won’t give you all the details
I’m sure it comes as no surprise
This honesty I’ve lived with
I’ve had for most my life
And I’ve never heard a curtain call
Like you had here tonight
It was as if all of these lonely people
Have never had to say goodbye

So could you please call me a cab?
Before the smoke gets to my eyes

It’s all just as I imagined in my mind
A cross between a fairytale and my fathers 45
Every beat, every word, every line
It’s good to see some legends never die

I came here for its history
I’ve known of this place for sometime
Two of my heroes were born here
Both saved my life at different times
And it’s hard to believe one of them
Could of sat in this very seat
And as I look around this crowded room
I wonder who the next troubadour will be

Could you please hand me my tab?
‘Cuz I’ve heard this city doesn’t sleep

Chorus

Tonight this bar is like a church
Full of tattooed boys and pin up girls
A generation of dreamers
All out to rule the world
And as I pause for a second to take it in
I feel like a part of me is part of them
And I know I’ll never forget this night

Chorus

07/02/2014

Written after an afternoon of cocktails and conversation
with a friend who’d just come back from New York.

*Kenny Wright : Tambourine, Chimes

LIKE A FRIEND

WRITTEN BY: CANDIDA DOYLE, JARVIS BRANSON COCKER, MARK ANDREW WEBBER, NICK BANKS, PATRICK DOYLE, STEPHEN PATRICK MACKEY)

Don’t bother saying you’re sorry.
Why don’t you come in?
Smoke all my cigarettes, again.
Every time I get no further.
How long has it been?
Come on in now,
Wipe your feet on my dreams.

You take up my time,
Like some cheap magazine,
When I could have been learning something.
Oh well, you know what I mean.

I’ve done this before.
And I will do it again.
Come on and kill me baby,
While you smile like a friend.
And I’ll come running,
Just to do it again.

You are the last drink I never should drunk.
You are the body hidden in the trunk.
You are the habit I can’t seem to kick.
You are my secrets on the front page every week.
You are the car I never should have bought.
You are the train I never should have caught.
You are the cut that makes me hide my face.
You are the party that makes me feel my age.

Like a car crash I can see but I just can’t avoid.
Like a plane I’ve been told I never should board.
Like a film that’s so bad but I’ve gotta stay ‘til the end.
Let me tell you now,
It’s lucky for you that we’re friends.

A song I’ve always loved, definitely a situation I’ve found myself in more than a time or two.

*Kenny Wright : Tambourine, Chimes
*Jessica Rodrigue : the breath

TORTURED SOULS

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Are you harmlessly?
Making contact
While the ships sinking down
The water’s turning black
Is this liberty?
You had to have
Worth serving out this sentence
Hands tied behind your back

Is my sympathy?
Your last step
Are your fingers crossed now?
Caught between life and death

So don’t sing me those sad songs
Don’t flip the record over when the lights get low
Don’t tell me where we went wrong
You left two tortured souls in the shadow of a ghost

Do you honestly?
Give a Goddamn
That our future turned to dust
In the palm of your hands
On an empty street
Your lucky man
Sacrificed every witness
For the Promised Land

I see you vividly
Dig your heels in
And spread your wings for flight
On every inch of his skin

Chorus

08/15/2014

Written and inspired by sleepless nights on Cypress Point

*Denny Smith : Guitar
*Kenny Wright : Tambourine

CALL MY NAME

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Now that you’ve said what you came to say
Was it good enough to help you walk away?
You asked for answers when I wanted you to wait
I can’t tell you where it all went wrong
maybe were better off this way

Time’s the only killer
The only destiny that doesn’t change
And I can’t sit here silent
When you’ve given more than I can take

So I’ll sink these stones in the river
Wash the dirt from my face
I’ll kneel down on these muddy banks
And pray to be saved
When this bag of bones hold me prisoner
And my hands start to shake
It’s here that the water whispers
Like you use to call my name

Left in my head words get in the way
All the hands I’ve shook tell the hours getting late
Guess I should confess it’s a hard truth to face
Playing in all of these smoky bars and pouring my soul out on the stage

It’s the only healer
The only apology I can make

Chorus

Times the only killer

Chorus

05/22/2014

It was raining the day I wrote this, I had been kicking around the opening riff for a couple days when the first line came to me.

SAVED?

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

I hear the wind kicking up
The ghosts that I’ve forgotten
All the history that I’ve tried to erase
It feels like a drug
The last nail in my coffin
It’s the sweetest taste
I’ve had coursing through my veins

Don’t leave the light on for me
It takes more than it use too
To bring me to my knees

I pray to God when he lays me down
That my soul can be saved
All this sin and attrition wash away
If I die before I wake
Will I pay for these mistakes?
Will my soul be saved?

I’m not the one you should trust
There’s nothing wrong with walkin’
Just bow gracefully and then be on your way
Haven’t I cut deep enough?
Into your effigy of honesty
To feed your heart, your soul, your bones, your rage

Don’t leave the light on for me
‘cause I could be the devil
That brings you to your knees

Chorus

Pre-Chorus

Chorus

06/03/2014

This tune came to me late one night and the only way to
get it out of my head was to write it down.

*Denny Smith: Guitar
*Kenny Wright: Tambourine

SHE WAS MY SOUVENIR

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

She was my souvenir
So honest and sincere
All that I held dear
That I watched disappear

We were caught in the atmosphere
Coming in loud and clear
Playing it all by ear
Now it’s like she was never here

I keep walking the streets where we used to go
But now the moonlight only cast one shadow

Well I’ve seen my share of heartache
The lines on my face tell everything
I’ve held the hand of a beautiful girl
And never wanted for anything
Lost in the city lights
It’s becoming clear
That some stories are best left untold
After all these years

She was my souvenir

It was my darkest fear
Something I couldn’t hear
The taste of bitter tears
What am I doing here?

I keep standing at night outside her window
Watching as the light silhouettes two shadows

Chorus

It’s been so many years
Since I saw us dying here
She was all I held dear
Now it’s like she was never here

Chorus

12/28/2013

One of the first songs out of a hundred and two that I would go
on to to write in the next year.

*Denny Smith: Guitar
*Kenny Wright: Tambourine

YOUR GHOST

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

Sometimes when the world is quiet
I think about you and I
How we were lost in a moment
I sit and wonder why

The wine doesn’t taste the same
High above these city lights
I see nothing on the horizon
But the dawn of a lonely night

Now I survive
Day by day
I hold on tight
Watch the memories fade
I can only pull you so close
Before I have to let go, of
Your ghost

Inside I feel like I’m dyin’
There’s not much left to say
None of my apologies matter
These flowers have wilted away

Now this hotel room seems empty
I know it’s seen better days
I miss the way that you held on to me
I miss hearing you say my name

Chorus

Summer nights in New Orleans
Caught in the pouring rain
Waking up in the morning
On the San Francisco bay
It all went by so fast
There was no time to escape
It was all lost in moment

02/18/2014

“You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
No truer words have ever been said as far as I‘m concerned.

*Kenny Wright : Percussion
*Tony Paoletta : Pedal Steel

THE LAST MISTAKE

MUSIC & LYRICS BY: J. KETCHMARK

The last word on her lips
Said she couldn’t live with this
What have I become?
What have I done?

Was it hard to admit?
Now that it has come to this
Standing toe to toe
I can’t let her go

How can I slow this down I’m hanging on for dear life
It takes all I have right now to watch a good thing die
When I’ve just begun to fight

I promised I wouldn’t say
All the words she’s heard before
All the arguments I recall
That ended on the bedroom floor
And I know I said I’d look away
When her headlights hit the door
But I wanted her to see the look on my face
So she’d know, letting her go was my last mistake

It’s quiet with her gone
No one here to hear this song
Drinking best alone
Author unknown

Feeling like a ghost
In a house that was our home
What have I become?
Under this gun

I still see her silhouette like the devil in disguise
Walking out that open door without fear in her eyes
Damn these storybook lies

Chorus

12/16/2013

A very early tune written not long after moving to Nashville,
originally it was a little different but changed after playing it live.