Once Upon a Time
by Aerik Watson
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Digital Album
Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
10 original and 2 re-imagined cover tunes.
Featuring collaboration with local artists.
Canadian content.Purchasable with gift card -
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumPhysical copy of Aerik's Debut Solo CD, "Once Upon a Time"
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Dale's House Productions in Braeside, Ontario, Canada
Includes unlimited streaming of Once Upon a Time via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.ships out within 3 days$20 CAD or more
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1. |
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When I was a kid I played with, Legos and cars
Building Rockets that would, take me to Mars
I played a lot of hockey 'till I, busted up my knee
Dreamed of training to be a ninja, but that wasn't meant to be
High school came along and I, bought my first guitar
Played some tunes with my best friend, yeah we were gonna be rock stars
I worked a few jobs, played a few smoky clubs
Didn't know what I wanted to do when I grew up
My kid came along when I was, 20 years old
Put that guitar on the shelf, put my, life on hold
Though things with his mom didn't, work out as planned
He grew up to be a hell of a man
Days turned to months and time went by
Chasing some elusive dream
Some days were good, some days were rough
I did what I could, though it never seemed enough
Didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up
Spent the, next 20 years, chained to a desk
Climbed that corporate ladder, trying to be the best
60 hours a week, yeah well, it took its toll
But I had to chase that dollar, work those fingers to the bone
Took me, 10 years of friendship with a girl I met online
To realize that my true love had been with me that whole time
We did the best we could, and while we were, madly in love
We didn't know what we wanted to do when we grew up
Months turned to years and time flew by
Chasing someone else's dream
Some times were good, some times were tough
We did what we could, though it never seemed enough
Didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up
Yeah I've fronted bands, acted on stage, filled coffee cups for minimum wage
I've skated fast, prepared tax, said some things that I can't take back
I've built computers, programmed games, I wrote a book with a pen name
I guess it's time to face the truth, I just don't know what I wanna do
So I finally packed my things, got away from city lights
Moved back to my hometown where you can see the stars at night
Dusted off that guitar, thought I'd try my luck
Cuz I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up
Months turn to years and time flies by
Think I've forgotten how to dream
Most days I'd say are good enough
Doing what I can, but when, push comes to shove
I don't know what I wanna be when I grow up
Yeah, don't know who I'm gonna be when I grow up
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2. |
Little Candle
04:41
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I see the clouds up in the sky. I watch them race across the heavens
I close my eyes- I'm halfway there
Oh, the things you said to me. Oh, here comes the rain on my parade
Who wants a new tomorrow? I want my yesterday
Build me a castle on the clouds (up in the stratosphere)
And I'll live there with my, bottled dreams (just like my toothpick boat)
Call the king and send in all the clowns (I need a laugh now and again)
Life can never be quite, what it seems (Little Candle burn away now)
Trying different pairs of blue jeans. Trying to find a shade to match my mood
I stand there by the mirror, I'm not quite there. (or halfway to anywhere)
Oh, here comes that rain again. Oh, I still remember every word you said
Build me a castle on the clouds (up in the stratosphere)
And I'll live there with my, bottled dreams (just like my toothpick boat)
Call the king and send in all the clowns (I need a laugh now and again)
Life can never be quite, what it seems (Little Candle burn away now)
A little candle burns upon the table. A little cobweb hangs above my bed
Build me a castle on the clouds (up in the stratosphere)
And I'll live there with my, bottled dreams (just like my toothpick boat)
Call the king and send in all the clowns (I need a laugh now and again)
Life can never be quite, what it seems. Little Candle where's your flame now?
Build me a mansion in the sky
And I'll look from there down on my shattered dreams
Someone please call heaven and ask (why), If there's a God why won't he answer?
Life can never be quite what it seems. Little Candle burn away now
A little candle burns upon the table. Little cobwebs in my head.
I stare up at the sky and try to. Forget the dreams that we once had
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3. |
Heroes
04:02
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I - I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins - like dolphins can swim
Though nothing - nothing will keep us together
We can beat them forever and ever
Oh we can be Heroes just for one day
I - I will be King
And you - you will be Queen
For nothing will drive them away
We can be Heroes - just for one day
We can be honest - just for one day
I - I can remember (I remember)
Standing by the wall (By the wall)
And the guards shot above our heads (Over our heads)
And we kissed as though nothing would fall (Nothing could fall)
And the shame was on the other side
Oh we can beat them forever and ever
Then we can be Heroes just for one day
We can be Heroes
We can be Heroes
We can be Heroes just for one day
We can be Heroes
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4. |
The Game
04:00
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She sits there alone, crying tears
In a coffee that turned very cold, 'bout an hour before
I smile, she says nothing, so I guess her story
I've seen it, I've lived it, though some years before
Afternoon nightcaps, a love that's gone wrong
The trials of a life that has barely begun
Dances in moonlight to an old favorite song
And chemical candy to help keep it fun
She sits there alone, wiping tears from her red eyes
Hopeful that no one she knows has witnessed her shame
It gets better with time's what I write
on a napkin I leave on the table and sign
"Good luck all the same"
Glamourless parties and faces you don't know
Crying yourself to sleep night after night
Playing along with the game of life just so
You hope you can win maybe just once or twice
I wish that I'd know then what I know from being there
If I did then I could say
I'd take you and show you how life isn't always fair
But keep you one step ahead of the game
It's hard when you're feeling so lonely
While trying to be true to you
We all have to play in this game they call life
But we don't have to play by their rules
I sit here alone, dreaming dreams of a time not so long ago
It seems so long ago
When I could have been, often seen with a tear in my eye
And no place to go
I wish that I'd know then what I know from being there
If I did then I could say
I'd take you and show you how life isn't always fair
But keep you one step ahead of the game
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5. |
Hey, I'm Lost
03:37
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Well I don't know how long I've been gone now
Still can't seem to settle down and stay
Been feeling alot like Mary and Joseph
Everywhere I go I find I'm turned away
Now I don't think it's too much I'm asking
Just somewhere down the road to call my home
And if the winds of luck blow with me
I won't walk this lonely road alone
Hey, I don't why I can't stop running
Hey, I don't know where I am or where I'm going
Hey, it's possible I'm forgetting something
Hey, I've got to find a place to call my own
With my thumb stuck out and my hat on backwards
Trying to hitch a ride towards my dreams
Yet every time I'm one little step closer
Obstenence steps in to patronize me
If there's 50 different ways to get where you're going
I've seen them all and still I do not stay
Though I'm feeling like a dog who has lost his master
All he wants to do is find that stick and play
Hey, I don't why I can't stop running
Hey, I don't know where I am or where I'm going
Hey, it's possible I'm forgetting something
Hey, I've got to find a place to call my own
Sometimes when I look at my reflection, I wonder who the man is staring back at me
I wonder if he knows the consequences of his actions. I wonder if he'll ever be just me
Well, it's half past high time I found happiness
I've walked this road for way too long
I want to lay her down in the green grass
Kiss her lips, and tell her that I'm home
Hey, I don't why I can't stop running
Hey, I don't know where I am or where I'm going
Hey, it's possible I'm forgetting something
Hey, I've got to find a place to call my own
Hey, I don't why I can't stop running
Hey, I don't know where I am or where I'm going
Hey, it's possible I'm forgetting something
Hey, I've got to find a place to call my own
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6. |
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Do you mind if I sit here a while, lost in the warmth of your smile
I can feel myself falling for you
I know I hardly know your name, it doesn't change
That I can't stop thinking 'bout you
I never went out looking for love
But I tripped and I fell, right at your door
Must be a sign from up above
So I keep on coming back for more
I try not to let you see, all that's inside of me
Afraid I might chase you away
But though I've tried my best, these feelings they won't rest
They grow stronger every day
I never went out looking for love
But I tripped and I fell, right at your door
Must be a sign, from above
So I keep on coming back for more
Well I don't know how many dreams I've dreamed
Or how many times I've seen you next to me
But the longer I hold it in me
The more I feel like this was meant to be
I never went out looking for love, no
But I tripped and I fell in love, right at your door
Must be a sign, from above
So I keep on coming back for more
I sit and I watch you smile, mmmm
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7. |
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Moonbeams shine on the riverbed
As children lay down their sleepy heads
Dew drops form on the flowers, silver droplets
As lovers hesitate by the garden and share their first kiss
Can't we have another night like this
Across the sky, a rainbow's brilliant colours
I watch the children play, splashing in the water
The flowers drink the life that Mother Nature sent them
As we held each other tight, it all seemed like Heaven
Can't we have another day to be
The beautiful something, that once was you and me
Cuz now the rain, just fills the river of broken promise
Flowing to a sea of heartache and of pain
Now the sun, instead of bringing the wonder of a new day
Just proves to me that I'm alone, and I'll never see you again
Well once, life was carefree. But then, I woke up again
To the same, re-occurring dream, can't chase the memories
God please get me out of here
Time. Time they say. Has a way, to turn things around
But time, won't heal the pain
That I felt, on my way down
Cuz now the rain, just fills the river of broken promise
Flowing to a sea of heartache and of pain
Now the sun, instead of bringing the wonder of a new day
Just proves to me that I'm alone, and I'll never see you again
Well I got up and left it all behind, trying to forget the life I lead
But everywhere I go and everything I see, can't escape the thoughts in my head
The river's dry now, mud cracks on the bottom
The children have moved away, they've almost all forgotten
The flowers that years ago were turned into a highway
I hope you're doing well, seems nothing's going my way
And we'll never again have the chance to be
Running together, young, in love and free
Cuz now the rain, just fills the river of broken promise
Flowing to a sea of heartache and of pain
Now the sun, instead of bringing the wonder of a new day
Just proves to me that I'm alone, proves to me that I'm alone
Just proves to me that I'm alone, and I'll never see you again
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8. |
Cuckoo Bird
04:13
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Hello my friend, my little cuckoo bird
You sit in your clock and you don't say a word
Except every hour, when you come out
To tell the time to me
Life's little trials, they don't mean much to me
As long as you're here, to keep me company
I can depend, on you
You'll never let me down. No
I sit in my clock, a little cuckoo bird
Locked in the dark, behind this wooden door
I can't get out, 'cept every hour
To tell the time to you.
I wish I could fly, high, like all the other birds
Way up in the sky, not like a cuckoo bird
Who sings the same song
Over and over and over and over again
Maybe next time when clockwork lets me out
Instead of "Coo Coo" I will scream and shout
LET ME OUT
I remember when they made me
And they told me what I was to do
But I've been in this clock for 25 years
And it doesn't look like I'm going to be out soon.
I'm sick to death of Coo-coo-cooing
And dodging sneak attacks by the cat
I want to take to the open skies
What's so bad about that
I never knew, that you felt this way
When you said "Coo Coo" I thought you meant to play
Although I am young, I'll do what I can do
To rescue you
Be ready when the clock strikes
To pull me from my perch
Set me free, please set me free
I don't want to be a cuckoo Bird
Hello my friend, my little cuckoo Bird
You lay on the floor, and you don't say a word
Your time has run out
And I will shed a tear for you
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In this proud land we grew up strong
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail
No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face, I've changed my name
But no one wants you when you lose
Don't give up - 'cos you have friends
Don't give up - you're not beaten yet
Don't give up - I know you can make it good
Though I saw it all around
Never thought that I could be affected
Thought that we'd be last to go
It is so strange the way things turn
Drove the night toward my home
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
The trees had burned down to the ground
Don't give up - you still have us
Don't give up - we don't need much of anything
Don't give up - 'cos somewhere there's a place where we belong
Rest your head
You worry too much
It's going to be alright
When times get rough, you can fall back on us
Don't give up, please don't give up
Got to walk out of here, I can't take anymore
Gonna stand on that bridge, keep my eyes down below
Whatever may come and whatever may go
That river's flowing, that river's flowing
Moved on to another town
Tried hard to settle down
For every job, so many men
So many men no-one needs
Don't give up - 'cos you have friends
Don't give up - you're not the only one
Don't give up - no reason to be ashamed
Don't give up - you still have us
Don't give up now - we're proud of who you are
Don't give up - you know it's never been easy
Don't give up - 'cos I believe there's a place
There's a place where we belong
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10. |
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Once upon a time in a land called La-La
Lived a girl that I once saw
Long black hair straight down her back and
Eyes of green that seemed to catch
Your stare and she would not let go
Until the sheep came running home
Dragging their tales behind them
When I met her she was dowing her third shot of rye
Didn't believe what she said till that rabbit ran by
She talked of uspide down trees, an invisible cat
And a tea party, where you wear five hats
Please help me, I'm afraid for my life
I see that evil look in Alice's eyes
Eenie, meenie, minie, mo
Catch your lover by the toe
Lay her down and kiss her gently
Jack was nimble, but then he
Sitting in a rubber tree, looking at the honey bee
Busy, busy, buzzy bee, just the way he aughta be
Purple moon lights up the night sky
Shining down to where you and I
Sit eating our curds and whey
Just another busy day in a land they call La-La
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum? I'd love to girl but I've gotta run
Things are getting too weird here to stay
She offered me some cake and she said I'd shrink
I said that who you need to see I think
Things are getting too weird here today
Please help me, I'm afraid for my life
I see that evil look in Alice's eyes
Jumping over candlesticks will get your ass burnt
Living on Monopoly but when is it my turn
Lovers stray by the garden pathways
But when they are gone then the band will play
Be aughta he way the just bee, honey the at looking tree
Rubber in a sitting
Lala call they land a in
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11. |
Heartache's All I Found
03:45
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I lie awake in my room. It's been raining all night long
I wonder why it ever had to end. I wonder where you've gone
How can it be that we, have grown so far apart
You said goodbye and left me holding the pieces of my heart
Standing by the window rain coming down, down, down
All I want is for you to be around again
To make it alright
Photographs of me and you. I have spread across my bed
I never got to tall you all the things I should have said
Now it's too late. I took too long
Thought you knew the way I was feeling I guess that I was wrong
Standing by the window rain coming down, down, down
All I want is for you to be around again
Every day I miss you more and I try not to cry
Never thought our love could ever die, oh why
Every day I miss you more and I try not to cry
Never thought our love would ever die in vain
Memories of what we had come back time after time
I'd give the whole world just to make you mine again
Standing by the window rain pouring down, down, down
Through your love, a heartache's all I've found
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12. |
In The End
04:57
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Listen, on the rooftop, sounds like rain
She watches through her window made of glass
Counting every drop on the window pane
She bides her time and prays to a silent God
Look, in the green grass, blooms a rose
Reminding her of days been and gone
Days when life was special, times she's lost
And will she have the strength to carry on
The dreams she dreams of bright white angels
They take her from the earth
She soars the clouds her thoughts behind her
No more life in a constant nightmare
But when she wakes they're gone, and life goes on
And old clock on the wall slowly ticks away
But time no longer grips her in its jaws
Wiping back a tear falling down her face
She knows it's there but can't recall the cause
Pictures tainted yellow, days gone by
She looks back on the years, her thoughts askew
Where once familiar faces met her eyes
Strangers have replaced the ones she knew
The dreams she dreams of bright white angels
They take her from the earth
She soars the clouds her thoughts behind her
No more life in a constant nightmare
But when she awakes, they're gone, and another day rolls on
When she wakes they're gone, and life goes on
She slowly wakes in darkness, but sees the light
All fear is gone, a smile is her response
The old clock ticks, she has no more tears to cry
She sees the gate, she knows the bridge to cross
The dreams she dreams of bright white angels
They take her from the earth
She soars the clouds her thoughts behind her
No more life in a constant nightmare
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credits
released November 1, 2021
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Dale's House Productions
©2021 Aerik Watson/Dark Crane Media
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Dale's House Productions
©2021 Aerik Watson/Dark Crane Media
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about
Aerik Watson Renfrew, Ontario
Singer/Songwriter from the Ottawa Valley.
