Multiinstrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist influenced by ambient electronica, grunge, rock/pop, new wave, folk, and classical.
Stream/Buy | Discography | Lyrics |
Recorded in two weeks during July 2001 at CalTech Recording Studio in Pasadena, CA.
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Hierocliffics [2001] (17:57) 1. Forever Ago (2:15) 2. Pocket (4:06) 3. The Attic (1:11) 4. Underground (4:20) 5. August (2:26) 6. My Disguise (3:39) Amazon | iTunes | Spotify YouTube | LastFM | Discogs |
Album Notes
All songs written by Cliff Hays. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt Ashman. Hays played all guitars; performed lead/backup vocals on all tracks; played bass on tracks 1, 2, 4, and 5; drums on tracks 1, 2, and 5; piano on track 4; first tympani part and little black bells on track 6. Ashman played tamborine on track 1; did additional backup vocals on tracks 1, 2, 4, and 6; programming on track 4; drums on tracks 4 and 6; and second tympani part on track 6.
Song Lyrics from the album Hierocliffics
Forever Ago
When all that you know of everything
was brought by someone else
since forever ago when fortune reigned.
Take me back to that better world.
In the sea of light
I'll drown with you tonight.
Keep the dream alive.
One day it will take flight.
As far as you know, the way to be
depends on who's around.
You're high and then low, but never free.
Insane for lack of a better word.
I'll drown with you tonight.
Keep the dream alive.
One day it will take flight.
When all that you know of everything
was brought by someone else
since forever ago when fortune reigned.
Take me back to that better world.
In the sea of light
I'll drown with you tonight.
Keep the dream alive.
One day it will take flight.
As far as you know, the way to be
depends on who's around.
You're high and then low, but never free.
Insane for lack of a better word.
I'll drown with you tonight.
Keep the dream alive.
One day it will take flight.
Pocket
I wanted to be close to you.
But one day someone asked me
"Why are you so crazy for her?"
Maybe we could leave together.
Always you and me forever.
I thought I had you in my pocket for sure.(2x)
But you didn't wanna go away.
You didn't wanna go away.
You didn't wanna go so far away. So far away.
How can you talk to me so patiently?
You make me wanna ask you why
cuz you sometimes remind me of an
ancient cave with worn out witches:
home to all the superstitious.
But you didn't wanna go away.
You didn't wanna go away.
You didn't have to go so far away. So far away.
With a pocket full of money and a pocket full of time.
Got a pocket full of money and a pocket full of time on me.
I got a pocket full of change. In the summer it would shine.
Holding 27 pennies and a quarter and a dime on me.
I wanted to be close to you.
But one day someone asked me
"Why are you so crazy for her?"
Maybe we could leave together.
Always you and me forever.
I thought I had you in my pocket for sure.(2x)
But you didn't wanna go away.
You didn't wanna go away.
You didn't wanna go so far away. So far away.
How can you talk to me so patiently?
You make me wanna ask you why
cuz you sometimes remind me of an
ancient cave with worn out witches:
home to all the superstitious.
But you didn't wanna go away.
You didn't wanna go away.
You didn't have to go so far away. So far away.
With a pocket full of money and a pocket full of time.
Got a pocket full of money and a pocket full of time on me.
I got a pocket full of change. In the summer it would shine.
Holding 27 pennies and a quarter and a dime on me.
The Attic
Don't be so sporadic.
Get your head out of the attic.
Can't you see what's going on?
And I'm always waving my hands to you to "hi".
But there's something that's confusing me. Just one thing.
Why everybody wants to grab a rope and pull the sun down.(2x)
Why does everybody wanna grab a rope and pull the sun down?
Don't be so sporadic.
Get your head out of the attic.
Can't you see what's going on?
And I'm always waving my hands to you to "hi".
But there's something that's confusing me. Just one thing.
Why everybody wants to grab a rope and pull the sun down.(2x)
Why does everybody wanna grab a rope and pull the sun down?
Underground
Winter time under fallen snow.
It's over now there's nowhere to go.
So I'm waiting underground.
Summer time and the days are long.
I'd break the earth but I'm not that strong.
So I'm waiting underground. Underground.
But why? I haven't been gone all that long.
There's so much I can do when I'm underground.
I can think about everyone,
and how all of the people are overground
but they don't even notice the sun.
Underground.(4x)
Winter time under fallen snow.
It's over now there's nowhere to go.
So I'm waiting underground.
Summer time and the days are long.
I'd break the earth but I'm not that strong.
So I'm waiting underground. Underground.
But why? I haven't been gone all that long.
There's so much I can do when I'm underground.
I can think about everyone,
and how all of the people are overground
but they don't even notice the sun.
Underground.(4x)
August
I'm just coming off 79
saying how I really wanna touch the sky.
I'm coming from the dark.
I'm just commenting on what it should be.
This is not an image of what I wanna be
but I'm coming from the dark.
I want more.(2x)
I don't wanna be the one coming from the dark.
I don't wanna see the door slam on your foot.
You wonder, am I falling? Yes I'm falling down.
I'm just coming off 79
saying how I really wanna touch the sky.
I'm coming from the dark.
I'm just commenting on what it should be.
This is not an image of what I wanna be
but I'm coming from the dark.
I want more.(2x)
I don't wanna be the one coming from the dark.
I don't wanna see the door slam on your foot.
You wonder, am I falling? Yes I'm falling down.
My Disguise
The water's in the sink.
Of course not literally water.
It's deeper than that.
And the sink is not a sink, but,
actually I think symbolic of my
entire life up to now, somehow. Somehow.
I shop at toys r us, somewhere a kid
can be a kid, no matter what their age.
Cuz I'm holding on to youth.
The sweet nostalgic memory of
endless summer days playing outside.
Asleep here, we'll rise with the tide in sunshine.
No fear. No reason to hide. You are mine.
If life were a maze, I'd be lost.
Cuz I don't know what's going on, for the most part.
And I'm wasting my time trying to
figure out what is so wrong with me.
Will only the strong survive?
Asleep here, we'll rise with the tide in sunshine.
No fear. No reason to hide. You are mine.
In a moment I'll go down the street
and attempt to make myself complete.
And maybe I'll walk away with something new.
Maybe a nice disguise.
Fake beard, glasses, and tie, you are my
secret, how I get inside, you are my
fake beard, glasses, and tie you are my...
simply, a way to hide, you are my disguise.
The water's in the sink.
Of course not literally water.
It's deeper than that.
And the sink is not a sink, but,
actually I think symbolic of my
entire life up to now, somehow. Somehow.
I shop at toys r us, somewhere a kid
can be a kid, no matter what their age.
Cuz I'm holding on to youth.
The sweet nostalgic memory of
endless summer days playing outside.
Asleep here, we'll rise with the tide in sunshine.
No fear. No reason to hide. You are mine.
If life were a maze, I'd be lost.
Cuz I don't know what's going on, for the most part.
And I'm wasting my time trying to
figure out what is so wrong with me.
Will only the strong survive?
Asleep here, we'll rise with the tide in sunshine.
No fear. No reason to hide. You are mine.
In a moment I'll go down the street
and attempt to make myself complete.
And maybe I'll walk away with something new.
Maybe a nice disguise.
Fake beard, glasses, and tie, you are my
secret, how I get inside, you are my
fake beard, glasses, and tie you are my...
simply, a way to hide, you are my disguise.