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Ten Years Without Rami Holding

by Cheap City

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  • Full Digital Discography

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of BLUE DANCERS, Ten Years Without Rami Holding, Radio Edit / Cue Ball Club, Skyscrapers, Stompin' at the Swamp, Junkluggers, Tanked for Jupiter (Live), Tanked for Jupiter, and 6 more. , and , .

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  • TEN YEARS ON CASSETTE
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  • TEN YEARS WITHOUT RAMI HOLDING (LIVE) LATHE 7"
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Lathe cut recording of TEN YEARS WITHOUT RAMI HOLDING, live in studio. Recorded at Leesta Vall in Brooklyn, NY. Limited to ONE COPY.

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  • F-STOP (LIVE) LATHE 7"
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Lathe cut recording of F-STOP, live in studio. Recorded at Leesta Vall in Brooklyn, NY. Limited to ONE COPY.

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1.
2.
Between six people they shared three rooms And kept the windows closed because of toxic fumes They worked all day and they worked until first sunlight But once the weekend came, they owned the air of the Saturday night Yeah baby This is movement therapy Nothing left to do once it all looks the same Yeah baby This is freak out therapy No pictures left to take once it all looks the same The fringes are everything The center is irrelevant The way that you look tonight Is oh so decadent I feel exquisite But take it as a testament The way that I feel tonight Is so damn irrelevant “Yeah,” he danced and he screamed and he said, “I won’t live past thirty But at least I’ve got three floral shirts and I own five suits I spent my last paycheck on my eighth pair of shoes” Yeah baby This is movement therapy Nothing left to do once it all looks the same Yeah baby This is freak out therapy No pictures left to take once it all looks the same And then they drove away. Off into Saturday night The posse seeking retribution, which was their due. It was their right.
3.
So I scrimped And I saved And I scrimped And I saved Now I’m lost among the alleys I used to know And I don’t recognize the places I used to go Took my time Paid my dues Did the work Followed through I didn’t stand for any bullshit but I never picked A fight without good reason but now tonight I can’t help but stop and wonder if maybe I Made all the wrong decisions since nothing looks the same Here I am Once again Here I am Once again I am running through the streets that I used to love We got lost in endless daydreams and fantasies of Perpetual motion with no sense of shame Here I am and nothing looks the same There was me and there was Ivy And there was Craig and there was Ruth And there was the three of them all lost In morning hangovers of youth And there I was just trying to be clear Trying to explain what I’d done for the past ten years So they change the subject quick, cause they know can’t relate And so I’m silent and I’m pensive as I watch them celebrate I’m ten steps removed from notions of the truth I’m ten steps removed from old pictures of me and you I’m ten years removed I’m ten years removed
4.
Drag Race 01:52
Okay first time racers, when the flag goes down, you will be scared. Engines? Check. Headlights? Check. Lipstick? Check. Leggings? Check. Drag race. Okay second round is coming up. Drag race. I used to dream about being someone else Couldn’t look in the mirror. Couldn’t look at myself. Until I learned to drive and then I learned to steer And then I learned I wasn’t broken I was genderqueer You know I’m not a man and you know I’m not a girl Gotta put the pedal to the metal when that flag unfurls It’s the look in my eyes. It’s the makeup on my face. I was born for drag and I was born to race. Drag race.
5.
F-Stop 03:00 video
This is my national anthem, that I’m singing to myself as I walk to the cross town bus This is my national anthem, and it’s scratched into the seats of the cross town bus This is my national anthem, that I’m singing to myself as I walk past the guy selling fifty cent pomegranates but I gotta say no thanks cause the last time I cut one it bled into the shape of my old neighborhood and I’m just on the roof reading oversized books. If you see me in hell, you can cast a spell This is her personal shopper - you can tell it by the X’s in her eyes. If you see me in hell, you can cast a spell It’s not that I don’t need it. It’s just that I don’t want it.
6.
Disconnect Stop to think Chew the fat Sip the drink Fantasize And dramatize Energize Idealize Fall in love on Monday, make a stranger on Tuesday Quit your shitty job and get a new one by Wednesday Thursday coin a phrase and call it 4 AM stubble Friday write a journal, call it I LOVE TROUBLE Disconnect Stop to think Chew the fat Sip the drink Reconnect Big regret Reorganize Outstanding debts It’s not that I don’t need it. It’s just that I don’t want it. First I was sad Then I was crazy Then I got sick Now I’m just… Disconnect Stop to think Chew the fat Sip the drink Fantasize And dramatize Energize Idealize Stress nap cannonball - whatcha gonna do Everyone’s blue prints gonna come for you Make a detailed schedule then throw it in the trash Everyones seams are gonna come unglued It’s not that I don’t need it. It’s just that I don’t want it. First I was sad Then I was crazy Then I got sick Now I’m just… Disconnect Stop to think Chew the fat Sip the drink Reconnect And absolve Compromise And then devolve It’s not that I don’t need it. It’s just that I don’t want it. It’s not that I don’t need it. It’s just that I don’t want it.
7.
Ivy Cochran 02:57
I want to call in sick. I want to break my lease I want to drive until I run out of gas I don’t want directions, I don’t want to ask I don’t want jobs, I don’t want cash Just leave me by the roadside Send me out with the riptide I wash up on the seaside At least I can go for a bike ride But the air is full of pesticides My sink pours mostly fluoride I try to write but I’m tongue-tied I need fresh air but I stay inside I never knew that I never knew I’ve got nothing I can cut into We all know what we’ve all been through But I want to leave here The band is hot but they just can’t groove Eyes bloodshot and my heart’s been bruised Leave the club and hit the bricks Doesn’t all the drywall make you sick? Yeah! Sharp edges have now been smoothed Eyes bloodshot and my heart’s been bruised Lots been developed but unimproved So I want to leave here too Strip mall carries me Glowing light so clean Worker drawn to queen This all looks the same Frame on copied frame Like a moth to flame The band is hot but they just can’t groove Eyes bloodshot and my heart’s been bruised Leave the club and hit the bricks Doesn’t all the drywall make you sick? Yeah! My friends are all gone cause they’ve all been moved Eyes bloodshot and my heart’s been bruised Lots been developed but unimproved So I want to leave here too I never knew that I never knew I’ve got nothing I can cut into We all know what we’ve all been through But I want to leave here And break some glass, topple some regime Get lost in someone’s far fetched dream Rip through a screen, I want to scream: The band is hot but they just can’t groove Eyes bloodshot and my heart’s been bruised Leave the club and hit the bricks Doesn’t all the drywall make you sick? Yeah! Sharp edges have now been smoothed Eyes bloodshot and my heart’s been bruised Lots been developed but unimproved So I want to leave here too
8.
My new hotel has a coffin for a bed And double down pillows to rest my head Will you still remember what I said? It’s tricky getting in and it’s tricky getting out It’s tricky when you think that you know what it’s about It’s tricky when the plan is to lock the doors And then it’s really tricky when they come back and ask for more Never really thought about where you’d be Once you spent about a decade on the scene Was it really all that you thought you’d see Data points just start to look plots of cemeteries My new hotel has a coffin for a bed And double down pillows to rest my head Will you still remember what I said? Yeah the scene is set. The curtain’s drawn You can’t tell if its sunset or it’s dawn The carpets now are freshly laid The body’s still warm, it’s from yesterday Yeah you gotta study all the rules and you do it by the book You gotta do it and make sure that you don’t look like a crook You feel like an anchor, like a piece of lead You triple check your pulse to make sure you’re not dead Call the front desk and check out of your head Leave a tip for the cleaners on the table by the bed My new hotel has a coffin for a bed And double down pillows to rest my head Will you still remember what I said?
9.
I was downtown, near 65 ½ Third Street. I was feeling confused. I mean I wasn’t confused about where I was but I was feeling confused about who I was. I thought to myself, “Here I am in this city full of freaks dancing and chomping on licorice. They all know who they are and what they want and I can’t seem to figure it out.” So I called Ivy and she said, “Let’s go for a midnight walk at the graveyard.” So on my way over there I walked past 32 Second Street, and some bands were playing a house show. I poked my head inside. I didn’t show up here just to float around I’m gonna look up at the sky and plant my feet on the ground I don’t mind if I’m another useless piece of history cause I just want to dive head first into an endless mystery “Interesting,” I thought, “I’m gonna think more about that later.” I met Ivy at the Cemetery Gates. She said, “Dead people don’t have to think. You could learn a lot from them.” I thought to myself, “That’s not helpful.” We wandered amongst the tombstones with only the light of the full moon to guide us. I came across the grave for Moe Sampson, which said, “Struck by a meteorite, but died of cancer.” Before I could think too hard about that we walked past a sign that said “Straight ahead for the 36th annual meeting of the Cheap City Gravedigger’s Choral Union,” and off in the distance, this is what we heard: The singers were standing in a giant circle and they were all holding shovels. They raised the shovels into the air and started swinging them around above their heads like little helicopters. Ivy said, “We should leave these weirdos alone. They’re having a good time.” So I told her about the bands playing down the street. I didn’t show up here just to float around I’m gonna look up at the sky and plant my feet on the ground I don’t mind if I’m another useless piece of history cause I just want to dive head first into an endless mystery I don’t mind if I’m another useless piece of history cause I just want to dive head first into an endless mystery
10.
Hogstown Tub 03:32
This hurts like all hell but it feels so good to be alive He winked and smiled to the congregation I crawled on my hands and knees for ten whole years and now I think that I’ve finally arrived I’m not a sinner tonight But if you need a good fight Stick ‘em up if you got guts son I’m feeling good I didn’t do what I should I’ve broken my own rules But I don’t feel like a bad guy I guess it’s why I feel so cold inside Am I dead? I’m delirious and bleary-eyed I’m out of sight in an all night drive I feel so damn alive You can judge me all you want but I won’t apologize for nothing He said to the courthouse reporters And then he unclenched his fists and then he blew a kiss to the crowds of his supporters I ain’t no loser baby But I’m no winner, maybe But now you’re driving me crazy I’m feeling good I didn’t do what I should I’ve broken my own rules But I don’t feel like a bad guy I guess it’s why I feel so cold inside Am I dead? I’m delirious and bleary-eyed I’m out of sight in an all night drive I feel so damn alive Well you can hang me out to dry But I’ll just sing with all the birds and fishes I make my luck I’ve got no wishes So you can’t judge me, no no no Leave me dreaming out in the pasture I’ve got no God and I’ve got no rapture I’ve got no moral compass to capture I’m just an all night stressed out fracture It’s been ten years now, following the rules I’ve been bad but I ain’t been cruel Forget everything that I learned in school You can see it by my scars and you can see it in my eyes Well, I guess that’s why I’m feeling good I didn’t do what I should I’ve broken my own rules But I don’t feel like a bad guy I guess it’s why I feel so cold inside Am I dead? I’m delirious and bleary-eyed I’m out of sight in an all night drive I feel so damn, I feel so damn, I feel so damn alive I guess it’s why I feel so cold inside Am I dead? I’m delirious and bleary-eyed I’m out of sight in an all night drive I feel so damn alive
11.
Maybe I’m thinking too much Maybe I need to close my eyes or Maybe my heart’s beating fast It’s beating right out of my skin Maybe I need a change of pace Maybe I need a different life or Maybe I messed this one up Or maybe I’m just bored of feeling I don’t want to be bored Anymore Tired of the same old streets And the same old faces And the same old town And the same old people I don’t want to be around And I want to be positive And I want to feel sane And I want to feel like a different person With a different name And I want my life to be more than just feeling bored
12.
I know that he hates me and I like it like that At least I think I do. Yeah I guess I like it like that. I think about thinking harder on this distance and all of that Tension between us and he likes it like that At least I think he does, but I never thought to ask So now we both pretend that we like it like that This all happened over by City Hall We sat on the benches that the mayor had just installed It’s not a debate or a fight or a punch It’s a stock market hotdog lunch So now we’re in the park and the dogs are off the leash And we’re just sitting in the park and we’re both staring at our feet And I try to find the words to say exactly how I feel So I just comment on the quality of this take out meal And I know that he paid because I’m broke and always will be And I wonder if our relationship just boils down to money It’s not a debate or a fight or a punch It’s a stock market hotdog lunch I chose to walk home and I took sixth street That’s where they race at night and something about how wide that street is always clears my head I whistled a little melody: The guy that I’m talking about worked in one of the nameless office buildings over on Rue Avenue. Last time I saw him he came to my gallery opening and scowled the whole time. It’s not a debate or a fight or a punch It’s a stock market hotdog lunch
13.
Flu Feelings 02:58
Last night back in town I stopped and listened to the sound Tried to stop thinking about the ground Outside the show is where it hit me The feeling that becomes a sniffle and then a sneeze And then you danced your way past me on a warm summer breeze Is where you drove us to the beach, waded in past your knees Said I’ll stay here with you until I start to freeze And looked into my eyes and The feeling that hits me like a new flu Thought we were okay but that’s not true No matter how I decide to make do I’m standing on the precipice without you I adjusted the focus until it was just right And I waited until we had the right light But once I saw the truth it gave me such a fright That I got the perfect picture while you said good night good night good night good night The feeling that hits me like a new flu When you don’t know you’re sick but that’s not true Hit like a ton of bricks once I saw you The gnawing in my heart just grew and grew and grew and grew and grew Somewhere else later on I took a picture backstage Something complex something simple something pretty and uncaged And I felt like Fern, she was standing on the right Forced to listen to these two ladies blather all night Last time I thought about your car It made me sick. I felt bizarre. I know I won’t get very far On thinking these Memories can center me Confuse me with thought debris Saw the city for the trees And made a plea That this is the last and final time I get nostalgic for your ride Your jokes, your smile hit me like a landslide But I’ve had enough It’s not appealing It’s left me reeling All these flu feelings

credits

released January 13, 2023

BASS / VOCALS - BRENDAN BLENDELL
DRUMS / PERCUSSION / VOCALS - CODY GAGEN
KEYBOARDS / GUITAR / VOCALS - CLOVER NAHABEDIAN
GUITAR / VOCALS - PAUL SCHMELZ

ALL MUSIC BY CHEAP CITY
LYRICS BY CLOVER NAHABEDIAN
ENGINEERED AND MIXED BY PAUL SCHMELZ
MASTERED BY JACK SHIRLEY AT ATOMIC GARDEN
ARTWORK FROM THE COLLECTION OF JASON UNTERREINER

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