Physical Answer
Physical Answer
(Ayarou)
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"Every physical object in the universe, regardless of size, is the concrete answer to a myriad of questions, 99.9 % of which have not yet even been dreamed of, much less formulated. Funky, unimaginable, and oozing, this little piece of plastic is no exception!"
An entirely new species of musical exploration emerges in Stephen Jay's Physical Answer. Spacious, crystal clear parts grow into surprising arrangements in an organic universe of co-catalytic, self creation. Oblivious to stylistic convention, this musical wilderness forms the perfect habitat for Jay's emergent, abstract lyrics. Here the listener is actively involved in the creation of meaning, as poetic ambiguity balances with spontaneous intent within an audio environment that tells the story. Music with a "mind of it's own", different every time. Fun, strange, cool grooves, brilliant playing, mesmerizing. Spare and open in production, Physical Answer begs the most intangible of questions.
Stephen Jay is a composer, bassist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist who explores common ground between world music and jazz/funk. His original music is bass-driven, innovative, exotic funk, blending world influenced polyrhythmic grooves with elements of Jazz, Rock, Roots, and Classical. His combinations of ethnic and modern instruments and styles result in unique, richly textured musical images.
WHAT THEY SAY
Who can put away what you don't do
Believe it's true, take what's coming
Can't imagine what you're going through
Re-livable dreams
Does it sound just like, what they told you?
Even though it's got to be in a word
It's got to be heard, when doubted
Can remember what the chances are
In one side and out the other again
Use second hands, some other plan
Does it sound just like, what they told you?
In one side and out the other again
Does it sound just like, what they told you?
Believe it's true, take what's coming
Isn't that just like, re-livable dreams
What they say, for nothing.
(Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
BAILED OUTSIDE Okay now I see it, I've got an offense on my tail And a whole lot less, than how the fabrics amaze Okay so I set it, on a feather to save myself Gonna take my time, on the fate of the day Same, double the same Bailed outside, in the time to say The same, double the same Bailed outside, in the time to say Now, get what you see from there Celebrate the one, to cover the moon An open platform, maybe not, anyway, same (Chorus) Go unfed, broken idols Something's got to be failing, out of the way Keep the fire, in your head One, trouble you feel from there Along the way, it may be no big deal Now, now that the coast is clear In the middle of believable dreams Go unfed, broken idols Something's got to be failing, out of the way On treading our thoughts away Keep the fire, no sign or scent of fate Probably lead somewhere Probably couldn't say nothing If I did, that Way, get what you see from there Opposite tranquilizer, couldn't human loan Now, seen from another place, couldn't remember The other side, leads somewhere Don't, we know, wild and scenic, diplomatic, anyway Opportune theater, in a way I'm amazed Perceive that and bailout, sub soul (Chorus) (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
TO BE YOU The Universe spoke And said I've got a plan for you A little something for you to do You've got to be you So I listened real close Who in the world could I ever be? That would be someone other than me I wondered what I'd see A lightning bolt broke With thunder and a tiny voice And said if you could be I'd let you be me If I could be you, and do what you do Know the things that you knew My dream would come true It said I'll give you one choice I won't give you two It won't make a difference to me The difference will be you On a long, long road And every inch a mile away See what you can do, just be you If you could be me And see what my eyes see And have some of my disability Maybe we'd agree, eventually You've got to be you Get to do the thing you do Get to do the things you do Make a wish and it's true Got to be you See through your point of view, to be you If I could be you, then you could be me And see what I see Could never disagree If you could be me But you've got to be you, you get to be you Get to do the things you do You've got to be you. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
RUNNING THRU THE FOREST I've been running through the forest I've been running through The branches and the trees I've been tromping through the woods With my boots and my jacket and my sleeves I've been streaking through the blizzard In the winter with the snow up to my knees I've been moving through the marshes And the swamps with the vermin and disease I've been busting through the thorns And the branches and the Manzanita leaves I've been taking every trail I've been given with a thank you and a please If I could figure out just what It is that I've been given Or better yet just who it is that I should thank Or why I always am the last one to know Just what'll happen When I'm filling in the blank I'd be flying through the clouds I'd be sitting in an empty window seat I'd be going where I wanted to be taken I'd be given what I need I'd be taking every bump with a smile Just as long as it was free I'd be hiding in the blankets I'd be making myself difficult to see I'd be looking for a Shaman Or a Guru, or some deity to please If I could find a God Who wouldn't try to tell me something Or one who wasn't something I made up myself And one who didn't sport a long beard and robe Or try to make like she was some kind of an elf But until then I'll be living through the hours and the minutes And the days and the weeks I'll be combing all the nooks and the crannies And the valleys and the peaks I'll be spinning in the bucket with the water And the Stirrer and the stick I'll be spending every minute that I'm in it Trying to see what makes it tick If I could find a way to keep From ever hitting something A way to keep from always Bouncing off the trees If I could slice into that big loaf of bread I might be in it but at least I wouldn't freeze up I could just stop, and set me down for a spell Have a nice little picnic, If I could somehow Slow all this running down to a crawl, maybe then I could see if there's anything more Than just random mutation And survival of the fittest As soon as possible spinning this Whole thing we call life around I might find some un-deity and he, or she Would care to dance, until then I'll be running through the forest in the mountains I'll be running through the woods I think I've got another minute on the trail So I'd better make it good I'll be tromping through the bush With my boots and my jacket and my sleeves I'll be swimming through the billabongs and marshes With the vermin and disease I'll be busting through the branches With my Llamas and Alpacas and their fleas Sometimes they can be so hard to handle But they're never hard to please. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
SO FAR Right now it's looking right back through a hole in the wall, opened a crack Not a sound, and not far away far away from what you see it somehow took Picked up the weight, put the weight all down Holding that's making one part of it So far, away, so far, from that Really something how it's nothing like that Over the wall, open in back Another sound that's not far away Far away from how it seems to somehow look And even when you're getting your cake Holding it back, making it, breaking it Taking it that far away from whatever it is So far, seems to somehow look, nothing like that So far, away, appears to somehow look, from that To somehow look, nothing like that, so far Okay, appears to somehow look, nothing like that So far, okay, it could, from that, nothing like that So far, away, so far, okay Appears to somehow look, nothing like that Odds are, so good, appears to somehow look Far away from how it seems to somehow look So far, it could, taking it that far away From whatever it is Appears to somehow look, nothing like that So Far, it's looking right back Through a hole in the wall From that, not a sound, and not far away Far away from what you see it somehow took Making one part of it So far, away. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
Broken String God bless this broken string It changes everything Thanks to this buzzing fret The closer my fingers get I'll play this busted string It could lead to anything That buzz can make it sing Jhawari ring Sunshine I'm looking at the night time sky Not wondering why I can see the proof staring me in the face Real time light coming through to my eye Makes sense it'd be just a little bit late But it's still right here and it's still right now And the dangling thing holds on somehow And the broken string can connect Sunshine, take your time God bless this broken string It changes everything Thanks to this buzzing fret The closer my fingers get I'll play this busted string It could lead to anything That buzz can make it sing Jhawari ring Take your time, sunshine (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
IF EVER If you ever were thinking Of stopping to think Where you never stopped before This may be what that's for If you ever imagined Imagining more Than you ever did before Might be hard to ignore If you were ever dreaming Of living a dream Or at least having that view Now's it's chance to come to true If you ever were thinking Of stopping to think It's a blessing that's for sure Might not be any more. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
CAN'T WAIT LONG I know you told me it would only be for a while You, making the way, that I could follow Still, you give me, no guarantee It's nothing but a gamble Except the way you try Can't wait long, can't hang on the wall Bring back to me, your smiling face I can't wait long, got no time at all Come back to me, again And when I told you it was only once in a while You, couldn't believe, but I guess now you know So, you tell me, what'll it be, a little more to suffer I can't begin to cry Can't wait long, can't hang on the wall Change everything, those names and places Can't hang on, got no time at all Come back to me, again Can't wait long, can't hang on the wall Bring back to me, your smiling face I can't wait long, got no time at all Come back to me, again Can't wait long, can't hang on the wall Change everything, those names and places Can't hang on, got no time at all Come back to me, again I know you told me it would only be for a while (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
FLOUR Don't even wonder Don't even wonder why Don't even need to know anything Or to even try In the background Or even a little bit more Don't need to know what I'm asking for It'll be there when I want some more It'll always be there It'll always be there It'll be there when I want some more If it makes a difference It's lost along the way Around here someplace There was a lot more to take What does it look for? What does it look for now? How does it see through the innocence More than evened out From a background Or even a little bit more Don't need to know what it's asking for It'll be here when it's ready for more It'll always be here It'll always be here It'll be here when it wants some more You never can tell What'll make the difference Has happen the same out of itself It'll make a difference But not the normal way Around here someplace There'll be one less to save (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
NOT THAT FAR Non-stop bitter end, a half heartbeat away Satellite singing, assuming the same Not like fate or change, all in one place Not that far away, not that far away yet Use up energy, moving in space Satellite silhouettes, leading the chase Not that far away, not that far away No more circling fence, it's out of our territory No more course of events Go along more than it takes All at the same time Seems no more far than away Minus philosophy, it's all the attention Jittery senses, assuming the same Non-stop bitter end, a half heartbeat away Satellite singing, assuming the same Not like fate or change, all in one place Not that far away, not that far away yet. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
PENDULUM SWING One thing, one of the sane perceptions bring Whatever made the pendulum swing Unfold with any certainty What isn't up entirely to fate is easy to swallow And given with a certain guarantee Nobody soaks up the sun for free Something that's not hard to believe Whenever the two line up the heat and the fire Moving in the opposite degree When you can see All of the two sided whole Made up just like it's center is hollow And I can understand why I sympathize and wonder With nothing on the inside What could make an empty bell ring? What fate, whatever scale the symptoms range One in the same preventions change Untold, at any certainty Along the way to find out The truth is easily guarded And going back exactly where it came Probably the number one complaint Full of surprises all the same And nothing has changed Unlike the hidden divider Go any direction is to change When they're the same Both of the few articles Inside outside of the ship in the bottle And that might not explain why, I sit and dream And wonder what's scattering the moon light What could make the pendulum swing? One thing (Music by J.S. Bach, Arrangement & Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
BAILED OUTSIDE Okay now I see it, I've got an offense on my tail And a whole lot less, than how the fabrics amaze Okay so I set it, on a feather to save myself Gonna take my time, on the fate of the day Same, double the same Bailed outside, in the time to say The same, double the same Bailed outside, in the time to say Now, get what you see from there Celebrate the one, to cover the moon An open platform, maybe not, anyway, same (Chorus) Go unfed, broken idols Something's got to be failing, out of the way Keep the fire, in your head One, trouble you feel from there Along the way, it may be no big deal Now, now that the coast is clear In the middle of believable dreams Go unfed, broken idols Something's got to be failing, out of the way On treading our thoughts away Keep the fire, no sign or scent of fate Probably lead somewhere Probably couldn't say nothing If I did, that Way, get what you see from there Opposite tranquilizer, couldn't human loan Now, seen from another place, couldn't remember The other side, leads somewhere Don't, we know, wild and scenic, diplomatic, anyway Opportune theater, in a way I'm amazed Perceive that and bailout, sub soul (Chorus) (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
TO BE YOU The Universe spoke And said I've got a plan for you A little something for you to do You've got to be you So I listened real close Who in the world could I ever be? That would be someone other than me I wondered what I'd see A lightning bolt broke With thunder and a tiny voice And said if you could be I'd let you be me If I could be you, and do what you do Know the things that you knew My dream would come true It said I'll give you one choice I won't give you two It won't make a difference to me The difference will be you On a long, long road And every inch a mile away See what you can do, just be you If you could be me And see what my eyes see And have some of my disability Maybe we'd agree, eventually You've got to be you Get to do the thing you do Get to do the things you do Make a wish and it's true Got to be you See through your point of view, to be you If I could be you, then you could be me And see what I see Could never disagree If you could be me But you've got to be you, you get to be you Get to do the things you do You've got to be you. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
RUNNING THRU THE FOREST I've been running through the forest I've been running through The branches and the trees I've been tromping through the woods With my boots and my jacket and my sleeves I've been streaking through the blizzard In the winter with the snow up to my knees I've been moving through the marshes And the swamps with the vermin and disease I've been busting through the thorns And the branches and the Manzanita leaves I've been taking every trail I've been given with a thank you and a please If I could figure out just what It is that I've been given Or better yet just who it is that I should thank Or why I always am the last one to know Just what'll happen When I'm filling in the blank I'd be flying through the clouds I'd be sitting in an empty window seat I'd be going where I wanted to be taken I'd be given what I need I'd be taking every bump with a smile Just as long as it was free I'd be hiding in the blankets I'd be making myself difficult to see I'd be looking for a Shaman Or a Guru, or some deity to please If I could find a God Who wouldn't try to tell me something Or one who wasn't something I made up myself And one who didn't sport a long beard and robe Or try to make like she was some kind of an elf But until then I'll be living through the hours and the minutes And the days and the weeks I'll be combing all the nooks and the crannies And the valleys and the peaks I'll be spinning in the bucket with the water And the Stirrer and the stick I'll be spending every minute that I'm in it Trying to see what makes it tick If I could find a way to keep From ever hitting something A way to keep from always Bouncing off the trees If I could slice into that big loaf of bread I might be in it but at least I wouldn't freeze up I could just stop, and set me down for a spell Have a nice little picnic, If I could somehow Slow all this running down to a crawl, maybe then I could see if there's anything more Than just random mutation And survival of the fittest As soon as possible spinning this Whole thing we call life around I might find some un-deity and he, or she Would care to dance, until then I'll be running through the forest in the mountains I'll be running through the woods I think I've got another minute on the trail So I'd better make it good I'll be tromping through the bush With my boots and my jacket and my sleeves I'll be swimming through the billabongs and marshes With the vermin and disease I'll be busting through the branches With my Llamas and Alpacas and their fleas Sometimes they can be so hard to handle But they're never hard to please. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
SO FAR Right now it's looking right back through a hole in the wall, opened a crack Not a sound, and not far away far away from what you see it somehow took Picked up the weight, put the weight all down Holding that's making one part of it So far, away, so far, from that Really something how it's nothing like that Over the wall, open in back Another sound that's not far away Far away from how it seems to somehow look And even when you're getting your cake Holding it back, making it, breaking it Taking it that far away from whatever it is So far, seems to somehow look, nothing like that So far, away, appears to somehow look, from that To somehow look, nothing like that, so far Okay, appears to somehow look, nothing like that So far, okay, it could, from that, nothing like that So far, away, so far, okay Appears to somehow look, nothing like that Odds are, so good, appears to somehow look Far away from how it seems to somehow look So far, it could, taking it that far away From whatever it is Appears to somehow look, nothing like that So Far, it's looking right back Through a hole in the wall From that, not a sound, and not far away Far away from what you see it somehow took Making one part of it So far, away. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
Broken String God bless this broken string It changes everything Thanks to this buzzing fret The closer my fingers get I'll play this busted string It could lead to anything That buzz can make it sing Jhawari ring Sunshine I'm looking at the night time sky Not wondering why I can see the proof staring me in the face Real time light coming through to my eye Makes sense it'd be just a little bit late But it's still right here and it's still right now And the dangling thing holds on somehow And the broken string can connect Sunshine, take your time God bless this broken string It changes everything Thanks to this buzzing fret The closer my fingers get I'll play this busted string It could lead to anything That buzz can make it sing Jhawari ring Take your time, sunshine (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
IF EVER If you ever were thinking Of stopping to think Where you never stopped before This may be what that's for If you ever imagined Imagining more Than you ever did before Might be hard to ignore If you were ever dreaming Of living a dream Or at least having that view Now's it's chance to come to true If you ever were thinking Of stopping to think It's a blessing that's for sure Might not be any more. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
CAN'T WAIT LONG I know you told me it would only be for a while You, making the way, that I could follow Still, you give me, no guarantee It's nothing but a gamble Except the way you try Can't wait long, can't hang on the wall Bring back to me, your smiling face I can't wait long, got no time at all Come back to me, again And when I told you it was only once in a while You, couldn't believe, but I guess now you know So, you tell me, what'll it be, a little more to suffer I can't begin to cry Can't wait long, can't hang on the wall Change everything, those names and places Can't hang on, got no time at all Come back to me, again Can't wait long, can't hang on the wall Bring back to me, your smiling face I can't wait long, got no time at all Come back to me, again Can't wait long, can't hang on the wall Change everything, those names and places Can't hang on, got no time at all Come back to me, again I know you told me it would only be for a while (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
FLOUR Don't even wonder Don't even wonder why Don't even need to know anything Or to even try In the background Or even a little bit more Don't need to know what I'm asking for It'll be there when I want some more It'll always be there It'll always be there It'll be there when I want some more If it makes a difference It's lost along the way Around here someplace There was a lot more to take What does it look for? What does it look for now? How does it see through the innocence More than evened out From a background Or even a little bit more Don't need to know what it's asking for It'll be here when it's ready for more It'll always be here It'll always be here It'll be here when it wants some more You never can tell What'll make the difference Has happen the same out of itself It'll make a difference But not the normal way Around here someplace There'll be one less to save (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
NOT THAT FAR Non-stop bitter end, a half heartbeat away Satellite singing, assuming the same Not like fate or change, all in one place Not that far away, not that far away yet Use up energy, moving in space Satellite silhouettes, leading the chase Not that far away, not that far away No more circling fence, it's out of our territory No more course of events Go along more than it takes All at the same time Seems no more far than away Minus philosophy, it's all the attention Jittery senses, assuming the same Non-stop bitter end, a half heartbeat away Satellite singing, assuming the same Not like fate or change, all in one place Not that far away, not that far away yet. (Music and Lyrics by Stephen Jay)
PENDULUM SWING One thing, one of the sane perceptions bring Whatever made the pendulum swing Unfold with any certainty What isn't up entirely to fate is easy to swallow And given with a certain guarantee Nobody soaks up the sun for free Something that's not hard to believe Whenever the two line up the heat and the fire Moving in the opposite degree When you can see All of the two sided whole Made up just like it's center is hollow And I can understand why I sympathize and wonder With nothing on the inside What could make an empty bell ring? What fate, whatever scale the symptoms range One in the same preventions change Untold, at any certainty Along the way to find out The truth is easily guarded And going back exactly where it came Probably the number one complaint Full of surprises all the same And nothing has changed Unlike the hidden divider Go any direction is to change When they're the same Both of the few articles Inside outside of the ship in the bottle And that might not explain why, I sit and dream And wonder what's scattering the moon light What could make the pendulum swing? One thing (Music by J.S. Bach, Arrangement & Lyrics by Stephen Jay)