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Optimist Breakfast

by Dean Batten

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1.
I don't want for nothing And Nothing don't want me Subconscious is a blender Mixes new things constantly Will make mind deliver Pull out from the bone Take me to the river Where I can try to find my own It's a feeling I remember With a wistful twist of eye Tell me, who among us don't fear death And thinks they really feel alive? Dreaming after something Trying to make it real Plant your feet in something, you can You can really feel Can't account for style, But you can take it to the bank Trade it in for something you can use For name and rank And you know you best remember How to look them in the eye Saying, "If you do not fear your death, then you just Really ain't alive." No matter how big the building, It's just a matter of time You know these things only happen One brick at a time A memory on a postcard That you let behind So that you could not remember Injuries from former lives Knowing that it's correct to fear death, but need not Fear to be alive So go be alive
2.
3.
Now grandma's gone to better things And I think I am afraid of things I haven't been believing I can hear your wisdom now, ma Like the quiet sounds of sewing Let it stitch me back together like a song While domiciles and suicides are passing through my mind I got a couple letters to send my love And a ladder to climb Twenty-five years old, my God, How has it run this long? "I even wear my trousers rolled," says Eliot Sojourners in a foreign land That wording has it right Four hundred years of toil will pass by night And fade into daylight While domiciles and suicides are passing through my mind I got a couple letters to send my love And a ladder to climb While domiciles and suicides are passing through my mind I got a couple letters to send my love And a ladder to climb
4.
It's a hard way to go out, Ol' Roger McClain After Molly died, there wasn't much to do Dusted her picture on the handmade shelf That hung above His Velcro shoes Watched the sunbeams Come down like water Before the rainfalls Each June afternoon It made his eyes leak Though there's no need to speak He just smiled And knew night would come soon Humming "Aye di-die die die do…" He'd walk the whole neighborhood From noon until three Every Sunday, said he liked the heat Ol' Roger McClean had worms in his brain That'd been there since 1968 They taught him to fly planes And how not to complain Then his family and friends did the same Now the lawn's overgrown And the kids never phone But he walks with a smile on his face Humming "Aye di-die die die do…" "Molly, I feel so alone now, But I think I may finally understand. It's a wonderful sunset this evening And I watched it with your wedding band. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow There's nothing I'm afraid to leave behind Don't talk much; me, John and Linda, But it seems them and the grandkids are fine. I miss you a bit more each morning And miss you bit less every night Wherever you are, I will find you, Until then, it seems everything Is mostly alright I've been humming that old song you sang me Though I don't know the words or the name But the company of melody's welcome And it helps me to steady my aim "Aye di-die die die do…"
5.
Praying 03:36
Dropping out, swing south, my Lord Swing low, don't go away from me In my mouth, hang sounds, sweet, Lord Sounds strong and deep, but not bellowing Will you show me light When I'm stuck in night These bonds are tight and I'm struggling It gets so puzzling Trying to reconcile It all Big full moon, too soon, my Lord Too fast a ride for not listening Highway sounds, downtown, midnight I'm fine; in fact, I'm glistening Will you show me light When I'm stuck in night These bonds are tight and I'm struggling It gets so puzzling Trying to reconcile It all Will you show me how Yes, and I mean now To live without this struggling It gets so puzzling Trying to reconcile It all
6.
Oh, sweet Virginia, Don't you shut it off, yet I'm half as high as I've ever been Just trying to catch my breath Oh, pretty lady, please, now Don't you go away But if you must, then there ain't no rush I'll be here waiting Until sweet Virginia comes again Outside the kitchen door, It's crickets singing Some music half as sweet as the gift you're bringing I'm praying, "Lord, I hope she's here to stay, For corn whiskey and home-made wine Where the angel's bathing To make sweet Virginia come again" That full moon's bright And we've got nowhere to go We can make it right here at home If you'd just come sit in my kitchen I'll show you what you've been missing You'll forget why you got gone I'll make sweet Virginia come again
7.
Dennis 06:52
The television's on The phone is off the hook Through the cigarettes and coke Don't know where to look You were in school when mama died Lord knows how your mama tried Even if she failed at certain times She did her best to raise you right Father, father, where are you going? Do not walk so fast If you leave now, your little boy, Your little boy will be lost Little boy is lost Dennis, I'm glad that you survived Human folks are hard and mean At-the-time or so-it-seemed The only way to make it clean Shoot for other pastures green Blew a line and grabbed the grip One way out now, let a rip .38 Special didn't slip But also didn't do the trick Dennis, I'm glad that you survived Stuttered speech still erudite Shivers home alone at night Through the muzzle flash, he saw the light Walking now is complicated Not what he anticipated But he found the strength, so so can I So can I Life is beautiful, life is meaningful, life is difficult But that's the Point It's not the peak you seek to find It's where you go along the climb Along the climb Dennis, I'm glad that you survived
8.
Ira 02:15
John-boat out on the Chesapeake bay Flat bottom filling from the rolling waves Grab that bucket, baby, and bail away We gotta go find Ira My friend Ira was a hell of a man He had my back in Afghanistan He was the Butch Cassidy to my Sundance Baby, we gotta go find Ira We came back, just a couple of boys That fastback Ford was his favorite toy He was a heartbreaker, his mama’s pride and joy Baby, we gotta go find Ira Yesterday morning she was flat as a lake Storm rolled in, waves began to break He was driving for Eastville from a day at the Cape Baby we gotta go find Ira All we found was a bumper and lights Sinking in the water in the middle of the night I grabbed that bumper and I held on tight Baby, I’m gonna go find Ira First, things got dark and then things got bright There were golden gates and angels in flight Then a platoon of angels all moved to the side And there was standing Ira Then I fell back down, like a stick on a knife A couple EMTs were there saving my life I’d never been so glad to see flashing lights I screamed, “Baby, I just saw Ira!”
9.
It can be a cell, or it can be a throne room It's all just as well, when Babylon's a bridegroom And my Magdelena shudders, my lover may never recover From the beauty and the horror That burns like the Seraphim wonder Or a man thrown into the sun You think, "what the hell, throw in with the lowly" That name rang a bell, time will take us slowly And my Magdelena shudders, my lover may never recover From the beauty and the horror That burns like the Seraphim wonder Or a man thrown into the sun Watch the sun come up, child You can see him shimmer That faithful glimmer coming with the dawn Nonesuch hoary wisdom Can prevent this damage Or seize full advantage For whatever side you're on And my Magdelena shudders, my lover may never recover From the beauty and the horror That burns like the Seraphim wonder Or a man thrown into the sun
10.
Mama always told me Honey, use your judgment good Try to make the smart decision Don’t go acting like some hood But I would never listen No matter how my mama tried And now I’m just a grease spot Somewhere out I-95 I got that motorcycle for about 2000 cash Black Honda 750, she could go just like a flash From the minute I rode her up, my mama prayed I wouldn’t crash But I didn’t see the box truck 'Til it was too late to pass Aunt Florence sat down with me While I was passing through About twenty-nine months later On a national solo cruise From Vegas through to Wytheville With a bag of Cali grass She could smell it on me rolling up And hollered, “Boy, you watch your ass!” “‘Cause if you can’t be good, be careful” And “it’s only illegal if you get caught” “There ain’t no shame in being honest, So don’t pretend you’re something that you’re not”
11.
He stormed out the front door, Went to catch a ride He stormed out the front door, Went to catch a ride Well, Lorena threw the bottle, He woke up on the other side The rain was coming down now, Gee, what a surprise The rain was coming down now, Gee, what a surprise Well, it's bound to cast a shadow With a cloud about this size Saw him with his thumb out, Offered him a lift Saw him with his thumb out, Offered him a lift I asked, "Where are you headed?" He said, "Mostly, I just drift." "Pour yourself some coffee, There's a thermos on the floor." "Pour yourself some coffee, man, There's a thermos on the floor." He climbed in, and said "Thank you," Had some trouble with the door He said he got out of prison When he said he got back from the war He said he got out of prison Same time he said he got back from the war Then he said, "Lorena's married, But her ol' man knows she whores." We rode on in silence For a quarter of an hour We rode on in silence For a quarter of an hour Then he said he'd like to change things But he didn't have the power Some folks you just can't help, too much, Can you? Doesn't mean it hurts to even try Sometimes, man, the best thing you can offer Is something warm to drink And someplace to get dry
12.
A break in the clouds above me With light pouring in A red-feather hawk I'm kin to him You open the door "Ah, you again" Say, "It's so good to see you! Would you like to come in?" A wind on the freeway shatters And engines combust A fragment of memory still burns through the dust I saw their car Through all that orange They said, "It's so good to see you. Would you like to come in?" Awake in the morning, breathless My throat all closed off The birds are all chirping, when I Start to cough Your eyes squint Tight Then open wide To the morning light I'm by your side You lift the sheet And crack that grin Say, "It's so good to see you! Would you like to come in?"

about

After "Aries", Dean arrived at a very important period of self-reflection, inner-healing and unavoidable growth.

Out of that came the decision to stop hyper-analyzing his work to try and win cool points with indie kids, and just write whatever he felt like writing in the moment and accept that he likes what he likes.
The result was the list of possible songs for "Optimist Breakfast", a big bag full of different styles and influences all comingling and gelling together like disastrous metaphysical chili.

Motorcycles, cannabis (only where legal, of course), the sad tired eyes of defeated old men, the desperate low moan rifling through every American landscape as the future takes it's vicious hold on the neck of the already-dying American Dream, a piercing harmonica reflecting off the mountain trees and empty highways like the cries of a broken-hearted woman; all this swirled together into the series of folk-rock and country-rock vignettes Dean sings across this album.

credits

released April 29, 2023

This album is comprised entirely of live takes. A little better than half of it was recorded at Kent Wells Productions on Music Row with engineer Kevin Willis, and the rest was recorded alone in Dean's home studio in Florida.
All songs written, performed and produced by Dean Batten
Mixed by Dean Batten
Mastered by Michael Mattice II in Los Angeles, California
First 1000 CD run printed by Atomic Disc in Salem, Oregon
Cover art designed by Dean Batten
Released on Raised Eden Records

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Dean Batten Daytona Beach, Florida

Often genre-bending, thought provoking and emotion stoking, Dean Batten's music is most concretely one thing: captivating.

Moving forward from his previous work, Dean has re-embraced the folk, early rock and country sounds of his childhood with 3 new albums: "Optimist Breakfast", an acoustic album; "Pessimist Lunch", a full band version with the same songs; and "Realist Supper", a live album.
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