The Ataris Album

It was the first snow of the season
I can almost see you breathin
In the middle of that empty streetSometimes I still see myself
In that lonesome bedroom
Playin my guitar
And singing songs of hope
For a better futureLife is
Only
As good as the memories we make
And I'm taking back what belongs to me
Polaroids of classrooms unattended
These relics of remembrance
Are just like shipwrecks
Only theyre gone faster
Than the smell after it rainsLast night while everyone was sleepin
I drove through my old neighborhood
And resurrected memories from ashesWe said that we would never fit in
We were really just like them
Does rebellion ever make a differenceLife is
Only
As good as the memories we make
And im taking back what belongs to me
Polaroids of classrooms unattended
These relics of remembrance
Are just like shipwrecks
Only theyre gone faster
Than the smell after it rainsSo long astoria
I found a map to buried treasure
And even if we come home empty handed
Well still have our stories
Of battle scars, pirate ships and wounded hearts,
Broken bones, and all the best of friendshipsAnd when this hourglass
Has filtered out
Its final grain of sand
I raise my glass to the memories we had
This is my wish
This is my wish
Im takin back
Im takin them all back

On this coldest of January nights
We drive out past the runway and watch the planes go flying by
The runway lights are the deepest blue like the colors of your eyes
So close them tight and kiss me one last timeIf you could go anywhere right now
Where would you go?
And would you miss me when you get there?
There's no place that I would rather be
Please don't let me go falling from the sky
The "fasten seatbelt" sign just needs to go out
If only you could be right here by my side
Home wouldn't seem so far from herePassport, customs, carry on, remember
To shut off all of your electronic devices
Fell asleep on Tuesday woke up Monday afternoon
I slept right through your International Date LineIf you could go anywhere right now
Where would you go?
And would you miss me when you get there?
There's no place that I would rather be
Please don't let me go falling from the sky
The "fasten seatbelt" sign just needs to go out
If only you could be right here by my side
Home wouldn't seem so far from herePlease don't let me go falling from the sky
The "fasten seatbelt" sign just needs to go out
If only you could be right here by my side
Home wouldn't seem so far from here

Here in this diary,
I write you visions of my summer.
It was the best I ever had.
There were choruses and sing-alongs,
and that unspoken feeling
of knowing that right now is all that matters.
All the nights we stayed up talking
listening to 80's songs;
and quoting lines from all those movies that we love.
It still brings a smile to my face.
I guess when it comes down to it...

[Chorus]
Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up:
These are the best days of our lives.
The only thing that matters
is just following your heart
and eventually you'll finally get it right.

Breaking into hotel swimming pools,
and wreaking havoc on our world.
Hanging out at truck stops just to pass the time.
The black top's singing me to sleep.
Lighting fireworks in parking lots,
illuminate the blackest nights.
Cherry cokes under this moonlit summer sky.
2015 Riverside, it's time to say, "goodbye."
Get on the bus, it's time to go.

[Chorus]

Get it right [x2]

[Chorus x2]

I got your letter and the poetry you sent me
Postmarked in december of last year
I really hope you're doing better
All of your friends close by your side
One step closer to recoveryI wish there was something I could say
To erase each and every page that you've been through
Even though its not my place to save youI appreciate but can't accept this thank-you note
Thats sealed with your last breath
I won't stand aside and listen to you give upIf you'll just hold on for one more second
Just hold on to what you have
If you'll just hold on, just hold on
You will wake up tommorrowThese arms remain stretched out to you
Maybe someday you'll accept them
Or maybe its too late to save a young girls heart that's long stopped beatingWake up, wake up you've gotta believe
Wake up, wake up you cant give up
Time keeps going on without us
Long after we're dead and goneI wish there was something I could say
To erase each and every page
You've been through
Even though its not my place to save youI appreciate but can't accept this thank-you note
Thats sealed with your last breath
I won't stand aside and listen to you give upIf you'll just hold on for one more second
Just hold on to what you have
If you'll just hold on, just hold on
You will wake up tommorrow

If I died tomorrow
Would this song live on forever?
Here is myUnopened letter to a world
That never shall replyIf I died tomorrow
Would this song live on forever?
Here is myUnopened letter to a world
That never shall replyNever shall reply
From this second story window
I can hear the church bells calling out my name
This table is set for one
Even angels would be homesick
In this forsaken townOn random notes of parchment
I'm scrawling my existence
Dressed in whiteThis candle radiates throughout the night
And it's never burning outNever burning outFrom this second story window
I can hear the children down on main street
They're singing their songs tonightIn the shadows I will listen to their every movementMr. Higginson am I not good enough for the world?Am I destined only to die
The same way that I lived,
In seclusion?But high up on this mountain
I can almost see your lonely window sillThey'll carry you off tonightThere's a ghost in your old bedroom
And a candle burning brightIf I die tomorrow
Will this song live on forever?

Only two more days, until your birthday
Yesterday was mine
You'll be turning five
I know what it's like, growing up without your father in your life
So I pretend, I'm doing all I can
And I hope someday you'll find it in your heartTo understand
Why I'm not around
And forgive me for not being in your lifeI remember waiting
For you to come
Remember waiting
For you to call
Remember waiting there to find nothing at all
I remember waiting
For you to come
Remember waiting
For you to call
Waiting there to find nothing at allMaybe someday
You really get to know me
Not just the letters read to you
I pray I get the chance
To make it up to you
We got a lot of catching up to doSo I pretend, I'm doing all I can
And hope someday you'll find it in your heartTo understand
Why I'm not around
And forgive me for not being in your lifeI remember waiting
For you to come
Remember waiting
For you to call
Remember waiting there to find nothing at all
I remember waiting
For you to come
Remember waiting
For you to call
Waiting there to find nothing at allForgive me!
I'm so sorry!
I will make it up to you....

Our last day of summer, 1979
Gotta live it up one time before it's over
We will make history tonight.Out at the drive-in
All of our closest friends, they will be sneaking in
You'll be spending the whole night
Trying eveything you can to get that girl to notice you."We Are the Champions" playing out on the radio station
Everyone sing along with these anthems of our generation.
Cruisin' down Pacific Coast Highway,
Put the top down, crawl into the back seat.
Let's create anthems of our own tonight.Down at the roller rink,
All the cool kids crowded around the air hockey table.
"Hey, my best friend likes you,"
I hear you shout at me as you go skating by."We Are the Champions" playing out on the radio station
Everyone sing along with these anthems of our generation.
Cruisin' down Pacific Coast Highway,
Put the top down, crawl into the back seat.
Let's create anthems of our own tonight.Sneak out of your window, darlin'
Let's live like outlaws, honey
We'll never look back.Climb out on this rooftop,
And stare at the city lights below us
This world belongs to us tonight
The kids will keep ragin' on-
And they ain't never gonna stop."We Are the Champions" playing out on the radio station
Everyone sing along with these anthems of our generation.
Cruisin' down Pacific Coast Highway,
Put the top down, crawl into the back seat.
Let's create anthems of our own tonight.

As I leave here today, apartment 108
I'll always keep you in my heart.
Anderson is cold tonight,
The leaves are scattered on the ground.
I miss the seasons,
And the comfort of your smile.Sometimes this all feels like a dream.
I'm waiting for someone to just wake me up,
From this life.As I look out at these fairgrounds,
I remember how our family split apart.
I don't think I ever told you,
But I know you always did your best.
And the hard times,
They only made us stronger.As I sit here all alone,
I wonder how I'm suppose to carry on when you're gone.
I'll never be the same without you,
I love you more then you will ever know.
So maybe now you finally know.
Sometimes we're helpless and alone,
But you can let it keep you weighted down.
You must go on.Do you ever feel like crying?
Do you ever feel like giving up?
I raise my hands up towards the sky,
I say this prayer for you tonight,
Because nothing is impossible.As I sit here all alone,
I wonder how I'm suppose to carry on when you're gone.
I'll never be the same without you,
I love you more then you will ever know.
So maybe now you finally know.
Sometimes we're helpless and alone,
But you can let it keep you weighted down.
You must go on.(The hardest part isn't finding what we need to be, it's being content with who we are.)Stay who you are.
You must go on.
Stay who you are. [x4]

Is this how it was intended?
The sunrise over smoke stacks in the Midwest, the beauty of this abandoned factory.
Christmas lights blinking on and off all out of time
In what used to be, your pink house dreams of a middle class America.
I'm trying to believe in you, but all these satellites and shattered dreams are blocking out my view.
Please don't forget who you really are, because nothing really matters when we're gone.Fell in love with his keno waitress.
They honeymooned in Memphis; they were married by the drive up window.
Trailer parks, neon signs, and an empty box of Lucky Strikes: all used up from the dashboard of America.
I'm trying to believe in you; this world sold its fate for parking lots and drunk sincerity.
Please don't forget who you really are, because nothing really matters when we're -
You'll be saddened to know the train tracks you once walked as a young boy are now nothing but a graveyard.
Please don't forget how small we really are, because nothing really matters when we're gone.

[Originally by Don Henley]

Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer's out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets
The sun goes down alone
I'm drivin' by your house
Though I know you're not at home

I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby
And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone

I never will forget those nights
I wonder if it was a dream
Remember how you made me crazy?
Remember how I made you scream
Now I don't understand what happened to our love
But baby when I get you back
I'm gonna show you what I'm made of

I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
I see you walkin' real slow and you're smilin' at everyone
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone

Out on the road today, I saw a BLACK FLAG sticker on a Cadillac
A little voice inside my head said, "Don't look back. You can never look back."
I thought I knew what love was
What did I know?
Those days are gone forever
I should just let them go but-

I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got that top pulled down and that radio on, baby
And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone

I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on, baby
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone

Meet me at midnight
At the broadcast tower
High above the hollywood sign
You bring your guitar and I'll bring my radio (radio)Everyone will come from miles around
To witness this beautiful site
We'll set bonfires and pretend its the 4th of JulyThis is the starting of a brand new revolution
Bite the hand that feeds
Stand up and fight against messages that they're sending
Stop their frequencyYou're always talkin' (its never ending)
It's about time that we turned off the radio
Call the request lines and tell them that it's over
You're always playin' all of the same songs
Over and over again
It's about time that we all turned off the radioWe'll listen to b-sides and sing along
To anthems of the years gone by
Integrity and honesty will prevail tonight
When it's all over (when it's all over)
One question still remains
Why do so many bands never make it to the radio?[chorus]Look outside your FM dial
They're preaching lies in 4/4 time
A generation without a voice
It's stripped of pride

30th of April, seems like yesterday.
We bought a house above the ocean
Where our kids could laugh and play.I called you from Paris
To tell you that I wrote our names on the observation deck
Of the Eiffel Tower.Remember those nights,
Playing "Summer wind" on the juke box of the bar we used to go.
We made out in the bathroom and you walked me to my house,
I tried to convince you not to go home.If only I had more time, I'd take you where you wanted to go.
Italy isn't the same without you here.
If only I had one wish, I'd want a million trillion lifetimes
That I could spend with you...
Fall in love with you again and again.1st of November, 1998.
I was thinking of what to say when I could call.
Denise come over to my house, cuz you're the one for me.
We'll drink cheap wine and watch more shooting stars.Remember our first apartment?
Our couch was never big enough for two.
Still, we'd fall asleep in eachother's arms and wake up on the floor.
Now looking back it was made for me and you.If only I had more time, I'd take you where you wanted to go.
Japan is really nice this time of year.
If only I had one wish, I'd want a million trillion lifetimes
That I could spend with you...
Fall in love with you again and again.If only I had more time...
England isn't the same without you here
If only I had one wish, I'd want a million trillion lifetimes
That I could spend with you...
Fall in love with you again and again.

These hospital walls are the palest of white
Here in this desert they're reciting my last rites
The smell of these halls
Brings temporary comfort
As the oxygen flows through my blood
El corazon was poisoned tonight...
She's on her eight of nine.When half of all your prayers are insincere,
The other half are lies.
Here is this watermark under this bridge.
The point where it all crested,
Rolled back and drifted into the sea.
I climb from this wreckage
As the smoke begins to clear from my lungs.
The closest of close calls has happened tonight.It's time that I made things right
For the first time,
Since the last time.
Let this moment of clarity
Lift this curse that has been cast upon me.Appreciate the good times,
But don't take the worst for granted.
'cause you only get so many second chances

Maybe I'm not ready for this, and you know it.
Maybe I'm too scared to tell you what I'm really thinking
It's not fair to stay together because of regrets we might have.
I don't want to fall asleep alone, but do I want to wake up with you?
I'm only trying to be completely honest.So I guess this is the ending or a beautiful mistake.
And if we both agree that we shouldn't be together why does it hurt so much?
I feel like I lost my closest friend.
I don't want to fall asleep alone, but do I want to wake up with you?
I hope you're happy and completely lonely.There I am standing all alone on Sydney Harbor Bridge.
And you know I would jump into the fucking ocean if it meant I was truly capable of being satisfied.
Well I ever be?
Did I just give up the best thing I ever had?I don't want to fall asleep alone, but do I want to wake up with you?
I hope you're happy and completely lonely.
I don't want to fall asleep alone, but do I want to wake up with you?
I'm only trying to be completely honest.