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Try to be Hopeful

by The Spook School

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Art Fin
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Art Fin Reminds me of the awesome Buzzcocks. Their music is upbeat and fun even when they are tackling serious subjects such as gender neutrality/equality. Music video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNkxOOIDcCQ Favorite track: Binary.
ooffii
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ooffii Got my album today, so fucking stoked!!! Aaaand did not know that I had stuff in common with bookkeeping! :-) All the tracks are killer but lyrically August 17th & Everybody Needs To Be In Love feel like they were written for me! Thanks you mega babes <3 See you in Brighton soon!
Conner DiPaolo
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Conner DiPaolo Speak When You're Spoken To is an awesome song; really powerful! I bought the album only for Burn Masculinity and Binary. Because those are the only ones open to free streaming I expected the other songs to be average or sub-par. That was not the case. Speak When Spoken is easily my favourite song in the album, and it's currently my favourite song that I listen to. It's really powerful. Buy the album! Favorite track: Speak When You're Spoken To.
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    Briefly out of print Try to be Hopeful is back on vinyl this time looking smooth with a classic black finish.

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1.
And I’ll never be, as strong as my mother / maybe, it’s just not on the male side / And I’ll never be as sensitive as my brother / It’s just not within me So I should burn burn burn burn... And I’ve got to accept that I’ve inherited a history / of persecution and abuse / And I’ve got to accept that I’m inheriting a privilege / that I should be aware of So I should, burn burn burn burn masculinity…what good has it ever done?  It made you think that you could go on insulting her / and then apologise when her boyfriend walks in / It makes us think that it’s okay to still have marriage / when there’s no way you can own a living being So we should, burn burn burn burn masculinity…there’s nothing it gives to us
2.
You tell your son / that when he's older / you’ll take him out chasing girls / He doesn’t understand / but he'll get there in the end / and the boys, the boys the boys the boys / will handle themselves We are invisible, in your Dick and Judy lives / so sit back down and open up your eyes / cos we are autonomous and we have desires / and I’m so sick of pretending that I am what you are And in school / they tell you / to pick a partner for the dance / Yeah, you, girl / Go ahead and pick a man and the girls, the girls the girls / will handle themselves And we don’t need you / to know that we exist / We’ll keep on going aaaaahhhhhh…..
3.
Friday Night 03:12
I'm dressed up at the bus stop hoping / that you're going to bail on me / I can't do it myself but it's not / where I want to be But if you knew how hard I'm pinching / maybe you'd believe me You're standing way too close to me / Don't take my disgust personally / You didn't hide yours well that day I / hid under the table You tell the truth so easily / You said, "I haven't got the energy" We weren't off to a brilliant start / when I didn't say hello; my heart / Was ricocheting off my ribs / like a bloody, pulsing pinball
4.
I dream of meeting boys in the rain / dreams of a boy at the back of my brain Oh boy you'll speak when you're spoken to / I’ve always dreamed of telling you what to do My voice never seems to break through / I'm always silent when I'm around you Scared of boys who only speak when they're spoken to / I've always dreamed of telling you what to do I'll throw my heart in your face / And you can put me back, back in my place You know I like it when you tell me what to do / I only speak, speak when I'm spoken to I've been waiting out in the rain / but my boy never seems to look my way Oh boy you'll speak when you're spoken to / I’ve always dreamed of telling you what to do Every boy just reminds me of you / And when they speak I dream of speaking to you Scared of boys who only speak when they're spoken to / I've always dreamed of telling you what to do
5.
August 17th 02:48
It’s weird how we equate fidelity with emotion / and we see jealousy as proof of devotion Just because you’re in love, doesn’t mean your heart is taken / I don’t want to split you up, even if I want to see you naked and maybe, we should just be friends / maybe, the world has got it right / but maybe, we’re doing the right thing / I know it feels pretty right, tonight And you’re so cool, the way you sit back and you discuss / her emotions and his emotions, without any need to fuss / about losing her attention, or not being the only one / if more people were like you, we’d be doing so well
6.
Sometimes i feel a bit lonely / and tv and books all tell me /it’s because i’m not in love with somebody and i’ve got a void deep inside me Everybody needs to be in love / it seems like i have to spend my life / trying to fill this hole inside my heart I remember when i first met you / the excitement built up inside me / I thought that you might be my somebody / we’d fall in love and i’d always be happy I’m not so sure i really think / we need true love / I think i’d rather have you as a friend / is that so wrong? You’ve been reading over every letter / and you say you’ll never get better / but it’s okay not to be in love
7.
My heart is a vicious machine / and didn’t I warn you a long long time ago / that my brain, isn’t as clean / as people would have you believe of me And I like you so much when you go away (i think about you all the time) / and I like you so much when you’re not around (i think about you all the time) / and the idea of you is better than what i have found (i think about you all the time) / but i’m even so i find that i think about you all the time And were you lying when we first met? / (it shouldn’t be so hard to say) / Or have you just stopped trying so hard? / (it shouldn’t be so hard to say) / But when I only see you now and again (it shouldn’t be so hard to say) / i think I might love you but it shouldn’t be this hard to say
8.
I want to kiss him / I want to kiss her / I want to run my fingers through your hair/ and hear you say you’ve never done this before / with someone like me / I want to run my fingers through your hair / and tell you that I’ve never done this before / with someone like you I wanna tell you / I wanna hear you So he wasn’t born that long ago / and the disciples weren’t organised / but if your god is valid why isn’t mine? / And if you close your eyes / we’ll still be dancing till the end of time Tell me that you’ve never felt like this before
9.
My body doesn't measure up / and I guess I'm just out of luck / But the future is another place Yeah, the future is another place And the teachers told me to act tough / but I was never tough enough / But the future is another place Yeah, the future is another place And no-one's gonna like me 'till the end But books and hooks and movements / They told me what I'm worth / They threw away the measure Cause it clearly didn't work / and I know they're gonna like me 'till the end
10.
Binary 03:15
You are not a computer / You are complex and undefined / So why let yourself be limited to binary desires?  To binary identities and binary ideals / Like switching on or switching off / choosing a bow-tie or high-heels But the world tells us  (01 01 01 01 01) / No we are not (01 01 01 01 01) Body or head not  (01 01 01 01 01) / Capacity for love not (01 01 01 01 01) So let it be complicated / and hard to understand / You know they would envy you / If they got their heads out of the sand / So make them uncomfortable / and challenge their ideals / because those antiquated notions / are blinding what is real I am bigger than a hexadecimal
11.
Sometimes i get so hopeful i make myself scared / that i will wake up and the hope will disappear Sometimes i see you clench your fists and close your eyes / like you’re dreading the same thing / like you’re saying your goodbyes I’ve been waiting outside for what seems like years / when i finally get inside I’ll give in to the fear of finally having what I want, I’ll finally know / if this really really will fix me / if my problems will all sail away and I know, you’ve been finding things hard / if you want to we can sit outside / and talk about anything else / and I know, you’ve been upset / I know i’m not the best, but i’ll try I’ll try, try to be hopeful / if you try, try to be hopeful (and we can be/the best people we could ever be)

credits

released October 9, 2015

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