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Waiting for God to Turn on the Lights

by The Lower Aetna

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1.
I'm Ready if You're Ready 03:04
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If we make it to Miami Will you promise you’ll get clean? I hid the oxy in the kitchen I hid the booze in tubes of sunscreen. If we drive down from Philly We can drive the Overseas Bet there’s a mansion by the water Bet there’s a poison on the breeze But I’m ready if you’re ready If you’re tired of playing steady I’m ready if you’re ready If we make it to the New Year Can you promise we'll stay in? Those parties always end in darkness The mornings takes like gin Tell your sister I still love her And I wish her all the best Remember when she picked my tie? Remember she held your dress? Yeah, I’m ready if you’re ready If you’re feeling that unsteady I’m ready if you’re ready I'm ready if you're ready If I’m holding on to phantoms If it’s just a quid pro quo I’m ready if you’re ready Take my hand Then let it go When you found this I knew it was something you'd never leave I know you need to know how deep the rabbit hole goes You wear you dissatisfaction with me On your sleeve So I’m ready if you’re ready I’m ready if you’re ready I’m ready if you’re ready I'm ready if you're ready I'm ready if you're ready I'm ready if you're ready I'm ready if you're ready to leave
2.
Dallas 03:03
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Been following a man from Federal Way He reads the numbers, tells us what they say And they say, “Tonight, we’re going to Dallas.” And they say “Tonight, it’s going down in Dallas.” They’re all gonna drown in the flood from the storm By the grace of Jesus Christ 174 But first, tonight, the storms starts in Dallas But first, tonight, we thunder in Dallas The Rolling Stones in the Cotton Bowl Elvis in a mask on the keys Michael Jackson macking at the microphone It’s everything I want, it never leaves And my husband’s right here beside me And my children call every night They all say “I’m sorry,” they all say, “You’re right” It starts tonight Thought they’d cut off the bloodline in a fiery crash Now he’ll rise like a phoenix through the smoke and the ash Yeah tonight, he’ll cast off his ballast It goes down tonight, but first we take Dallas And I can’t turn back, I can’t turn back I believe enough, he’s coming back I can’t turn back, I can’t turn back I believe too much, he’s coming back The Clintons starved of their adrenochrome Obama going wobbly in the knees All the jackboots marching to my megaphone It’s everything I want, it’s what I need And my husband’s right here beside me And my children call me every night They all say, “I’m sorry,” they all say, “You were right” In Dallas, it all starts tonight Yeah in Dallas, they’ll all see the light
3.
Voicemail From Dad 03:11
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I know it’s getting harder to take her calls I understand if you can’t answer Remember back when you were young? I’d break out the acoustic, and you’d dance to “Tiny Dancer” From Madman Across the Water There’s madmen in your mother’s ear I know it’s getting harder to take her calls I love you, son. Happy New Year. It's tough when your love’s so far away I think your mom's just going through a phase And you gotta protect yourself Don’t let her daydreams become your hell Still figuring out just who you are To some extent, I am too She might not make it out for Easter this year But I hope you know she’s proud of you. And you’ll never be alone You’ll always have a home I’ve watched you grow Conquer your fears You are always welcome here How was your weekend on the mountain? Did Knute ever find his keys? I can help with out rent Or if there’s anything else you might need When you’re superman for making dinner When you’re little man’s stuck to you like glue It’s a lot easier, in a way. I’ve always tried to do right by you. And remember what I said Traverse each road to each road’s end And you’ll never be alone You’ll always have a home I’ve watched you grow Conquer your fears You are always welcome here I love you son. Happy new year.
4.
Just Let Me Know 03:42
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If I told you I believed you Would it snap you out of this? Would a memory of who I was Chase away your darkness? If I promised that it’d be okay Would you take me at my word? Or are you too lost in the place you found To unhear what you’ve heard? Because I’ve been a little tangled up in the vines You were always out of reach, I was never on your mind But you know I loved you with all my soul Are we young? Is there still time? Or are we standing on a mine? Just let me know Then let me go If I wrote a song for you Would it change how you hear my voice? Would my words whisper you softly Into making a different choice? If I took your heart and held it again At the center of my own Would it change what you believe right now? Would you know what I've always known? Because I see the darkness set on your mind You were always searching out for something you’d never find But you know I loved you with all my soul Are we young? Is there still time? Or are we standing on a mine? Just let me know Then let me go Maybe I never gave you all of me Maybe you never gave me all of you But the parts of me that’d leave with you They're true Maybe I never gave you all of me Maybe you never gave me all of you But the parts of me that’d leave with you They're true
5.
Pink Concrete 03:09
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Florida stinks like cigs and flowers Casino dwellers and aimless hours It’s rarely sweet, it's never sour… It’s been a while since I’ve been home Confront me in the hotel room Step outside to take a smoke You thought coming here would change my mind? Is that supposed to be a joke? Confront me in the hotel room Try to tell me what to believe This is going to end in tears tonight Storm clouds on the pink concrete Because I... I’ve done the research I see what’s coming You got a couple little links? Think you’re better than me? You’ve got nothing. So take the kids, but leave the mouse Leave the modem, take the house There’s so much you’ll just never know Handed straight down from God’s throne Tunnels under Central Park Spirit cooking for oligarchs What I’ve seen will come to pass Till then, we’re through the looking glass From Palm Beach to the MCC From Travelgate to 2016 From the South Side to guillotine Soon we’ll all be free Because I’ve seen… The documents I know the rituals I know what they do to kids So this is unconditional Because it’s all a big web And you’d never believe who’s right at the nexus So you can go to hell I’m going to Texas
6.
Qanon Mom 03:28
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Left home a few months ago Bought a camper and car, headed out on the road Might go to school, might try to get a job I just don’t wanna end up another working slob I can’t sleep, something’s wrong Going through life with a Qanon Mom I can’t sleep, it’s a time bomb Just going through my life with a Qanon Mom Go to the mountain, we do some drugs Hanging out with Knute, yeah, I'm pounding mugs Chatting up the chicks from Manayunk I hear her ringing in my pocket, I just can’t pick up “Is that right?” “Sounds wrong.” Give it everything I got to ground my Qanon Mom Memories of Elton John Now I’m trying to get by with a Qanon Mom “Is that right?” “Sounds wrong.” Give it everything I got to ground my Qanon Mom Memories of Elton John Now I’m trying to get by with a Qanon Mom Bloodsoaked daydreams, she sends me links I try to tell her, but she doesn’t care what I think There’s a terror when lay my head down at night Oh god, oh god, what if she’s right? I can’t sleep, something’s wrong Going through life with a Qanon Mom “Is that right?” “Sounds wrong.” Give it everything I got to ground my Qanon Mom I can’t sleep, something’s wrong Going through life with a Qanon Mom “Is that right?” “Sounds wrong.” Give it everything I got…
7.
Whatever's Left 04:01
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I’ve tried it all Modeling better behavior Pleading with our lord and savior Being sweet to try to curry favor Talking all the good things God gave her I’ve tried outright confrontation Quiet, gentle conversation Hostile negotiation Now just I avoid the entire situation Hey Dad, I hope you’re taking care of yourself That’s a lot for one man I’d be there if I could I hope you understand Been thinking about you almost every night Heard you’re taking a trip I might come back when your back Think I’d like to visit But until then, just keep running Do what you do And be the man who you are Keep the stars in your sky I’ll keep your heart in my heart Don’t ever ask yourself “Is this all my fault?” You want my advice? Just try to ride the wave And don’t waste yourself saving Whatever’s left to save Some people just go their own ways And you can’t love them back Told me she might go to Dallas after Miami Say’s she’s following some guy she trusts, but I don’t know When you see pedophiles in every shadow Satanists at every turn It’s a dark place to be But I think you gotta let her go Cause I love her too But she’s just gonna do Whatever she wants to do When I think of you, Dad You’re an acoustic guitar You’re a campfire song You’re a night full of stars Don’t ever let me hear you ask yourself “Is this all my fault?” You want my advice? Don’t take this to your grave And don’t waste yourself saving Whatever’s left to save Some people just go their own ways And you can’t love them back You just hope they come back
8.
Johnson Covered Bridge No. 28 03:39
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Waking up alone again There’s a full cup of water on the table by your side of the bed Keeping it out of my head The few minutes I get before it invades again And I wait for the morning to pass And I wait for the nighttime to settle Then I think about you, lost down rabbit holes And I think of the kids, how I lost all control And I’m holding back every tear Like the dams in Potter County I’d give anything to bring you here But I know that you’re gone Called your sister on the phone the other day It was good to hear her voice, don’t know what I hoped she’d say I know it’s not just a phase Just wish I understood how everything got this way I wait for the sun to go down And I wait for the night to burn holes in the sky Then I think about you, and the journey you’re on If I could’ve stopped it when it started coming on And I’m holding back every tear Like the South Fork Dam I’d give anything to bring you here But I know you’re gone Tonight I'm going for a ride Out past the ridge Gonna walk in the starlight At the Johnson Covered Bridge I’ll tell myself you’ll remember What you love the most That you’ll come home from Dallas And give up the ghost There’s a full cup of water By your side of the bed It just sits there, collecting dust It just sits there, collecting dust
9.
Patriots 03:40
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The FBI and the CIA The MSM and JFK I caught a cab down to DC Gonna show this country what it needs to see Felt them calling my name when I read thread “The patriots are ready to die” it said “The patriots are not gonna take this shit” “We’re draining the swamp of these hypocrites.” We ripped off the dome, said “Can you hear us now?” We thundered in Dallas, but he didn’t come out We were sleeping in tents, not making a sound Heard it in my soul when the shots rang out You know, I found the oxys after the car crash I found a bottle of booze under our son’s bed The kids left and after it was all a disaster I pointed them both at my head I told my husband I found something special Told him to get the fuck ready for rock and roll He shuddered and after it all was a disaster But now patriots are in control Yeah, the patriots are in control Oh, I just wanna feel somebody, something Oh, I just want feel your heart beating next to mine Oh, I just want to feel somebody, something I’m so tired of feeling this darkness inside all the time So tired of waiting for God to turn the lights Night after night Always dreamed there’d be more to life Always thought it'd be a little easier to try But it's starting to feel… It's starting to feel… Yeah, it's starting to feel like I might not be right And now the patriots are ready to die
10.
Coming Home 04:16
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Soon, we’ll scatter like the ashes of a burning flag Wait for the bus with a duffle bag No parents want their hatchlings to fly the nest No child knows to number the ways they’re blessed We forgive with silence and avert our eyes Keep getting up, we try and try Does the future sculpt you into someone new? Or sand you down to the real you? What you chase, will chase you until your last lights dim Until it's got you in the palm of its hand She makes the bed, and she keeps the peace She mops the floor and cleans the sheets Turned the world from dark to light With bedtime stories, and a dinosaur night light The house smells like cinnamon in December We get older, it’s harder to remember Are we building something that'll last forever? Or just walking a little while together? What you chase, will chase you till your last night falls Til it’s got you all on it’s own Mom, are you coming home? Mom, are you coming home? Making coffee Singing songs Building Legos Elton John Soccer practice Fresh cut lawns Birthday dinners Stashing bongs Ice cream cake Drag down fights Sandy towels Sleepless nights Unwrapped presents Dads advice Counting stars Summer skies “Ask your mother” “Watch your tone” “You’ll understand When you have kids of your own” Live together Die alone Chasing rabbits Coming home

about

Mass online radicalization is a relatively new phenomenon, and it's one I think we still don't quite know how to confront. Plenty has been studied about the dangers spending too much time online—the dangers of dopamine-driven feedback loops, the dangers of echo chambers, the dangers of being willing to believe too much. But how these dangers can impact, disrupt, or even come to devastate entire families is something entirely different, and in my view, woefully under-discussed.

Waiting for God to Turn on the Lights tells the story of a fictional suburban family whose mother absconds reality in favor of a dark digital fantasy world—namely, the deranged Qanon conspiracy theory. As she descends further and further down the rabbit hole, the songs, which are written from the perspective of different fictional family members, trace the psychological and emotional toll that her journey exacts from those who love her most.

My hope is that these songs can be a contribution, in their own small way. In the end, Waiting for God to Turn on the Lights isn't a record about conspiracy theories and the internet; it's a record about a particular strain of heartache that now unites millions of families who've had to confront this phenomenon.

If that's you, I hope you find something of value in these stories, even if it's just the knowledge that you're not alone.

-Dylan

credits

released November 4, 2022

Dylan Gallimore - vocals, guitar, bass, piano, synthesizer
Brian Miller - guitar, piano, synthesizer
Wil Schade - piano, synthesizer
Rich Straub - drums
David Bartler - guitars
Kayla Rae Molocznik - vocals
Matias Van Order Gonzalez - additional percussion

All songs written by Dylan Gallimore
Mixed by Richie DeVon
Mastered by Tom Conran, True Level Studio

Cover photo by bedfordtowers
Cover design by Karlee Dean

Recorded in FDR Park, on Pier 68, in Dylan's Kitchen, in Dave's home studio, at Kenny and Angela's Jim Thorpe chalet, and Headroom Studios.

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The Lower Aetna Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

tunes for tailgating the end of the empire · debut record coming fall 2022

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