​
Mara recorded every track on this album from their walk-in closet in DC in 2006, using only instruments that they play (or beat box). The result is an album that sounds less like top-40 radio, and more like a reflection of Mara's varied musical interests. Many background vocals were arranged to mimic vocal groups from the '40s and '50s; bass parts run the gamut from simple bluegrass to actual countermelodies; improvised trumpet and vocal parts join open voicings of common chords to add elements of jazz; old and new voicings and sounds combine to give the album a complex and very human range and diversity.
WHAT ARE YOU?
TRACK LIST
(click to see lyrics!)
1. Intro
2. Drink It Down
3. Change My Mind
4. Homo Song
5. I Get By
6. I'll Smile
7. Jesse James
8. Sing to the Moon
9. She Went to Pick Flowers
10. Let Me
11. Soft of Your Skin
12. Sweet On You
13. Angelina
14. Time Goes
WHAT ARE YOU?
ALBUM CREDITS
Written, Produced, Performed, and Arranged by Mara Levi
Mixed by Mark Alan Miller
Slaughterhouse Recording Studio
Mastered by Jeff Lipton, Peerless Mastering, Boston, MA
Assistant Mastering Engineer, Jessica Thompson
© 2006, Mara Levi
1. Intro
When I see you smile
I become a walking day dream
Oh and how I wonder what you are
2. Drink It Down
My life played on TV would star Halle Berry, Angelina
My life, plain as it seems, it is full of drama, so uncommon
So far, far from the rest, being so austere creates some fear
So alone, swallowed and gone, so I know the safety of the bottle
We swallow the fear 'cause it's all that we hear
And we don't know what else to say
Chorus:
So we drink it down, we drink it down
We know what we're frightened of and oh brother, this is the one
I learn all that I need from my trusted sources, world reports
And I know, I've seen it all, I've seen every angle, it's no fandango
Believe all that you read, trust your neighbor's motives or send some votives
Believe no matter what, 'cause you'll never know 'less they tell you so
​
And they slide us the truth like a bottle of brew
And we don't know what else to say
​
Chorus
We don't know whose truth it is, but oh brother, this is the one
Don't fear the dread disease, they've got every license so trust in science
And if they let you down, it was lack of funding, misunderstanding
But this, this, this is the one, this will never fail to cure what ails you
Relax, just drink it down, open up those lips for once last sip
And they slide us the cure like a shot, clean and pure
And we don't know what else to say
​
Chorus
We don't know who measured it, but oh brother, this is the one
Oh the truth, it eludes us
Attitudes us, it confuses
In confusion we don't know what to do
With our attitudes
We don't know it confounds us, we think we control it all
​
And they slide us the truth like the new Absolut
And we don't know what else to say
Chorus
We don't know whose truth it is, but oh brother, this is the one
This is the one
3. Change My Mind
I can always change my mind
I can always improvise
I am thrilled you came to see
I am thrilled but I can't see
I can live without regret
I can live but not just yet
I am only seventeen
I am only seventeen
And all the leaves will fall
All the leaves will fall
All the leaves will fall away
Winter is here again
I've been aiming a little high
I've been aiming far too wide
This is only for a while
This will only last a while
​
This is all they've got to give
This is all, but it can't miss
I am ready for the fall
I am ready for the fall
And all the leaves will fall
All the leaves will fall
All the leaves will fall away, will fall away.
Already on your own two feet
Your own two feet, your own two feet
He is but a spy, he is but a spy
She told you to lie
We'll save you again if you ask us to
Nothing more for free
Nothing but the leaves
Falling down
4. Homo Song
Dear old Mrs. So and So,
I thought I'd call and let you know
Your daughter is a big HOMO
And she's lying next to me
She came here of her own volition
No doubt wasting her tuition
Still it's true and now you're wishin'
She weren't here with me
She's been acting out this way
Since long before the fateful day
I brought her home so she could stay
Lying next to me
No matter how you sulk and fret
It's only girls that make her wet
And since it's true, well you can bet
She's lying next to me
Dear old Mr.. So and So,
I thought I'd call and let you know
Your daughter is a big HOMO
And she's lying next to me
She loves you still, she always will
But you can't fix her with a pill
Or try to take away the thrill
Of lying next to me
She wants your love and your respect
But if you push, she'll push right back
'Cause she's got friends and you've got JACK
If you don't let her be
For the apple of your eye
There must be something you can try
'Cause I can't stand to see her cry
Lying next to me
Dear old Mrs. So and So,
Just call her up and let her know
She can be a big HOMO
And you'll still love her so.
5. I Get By
How will you remember me
Will you even remember me
Am I only a memory
Am I a sinking stone, oh
I take these memories, all jumbled words
and mysteries and
I just try to get by, yeah, I just try to get by
You say it's wisdom, I say
It's healing bruises, it's just
Caution and apathy and
Dramatic flair, oh
I take these bruises with me hoping
time is all they need and
I just try to get by, yeah, I just try to get by
Chorus:
And I get by, yeah, I get by
With a mournful sigh , I get by
Oh, I get by
You ask what moves me, I say
The eyes, they move me but it's
Otherwise emptiness
And dramatic flair, oh
I take this emptiness, I add a
rhyme and chorus and I
Just try to get by, yeah, I just try to get by
You ask what moves me, I say
It's always the eyes
You want to know what scares me
It's the fear of being left behind
You want to know what makes me laugh
It's being taken by surprise
You want to know what makes me cry?
Everything. Everything makes me cry.
6. I'll Smile
It's like I've searched my face
Only to find each line in the wrong place
Apparently the mirror has cracked
And now it seems it's, now it seems it's, now it seems it's stabbing back
It's a long time past
But the reflection stays the same
And try as I might I just can't get the scenery to change
So come draw the curtains tight
It's time I told my secret, time I told my secret
You smiled, you smiled, you smiled
Every time you smiled
I used to think I'd be all right
But now my next few tomorrows
They don't seem so, they don't seem so, they don't seem so bright
Maybe later, maybe later
We'll piece it all together
Maybe later, maybe later
We'll figure this out
But for now every step, every sip, every slant I take the longer I feel from heaven
So come draw the curtains tight
It's time I told my secret, time I told my secret
I'll smile, I'll smile, I'll smile
Trust me when I say that it doesn't mean a thing
Now that happiness has lost its sting
And now the sun has set
Casting shadows where it once was, shadows where it once was light
And I'll smile, I'll smile, I'll smile
Not even my best smile can make it all right
7. Jesse James
Oh I'm a man of legend and the tales they tell are tall
I'll be riding into your town before night
I may not be the wisest but my team won't let me down
We will find a way to take it all
Prechorus:
Try to catch me, I don't care
I'll be riding high
I'm the reigning outlaw and you'll never tie me down
These loose associations get me by
You'll see that I know nothing if you try
My seasoned team of outlaws will come right through your front door
We don't let the daylight slow us down
Nobody dares question a man with a smoking gun
And no one dares mess with Texas anymore
Prechorus
Chorus:
We will rob you blind as sure as we're able
We will rob you blind and leave you no trace
In this life of ours, baby don't nothin' come for free
Unless you're riding with me
Well if you live in fear, hey I'm the only one to blame
Fear won't save your hide when I ride through
No fear is but a weapon meant to weaken your resolve
Meant to make you swing my way when they call my name
Prechorus
Chorus
​
8. Sing to the Moon
You see, people have come, people have opened everything
You say people become what they have feared and focused on
Here it is, you have me all to yourself
All to yourself, nobody else
What would your fears say to sell
If everyone else did as well
Chorus:
You sing to the moon
You sing out of tune
Do you know how lucky you are
The pleasure is mine
But baby in time
I will wither and wander away
I will wither and wander away
You see, people have stayed, drunk from our jokes and atmosphere
You say people just stayed because their habits already formed
Here it is you have me all to yourself
All to yourself, nobody else
We could be perfect this time
Frequently I play the mime
Chorus
And the jokes will come, and the beer will flow
And the puppets will dance when they're told
And everyone leaving will smile in their turn
And this story will never grow old
Places people have gone give them their shapes and storytales
But when people have gone you have your thoughts and weaknesses
Here it is you have me all to yourself
All to yourself, nobody else
We could be perfect this time
Frequently I play the mime
Chorus
​
​
9. She Went to Pick Flowers
She went to pick flowers by the ocean this morning
And now she's sailing away
She must have seen something that you could not give her
To leave without a goodbye
She had told you that love is the land where you live
And the flowers that grow by the shore
So you bought her the shor
You said now it is yours, we can rent those old houses to pay
Now all the ocean and flowers belong just to you
She had whispered of days when the land was all flowers
And everyone's yard had a few
You smiled, amused by her simplistic dreams
And you explained about haves and have nots
You said, "child, this world is made up so if you really want it
You just pull yourself up and it's yours!"
One day she went to the shore for her flowers
And someone had picked them all bare
You went and you saw all your tenants were laughing
The flowers all wrapped through their hair
In your anger you tore all the flowers away shouting,
"these were not planted for you!"
And you carried them back and you planted again
So her flowers would grow by the spring
She went to pick flowers by the ocean this morning
And now she's sailing away
She saw all the tenants were boarding a ship
For a land that had flowers to spare
She took them her flowers and boarded the ship, saying
"I never wanted to own these
I never wanted to take them from you
I dreamt of a land where the flowers grew freely
Enough so we all had a few"
10. Let Me
I wanted to be younger, she said that's the price you pay
I wanted to be under, but over came my way
Everyone's a skeptic 'til there's proof
Babe, don't you want to see what I can do
You don't need another if you take the time that's there
She said I can make you wonder how you got so unprepared
Time is only relative these days
The faster it goes by, the more she stays
Chorus:
I can be so strong and get so low
I can barely breathe
I know I'll be overcome if you'll
Take these moments and let me love you
We suffer to be stronger, but it looks so out of style
To play it any longer, we'd be fools a longer while
Stronger isn't sweeter than the truth
The truth is, I'd do anything for you
So open up your arms babe, and let me kiss you sweet and long
I will give you reason to sing another song
I've been standing taller all this time
Guilty of such captivating crimes
Chorus
So take it to the bridge, babe, and let me see what you can do
We just struck it rich, babe, and it's only half past two
Take me for a ride, I'll be holding on
Waiting just to let it all be fine
11. Soft of Your Skin
Til you wake up, I will lay here quiet
I will not be any louder than the soft of your skin
While you're sleeping, I can feel you breathing
Dreaming of another day beneath the soft of your skin
Oh, the days are years
Time an anchor, comfort all we need to know
How do you know
When do soft and sweet become forever more?
I can count them, greater than one hundred
Ways that I have loved to see you through the soft of your skin
I am yours dear, simply and completely
Though my words may falter, never doubt the love that I'm in
Soft of your skin
Mmmmm
If you heard me singing soft and gently
Would you sing as sweetly, offering the soft of your skin
12. Sweet On You
I am sweet, sweet, sweet on you honey
I spend all my time thinking of you
You are all I need to be happy
It's a long long way back home
It's been years since I left Cleveland
I spend all my days on the run
I spend all my nights dreaming of your big brown eyes
But I just can't quit what I've begun
Chorus
It's a lonesome life for certain
There's very little time spent in the sun
And I'd come home to you in an instant
But I just can't quit what I've begun
Chorus
Bridge:
We can make it on the run we can make it for a while baby while baby
Don't you ever wanna drive baby, drive baby
Don't you ever wanna fly
We can make it on the run maybe just a little high baby, high baby
Don't you ever wanna cry baby, cry baby
Just a far cry from home
Chorus
I love to think of you when I'm drifting off to sleep
We spend every night together in my dreams
Maybe someday you will join me as I ramble through this world
Baby nothing sounds more perfect to me
We could sing the whole day through, we could stop at every mile
We could see this world through one another's eyes
Baby hit the road with me, and make all my dreams come true
I'll have no more lonely miles or empty sighs
Bridge
Chorus (2x)
​
13. Angelina
They say the more you give, the more you get
They say never hide emotions, they say love is all you need
And so for you dear, for you
My unconstrained devotion:
I saw you for the first time at the movies three years ago
I felt like we connected
I know I'm a lot like you
I loved the way you looked at me - I mean, right into my eyes
That shows a lot of confidence
Made me feel like we were alone
And I know someday soon, you will write back to one of my letters
And you know that I meant every word that I wrote
Yeah you can take your time and I will wait, I will wait for you
Don't worry pretty angel, I will not give up that fast
Chorus:
Angelina, you're my queen-ah
And it's obscene-ah
That we still haven't met
It'll happen, you can bet
And it'll be the best day yet
I guess you didn't see me at CVS the other day
It must have been my new haircut
I know, it's really short
I hope you know that I admire all the good will work you do
I'm studying international relations so I can be a little more like you
You know ever since I saw you I have been like a new person
Yeah you are all I think about and I've got to see you again
And I know you think Brad is cute, and Billy Bob has cool tattoos
But I know I'm the one for you, yeah I know I'm the one
Chorus
We can play with my tea set
We can ride off in your jet
I will buy for you a pet
Please don't let it get wet
Or we'll have to go to the vet
If you hit the ball into the net
I will surely give you a let
I can't believe we haven't met
Chorus
​
14. Time Goes
Tiny yards all in races all in rows
Heavy cards we'll remember no refrain from our favorite rhyme
These dreams seem to take their time
Oh, time
Chorus:
Time goes, it passes
And emptiness, it fades
But who will it wipe away
Tiny boats slipping softly out to sea
Heavy loads only anchor us in spite of our drifting ways
They pull us to where we will stay
Oh, stay
Chorus
And pulls us to our doors oh, our door
Chorus
And wither we will wander as
Time goes, it passes
Time goes, it passes
And it pulls us to where we will stay
Oh, stay
Time goes, it passes
Time goes, it passes
Time goes, it passes
Time goes.