That Was Zen, This Is Now by Craig Haller

The sun cracked a smile
It was endless summer for a while
Stoned like a ghost
Burning bright—delirious with hope

Standing at the edge of forever, baby
I really don't know what it's about
We're living our lives with our feet in the fire

Dancing to that jukebox heartbreak
It’s all a perfect mistake
A memory trapped inside of a song
That you remember when you’re singing along
To that jukebox heartbreak

I scroll through the dust
Where shiny metal turns to rust
The shadows rejoice
Silhouettes—delirious with joy

Everyone is some kind of crazy, baby
Let's wager the gift of desire
Life is a dream in a field of daisies

Singing with that jukebox heartbreak
Oh, what a perfect mistake
A memory trapped inside of a song
That you remember when you’re singing along
To that jukebox heartbreak

The battles we join
Are made up sides of a made-up coin
Just open your mind

Please just listen to that jukebox heartbreak
It’s all a perfect mistake
Just a memory trapped inside of a song
That we remember when we’re singing along
To that jukebox heartbreak

Wishful thinking has its place
And every dog has its day
The wishing well has cleaned me out
But it’s much too late to pray

Oh no, I hope it’s not the end of the road
Oh no, I sink like a stone
Tried to get to heaven
But it’s already closed
Aw shit

I tumble like a pair of dice
It’s snake eyes all the way
I need a taste of paradise
Before I fade away

Oh no, I hope it’s not the end of the road
Oh no, I sink like a stone
Tried to get to heaven
But it’s already closed
Aw shit

I laid a path of blood and tears
And tried to keep the faith
When I get lost I ask the dust
To point me the right way

Oh no, I hope it’s not the end of the road
Oh no, I sink like a stone
Tried to get to heaven
But it’s already closed
Aw shit

If God is love and love is blind
Then I'm not surprised he looks the other way
We're born to live, we live to die
So we fix our eyes on a world beyond the mind

It's beautiful - so beautiful
Beyond belief

The prophet profits on paradise
We're all in debt 'cause free will has a price
Spinning fiction - a world of lies
We seek redemption well beyond the mind

It's beautiful - so beautiful
Beyond belief

True beauty can’t be explained
It disappears when you give it a name
The more you reach, the further it gets
The sun rises and it sets without a home

Illuminate the shaded light
Contemplate the emptiness inside
If God is love and love is blind
Don't compromise the world inside your mind

It's beautiful - so beautiful
It's beautiful beyond belief

If you were a song, I’d sing along
Every word would keep me hanging on
Replaying endless on repeat
Over and over, I’d surrender to your melody

We’d take our time and do it right
Weather every storm that blows by
We’d take our time and do it right
I want to take my time with you

If you were the sea, I’d be a boat
Sailing across your picture-perfect glow
I’d risk it all to feel your waves
Carry me to the new horizons that await

We’d take our time and do it right
Weather every storm that blows by
We’d take our time and do it right
I want to take my time with you

When I look up at the blue sky, it gives me the blues
I notice all of the birds flying wherever they choose
That’s what I want to do

Gravity’s keeping me grounded - down on my knees
I wish that I could be boundless - so I could be free
Just flying with the breeze

Live like I mean it
Love like I need it
Fly with the seasons
And go where I please
If only I could fly

When I wake up in the morning, I gotta punch the clock
I listen to all the birds sing, and I sink like a rock
Oh, ‘cause I feel stuck

I want to burn like a Phoenix in the desert sun
And rise up from the ashes like a loaded gun
I’d show everyone

That I could live like I mean it
Love like I need it
Fly with the seasons
And go where I please
If only I could fly

Ooh, if only, if only I could fly
Ooh, if only, if only I could fly
Ooh, if only, if only I could fly
Ooh, if only, if only I could fly

Then I could live like I mean it
Love like I need it
Fly with the seasons
And go where I please
If only I could fly

When Virginia left Virginia, she headed to LA
She had a second cousin who had a place to stay
Pursued by shapeless shadows, she agonized her dreams
Halfway through Arizona, she wanted to retreat

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
She's on the run, so terrified
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
She's on the run

She ended up in Phoenix, the Valley of the Sun
She met a man named Manny, who hated everyone
His mind was like a riot powered by cocaine
The day he struck Virginia, she shot him in the face

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
She's on the run, so terrified
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
She's on the run

Run, Virginia, the law is closing in
Run, Virginia, while you can
Damn, Virginia, didn’t know you had it in ya
He had it coming, but it's time to disappear
Run, Virginia

Afraid of facing judgment, she fled to Santa Fe
Found redemption as an artist on a canvas full of rage
Sometimes she wakes up in a frenzy, haunted by the ghost
She knows there’s no forgiveness, just the punchline to a joke

Ooh - nowhere to hide
She's on the run, from what’s inside
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
But she's on the run
Run Virginia

No use pretending, it is what it is
One story ends as another begins
Collecting moments and building a home
A fragile house made of sticks and stones

Plan for the future - collect the past
Racing through the moment with your foot on the gas
Your heart is wounded - you took a chance
Time heals nothing, but you’d do it again

Cause a little bit, a little bit of heaven goes a long way

The world keeps spinning round
The world keeps spinning around around around
Time means nothing now
Cause we’re all alone in this together now

Embrace the silence, give it a voice
The world makes joy, the world makes noise
The empty spaces are filled with doubt
Alone in this together as we figure it out

You want the blessing but not the curse
You want the money, honey, but not the hurt
You want it all, babe, you want it now
Open your heart and pour it out

Cause a little bit, a little bit of heaven goes a long way

The world keeps spinning round
The world keeps spinning around around around
Time means nothing now
Cause we’re all alone in this together now

Wakey wakey, time to break the spell of solitude
You’ve been down so long the song is over, time to start anew

You can’t hold it back the flood is coming
To wash away the sands of time
You better learn to swim and keep on moving
You’re riding on a rising tide

It’s all alright - it’s all alright now

Nothing brings us closer than a blow of tragedy
The plan is fucked, we’re stuck, collapsed, calamity

We can rise above with love and kindness
And help each other off the ground
We need to learn to see without the blinders
What goes around comes around

It’s all alright - it’s all alright now
It’s all alright - it’s all alright
That was then, but this is now

Wakey wake, your brain is buzzing like a bumblebee
No one needs another comatose commodity

Don’t let your failures go to waste
Face the fears that bring you down
Release the tension that’s been mounting
It’s all gonna come back around

It’s all alright - it’s all alright now
It’s all alright - it’s all alright
That was then, but this is now

One-sided, two-sided, red-sided, blue
Distorting the truth with a blind point of view
You say you have the answer - I have to disagree, sir
You don’t know what you’re talking about

Distracted, protracted, outlandish disputes
You overreact with malicious refutes
It’s all a bit reductive, not a bit productive
No one cares how loud you can shout

Just say something true
It’s getting harder to break through
Say something true
Or better yet, say nothing at all (shh)

Left-sided, right-sided, blind-sided fools
Power is taken by breaking the rules
We need a new solution, a seismic revolution
Or maybe we’re too little too late

To say something true
It’s getting harder to break through
Say something true
Or better yet, say nothing at all
Better to say nothing at all
We’re all in this together, tethered by the weight of the world

One-sided, two-sided, red-sided, blue
We all sing along while ignoring the tune
A broken little whisper, fading like a picture
Burning in a flicker of light

Say something true
It’s getting harder to break through
Say something true
Or better yet, say nothing at all
Better to say nothing at all
We’re all in this together, tethered by the weight of the world

A string of silence
Vibrations in the dark
Slow and steady
You’re such a heavy heart

Tender when you surrender
But broken in between
A faded morning glory
Burned up in a sunbeam

Love’s a lie that tells the truth
A moment’s notice can be anything you choose
Don't let it hurt you, don't get upset
A moment’s notice is all you're gonna get

These aspirations
Will leave you wanting more
A tired purpose
Behind a closing door

A fruitless fabrication
A sentimental dream
Break out the crazy maybe
You can disappear with me

Love's the lie that tells the truth
A moment’s notice can be anything you choose
Don't let it hurt you, don't be upset
This moment’s notice is all you're gonna get

The stitches from your kisses left a mark
Memories of music in the dark
We did it right, but it turned out wrong
No, I’m not bitter, but it was time to say “so long”

I hope you know I wish you all the best
But we know nothing is cheaper than sentiment
Your name’s a broken heart

Now don't you come back knocking down my door
'cause I really don't wanna see your face anymore
The war is over - I called your bluff
You're not invincible, but I'm not in love with you

I hope you know I wish you all the best
But we know nothing is cheaper than sentiment
Your name’s a broken heart

Wilted flowers in a frayed bouquet
Your tired footsteps swept away
Uncertain silence in the great beyond
The face of love lives on and on

One rush in the blink of an eye
Life passes you by
A little window to soak up the sun
One rush before it’s done

Brightness born on the wind and waves
The shaded light shines through the haze
Every hero is full of flaws
And every villain has a cause

One rush in the blink of an eye
Life passes you by
A little window to soak up the sun
One rush before it’s done