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The King of Cups and The Wheel of Work

by Jim Swim

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1.
Love I know that you get tired of the news And the job that you don’t really wanna do Come on in and get where it’s alright though Think I might know what you’d like most Come on in let's get it started hey Boulevardiers Know you're starvin' hey Yeah yeah yeah Know ya hardly ate Work was hard to take Tell me all your day Yeah yeah yeah Spin around let’s unwind One time Then float and sway Here now It’s sunshine Here’s your lime Gotta toast to make To you So listen You moved so efficient Your dues paid with interest It’s true You grinded now it’s tonight Here’s to livin some life I give no tips or advice Let's drink to now and later on when we’ll go do what we do It’s hard on a body doin jobs that a body don’t like Love We got debt but let me spend this check on you tonight Love One night vacation One night vacation for two One night vacation It’s hard on a body doing jobs that the body don’t like love One night Knock that back lets get fresh and dressed Grab your sweater and your specs Feels good to know what’s next I feel like dancin' down your steps Let’s go to get less low off that blessed potion When it sets in we get less social but more open Out on the town with all these college kids Tryna forget how small it is We hit a dive with a vibe that fits Run up a tab like my daddy's rich Sayin all that we need to say Tryna hold back with the PDA It’s not so easy you lead the way Let um all see it they’ll be okay Take me away I’m almost there It’s almost time To go to bed With you again I’ve had my share So steer me slowly Take me away I’m almost there It’s almost time to go It’s hard on a body doin jobs that a body don’t like Love We got debt but let me spend this check on you tonight Love One night vacation One night vacation for two One night vacation It’s hard on a body doing jobs that the body don’t like love One night
2.
Loose 03:05
Blue moon Tuned in Tonight Put you in that mood you like Spirit movin' now Loosened you up you don’t care who cares Look at you now it’s magic Just laughin look like an actress hey You just wanna listen to a classic, Bounce it like a mattress ManI’m outa practice hey Sick of how slow just livin's been Hard to get right being limited You just wanna go where the rhythm is And be in the crowd uninhibited You can’t lay low Said follow me I obey so I’ll probably wake up holding my head I know what I’ll get Showstopper Go knock um out You’ve been like champagne That’s shook up For days Showstopper Can’t lock you down Go get loose like you used to do 60 odd hours a week on the wheel I know you do it but how do you deal I see how all of that’s making you feel Let’s move to Finland think I’m for real Let’s let’s let’s go First we need a drink and a rest though Two shots now you caught your wave Moonwalk yeah you got the stage I know you’ve been workin' For what you already purchased Concerned that it wasn’t worth it It wont serve you don’t serve it okay That’s really all I’ll say If I had it all I’d pay Sick a sellin' all these days Sick of it in all these ways And we don’t got a lot But for now let’s spend some Showstopper Go knock um out You’ve been like champagne That’s shook up For days Showstopper Can’t lock you down Go get loose like you used to do Let’s call your boss and say You’ve had your fill If he won’t play ball Then that tea might spill Yeah I know that you can’t go Still feels good having ammo Still feels good just to plan though Let me just shut up and dance though
3.
King of Cups 02:25
Been at it Already had my tarot read Things are looking up indeed That’s what my tarot said Been pumpin' out pheromones and wearin red Young Jerry Lawler A king They’re not aware of it Forty dollars of show money Less what they stole from me Blow it all bowlin' they say I roll funny Go find me a snow bunny Ask if this cold world’s makin' her nose runny She melted I wear a cape that is velvet Couldn’t see it she felt it See it all like I’m Elvish Move my hips like I’m Elvis Never pitch I sell it Couldn’t picture me jealous Turn a fan to a zealot They’re tunin in when I tell it There were sixteen people at the gig Sayin, "Oh my god what fun this is!" Did it all did it right did it big Yeah buddy we were lovin' it New cards New deck New life King of cups He comes upright Always All days All nights Sing do wah do wah do wah ay Highly gifted my jacket’s thrifted Watch me get a pattern shifted Just actin different Livin' in my minutes I’m catalytic That’s why they love to jack the style Like it’s on a Civic I will never pull the strings like an oligarch Do my dance at the club with the lonely hearts Watchin' all these little men try and be Bonaparte's Then make the rest of us deal with their broken parts, ugh Despite evil I like people Put your hands in the air if your bipedal Yeah If life is a film gimme five sequels Tryna pull my thread through the plot like a fine needle All of these lines equal proof that I live alone Got the benefit of time to deliver flows Eatin' creamy peanut butter Buddy I lick the bowl It brings my soul body into the physical New cards New deck New life King of cups He comes upright Always All days All nights Sing do wah do wah do wah ay
4.
Lucky Man 03:52
I know I’m lucky man But I don’t feel lucky, man Why can’t I feel what I know? Still ain’t got what I wanted, man Same cause, same sufferin' I know I reap what I sow I live off letters Grip this lecturn Give my lectures Watch these kids play Tetris Through my speech Like experts Uh Im gettin old or whatever Really dunno if I’m better It’s winter I cope with the weather Keep sayin I’ll go but I never Been busy still growin' some feathers It’s taken more than my effort I think it’s luck that I need A decade of just up and coming and still haven’t come to my senses or peak Week after week Runnin’ off too little sleep And stubborn belief that borders blindness Keepin pace and workin days with hopes the winds of fate will find us I get mad at God Watching billionaires Get to play astronaut God loves Musk and Bezos Don’t those numbers say so Should turn a mill With all this breathe I waste On what I hate most I know I’m lucky man But I don’t feel lucky, man Why can’t I feel what I know? Still ain’t got what I wanted, man Same cause, same sufferin' I know I reap what I sow It’s all gunna end Before my retirement Play a sad song on the tiniest violin I get so tired I can’t even cry a bit Got too much data with no time to file it Uh These desperate urges surge up make me research crypto With leverage might get wrecked at 30x or get rich quick though I don’t know I'll work it out Know the odds they serve the house Live my life when work allows Got some drops and I’m thirsty now And I know it’s the love that I get that’ll count When it’s all said and done But I wish this love would get me funds I’ll send your cut when I get some I know I’m lucky man But I don’t feel lucky, man Why can’t I feel what I know? Still ain’t got what I wanted, man Same cause, same sufferin' I know I reap what I sow Three known facts Fees, loans, tax Need more racks Beans, bones, stacks See what lacks See who gets the surplus Proceed to curse the system Count ways that it won’t serve us Oops I forgot to slow down Busy makin' self-pity feel profound When it’s hitting There’s enough for me and to go round Wishing in both hands Look how much I hold now Look how much I hold now Look how much I hold now
5.
I’m in the pocket no rushin' Do the job with no budget Confident so no blushin Don't complicate the discussion I want no interruptions Love a day full of nothin Can’t make it do what it doesn't Cool calm collected productions I been waiting for the space just to lay low Like a dog been runnin on my walks Confrontations complications and my day job Got me hopin that nobody wants to call or knock Rundown Still up Tied to what I pursue Before time runs out Hope I get free And you do too I want a gap in my resume Fill the space with some better days Sick of waitin' for getaways Stop the chase and just levitate Put my faith in what resonates Do the math then I hesitate Wish a song would just detonate Get me off of the clock Put my weight where I’m blocked Still think it’s possible Holdin' off callin' audibles Im lockin' in Im not gunna stop Sick of limits on livin' my symptoms physical Sweating every steps my minutes minimal Cyclical days Said it before So much it’s pitiful Got to get it shifted Or give into what is typical Rundown Still up Tied to what I pursue Before time runs out Hope I get free And you do too

about

These five songs are about finding joy and staying funky while working way too much for far too little. They each started as production experiments. I wanted to see if I could capture some of what I love about The Beatles and Vampire Weekend melodies -- their pretty playfulness -- and try and make it work over hip-hop drums that bounce and knock. Most of them started on acoustic guitar, and the final versions are all guitar-driven. Lyrically, I tried to explore the feeling of stubborn resistance that fights against the limits of 60 hour work weeks, debt, and the pressure to conform to a "typical" capitalist experience of toil and material reward. I think that resistance and unbending desire to be free and fluid is the spirit of youth, independent of age. I wanted to celebrate that in the songs, and I hope they bring some looseness and lightness into your days.

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released July 12, 2022

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Jim Swim Iowa City, Iowa

Artist/producer Jim Swim crafts wavy and warm music that snaps and has substance. Swim's songs unwind like good conversation, moving from the everyday to the abstract, the personal to the universal, with honest ease. His infectious beats, unique flow, and lyrical insight reward repeated listens and have won him a loyal following that continues to grow. ... more

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