Robinlee Garber
Resilience
Robinlee describes Resilience as an empathetic musical love letter to those who are struggling to overcome life’s challenges. Each song addresses a different theme that sometimes tells a story, and the lyrics depict with poignancy the emotions that come from wanting to make personal life changes or gain greater self-insight.
Consider quitting a job that you love because the workload is killing you in “My Imagination.” There is a woman testing the boundaries of her marriage by wanting to follow her dreams as she discovers the “Road To Paradise.” In “Nothing To Be Done” one comes to terms with the untimely death of a friend. “Resilience” describes surviving childhood bullying. These are some of the universal experiences that Robinlee writes and sings about. Nothing is ever simple, but there are still ways to rise above and thrive.
Resilience is warm, soulful, and meditative. It’s folk with a touch of torch. Robinlee’s distinct and soothing alto voice is complimented by the eclectic arrangements of Steve Dawson (of Chicago’s Dolly Varden and Funeral Bonsai Wedding), which feature: acoustic, electric and slide guitar; upright and electric bass; violin; cello; harmonium; accordion; hand percussion; piano; and banjo. The songs are lyric driven, and the melodies contain unpredictable aspects of jazz, folk and soul while still maintaining a straight forward acoustic feel.
Robinlee recorded Resilience with Steve Dawson at Kernel Sound Studios in Chicago, except for “Tired of Being The Moon,” where she worked with Dan Hazlett in Home St Studio in Pontiac, Michigan. She is joined by various notable Chicago artists such as Larry Beers (percussion), Jordi Kleiner (violin), Dean Milano (upright bass), Patrick Burke (upright bass), Brad Cole (percussion), Melissa Bach (cello), and Rick Vines (percussion). The album was mixed and mastered by Gary Gordon at Inside-Out Entertainment.
Lyrics and Credits
1. My Imagination
You got a smile that brings out the worst in me
It questions the way I’ve let love rule my destiny
One day I’m fine, the next I’m in agony
‘cause my heart says to let you run the show
Working from sun-up ‘til I fall down again
No one’s keeping score as far as I can see
Except my imagination, my imagination
my imagination and me
Once I believed in a bigger picture
I hoped one day I would see
and war to fight for some freedom
that yearns to be
Another coin’s tossed and I’m lost
singing songs like a bird in a tree
set to fly at the next sign of snow (Here I go!)
Working from sun-up until I fall down and then
no one cares if the answers turn out false or true
Except my imagination, my imagination
my imagination and you
The more I relinquish the less it takes
to see the choices I’ve been given
There’s safety in numbers to be sure
but honey there’s only one life that I’ll live
and it’s mine not yours
Mine not yours
There is a place and a time
in the future it seems
where concern for others
coexists with dreams
And passion’s not spent
keeping some judgement appeased
while wondering if I should stay or go (Go! Go! Go!)
Working from sun-up until I let it
all fall down and then
no one’s gonna notice me
quietly slip away
Except my imagination, my imagination, my imagination
and me they’ll say
Robinlee Garber: vocals, acoustic guitar,
Larry Beers: drums & percussion
Patrick Burke: upright bass
Jordi Kleiner: violin
Steve Dawson: piano
2. Road To Paradise
She asked “what time is it?” fifteen years later
“Gotta make some changes, I wanna talk to strangers”
The world looks so much different if you turn it upside down
that’s what she means to do, so that everything she lost gets found
On the road to paradise there are rest stops and museums
and free parking overnight at the best one star hotels
You can’t expect to bypass tolls, ‘cause your life ain’t rock n’ roll
but if sung just right, honey, every story sells
Good hair or politics: which one will get you paid?
She’s late to work again, this day job’s getting in the way
How can she make a decision if things move from bad to worse?
Time’s a bike without a kickstand that’s got every option but reverse
On the road to paradise you don’t get comp-time for living
or a punch card keeping track of the hours that slipped away
So when passion’s worth more than gold, why not buy back the soul you sold?
If the right price makes you more brave and less afraid
It takes a lot of nerve letting dreams defend your reasons
when what seems logical to some, to others gets lost in translation
By the coffee pot she left a note, just a few short lines was all it spoke
printed out in comic sans: sorry babe, you married Peter Pan
On the road to paradise you’ll be sleeping with distractions
named Vanity and Ambivalence and they’ll always steal the sheets
So when fear has taken hold, why not aim for a different goal
one that won’t confuse the truth with your beliefs
On the road to paradise...
Robinlee Garber: vocals, acoustic guitar
Steve Dawson: slide guitar, electric bass
Larry Beers: percussion
Jordi Kleiner: violin
3. You Can’t Break A Heart
It’s a pattern in my life
kiss me once and I’ll leave you twice
Sweeping your tears off the kitchen floor
and finding notes
in the bedroom down the hall
Promised to stay throughout the years,
while getting offers in both ears
Now I’m a teenager no more
but I’m not old enough to say I know for sure
Chorus:
Who do you love
when it’s all been said and done?
‘Cause I have learned to be
a party built for one
You can’t break a heart
you might break a heart
but you won’t break a heart
that’s too soft to be broken
I’ll write the words to sing along
keeping tempo with your songs
I’ll harmonize or match your pitch
and let you know into which key I’ve switched
I always mean to tell the truth
but time can change a point a view
between freedom and a rock
can’t tell you where I am but I know what I am not
chorus...
Circling ‘round the fact that indecision is still a choice
and to do no harm means something different every time
In the aftermath I want to hear approval’s voice
‘cause I don’t want to stay and watch history rewind
Is it a dream or is it real
that we get to do just what we feel?
Respect the order of the world
Reflect random twists of nature’s force unfurled
I’ll hold your hand if you think it helps
and say there’s been nobody else
But that won’t justify my claim
commitment means I will not make the same mistakes again
chorus...
Robinlee Garber: vocals, acoustic guitar, accordion
Steve Dawson: electric bass, slide guitar
Brad Cole: percussion
4. Resilience
There’s a name I call myself
when I want to be someone else
but I won’t say it out loud
Change my hair and hide my face
run a lap for the human race
maybe win, show, or place
just to make the family proud
Chorus:
Alone, always alone
with my nose pressed against the glass
of what’s seen as ordinary
Can’t find my way back home
trying simply just to pass
for who they want me to be
Who did they want me to be?
A girl in a group of pretty girls
they called me ugly in that world
Tall and shy, but always singing
School bus taunts and hidden tears
life was hell for 18 years
Labeled freakish, wrong and queer
denied love from the beginning
Chorus...
I tell you I’m over it all
Never looked back answered the call
From somewhere deep inside my head
When I think of where I am now
Miracle
I figured out how
I chose resilience instead
I chose resilience instead
I chose resilience
There’s a name I call myself
when I’m glad I’m not someone else
and I may tell you it one day
It defines a part of me
from within and not what’s seen
A feeling words just can’t relay
‘Cause when I’m alone, always alone
with my nose pressed against the glass
of what’s seen as ordinary
I’ll find my way back home
refusing just to pass
for who they want me to be
Who did they want me to be?
More like them, less like me
Who do they want me to be?
Robinlee Garber: vocals, acoustic guitar
Steve Dawson: acoustic guitar, electric bass
5. Walk Away
Got motion sickness from all our ups and downs
And you don’t know the half of it
I wake to hear you singing softly in my head
But you are prob’ly not the one who fits
My neat little boxes
And nice little plans
All my secret silly fantasies
Line them up like tiny shiny silver cans
And shoot ‘em down for me
‘Cause I can’t fall again
Walk away
Be my friend
Fellow traveler
hitchhiker from last spring
I fell asleep at the wheel somehow
Now you’re the one
who’s driving this thing
All I can say is “sorry” for now
‘Cause my neat little boxes
And nice little plans
Hide intentions I did not expect to lead me to this end
I could tell the truth
But make you lie again
Or walk away
And just be friends
I know the way my passion make me turn
Like the branches on a crazy twisted tree
Obsessed to harbor every songbird that lands
But my future’s got a past you see
I wonder why it is and yes, it scares me so
You take my kindness all too gracefully
I’m secretly hoping that you’ll just tell me no
agendas aside, reciprocate, or let me be
With my neat little boxes and nice little plans
And desperation ticking silently as I let go of your hand
If betrayal’s real then I’ll just make pretend
you walked away
you were my friend
Robinlee Garber: vocals, acoustic guitar
Steve Dawson: piano, electric bass, percussion
6. Vacillate
How much closer will you get to me
before you cross some line?
I can lay beside you as you sleep
trading exhales, breathing deep
curving your body into mine
But it’s not up to me entirely
the way I vacillate emotionally
Do I show you how I feel
or stay safe behind a shield
in quiet contemplation
of a heart’s manipulation
How much distance will you keep between
what you think and what is known?
You watched me disappear for days
staring directly at your face
searching your eyes to find a soul
But it’s not up to you entirely
the way you vacillate emotionally
Will you tell me how you feel
or stay safe behind a shield
in quiet contemplation
of a heart’s manipulation
Say it now or simply let me have this fantasy
that every little thing will be o.k.
The future’s only something I just hope will be
a lot more clearer than today
and stay that way
How much meaning do we place on time
if we want space to be a factor?
I can count the years right down to seconds
in a voice that asks then beckons
meet me halfway ever after
Perhaps it’s up to us entirely
the way we vacillate emotionally
Denying everything we feel
expecting each other just to yield
upon sudden revelation
of a heart’s manipulation
Robinlee Garber: vocals, acoustic guitar
Larry Beers: percussion
Patrick Burke: upright bass
Steve Dawson: electric guitar, organ, percussion
7. Tired Of Being The Moon
I’m tired of being the moon, she said
reflecting light from inside another’s head
The pretense of being lesser than: if she’s the girl then he’s the man
But looking backwards still a little sunlight might improve her will
And she’s tired of being the moon
I’m done with going home, he grieved
There’s too much pain in memories
The instinct searching to belong is extinguished when he’s labeled “wrong”
But sometimes it feels good to rest in the safety of a familiar nest.
And he’s done with going home
What we are and who we’re meant to be
is the choice still ours if we believe in destiny?
What we are and who we’re meant to be
is the choice still ours?
I’m bored with thinking small, she breathed
The universe expands past me
I’ve got a higher power that goes beyond manmade books and hollow wands
But superstition it runs deep and she prays to God her soul’s still good to keep
And she’s bored
And he’s done
And I’m tired of being the moon
Robinlee Garber: vocals, acoustic guitar
Jordi Kleiner: violin
8. The Cure For Loneliness
Tell me more about the people and the damage
And how you put the things you love away
When life becomes a guest too shrewd to manage
And you can’t take another loss that comes your way
Chorus:
It’s all or nothing now
No one’s gonna break your stride
You think kindness is a weakness
And a chance to let the bad guys win
I’m in your corner
I’m here to hold your hand
I’m wondering if you’ll let me in
Your brothers and sisters are now broken branches off the family tree
And associates are friends who come and go
You prefer a stranger’s ear to hear your sorrows
Then reject the help they offer blaming nothing apropos
Chorus….
You’re making money, not earning love
The faces all around you smile but you can’t see
You say you want to find the cure for loneliness
You say you’d pay any price if you could simply find belief
What exactly did you think I could give you
When you expect another hit and run?
You shrug and say to me it’s nothing personal
‘til someone’s lost a heart this game just isn’t fun
Chorus…
Robinlee Garber: vocals, acoustic guitar
Steve Dawson: slide guitar, electric guitar, electric bass
9. I Am Water, I Am Fire
You’re my kind of trouble
Smooth as bourbon
Sweet like fine French champagne
Dizzy dancing with a feeling
Sometimes pleasure, sometimes pain
No rules, no walls
You just smile
And I just fall
Chorus:
You make me love you
then you make me leave
You tell me stories no one would believe
but I will
I promise
It’s the way that I’m wired
Half sorrow, half joy
I am water, I am fire
You’re my kind of exit
Hidden enough that only those closest to the isle
can see you gesture toward a door
no one’s used in a while
A welcomed escape
A talent exclusively yours
Chorus....
It’s the paradox of persuasion
the art of desire’s an inside job
I’ll fall quickly and without hesitation
But seduction’s flame on me
has left more than one scar
You’re my kind of ghost
present enough to occupy the dreams in my day
Disappearing when I need you
always a delay before the entrance
Still I loved feeling
all that suspense
Chorus...
Robinlee Garber: vocals, electric guitar
Larry Beers: percussion
Patrick Burke: upright bass
Steve Dawson: organ, acoustic guitar, highest harmony in the background vocals
10. Nothing To Be Done
Nothing to be done about the stars up in the sky
Nothing to be done about the trouble last July
Nothing to be done about the way she wouldn't let us cry
when the moon eclipsed her sun
Nothing to be done
Nothing to be done because she never called us back
Nothing to be done because we gave her all we had
Nothing to be done and it only makes us sad
remembering we used to have fun
Now there's nothing to be done
"Go ahead now," is what she'd say
"I lived my life the way I chose, and I died still having faith"
But we want to bargain
it can't be the last time
Then her gentle voice's echo whispers through my memory's door
"There's nothing you can do for me. Not one thing more."
Nothing to be done after the company is gone
Nothing to be done after their cars tore up the whole front lawn
Nothing to be done after I wrote another song
I thought for her I could have sung
when there was nothing to be done
Robinlee Garber: vocals, acoustic guitar
Steve Dawson: slide guitar, electric bass
11. Amelia by Joni Mitchell
I was driving across the burning desert
When I spotted six jet planes
Leaving six white vapor trails
across the bleak terrain
It was the hexagram of the heavens
it was the strings of my guitar
Amelia it was just a false alarm
The drone of flying engines
Is a song so wild and blue
It scrambles time and seasons
if it gets through to you
Then your life becomes a travelogue
Of picture post card charms
Amelia it was just a false alarm
People will tell you where they've gone
They'll tell you where to go
But ‘til you get there yourself you’ll never really know
Where some have found their paradise
Other's just come to harm
Oh, Amelia
it was just a false alarm
I wish that he was here tonight
It's so hard to obey
His sad request of me to kindly stay away
So this is how I hide the hurt
As the road leads cursed and charmed
I tell Amelia it was just a false alarm
A ghost of aviation
She was swallowed by the sky
Or by the sea like me she had a dream to fly
Like Icarus ascending
On beautiful foolish arms
Amelia it was just a false alarm
Maybe I've never really loved
I guess that is the truth
I've spent my whole life in clouds at icy altitudes
And looking down on everything
I crashed into his arms
Amelia it was just a false alarm
I pulled into the Cactus Tree Motel
To shower off the dust
And I slept on the strange pillows
of my wanderlust
I dreamed of 747s
Over geometric farms
Dreams Amelia
dreams and false alarms
Robinlee Garber: vocals, banjo
Steve Dawson: slide guitar, harmonium, drums
Dean Milano: upright bass
Rick Vines: percussion
Melissa Bach: cello