the gifted children - august

Release date: August, 1995

The first release by the gifted children, this was mostly recorded in a single weekend during a living room party. The original format was cassette, with a different puffy mushroom sticker on each cover. Only ~30 tapes were ever sold/made. This is definitely proto-GC: very folky, almost entirely acoustic, and comprising some of the longest songs in the gifted children canon (ranging from 3-6 minutes!).

Lyrics and individual track credits:

01 distance (suszczynski)

from the rear of the hall
everything looked so small
and in that pseudo-world
she was so beautiful
hope filled my head -
all the thoughts that begin
prayed the show would never end
please know that
i am watching you

from the rear of the hall
everything looked so small
and in that pseudo-world
details blurred to perfection
she was so beautiful...

nick hall – drumset
justin sheehan – acoustic guitar
jeff suszczynski – acoustic guitars, voices
bill trautman – bass

written: 17 july 1995
recorded: 6 august 1995
(wallace drive living room, grand island, ny)

02 partial derivatives (suszczynski)

between intermittent tears
with eighty miles between
she asks the question
passion grows, gets plucked and dies
and my only reply:
'i don’t know.'
completely is so much to give...

through a half-eyed gaze
between intermittent dreams
from the couch's other end
you ask the question
resolve grows, gets plucked and dies
and still, my sole reply:
'i don't know.'
always is so long
but i know that i love you now...

nick hall – drumset
justin sheehan – acoustic guitar
jeff suszczynski – acoustic guitar, piano, voices
bill trautman – bass

written: may 1995
recorded: 6 august 1995
(wallace drive living room, grand island, ny)

03 wish you were (suszczynski)

when all that you love simply erodes away
when the song takes you close but not into that place
when the tears in your eyes make everything blurred
where do you wish you were?

when you can't sleep despite all that you do
when the sun still comes up despite all that you do
when remorse and regret are the bulk of your days
your life seems a sequence of short tragic plays

when these thoughts, they pummel you
as you lie on the hill
alone in the sun with your lifetime to kill
when the sun in your eyes makes everything blurred
where do you wish you were?

nick hall – drumset
justin sheehan – acoustic guitar, voice
jeff suszczynski – acoustic guitar, piano, voices
bill trautman – bass, voice

written: july 1995
recorded: 6 august 1995
(wallace drive living room, grand island, ny)

04 august (suszczynski)

inside this precious night there lie
precious moments
waiting for birth or denouement
waiting for us
the dusky gems we choose will last
and fill our hollower instants
there wait please stay...
....here.

what to record, what to remember
as august joins with september
the lazy nights are almost over
the fire soon will die
but gathered here once more together
remember things we say tonight
there wait please stay here
now wait please stay here
in this time...

nick hall – drumset
jeff suszczynski – piano, voice, keyboard, tapes

written: july 1995
recorded: 7 august 1995
(wallace drive living room, grand island, ny)
crickets recorded: late august 1995
(patricia drive backyard, niagara falls, ny)

05 closing... (suszczynski)

jeff suszczynski – keyboard, tapes

written and recorded: august 1995
(wallace drive bedroom, grand island, ny)
crickets recorded: late august 1995
(patricia drive backyard, niagara falls, ny)