Get all 9 Rob Roper releases available on Bandcamp and save 10%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Falling into Heaven (alternate mix), The Way, Metadata (We're Watching You) (single), My Favorite Disguise (single), word, The Other Side of Nowhere, Misfit, Me, and 1 more.
Excludes supporter-only releases.
1. |
You Don't Know
03:09
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You Don't Know (What You're Missing)
Copyright © 2019 by Rob Roper
You see me coming
and you cross the street
I get on a train
and you change seats
You don't know, you don't know
You don't know what you're missing
The cover ain't pretty
but the book is good
You think I'm a loser
but you can't see the truth
You don't know, you don't know
You don't know what you're missing
Bridge:
Perception is deceptive
You gotta be receptive
I'm looking for exceptions
Are you the exception?
Do you want a good man
or a pretty boy?
'cause that's the way it is, baby
make your choice
You don't know, you don't know
You don't know what you're missing
You waste your life waitin'
on the man of your dreams
when sittin' right in front of you
is what you need
You don't know, you don't know
You don't know what you're missing
You don't know what you're missing (4x)
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2. |
Mama Had a Mohawk
03:38
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Mama Had a Mohawk
Copyright © 2018 by Rob Roper
Chorus:
Mama had a mohawk
Daddy wasn't around
They let me run wild
on the streets of the town
A rock and roll baby
Born and bred
When I look back now
I can't believe I'm not dead
Mama had a mohawk, painted it blue
black leather jacket, and an angel tatoo
Daddy played the drums in a punk rock band
Mama said, "son, one day you'll understand"
Sometimes at night, mama wouldn't come home
I'd have to call up a friend, on the telephone
She'd pick me up at noon, and buy me fast food
and say, "sorry, little man, I was out with the band"
Chorus
High school was tough, I didn't fit in
I was skinny and ugly, only had one friend
We were always skipping school, hanging out, smoking pot
We'd just sit in the car and listen to punk rock
I remember the day Social D came to town
Mama snuck me in the back, when the guard wasn't around
Mike Ness looked at me, sang "Story of my Life"
Every word rang true, man, he got it all right
Chorus
Now I'm doing ok, work in a tatoo shop
got a hardcore band, and man, we really rock
I watch the kids jump around, from up on the stage
They remind me of me, when I was their age.
Chorus x2
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3. |
3-Legged Dog
04:07
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Three-Legged Dog
Copyright ©by Rob Roper 2015
Just another day, same old routine
Just another day, feeling sorry for me
like the ugly shirt on the clearance rack
no one wants to buy
The girls in the park won't even say hi
That's when I saw the three-legged dog
hoppin' along on his afternoon walk
He held his head high
He was happy to be alive
So I gave myself this little talk:
I said,
Chorus:
I wanna live my life like a three-legged dog
Ain't gonna worry 'bout one less paw
I wanna be happy with what I got
I wanna live my life like a three-legged dog
Joey's sixteen and he tells me life sucks
his friends drive cars and he takes the bus
TV and the movies say
these years are the best
but Joey says:
"If these are the best, I don't wanna see the rest"
Cathy's seventeen and stuck in her bed
a plastic tube is how she gets fed
headaches, chronic pain
no cure, just hope and faith
But if you tell her life sucks, here's what she'll say
She'll say...
Chorus:
You gotta live your life like a three-legged dog
Don't be worried 'bout one less paw
Just be happy with what you got
You gotta live your life like a three-legged dog
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4. |
Empty
03:53
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Empty
by Rob Roper ©2018
A thousand friends
no one to talk to, so I
sit and stare
at a plastic rectangle, four by three
Everyone's connected
Connected to no one, it's a
contradiction
the latest addiction
Chorus:
How can we feel so empty in
a city of a million people?
How can we pretend
nothing's wrong?
Sit with me and talk for awhile
I want to see your smile
'cause all too soon this moment
will be gone
We started out, in a
garden of Eden, but now we live
most of our lives
under a ceiling
It all builds up, so we
look for ways to vent our rage, we roll
down the street, in a
climate-controlled, metal cage
(Chorus)
A thousand friends
no one to talk to
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5. |
The Way
04:49
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The Way
Copyright © by Rob Roper 2018
You dared to resist
You blew 'em off with a kiss
You could have stayed in the shade
But your heart would have paid
You left behind a world of grey
You had to see the colors play
It was just a stop along
The Way
You slipped out of the trap
You set a match to your map
It's the journey that counts
At least, that's what I found
After much investigation
There are no destinations
Everything's a stop along
The Way
You made it to
the other side
across the Sea of Hope
But everyone
said, "you're not done.
Get back into the boat."
You thought it was the journey's end
Now you're on the road again
It was just a stop along
The Way
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6. |
The Cure Goes Surfing
03:41
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7. |
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Metadata (We're Watching You)
Copyright © 2017 by Rob Roper
We're watching you, watching everything you do
We're watching you, it's for your own good
We know what you like
We know what you don't
We know where you go
We know how you vote
We're watching you
Privacy is dead, freeedom long gone
if you've done nothing wrong, then just go along
Don't you see?
Both parties agree
It's what we need
to keep us all free
We're watching you
There once was a man, who ran off with the plan
but you didn't understand, so now he's living in a... cold land.
and now he's fading out
we got the news blacked out
one less boy scout
who stuck his neck out
...for you
Hitler, Hoover, Stalin, in their wildest dreams
could never have imagined, such a beautiful scheme
So hang onto your phone
Take it everywhere you go
'cause that's how we know
what we need to know
We're watching you
watching everything you do.
We're watching you
It's for your own good
Don't worry
It's just...
Metadata
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8. |
The Neighborhood
04:17
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The Neighborhood
Copyright ©2020 by Rob Roper
A small house is sold
A small house is torn down
What the hell's going on
on my side of town?
Blue collar out
Suit and tie in
The swingset is gone
and so are the grandkids
This house was built
in 1953
when 1000 square feet
was all you need
They were paying rent
for 20 years
Developer says
they have to pack up and leave
Chorus:
What are we losing?
We're losing the neighborhood.
A big ugly box
goes up in its place
4000 square feet
multiplied by 3
That takes a lot to heat
and a lot of A/C
heatin' up the planet
for you and me
A 3-car garage
where's the oak tree?
How much room
does a lawyer need?
Soon the robins
will have nowhere to nest
And a gang of pigeons
will be all that's left
(Chorus)
Builders on the make
Politicians on the take
history and memories
raped and scraped
They only care about money
and making it fast
Historic Preservation
that's a thing of the past
(Chorus)
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9. |
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10. |
I Didn't Believe
05:41
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I Didn't Believe
Copyright ©by Rob Roper 2014
It was a beautiful day
not a cloud in sight
when a guy with a cellphone
ran a redlight
Everything went black
then it went white
I saw the gates of heaven
coming into sight
The angels came to greet me
and led me through the gate
I was scared to death
of what would be my fate
I walked the streets of gold
up in the cloud
and there He stood
tall and proud
(break)
As soon as I saw Him
I fell down on my knees
I said, "Lord, have mercy
I didn't believe."
He said, "Don't worry, son
It's the believers who are screwed
they way they behave
I'd be an atheist, too."
"Killing in my name
waging bloody wars
and all their church services
are such a bloody bore"
"You'll see your fellow atheists
up here as well
while all the true believers
are burning down in hell."
(break)
I asked, "What about your son
that you sent down to earth?
The one called Jesus
He of virgin birth?"
He said, "that's the worst thing about
these Christians' game
They ignore his teachings
but worship his name."
"They think that they're saved
just because they believe
and now they can do
whatever they please"
"But all their worship
that's just kissing ass
It ain't what you say
It's how you act."
(break)
He said, "I'll see you later
in comes another crew
I've got to damn ten Christians
Three Muslims and a Jew."
"So grab a harp
and have a glass of wine
you can jam with the angels
until the end of time."
I stood there in wonder
at this glorious scene
and thanked the good Lord
I didn't believe
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11. |
Too Much Traffic
03:32
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Too Much Traffic
Copyright ©by Rob Roper 2020
Too much traffic, not enough time
Too much coffee, not enough wine
Too much stress, not enough rest
I'm working in a building with a barbed-wire fence
and the CEO's bonus... is a hundred mil.
Underpaid teachers, overpaid suits
Minimum wage, army recruits
Downsize, downgrade, piss in a cup
The Men of MADD and the war on drugs
and the judges dress... in the color of death.
Chorus:
And there's nothing I can do
nothing I can do, nothing I can do, nothing I can do
Tax breaks, bailouts, subsidize the rich
Stolen shopping cart, lying in a ditch
Speedtraps, roadblocks, tax men in blue
The fines pay the judge so there's nothing you can do
and the police... are just another gang.
(Chorus)
Fly that flag, sing that song
with the NSA, you're freedom's gone
Killer drones, smart phones, Christians throwing stones
He won't look up, 'cause he's staring at his phone
And I'm... looking for the underground.
Yeah I, I'm looking for the underground.
New Chorus:
There's something I can do
Someting I can do, someting I can do
There's something I can do
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12. |
None of the Above
06:02
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None of the Above
Copyright ©by Rob Roper 2020
She wanted a man
who wore a tie to work
two kids and a dog
a house in the 'burbs
And all I wanted
was none of the above
She said goodbye
so much for love
I got a one-room apartment
and a beat-up old car
I work in a factory
a disgrace to my family
Everybody told me
you gotta bleed for your art
Well, I bled a lot
but I never got far
I bet she found a man
who wears a tie to work
she's got two kids and a dog
and a house in the 'burbs
I should have never said no
to all of the above
I could have been happy
I could have had love
Her divorce went fast
once the kids were grown
she moved into the city
and got a place of her own
She thinks about a boy
who wanted none of the above
I bet that he's happy
I bet he found love
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13. |
Too Late
03:26
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Too Late
Copyright ©2021 by Rob Roper
You looked me up and down and smiled
and we made small talk for awhile
You made me feel
good about myself
For the first time in my life
I can't forget the last night with you
what if I had said "I love you, too"
Why did it have to be
all or nothing?
I needed time but time was up
Chorus:
It's too late to start again
and we could never just be friends
You will always be for me
a sad and happy memory
And I will always be alone
A thousand miles and seven years
I never thought I'd see you here
You gave me that same look
Put my number in your book
I walked away with a tear, 'cause...
(Chorus x2)
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14. |
2am
05:15
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2am
Copyright ©by Rob Roper 2020
2 am on a winter night,
Denver, Colorado
I put on my coat, and my winter boots
and step out into the snow
The cars are all sleeping
under a blanket of white
And I'm kissed by a snowflake
when I stop to view the sight.
The snowflakes toy with gravity
as they dance in the streetlight
Refracted, soft and blurry
like whiskey eyesight
And the multicolored houses
are now nuanced shades of grey
Like a black and white photo
or a winter painting by Monet.
Chorus:
I've seen many of the wonders of this world
And I've known the touch of a beautiful girl
And I've seen the works of the great Van Gogh
Ah, but this is just as fine
Like a great bottle of wine
Standing in the middle of the street
at 2 am in the snow.
I'm listening to a symphony
of silent eloquence
I stand there grinning
with childish innocence
It's 25 degrees out here
but I don't feel the cold
And though I'm standing by myself
I don't feel alone
(Chorus)
Bridge:
Now you may think I'm crazy
and maybe I am
but if you could only be here
I think you'd understand
(Instrumental Break/Solo)
(Chorus)
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15. |
Sea of Hope
03:43
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Sea of Hope
by Rob Roper © 2010
Mistakes are necessary
so I'm gonna make some
This life of comfort is
a life of boredom
Everybody says
"You've got it made"
But even the best zoo is
still a cage
Chorus
Sailing on a sea of hope
Bailing out this leaky boat
Set the sail, catch the wind
Won't be coming back here again
Won't be back here again
Tired of living
in the slow lane
Tired of saying
another wasted day
The radio plays
the same old songs
I've got to do something
even if it's wrong
Chorus
Bridge:
The sand is falling...
The sand is falling...
down the hourglass...
Chorus
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Rob Roper Denver, Colorado
Songwriter, guitar player and singer.
"...the troubadour of the misfit." --Kurt
Loken
"...a guy with some sharp songwriting skills and a knack for penning witty lyrics." --Jon Solomon, The Westword.
"...striking similarities to Elvis Costello... pop rock with a lyrical edge." --Sheryl Radetsky
... more
Rob Roper recommends:
Full Boar
by Marty Jones & the Pork Boilin' Poor Boys
Great country-western drinking and funny songs, although the duet, "Now We Barely Pass for a Couple" is beautifully sad.
go to album
Live at the Tempe Tavern New Year's Day
by Jim Dalton
Jim Dalton has been recording his live solo acoustic shows, and putting them on Bandcamp. Check 'em out. Jim's a good songwriter, with some great songs-- sad, funny, clever-- and good drinking songs.
go to album
Total Flower Chaos is a bandname I use for my instrumental rock project. I released this 5-song EP in 2016.
go to albumIf you like Rob Roper, you may also like:
The Convincer (20th Anniversary Edition)
by Nick Lowe
Released in 2001, “The Convincer” is a gentle gem in the Nick Lowe catalog; an anniversary edition provides opportunity for rediscovery.
go to album
A riveting jam session from Pittsburgh, Pa. folk band Wisbands, who infuse classic Americana with jazz and psychedelic rock.
go to album
The Woman You Want
by Eliza Shaddad
Haddad returns with cinematic soundscapes that include introspective folk, post-grunge, and indie-pop influences.
go to album
