Voice Note #6 - Can I Keep You // Skateboard Lessons
There's a chamber of my heart with your name written on it
Merry Christmas! A friend lent me her board and I’ve been teaching myself to skate on it. It’s been scary and thrilling and I think I’ve fallen in love. I have a gross, painful raspberry on my right palm, where the pavement scraped off a layer of skin. Showering and drawing have not been particularly enjoyable, but it feels like a badge of honor. Here’s a little comic strip about some things I’ve been picking up. I’ll be getting my own board soon, probably. In the meantime, if you have any tips for beginners, suggestions for good board brands (I want a cruiser!), or recommendations for places to skate (alone) around Manila, please do share! I’d love to hear from you in the comments, or in a reply to this email. Ok enjoy the comic, enjoy Christmas, and have a glorious holiday season.
— Niki
Skateboard Lessons
Wrote this song a few years ago and found this recording from a practice session with my friend Thad on lead guitar. We were practicing for a gig. It was 11pm and we were half-lucid in my living room doing our best to crank out the right notes. Thad had to go to his desk job at the Department of Health the next day and was honestly such a champ about staying up to rehearse. We watched music videos on Youtube when we got tired or needed motivation. The gig ended up being fun, but the practice sessions are what I remember more. The song is about wanting something you can’t have because the damage of hurting someone else wouldn’t be worth any of your wishes coming true. It’s called “Can I Keep You” (totally a Casper reference).
Can I Keep You
I wanna lock you up
Keep you in my heart forever
Slow dance for a hundred years
I wanna drive you wild
But for real this timeThere’s a chamber of my heart
With your name written on it
Every night you come home
To somebody elseShe gets to crawl into bed
And ask you how your day went
Kiss you on the cheek
Whenever she damn pleasesI know it’s not real but
Can I keep you
Can I keep you
I’d never break her heart
I never wanna break her heart
Can we pretend this is a question I can ask
Can I keep youI look into your eyes
And feel like you might understand
All the different ways I can be
All the difficult things I am
Like nobody else canBut oh my darling i’m a mess
And I can’t run away from it
Half of me just wants the best for you
And we know the answerShe gets to take your hand
Whenever she feels like it
Lean into you, make new plans
You’re all hers for the weekendI know it’s not real but
Can I keep you
Can I keep you
I’d never break her heart
I never wanna break her heart
Can we pretend this is a question I can ask
Can I keep youI’d never break her heart
I never wanna break her heart
Can we pretend this is a question I can ask
Can I keep you
Can I keep you
Can I keep you
Can I keep youI wanna lock you up
Keep you in my heart forever
Slow dance for a hundred years
I wanna drive you wild
But for real this time
In case the embed on top doesn’t work, try clicking on the title, above the lyrics. Shoot me an email if you encounter any issues.
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