Golden Girl — Mary Strand

Golden Girl album!

Everything you might possibly want to know about my debut album. But especially lyrics!

For buy links, see my “music” page.

Mary Strand – lead vocals, electric guitar, hand claps (track 10)

Ryan Smith – acoustic and electric guitar, tambourine (track 3), mandolin (track 4), ukulele (tracks 4, 8), Latin percussion (track 5), sitar (track 6), piano/keyboard (tracks 8, 9), hand claps (track 10), vocals (except tracks 4, 7)

Mark Wade – bass, electric guitar (track 1), gong (track 2), vocals (except track 4)

Jack Strand – drums

Sarah Morris – vocals (track 4)

Produced by Ryan Smith, Mark Wade, and Mary Strand

Recorded at Flight Simulator, Time Capsule Studio, and Flowers Studio

Engineered at Flowers Studio by Kris Johnson

Mixed by Ryan Smith

Mastered at Rare Form Mastering by Greg Reierson

Photography and graphic design for album by Nicole Nelson

Graphic design for singles by LB Hayden

HUGE thanks to Ryan Smith, Mark Wade, and Jack Strand. For everything.

More thanks: Sarah Morris, Tom Fraser, Pony Hixon-Smith, Kate Fraser, Nicole Nelson, Laura Hayden, Kris Johnson, Ashley Ackerson, Greg Reierson, Krista Vilinskis, Brad Gunnarson (Copycats Media), Sam Roskoski, Chris Powers (Guitar Center), Twin Town Guitars, Dodging Potholes, Singer/Songwriter Songwriting Challenge, Michael Bodine, Chili, Eldora, and Philip.

1: Alexa, Please

VERSE 1

A minor judgment lapse
Won’t make the world collapse
But a degree in psychology
Is not the same as an apology
And I can’t ignore
Or begin to implore

PRE 1

You say you want to stay a while
And it’s not your job to make me smile
But if you can’t make me care
I’m headed back out there
Don’t worry, don’t worry; I won’t be alone
I’ll quickly find the answer on my phone

CHORUS:

Alexa, please add “boyfriend” to my shopping list
I don’t remember when I got my last decent kiss
Make sure he’s honest, cute, and smart
And if he’s sweet, he’ll win my heart
Alexa, please add “boyfriend” to my shopping list

VERSE 2

You’re an ace at furtive looks
And your lies could land in history books
But you claim it’s a brand-new day
Or spout yet another cliché
So what’s a girl to do
When my gut tells me we’re through?

PRE 2

You say that I should trust you now
Even though I can’t imagine how
And all those nights you don’t show
Tell me everything I need to know
Don’t worry, don’t worry; I won’t shed a tear
I can find a better life right here

CHORUS:

4: I Don’t Want to Be Your Yesterday – feat. Sarah Morris

VERSE 1

I don't want to be your yesterday
Or another man's tomorrow
And I don’t want to stay in this middle space,
Our days of perpetual sorrow
I used to have this light inside, this fire, this spark,
You had it too
Wherever it ran off to, I guess it doesn’t matter

PRE 1

I’m not that woman anymore; I’m a bit bolder than before
And I’ve grown to like the unvarnished truth

CHORUS

I want to want you to want you to want you
And I want you to want me too

VERSE 2

We used to rise at the crack of dawn,
Senses alive to the morning mist
You’d twirl me on the front lawn
And oh how we kissed
I recall two tangled hearts,
I remember white cotton sheets
Hours lost to the midday heat
It all feels impossibly sweet

PRE 2

I’m not that woman anymore; I’m a bit older than before
Now I bring all my love with the truth

CHORUS

BRIDGE

Oh, I do understand your resistance
We have roles we play, established traditions
Mine has always been to listen – well, listen up
But what if that’s not enough because…

CHORUS

I want to want you to want you to want you
Yes, I want to want you to want you to want you
And I want I want I want you to want me too

7: Quarter to 10

CHORUS

It’s quarter to 10
If you ask me again
And I hope that you do
I might just love you

VERSE 1

You asked me before when I couldn’t say yes
The stars weren’t aligned, and I made it a mess
Or we both did

VERSE 2

I see you tonight, and it’s just like it was
Inside we’re the same, and we both feel the buzz
Like we once did

CHORUS

VERSE 3

We both walked away, but it’s sort of a blur
The years did their thing, and you lost who you were
Where did you go?

VERSE 4

I treated my life like a dream being chased
Though I thought about you, you were kind of erased
Or I said so

CHORUS

BRIDGE

I made it through the nights and years
I’m not the type to shed hot tears
But though you’d never think to guess
I wish my no had been a yes

VERSE 5

You stand here now, a ghost from my past
A boy I loved, but the years went fast
And I’m sorry

CHORUS/ OUTRO

It’s quarter to 10
If you ask me again
And I hope that you do
I’ve always loved you
It’s quarter to 10
Will you ask me again?

LYRICS

2: Different Kind of World

VERSE 1

I’m in my bed and you in yours
Hiding behind a sea of doors
Together only in our dreams
Because life ain’t what it seems

VERSE 2

No one ever competes with me
And I don’t believe in jealousy
But just once before we’re through
I’d like to wake up next to you

CHORUS

We can’t do this, but why not?
It’s not as if we ever forgot
In a different kind of world
In a different kind of world

VERSE 3

As we drift into each other’s days
And go through another awkward phase
You wear your pride like a badge on your chest
But are you so different from the rest?

CHORUS

VERSE 4

When will one of us ever be bold?
One moment hot and then you’re so cold
’Til you almost take my breath away
I wonder if we’re here to stay

CHORUS

5: Kiss Me at Midnight

VERSE 1

Stolen looks and a crashing surf
A thousand miles from my usual turf
The salty tang in the air
The way the wind whips your hair
A sizzling touch and chill vibrations
Swirling clouds of expectations

CHORUS

Your moves are seductive but somehow sweet
The magic keeps spinning on endless repeat
Kiss me at midnight and all night long
But will you disappear before the break of dawn?

VERSE 2

Alfajores and Cuban cigars
A feeble excuse to trill my R’s
Sandy toes, sunburned thighs
Romantic gestures or lies
Whispers of long-buried dreams
Are you, or aren’t you, what you seem?

CHORUS

BRIDGE

Every time I think I know you
Every way I want to show you
But I don’t
And probably won’t
Even though I can’t say no to you

CHORUS

Your moves are seductive but somehow sweet
The magic keeps spinning on endless repeat
Kiss me at midnight and all night long
I hope you’ll stay past the break of dawn

8 - Acabé (Spanish)

VERSE 1

Recuerdo mi vida antes
De pasar de amigos a amantes
Antes de todo lo que pasó
Antes que todo fracasó

VERSE 2

Teníamos la vida de nubes y sol
En la que nadie tenía control
Una verdad con muchas capas
Mentiras que no estaban guapas

PRE

No creía que pudieras encorvarte tan bajo
Tan bajo, tan bajo
Sin comer tierra

CHORUS

Acabo de escuchar
Acabo de tratar
Acabo de fingir algo que ya no siento
Acabé

VERSE 3

En los rincones de mi mente
Todavía eres suficiente
Pero en mi vida real
Tú eres menos que ideal

VERSE 4

Mientras pienso en volverte a ver
Igual no quiero conocerte
Si hago tiempo para ti
No tengo respeto para mi

PRE

CHORUS

9: Stay for Breakfast

VERSE 1

We’ve been playing hide and seek
A year, a month, another week
Both of us half-expecting a trap
Not a buried treasure map

VERSE 2

Hiking Minnehaha Falls
Building, tearing down our walls
Music, talk, unending doubt
Low on cash; let’s get takeout

PRE

I don’t want to say good-night just yet
Even if this turns into regret
It’s not a trap, a trick, a con, oh, no
It’s just me asking you to stay, not go

CHORUS

Stay for breakfast just this one time
Don’t tell me we’re an uphill climb
Stay for breakfast, it’s just one night
Let’s see if we can get this right

VERSE 3

Awkward kisses to tangled sheets
A bed instead of cramped backseats
Clothes discarded like Christmas toys
Otis Redding as background noise

VERSE 4

Bruegger’s coffee, slightly burned toast
I never claimed I was a decent host
Nervous banter and sleepy eyes
For once I won’t bother to analyze

PRE

CHORUS

3: Golden Girl

VERSE 1

Your eyes first met over the Atlantic
You’ll never forget: it was so romantic
Despite yourself, you rushed from smiles to baby names
She bit her lip; who needs a match to light the flames?

CHORUS

Golden Girl ... kissed by the fire of the sun
You wanna give her a whirl
Even though she’s on the run
Long legs, tight jeans, shadows in her eyes
Take a closer look: it’s all a disguise ... Golden Girl

VERSE 2

She’d spend a week wandering Paris, France
But she didn’t speak when you asked if you stood a chance
She took her sweet time, gazing at a place you couldn’t see
You wanted to climb a wall or give her the third degree

CHORUS

BRIDGE

The thing you refuse to accept
You’re just some guy, and she hasn’t slept
So skip the fantasies and read the signs
She doesn’t want your pick-up lines

VERSE 3

You landed and she topped off her champagne
Without another glance, she walked off the airplane
You finally realize she might not be the girl of your dreams
She was being polite; you had to take it to extremes

CHORUS

6: The Me I Need to Be

VERSE 1

We met so long ago
A pizza date ... you made me wait
But we were flying high
You’re still the guy I know
But I have changed or rearranged
My life and now ask why

CHORUS

The me I need to be
Is buried so deep inside
If I set myself free
At least know that I tried

VERSE 2

It’s just so many things
Like how you dance, won’t take a chance
And hate it when I’m right
Your mom’s apron strings
Little white lies, how you chastise
And, whoa, you’re wound up tight

CHORUS

BRIDGE

I don’t cry too many tears
But these have been hard years
I have so much to say and do
And it needs to start with you

VERSE 3

I don’t want to be
Perfect for you or pull you through
The crises you invent
By this point you must see
We’re in a place where I need space
’Cause my f*cks [tears] have all been spent

CHORUS

The me I need to be
Is buried so deep inside
If I set myself free
At least know that I tried
Please know that I tried

ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF “ACABÉ”: “I’M DONE”

VERSE 1

I remember my life before
Going from friends to lovers
Before everything that happened
Before everything broke

VERSE 2

We had a life of clouds and sun
In which no one had control
A truth with many layers
Lies that weren’t pretty

PRE

I didn’t think you could stoop so low
So low, so low
Without eating dirt

CHORUS

I’m done listening
I’m done trying
I’m done pretending something I don’t feel
I’m done

VERSE 3

In the corners of my mind
You’re still enough
But in my reality
You’re less than ideal

VERSE 4

Although I think about coming back to you
Part of me doesn’t even want to know you
If I make time for you
I don’t have respect for myself

PRE

CHORUS

10: Act As If

CHORUS

Act as if you don’t want to be set free
Tell me that it’s not just one more line
Hold me like you’ll never, ever leave me
Act as if you’re mine

VERSE 1

I’ve known you in a thousand ways
On stormy nights and sunlit days
And even though we’ve come to this
I think I’d always miss your kiss

VERSE 2

Life can be a game of pretend
One I thought might never end
But now when I glance back at you
I see the ghosts we’ve turned into

CHORUS

VERSE 3

You and I, we’ve shared big dreams
Even though we’re two extremes
I have no clue how this can go
You’re not the guy I used to know

VERSE 4

But I’m not who I used to be
And time’s our only casualty
I gaze up at the moon above
And ask if we can still find love

BRIDGE

I read it in your eyes
And that quiver of a smile
Can’t ignore the lies
They’ve been goin’ on a while
It’s not that you’re so wrong
Or that I’m demanding
Did we hang on too long?
Will we crash on landing?

CHORUS (x2)