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SOLUS

by Casey Stratton

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1.
Longing 06:14
Longing Soldiers passed, but the distant sound of the battle cries fills my head I can’t separate from the endings My anger lasts, and I find myself needing somewhere to put all the rage It cannot remain in its cage This longing connects me to you I am open, I sing through my muse From my fortress I defend what is true And I cast out the lies that come through Candles burn, and the fire wraps me in armor I don’t owe any debt attached to a falsehood I push on through, and the memories guide me to see what really took place I will not take on this disgrace This longing connects me to you I am open, I sing through my muse From my fortress I defend what is true And I cast out the lies that come through
2.
Doubt 05:00
Doubt Trouble made its home where I wouldn’t play I could sense its form, still I made the mistake The elements merged and soon I wasn’t safe So in a great purge I chose another way In shadow it’s born, this crippling doubt Its presence informs this urge to get out Can I ever trust myself again? I know that I must but I don’t know that I can Freezing winds tell lies I grow to believe I struggle to know why and I cling to the grief At least this is all mine and harbors no haze All of this takes time and it isn’t a race The elements changed, a strange alchemy gave me strength And out of the maze I can put things where they’re placed In shadow it’s born, this crippling doubt Its presence informs this urge to get out Can I ever trust myself again? I know that I must but I don’t know that I can Make believe and truth dance together Shake me out of the fog Clouded seas of failures can sever Any chances at all In shadow it’s born, this crippling doubt Its presence informs this urge to get out Can I ever trust myself again? I know that I must but I don’t know that I can
3.
Exposed 05:28
Exposed I suppose it was only a matter of time I suppose it was just a stone’s throw away And as much as I tried, I couldn’t escape From the feelings inside that were here to stay So I opened it One door, then another I suffered it For much longer than hoped for I suffocate on the errors that I have made Dedicate myself to the task of defining What it is that has made Me lose sight of my will to change When I opened my heart I found I was exposed All the wind had eroded my trust and my hope I could never believe any words that were said Realized I had damaged some vital threads So I opened it One door, then another I suffered it For much longer than hoped for I suffocate on the errors that I have made Dedicate myself to the task of defining What it is that has made Me lose sight of my will to change Now it’s time to unravel All that I’ve twisted up inside So I opened it One door, then another I suffered it For much longer than hoped for I suffocate on the errors that I have made Dedicate myself to the task of defining What it is that has made Me lose sight of my will to change
4.
Understanding Underneath the placid surface An undertow ravages the peace I’ve found inside I cannot hide from it any longer It will swallow me whole So I must drag it out of the darkness And into the light I know better than to think this is right To let this torture me where it lies Understanding what this is I must open the gate I must give it a name I must look at its face And accept the truth I am not yet ok Lived too long with this rain And only me to blame Many times I thought I’d faced it But the damage was vast Moving aside is not past I must go through the center of this Looking back, I only got out I never confronted the way I sabotaged myself It’s easy to focus on salvation, not much else Understanding what this is I must open the gate I must give it a name I must look at its face And accept the truth I am not yet ok Lived too long with this rain And only me to blame
5.
Primal 03:58
Primal Stop right there I will not allow you one more step I have let you too far in as is Open season ended years ago My hard-earned autonomy stays It stays Years ago I participated in letting you know There would not be any real need to act I would come back every time Guilt, in fact, easily can play me A primal scream You watched it coming out of me But still you didn’t change one thing So I retreated steadily Till one day I was gone You might see only what you want to see Fine by me, I am not responsible for how you feel Where were all your cares for how it felt for me Buried under so much weight? A primal scream You watched it coming out of me But still you didn’t change one thing So I retreated steadily Till one day I was gone I was leaving One day at a time I was leaving A primal scream You watched it coming out of me But still you didn’t change one thing So I retreated steadily Till one day I was gone
6.
Wounds 05:22
Wounds I had lost my way through the garden All those painful thorns They cut my skin They cut my soul And the wounds are so deep I can’t change the outcome of anything from before I can’t change what you wouldn’t give me But I can give myself more I can give myself a chance I can give myself that All my trust is buried under my wounds I can’t access what I need  To make any sense out of all I see And the fire is raging Under grief, it was burning all the time All the flames from being denied They were tempered by my suffering They were taken out of the story For far too long Somewhere it must be hidden The key to healing this? So I must give myself more I must give myself a chance I must give myself that
7.
Vespers 02:21
8.
Rain 04:32
Rain Gone are the days when I had thought That maybe there could be a chance to remain Broken bonds while only I fought To make any progress through the pain So leave me in the rain I won’t forgive you Don’t please for me to stay You must know by now I am long gone When you saw me turned to stone It wasn’t enough for you to play your part So I was left destroyed and alone In this, I stayed too long from the start So leave me in the rain I won’t forgive you Don’t please for me to stay You must know by now I am long gone I’ve changed - I won’t be where there’s nothing But the strangling vines of shame And I will not take the blame I tried even when you wouldn’t try Even when unanswered cries Weren’t enough for you to find me So leave me in the rain I won’t forgive you Don’t please for me to stay You must know by now I am long gone
9.
Balance 04:46
Balance The universe wants to take as much as it gives, it seems I try to find joy and truly live I follow my dreams and I try to give But then the hand falls and brings the weight I get lost in the shock and endless pain I can’t think of you leaving As far back as I can remember I wanted to be like you I wanted to fill my days with song I wanted to learn to play along Wanted to make you proud and make my own sound I went out in the world and I gained ground I was always leaving We didn’t talk as much for years Then the walls began to come down, clearly as day I hear you say “I always just wanted you to be happy” I’m caught between the balance I’m caught in different worlds I can’t imagine your day will come But I hear the warning strum So it’s time to step up and switch our roles It’s time to finally grow up I’ve always been exactly who I was But I’ll always be my father’s son
10.
Chapters 04:49
Chapters In the darkness I could sense it Something shifting, and I transmitted the call Find me where I fall And it changed me, I could open Like an orchid, and accept the frequency’s change But our past is mine to claim I opened my eyes again And carved out a new world You couldn’t come with me there That chapter had closed The story’s not finished yet But your part is over You gave it your all back then But you couldn’t stay In this new world I am stronger For the lessons your endings made me learn Each in your turn Forever doesn’t live here It is somewhere that I never needed to name But I know it just the same I opened my eyes again And carved out a new world You couldn’t come with me there That chapter had closed The story’s not finished yet But your part is over You gave it your all back then But you couldn’t stay When the shadow had lifted the light would frame Every moment of joy with your sacred names There again I can find you in ether and Hear your sound in the music of spheres and then I am filled with the peace I have grown to know Hearing you in those lines makes its presence known You are never too far to be felt in light For our journey was destined in this short life
11.
Surrender 07:42
Surrender Lightning in the distance gives me pause Could it be I’m not here at all? Am I still lost in my dream? I can feel it, this is something that is meant to be I brought my power back to me Maybe I’m in a waking dream I lost but I never gave up all of me Threw the white flag up when it came to be Too much to reconcile inside So what? No one ever gets out easily If you want to live you must set things free And surrender what you must It happens to all of us Sunlight reminds me that there’s always warmth Even when the bitter cold Seems all you’ve ever known People say that faith should be an easy thing But it feels so hard sometimes for me To believe it will all be all right I lost but I never gave up all of me Threw the white flag up when it came to be Too much to reconcile inside So what? No one ever gets out easily If you want to live you must set things free And surrender what you must It happens to all of us It had never felt much colder Than it did when they began To fall, one then another With a twisted, fated hand I dissolved inside a fortress That I took so long to build And alone I had to dig out And face a darkened world But then, I saved myself I lost but I never gave up all of me Threw the white flag up when it came to be Too much to reconcile inside So what? No one ever gets out easily If you want to live you must set things free And surrender what you must It happens to all of us
12.
Atlas 06:30
Atlas Who am I now? I’m not who I was then Thought I had figured it out But there were more surprises ahead So I must focus my eyes On this sunset of my past And go gently into night Without looking back There will not be a map I must continue on my own path No atlas shows the way The journey may not be safe But taking it is how we’re saved Contentment is mostly What finds me these days But sometimes anxiety Will wrap me in chains There will not be a map I must continue on my own path No atlas shows the way The journey may not be safe But taking it is how we’re saved Look up, the moon is bright Kisses are sent tonight I know you watch over the way I feel you every day So I move on and find such joy Alone but I’m not destroyed I picked up the pieces and lived For that I am grateful for this There will not be a map I must continue on my own path No atlas shows the way The journey may not be safe But taking it is how we’re saved

credits

released March 31, 2015

All songs written, produced and performed by Casey Stratton

Photos by Terry Johnston Photography - terryjohnstonphoto@gmail.com

Package Design by Robbie Rozelle - ghostlightdesign.com

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Casey Stratton Grand Rapids

Formerly signed to Sony Classical, Casey Stratton has experienced the corporate side of music in full force. His 2004 album "Standing at the Edge" received high critical praise from the likes of Billboard, People and USA Today. His song "House of Jupiter" reached #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart. Now independent, Casey has released 28 albums and much, much more. ... more

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