Daniel Watters

All Music and vocals by Daniel Watters.
Lyrics by Daniel Watters.
Arranged by Daniel Watters
© 2006 Daniel Watters. All Rights Reserved.

Ferdinand:

I had written the music to this song a while ago with my buddy on the ukulele for our respective girlfriends. Such a happy song, had to share it with the world.

I smell the flowers in the shade of the tree
among the butterflies and all day dreams
I could go anywhere I please
but there’s no place I’d rather be

Can’t you see
the sun sun sun’s coming down on me
the grass is blue and the sky is green
Can’t you see
what’s hap hap hap happening to me
I wear my dreams on my sleeve

Can’t you see
the sun sun sun’s coming down on me
the grass is blue and the sky is green
Can’t you see
This hap hap happy life I lead
with all day dreams under a tree

With all day dreams under a tree.

All Day Dreamer:

This song is about a girl who goes to the beach and uses daydreams to forget about her problems. She keeps a box of all the things that her ex-boyfriend gave her, and whenever she goes home she looks at it and she breaks down. She then has to go to the beach again to forget. She finally throws the box into the water. I don’t know what he did to her, but he must be a real piece of mierda.

She had a back door habit of losing her shoes
walking barefoot in the sand in her hours of confusion
and if her watch spins slower than most
its cause shes so engrossed in the feelings she knows oh well her
callused feet and her crooked toes
massaged by the dreams and the feelings she knows and while she
juggles her truth and her fallacy
she trips on her shoes and steps back into reality

In a shoe box she keeps memories
of arcade tokens and shoelace strings
and in a jewel case she keeps melodies
of mix tapes made and songs they’d sing
and every item in the box she keeps
constantly reminds her why she can’t sleep
and so she spends her hours on the beach
finding peace through all day dreams
through all day dreams
through all day dreams
through all day dreams

She makes angels in the sand cause its all that shes used to
only comes inside when she knows that shes got to
well her sun browned shoulders and her sun bleached hair
when lifes just a dream you don’t have any cares
I watched her pick up shells robbin crabs from their homes
with her apathetic wandering and her feelings unknown
but when the sun goes down and she finally come home
she’ll once again remember that she all alone

and I know for sure
when shes on the shore
yeah shes moving towards letting go

Cause in a shoe box she keeps memories
of arcade tokens and shoelace strings
and in a jewel case she keeps melodies
of mix tapes made and songs they’d sing
and every item in the box she keeps
constantly reminds her why she can’t sleep
and so she takes her box out to the beach
and throws all its contents into the sea

Agua Del Corazon:

In this song, water is used as a metaphor for love. The message being that if you over indulge, you can’t appreciate it. When I wrote and recorded this song early in ’06, it was a turning point for me in that I had just created for myself a template of what I consider to be my style of music.

I’m used to silhouettes of pine trees in my window
and air to dry for morning dew
I’m from a desert where every drop of water
is cherished like I cherish you

It’s such a waste of water drinking to get sober
planting palm trees does it too
I feel your wasting love like a glass of water
but your too drunk to see that’s true

When you finally wake to find out your mistakes,
it would be a waste for you to cry
Cause in your hedonist abundance, love has lost it’s substance
Your tears won’t stop until your hearts dry
Your tears won’t stop until your hearts dry

Your used to ocean views and palm trees in your window
and fog so thick that you can’t see
with moisture everywhere you tend not to remember
just how important love should be
your fleeting lifestyle you’ve always been a part of
will slowly drag your wet heart down
cause you’ll claim your happier with every man you drink with
until the day you finally drown

Cause when you finally wake to find out your mistakes,
it would be a waste for you to cry
Cause in your hedonist abundance, love has lost it’s substance
Your tears won’t stop until your hearts dry
Your tears won’t stop until your hearts dry
Until the fog lifts up from your eyes ah woah oh oh
Your tears won’t stop until your hearts dry

Fire Song:

I wrote this song during summer of 06, pretty much after all the other material had already been written and recorded. It was in response to the Brins Fire in Sedona, Arizona, which was steadily burning towards my house. While I was packing, I found a drawer full of things my ex had given me and I couldn’t decide whether or not to bring them. I didn’t. But I also didn’t leave. In fact I was stuck at my house for six days straight, with no electricity. It was the most boring week of my life, but I wrote this song during it, so at least I’ve got that.

Falling down, falling down
the ash is coming down like snow
Burning down, burning down
the flames are creeping to my home

Panicking I pack up a box of all necessities
when I come upon, come upon
a stash of things you gave to me

Its been so long since we talked
these things once meant so much to me
but time has changed how I think I don’t remember what they mean

So if I leave
I’m gonna leave everything
let them burn
I’m gonna leave everything
you gave to me
the flames are tangled in the trees
so if I leave I’m gonna leave everything

The summer sun, summer sun
reminds me of a year before
when we would spend most our time
together with no place to go

The sun still shines the way it did
it’s not the sun that’s changed
a year ago it fueled our love
and not the flames

So if I leave
I’m gonna leave everything
let them burn
I’m gonna leave everything
you gave to me
the flames are tangled in the trees
so if I leave I’m gonna leave everything

It’s raining now, pouring down
thank God the water saved my home
and all in all, i feel good
I’ve got your things to hold on to.

Te Amo:

This was the first song I wrote that any semblance of the style that the album became. It was also my first experiment with synths and electric drums. It’s not a complicated song in any way, just a love song about a girl that I owe a lot to.

I’ve been treated much like Rodney King
Verbal lashings make me think
there’s no way to wake up from that dream
meeting her was a relief
She’s a certain frame of mind
That’s hard not to get used to
It doesn’t happen all the time
That’s why I hate to think it’s real
She always makes me smile
So I return the favor
And I’m in debt forever
To the things she makes me feel

Baby, All we know
Together right now is the best that we can hope for
Te Amo
Come with me quickly and besame ahora
Que sera sera
We don’t really know what the future holds so
All we know together right now is the best that we can hope for

It wasn’t long before she talked like me
Mi corazon is para ti
and people ask me if we’re more than friends
I never know quite what to say

Cause she’s a certain frame of mind
That’s hard not to get used to
It doesn’t happen all the time
That’s why I hate to think it’s real
She’s like a catchy tune
You always will remember
And I’m in debt forever
To the things she makes me feel

Keyboard:

I wrote this song at the beginning of my freshman year of college. When I began school, I made four round trips to Arizona from Los Angeles because I was in the Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Youth Band that had practice every weekend for a month. Additionally, I had spent much of the summer playing piano with someone I loved. The experiences combined are what became this song.

I would put you in my suitcase
and take you back with me
when I fly there
you still make my knees go weak
and I love to hold your cheeks
when I fly home

We would take turns playing notes on the keyboard
we can’t do that anymore
come won’t you join me at the piano
and we’ll play till I must go
till I must go

I would put you in my pocket
and take you to LA
cause I need you there
and if I catch the later flight
to find Arizona nights
will you greet me home

We could take turns playing notes on the keyboard
Pretend I never left home
So come won’t you join me at the piano
and we’ll play till I must go

(female)
I could play with you all night
we could sing our songs and lose time

(male)
If you are the black keys, I am the white
hoilding you closely
all night

till I must go
(We would take turns playing notes on the keyboard)
(come won’t you join me and we’ll take turns)

till I must go
(we can’t do that anymore)
Till I must go
(come won’t you join me and we’ll take turns)
Till I must go…..

Ocean Eyes:

I wrote this on Santa Monica beach and that’s all I have to say about that.

Lyrics;

Upside down
the sky looks like the ocean
exactly like the ocean
But the waves can move
much quicker than the clouds can
so you dismiss what I said
And the firm divide
you make of the horizon
makes me want the skyline
cause the textured sky
reflects the blue that drowns me
your ocean eyes that drown me

OOOHHHH
December sends me to the big island
another junction point where our love ends
but after all this time I can’t forget
your ocean eyes that I once swam, that I once swam

So take your kiss
and age it in a barrel
age it in a barrel
Cause your love provokes
a steady downward spiral
until theres nothing at all
And I can taste
your salty disposition
everytime I breathe in
Cause you gave up
much quicker than the clouds can
like waves upon the shoreline

I leapt off the lava and fell into your seas
and we both tried to maintain me
with your buoyant properties
but you beat me with your current
against black jagged walls
and yet everytime I see your eyes I know its not your fault

OOOHHH
December sends me to the big island
another junction point where our love ends
but after all this time I can’t forget
your ocean eyes that I once
swammmmm
December sends me to the big island
another junction point where our love ends
but after all this time I can’t forget
your ocean eyes that I once swam.

Why Now:

I originally wrote this song my sophomore year of high school when I played in a ska band called “Schroeder.” It sounds completely different than the version that is on the All Day Dreamers LP other than the vocals. It has been reharmonized, the time and feel have changed, and the bridge was added. The lyrics of the song also became very representative of my leaving for college as well.

Why now, why ya gotta go now
Why now, cause I’m feeling all alone
Why now, why ya gotta go now
Why now, Why now cause say

It tastes to bittersweet and
I know I gotta retreat but
Why now, why ya gotta go now
Why now, Why now cause say

Well times have changed and I rue the day that I’ll be
so damn lonely my mind is set on the way things used to be
Well times have changed and I rue the day that I’ll be
so damn lonely my mind is set on the way things used to be

It tastes to bittersweet and
I know I gotta retreat but
Please don’t let me repeat the same thing again
but Why now, why ya gotta go now
Why now, cause I’m feeling all alone
Why now, why ya gotta go now
Why now, Why now

But I’ll be home soon
pining for you
we could pretend
we’re starting anew
maybe someday
I’ll be home to stay
but until then
I’ll dream of you all day
all day

But why now, why ya gotta go now
why now, cause I’m feeling all alone
why now, why ya gotta go now
why now, Why now cause say
why now, why ya gotta go now
why now, cause I’m feeling all alone
why now, why ya gotta go now
why now, Why now

Popsicles:

This song is about a dear friend of mine whose father died in a plane crash. I would have and still would do anything in my power to relieve her of any pain.

I hope your heart is not too calloused
following your father’s fall
I hope your life can find some patterns
of things to help you make it through

But otter pops
they make you happy
and Disneyland
it makes you happy
it makes us happy

Cause I just wanna make you feel that same way
I just wanna help you find a better day
I just wanna make you feel that same way

Can you taste the tears that cloud your mind but not your eyes cause
you don’t show how much you cry
can happiness replace the empty space that you created
on the day your father died

But it takes so long to find some solace
and I hope this song reminds you of me
and makes you happy

Cause I just wanna make you feel that same way
I just wanna help you find a better day
I just wanna make you feel that same way

I just wanna make you feel that same way
I just wanna help you find a better day
I just wanna make you feel that same way

But otter pops they make you happy
and those photographs that you take are lovely and they make us happy

Cause I just wanna make you feel that same way
I just wanna help you find a better day
I just wanna make you feel that same way
that same way