Ballads for Trying Times (2016)

Nights & Weekends

Music and Lyrics by Rachel Garcia and Thu Tran

Do what you love nights and weekends
In empty bars to scattered applause
Give it your all part of the time
Nights and weekends all your life

Answer your calling in your free time
The time in between your work and your sleep
Follow the path for which you are meant
Oh the road’s so dark nights and weekends

Anyone out there?
Anyone out there?
Anyone at all…

What if I’m up here in 5…10…15 years?
And the stage is unchanged? And still no one knows my name?
Will I still be waiting for something to break?
All those nights and weekends that have gone to waste

Anyone out there?
Anyone out there?


Impractical Art

Music and Lyrics by Rachel Garcia and Thu Tran

All my friends
Are having babies
But I just want a dog

They tell me I’m crazy
‘Cause I don’t see the big idea with babies
When I could have a dog

So what if it’s not meant to be;
Meant for me?

I am fine
Time is on my side
Right, right, right?

Truth be told, I thought by now I would
Have a little more to show
For myself

But I’m not that far off
From a house with a yard
If I only keep holding on

Damn this impractical art
Leaving me here to starve

I am fine
Time is on my side
Right. Right? Right.


We'll Get By

Music and Lyrics by Rachel Garcia and Thu Tran

Turn our pockets inside out
Day to day, hand to mouth
We may have to go down and play
The corner of the street with an open guitar case
Change will come if we make good
With the tourists down on Hollywood and Vine

We’ll get by, we’ll get by
Even if the money’s getting tight, we’ll get by

This town will surely spit us out
Unless our luck turns around
If it doesn’t we’ll move to the countryside
Get a cabin, live the simple life
We’ll wake up to the rooster’s crow
Sittin on the porch, we could take it slow

We’ll get by, we’ll get by
Say we gave it our best try, we’ll get by

Try our best to stay in love
Hold on to each other it’ll be enough

To get by, to get by
We’ll get by, we’ll get by
We’ll get by by by
We’ll get by by by


If You Followed Me / If I Followed You

Music and Lyrics by Rachel Garcia and Thu Tran

If you followed me
To some friendless city
Quit your good job
That paid you good money

And you stayed at home
Put your whole life on hold
Waited around for me
While I chased my dream

They’d call you crazy
Crazy

But if I followed you
They’d tell me my love was true
They’d say I was strong
That I somehow deserved you

Oh, what a shame
My heart won’t work that way
I cannot live inside
Only one life

Why should I stand by
Why should I?


My Favorite Person

Music and Lyrics by Thu Tran

You are my favorite person
To be angry with
To feel lonely with
Be misunderstood by
I can’t understand why
My favorite person is you

You are the endless frustration
I complain about
But can’t live without
My favorite pastime is spent
Holding grudges against you

Who needs the kind of bliss
They write about in movie scripts?
I’d much prefer
A happiness that hurts

You are my favorite person
You’re the one I want
To slam doors upon
The one I deserve
Love’s the four letter word
I have reserved for you

It’s very easy to see
In all your anger for me
That I’m your favorite person too