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Street Noise: Songs from Bangladesh

by Tim Bang

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1.
Bideshi (Foreigner) 03:03
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Modesty scarf on your shoulders And back at home it grows colder, But it's always warm in Khulna, Bangladesh. 4:41 - The call to prayer strikes my drums Reminds me just how far we've come. 8:02 - A cold shower has to do Another lesson I've learned from you. 9:03 - I'm dying to be Anything but bideshi ( বিদেশি ). I got the blues as I was reading the news, An Italian man was shot in the street, Gunned down I guess 'cause he looks like me. 12:04 - I stroll out the door, The State Department's warning ignored. 12:05 - Why thank God I'm alive? It's him that they're killing us for. It's like when both teams are praying to score. Modesty scarf on your shoulders, And though it has not gotten colder You've got the chills in Khulna, Bangladesh.
2.
Tomake Bhalobashi 03:34
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We heard Brian Wilson on my car stereo. You sang along: "We could be married and then we'd be happy." On the beach in Bintan, I got on one knee with some platitudes: "Will we be married? Will we be happy?" On a Friday in July with grey skies above we said the words: "We will be married. We will be happy." Finally. I first saw you In the union By the jukebox In those polka dots You were running late The conversation was long but the hours short You're the last girl I'll ever court Cause after you No one else will do I soured on love songs I thought 'em bad taste Usually a hodgepodge of clichés I don't want it that way আর আমি সব সময় ভালবাশি তোমাকে (ar ami shob shomoy bhalobashi tomake) We'll move to Khulna, amra ekshonge ( আমরা একশঙ্গে ) Playing this guitar, I hear songs from the street You can hear them now I first saw you In the union By the jukebox In those polka dots You were running late The conversation was long but the hours short You're the last girl I'll ever court Cause after you No one else will do
3.
Dhaka to Bangkok 03:00
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I told you, darling, I've never lost a set of keys Yeah, it's one of the more irksome differences Between you and me Now I'm traveling all over Dhaka to get them back The police (পুলিশ) in Gulshan will stop me But won't search my bag I've got bideshi privilege and a flight to Bangkok to catch I saw you in the airport and love conquered all Though I put up a fight sometimes, make sure that the order is tall The walls that I've built up I hold you they crumble and fall There's a chicken in the car but the car won't go All I want to do is get back to Chicago There's a chicken in the car but the car won't go How're we going to get ourselves back to Chicago Tweedledee and Tweedledum play tic tac toe The other guy just talks shit about Mexico There's a chicken in the car but the car won't go All I want to do is get us back to Chicago.
4.
Pitter Patter 02:18
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We're off our knees And on the street We're rising like the summer heat I feel the beat inside my feet Is incomplete and bittersweet Let's fix it all and make it right Preparing for a vicious fight On second thought I'm occupied I feel so numb; my brain is fried Talk about it Think about it Hear about it Start to doubt it Pitter patter of grey matter Hit the wall it starts to shatter It's automatic, emblematic Systematic and dogmatic I'm akratic, problematic And to boot monochromatic My heart mechanic is organic Tells my brain it's time to panic Must be godly, sycophantic Lest it be something satanic. Talk about it Think about it Hear about it Gotta doubt it Pitter patter of grey matter Hit the wall it starts to shatter We're burning down this shanty town Injustices are all around This ship is soon to run aground So take the tiller hard to lee (leeward) I'm thrown askew and must review My inventory all anew This feels a bit like Déjà vu It's looking like my Waterloo Talk about it Think about it Hear about it Never doubt it Pitter patter of grey matter Hit the wall and let it shatter
5.
Snowbound 02:55
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I woke again in Bangladesh I guess it's not a dream I saw your lovely faces On my computer screen Things move fast sometimes They come apart at the seams The monsoon is gone, And it chills me to know. Two of my favorite people Buried in the snow Always so warm to me I would never have known I think your perfect spring is just around the bend Even if it's broken bad past the point you can mend The monsoon is back And I want you to know I hope you find some way you can melt the snow
6.
5th of December 02:13
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Today it has been ten years since I saw you last. I started to wonder if I could recall the sound of your voice Like I could on the day they put you in the ground. I see you less and less in my dreams. That's what I used to want. This year I shed no tears on December fifth. And I started to wonder if time has healed the wound Or if that's right, maybe I've just become more adept at feeling numb Perhaps they're the same How would I know? All I have is a scar to show I see you less and less in my dreams I wish that you'd come back
7.
Amar Meyer Jono (For my Daughter) 03:21
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When we first met You were a heartbeat on the screen And what it means Is there's a you 'cause of me So I'll take a look and see What can I offer you Purge all my weaknesses Lest they become yours you And If I find some strengths inside I will share those with you And I'll hide my frailties As I am wont to do Whatever good you find in this world I want you to pursue Will we succeed Let you be who you want to be They say that you're born free That's 'cause the chains take time to see What does it take? Am I the man I ought to be? I look to your mother; she's the ballast we both need And we'll find the strengths inside We will share those with you And you'll find our blind spots As children tend to do Whatever good you find in this world We will help you pursue.

about

My wife and I spent the last year living in Khulna, Bangladesh where she was working on a research project. I wrote all these songs while I was there.

One of the most apparent cultural differences I encountered (and eventually came to appreciate) was the constant street noise. The chorus of cars honking, sirens chirping, rickshaw bells ringing, and fishmongers touting was an inescapable part of our daily lives. I quickly learned that these sounds would bleed into any recordings I made in our apartment.

After returning to the US, I decided to finish recording these tracks. Although I was working in a quiet house in Ithaca, New York, I wanted to give the listener a chance to experience the soundscape I inhabited when I wrote these songs; so I left the original street noise in the mix. Hence the album name. You'll hear buses, cars, bicycles, and, during the second half the album, the daily rain of the monsoon season.

I had a lot of fun making this. Like all the music I write, record, and release, I made this just because I love doing it, and I love sharing it with anyone who's willing to listen. Thanks for taking the time to check it out.

credits

released November 26, 2016

All the music was written and performed by me, Tim Bang. I also recorded everything myself. I had it mixed and mastered by David Brown at Unity Studio in the Southside Community Center in Ithaca, New York.

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Tim Bang Miami, Florida

I've been writing and recording music for a long time. I've played in a number of bands over the years, but I'm doing the solo singer/songwriter thing now. Thanks so much for listening!

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