We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Autonomy

by Stephanie Lambring

supported by
Bart
Bart thumbnail
Bart Seems Stephanie was in the Nashville singer-songwriter circuit but left to do her own thing. These lyrics are so personal, I can see how she need to strike out on her own. Stunning album. Favorite track: Joy of Jesus.
xnj_guy57
xnj_guy57 thumbnail
xnj_guy57 Raw, moving and powerful, spoken softly and from the heart. It's very personal for me and I will be forever grateful to Stephanie for sharing it. Favorite track: Birdsong Hollow.
ncguitarplyr
ncguitarplyr thumbnail
ncguitarplyr Stephanie has a true gift for lyrics. Her lyrics are up there with Jason Isbell and John Prine. The music is very authentic sounding with mostly real instruments. Doesn’t sound like someone made it on a keyboard and a laptop which is more rare these days. Best album I’ve heard in years. I only hope she makes more and that she plays a show near Montgomery soon. Favorite track: Daddy's Disappointment.
norm tandberg
norm tandberg thumbnail
norm tandberg Haunting beautiful ,tackling many difficult subjects. Songwriting is first rate,arrangements and production stellar.One of the best releases of 2020! every track hits the mark. Stephanie has a gift. Favorite track: Pretty.
/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

1.
I was eight years old, got my first B+ Hid it in the basement with the Christmas stuff Heart racin’ when he’d ask me, “Got your grades yet, hon?” Made it three whole days ’til I ‘fessed up He said, “No after school Coke, and no TV.” “It’s not the B+, it’s that you lied to me.” I remember wishin’ it was that easy I cried the kind of tears nobody sees That’s how daddy’s little girl grows up to be daddy’s disappointment Waitin’ tables and shitty boyfriends ‘Cause he said, “All that potential, but you don’t have the drive.” And all I learned how to do is how to prove him right I’m Daddy’s disappointment I was 15, learned my first three chords When he finally caught me singin’ to the living room floor He lit up like the night when a star is born Soon my little dream wasn’t mine anymore Every little country opry, every little country church Singin’ someone else’s stories in someone else’s words I hated every canned applause every damn half-verse But the truth don’t shine through a sequin shirt That’s how daddy’s little girl grows up to be daddy’s disappointment Waitin’ tables and shitty boyfriends ‘Cause he said, “All that potential, but you don’t have the drive.” And all I learned how to do is how to prove him right I’m Daddy’s disappointment I was 23, got my first big break Learned how to make a living out of old heartache Burned out 16th Avenue ’til I had nothin’ to say Just a pawn in a game I never wanted to play
2.
Pretty 03:46
It was my fifth grade Christmas pageant I went up to read my passage Got the giggles, the kind that you can’t stop I crept back to my seat Face as red as boys are mean He said, “Hey fat girl, you ruined everything.” I wiped the tears off my glasses On my velvet Christmas dress And I wondered if I’d ever be pretty Watched the mirrorball spin Around the middle school gym Hopes were high, but I was shy, and he was a cool kid My best friend asked him To ask me to dance He said, “I can’t, she’s too fat.” And he just laughed I pretended not to cry By the free throw line And I wondered if I’d ever be pretty When I was 17 Some old has-been said to me “Honey, you look like a million bucks But if you lost 30 pounds Oh, just think about it I bet you’d look like 20 million.” So I cut hard and I cut fast Ran round and round the high school track There wasn’t one damn calorie I didn’t know I stuck fingers down my throat To fit into my skinny coat We all pretended not to notice the water running Brushed my teeth and wiped my eyes On a polka dot towel I wondered if I’d ever be pretty Now that I’ve grown up I’ve tried to learn to love Every curve, every line, every imperfection There’s a woman in the mirror But sometimes I still see her The little girl who would never be pretty I step up and let some number Make it a good or bad day I’ll be damned if I’ll ever be pretty
3.
I said it was the happiest day of my life Then I slipped into the Sunday School room and cried I was praying they were happy tears and I’d be alright There’s nothing wrong with a little white lie I posed with all my new and old girlfriends In the dresses we would never wear again We shot tequila in communion cups to calm the butterflies There’s nothing wrong with a little white lie So I sobered up In the back of the line Followed rose petals to the rest of my life I said I would love him ’Til the day that I died And there’s nothing wrong with a little white lie Oh there’s nothing wrong with a little white lie For a while I half believed that we could do it Playin’ house and playin’ nice ’til we outgrew it Now it’s oh my God, what happened, at least you didn’t have kids And movin’ out on a long weekend I can hear that lonely echo in the kitchen The kind that lets you know that something’s missin’ Take one last look through the closet behind my little black dress And I find my little white lie Covered in lace Two sizes too small Damn Cabernet stain They could never get off How I was scared stiff But I twirled through the night Around and around in my little white lie All covered in lace Two sizes too small Everything that I wanted I never wanted at all Pull it down off the hanger And I let myself cry Into the arms of my little white lie Into the arms of my little white lie
4.
So you met Mr. Wonderful Isn’t he wonderful You thought you had it all ‘Til it all had you He swept you off your feet Open doors and flowers and chemistry Up laughin’ every night ’til after three Did it seem too good to be true When he bought your favorite wine For your friends that one time Felt like he could read your mind And it was kinda cute He couldn’t spend the night without you It was nice to feel desired ‘Cause he is Mr. Wonderful He is Mr. Wonderful Did he say “I love you” A little too soon Did you feel like you had to say it back Before you knew When you need a night out with your friends Does he find a way to take offense So you bail and you stay in with him And everything is cool again ‘Cause you’re the only thing he needs Sometimes it’s almost sweet But you can’t forget about that dream Where you were lying on the couch With his hand over your mouth And you wonder what that means ‘Cause he is Mr. Wonderful He is Mr. Wonderful Every day gets harder to crawl out of the confusion Red flag anger, good behavior Which is the illusion? Now he slams you up against the wall You blame the alcohol He’ll sing his sorry song Won’t happen again, again You know you can’t stay But you don’t have the strength And yesterday was a good day Is it you or is it him You can’t see where you begin Somebody tangled up the blame ‘Cause he is Mr. Wonderful He is Mr. Wonderful
5.
Joy of Jesus 03:59
He called her a slut Just because She was singin’ ‘bout one night love So she looked him up Said Trump/Pence 2016 Conservative Christian You could hear him just laughing “Did your daddy not give you enough attention? You’re just a whore, but Jesus is Lord, Don’t you want his forgiveness?” Is that the joy of Jesus Is that the joy of Jesus Is that the joy of Jesus Is that the joy, is that the joy of Jesus She caught him red-handed In her minivan Goin’ down on the quarterback So she sent him to camp to get reprogrammed Cure that abomination “‘Cause God don’t make faggots, son, It’s a habit of your sinful generation. It’s just a choice, forget about that boy Don’t you want your salvation?” Is that the joy of Jesus Is that the joy of Jesus Is that the joy of Jesus Is that the joy, is that the joy of Jesus For we do not have a high priest who cannot empathize with all our weakness For we do not have a high priest who cannot empathize with all our weakness And that’s the joy of Jesus Is that the joy, is that the joy Of Jesus
6.
Fine 02:40
If I never get married Is there something wrong with me I don’t dream about the dress or someone to get old with I’d rather be free If I never have children Will I have been all I can be If all I do is put words onto paper Will I leave a legacy If there ain’t no right way There ain’t no wrong We get all worked up about what everybody wants There’s no such thing as wasted time So whatever you’re doin’ you’re doin’ just fine It’s uncomfortable to field the questions When you go against the grain But that ain’t nothin’ like the chains of the prison Of what everybody thinks So line up your picket fences I’ll load up my RV I’ll be happy drunk, dancin’ at your weddin’ While you help me chase my dreams ‘Cause if there ain’t no right way There ain’t no wrong We get all worked up about what everybody wants There’s no such thing as wasted time So whatever you’re doin’ you’re doin’ just fine No, there ain’t no right way There ain’t no wrong We get all worked up about what everybody wants There’s no such thing as wasted time So whatever you’re doin’ you’re doin’ just fine
7.
Every night she begs for a husband One man who’ll fix the malfunction She dreams up his name, what’s she gonna say when he sweeps her off her feet But even if the piece fits what happens if it doesn’t Every morning she puts on her makeup She sings “There is Power in the Name of Jesus” She prays, “Please take this away, I know You don’t make mistakes, I’ll do anything To make love like I’m supposed to.” She’s got a girl in Indiana and a Bible by her bed Everybody’s trying to speculate what Jesus never said She tries to walk the straight and narrow in somebody else’s dress She’s got a girl in Indiana and a Bible by her bed Her daddy says he’s got the solution Line ‘em all up in the backyard and shoot ‘em Bet he’d have a change of heart if he knew his baby daughter was one of those “sickos” Sometimes Christians ain’t too Christian She’s got a girl in Indiana and a Bible by her bed Everybody’s trying to speculate what Jesus never said She tries to walk the straight and narrow in somebody else’s dress She’s got a girl in Indiana and a Bible by her bed There’s a bridge runs over 440 She walks out, says “Whatcha got for me?” Nowhere to go but down, no other way but out, Lord help me now Two hands on the rail, one more sad story Oh, two hands on the rail, one more sad story
8.
621 South Sugar Street That’s where they’re taking Josephine First she was just forgetting things Now she’s gettin’ mean They kept her home as long as they could ’Til there were more bad days than good And they had to do what they hoped they never would Told her she was goin’ on a big vacation Loaded her up in the station wagon For the old folks home People askin’ when they’re gonna go home Some are lucky enough not to know Shuffle the halls like apprentice ghosts To the main cafe Bingo cards and steak puree Volunteers smile at vacant faces Wonder if they’re in better places Benny, he still has his mind But they still talk to him like he’s five Loud and slow and high-pitched like They’re stuck on autopilot He wheels himself over to the East wing To see the Sunday paper crossword queen They tell stories about the things they’ve seen while they’ve still got memories Everything is a little less worse when Someone sees you like a person At the old folks home People askin’ when they’re gonna go home Some are lucky enough not to know Shuffle the halls like apprentice ghosts Past the sad gift shop Where good granddaughters buy their afterthoughts Pink-flowered cards signed “Love you lots” For a moment you don’t feel forgot Esther, she ain’t seen her son Since the day she didn’t know who he was He left her with a check and a hug And hoped that it was love Months creep by with no phone call She just rocks her baby doll Stares at squares of strangers taped to the wall Hummin’ an old country song Nurses tuck her in, tell her they love her But you can’t fix a grieving mother At the old folks home People askin’ when they’re gonna go home They stop askin’ when they just know Shuffle the halls like apprentice ghosts Locked up in God’s waiting room No such thing as gone too soon The body’s tired, and the mind is too Wonder when He’s gonna come for you Take you home, take you home
9.
I don’t go to church It’s hard to see the light When someone’s always hurt And someone’s always right We sip Holy Communion We wear our wedding white For we know not what we do and No one’s askin’ why I might be a little disillusioned I might be a little gun shy I just wanna get to where the truth is Maybe be a little less right You can say what you wanna say The sweetest rhetoric ain’t gonna save me Save me tonight For God so loved the world Or did he change his mind Girls are kissing girls Guess Jesus had to die A six-year-old has cancer We send our prayers and our good vibes Our prerecorded answer Lord, Your will, not mine I might be a little disillusioned I might be a little gun shy I just wanna get to where the truth is Maybe be a little less right You can say what you wanna say The sweetest rhetoric ain’t gonna save me Save me tonight Maybe someday I’ll come back Fight fiction for the fact Put my name back in the hat I’m still just a little disillusioned Maybe I’m a little gun shy I just wanna get to where the truth is Maybe be a little less right You can say what you wanna say The sweetest rhetoric ain’t gonna save me Save me tonight
10.
He drank his coffee cold Took out the recycling He didn’t leave a note They’d know where to find him He’d talked about it before On and on about bridges Said, "Hey, Dad, is it a sin? Hope God ain’t too religious." ‘Cause he’d heard people say it’s simple It’s a selfish ambition For some the body is a temple But for some it’s a prison All those haunted voices, they got too loud They drove him to the edge, so he drove them down To Birdsong Hollow He parked between the lines Slipped the keys in the console Even read the sign “Call anytime - There is still hope.” He paced over the valley And he thought about his mother Would she know there was nothin’ she could do Or would she always wonder All those haunted voices, they got too loud He took a leap of faith and he laid down At Birdsong Hollow Sometimes you can hear them sing A chorus of the silent screams Weary souls who fell into peace Finally, flyin’, flyin’ free His dad got home Wheeled in the recycling He could feel it in his bones He knew where to find him Such a short stretch of highway For such a long, long road He ran down to hold him And to let him go At Birdsong Hollow

credits

released October 23, 2020

All songs written by Stephanie Lambring

Produced by Teddy Morgan

Stephanie Lambring: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mellotron, omnichord, organ, piano, Wurlitzer, vocals
Teddy Morgan: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mellotron, organ, bass, percussion
Shannon Wright: vocals
Fred Eltringham: drums
Tom Blankenship: bass
Ben Parks: drums
Stephen Daniel King: bass
Drew Belk: steel guitar

Recorded at The Creative Workshop in Nashville, TN
Mixed by Teddy Morgan
Mastered by Richard Dodd

Art Direction by Fetzer Design
Cover Photo by Brandi Potter

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Stephanie Lambring Nashville, Tennessee

"One of Nashville's most fearless young singer-songwriters" - NPR Music

shows

contact / help

Contact Stephanie Lambring

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Stephanie Lambring, you may also like: