Portrait of a Smuggler
from Scenes from an Art Heist by The Eighty Six Seas
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about
I never expected this to be a country-western song, but here we are. This song is almost a mirror of Lonely Afternoon where the narrator shares that same sense of ennui but is also motivated to escape it without doing any further damage. He ends up faking his own death as a way to get away from art theft and also to inject some excitement into his life. Ironically, he ends up just being bored again. I borrowed heavily from the Andrew Bird sonic palette and incorporated violins, acoustic bass, and steel guitars to get that rockabilly / western vibe that seemed to oddly go part and parcel with a tale of boredom.
lyrics
Mallorca in the early spring
A villa bought and paid for by an art theft ring
A younger man would be so thrilled
And truth be told, they’d probably get killed
A warm wind lilting through the shade
A hand running through hair that’s since thoroughly grayed
I’m the portrait of a smuggler, bored
Servicing rich men who just like to hoard
I need a way out now before my brain turns brown
I need a way out now before my sanity drowns
I need to get out long before the breakdown
Munich in the middle fall
I’m trying my best to avoid their every call
But my pager doesn’t know how not to ring
They stole a Dutch girl but can’t move that thing
There’s forgers sitting in my den
Working hard on a new name or ten
A license, passport, and some cash
Ready to turn this life into ash
I need a way out now before my brain turns brown
I need a way out now before my sanity drowns
I need to get out long before the breakdown
When I was very young
I dreamed of laying in the sun
With nothing on my brain
Except if or when it’s going to rain
And this life that I’ve designed
Dead to the world I left behind
The irony has struck a chord
I’m the portrait of an ex-smuggler, bored
I need a way out now before my brain turns brown
I need a way out now before my sanity drowns
I need to get out long before the breakdown
A villa bought and paid for by an art theft ring
A younger man would be so thrilled
And truth be told, they’d probably get killed
A warm wind lilting through the shade
A hand running through hair that’s since thoroughly grayed
I’m the portrait of a smuggler, bored
Servicing rich men who just like to hoard
I need a way out now before my brain turns brown
I need a way out now before my sanity drowns
I need to get out long before the breakdown
Munich in the middle fall
I’m trying my best to avoid their every call
But my pager doesn’t know how not to ring
They stole a Dutch girl but can’t move that thing
There’s forgers sitting in my den
Working hard on a new name or ten
A license, passport, and some cash
Ready to turn this life into ash
I need a way out now before my brain turns brown
I need a way out now before my sanity drowns
I need to get out long before the breakdown
When I was very young
I dreamed of laying in the sun
With nothing on my brain
Except if or when it’s going to rain
And this life that I’ve designed
Dead to the world I left behind
The irony has struck a chord
I’m the portrait of an ex-smuggler, bored
I need a way out now before my brain turns brown
I need a way out now before my sanity drowns
I need to get out long before the breakdown
credits
from Scenes from an Art Heist,
released February 23, 2024
Nick Stevens - vocals, electric guitar
David Anthony - electric guitar, synthesizer
Mike Fonte - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, lap steel guitar
Chris Anthony - drums
Itaiguara Brandão - double bass
Damian Bolotin - violin
Nick Stevens - vocals, electric guitar
David Anthony - electric guitar, synthesizer
Mike Fonte - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, lap steel guitar
Chris Anthony - drums
Itaiguara Brandão - double bass
Damian Bolotin - violin
license
all rights reserved
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about
The Eighty Six Seas Brooklyn, New York
The Eighty Six Seas is the moniker of Nick Stevens, a Brooklyn-based artist who weaves a tapestry of indie rock, indie pop, indie folk and folktronica into a sound all his own. Decorated with sweeping strings and poetic stories, it’s a sound shaped by influences as wide-ranging as The National, Frightened Rabbit, New Order, Belle and Sebastian, David Byrne, The Mountain Goats and Bon Iver. ... more
discography
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Feb 2024 -
Feb 2023 -
Jul 2022
contact / help
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