Mike Posner Hits

(Spoken Word Intro)
The following album was recorded during the coronavirus pandemic in a small cabin on top of a mountain in Utah

I was alone. It was recorded directly after I finished walking across America while I was training to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world

In some ways, this is an introduction for an introduction because I was unfinished with the album when it was time for me to go to Nepal and try to climb Everest
And so I sent it to my manager and said, put this out only if I die because it’s not done
Well, thankfully, I was able to get to the top of that mountain and more importantly, get back down safely with all my fingers and toes

And when I returned, I found myself unable to continue working on this album
The mountain had changed me to somebody else
And any effort to reconnect to the material I had written before I left to climb that mountain, I was no longer connected to in a direct way

So this is my time capsule snapshot from this chapter of my life
Incomplete
Imperfect

Here it is
And the album begins with my message to you. Should I have died?

Hello? If you’re listening to this, that means that I’m dead
Make sure that they don’t retrieve the body
That wasn’t me anyways
I was ready to take that thing off
Put it in a crevasse

You’re gonna listen to the album I was working on
It’s not done, but in some ways it’s perfect
This is the last one

I always felt trapped in some ways, bound by the laws of physics, gravity, and the whole bunch
My imagination never was trapped
My imagination was a loose cannon

What I’m really trying to say is, I hope that my life has been a flash of transcendence
I hope my existence, my story, and my art have ripped a hole in your sludgy slog through mundanity

Exposing a light that some might call God
I hope that my life has loosened the laces on the tight shoe of your personal melodrama
I do

I hope my life, my art, which is kind of the same thing, have reminded you that in some weird way.
It’s all going perfectly right here and right now

I hope my life has reminded you that nothing matters, in a good way
You’re alive, and in that respect you’re playing with house money
So go do whatever you want

What is the correct way to live, and what are the most important things in a life?
I’ve spent my days pursuing these questions, or their answers rather, in both action and study

I’ve walked across America and read the Gita
I climbed Everest and spent weeks in isolation, legs crossed, and eyes closed

The meaning of my first name, Michael, is who is God?
Question mark
It’s a question
Thus, I am a question, not an answer
I repeat for emphasis
I am a question

A macro question
Who is God?
Has spurred many subsidiary questions over the years
Like what happens when you stop pursuing money and the attention of others as a goal?
What happens when you get off the hamster wheel of hedonism?
What happens when you tiptoe to the edges of society?

Maybe even dip a toe into the unknown
Capital T, capital U
While still having enough balance to report back what you’re seeing
What happens then?
What happens when you dare to define what greatness is for yourself and launch wholeheartedly into that?
What happens when you become your own hero?

I am these questions, and my life is their answer
Was their answer
Because I’m dead now
And please don’t be sad about this
I created a ridiculous life for myself

The death of my dad and some of my friends reminded me that I was going to have a death one day
And I chose to live in a way that was splendiferous, amazing, silly, peacocky, at times dangerous, and I would argue beautiful

The story I wanted to write with my life involved risking an early death
That was my conscious and lucid decision
So don’t ever say that my death was a shame, or too early, or he had so much more to give, or any of that awful pity bullshit

Don’t use my death as a means to get other people to feel sorry for you
That’s the opposite of what my life stood for

I died the way I chose to live
Splendiferous, amazing, silly, peacocky, at times dangerous, and I would still argue beautiful
You too will die the way you live
And you too, whether you are conscious of it or not; are choosing the way you live
Choose carefully

I love you

(Verse 1)
There’s a momentum on this merry go ’round
And I’m a very, very long way from home now
It smell good enough for me to stick my head in
I thought you were gonna be dead at twenty-seven
But I’m still here

(Verse 2)
I got destroyed by everyone I was close to
I flew a bit higher than I was supposed to
My feelings have become one with the seasons
Yeah, I never swim nowhere but the deep ends
I’m still here, treading water
I’m still here

(Chorus)
God, I know it’s beautiful
Don’t let it all go to waste
I’ve got my fist in the air right now
Pain put a smile on my face

(Verse 3)
There’s a thing people do with their face when they’re lyin’
There’s a thought people think to tell themselves they’re tryin’ hard
I moved away to escape the Decembers
What would the world do if it remembered?
That I’m still here, motherfucker
I’m still here

(Chorus)
God, I know it’s beautiful
Don’t let it all go to waste
I’ve got my fist in the air right now
Pain put a smile on my face
And it’s a personal thing
Don’t care if you think I’m weird
I’m just a man in the tidal wave
And also, I’m still here

(Outro)
What do you know about it?
What do you know about it?
What do you know about it?
I’m still here
I’m still here

(Verse 1)
Some people’s eyes are like fireflies
Yeah, I’m too tired to philosophize
About religion
About politics
Some things are sad and beautiful
At the same time
And you can’t figure those things out
Not at all
But when bad things happen
When bad things happen

(Verse 2)
It cuts like a knife
Right through your shield
It’s hard to heal
But for once in your life
You get to feel

(Chorus)
What it’s like to be
Simply gorgeous
What it’s like to be
Simply gorgeous

(Just think about it)
(Just think about it)

(Verse 1)
This reminds me of my hometown
Ronnie’s dead but he’s home now
(Just think about it)
His daughter’s face is like a sunny day
Circles sure are funny shapes
(Just think about it)

I, I, I, I
I, I, I, I
Ohh
(Just think)
(Just think about it)

(Verse 2)
I busted down yet another door
There’s nothing left from who I was before
(Just think about it)
In 2018 was my mistake
Almost killed myself proving I was great

(Chorus)
But I’m free without it
Whoa
Yeah, I’m free without it
Whoa

(Just think about it)

(Verse 3)
Sit at the bottom of a pool and yell
Think about Keegan, think about myself
(Just think about it)
And I’m too much of a genius for a city or town
I’ll only stay for a while then spread it around
(Just think about it)

I, I, I, I
I, I, I, I
Ohh

(Chorus)
Let me tell you I…
I’m free without it
Whoa
Yeah, I’m free without it
Whoa

(Verse 4)
You know those moments where еverything just makes sensе?
Everybody’s had them
Nothing’s wrong
Virginia Woolf called those ‘moments of being’
Miss Mundy taught us about that senior year AP Lit
And ever since I’ve reorganized my life around moments of being
I’ve tried to live in such a way that I could experience more of them
That’s why I spent that time in solitude at the monastery
That’s why I walked across America
That’s why I didn’t eat
I’m not saying it’s right
But it’s one way to live
Think about it
(Just think about it)

Hey, the date is September 4th, 2020
I’m in Minturn, Colorado, alone
I’m always alone here
And I’m training to climb Mount Everest May 2021
And I have a lot of trouble
After our climbs, we’ll go out for three days
We’ll go out for a week
And it’s a very intimate experience climbing a mountain with somebody, sleeping under the stars
Not sexual, just intimate
And when I finish, I come back here to this condo I’m renting
And I’m just alone
And I get fucking depressed every time I come back here
And there’s nobody waiting for me to come back
There’s no girl
There’s no family
There’s no dog
It’s just me
And it feels very dry

I was thinking about my dad right now
I miss him
And why?
I’ve set my life up to be alone so much
I have that this freedom is maybe too much freedom
And there’s no one here but me

(Verse 1)
I’m ‘bout to do this shit
Sick of sitting here
Only got a couple years before I disappear
I don’t know
I’m just a man
But there’s more inside me than these people understand

(Pre-Chorus)
Oh, I think it’s time I went and found a way

(Chorus)
I’m looking for something different to clear my mind
I’m headed to someplace distant, that I might not find
And I know that you’re worried
I won’t make it, but
No, don’t worry
I’m gon’ make it home (Home)
(Home)

(Verse 2)
I could die
I’mma do it though
Hope my life becomes a symbol of what’s beautiful
Take it therе
Make it back
All these pеople think I’m crazy, I’m okay with that

(Pre-Chorus)
Oh, I think it’s time I went and found a way

(Chorus)
I’m looking for something different to clear my mind
I’m headed to someplace distant, that I might not find
And I know that you’re worried
I won’t make it, but
No, don’t worry
I’m gon’ make it home

(Outro)
(Home)
(Home)
(Home)
(Home)

I didn’t go to the mountains to appreciate their beauty
Or to escape the traps of normal everyday life
Or to see how tall they were
Nah

I went to see how tall I was
I want to see how strong I was
I want to see how wise I was
Could there be a better version of myself lying under the costume of my social personality?
Yes, yes, yes, I’m here now
Solid
Finding truth in all the places people forget to look!
So knowing this
The question is
Do I still care about what I’m doing?
Am I living right?
I just want to enjoy this shit while it lasts
But enjoy is a funny word
I get enjoyment when I eat a chocolate chip cookie
That flavor of enjoyment takes only a moment to procure
And disappears just as quickly

But me?

I prefer a different type of enjoyment
I like the type of enjoyment that starts off as an idea in my mind
It doesn’t even exist yet
I like the type of enjoyment that I have to suffer
For a very long time in order to procure!
I like the type of enjoyment
That I have to become somebody else altogether
Just to taste it!
Because the person I am right now!
Ain’t fucking good enough to get it done!

I like the type of enjoyment that takes years!
And they’re shaky, uncertain, scary years
Because I’m not even sure it’s gonna work out
I might fail in front of everyone
I might die in the process
I might be humiliated!
This is the secret ingredient
In this type of enjoyments’ recipe!
The risk of absolute unequivocal failure!

I might not make it
(Whoa!)
(Fuck!)
I try anyways
Courageously

And what’s my reward?
Each day a voice in my mind
Attempts to convince me
I’m not good enough
Waste of my time
Another stronger, deeper part of my mind
Tells this little voice to, “shut the fuck up”
I will become good enough
Like the snake that sheds its skin
I will become a new me
That’s the whole point
And one day, if I’m lucky enough
And if the weather permits
I will succeed and taste this type of enjoyment
And let me tell you right now
It will taste the hell of a lot better
Than a chocolate chip cookie!
Woo!
(Get up there, Mike!)
(Just on top of the world, baby)
(Just on top the world!)

Its taste will linger in my soul for weeks
And maybe even years
It will taste so good
That when the bliss of my achievement
Finally does subside
I will fall into a deep withdrawal like depression
And that’s how I’ll know
That shit was real!

You got no idea what this kind of life is like
Unless you’re one of the very, very, very few people
Who has the courage;
Like Coach Chad told me,
“To not listen to the little voice in your head
That is trying to convince you
To not do something great”

(Intro)
(This won’t be the greatest thing you ever do
But it’s gonna be fucking awesome)

(Verse 1)
I’m feeling things again
What does that mean?
That’s enough for me to make
A series of rash decisions
Story of my life
Goes something like this:
Shy kid
College
Got rich
Still shy

(Chorus)
And no one understands me
Poor me
Yeah, no one understands me
Poor me

(Verse 2)
Masturbate in a tissue
Addicted to my phone
My left shoe is untied
I really, really miss you
I don’t wanna be alonе
But I don’t wanna be tied down
Lame kid
Same shit
Famous
Still lamе

(Chorus)
No one understands me
Poor me
No one understands me
Poor me

(Verse 1)
Unravel for me
Unravel for me
The vibe that we have right now is insane
Sitting and talking, everything is okay
So let me say this shit now before anything changes
Love can grow in dark places

(Verse 2)
I hugged you and your neck smelled just like home
Then I ran away and hid on top of my throne
Grew a beard for a year that was one of my phases
But love can grow in dark places

(Chorus)
If all we have is this moment, then I just wanna be free
And if our names are just curtains, then let me see underneath
Unravel for me
Unravel for me

(Verse 3)
Just ride shotgun, I don’t wanna talk now
Cause words only desecrate how this feels
And I know you feel it too, cause this shit’s outrageous (Wow)
Love can grow in dark places (Yeah, Ohh)

(Chorus)
If all we have is a moment, then I just wanna be free
And if our paths are just curtains, then let me see underneath
Unravel for me
Unravel for me

(Verse 1)
It’s all the smallest moments that fucked me up the most
Could never seem to figure out why that is
He was just laying on the couch there
Light was pouring out his eyes
That was a slap shot, a left hook to the ribs
I was sick of this damn city
And people in general
Fucking girls off Tinder, thought I was cool
I dyed my hair green and stopped eating
Sold my house to an actor
That was my way of saying, “I love you”

(Chorus)
But nobody cares
Nobody sees
Nobody thinks about
These things except me

(Verse 2)
Now I’m stuck in my emotions
Triggered by memories
That I made a mistake of thinking
And when you’ve treaded water this long
One starts to consider
What it might feel like to start sinking
Now, I’m gonna say some real shit
That I didn’t write down
It’s still nice to be Mike Posner

(Chorus)
But nobody cares
Nobody sees
Nobody thinks about
These things except me
But that’s not the point
It’s not that deep
If I have to be something
I think I pick free

(Verse 1)
It’s hard to be a human when you’re sad
It’s hard to be a boyfriend when you’re sad, yeah

(Chorus)
And everybody knows, everybody knows, everybody knows
I’m a mess
Yeah, everybody knows, everybody knows, everybody knows
What comes next
It’s the hurt, and the anger, the pain
And the danger of loneliness
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
It’s not done
It gets stranger when you are in danger of loneliness
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)

(Verse 2)
It’s hard to be a good friend when you’re sad, yeah
It’s hard to be a person when you’re sad, yeah, yeah

(Chorus)
And everybody knows, everybody knows, everybody knows
I’m a mess
See, everybody knows, everybody knows, everybody knows
What comes next
It’s the hurt, and the anger, the pain
And the danger of loneliness
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
It’s not done
It gets stranger when you are in danger of loneliness
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)

(Outro)
It’s hard to be a human when you’re sad

(Verse 1)
I stepped in, I stumbled, I fell on my face
I happened upon a person who will be hard to replace
Alone with my mind again, I’ll get used to that
She left my little mountain town, don’t know when she’ll be back

(Chorus)
But I know, darkness gonna follow me
But I don’t think it’s gonna be that bad

(Verse 2)
I make decisions off feelings
And I felt special with you
I think sometimes I try too hard, but that’s just something I do
My smile’s a sailboat on a melancholy sea
Subject to the winds blown by the love of you and me

(Chorus)
But I know, darkness gonna follow me
But I don’t think it’s gonna be that bad
Yeah, I know, darkness gonna follow me
But I don’t think it’s gonna be that bad
I don’t think it’s gonna be that bad
I don’t think it’s gonna be that bad
I’ll be fine, won’t be that bad

(Outro)
I’d rather be a hermit than the president of the United States
Unplug all the wires from my brain that are keeping me awake
Disappear into the mountains, get far from the coast
Share what I find out with the people, then disappear like a ghost

(Verse 1)
Walking on the path is the brightest one
On a mission I was given by the radiant one
Its breath is the wind and its eyes are the moon, yeah
Established in the worthy enlightened one, yeah

(Chorus)
Breathe
Breathe

(Verse 2)
The day that I die will be a glorious one
There will be a rainbow, yes, a jubilant one
Lightning and confetti gonna fall like feathers (Feathers)
Feathers

(Verse 3)
I’ve been told I was chosen by the wisest one, yeah
All these tiny knots inside me, now must come undone (Whoa)
Butterflies are flying
Jesus, look what I’ve become (Whoa)
I used to have a lot of problems
But now I don’t have none (I don’t have none)
Underneath the mask of many (Yeah)
There is only one
Is only one

(Chorus)
Breathe
Breathe
Breathe
Breathe

(Outro)
I’ve been walking on the path as the brightest one
On the mission I was given by the radiant one
To shine (Shine), shine and teach our young
I’ve been walking on the path as the brightest one

(Verse 1)
This will all be better soon
The sun will turn into the moon
Then the moon will disappear
And the sun will dry up all your tears
Hold your head up, don’t you cry
Daddy’s here, right by your side
The moon is like a summer breeze
First it’s here, and then it leaves

(Chorus)
But it always turns to something good
Something right
Something good
Something right
Someone’s thinking about you
Praying for you
Every day and every night

(Verse 2)
A mother’s touch is soft as cake
Everybody makes mistakes
And everything comes with a cost
Don’t think other peoplе’s thoughts
Someone loves you, no surprisе
Goodness gracious, you’re alive
And life is like a robin’s song
First it’s here, and then it’s gone

(Chorus)
But it always turns to something good
Something right
Something good
Something right
Someone’s thinking about you
Praying for you
Every day and every night
Something good
Something right
Someone’s thinking about you
Praying for you
Every day and every night