This Is How I Pray, by Erika Olson

This Is How I Pray

by Erika Olson

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1.	Mom Life 03:25	lyrics	buy track
Mom Life © Erika Olson & Jonny Wright 2022 Verse 1 I show up late again They're clucking in the car park like a pack of hens I hate my face for smiling like we're friends  The smiley one peels away To tell me they need something from the PTA I nod and fumble kids through the school gate   Chorus On the outside it looks nice Just look out for the land mines We sharpen up our knives For another day in Mom Life  So pass me down the wine I've been up all day and night Just trying to survive Another day in Mom Life   Verse 2 All sugar sweet like cherry aide Lining up their cars for the light brigade Am I the only school run renegade  I look just like I haven't slept I can feel them clutch their pearls like an amulet How the hell does anyone look so perfect Chorus On the outside it looks nice Just look out for the land mines We sharpen up our knives For another day in Mom Life  So pass me down the wine I've been up all day and night Just trying to survive Another day in Mom Life Bridge  It's only fair you know We never really grow Past the adolescent horror show   Chorus On the outside it looks nice Just look out for the land mines We sharpen up our knives For another day in Mom Life  So pass me down the wine I've been up all day and night Just trying to survive On the outside it looks nice Just look out for the land mines We sharpen up our knives For another day in Mom Life  So pass me down the wine I've been up all day and night Just trying to survive Just trying to survive Another day in Mom Life
2.	Hungry Little Bird 03:09	lyrics	buy track
Hungry Little Bird © 2021 Erika Olson Verse 1 Left home, seventeen So much to learn, so much to see Midwest, a sea of grain Debutants, football games Chorus Starving to be seen, to be seen Dying to be known, to be known Weightless all alone, all alone Hungry little bird Hungry hungry little bird Hungry little bird Hungry hungry little bird Verse 2 Sent home a wisp of gold Hollow bones, baggy clothes Daddy gasped, momma cried At the darkness in your eyes How on earth did it get so bad Can’t you feel the love you have Chorus Starving to be seen, to be seen Dying to be known, to be known Weightless all alone, all alone Hungry little bird Hungry hungry little bird Hungry little bird Hungry hungry little bird Bridge Free your famished heart Fill yourself with wonder Dance among the stars Chorus (you belong, you belong) Starving to be seen, to be seen Dying to be known, to be known Weightless all alone, all alone Hungry little bird Hungry hungry little bird Hungry little bird Hungry hungry little bird
3.	This Is How I Pray 03:54	lyrics	buy track
This is How I Pray ©2021 Erika Olson Verse 1 Momma sang her prayers As a little girl To God, the father and the son She begged for grace but never heard Back from anyone Pre-chorus The skylark and redstart sing to her at dawn The wind taught her all the words to its song Chorus Put her hands down in the dirt Walk barefoot on the earth Savor the air her babies breathe Let her tears fall with the rain Follow sunbeams and her faith To the cathedral in the trees This is how she prays Verse 2 Daddy left at sunrise To tend to his garden Of tees, greens, and sand Out on a fairway He prays to a father Who died too young of a man Pre-chorus No Sunday singin’ or sermon or schoolin’ Or bread are needed for a fairway communion Chorus Put his hands down in the dirt Walk barefoot on the earth Savor the air his babies breathe Let his tears fall with the rain Follow sunbeams ad his faith To the cathedral in the trees This is how he prays Verse 3 I forged my heart With carbon and iron No preacher could break through My baby’s voice Shattered my armor with Mommy I love you Pre-chorus Love is the prayer I was meant to receive If I can feel, I can believe Chorus Put my hands down in the dirt Walk barefoot on the earth Savor the air my babies breathe Let my tears fall with the rain Follow sunbeams and my faith To the cathedral in the trees This is how I pray This is how I pray
4.	Benefit Of The Doubt 04:44	lyrics	buy track
Benefit of the Doubt ©2021 Erika Olson Verse 1 Moved to a new school when I was 8 Boys called me four eyes pulled out my braids But it wasn’t long before we’d all hangout I always got the benefit of the doubt Only 5 girls in that 3rd grade class The boys had a favorite they liked to harass Mixed in with pale kids her dark skin stood out Charity never got the benefit of the doubt Chorus Silently, I would watch, the torment begin Pick at her hair, point at her hips Told the lies the lies the lies the lies That it wasn’t about the color of her skin Verse 2 5th grade Carolyn called me a cheat For looking at answers under my feet I stood up strait and lied with a shout I always got the benefit of the doubt Another day another test eyes peaking around Somebody’s cheat sheet fell to the ground Kids pointed their fingers, the teacher screamed out Charity never got the benefit of the doubt Chorus Silently, I would watch, the torment begin Pick at her clothes, point at her lips Told the lies the lies the lies the lies That it wasn’t about the color of her skin Bridge We were kids in the 80’s With Pop tarts and The A team Freedom was wind on a bike We were told to be colorblind Because we’d left behind All that history of black and white Even though the wars on drugs And welfare and thugs Played on the news every night Verse 3 Charity left in 8th grade, she’s pregnant we joked Thoughtless cruelty haunts me like a ghost If only I’d seen as child what I see now To break these chains, I proceed without The benefit Oh the benefit of the doubt Ooo
5.	Wreckage 03:26	lyrics	buy track
Wreckage © 2021 Erika Olson Verse 1 I never thought I'd be the one before the one when I was your someone We would dream tomorrows held a child or two a mountain view Then her face Shattered that picture I lost my future, you picked her Chorus From the wreckage of your love Gotta find the happiness I have lost From the wreckage of your love Gotta ditch the what ifs and the why nots the wreckage oh the wreckage From the wreckage I will climb Verse 2 I never thought I’d be the one tossed and used Lost and bruised In daylight I live again touch solid ground Put sorrow down, but In midnight flashbacks I beg and plead, what’s it like to be, loved more than me Chorus From the wreckage of your love Gotta find the happiness I have lost From the wreckage of your love Gotta ditch the what ifs and the why nots the wreckage oh the wreckage From the wreckage I will climb the wreckage the wreckage From the wreckage I fly Bridge I watched you crash at the end When rumors said She’d left you Battered, broken Covered in wounds Crushed by a choice you didn’t choose Chorus From the wreckage of your love I found the happiness I have lost From the wreckage of your love I ditched the what ifs and the why nots From the wreckage From the wreckage From the wreckage I will climb From the wreckage From the wreckage From the wreckage I will fly
6.	I Don't Feel Like Fighting 02:54	lyrics	buy track
I Don’t Feel Like Fighting © 2021 Erika Olson Verse 1 I want to know what the mountain says To stop the earthquake I want to know how the birch tree bends And does not break, ‘Cause Angry words explode from my mouth Shattered truce lays at our feet We’ve blasted another day to the ground And show no signs of retreat Chorus I don’t feel like fighting Anymore I’m giving up counting And keeping score I don’t feel like fighting Anymore I don’t feel, no I don’t feel like fighting Anymore Verse 2 I watched the pain twist in your eyes And knew I’d gone too far I felt my rage evaporate, as I Crashed back to my heart Who talks sense to the ocean so it stops beating the shore What’s it like on the battle field if we just don’t have the war Chorus I don’t feel like fighting Anymore I’m giving up counting And keeping score I don’t feel like fighting Anymore I don’t feel, no I don’t feel like fighting Anymore
7.	Albuquerque Nights 04:12	lyrics	buy track
Albuquerque Nights © Erika Olson 2020 Verse 1 The Sun went down, the desert sighed You cracked a grin, it was time to fly Too young to care what tomorrows bring Or to know what love really means But that night it meant Chorus: Driving through a dream with you On an Albuquerque night Lifting off the ground with you On an Albuquerque night Verse 2: You held my body beneath the Cotton wood Your fingers tracing every line they could ‘till our fire dimmed like a distant star The devil winds finally blew us apart Leaving the memory of Chorus: Driving through a dream with you On an Albuquerque night Lifting off the ground with you On an Albuquerque night Bridge A lifetime’s passed since you cast your spell And I’ve kept your magic to myself When I need a break from this crazy life I take a ride in the desert night Chorus: Driving through a dream with you On an Albuquerque night Lifting off the ground with you On an Albuquerque night On an Albuquerque night
8.	As I Am (feat. Dan Raza) 03:49	lyrics	buy track
As I am ©2021 Erika Olson Verse 1 Put on my lipstick Suit up for war Practicing law, before Dawn hits the door You loved me before pinstripes and pearls waiting tables and saving the world Chorus Do you still see me Just as I am Between lost and found With a prayer close at hand When the day’s finally over And I’ve done all I can Do you still see me Just as I am Do you still see me Just as I am Verse 2 Work follows me home, trashing Plans that we made Makin’ a baby, will Again have to wait Remember when nights Were for whispers and dreams Now you find me passed out Between spreadsheets and screens Chorus Do you still see me Just as I am Between lost and found With a prayer close at hand When the day’s finally over And I’ve done all I can Do you still see me Just as I am Do you still see me Just as I am Bridge I’m still the girl With my spirit on fire I have dreams that’d go on for days When you hold me tight You remind me of All that I was and can still be Chorus Do you still see me Just as I am When the day’s finally over And I’ve done all I can Do you still see me Just as I am I need you to see me Just as I am
9.	Momma Ain't Got No Time 03:49	lyrics	buy track
Momma Ain’t Got No Time ©2021 Erika Olson Verse 1 You leave for work at 6 I’m still in bed Pinned between a toddler and a baby being fed Praying I can brush my teeth Before the day begins And that I’ll find clean clothes to wear I can still fit in Then its, bags to pack, meals to make Cuts and bruises to mend Diapers to change, monsters to tame And the mound of dishes never end Chorus 1 Momma aint got no time Writing this song in the car pool line momma aint got no time momma aint got no time Verse 2 When I was a lawyer I’d slip on some kitten heel shoes Now I rock my holy socks and this half-baked tune Back then it was the two of us and lots of time now if you want to get that kiss you stand in line At 8 o’clock on the nose we start to yawn By 9 o’clock we’re both asleep with our clothes on Chorus 2 When momma ain’t got not time Daddy gets his love from wine ‘cause he ain’t getting none of mine momma aint got no time Verse 3 Look how things have changed and it ain’t bad You’re a bona fide baby wearing Co-sleeping dad And being a mom is something I’m really proud of It ain’t pretty, it ain’t easy But it’s real And it’s love Chorus 3 So momma aint got not time to waste this life of mine Momma aint got no time, no Momma aint got no time
10.	Little Shoulders 03:39	lyrics	buy track
Little shoulders © 2021 Erika Olson Verse 1 She floats into the kitchen jeans hugging on her 4-foot frame a sleepy stare, a mop of craves my embrace Grateful to pull her close, close the latest news Plastic oceans and raging fires, a world she’d never choose My arms fold ‘round her shoulders and hug her bird like bones Tender wings will carry her in a future so unknown Chorus Little shoulders Are stronger than they look They’ll move the mountains we never could Little shoulders will save the world The little shoulders of my little girl The little shoulders of my little girl Verse 2 You’re a girl who knows her mind and stands for what is fair On the playground with skipping ropes and teddy bears Right now, I’ll hold you close and keep you steady The fight will soon be yours and you’ll be ready Chorus Little shoulders Are stronger than they look They’ll move the mountains we never could Little shoulders will save the world The little shoulders of my little girl The little shoulders of my little girl Bridge If the storm swallows you like Daddy’s shirts today Close your eyes, feel your faith, love will guide the way Sing, dance, be one with joy, play the lost and sacred chords Catch the moon in your wings as you soar Chorus Little shoulders Are stronger than they look They’ll move the mountains we never could Little shoulders will save the world The little shoulders of my little girl The little shoulders of our little girls

about

Rebellious, honest, and real, Erika's debut album infuses traditional folk elements with a modern twist, creating a sound that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking. With a voice that recalls the raw power of Brandi Carlile and the soulful depth of Tracy Chapman, and a songwriting style that evokes the likes of John Prine and Joni Mitchell.

At its heart This Is How I Pray reflects the struggle to reclaim agency after a life lived on society’s terms. From song to song Erika wrestles with what it means to take one’s own counsel, trust one’s own heart and follow one’s own intuition regardless of what everyone else says and does.

Overall, This Is How I Pray is a bold statement of artistic vision, a debut that feels anything but, and a testament to a life if nothing but lived. With her unique blend of traditional folk elements and modern sensibilities, Erika has created a sound that is both timeless and timely. Debuting with a veteran-like confidence in her craft, from start to finish, it's clear that Erika is on a mission and she is just getting started.

credits

released May 5, 2023

Erika Olson vocals, acoustic guitar
Jonny Wright vocals (1, 2), acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, bass, synth, and percussion
Chris Hillman pedal steel guitar (9)
Dan Raza vocals and acoustic guitar (8)

All song written by Erika Olson (ASCAP), except Mom Life written by Erika Olson (ASCAP) and Jonny Wright (ASCAP/PRS)

Produced and Recorded by Jonny Wright, Little Bull Studio, UK
Mixed by Mark Neary, UK
Mastered by Marc Royal, CA

Photography by Aiste Salute
Album Design by James Downes

Thank You – to the intrepid soul holding this album and reading these words! I am grateful for you, for our connection, and for the unique gifts that only you bring to this life! Thank you for being a part of this journey – and I hope you’ve buckled up – because we’re just getting started!

To Jonny, my friend and fellow parent in arms – you pulled out all the stops, and produced a record beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you for giving so much of your heart to the making of this record.

To Dan, Chris, Dave, Marc, and Mark – your kindness, encouragement, and off the charts talents made this record sparkle - Thank You!

To my 151 Kickstarter backers, you brought this album to life. Thank you so much to each one of you for believing in me and these songs. An extra dose of gratitude goes out to Barbara Cheek, Gwyneth Olson, Clay Blevins, Bob Rosman, Jessica Quagliaroli, Andrea Rosal, Alice Van Lennep, Kathy Geerdes, Shelly Murphy, and Lyndsay Lucero.

To all my guides and angels – Aiste, Freya, Heather Mae, Julie, Jesse, Ariel, Nikol, Tom, Christina, Simone, Craig, John, Danny, and my NC Renegades - thank you for illuminating the way.

To Mom and Dad, thank you for your unconditional love. To Jane, thank you for loving us and always encouraging my music. To Mila, Rebekah and Kelsey, my little women, I love doing life with you.

To Ziggy – the love of my life – I will never be able to thank you for all the love, laughter and support you lavish on me – but I’ll keep trying. To the three rapscallions who made me a mother and an artist – you brought me to life. How I ever got so lucky I will never know.

© & ℗ Erika Olson and EZ Come EZ Go Records, All Rights Reserved

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about

Erika Olson England, UK

hi! My name is Erika. I'm a singer-songwriter, recovering attorney, and mother to three amazing humans. I try to make sense of my very human experience through song and self discovery. Food and snuggles are my love language. I hope these songs bring you as much comfort in hearing them as they brought me in writing them. xoxo erika ... more

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