Get all 13 Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Sisyphus (Pegasus Mix), It Came from The FuMP!, The Hero's Journey, Stop Covering "Hallelujah", Departure: A Hero's Journey EP, Underneath the Mask (2018 Anniversary Edition), The Dread Gazebo, Refusal of the Call, and 5 more.
1. |
The Call to Adventure
02:34
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so wake up, wake up.
you have been waiting for a chance to find you
so at the moment that one comes to bind you
stand up, stand up.
cause you can face it or it can befall you
but either way now it has come to call you
wake up, wake up.
so walk your path in your own shoes
send off what you stand to lose
cause you can let it be
or let your destiny
become the one you choose
so when the herald calls your name
answer with no doubt or shame
unsure of what you bring
but knowing that no thing
can ever stay the same
so now that it has come to this
hesitate & reminisce
are you afraid of death?
or just that what comes next
could be the road to bliss?
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2. |
Refusal of the Call
03:19
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caterpillar inch along
the blossom of the milkweed
wonder how it ever finds
the courage to start
it builds itself a pretty cage
& hopes no one will interfere
but if it wants to live
it has to tear itself apart
seeds about to fall out of
their home up in the canopy
wonder how they first got the
idea to grow
the chance of ever sprouting is
just one in an infinity
but if they want to stay
they have to make the wind not blow
(chorus)
but I am comfortable
& I am warm
maybe I'm happier
in larval form
so would it be a sin
would it be strange
or just a punishment
to never change?
to never change
I picked up some stones & then
I made myself a labyrinth
built it all so high til I
could not see the stars
so tell your metamorphosis
that it is not invited here
those sounds you're hearing now
are anything but minotaurs
(chorus)
so now the time has come to work
my way into the center
knock out a few walls til I
can look at the moon
cause the forest floor is littered with
the chrysalids turned carcasses
of all the butterflies
who fell in love with their cocoons
(chorus 2x)
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3. |
Supernatural Aid
03:32
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so take it as a comfort
take it as a gift
how many feet have walked these paths before you
to learn the lessons they now offer for you
you thought that you were different
thought it was just you
you thought the journey was a special glory
but we're all heroes in our own life story
(chorus)
wait now
don't leave me yet
you don't have to do it alone
every time you think it's the end
just when you think your chance is through
somebody else will come to rescue you
so take it as a warning
take it as a sign
& pay attention to what you're not knowing
you're gonna need it in the place you're going
you thought that you were ready
well, maybe once you were
I'll give you weapons, teach you how to use them
it's at your peril if you dare refuse them
(chorus)
because you know we start out wounded
& in the end we are still wounded
but I'll guide you on your way & you can guide me on mine
& I don't know that it gets better
still waiting on that Hogwarts letter
could it be we just get stronger given time?
because there was a night when
I couldn't find my way
I stumbled blindly in the cold deep starless
but there was someone with me in the darkness
cause I could hear them singing
& I could see their fires
& when I reached them then they opened up wide
a circle large enough to draw me inside
(chorus)
I don't know that it gets better
still waiting on that Hogwarts letter
could it be we just get stronger given time?
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4. |
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I stand before your threshold
o Guardians of the East
breathe on me with inspiration
that has never failed or ceased
for wherever I have traveled
I have heard your whispers there
hail & welcome to this circle
o ye spirits of the air
I stand before your threshold
o Guardians of the South
praying for your fiery presence
in each word that leaves my mouth
for your flame forever burning
holds the passion I require
hail & welcome to this circle
o ye spirits of the fire
I stand before your threshold
o Guardians of the West
for to change & cleanse & nurture
is my journey's truest test
to flow into where I'm needed
mother, priestess, lover, daughter
hail & welcome to this circle
o ye spirits of the water
I stand before your threshold
o Guardians of the North
anchor me within my body
as I call your power forth
help me ground & shield & center
when I lose sight of my worth
hail & welcome to this circle
o ye spirits of the earth
& as I cross each threshold
may my spirit always know
I am held in sacred circles
within & above & below
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5. |
Belly of the Whale
02:48
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with nothing to my name
but what I carried on my back
I stepped into the sea
aware of what I lacked
the night sky held me down
with stars the shape of shore
ten million miles from home
I set my shoulder to the oar
(chorus)
ooh, there is danger
in the deep
in the dark
ooh, but somewhere down there
in the depths
I lit a spark
I lit a spark
I balance on the rim
between the infinite & whale
Leviathan below
the void still on my trail
oh lodestone point me home
to seek that tiny light
I am too weak & small
to navigate only by sight
(chorus)
with nothing to my name
but what I carried on my back
I stepped into the sea
aware of what I lacked
the night sky held me down
with stars the shape of shore
ten million miles from home
I set my shoulder to the oar
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6. |
The Road of Trials
03:27
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cinch my burden on my waist
in the dim before the dawn
the time has come to leave this place
& to bear my story on
aching back & skin so wet
& breathless from the road
but I've still not got where I'm going yet
underneath this precious load
tread & trip & step once more
this is the way, what are you waiting for?
sun through sunset cross the sky
& then back to set once more
the far horizon, to my eyes
seems no closer than before
hand in hand I trudge beside
my weapons & my friends
but the way's too long & the way's too wide
& I still can't see the end
slip & fall & rise & climb
after each hill, another one behind
don't know when it joined the quest
but I've since become aware
of the Presence that surrounds each step
on the endless road we share
I feel it in the steady beat
of heel to toe to sole
& it orders me not to cease my stride
til the day I reach my goal
nothing ventured, nothing gained
claim what is yours & pay it back in pain
cinch my burden on my waist
in the dim before the dawn
each road I walk is sacred space
for it bears my story on
so I will never rest my head
til I find this highway's source
& the boon I seek for will be revealed
here along my journey's course
feet so sore & shoes so worn
this is the way I'm gonna be reborn
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7. |
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8. |
Woman as Temptress
04:43
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steady now, just like we showed you
what respect do you think is owed you?
tell yourself that it's not a sin
just to live in a woman's skin
but if by chance my resolve should waver
you know you're responsible for my behavior
something's wrong, down to your marrow
the only cure is a path more narrow
if you don't come to your senses
I can't predict the consequences
but there's a formula you can follow
it all depends on how much you'll swallow
(chorus)
drink your poison & I swear we'll make it easy
no need to speak, you will be spoken for
I've been tempted to lie down
it would be easy
but this is not what I brought myself for
give in, you won't have to worry
no more journeys & no more hurry
cause what you're made for is scientific
engineered to precise specifics
nothing left for you to feel guilt for
as long as you recall what you're built for
(chorus)
give me one more smile!
steady now, just like they showed me
rise & claim all the things yet owed me
never more to be what I was
cause poison is as poison does
so label me as a cycle breaker
to know myself is to know my maker
(chorus 2x)
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9. |
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if I put my faith in falsehood
it will be at my expense
I read all the proofs & theorems
couldn't come to their defense
there's no reason to believe in
something more than you can sense.
Evermore & evermore.
all the same there's this connection
in each language & each land
I have seen it stir in strangers
felt it pass from hand to hand
may my certainty desert me
if I claim to understand.
Evermore & evermore.
there's a caravan of sages
who have felt the sacred thirst
for this Power demanding wholeness
that will settle for my worst
I will cast off their confusion
& I will not be the first.
Evermore & evermore.
still they poison & pervert you
o deep Love that holds me strong
they would sooner praise destruction
than admit they might be wrong
for no scripture can contain you
which does not exclude this song.
Evermore & evermore.
of the Father's love begotten
ere the worlds began to be
He is Alpha & Omega
He the Source, the ending, He
of the things that are, that have been
& that future years shall see.
Evermore & evermore.
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10. |
Apotheosis
04:02
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it happens in circles
within & without
despite your belief or
despite any doubt
it's not all that special
it's not all that rare
& so I forgot it
til it came to me there
(chorus)
& I'm shocked by it every time
this fire in everyone
so reach for it, you will find
your life has already begun
it happened in secret
at least at the start
I quested & questioned
it tore me apart
the spirit I nurtured
must no longer hide
come out from within me
I won't find it outside
(chorus)
I journeyed, I journeyed
I called unto Thee
in seeking and yearning
for deep Mystery
it's been with me always
not a moment too soon
reach up thus beginning
to draw down the moon
(chorus 2x)
it happens in circles
everything is circles
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11. |
The Ultimate Boon
02:09
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12. |
Refusal of the Return
03:48
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enough of this cocoon
I'll take a cloud instead
a comfort for my body
a pillow for my head
I pull its veils around me
I huddle & I hide
so no one down below me
could ever guess at what's inside
o treehouse in the sky
that no one else can find
I'll take hold of your ladder
& pull it up behind
to float above it all now
embarrassed by the ground
cause it's not hard to know you
won't understand what I have found
(chorus)
no, don't wake me up
before I'm ready
before I'm ready
gone so long
but not long enough
cause I'm not ready
no, I'm not ready
the world of everyday
is cruel to butterflies
it tears them into pieces
& laughs at their demise
you wake up decades later
amidst day jobs & chores
so swiftly you discover
how little you ever called yours
(chorus)
may I not cease to feel
the pull of idle things
remind me to be patient
& argue for my wings
the essence of elixir
is carried in my bones
& what good is the journey
if you don't ever bring it home?
(chorus)
no, I won't give it up
& I am ready
& I am ready
move on home
but not fast enough
you best be ready
you best be ready
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13. |
The Magic Flight
02:38
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14. |
Rescue from Without
03:30
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little boy with the shaggy hair
climbs all the way up to the top
he frames himself against the morning sky
he steps right off & never worries or stops
I think he trusts me more than I trust myself
to catch him safe & never let him drop
so knowing who I can be within his eyes
is what will save me every time
you're the one who will share it all
you are my partner & my friend
you always see me just the way I am
you give me space & time to play & pretend
I think you trust me more than I trust myself
to somehow pull it all off in the end
so knowing who I can be within your eyes
is what will save me every time
nothing has been forbidden
so much is still unwritten
I'll always end up back here following the signs
if sometimes my mind will wander
it's just cause I'm growing fonder
of all these stories hidden in between the lines
take me back to where I started from
& let me back into what's mine
cause with so many people on my side
then I can never let it go & resign
they always trust me more than I trust myself
they always know that I will be just fine
so knowing who I can be within their eyes
is what will save me every time
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15. |
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I thank you for your wisdom
o Guardians of the North
& the strength of the ancestors
who will be my guides henceforth
with my feet thus firmly planted
out of death I claim rebirth
merry meet & merry part now
o ye spirits of the earth
I thank you for your wisdom
o Guardians of the West
I immerse in deep emotion
I emerge renewed & blessed
lead me to my intuition
when my courage starts to falter
merry meet & merry part now
o ye spirits of the water
I thank you for your wisdom
o Guardians of the South
hold a candle to my tinder
when my lamp has guttered out
may I never cease to lift
the light of justice ever higher
merry meet & merry part now
o ye spirits of the fire
I thank you for your wisdom
o Guardians of the East
who have cleansed all my perceptions
set my intellect at peace
help me seize each chance I'm given
help me never fail to care
merry meet & merry part now
o ye spirits of the air
& as I cross each threshold
may my spirit always know
I am held in sacred circles
within & above & below
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16. |
Master of Two Worlds
06:05
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I didn't come here to tempt you
save your body or soul
or to serve as a signpost
on the way to your goal
I only am my own woman
who is still on her journey
a hero just like anyone
who's ever felt the same yearning
but all the same it may happen
that we pass on the way
in familiar patterns
as if I never strayed
for though the maps are unfolded
still so much is uncharted
& sometimes on the way to truth
you end up back where you started
(chorus)
& so let the circle be open
yet unbroken still
& so let me tell my own story
through love under will
because I have traveled & traveled
to call myself free
& so my own self will be mastered
by no one but me
so there may come a moment
when together we're lost
I may guard you or guide you
or our purpose may cross
I'll do it all with compassion
I have gained in my travels
because each blessed one of us
is facing down our own battles
(chorus)
no
I will never never never give it up this time
no
flesh & spirit finally standing on the same side
(chorus 2x)
(& I'm shocked by it every time
this fire in everyone
so reach for it, you will find
your life has already begun)
everything is circles...
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17. |
Freedom to Live
03:18
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the compass of my home is pointed
toward four precious, sturdy walls
as I approach, these windows cast out
their inner light onto the snow
& it has always been here waiting
through every fairy tale that calls
so at journey's end I shall be anchored
within that brilliant golden glow
the compass of my truth is pointed
at verdant earth & spinning skies
I started on this road uncertain
I'm still uncertain in the end
it may turn out my mind's still changing
it may turn out it's all been lies
so at journey's end I shall be anchored
within a faith with room to bend
call me once more to be present
I won't have to wonder how
this is my only promise
this is my only vow
call me once more to be present
I won't have to wonder how
I choose to live this story
I choose to be here now
I had this dream I was in darkness
but woke to see your precious smiles
there is a light which never ceases
in all I never thought I'd be
so I'll depart for more adventures
but know they're only for a while
though my journey goes on, I am anchored
I'll come back knowing I am free
I am awake
I am awake
I am awake
I have always been awake.
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Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters Minneapolis, Minnesota
If you like epic song cycles based upon multi-thousand-page fantasy novels, thought-provoking lyrics, violin solos, complex vocal harmonies, huge drums, and weird guitar effects, but you also think that more musicians should write songs about surviving the zombie apocalypse and attempting to sleep with video game characters, Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters are the band for you. ... more
Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters recommends:
Home Shuriken Kit
by Feng Shui Ninjas
Our sibling band, conjoined at the guitar. This is their best work yet, full of catchy original songs and gleefully weird covers. Standouts are their version of "Echoes" and the dreamy "Killing Time."
go to album
Fire on the Hill
by Candles Enough
Beth produced this EP - more like it coming soon. Kelly and Sarah are top-notch songwriters who sing close harmonies from the heart. "Rachel's Song" is a powerful shout, "Jagged" will make you cry
go to album
Crowes & Consequences
by Cheshire Moon
No one can take an old faerie tale and bend it into a fresh, exciting shape quite like Eric and Lizzie. "Disenchanted" and "Snow White, Red Road" are fabulous new takes on ancient, familiar legends.
go to albumIf you like The Hero's Journey, you may also like:
Sounding With the Stars EP
by Astrisoni
supported by 5 fans who also own “The Hero's Journey”
The chorus is SO inspiring; a positive anthem for all us who are imperfect.
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Keep Left at the Fork
by Leslie Hudson
supported by 5 fans who also own “The Hero's Journey”
Beautifully written and performed, this is a journey into self understanding and the joys of the road!
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Super Connected (2023)
by Tim Arnold
Tim Arnold's latest album of lushly detailed art-pop explores the insidious ways tech surveillance has become a part of our lives.
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