Memoirs are usually things you write once your life has reached some kind of conclusion. And that’s what I meant by “I don’t think it’s possible to write a memoir at 22. But if it was, this would be mine.” I document everything. And the emotion that I put into this song is how I’ve been feeling after take care of yourself. This wasn’t planned a year in advance. I set up my mic in my bedroom like I’m comfortable doing and I spit the verse you hear on this song! I even played the guitar over the original beat & recorded it through my iphone.
Thank you to to the poets who joined me on the track. Thank you to naebird who made it sound like the most mainstream poetry banger I’ve ever heard. Thank you to everyone who has reached out since the release. Thank you to those who don’t limit their music listening to short songs with meaningless lyrics. Because that’s not ever gonna be what I do. Thank you to every fan who is a part of this movement. You give these words meaning far beyond what I ever could have imagined.
P.s. The intro and outro are a mix of field recordings of the subway that passes through my neighborhood in New York City along with friends’s voices.
Here’s to doing more collabs in new ways.
Tell a friend to tell a friend.
Take care of yourselves
- Dylan
lyrics
I just hope that someday
Someone will love me
Every moment
Whether you realize it or not
Is part of your becoming
Spreading the love
And the vibe
I don’t think it’s possible
To write a memoir at twenty two
If it was
This would be mine
This is Broadway
Lafayette street
With traffic circles under my eyes
Throw up a peace sign to the western sky
Today I decided that I’ll decide
To love living life and be alive
I fantasize about being a dirtbag And just slumming it
Recording songs just for the fun of it
Sleeping in somebody’s sixties camper van
As an adventure seeker
Through Super 8 motels and millimeters
See
It’s been a long
and dusty road
Through Wyomings
And country snow
I’ve seen the wise and giant skies Of Ojai or Ohio
Drank orange wine on Christmas While colliding with kaleidoscopes
The highs and lows of driving home From all my major milestones
And I’m still afraid someday I’ll die alone dependently
So I think of what my Older brother says to me
You can’t get married to the past tense
Engage the present moment Fuck what’s happened
Because all my friends are steadfast
And everything that’s meant lasts
And I’ll finish what I started
When I let my bookmarks bend back
Lately I’ve been hanging on by a thread
Like a lens cap
I’m an underdog That’s why I only rock a Mets Hat
Two fingers to the western sky gain air You can choose peace or violence On the way there
The darkest cities that we lay bare Illuminate where
You finally learn the way
To take care
Take care of yourself
Don’t ever relax
Stop turning away
Don’t ever look back
Burn all those bridges
Everyone has
Until you finally learn the way to
credits
released April 26, 2023
"Take Care Of Yourself (Poetry Version)" by Dylan Owen
Featuring poets/authors Donovan Beck, R.R. Noall, Carson Shmyr
Produced by naebird
Mixed by naebird
Mastered by naebird
Art by Ryan Falcoa and Dylan Owen
Field recordings by Dylan Owen