I should drink out of this afternoon's heart
So I fall asleep
Before I go dark
Back in
Pouring rage
I fell throwing up
I can't shake it away
Luck is like a marble
On the stage
It waits
For our big break
To fall
The following Brooklyn-bound "L" train
will depart in approximately seven minutes.
Why did you fly away?
I've been dying a little death since that very day
I used to laugh
when you told me
Hello?
- Hello? - Franny.
- Mom? - Franny.
Mom?
Hello?
Your brother was in an accident.
He's in the hospital.
You need to come home.
The impact occurred in what's called the Pterion,
an especially vulnerable part of the skull.
You see this bright biconvex region here that looks like a lens?
This is what we call a hematoma to the brain tissue, a sort of blood clot...
Can you just tell me if he's gonna be okay?
I have to tell you, he might never come out of this.
We can't really say for sure. In these situations,
we have no recourse other than to be patient and wait.
You cut off all your hair.
Not all.
I loved it long.
I wanted a change.
Taxi driver's name is Rumnesh.
He has a wife and two kids.
They think he tried to stop the car in time,
but Henry had his headphones on,
and I guess he didn't look when he was crossing.
I haven't been paying attention.
He's been, just, living somewhere in Brooklyn.
He comes home sometimes to do his laundry, but it's all about music for him,
and I've been trying to finish the book and just...
You couldn't have stopped him from crossing the street.
I always told him to look both ways.
You just do your best, you know? You just do your best.
Thankfully your father isn't alive to see all this.
It's just a lot for us to handle, you know?
You're gonna have to sleep in Henry's room.
There's so many boxes in your room.
- It's okay. I'll just move the boxes. - No, I gave your bed to Sylvia.
Who's Sylvia?
She delivers the mail.
- Why'd you give her my bed? - Because...
you know, I asked her if she wanted a bed, and she seemed so happy,
and you're never here, Franny. I mean, you haven't lived here in years,
and you always complained about that mattress anyway,
- so just don't get all bent out of shape. - I'm not bent out of shape.
Hey, Franny, I...
I know you're busy, and I know you think this is a waste of time.
I'm not sure if you've listened to anything else I've sent,
but here's another song I just finished,
probably the first one I'm really proud of.
I hope you listen to it.
I have walked so much farther
I thought
I should drink out of this afternoon's heart
So I fall asleep
Before I go dark
Henry.
I don't really...
I don't...
I don't really know
what to do now.
Fuck!
It waits
For our big break
To fall
Okay. Enjoy.
James Forester!
Hey.
Hello, New York.
You got your little hearts and
Waitin' for the dawn
You've been brainstormin'
By my place
In the sun
And my bulb went black
And a thousand diamondbacks
Came slitherin'
And hummin'
We build a little bonfire
By the two cent bridge
You were dreaming of the crossing
I was staring
At the edge
And my jaw went slack
And a thousand razorbacks
Came chargin'
Screamin'
Thank you, Forester.
Take care.
Thank you.
- All right, man. - Bye.
- James? - Hey.
- I really liked the show. - Thanks.
My brother was hit by a car this week.
I'm... I'm so sorry to hear that.
Henry Ellis. You're his favorite.
- Is he okay? - He's at Memorial intensive care.
- He's in a coma. - Jesus, I'm so sorry.
You don't remember him, do you?
He sent a letter to you or to your record label.
The... yeah, the label gets a lot of letters,
and then it takes 'em a while to get to me, so unfortunately...
Okay. Okay.
Well, I brought you something he was working on.
I thought... It's really good.
I guess I'm not the only one.
Thank you. Thanks so much.
- It was nice to meet you. - Same here.
- I'm Franny, Franny Ellis. - I hope Henry gets better.
Thank you.
Hey, I made you eggs.
Thank you.
I just... I can't... I can't eat right now.
Hey, how does this sound for a title?
Mythological foundations: Tales of Monkokobaka and the Dekay tribes.
Sounds good.
It's so pointless.
How can I even do this right now?
Okay, write.
Fall
Hey.
All dead and gone
My old man, my grandpap First white man to the cumberland gap
Cumberland gap
All dead and gone
- Hey. - I was...
Hi.
I was just in the area and thought,
maybe I'd just, you know, stop by.
Didn't know if you liked sugar.
Thank you.
Thanks.
I'm okay. Thank you.
Aren't you really busy?
Depends on how you define "busy."
I guess I always think of people like you having...
Things lined up every millisecond of the day...
Back-to-back meetings with important people.
I listened to Henry's song.
It's great. I mean, I liked it a lot.
I know. It's really good, isn't it?
You know, he would really flip out if he knew you were here.
He's kind of obsessed.
Not like in a freaky way or anything, just, you know.
I could play him something if... Not if... Not if you don't want me to.
- I don't have to. - No, no.
That would be great. I'm sure he would love that.
Dressed in white cotton
Staring at the phone
I was hiding in the attic
The day you left home
Mother, I thought that you
Turned back
That that big black Cadillac
Took you
Mother, I see you
But only in dreams
You put me in a basket
And you push me upstream
But I'm always
Driftin' back
Where that big black Cadillac
Took you
Oh, mom.
This is James Forester.
The singer?
Yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for coming
and for the tea.
Please, this is the least I could do.
Oh, sorry.
I'm going to this place tonight... this club Henry likes... If you want to come.
I've never been there before, but the... there's a show at 11:00,
and I'm probably gonna go to this place beforehand, this other place that he likes.
You're probably really busy with a lot of other things.
I'm not... I'm not playing tonight,
and I don't have any meetings or anything then either.
Oh, good. Yeah, I got it. Good. Okay.
- Cool. - Great.
- Oh, where? - What?
The place.
Berry and 11th... North 11th in Williamsburg.
- 9:00? - Okay.
Okay.
Father is sleepin'
Upright in his vest
I brush away the ashes
He's the only 19-year-old I ever saw with a gramophone.
He was telling me that it broke a couple of weeks ago.
You turn back
That that big black Cadillac
Is turnin' round
Where does Henry sleep?
It's right over there.
- Here? - Yeah.
- Hey. - Hi.
Do you have a gramophone?
No. Junk Market might have one down by the B.Q.E.
Thank you.
What about keyboards?
Yeah, we just got in a vintage '59 Rigaledo.
- Can I... Can I see it? - Yeah, sure.
Check this sweet thing out here.
So...
What's your deal?
Well, I...
I... Yeah, I put out an album five years ago,
bought me indie fame and sort of fortune.
I'm a libra.
Go on.
Okay. I...
I live in a cabin in Maine.
It's where I normally am when I'm trying to be creative.
I haven't really been able to write much of anything
since the last album, though.
Last time, I mean with the album,
it was easy. I just got in my car and drove.
Me and Tessa, my ex-girlfriend. I mean, well, we...
Yeah, we broke up about a year ago. We were together a long time.
She found someone else.
- Sorry. - It's all right.
What about you?
I'm getting my PhD in anthropology. Nomadic tribes in Morocco are my specialty.
Cool. It must be a lot of work getting a PhD.
I get to ask a lot of questions,
and I listen to people. It's a lot of reading.
I've been reading Henry's journal.
His... reading his most private thoughts. I...
I've been going to places he went to.
I've started recording sounds he might recognize.
- It's just really messed up. - You're his sister. I get it.
We had a fight, like, our first real adult fight, you know?
He...
He dropped out of college to be a musician.
I said I thought that he was making a huge mistake.
I said so many awful things.
We haven't talked in six months.
He sent me all these links to videos he'd made,
songs he'd recorded, and...
I didn't open a single one.
- I'm sorry. I... - Hey, it's...
It's all right. I can't even imagine.
- You're James Forester, right? - Yeah.
- Will you sign my iPod? - Sure.
Here you go.
- Thank you. I love your music. - Thanks.
Call me aside and I will now be
And I will be fine with that
You don't leave me now You might love me back
Distance is fine I know you can't care
And nothing is big like that
Don't see you now, I don't see you back
One day I'll be fine with that
Don't leave me now Do you love me back?
I don't speak Portuguese, and so this isn't gonna be pretty,
but I am the last guy of the night, so here you go.
How long are you here for?
Two more shows in New York,
a wedding.
Who's getting married?
I don't know them. I'm the entertainment.
I never would have pegged you for a wedding singer.
10,000. Three songs.
- That's not bad. - I'm not proud of it.
Last show's in Philadelphia, and then that's it.
I'm going back home.
I'm actually kind of freaked out right now.
They're trying to get me to go and record in Berlin after this,
but the truth is, I'm just stuck.
What happens if you don't write any more songs?
I'm not really sure.
You know, the best thing about playing...
You know when you have a feeling
and you don't want to fade away, but you don't really know how to keep it?
Well, that feeling comes back when I play, like I can keep it.
No... No talking, no disappointing anyone
for three to five whole minutes.
You should try playing longer songs.
Yeah, I should.
Why don't you try to choose something
and write a song about it, like a nose?
- Nose? - A nose.
I don't think nose songs are my thing.
You could write the greatest song in the world
about a nose...
Or ears. There's a lot of different types of ears.
There are endless possibilities.
I wish I could turn this
Into a s... into a song
Ears and noses
Rhymes with roses
- And... - Neurosis
Halitosis
Ears and noses, halitosis Ears and noses
I can get it from here.
- You all right? - Yeah.
Guess I'll see you.
Yeah.
Thanks again.
I don't know.
I'm really sorry, Henry.
I didn't mean you were stupid. I'm stupid.
I'm sorry.
You know I say things. Sometimes I get too opinionated, too stubborn.
You have to be okay.
So I heard when you're not on the road, you spend most of your time in the country.
What are you, like, a hermit?
No. Not... Not really.
You once said you have no interest in modern technology,
that all you need is music and the person you love.
Yeah. Yeah. Maybe... maybe I said that.
What's the strangest thing that's happened to you on tour?
I was chased by a moose.
- What? - In California.
I remember her red tank top tucked into her Vanderbilt blue jeans
Her eyebrows painted on like arches of Saint
Louis in the magazines
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
I love your apron
Heaven on your head
- Mom? - Franny.
- What are you doing? - I am making piaya.
Right. It's June 4th.
- Damn it! - God!
Get the pillowcase out of the oven.
God.
So loud!
God, it's so loud.
Thank you.
Jesus.
You... You be in charge of...
You be in charge of the glasses and the decorations, okay?
Thanks.
You got your little hearts and
Waitin' for the dawn
You've been brainstormin'
By my place
In the sun
And my bulb went black
And a thousand diamondbacks
Came slitherin'
And hummin'
We build a little bonfire
By the two cent bridge
There's a cat waving at you.
It's one of those mechanical good luck ones.
I was staring
At the edge
Looks really good in here now.
Actually it looks pretty horrible, but...
it's better than it was.
It's your half-birthday, and we're celebrating it.
Do you remember when we were in Zurich for your half-birthday?
You were, like, five.
All you wanted were M&M's and lemonade,
and we couldn't find any. It was just expensive Swiss chocolate everywhere,
and then finally, we found some M&M's after hours of searching,
and mom bought you, like, 50 packs,
bought out the store.
Happy half-birthday, Henry.
Sorry about all this.
Happy half, Henry.
Hey.
- Sorry if I'm interrupting. - You... You are not.
Come on in. Join the party.
I think we even have an extra hat.
Here you go.
Looks nice.
It's Henry's half-birthday.
Keyboard looks good too.
Hey, have some persecco.
Don't tell the nurses.
- Thanks. - Sure.
Cheers.
Thank you.
Turn left.
Please.
You didn't even speak Russian. Why did you want Henry to learn it?
I wanted us to learn it together. Secret language.
Yours and 150 million other people's secret language.
I don't speak Russian.
Why do they always make you learn that?
It is obvious you don't speak Russian. Why do you have to go around stating that?
Mom, I just... I wish you could listen for two minutes.
I'm so sorry. That is good coming from...
Never mind. No, no, no, no. Come on, mom.
Tell me. What were you going to say?
I was going to say that that is good coming from a girl who didn't even call
her own brother back to say she was sorry.
You can't tell me that you thought that dropping out of college was a good idea.
Franny, he did not want to go back.
- What was I supposed to do? - You never would have let me do that.
You never would have wanted to have done that ever.
And speaking of you, you basically dropped off the grid for six months.
For six months, we didn't hear anything from you and...
- Oh, is that okay? - No, I called you. I did text.
Oh, yeah. The famous text, yeah.
Well, if you would empty your voicemail every once in a while.
That's it. Yup, that's it. You're right. You have all the answers.
You came out of my womb havin' all the answers, man.
- God! - Oh, my God.
James.
Would you like to come over for dinner?
I have a show tonight.
- Okay. Tomorrow night then. - Mom.
You... You don't have to, really.
I would love to.
Temperature
Keeps rising like
A helium balloon
Sound of the helicopters
Echo in the bedroom
- Hi. - Oh, hi.
- I'm... I'm glad you came. - Yeah?
I just...
Decided to last minute, yeah.
Do you want...
Do you want a star fruit?
- No, thank you. - Yeah, I'm not big on star fruit either.
Let me see that.
James, you're up.
Good luck out there. They're wild tonight.
We slipped out under cover of champagne
You tried to kiss me by the dollar save
Instead I took your hand
As we rode around the aisle
Fillin' up our pockets with aspartame
And your little yellow dress
Made me go ballistic
Begged you not to change it
And you never did
I'm so glad
That you disappear when things got bad
And I cut off all my hair
You swore I would stay forever
Piston boots and jeans
Pegged at the ankle by the seams
You checked out
Before I started riding
Could you hear the sirens from the backseat?
And your little yellow dress
God, you're so sadistic
Let me underneath it
Now you keep it hid
Oh, I'm so glad
That you disappeared when things got bad
And I cut off all my hair
I still keep my money
In the pillow on my bed
Yes, the black dog still following
You would find it funny
Maybe hysterical
But I still believe in miracles
And your little yellow dress
Thought you were a mystic
Thought you could predict it
But you never could
Your little yellow dress
Made me go ballistic
Never will forget it
And I never should
- Discman. - Yeah, I'm a bit old-fashioned.
This is my favorite song in the world.
I'm ready.
I like it when you do it like that
Yeah, like that
This is your favorite song?
I like it when you do it like that
Okay, oh. Not that one. That's a guilty pleasure.
It's an old mix. Hold on. Wait.
Okay, I think you're gonna love it.
My baby don't care for shows
My baby don't care for clothes
My baby just cares...
This is for you from Katie Johnstone.
"Hey, James. Give 'er a listen." I think he's trying to speak to you as you.
- Give 'er. Give us a listen. - Yeah, yeah.
"Dear James, I have been"...
- Oh, my God. - Yeah, it's an epic.
"I would be extremely stoke...
"Ed to get a coffee, or in my case,
"a hot chocolate because I don't like coffee very much."
You're kidding me.
"You would like it."
She sounds like she just drank a hell of a lot of coffee.
Wow.
She sort of got the eyes right.
- What? - Yeah, this is hilarious.
Oh, my good... "Die, James, die... James."
And check out this side.
"I'm coming, James.
James, James, James, James."
That's my favorite one. Look at the eyes.
- I just got kind of worried about you. - Look at the eyes.
They're gonna hypnotize me.
Beautiful. You have to try it on.
- It's gonna be way too small. - It's a medium.
- It's a children's medium. - I don't... It's cotton. It'll stretch.
- Really? - Yeah.
For you.
Sorry.
There.
I'm ready to go out now.
Well, I ask myself, what have you done my sisters and brother?
I don't know I don't know
Say you told your lie without no shame
Listen, y'all
It ain't easy
There'll be nowhere to run
Well, you shoulda gone and paid
Yeah
For what you done
- You know, this is really good. - It's not mine, the zombies.
How does the melody line go?
Something like... Can't nobody
Love me
Do you want to see the view from the top of the empire state building?
Definitely not, I'm afraid of heights
You don't want to go up high?
Don't want to touch the sky?
- 'Cause you're afraid... - Afraid of heights
"Ulysses now left the haven
"and took the rough track up though the wooded country
"and over the crest of the Mountain
till he reached the place where Minerva had said."
I actually don't mind the smell of smoke in my house
because it reminds me of presanitized times, you know,
like Paris in the '70s.
- Were you there in the '70s? - Who wasn't?
Well, I... Okay, a lot of people weren't, you two for example,
but my God, I'm sorry you weren't.
It was so great.
I got...
So much there.
I got my master's,
lovers... I won't say how many. Don't worry.
A husband. I was an Arkansas girl in Paris.
How great is that?
And then of course, I did date a famous rock star.
Who?
She hasn't even told me. I'm not even sure it's true.
Of course it's true. Why would I make that up?
This guy was amazing.
He taught me one of the hardest songs even to learn on the guitar.
Blackbird by the Beatles.
Great song. Never learned it.
It is a great one, James.
Oh, my God.
I gave Henry one time for Christmas,
and he loved it so much, this unbelievable green accordion,
and he slept with it.
It was a Teddy bear. It was like his Teddy bear, you know?
My mom gave me my first guitar when I was 13.
Yeah, did it have a picture of a hulu dancer on it?
Nope, unfortunately...
- Here it is. - Oh, hey, come on.
Thank you.
You are a very good girl. I don't know how you are my daughter.
- Well, you raised me well. - Yeah, so well.
Oh, my God. That was so bad.
Why, thank you.
Franny, what was the song that you were so obsessed with.
Come on. By America? By America.
- Oh, I don't remember. - Oh, you remember.
Oh, my God. Yes, you do. She remembers.
She sang it nonstop, all the time,
over and over and over and over.
She sang it in the school talent show because it was the '92 election,
and she believed that it had political subtext
about how much the country needed to have Bill Clinton elected as president.
- I was eight. - And here it is.
- Oh, no. No! - No, come on.
- You did so good. - No.
Come on. You were so good.
- No, I wasn't. - So good.
Mom, come on. This... this is embarrassing.
- I don't believe in embarrassment. - I am kind of curious now.
Come on, Franny. It'll just make me so happy.
We used to laugh
We used to cry
We used to bow our heads
Then wonder why
And now you're gone
I guess I'll carry on
And make the best of what you've left to me
Left to me
I need you
Like the flowers need the rain
You know I need you
Guess I'll start it all again
You know I need you
Like the winter needs the spring
You know I need you
I need you
And every day
I'd laugh
Beautiful.
Mom.
Just knowing you were thinkin' of me
- Mom. - No. I have to go to bed.
Beautiful.
For every story told about me
About me
She'll be okay.
About me
I need you
Is that something new?
Nah, just... No, something been thinkin' of.
Might be nothing.
When are you heading back home?
Day after tomorrow, right after the show in Philly.
Come on.
Hey, James.
- Hey. - Hey, thanks, man.
You were great, really made Lisa's night.
- Thanks. Thank you. - Thank you.
James. Thank you.
- I just want to get one picture. - Sure.
Oh, yeah.
Good. Great.
All right, that's enough. Probably get back in, you know?
- Thank you. - I know. He's amazing. You're welcome.
I know. This is kind of short.
This... This is something I've been working on...
Something new,
still in progress, but I hope you like it.
All right. That wasn't it.
Henry! Henry.
Hey.
Henry. Henry?
Henry, can you hear me?
No. No, no, no, no. No, no, no.
Come back. Come back. Henry, come on. Come on, wake up.
I need somebody. My brother... I need a nurse. I need...
He... He opened his eyes. I saw it. He...
I'm going to go talk to the doctor,
and he'll talk to you.
Come on, Henry. Henry, wake up. Wake up, please.
Henry.
It's me and Franny.
We know you can hear us, and we're here.
I broke up
With the man in the moon last night
Sorry.
Henry?
Hey. Hey.
Hey.
Henry.
- Franny? - Yes. Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm so sorry.
You need to keep your eyes open.
- Oh, excuse me. - Yes, dear?
- Have you seen a guy with a guitar case? - Sorry, I haven't.
I finally realized how hungry I am.
You want some?
Franny, no. No.
That is so, so bad for you.
I know. I am a hypocrite, the worst kind.
Franny. He's gonna be fine.
Hey.
Floatin' in the motel pool until
All the rooms were clean
Imagine angels in the sky
Were prettiest I'd ever seen
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
- Can I buy a ticket inside? - Right inside there.
- I wrote something... - Hi, one, please.
Show's sold out.
In fact, I've only played it for two people.
I started it in New York for someone I met there.
This one was a new experience for me.
It's not finished, and I...
I wasn't gonna play it tonight, but for some reason...
Last show.
And... okay, I'll just...
I'm gonna get it over with now.
I remember that day
And the arms said noon
And my bed was in the dark
Underneath the blue balloon
Then a swarm of love
Surrounded me
And my head was standing on its end
With electricity
And as I looked out
On my old life
I was speeding through the forest
On a motorbike
I waved to you
But you couldn't see
I could hear a crowd of people Calling after me
Wake up, little dreamer
It's time to rise
Open up your eyes
I've been holding out
For a lifeline
And I followed you
To the depths of my own mind
I've been wandering
Kind of scattershot
Bumpin' into other people's lives
Without a second thought
Now I do believe
In the mystical
That we have some vague connection
To the other world
And now all I've said
May not all be true
But this silver song I sing tonight
I swear it's just for you
Do you want to see the view from the top of the empire state building?
Definitely not, I'm afraid of heights
You don't want to go up high?
Don't want to touch the sky?
- 'Cause you're afraid - Afraid of heights
No, I don't wanna go
To the top of the empire state building
'Cause I'm afraid of heights
Oh, that's too bad. It's real nice up there.
No, 'cause I'm afraid of heights
I remember her red tank top tucked into her Vanderbilt blue jeans
Her eyebrows painted on like arches of Saint
Louis in the magazines
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
Heaven on your heaven
Oh, heaven on your head
Sun
Floatin' in the motel pool
Till all the rooms were clean
Imagine angels in the sky
Were prettiest I'd ever seen
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
Heaven on your heaven
Oh, heaven on your head
Sun
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
I'll wait until
Iris instilled
- I'll wait until - I'll wait until
Iris instilled
- I'll wait until - I'll wait until
Iris instilled
Heaven on your heaven
Oh, heaven on your head
Sun
The day we met my life was changed
I always heard that love was strange and painful
Painful
One night you slept upon your side
Tangled in white you looked just like an angel
An angel
So why
Did you fly away?
I've been dying a little death
Since that very day
I used to laugh
When you told me
You must forget and forgive to be free
Down by water dressed in black
I swore revenge to get you back, hateful
Hateful
I made my camp upon the hill
Drank whiskey from the secret still Blameful
So why
Did you fly away?
I've been dying a little death
Since that very day
I used to laugh
When you told me
You must forget and forgive to be free
And I never could admit
The part I had in this
So this is what I get
My friend
Now I know why
You ran away
And I've been dying a little death
Since that very day
I used to laugh
When you told me
You must forget and forgive
You must forgive just to live
You must forget and forgive
To be free