EP SCHOOL OF ROMANCE
This EP was written for the road, for resilience, and for anyone chasing meaning in the miles ahead.
🎶 School of Romance
A swirling slow-burn about love's lessons on repeat, dipped in twang, funk, and bittersweet memory.
The school of romance is always in
Same old desk, same ballpoint pen
I write your name in the margins still
While memory of then sees what it will
I keep tradin’ truth for what’s made-up
Still hopin’ love is coming soon to back me up
I’m just thinkin’ ’bout the next time
When reason fails again and rhythm rewinds
The heart remembers the past to find
The loves of life we thought left behind
🎙️School of Romance
I keep repeating the same first grade
Fallin’ fast like it’s the first time made
With paper notes to pass it on
🎙️ School of Romance
Can’t graduate from love’s spell
Every lesson, a dream my story tells
And I never quite learned how to say fare thee well
You speak in echoes, show up in life’s plans
Love’s just a postcard with no return stamp
What kinda lovin’ you dreamin’ about?
Are miles your currency, just cross the rest out?
Freedom callin’ from life’s open road
Where every turn “Begin Again” reloads
I’m just thinkin’ ’bout the next rewind
Of every touch I left far behind
Truth in your smile, is there lie in your glance
And are you still dancing through this School of Romance
🎙️School of Romance
I keep repeating the same first grade
Fallin’ fast like it’s the first time made
With paper note to pass the story on
🎙️ School of Romance
Can’t graduate from love’s spell
Every lesson’s a dream my story tells
And I never quite learned how to say fare thee well
Slide guitar sounds like a long goodbye
Pedal steel sheds tears from the eye
I hear your laugh in the chorus line
Of every old Motown heartbreak rhyme
If there’s a test, I pass in my mind
🎙️School of Romance
I’m still stuck in love’s first class
Writin’ love notes to a fading past
As the school bell rings at last
🎙️School of Romance
Still dreamin’ of love’s next dance
Every heartbreak’s a second chance
But I never learned to let love just advance.
By Frankly Spunk - May 2025
🌄 Why This Song Exists
School of Romance is for anyone who’s taken the same emotional class over and over — hoping for a different outcome, but dancing to the same old beat.
✔️ Heartbreak with humor
✔️ Emotional déjà vu
✔️ Freedom vs connection
✔️ Romantic illusions
✔️ Soulful longing and lyrical grit
🎙 What Inspired This Song
This one came out of those 3 a.m. thoughts — the kind where you wonder why you keep falling for the same kind of love and expecting a different ending. Wrapped in a slide-guitar shimmer and classic Motown sway, the song leans into the comfort of familiar heartbreak while questioning why we ever called it love to begin with. Cosmic detachment meets soulful nostalgia.
✍ Lyrics Highlight
🎓 School of Romance
I keep repeating the same grade
Fallin’ fast like it’s first time made
With paper notes to pass it on
🚐 Part of the Bigger Story
As part of the Tabula Rasa RV Tour, School of Romance captures a recurring theme on the road: the pull between freedom and connection. Each town, like each verse, echoes past choices. This song plays while the wheels roll forward and the heart lingers behind — a soundtrack for those still learning how to let go without erasing what was.
🎶 What Is Love?
A soul-searching groove that questions everything we thought we knew about love.
Do you mean it when you say “I love you”?
Or is it a spell we cast when we don’t know what else to do?
It’s easy in the morning, with coffee and sunlight,
But will you still love me when I’m harder to like?
We chase that word like it holds the cure,
But what if love is less “forever” and more like “endure”?
What is love—when it’s not clear?
Is it staying close to escape life’s fear?
We can’t explain what we feel inside,
But we sure know the moment when love dies.
What is love… if it’s not this?
You said “I’m yours” on a Tuesday night,
But was that love or just saying what felt right?
We danced in the dark ‘cause the truth was too bold,
Wore silence like armor and stories not told.
Maybe love is just the echo of need,
A soft confession we all hope we’ll believe.
But if you ever meant it—don’t say it cheap,
I’d rather be lonely than love in make-believe.
What is love—if it’s not clear?
Is it staying close to escape life’s fear?
We can’t explain what we feel inside,
But we sure know the moment when love dies.
What is love… if it’s not this?
Love’s not just the words we say,
It’s the truth we live when it’s not easy to stay.
By Frankly Spunk - May 2025
🌄 Why This Song Exists
We set out to ask a question most folks dodge: What is love, really? This song doesn’t pretend to know the answer. It just dares to wonder out loud.
☑ Feeling without facts
☑ Hope wrapped in confusion
☑ The ache of maybe
☑ Longing for truth beneath the words
☑ When silence says more than “I love you”
🎙 What Inspired This Song
Sometimes, love sounds like a promise but feels like a riddle. Inspired by quiet heartbreaks, late-night doubts, and that moment when “I love you” doesn’t quite land—this track lives where emotion meets uncertainty.
The sound blends raw analog soul, 60’s echo chamber guitar, and modern minimalism with a twist of noir groove.
✍ Lyrics Highlight
Do you mean it when you say “I love you”?
Or is it a spell we cast when we don’t know what else to do?
“But we sure know the moment when love dies.”
🚐 Part of the Bigger Story
This track plays like a chapter from the Tabula Rasa RV Tour diary—capturing roadside revelations and lonely truths scribbled into motel notepads. As Frankly Spunk rides the open road, the question echoes: Was it ever love—or just the made-up idea of being loved?
🎶 OR ELSE
A Motown-meets-grit soul anthem about respect, heartbreak, and packing your pride.
I said, “You crossed the line,”
She said, “Ain’t no map.”
I said, “You broke the camel’s back,”
She laughed, “That camel’s just fat.”
Told her, “Girl, respect me, or else.”
She smirked and said, “I’ll take the option or else.”
I gave her chances, she gave me back sass.
Played me like cracked vinyl, a rhyme that won’t last.
Said, “Let’s make peace,” she said, “You can make tracks.”
This girl played heartless, with no comeback.
Either love me, or leave me alone,
Don’t dance on my heart like a stepping stone.
You packed your shade, I packed my bags,
Tired of waving red flags.
Respect or bounce, now that’s the deal —
This love ain’t fake, it’s soul and steel.
You had your shot, I found myself,
When you picked option one, “or else.”
I said, “Life’s been rough.”
She said, “You earned that pain.”
I said, “Can’t we get along?”
She said, “Yeah, go on — be gone again.”
I sent her roses and a sweet little poem,
Her note said eviction, with harm in the tone.
Took my dignity, dusted off my pride,
Ain’t no queen worth a crown if the throne’s a lie.
I loved too long wrong, now I’m lovin’ me,
Respect ain’t optional — it’s the entry fee.
Either love me, or leave me alone,
Don’t dance on my heart like a stepping stone.
You packed your shade, I packed my bags,
Tired of waving red flags.
Respect or bounce, now that’s the deal —
This love ain’t fake, it’s soul and steel.
You had your shot, I found myself,
When you chose option one, “or else.”
Yeah, she picked the “or else”…
And baby, so did I.
Now it’s my groove, my rules, my ride.
Frankly Spunk — Out.
By Frankly Spunk - May 2025
🌄 Why This Song Exists
This song was written as a soulful stand against emotional disrespect. It’s for anyone who’s been strung along, stood up, or steamrolled by someone who refused to meet them halfway.
✓ Motown attitude with a modern message
✓ Choosing dignity over drama
✓ Soulful confrontation wrapped in rhythm
🎙 What Inspired This Song
“OR ELSE” was sparked by a line too sharp to ignore: “She chose ‘or else.'” Built around the tension of demanding respect and being met with defiance, the song channels classic breakup soul into a power anthem. The arrangement captures that vintage groove, while the vocals dig deep into the grit of moving on with swagger, not sorrow.
✍ Lyrics Highlight
“Told her, ‘Girl, respect me, or else.’
She smirked and whispered, ‘Or else.'”
🚐 Part of the Bigger Story
Part of the School of Romance EP, “OR ELSE” is Track 3 in a six-song cycle about the trials, myths, and mishaps of modern love. This one stands out as the turning point—where the heartbreak stops and the healing begins with a snap and a strut. A defiant groove in the lesson plan of romance.
🎶 Vinyl Heart – Side B
A breakup anthem wrapped in crackles, groove skips, and solo swagger.
Dropped the needle where the silence starts,
Side “A” wore thin with a broken heart.
We danced through skips and static lies,
Then I heard the truth in your goodbye.
You loved like a limited record run,
Said forever, then faded after only one.
Left my grooves off-centered, scratched deep,
Made my record out of promises that you can’t keep.
Your song had a hook but no soul to sing,
Kept rewinding misery on a worn-out string.
Now I’m stylin’ ridin’ solo, feelin’ the best yet,
Your chorus tries to linger, but I don’t forget.
I dropped the needle on Side “B”,
Where the heartbreak fades and I find me.
Every crackle’s a note of release,
A vinyl heart playing peace.
A side you never listened to,
But this time, babe, it’s not for you.
Packed your lies in a dusty sleeve,
Spun the story—I dared believe.
But hurt makes harmony just the same,
When it plays in the key of no shame.
That bridge burned, but the music plays on,
You ghosted, but I found my song.
No skipping back, no DJ spin,
The real groove started with the “Next and then”.
I dropped the needle on Side B,
Found a melody that sets me free.
No static left in my soul,
Just a rhythm rising from old rock and roll.
A vinyl heart that sings brand new,
And this record plays just fine without you.
“Funny thing ’bout Side “B”… it’s where the real stories hide.
Not the hits, but the truth.
Thanks for dropping off the needle.
I’ll take it from here.”
By Frankly Spunk - May 2025
🌄 Why This Song Exists
Sometimes, the real track doesn’t start until after the goodbye. This song spins out the truth of second chances—not in love, but in self.
✔ Breakup recovery
✔ Solo empowerment
✔ Letting go of false promises
✔ Healing through music
✔ Honoring the unsung Side B
🎙 What Inspired This Song
“Vinyl Heart – Side B” was inspired by the kind of love that plays out like a limited edition record—great packaging, shallow playtime. James channels his heartbreak through needle drops and lyrical grooves, creating a cathartic, analog journey of rediscovery. The track fuses spoken word vulnerability with retro stylings, all in true Frankly Spunk fashion: soul grit, truth-toned, and ready to ride solo.
✍ Lyrics Highlight
I dropped the needle on Side B,
Found a melody that sets me free.
No static left in my soul,
Just a rhythm rising from old rock and roll.
🚐 Part of the Bigger Story
This track is a cornerstone of the School of Romance EP, playing counterpoint to songs about romantic misfires. It marks the pivot from heartbreak to self-respect—a solo dance on cracked vinyl where the scars add character. Part of James’s Tabula Rasa RV Tour storytelling, this song is the sound of reclaiming the turntable and spinning forward.
🎶 Heartbreak Exchange
A psychedelic alt-country Motown blend of heartache and funk-drenched soul.
He showed up with flowers, vinyl, and wine
Said, “Darlin’, I’ve been dreamin’ you into this rhyme”
She blinked twice, smiled slow, and turned away
“Romance ain’t real,” she said, “it just gets in the way”
He wore his love like a stitched-up coat
She lit it on fire just to see the smoke
He gave her heart, she gave back heartbreak
He painted a sunrise, she just wanted to take
He sang Motown to her silence and sighs
She kissed with open eyes and whispered goodbye
It was a heartbreak exchange — his soul, her disguise
She danced like raindrops on a velvet floor
Left lipstick on teacups, and truth at the door
He thought love could fix what the world undid
But she kept her heart locked tight like a misfit kid
Swirling like stars in a jar of regret
He held the map, but she wasn’t there yet
He gave her heart, she gave back heartbreak
He built a home, she just needed escape
He cried soul songs into neon nights
She left with the wind, out of reach, out of sight
It was a heartbreak exchange — wrong kind of right
“She was romantically hopeless”
“And he just hoped too much…”
By Frankly Spunk - May 2025
🌄 Why This Song Exists
A love story gone sideways — where one gave all and the other gave none.
✔ Hopeless romantic meets romantically hopeless
✔ Love vs. emotional escape
✔ Cosmic twang meets vintage groove
✔ Heartbreak told with harmony and haze
🎙 What Inspired This Song
This song was born from the paradox of mismatched hearts — one chasing connection, the other dodging it. The soundscape mirrors the chaos: soulful Motown rhythms colliding with psychedelic pedal steel and alt-country storytelling. It asks what happens when love shows up at the wrong address.
✍ Lyrics Highlight
“He gave her heart, she gave back heartbreak
He painted a sunrise, she just wanted to take.
It was a heartbreak exchange — his soul, her disguise”
🚐 Part of the Bigger Story
Heartbreak Exchange joins the Frankly Spunk catalogue as a tale from the Tabula Rasa RV Tour, capturing the emotional whiplash of seeking love while rebuilding life on the open road. It speaks to those still daring to believe in romance — even when it burns.
🎶 Wabishabi (Cracks in the Gold)
A soul-soaked groove that honors imperfection with grit and grace.
There’s a crack in my coffee cup, still sippin’ slow
A tear in my jacket where the cold wind blows
But I wear it like a badge, not a burden or shame
Every stains got a story, every wrinkles got a name
Ain’t tryin’ to fix what time designed
It’s the broken parts that make my soul all mine.
Wah-bee sah-bee, — the best in show seems
Dusty corners and halfway dreams
I shine like rust when the light hits right
A beautiful mess in what glows just right
Wah-bee sah-bee — and I’m fine with the shade
’Cause cracks in the gold show off the beauty I made
That old mirror don’t lie — she shows it all
Crow’s feet and kindness, rise and fall
Got a garden of grief and a face with laugh lines
Spilled a few chances but I made ‘em all mine
Don’t need to rewind or repaint the past
I let it echo, let it last
Wah-bee sah-bee, — the best in show seems
Dusty corners and halfway dreams
I shine like rust when the light hits right
A beautiful mess in what glows just right
Wah-bee sah-bee — and I’m fine with the shade
Cause cracks in the gold show off the beauty I made
Every chip in the china, every threadbare line
Tells me I’ve lived and I still got time
Ain’t no shame in being worn-in wise
I got nothing to prove, just brand new skies
Wah-bee sah-bee — yeah, my best flawed song
Outta tune but still ringin’ strong
I shine like rust, I rise with grace
A masterpiece with a timeless face
Wah-bee sah-bee— come sit by me
Let’s toast the flaws that set us all free
By Frankly Spunk - May 2025
🌄 Why This Song Exists
This Frankly Spunk Original pays tribute to the quiet dignity of imperfection. It’s a love letter to weathered edges and hard-earned wisdom, inspired by the Japanese concept of Wabishabi — finding beauty in the aged, the broken, and the real.
✔ Embracing imperfection
✔ Inner peace over outer polish
✔ Resilience through time
✔ Beauty in the faded
✔ Letting life show on your face
🎙 What Inspired This Song
While wandering dusty roads of memory and meaning on the Tabula Rasa RV Tour, the idea of Wabishabi came up like a whisper in the wind. A cracked mug, a creaky laugh, a fading photo — all carried more truth than any glossy surface ever could. This song swirls that truth into slide guitars, steady backbeats, and a voice that’s not afraid to show its age. It’s a dance with mortality, not a denial of it.
✍ Lyrics Highlight
“I shine like rust when the light hits just right
A beautiful mess in the glow of twilight.”
“Don’t need to rewind or repaint the past
I let it echo, let it last.”
🚐 Part of the Bigger Story
Wabishabi (Cracks in the Gold) closes out the EP School of Romance as a soul-honest reminder that love — real love — includes loving all our parts, even the cracked ones. Especially the cracked ones. It’s a lyrical anthem for those learning to cherish what time has shaped, not just what youth once promised. Wabishabi is more than a song — it’s a philosophy pulsing through the Frankly Speaking Studios creative tour. As part of the Tabula Rasa RV journey, this track guides us to grace through age, not in spite of it. It echoes the deeper themes behind the AI Executor legacy project and the screenplay Who’s the Real Director — that legacy isn’t about looking flawless. It’s about showing up whole.