from a poisoned well

From a Poisoned Well

i'm a ghostwriter
for an ocean in a shell
from a poisoned well
in a corridor
by a picture in a frame
of a man with no name
don't get backed into a corner
talking to yourself
come on back to me
my bright tomorrow
if you feel hollow
well it's probably 'cause you are
well at least so far..
i think of you with hesitation
i think of you too hard
come on back to me
but don't make me sorry
i'm a ghostwriter
for an ocean in a shell
from a poisoned well
from a poisoned well

Roman Candle

he played himself
didn't need me to give him hell
he could be cool and cruel to you and me
knew we'd put up with anything
i want to hurt him
i want to give him pain
i'm a roman candle
my head is full of flames
i'm hallucinating
hallucinating
i hear you cry
your tears are cheap
wet hot red swollen cheeks
fall alseep
i want to hurt him
i want to give him pain
i'm a roman candle
my head is full of flames
i want to hurt him
i want to hurt him
i want to hurt him
i want to give him pain
and make him feel this pretty burn

Condor Ave

she took the oldsmobile out past condor avenue
she locked the car and slipped past
into rhythmic quietude
lights burning
voice dry and hoarse
i threw the screen door like a bastard back and forth
the chimes fell over each other
i fell onto my knees
the sound of the car driving off made me feel disease
sick shouting like you hear at the fairground
now i'm picking up to put away anything of your's that's still around
i don't know what to do with your clothes or your letters
they'll make a whisper out of you
she took the oldsmobile out past condor avenue
the fairground's lit
a drunk man sits
by the gate she's driving through
got his hat tipped bottle back
in between his teeth
looks like he's buried in the sand
at the beach
i can't think about you driving off
to leave barely awake
to take a little nap
while the road is straight
i wish that car had never been discovered
they took away the bottle
and the hat he was under
that's the one thing that he could never do
and it'll make a whisper out of you
she took the oldsmobile out past condor avenue
cops were running around the scene
looking for some kind of clue
they never get uptight when a moth gets crushed
unless a light bulb really loved him very much
i'm lying down
blowing smoke from my cigarette
little whisper smoke signs
that you'll never get
you're in your oldsmobile driving by the moon
headlights burning bright ahead of you
someone's burning out out on condor avenue
trying to make a whisper out of you
what a shitty thing to say
did you really mean it?
you never said a word to me
about what passed between us
so now i'm leaving you alone
you can do whatever the hell you want to
(na na na na na na)

No Name #1

at a party he was waiting
looking kind of spooky and withdrawn
like he could be underwater
the mighty mother with her hundred arms
swept all aside
i hate to walk behind other people's ambition
i saw you waiting
saint like
with your warning
leave alone
you don't belong here
he got nervous
started whistling
every thought a ricochet
did you notice?
well i wondered
what's the worst thing i could say?
i froze up and sighed
you remind me of someone's daughter
i forgot her
i forgot her name ashamed
go home and live with your pain
leave alone
leave alone 'cause you know you don't belong
you don't belong here
and when i go
don't you follow
leave alone
leave alone 'cause you know you don't belong
you don't belong here
slip out quiet
nobody's looking
leave alone
you don't belong here

No Name #2

concrete hands picked up the telephone ring
do you know who you're talking to?
no.. and i don't care who
she whispered quiet terror news
he didn't give a hoot
said do what you have to do
all she had to do was speak
mouthpiece to cheek
please say no more
i'm lying here on the ground
a strip of wet concrete
her name was just a broken sound
a stutter step you hear when you're falling down
killing time won't stop this crying
killing time won't stop this crying
killing time won't stop this crying
you better start watching what message that you send out
no more situations
i only go in to be kicked out
he got knocked down leaving
like he ran into a clothesline
and remembered a couple of words that hid a crime
you're just fine
you'll be just fine
but i'm on the other line
killing time won't stop this crying
killing time won't stop this crying
killing time won't stop this crying

No Name #3

we arrived too late
our mouths were opening
i turned off the light
so come on night
you're a witness you
you've seen me interrupt
a good old fashioned fight
so come on night
everyone is gone
home to oblivion
home to oblivion
home to oblivion
watched the dying day
blushing in the sky
everyone is uptight
so come on night
everyone is gone
home to oblivion
home to oblivion
home to oblivion
i know we're not
illegitimate
in our hearing
so come on
so come on night

Drive All Over Town

two dollar color pictures
from a photo booth
dirty, stepped on, lying out
on the floor of their room
faces fell long in the half light
he looks all wrong but that's her alright
look at him smiling full of teeth
clenched tight
he knew the one time with the army captain
he got over that whole deal before it happened
said its okay i knew exactly what you meant
when you said you were an accident
but when it's 3am he wonders
where in the hell she went
and he'll drive all over town
drive all over town
and he'll drive all over town
drive all over town
until he tracks her down
he'll drive all over town

No Name #4

for a change she got out
before he hurt her bad
took her records and clothes
and pictures of her boy
it really made her sad
packed it up and didn't look back
i'm okay lets just forget all about it
the car was cold and it smelled like old cigarettes and pine
in her bag i saw things she drew
when she was nine
like this one here
her alone nobody near
what a shame
let's just not talk about it
no it doesn't look like you
but you did wear cowboy boots
that's your fame
there's no question about it
once we got back inside
with one ear to the ground
i was ready to hide
'cause i don't know who's around
and you look scared
it's our secret do not tell okay?
let's just not talk about it
don't tell okay?
let's just forget all about it

Last Call

last call
he was sick of it all
asleep at home
told you off and goodbye
well you know one day it'll come to haunt you
that you didn't tell him quite the truth
you're a crisis
you're an icicle
you're a tongueless talker
you don't care what you say
you're a jaywalker and you just
just walk away
and that's all you do
the clap of the fading out sound of your shoes
made him wonder who he thought that he knew
(now i know that you've been thoroughly amused)
last call
he was sick of it all
the endless stream of reminders
made him so sick of you sick of you sick of you
sick of your sound
sick of you coming around
trying to crawl under my skin
when i already shed my best defense
it comes out all around that you won
and i think i'm all done
you can switch me off safely
while i'm lying here waiting for sleep to overtake me
yeah yeah you're still here (it's all here)
but just check to make sure
all you aspired to do was endure
you can't ask for more ask for none (more)
knowing you'll never get that which you ask for
so you cast your shadow everywhere
like the man in the moon
you start to drink
and just want to continue
it'll all be yesteryear soon
you start to drink and just want to continue
it'll all be yesteryear soon
church bells and now i'm awake and i guess it must be some kind of holiday
i can't seem to join in the celebration
but i'll go to the service
and i'll go to pray
and i'll sing the praises of my maker's name
like i was as good as she made me
and i wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
i wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
i wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
i wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
i wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
i wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
i wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
i wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
i'm lying here waiting for sleep to overtake me

Elliott Smith

Needle in the Hay

your hand on his arm
the hay stack charm around your neck
strung out and thin
calling some friend trying to cash some check
he's acting dumb
that's what you've come to expect
needle in the hay
needle in the hay
needle in the hay
needle in the hay
he's wearing your clothes
head down to toes a reaction to you
you say you know what he did
but you idiot kid
you don't have a clue
sometimes they just get caught in the eye
you're pulling him through
needle in the hay
needle in the hay
needle in the hay
needle in the hay
now on the bus
nearly touching this dirty retreat
falling out 6th and powell
a dead sweat in my teeth
gonna walk walk walk
four more blocks
plus the one in my brain
down downstairs to the man
he's gonna make it all ok
i can't beat myself
i can't beat myself
and i don't want to talk
i'm taking the cure so i can be quiet
whenever i want
so leave me alone
you ought to be proud
that i'm getting good markss
needle in the hay
needle in the hay
needle in the hay
needle in the hay

Christian Brothers

no bad dream fucker's gonna boss me around
christian brothers gonna take him down
but it can't help me get over
don't be cross this sick i want
i've seen the boss blink on and off
fake concerns is what's the matter, man
and you think i ought to shake your motherfucking hand?
well i know how much you care
don't be cross this sick i want
i've seen the boss blink on and off
come here by me i want you here
nightmares become me
it's so fucking clear
nightmares become me
it's so fucking clear

Clementine

they're waking you up to close the bar
the street's wet you can tell by the sound of the cars
the bartender's singing clementine
while he's turning around the open sign
dreadful sorry clementine
though you're still her man
it seems a long time gone
maybe the whole thing's wrong
what if she thinks so
but just didn't say so?
you drank yourself into slowmo
made an angel in the snow
anything to pass the time
and keep that song out of your mind
oh my darling
oh my darling
oh my darling clementine
dreadful sorry clementine

Southern Belle

killing a southern belle
is all you know how to do
that and give other people hell
it's what they expect from you too
but i wouldn't have you how you are
i don't wanna walk around
i don't even want to breathe

(breathe the air you breathe)
i live in a southern town
where all you can do is grit your teeth
but i wouldn't have you how you are
how come you're not ashamed of what you are?
and sorry that you're the one she got?
ain't nobody talking now
nobody nothing's said
no one's about to shout
nobody's seeing red
but i wouldn't have you how you are
you're killing a southern belle
killing a southern belle
killing a southern belle

Single File

here in line where stupid shit collides with dying shooting stars
all we got to show what we really are
is the same kind of sparks
(scars on our arms)
and looking at you all i see is
you're waiting for something
single file
you're a murder mile
you idiot kid
your arm's got a death in it
if you're choking up take this paper cup
but there's a price that you'll pay
for trying hard to become whatever they are
and sing whatever they say
so help yourself to this bitter pill
or somebody else will
single file you're a murder mile
you idiot kid
your arm's got a death in it
single file single file
single file single file

Coming Up Roses

i'm a junkyard full of false starts
and i don't need your permission
to bury my love under this bare lightbulb
the moon is a sickle cell
it'll kill you in time
cold white brother'll ride in your blood
like spun glass in sore eyes
while the moon does its division
you're buried below
and you're coming up roses everywhere you go
red roses follow
the things that you tell yourself
they'll kill you in time
cold white brother alive in your blood
spinning in the night sky
while the moon does its division
you're buried below
and you're coming up roses everywhere you go
red roses
so you got in a kind of trouble that nobody knows
and you're coming up roses everywhere you go
red roses

Satellite

while the hands are pointing up midnight
you're a question mark
coming after people you watch collide

(could you raise your hand, if you'd be so polite)
you can ask what you want to
the satellite
'cause the names you drop are ice in my veins
and for all you know
you're the only one who finds it strange
when they call it a lover's moon
the satellite
'cause it acts just like lovers do
the satellite
a burned out world you know
staying up all night
the satellite

Alphabet Town

alphabet city is haunted
constantina feels right at home
she probably won't say you're wrong
you're already wrong
you're already wrong
and you threw up whatever she shot down
said show me around this alphabet town
said show me around
there's a name you keep repeating
you got nothing better to do
you're with someone who'll hear you say it and just not mind
her hand on your arm
her hand on your arm
she put her hand on your arm
and told you her name you can't pronounce it
i'll show you around this alphabet town
i'll show you around this alphabet town
i know what you are
i just don't mind
i won't say you're wrong
i know what you want
and it's what i want
so let's go out
i'm ready to go out
i'll show you around this alphabet town
i'll show you around this alphabet town

St. Ides Heaven

everything is exactly right
when i walk around here drunk every night
with an open container from 7-11
it's st. ides heaven
i've been out haunting the neighborhood
and everybody can see i'm no good
when i'm walking out between parked cars
with my head full of stars
high on amphetamines
the moon is a lightbulb breaking
it'll go around with anyone
but it won't come down for anyone
you think you know what brings me down
that i want those things you could never allow
you see me smiling you think it's a frown
turned upside down
'cause everyone is a fucking pro
and they all got answers
from trouble they've known
and they all got to say
what you should or shouldn't do
though they don't have a clue
high on amphetamines
the moon is a lightbulb breaking
it'll go around with anyone
but it won't come down for anyone
and i won't come down for anyone

Good to Go

a low riding junkie girl
rode down south to your little world
like a dream
you can do it if you want to
you can do it if you want to
you can do it if you want to be like me
i wouldn't need a hero
if i wasn't such a zero
if i wasn't such a zero
good to go
all i ever see around here is things of hers
that you left lying around
it's all i ever see around here
she kicked new york like a curse
and we traced her footsteps in reverse up to queens
you can do it if you want to
you can do it if you want to
you can do it if you want to be like me
i wouldn't need a hero
if i wasn't such a zero
if i wasn't such a zero
good to go
all i ever see around here is things of hers
that you left lying around
it's all i ever see around here
some empty envelopes from some other town
it's all i ever see around here
i'm waiting for something that's not coming

The White Lady Loves You More

keep your things in a place meant to hide
but i know they're there somewhere
and i know that's where you'll go tonight
i'll be thrown over just like before
the white lady loves you more
need a metal man just to pick up your feet
it's a long time since you cared enough
for me to even be discrete
i know what this metal is for
a white lady loves you more
i look at a handfull of broken plans
and i'm tired of playing it down
you just want her to do anything to you
there ain't nothing that you won't allow
you wake up in the middle of the night
from a dream you won't remember
flashing on like a cop's light
you say she's waiting
and i know what for
the white lady loves you more
the white lady

The Biggest Lie

i'm waiting for the train
the subway that only goes one way
the stupid thing will come and pull us apart
and make everybody late
you spent everything you had
wanted everything to stop that bad
i'm a crushed credit card registered to smith
not the name that you call me with
you turned white like a saint
i'm tired of dancing on a pot of
gold flake paint
oh we're so very precious, you and i
and everything that you do
makes me want to die
oh i just told the biggest lie
i just told the biggest lie
the biggest lie

Either/Or

Speed Trials

he's pleased to meet you underneath the horse
in the cathedral with the glass stained black
singing sweet high notes that echo back
to destroy their master
may be a long time till you get the call up
but it's sure as fate and hard as your luck
no one'll know where you are
it's just a brief smile crossing your face
running speed trials standing in place
when the socket's not a shock enough
you little child, what makes you think you're tough?
when all the people you think you're above
they all know what's the matter
you're such a pinball
yeah you know it's true
there's always something you go back running to
to follow the path of no resistance
it's just a brief smile crossing your face
running speed trials standing in place
it's just a brief smile crossing your face
running speed trials all over the place

Alameda

you walk down alameda
(i'm on alameda)
shuffling your deck of trick cards
over everyone
like some precious only son
(here come the precious only son)
face down, bow to the champion
you walk down alameda
looking at the cracks in the sidewalk
thinking about your friends
how you maintain all them in
a constant state of suspense
for your own protection
over their affection
nobody broke your heart
you broke your own 'cause you can't finish what you start
(see what you're gonna start, all you're good at now is breaking your own heart)
walk down alameda
brushing off the nightmares you wish
could plague me when i'm awake
so now you see your first mistake
was thinking that you could relate
for one or two minutes she liked you
the fix is in
you're all pretension
i never pay attention
nobody broke your heart
you broke your own 'cause you can't finish what you start
nobody broke your heart
you broke your own 'cause you can't finish what you start
nobody broke your heart
you broke your own 'cause you can't finish what you start
nobody broke your heart
if you're alone it must be you that wants to be apart

Ballad of Big Nothing

throwing candy out to the crowd
dragging down the main
helpless little thing with the dirty mouth
who's always got something to say
(big name boys who try to cry out loud
'cause they're always so carried away)
you're sitting around at home now waiting for your brother to call
i saw him down in the alley
having had enough of it all
(i saw him down in the alley
sleeping in a plastic ball)
said you can do what you want to whenever you want to
you can do what you want to
there's no one to stop you
all spit and spite you're up all night and down every day
(all spit amd spite amd urban plight
amd personal decay)
a tired man with only hours to go
just waiting to be taken away
(waiting to be weathered away)
getting in to the back of a car
for candy from some stranger
watching the parade with pinpoint eyes full of smoldering anger
you can do what you want to
whenever you want to
you can do what you want to
there's no one to stop you
now you can do what you want to whenever you want to
do what you want to whenever you want to
do what you want to whenever you want to
though it doesn't mean a thing
big nothing

Between the Bars

drink up, baby, stay up all night
with the things you could do
you won't.. but you might
the potential you'll be
that you'll never see
the promises you'll only make
drink up with me now
and forget all about
the pressure of days
do what i say and i'll make you okay
drive them away
the images stuck in your head
people you've been before that you don't want around anymore
that push and shove and won't
bend to your will
i'll keep them still
drink up, baby, look at the stars
i'll kiss you again
between the bars
where i'm seeing you
there with your hands in the air waiting to finally be caught
drink up one more time
and i'll make you mine
keep you apart deep in my heart
separate from the rest
where i like you the best
and keep the things you forgot
the people you've been before that you don't want around anymore
that push and shove and won't
bend to your will
i'll keep them still

Pictures of Me

start stop and start
stupid acting smart
flirting with the flicks
you say it's just for kicks
you'll be the victim of your own dirty tricks
you got yourself to tease and displease
doors swinging wide
you walked in to hide
looking at your feet
failure's complete
saw you and me on the coin op tv
frozen in fear every time we appear
i'm not surprised at all and really
why should i be?
see nothing wrong
see nothing wrong
so sick and tired of all these
pictures of me
completely wrong
totally wrong
go walking by
here come another guy
jailer who sells personal hells
who'd like to see me down on my fucking knees
everybody's dying just to get the disease
hey hey hey hey
i'm not surprised at all and really
why should i be?
see nothing wrong
see nothing wrong
so sick and tired of all these
pictures of me
completely wrong
totally wrong
i'm not surprised at all and really
why should i be?
see nothing wrong
see nothing wrong
so sick and tired of all these
pictures of me
oh everybody's dying just to get the disease
everybody's dying just to get the disease
everybody's dying just to get the disease

No Name 5 (Gone At Last)

got bitten fingernails and a head
full of the past
and everybody's gone at last
a sweet sweet smile that's fading fast
'cause everybody's gone at last
you don't get upset about it
no not anymore
there's nothing wrong
that wasn't wrong before
had a second alone with a chance let pass
and everybody's gone at last
well i hope you're not waiting
waiting around for me?
because i'm not going anywhere
obviously
got a broken heart and your name on my cast
and everybody's gone at last
everybody's gone at last

Rose Parade

they asked me to come down and watch the parade
and to march down the street like the duracell bunny
with a wink and a wave from the cavalcade
throwing out candy that looks like money
to people passing by that all seem to be going the other way
said won't you follow me down to the rose parade?
tripped over a dog in a choke chain collar
people were shouting and pushing and saying
i traded a smoke for a food stamp dollar
a ridiculous marching band started playing
got me singing along with some half hearted victory song
won't you follow me down to the rose parade?
won't you follow me down to the rose parade?
won't you follow me down to the rose parade?
the trumpet has obviously been drinking
because he's fucking up even the simplest lines
i'd say it's a sight that's quite worth seeing
it's just that everyone's interest is stronger than mine
and when they clean the street i'll be the only shit that's left behind
won't you follow me down to the rose parade?
won't you follow me down to the rose parade?
won't you follow me down to the rose parade?

Punch and Judy

a wallflower punch talks to judy
in a crowded corner where anybody can listen in
they don't read page to page or speak easy
now they're gonna say the words
in the wrong order again
they walk in a circle
through all the sidewalk scenes they used to be a part of one time
now everybody just stares and whispers
driving around up and down division street
i used to like it here
it just bums me out to remember
can't you ever treat anyone nice?
i think i'm gonna make the same mistake twice
they draw the curtain
wait for a call
pretty lucky if they get any kind of response at all
can't you ever treat anyone nice?
i think i'm gonna make the same mistake twice
gonna make the same mistake twice

Angeles

someone's always coming around here trailing some new kill
says i seen your picture on a hundred dollar bill
and what's a game of chance to you?
he was/to him it's one of real skill
so glad to meet you, angeles
picking up the ticket shows there's money to be made
go on and lose the gamble that's the history of the trade
that you add up all the cards left to play to zero
and sign up with evil, angeles
don't start me trying now
'cause i'm all over it, angeles
i could make you satisfied in everything you do
all your secret wishes could right now be coming true
be forever with my poison (broken) arms around you
no one's gonna fool around with us
no one's gonna fool around with us
so glad to meet you, angeles

Cupid's Trick

she's shaking down
i'm absent and numb from shock
reaching around for the hands of the clock
should've lied
lit me up, it's my lie
should've lit me up, it's my lie
should've lit me up, it's my lie
should've lit me up
cupid's trick comes down to shake and deal
the stupid kick that makes me real
should've lied
lit me up, it's my lie
should've lit me up, it's my lie
should've lit me up, it's my lie
should've lit me up
she's shaking down
it's never over and done
so, kick me, cane me
and*till i know why
lit me up, it's my lie
should've lit me up, it's my lie
should've lit me up, it's my lie
should've lit me up

2:45 am

i'm going out sleepwalking
where mute memories start talking
the boss that couldn't help but hurt you
and the pretty thing he made desert you
i'm going out like a baby
a naive unsatisfiable baby
grabbing onto whatever's around
for the soaring high or the crushing down
with hidden cracks that don't show
but constantly just grow
i'm looking for the man that attacked me
while everybody was laughing at me
you beat it in me that part of you
but i'm gonna split us back in two
tired of living in a cloud
if you're gonna say shit now you do it out loud
it's 2:45 in the morning
and i'm putting myself on warning
for waking up in an unknown place
with a recollection you've half erased
looking for somebody's arms to
wave away past harms
i'm walking out on center circle
both of you can just fade to black
i'm walking out on center circle
been pushed away and i'll never go back

Say Yes

i'm in love with the world through the eyes of a girl
who's still around the morning after
we broke up a month ago and i grew up
i didn't know i'd be around the morning after
it's always been wait and see
a happy day and then you pay
and feel like shit the morning after
but now i feel changed around and instead falling down
i'm standing up the morning after
situations get fucked up and turned around sooner or later
and i could be another fool or an exception to the rule
you tell me the morning after
crooked spin can't come to rest
i'm damaged bad at best
she'll decide what she wants
i'll probably be the last to know
no one says until it shows
see how it is..
they want you or they don't
say yes
i'm in love with the world through the eyes of a girl
who's still around the morning after

XO

Sweet Adeline

cut this picture into you and me
burn it backwards.. kill this history
make it over.. make it stay away
or hate'll say/sing the ending that love started to stay
there's a kid a floor below me saying 'brother can you spare
sunshine for a brother old man winter's in the air'
walked me up a story asking how you are
told me not to worry you were just a shooting star
sweet adeline
sweet adeline
my clementine
sweet adeline
it's a picture perfect evening and i'm staring down the sun
fully loaded.. deaf and dumb and done
waiting for sedation to disconnect my head
or any situation where i'm better off then dead

Tomorrow Tomorrow

everybody knows which way you go.. straight over
no one wants to see you inside of me.. straight over
i heard the hammer at the lock say you're deaf and dumb and done
give yourself another talk.. this time make it sound like someone
the noise is coming out and if it's not out now
then tomorrow tomorrow
they took your life apart and called your failures art
they were wrong though they wont know 'til tomorrow
i got static in my head
the reflected sound of everything
tried to go to where it led
but it didn't lead to anything
the noise is coming out and if it's not out now
i know it's just about to drown tomorrow out

Waltz #2 (xo)

first the mic then a half cigarette
singing cathy's clown
that's/to the man that she's married to now
that's the girl that he takes around town
she appears composed, so she is, i suppose
who can really tell?
she shows no emotion at all
stares into space like a dead china doll
i'm never gonna know you now, but i'm gonna love you anyhow
now she's done and they're calling someone
such a familiar name
(such familiar names)
i'm so glad that my memory's remote
'cause i'm doing just fine hour to hour, note to note
here it is the revenge to the tune
(he's gonna have his revenge to the tune)
(he knows the words but he can't sing the tune)
"you're no good!
you're no good you're no good you're no good.."
can't you tell that it's well understood?
i'm never gonna know you now, but i'm gonna love you anyhow
i'm here today and expected to stay on and on and on
i'm tired
i'm tired
looking out on the substitute scene
still going strong
&there we belong&
xo, mom
(me and my mom(i love you, mom)
it's ok, it's alright, nothing's wrong
(it's all wrong)
tell mr man with impossible plans to just leave me alone
in the place where i make no mistakes
in the place where i have what it takes
i'm never gonna know you now, but i'm gonna love you anyhow
i'm never gonna know you now, but i'm gonna love you anyhow
i'm never gonna know you now, but i'm gonna love you anyhow

Baby Britain

baby britain feels the best floating over a sea of vodka
separated from the rest
fights problems with bigger problems
sees the ocean fall and rise
counts the waves that somehow didn't hit her
water pouring from her eyes
alcoholic and very bitter
for someone half as smart you'd be a work of art
you put yourself apart
and i can't help until you start
we knocked another couple back
the dead soldiers lined up on the table
still prepared for an attack
they didn't know they'd been disabled
felt a wave, a rush of blood
you won't be happy 'til the bottle's broken
and you're out swimming in the flood
you get back you get unspoken
for someone half as smart you'd be a work of art
you put yourself apart
and i can't help until you start
you got a look in your eye
when you're saying goodbye
like you wanna say hi
the light was on but it was dim
revolver's been turned over
and now it's ready once again
the radio was playing 'crimson and clover'
london bridge is safe and sound
no matter what you keep repeating
nothing's gonna drag me down
to a death that's not worth cheating
for someone half as smart you'd be a work of art
you put yourself apart
and i can't help until you start
for someone half as smart you'd be a work of art
you put yourself apart

Pitseleh

i'll tell you why i don't want to know where you are
i got a joke i've been dying to tell you
the silent kid is looking down the barrel
to make the noise that i kept so quiet
i kept it from you, pitseleh
i'm not what's missing from your life now
i could never be the puzzle pieces
they say that god makes problems
just to see what you can stand
before you do as the devil pleases
and give up the thing you love
no one deserves it
the first time i saw you i knew it would never last
i'm not half what i wish i was
i'm so angry
i don't think it'll ever pass
and i was bad news for you just because
i never meant to hurt you

Indepedence Day

a future butterfly
gonna spend the day higher than high
you'll be beautiful
confusion
once i was you
i saw you caught between all the people out making the scene
and a bright ideal tomorrow
don't go too far
stay who you are
everybody knows
everybody knows
everybody knows
you only live a day
but it's brilliant anyway
i saw you at the perfect place
it's gonna happen soon but not today
so go to sleep and make the change
i'll meet you here tomorrow
independence day
independence day
independence day

Bled White (Doctor's Orders)

i'm a color reporter (rose city on the 409)
but the city's been bled white (white city on the yellow line)
and the doctor orders (drinking till he's trashed is just a waste of time)
he drinks all night to take away this curse
but it makes me feel much worse
bled white
so i wait for the f-train (white city on the yellow line)
and connect with/through a friend of mine (white city to a friend of mine)
to a yesterdaydream (yesterday dream is just a waste of time)
'cause i'll have to be high to drag the sunset down
and paint this paling town
bled white
so here he comes with a blank expression
especially for me 'cause he knows
i feel the same
'cause happy and sad come in quick succession
i'm never going to become
what you became
don't you dare disturb me (don't complicate my peace of mind)
while i'm balancing my past (don't complicate my peace of mind)
'cause you can't help but(or hurt me
like it already has, i may not seem quite right
but i'm not fucked, not quite
bled white
bled white

Waltz #1

every time the day darkens down and goes away
pictures open in my head of me and you
silent and cliche
all the things we did and didn't say
covered up by what we did and didn't do
going through every out i used to cop
to make the repetition stop
what was i supposed to say?
now i never leave my zone
we're both alone
i'm going home
i wish i'd never seen your face

amity walking like a lucky charm
i'm a neon sign and i stay open all the time
so let's go, go go go!
amity amity god don't make no jokes but it's plain to see he still made me
he told me so.. i'm good to go
i'm ready to go
'cause you laugh and talk and 'cause you make my world rock
i'm so so so so
amity amity amity amity amity amity amity good to go

Oh Well, Okay

here's the silhouette the face always turned away
the bleeding color gone to black.. dying like a day
couldn't figure out what made you so unhappy
shook your head to say no no no
and stopped for a spell
and stayed that way
oh well, okay
i got pictures, i just don't see it anymore
climbing hour upon hour through a total bore
with the one i keep where it never fades
in the safety of a pitch black mind
an airless cell that blocks the day
oh well, okay
if you a get a feeling it's time you see me
do me a favor and let me know
'cause it's hard to tell
it's hard to say
oh well, okay
oh well, okay?
oh well, okay

keep the troublemaker below
put it away.. check out for the day
in for a round of overexposure
the thing mother nature provides to get up and go
bottle up and explode seeing stars surrounding you
red white and blue
you look at him like you've never known him
but i know for a fact that you have
the last time you cried who'd you think was inside?
thinking that you were about to come over
but i'm tired now of waiting for you
you never show
bottle up and go, if you're gonna hide it's up to you
i'm coming through
bottle up and go, i can make it outside
i'll get through becoming you
becoming you(crying for you)
becoming you(crying for you)

A Question Mark

i got a question mark
you got a need to always take some shot in the dark
i don't have to make pretend the picture i'm in is totally clear
you think that all things have a way they ought to appear
'cause you know you know you know you know
you know you know you know you know you know
i don't
i dream
don't know what you mean
panic called you out and took you in
giving you an easy game and letting you win
you're giving back a little hatred now to the world
'cause it treated you bad
'cause you couldn't keep the great unknown from making you mad
'cause you know you know you know you know
you know you know you know you know you know
i don't
i dream
don't know what you mean
said your final word, but honesty and love could've kept us together
one day you'll see it's worth it after all
if you ever want to say you're sorry you can give me a call

Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands

everybody cares, everybody understands
yes, everybody cares about you
yeah and whether or not you want them to
it's a chemical embrace that kicks you in the head
to a pure synthetic sympathy that infuriates you totally
and a quiet lie that makes you wanna scream and shout
so here i lay dreaming looking at the brilliant sun
raining it's guiding light upon everyone
for a moment's rest you can lean against the banister
after running upstairs again and again from wherever they came to fix you in
but always fear the city's finest follow right behind
'cause you got a pretty vision in your head
a pencil full of poison lead
and a sickened smile illegal in every town
so here i lay dreaming looking at the brilliant sun
raining its guiding light upon everyone
here i lay dreaming looking at the brilliant sun
raining its guiding light upon everyone
you say you mean well
you don't know what you mean
you fucking ought to stay the hell away from things you know nothing about

I Didn't Understand

thought you'd be looking for the next in line to love
and then ignore, put out and put away
and so you'd soon be leaving me alone like i'm supposed to be
tonight, tomorrow and everyday
there's nothing here that you'll miss
i can guarantee you this is a cloud of smoke
trying to occupy space
what a fucking joke
what a fucking joke
i waited for a bus to separate the both of us and take me off far away from you
'cause my feelings never change a bit.. i always feel like shit
i don't know why.. i guess that i just do
you once talked to me about love and you painted pictures of a never-neverland
and i could've gone to that place
but i didn't understand
i didn't understand
i didn't understand

Figure 8

Son of Sam

something's happening, don't speak to soon
i told the boss off and made my move
got nowhere to go
son of sam, son of a shining path, the clouded mind
the couple killer each and every time
i'm not uncomfortable feeling weird
lonely leered, options disappear, but i know what to do
son of sam, son of a doctor's touch, a nurse's love
acting under orders from above

(operating on orders from above)
king for a day
son of sam, son of a shining path, the clouded mind
the couple killer running out of time
shiva opens her arms now
to make sure i don't get too far
i may talk in my sleep tonight 'cause i don't know what i am
i'm a little like you
more like son of sam

Somebody That i Used to Know

i had tender feelings that you made hard
but it's your heart, not mine, that's scarred
so when i go home i'll be happy to go
you're just somebody that i used to know
you don't need my help anymore
it's all now to you, there ain't no before
now that you're big enough to run your own show
you're just somebody that i used to know
i watched you deal in a dying day
and throw a living past away
so you can be sure that you're in control
you're just somebody that i used to know
i know you don't think you did me wrong
and i can't stay this mad for long
keeping ahold of what you just let go
you're just somebody that i used to know

Junk Bond Trader

the imitation picks you up like a habit
writing in the glow of the tv static
taking out the trash to the man
give the people something they understand
a stickman flashing a fine line smile
junk bond trader trying to sell a sucker a style
rich man in a poor man's clothes
the permanent installment of the daily dose
and you tell it off when you tell it like it is
your world's no wider that your hatred of his
checking into a small reality
boring as a drug you take too regularly
the athletes laugh the broken crutch
the first true love folded at the slightest touch
brought down like an old hotel
people going through the rubble for things they can resell
happy holidays said sick savior
the leaving lover i still favor
i won't take your medicine, i don't need a remedy
to be everything i'm supposed to be
i don't want nobody else
i can do it by myself
we're meant to be together
now i'm a policeman directing traffic
keeping everything moving, everything static
i'm the hitchhiker you'll recognize passing
on your way to some everlasting
better sell it while you can
better sell it while you can
better sell it while you can
better sell it while you can

Everything Reminds Me of Her

i never really had a problem
because of leaving
but everything reminds me of her
this evening
so if i seem a little out of it, sorry
but why should i lie?
everything reminds me of her
the spin of the earth impaled a silhouette of the sun on the steeple
and i gotta hear the same sermon all the time now from you people
why are you staring into outer space crying
just because you came across it and lost it?
everything reminds me of her
everything reminds me of her
everything reminds me of her

Everything Means Nothing to Me

someone found the future as a statue in a fountain
at attention looking backward in a pool of water
wishes with a blue songbird on his shoulder who keeps singing over everything
everything means nothing to me
everything means nothing to me
everything means nothing to me
i picked up the song and found my picture in the paper
the reflection in the water showed an iron man still trying to salute
people from a time when he was everything he's supposed to be
everything means nothing to me
everything means nothing to me
everything means nothing to me
everything means nothing to me

LA

the gentleman's in the lane spinning his hat on a cane
stepping out, out for a change
good morning all, it's a beautiful day
the generals are winning a war that seemed suicidal before you came along
now now i'll protect you as long as you stay
la.. morning had to come, i'd be walking in the sun
living in the day
but last night i was about to throw it all away
if patience started a band i'd be her biggest fan
look at me, i'm talking to you
i don't want the lead in your play
the star's just a part of the scene, the gentleman in green
paying off out on the street
i can't go home, it's not on my way
la.. things i've never done, cars parked in the sun
living in the day
but last night i was about to throw it all away
last night i was about to throw it all away
last night i was about to throw it all away
last night i was about to throw it all away

In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)

he held his breath to hold your hand
to walk the stairsteps in pairs
climbing up a slippery slope
i'm in love, well i hope
don't go home, angelina
stay with me, hanging around in the lost and found
kissed you quick feeling weird
lonely leaved and disappeared
this is such a simple place
passing time can't erase
don't go home, angelina
paint tomorrow blue
day breaks and every morning when he wakes he thinks of you
i'm alone, that's okay, i don't mind
most of the time
i don't feel afraid to die
she was here passing by
don't go home, angelina
stay with me, hanging around in the lost and found
stay with me, hanging around in the lost and found

Stupidity Tries

got a foot in the door
god knows what for
and he'll cut me down to size
stupidity tries
everything here is free
everything but you and me
this painting never dries
stupidity tries
savannah shoulder raised a cheer coloring the sky with ash
because they found some privateer to sail across a sea of trash
the enemy is within
don't confuse me with him
the truth is otherwise
stupidity tries
and so i go from floor to floor looking for a port of call
another drunk conquistador conquering the governor's ball
(lookin' like some spanish lord conquering the governor's ball)
i couldn't think of a thing
that i hope tomorrow brings
but oh what a surprise
stupidity tries

Easy Way Out

you'll take advantage till you think you're being used
'cause without an enemy your anger gets confused
i got stuck on a side you know i never chose
but it's all about taking the easy way out for you i suppose
there's no escape for you except in someone else
although you've already disappeared within yourself
the invisible man who's always changing clothes
it's all about taking the easy way out for you i suppose
i watch you making mistakes
i wish you luck, i really do
with the problem, with the puzzle
whatever's left of you
i heard you found another audience to bore
a creative thinker who imagined you were more
a new body for you to push around and pose
it's all about taking the easy way out for you i suppose
it's all about taking the easy way out for you i suppose

Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?

the question is wouldn't mama be proud?
there's a silver lining in the corporate cloud
and the pretty post that you're taking as an nco
of the great pretender
i should sure think so
wouldn't mama be proud?
"can i take your order?" asked the heavenly host
ticket to the jet stream blowing coast to coast
the long stemmed glasses, a movie and a pleasant dream in mid air
"you gotta tell me quickly, 'cause we're almost there"
wouldn't mama be proud?
pointed out of the window at the sky gone black
"kid, you're on the right track"
if i send you postcards from the side of the road
photographs of moving parts about to implode
if i crawl to keep it together like you say you know i can do
to transmit a moment from me to you
wouldn't mama be proud?
wouldn't mama be proud?
wouldn't mama be proud?

Color Bars

i see color bars when i come
sargeant rock broke the key off in the lock to where i come from
sir, no sir, we have no power in the air
the battle's on the ground
laying low again, high on the sound
bruno s. is a man to me
you're just some dude with a stilted attitude that you learned from tv
you'll undo, but i'll be connecting everything
the traffic in my town
riding high again, high on the sound
everyone wants me to ride into the sun
but i ain't gonna go down
laying low again, high on the sound

Happiness (Back In The Day)

activity's killing the actor
and a cop's standing out in the road turning traffic away
there was nothing she could do until after
when his body'd been buried below
way back in the day
oh my, nothing else could've been done
he made his life a lie.. so
he didn't mind(he might never have to know anyone
made his life a lie, you know
i told him that he shouldn't upset her
and that he'd only be making it worse involving somebody else
but i knew that he'd never forget her
while her memory worked in reverse to keep her safe from herself
and oh my, nothing else could've been done
she made her life a lie.. so.
she didn't mind*she might never have to know anyone
made her life a lie, you know
what i used to be will pass away and then you'll see
that all i want now is happiness for you and me
what i used to be will pass away and then you'll see
that all i want now is happiness for you and me
what i used to be will pass away and then you'll see
that all i want now is happiness for you and me

Pretty Mary K

almost forgot
started to say
rode into the sun
past everyone
hallelujah, pretty mary k
i found faith in the infirmary
there's a soldier lying in bed
with a wound to the head
calling out to pretty mary k
here's what you get for things that haven't happened yet
i happened upon pretty mary k
but a soldier's uniform waved you away
i walk round the dock and talk to st. james
though i'm already done
and ask everyone "have you seen her?"
pretty mary k
have you seen her?
pretty mary k

I Better Be Quiet Now

wish you gave me your number
wish i could call you today, just to hear a voice
i got a long way to go
i'm getting further away
if i didn't know the difference living alone'd probably be ok
it wouldn't be lonely
i got a long way to go
i'm getting further away
alot of hours to occupy, it was easy when i didn't know you yet
things i'd have to forget
but i better be quiet now
i'm tired of wasting my breath
carrying on and getting upset
maybe i got a problem, but that's not what i wanted to say
i'd prefer to say nothing
i got a long way to go
i'm getting further away
had a dream as an army man with an order just to march in my place
while a dead enemy screams in my face
but i better be quiet now
i'm tired of wasting my breath
carrying on, not over it yet
wish i knew what you're doing
and why you want to do it this way, so i can't go the distance
i got a long way to go
i'm getting further away
i got a long way to go
i'm getting further away

Can't Make a Sound

i have become a silent movie
the hero killed the clown
can't make a sound
can't make a sound
can't make a sound
nobody knows what he's doing
still hanging around
can't make a sound
can't make a sound
can't make a sound
can't make a sound
the slow motion moves me
the monologue means nothing to me
bored in the role, but he can't stop
standing up to sit back down
to lose the one thing found
spinning the world like a toy top
till there's a ghost in every town
can't make a sound
can't make a sound
can't make a sound
can't make a sound
eyes locked and shining
can't you tell me what's happening?
why should you want any other when you're a world within a world?
why should you want any other when you're a world within a world?
why should you want any other when you're a world within a world?
why should you want any other when you're a world within a world?

From a Basement on the Hill

Coast to Coast

last stop for a resolution
end of the line, is it confusion?
so go. go see what's there for you
nothing new, nothing new for you to use
i've got no new act to amuse you
i've got no desire to use you, you know
but anything that i could do, would never be good enough for you
if you can't help it then just leave it alone leave it alone
leave it alone, yeah, just forget it
it's really easy
i believe i'll forget it too
still you're keepin' me around
till i finally drag us both down
pulling feathers out your hat
yes i believe it's come to that
you belong tagging along
and i belong in the zoo
so i wait for confirmation
that you're never gonna use your starting gun
unless it's me it sounds like being in just wasn't that much fun
anything that i could do
would never be good enough for you
if you can't help it then just leave it alone leave it alone
leave me alone, yeah, just forget it
it's really easy
i'll just forgive it, too
coast to coast, coast to coast
i'll do what i can so you can be what you do
coast to coast, coast to coast
i'll do everything i can so you can be what you do
coast to coast, coast to coast
circuit rider comes every fifth sunday
oh my lord, i fell asleep one day
anything that i could do
is there anything that i could do
that someone doesn't do for you
that someone didn't do for you
that i have already done for you

Let's Get Lost

i've been outside
invited in
but i couldn't abide
i went missing again
i'm burning every bridge that i cross
to find some beautiful place to get lost
i had true love
i made it die
i pushed her away
she said please stay
burning every bridge that i cross
to find some beautiful place to get lost
to find some beautiful place to get lost
well i don't know where i'll go now
and i don't really care who follows me there
but i'll burn every bridge that i cross
and find some beautiful place to get lost
and find some beautiful place to get lost

Pretty (Ugly Before)

sunshine been keeping me up for days
there is no night time, it's only a passing phase
and i feel pretty, pretty enough for you
i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do
sometimes is all i feel up to now
but it's not worth it to you
'cause you gotta get high somehow
is it destruction that you require to feel
like somebody wants you, someone that's more for real?
sunshine been keeping me up for days
there is no night time, only a passing phase
and i'll feel pretty, another hour or two
i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do
i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do
i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do
ugly before

Don't Go Down

i met a girl
a snowball in hell
she was hard
and as cracked as the liberty bell
i got her to come on and move in with me
and i said i'd find a better place
we could spend eternity
don't go down
don't go down
stay with me, baby stay
her mama called me a thief
and her dad called himself commander in chief
(her dad was a total commander in chief)
i fought him off with my love
but i knew the sense of worthlessness she'd have to rise above
don't go down
don't go down
stay with me, baby stay
don't go down
don't go down
stay with me, baby stay
she had a dream
woke up in shock
she had seen her own body outlined in chalk
i split the scene the globe had been spun
(no fingerprints had been found on the gun)
and her ghost beamed down to kiss me
with a message from the sun
don't go down
don't go down
stay with me, baby stay
don't go down
stay with me, baby stay
don't go down
stay with me, baby stay

Strung Out Again

you get what you see
i saw a rich fuck given charity
saw an evil emperor wearing my clothes
they're far from the best
but they might suit you better than the rest
just looking in the mirror
will make you a brave man
i know my place
i hate my face
i know how i began and how i'll end
strung out again
was a parliament of owls
flying over a city of canals
floating on the body
floating in the dalles
you get what you see
but some things they just change invisibly
i don't know where i'm going
i don't even want to know
i know my place
i hate my face
i know how i began and how i'll end
strung out again
standing smiling on some fantasy island
looking at my lost reflection of you
oh.. the tide's coming in
and i'm strung out again
strung out again

Fond Farewell

the litebrite's now black and white
'cause you took apart a picture that wasn't right
pitch burning on a shining sheet
the only maker that you want to meet
a dying man in a living room
whose shadow paces the floor
who'll take you out any open door
this is not my life
it's just a fond farewell to a friend
it's not what i'm like
it's just a fond farewell to a friend
who couldn't get things right
a fond farewell to a friend
he said really i just want a dance
good and evil match perfect it's a great romance
i can deal with some psychic pain
if it'll slow down my higher brain
veins full of disappearing ink
vomiting in the kitchen sink
disconnecting from the missing link
this is not my life
it's just a fond farewell to a friend
it's not what i'm like
it's just a fond farewell to a friend
who couldn't get things right
a fond farewell to a friend
i see you're leaving me and taking up with the enemy
the cold comfort of the in between
a little less than a human being
a little less than a happy high
a little less than a suicide
the only things that you really tried
this is not my life
it's just a fond farewell to a friend
it's not what i'm like
it's just a fond farewell to a friend
who couldn't get things right
a fond farewell to a friend

King's Crossing

the king's crossing was the main attraction
dominoes falling in a chain reaction
the scraping subject ruled by fear told me
whiskey works better than beer
the judge is on vinyl & decisions are final
and nobody gets a reprieve
and every wave is tidal - if you hang around
you're going to get wet
i can't prepare for death any more than i already have
all you can do now is watch the shells
the game looks easy that's why it sells
frustrated fireworks inside your head
are gonna stand and deliver dark instead
the method actor that pays my bills
keeps a fat man feeding in beverly hills
i got a heavy metal mouth.. it hurls obscenity
and i get my check from the trash treasury
because i took my own insides out
it don't matter 'cause i have no sex life
and all i want to do now is inject my ex wife
i've seen the movie and i know what happens
it's christmas time
and the needles on the tree
a skinny santa is bringing something to me
his voice is overwhelming, but his speech is slurred
and i only understand every other word
open your parachute and grab your gun
float down like an omen & my setting sun
read the part and return at five
it's a hell of a role if you can keep it alive
but i don't care if i fuck up
i'm going on a date with a rich white lady
ain't life great?
give me one good reason not to do it
(because i love you?)
so do it
this is the place where time reverses
and dead men talk to all the pretty nurses
instruments shine on a silver tray
don't let me get carried away
don't let me get carried away
don't let me be carried away

Twilight (Somebody's Baby)

haven't laughed this hard in a long time
i better stop now before i start crying
go off to sleep in the sunshine
i don't want to see the day when it's dying
she's a sight to see, she's good to me
but i'm already somebody's baby
she's a pretty thing and she knows everything
but i'm already somebody's baby
you don't deserve to be lonely
but those drugs you got won't make you feel better
pretty soon you'll find it's the only
little part of your life you're keeping together
i'm nice to you, i could make it through
but you're already somebody's baby
i could make you smile if you stayed a while
but how long will you stay with me baby?
because your candle burns too bright
well, i almost forgot it was twilight
even if i think that you are right
well, i'm tired of being down, i got no fight
you're wonderful, and it's beautiful
but i'm already somebody's baby
and if i went with you i'd disappoint you too
well, i'm already somebody's baby
already somebody's baby

A Passing Feeling

everything is gone but the echo of the burst of a shell
and i'm stuck here waiting for a passing feeling
in the city i built up and blew to hell
i'm stuck here waiting for a passing feeling
still i send all the time
my request for relief
down the dead power line
though i'm beyond belief
in the help i require
just to exist at all
took a long time to stand
took an hour to fall
i'm stuck here waiting for a passing feeling
stuck here waiting for a passing feeling
still i send all the time
my request for relief
down the dead power line
though i'm beyond belief
in the help i require
just to exist at all
took a long time to stand
took an hour to fall

Last Hour

here's the army that you mowed to the ground
and the bodies you left lying around
talking it out the last hour
i'm through trying now
it's a big relief
i'll be staying down
where no one else gonna give me grief
mess me around
just make it over
your opinion was the law of the land
the single thing that i could always understand
i lived it out from hour to hour
the only thing that never really changed
you bend me all around
and dragged me down
at the end of the day
don't keep me around
just make it over
i've been thinking of the things that i missed
situations that i passed up for this
one way love i took for ours
i'm through trying now
it's a big relief
i'll be staying down
i wasn't good at being a thief
more like a clown
make it over

Shooting Star

you'll make the scene like you always do
gone upstream down the avenue
to fuck some trophy boy that you'll win tonight at the bar
so bad so far
you'll make him sad, shooting star
when it was me i was momentarily proud
drunk on/full of dreams now i'm glad i didn't say out loud
you said/hoping you'd be for real but/when i don't believe that you are
so bad so far
you made me sad, shooting star
you're distant and cold and a sight to behold
everybody just sighs
but no one gets on with you very long
'cause you don't feel bad when you lie
i'm going to sleep now
going back to find/which i guess would be square/step one
square two will be where i can deal with the shit you've just done
(step two is where i can deal with the thing you've just done)
it won't be soon
to say the least it's gonna be hard
so bad so far
your love is sad, shooting star
your love is sad, shooting star

Memory Lane

this is the place
you end up when
you lose the chase
where you're dragged against your will
from a basement on the hill
and all anybody knows is
you're not like them
and they kick you in the head
and send you back to bed
isolation pulled you past a tunnel to a bright world
where you can make a place to stay
but everybody's scared of this place and staying away
your little house on memory lane
the mayor's name is fear
his force patrols the pier
from a mountain of cliche
that advances everyday
the doctor spoke a cloud
he rained out loud
you'll keep your doors and windows shut
and swear you'll never show a soul again
but isolation pushes you till every muscle aches
down the only road it ever takes
but everybody's scared of this place and staying away
your little house on memory lane
if it's your decision
to be open about yourself
be careful or else
be careful or else
i'm comfortable apart
it's all written on my chart
and i take what's given me
most cooperatively
i do what people say
and lie in bed all day
absolutely horrified
i hope you're satisfied
isolation pushes past self hatred, guilt and shame
to a place where suffering is just a game
but everybody's scared of this place and staying away
your little house on memory lane
your little house on memory lane

Little One

one more little one
i'll go down and stay down
and sleep the rest of the day
dream new music to calm down
stay down and keep evil away
i can hear you asleep
changing your shape
dissolve in some dream
as a new one appears to take you along where you've never been

1 2 3 4 5 6 7...
the moonlight tonight seems to belong to me
'cause i never go to sleep.. i need some company

& even those who can't sleep.. they need some company &
one hit wouldn't hurt a bit
i'll go down and see what's there to find
(sleep the rest of the day..)
if it's good shit you won't know
and i won't know you've found that i've died
(if i'm good.. i'll be ok..)
if i seem to be reckless with myself
it's the fault of no one
all things have a place
under the moon as well as the sun
one more
little one, i love you

A Distorted Reality is Now a Neccessity to be Free

i'm floating in a black balloon
od on easter afternoon
my mama told me baby stay clean
there's no in between
but all you ladies and you gentlemen
between is all you've ever seen or been
i fit poorly and arrange the site
dollared up in virgin white
you disappoint me
you people raking in on the world
the devil's script sells you
the heart of a blackbird
shine on me baby, cause it's rainin' in my heart
sun is rising on a chopping glare
rain dropping acid bought up in the air
a distorted reality's now a neccessity to be free
it's so disappointing
at first i put it all down to luck
god knows why my country don't give a fuck
fuck.. fuck..
shine on me baby, cause it's rainin' in my heart
shine on me baby, cause it's rainin' in my heart

here come your pride and joy
the comic little drunk you call your boy
making everybody smile
who takes your pretty plan
and then becomes a disappearing man
after a little while
i saw you with your make-up running down
now what's that all about?
you say you don't want anyone around
'cause your all cleaned out
you toss the empty beer
not really as composed as you appear
an icicle inside
wearing clothes that clash
wondering is this treasure? is this trash?
still trying to decide..
and about 5 o*clock here comes your clown
with the front he's throwing down
but all you say is you don't want anyone around
?
you say you don't want anyone around
'cause you're all cleaned out
all cleaned out
all cleaned out

Almost Over

you think i'm unkind
but people aren't the way you think they are
they can't remember all the time
what it was you wanted
they paint you out in straight silhouette
but don't you get the picture yet?
why you getting all upset?
the worst part's almost over
three's such a crowd
you ought to tell me what you tell yourself
you ever gonna speak it aloud?
do i have to guess like everyone else?
with an iron will to walk the walk
and the glass jaw that can't be moved to talk
black eyes always watch the clock
the worst part's almost over
you let yourself be frozen by doubt
you think i'm mean 'cause i call you out
you don't know what you're about
the worst part's almost over now
the worst part's almost over now
now now

Angel in the Snow

i'd say you make the perfect
angel in the snow
all crushed out on the way you are
better stop before it goes to far
don't you know that i love you?
sometimes i feel like only a cold still life
that fell down here to lay beside you
don't you know that i love you?
sometimes i feel like only a cold still life
only a frozen still life
that fell down here to lay beside you..

Big Decision

pick me up in an hour or so
i don't really recommend it, no
they'll probably just put you down
i believe you
i wanna be you
i believe you
i wanna be you
i know you're not through with it yet
it's a big decision
you can't kick when you're down
got a feeling kind of like a cough
ain't nothing gonna shake it off
ain't nothing gonna shake it off
until you talk out loud
i believe you
i wanna be you
i believe you
i wanna be you
i know you're not through with it yet
it's a big decision
you can't kick when you're down
the chrome of your car reflects who you are taking you home
i'm under you're spell can't you tell? don't you know?
god, people wonder if i'm sick
spilled out on the city slick
puffed up like a macho jerk
don't even try it & it'll never work
why'd you want what you wanted from me?
why'd you want what you wanted from me?
why'd you want what i can not be?
you know i won't stay sober
i believe you
i wanna be you
i believe you
i wanna be you
i know you're not through with it yet
it's a big decision
i know you're not through with it yet
it's a big decision
i know you're not through with it yet
it's a big decision
you can't kick when you're down

Either/Or

you're strong, you're stubborn now
in an endless symbolic war
brave or bored either/or
sometimes a ricochet from the past
and at times a future i've already had before
champion or chore either/or
i'll write the pages you rip out
back in their places again
one day you'll know what you're talking about
i can hardly imagine but until then i'll be
filling in these blanks that you create
every time you win some petty score
posing as hardcore oh yeah either/or
look at the spin chief battered and broken
pitching a plastic rose
we're all in the downpour you carry around for
trashing a lifestyle you've never known
it's a useful dream that makes
quite an entertaining show and not much more
up against and for either/or

Fear City

dragged down into lowercase
trying to get your cops to talk right
they can put the paper to your face
but you're just trying to walk by
so now i got a new game baby
no one's gonna recognize it
your broken english over their flat tired remarks
still trying to bring some dead beauty back to life
isn't it pretty? yeah
i'm gonna see my city dead
i can do everything that your man does except for better
got no interest now in undressing your kids with cheap angst love letters
you write your name in all of the places no one goes
some can't be satisfied until everybody knows
isn't it pretty? yeah
i'm gonna see my city dead
isn't it pretty? yeah
i'm gonna see my city dead
come on.. is it pretty? yeah
i'm gonna see my city dead

First Timer

i'm a first timer..
wishing i was someone else
when i see you by yourself..
in a corridor
where you find yourself now blocked
by the door you locked..
you won't do what the dr ordered
you won't see someone else
come on back to me.. my bright tomorrow
and so you feel hollow
and you know it's 'cause you are
well at least so far..
i think of you with hesitation
i think of you too hard
come on back to me
but don't make me sorry
i'm a first timer wishing i'd been someone else
seeing you by yourself
seeing you by yourself..

georgia georgia
it's been many miles
i've seen your fallen smile
close up and personal
your arsenal of excuses
you never told her
when you walked out on the savannah shoulder
with your veins all full of beer
thinking well, at least now everything is clear
but oh man
what a planned suicide
it's just not that much different from my own affair
all ends in cussing and crying
how about if you
tell me something new
tell me what will make you happy?
oh you so deserve to be
there were protests and contests
and attitudes to cop
i want it all to stop
three weeks ago you were all grace and charm
and now i know it was just a false alarm
georgia georgia
i can't understand you since
you have no forgiveness
no attention left to pay
the quiet way you leave and just forget it all
just takes my breath away
how's that supposed to make me feel?
yeah, well, how am i supposed to feel?

Go By

go on parade and fade.. hit the scene in slow
spending all your time with some girl
you'll never get to know
wound up tight.. dressed all in white
some torment sail blowing out to drift
leave you even if..
you live up in your head
scared of every little noise
someone's always breaking in accidentally
using nothing but their voice..
shrill and small.. echo down the hall
repeating pet names
see it in your eyes.. you're only passing by
go by go by..
go by go by..
someone's in the way
pretty words and inside slurs
all the things they have to say to perform
the work that they've rehearsed
it's a waste of time
i'd put it behind me once and for all
and let the hype decline
if the problem wasn't mine
go by go by..
go by go by..

Going Nowhere

he waved hello silent like a mime
meaning there's no changing my mind
i won't walk the stairs with you tonight
going nowhere
the clock moved a quarter of a turn
the time it took her cigarette to burn
she said you got a lot of things to learn
going nowhere
i saw you move a certain way
missed you a lot
returned to this abandoned place
that shoulda been forgot
echoes drown a conversation out
echoes that only seem to bring about
a silent expression
easily read aloud
going nowhere
the steps made a pattern
i'd never seen
i felt like a kid of six or seventeen
i was off in some empty daydream
going nowhere
it's dead and gone and matter of fact
it may be for the best
you said some things you can't take back
honestly.. i guess
the old records
are sitting on the floor
the ones i can't put on anymore
you walked over to her like before
going nowhere
going nowhere
going nowhere

Half Right

well you shouldn't doctor yourself
well i pictured somebody else
someone that looks like
what i look like
would you say that the one of your dreams
got in you and ripped out the seams?
that's what i'd say
that's what i'd say
he was a sucker for your double dose
motherfucker turned white as a ghost
don't you say hi
don't you say hi
with a broken sink for a face
and a head that just takes up space
he's not half right
he's not half right
it's already half passed
(it's all that he half has)
and it won't last
i was sticking up for my friend
well there's nothing much to defend
it's a lost fight
it's a lost fight
'cause when i talk to you on the phone
well, it's just like being alone
it's not half right
it's not half right

High Times

coma kid told me how he'd come to follow you around wherever you go
said i don't go where i'm supposed to go
and i don't go really anywhere you know
told me how he's driven by a curse, 'til he kicked out into reverse
said i don't go where i'm supposed to go
and i don't go really anywhere you know
i made up my mind and i don't mind saying so
i went to meet you at central square
and when i couldn't find you there
i went walking around my city some more
people watching with a cold blank stare
and i saw your face in everyone i swear
it seems i never get your kick quite right
i was walking slow to a dirty dive
i'm so sick and tired of trying to change your mind
when it's so easy to disconnect mine
high times
high times
high times yeah i feel fine
high times
high times
high times
man i feel fine
don't pick me up
i'm fine right where i am
i don't go where i'm supposed to go
where i'm supposed to go

Looking Over my Shoulder (Sticks and Stones)

wiped out in the city slick
another sick rock 'n roller acting like a dick
needin' cash.. burnin' through the trash
that piles up in this place
and fills up behind my empty face
full of things that i'm not to do
you come over with all of your friends
and all their opinions i don't want to know
and i'm looking over my shoulder
bookin' away with nowhere to go
i run down to the corner lot
it's 45 past 2
i almost forgot to show
i got a date to make with mr so 'n so
after which
i won't care when you all start to bitch
and moan about being alone
you come over with all of your friends
and all their opinions i don't want to know
and i'm looking over my shoulder
bookin' away with nowhere to go
well can't you just leave me alone?
you've already thrown all the sticks and stones
you had to send my way
well can't you just leave it at that?
and spare us both the bother 'cause i just bounce back anyway
i got nothin' that i want to do
more than make another sonic/sonnet {fuck you} to play whenever you make my life cliche
so to fit in some little box with the all the lame bullshit
you say to keep confusion away
you come over with all of your friends
and all their opinions i don't want to know
and i'm looking over my shoulder
bookin' away with nowhere to go
you come over with all of your friends
and all their opinions i don't want to know
and i'm looking over my shoulder
bookin' away

Miss Misery (early version)

i'll fake it through the day
with some help from johnny walker red..
and a cold pain behind my eyes
that shoots back through my head..
with two tickets torn in half
and a lot of nothing to do
but it's alright 'cause some enchanted night
i'll be with you..
the tarot cards and the lines in my hand
tell me i'm wrong.. but they're untrue..
i got plans for both of us
that involve a trip out of town
to a place i've seen in a magazine
that you left lying around..
i can't hold my liquor
but i keep a good attitude
'cause it's alright.. some enchanted night
i'll be with you..
and though you'd rather see me gone
than to see there come the day
i'll be waiting for you anyway..
next door the tv's flashing
blue frames on the wall
it's a comedy from the 70's
with a lead no one recalls..
vanished into oblivion.. it's easy to do
and i cried to sleep when you talked to me
the day you said we were through
but it's alright..
some enchanted night i'll be with you..

New Disaster

the ghost of your smile is always looking for new bodies to haunt
and it's been here and disappeared
it's hanging around aloofly for a while
gradually gone
it's pleasing and freezing
while i wonder what it is you're after?
keeping company with this disaster
you looked all over town, got turned around
to walk back through the mud
the kind you had left behind you
everybody's the same in this long no-win game
where every new blood gets time to become resigned
now i wonder what it is you're after?
keeping company with this disaster
why you never try to tame your master?
you just blow through the coals
blow through the coals
blow through the coals
till everyone knows
that your smile is just a ghost
the ghost of your smile was seen on a body in the park
it's old news, you see that it's no use
you're waiting to start, waiting to light, wait until dark
i told you man
i told you
well i wonder what it is you're after?
keeping company with this disaster
why you never try to tame your master?

New Monkey

here come the sidewalk boss again
telling me how i can't cave in
that i'm a study in black
need a pat on the back
i look up and smile
a picture of dissatisfaction
that he can only see as a junkie
though i might be straight as an arrow
he's busy shaking hands with my monkey
busy shaking hands with my monkey
i go in my car
straight to the bar
where my sweetie pours the beer
for the millions of fans ignoring the bands
he's in my ear
wants me to live in denial
says you gotta settle for something
though it might not be really living
anything is better than nothing
anything is better than nothing
no actor action man gonna move in and take my place
i'll be pumping out the product
just a total waste
look at your hands unoccupied
look at the lengths you'll go to hide
you're under the veil
pretending to fail
gotta whole lot of empty time left to go
now you've gotta fill it with something
i know what you can do.. don't you know?
anything is better than nothing
no actor action man gonna move in and take my place
i'll be pumping out the product
just a total waste
i'm here with my cup
afraid to look up
this is how i spend my time
lazyin' around.. head hangin' down
stuck inside my imagination
busy making something from nothing
pictures of hope and depression
anything is better than nothing
anything is better than nothing
anything is better than nothing
anything is better than nothing

Placeholder

looking at all the rows
all these records look like big zeros
i got your picture on the back of a 45
a placeholder to take up mine
a placeholder to take up mine
i'm the person you never need
the biggest loser on 16th street
the invisible man with the see through mind
a placeholder to take up mine
a placeholder to take up mine
break off up in someone's loft in midtown
'round there.. next to the square
he likes the way that you look now
like an open book
just like my favorite song
some pretty words that didn't last that long
like a package sent priority overnight
placeholder come and take up mine
placeholder come and take up mine
placeholder come and take up mine
placeholder come and take up mine

Pretty Mary K

pretty mary k walks along the dock
with some sailor's pay shoved down in her sock
pretty mary k with some little boy in blue
who can't stay away from you
pretty mary k took him back to town
i'm down here by the bay where the water pounds
up against the wall crying black and blue
keeps me away from you
pretty words that you whispered
maybe i misunderstood
somebody's not paying attention what they promised and their word isn't good
oh, mary k, i can see your face
down there in the waves, painted and erased
but i know it's just the reflection of the moon
a big fake resembling you
gonna go down in the water, fill my mouth up full of sand
i'll be waiting, still impatient, with my dead imagination
while you're with some other man
pretty mary k is off in somebody's room
i'm down here by the bay with my arm around the moon
but i'll be with you soon, just as soon as i pay
a walk across the water with pretty mary k
walk on water, pretty mary k

Riot Coming (Sons Into Daughters)

in storyville i fucked a cop
amped up on prescription pills
that brought my heart to a stop
and i want to tell you there's a riot coming
like a drug in the water
a punch in the stomach makes sons into daughters
i met a girl on the square
who showed me how to kill my cares
but once that's done, man, there's nothing to do
time's running backwards for me and you
there's a riot coming
like a drug in the water
a punch in the stomach makes sons into daughters
my body's running but i don't see why it bothers
sat down in jail with this friend of mine
who never closed both his eyes
but one was shut all the time
to cover the thing he was scared of
while he watched with the other
there was a riot coming
like a drug in the water
a punch in the stomach makes sons into daughters
there's a riot coming
there's a riot coming
there's a riot coming

Seen How Things are Hard

i took you to the train
the stupid shit you displayed
i took pictures in my head
you in a blank stare when we had a little dressy thing
you just didn't care
you were off getting drunk instead
seeing how things are hard
seeing how things are hard
i love you though
seeing how things are hard
seeing how things are hard
well don't you know?
scared of what you thought was a dizzy height
you freaked out and forgot you stay well away
from trouble that you cause
using all your strength to keep the world
at arm's length and not get upset
at this self-imposed loss
seeing how things are hard
seeing how things are hard
i love you though
seeing how things are hard
seeing how things are hard
well don't you know?
i'm a cracked reflection of you
i can't make corrections for you
you have to help me patch things up
seeing how things are hard
seeing how things are hard
i love you though
seeing how things are hard
seeing how things are hard
well don't you know?
seeing how things are hard
seeing how things are hard
i love you though
seeing how things are hard
seeing how things are hard
well don't you know?
no

See You Later

i got a choke chain
made out of nighttrain
to keep your memory down
in quicksand from the main man
to drown everything out
we were out on a joyride
fucked up from insides
always at a dead stall
from sticking pins into miniature men
who can't feel it at all
see you later
see you later
if i see you at all
see you later
walked through thick mud
looking for new blood
thinking i heard your name
cruel imagination still giving me pain
just to find you with your
masterminder
running your affairs
saying how you're better now
since it killed all your other cares
see you later
see you later
if i see you at all
see you later
see you later
if i see you at all
see you later
see you later
if i see you at all
see you later

Talking to Mary

talking to mary, you know you don't have to shout
she can hear what you're thinking like you were saying it right out loud
it's you she sees behind that dirty look
it was her that followed down every stupid turn you took
one day she'll go, i told you so
one day she'll go, i told you so
saw the one big problem you keep under your hat
and it's pretty unlikely that anybody else would be cool with that
you got a bus fare in your pocket and more money down in your sock
but she can't tell you how to find her if you won't listen to her talk
one day she'll go, i told you so
one day she'll go, i told you so
it's no problem, i'll just keep quiet if it's easier for you
to make believe then that i don't love you as much as i do
one day she'll go, i told you so
one day she'll go, i told you so
i told you so, i told you so

won't you let me walk you home from school?
won't you let me meet you at the pool?
maybe friday i can get tickets for the dance and i'll take you
won't you tell your dad get off my back?
tell him what we said about paint it black
rock and roll is here to stay
come inside now.. it's ok.. and i'll shake you
won't you tell me what you're thinking of?
would you be an outlaw for my love?
if it's so.. well.. let me know
if it's no.. well.. i can go
i won't make you..

Whatever

they come here alone and they leave in twos
except for you and me who just came to use
if you're all done like you said you'd be
what are you doing hanging out with me?
why you tell me stuff that's so plainly untrue?
if you'll be straight with me i'll be straighter with you
if you're all done like you said you'd be
what are you doing hanging out with me?
i haven't wanted to do anything for a long time
but whatever you got right now would probably suit me fine
if you're all done like you said you'd be
what are you doing hanging out with me?
i haven't wanted to do anything for a long time
whatever you're doing now would probably suit me fine
if you're all done like you said you'd be
what are you doing hanging out with me?
what are you doing hanging out with me?

Good Will Hunting

Miss Misery

i'll fake it through the day
with some help from johnny walker red
send the poison rain down the drain
to put bad thoughts in my head
two tickets torn in half
and a lot of nothing to do
do you miss me, miss misery
like you say you do?
a man in the park
read the lines in my hand
told me i'm strong
hardly ever wrong.. i said man you mean you..
i had plans for both of us
that involved a trip out of town
to a place i've seen in a magazine
that you left lying around
i don't have you with me but
i keep a good attitude
do you miss me, miss misery
like you say you do?
i know you'd rather see me gone
than to see me the way that i am
when i am in the life anyway
next door the tv's flashing
blue frames on the wall
it's a comedy of errors, you see
it's about taking a fall
to vanish into oblivion
is easy to do
and i try to be.. but you know me
i come back when you want me to
do you miss me, miss misery
like you say you do?

Abused

now that everybody's worn the expression
(not that you wanted to use)
it seems untrue now
but the funniest thing is
it fits you now
to a perfect t
you may never understand this affliction
although you feel the effects
you feel bruised now
body and mind you feel used now
almost all of the time
been abused
abused
abused
sunday morning in the aisle with my brother
watching the men in black tell the youths how
they're supposed to behave
but tell the truth now
you don't know what you're saying
we've been abused
abused
abused
abused
abused
abused
abused
other people see some evil intention
but the closer you get, the more you get confused how
why does everyone know?
been abused now
didn't want it to show

A Distorted Reality (Alternate)

i'm floating in a black balloon
i must make it through this afternoon
a shape-shifting shadow down
drifting way out of town..
and all you ladies and you gentlemen
unhappy where you could've been
you drive people like you drive a car
till you don't know where you are..
you don't impress me
i'm sorry that you're chained to the ground
but no big brother's gonna bring me down now..
wind's blowing now with all his might
raindrops falling through a starry night
sunrise on a tropical scene
waving back at you
not me..
you don't impress me..
you can't be satisfied anyhow
no big brother's gonna bring me
back down..

sinking a line
feeling just fine
that's not what the story's about
waving your hand
hope in demand
i'm all cleaned out
i'm all cleaned out
feeling frightful & spiteful
but nothing's laid bare
hear what you're saying
deals then a cave in
but you're not even there
all cleaned out
sped us down south
i'm down for the count
& all cleaned out
all cleaned out

Amanda Cecilia

saw you walking around through old town
i thought you said you weren't gonna be a hit no more
cecilia amanda
i don't want to see you get like you got before
amanda showed me a new party dress yesterday
dancing to a record you scratched
the two of you's a study in making total opposites match
little miss amanda wants to know how long you're to be gone
and she asked me can i fix it so the record plays the rest of her song
she ain't got a father now 'cause he's buried below
way up high in the sky with all the people she knows
i'm seeing the crush kill the kid
the things you promised you never did
she asked me are you a pretty dancer?
but i don't think i'm gonna answer
saw you walking around through old town
thought you said you wouldn't come to me to score
'cause you got a little baby now
i don't wanna see you around here no more
amanda showed me a new party dress yesterday
dancing to a record you scratched
some dealing amateur actor making opposites match

Another Standard Folk Song (Crazy Fucker)

it's a busted main line but you oughta hear him out
bleeding fortified wine out of the injury that i call my mouth
i just wanna play and insult some crazy fucker
from the south whose arrow came to pick me out
and so i'm waiting for a shot of white noise
i don't wanna hear no stupid screaming little halfassed middle-class boy
because i got a headache and
i'm already full of useless stories
arrow come pick me out
because i got a headache and
i'm already full of these useless stories
arrow come pick me out
arrow come pick me out
your broken arrow

we were talking about how things in the past
that you want to block out can kill you
anytime, anytime, anytime, anytime now
how i don't take advice & i don't take offense
'cause i know it could all make sense
anytime, anytime, anytime, anytime now
how when you were a kid
how you must have been once
& you must have had plans for your future
anytime now
how i thought i'd be tall, with a big hairy chest
& clothes from the mall, i guess
oh anytime now
how you learned to flirt
the first time i got hurt
& how we want to desert the army
anytime now
how i started too soon
when i didn't have the touch
& look now with such revulsion
anytime now
& if you knew what you know now in the past
your first thought would be your last
oh anytime now
bought a simple machine i can put to my head

as soon as i'm sure i'm dead
oh anytime, anytime, anytime, anytime now
but when we talk about the days that are already gone
i hear it all wrong, it sounds like anytime now

Blue Mood

you said this will never do
and every time i call i know it's true
the jump is not my specialty
confusion makes most sense to me
you only like me when i'm in a blue mood
you say you see my soul's only seeing red
you said this was how you knew
that these things never last
but you're just talking out your ass
and i'm just gonna let that pass
you, you only like me when i'm in a blue mood
and alls you want is your own shadow in my head

Brand New Game

saw you talk near the slots
and i got a brand new game
running down the alley with an hour you bought
from a man with no last name
like an idiot animal
too stupid to shame
got a brand new game
got a brand new.. brand new game
got a brand new game
got a brand new game
ape man in a cave painting it on the wall
nothing's gonna keep the vision's menacing glances
and nothing that's got it all
from gazing over to where hope sleeps
artificially small
like a beast to tame
got a brand new brand new game
got a brand new game
got a brand new game
now monkey is alright
come on
one is never enough.. two is always a crowd
i got a mindful scoping a slide
and a glass side nature mane
everything's impossible
there's nothing to do
but oppose this road remain
push the point to oblivion
and keep turning the plane
got a brand new game
got a brand new brand new game
got a brand new game
got a brand new game

saw you droppin' the slots
saying i got a brand new game
running down the alley
with an hour you bought
from a man with no last name
so alone you forgot to feel
sorrow or shame
got a brand new game
got a brand new, brand new game
got a brand new game
got a brand new game
later on you'll be sad
but say it's only the rain
as you sit between an empty suit
and somebody's dad
on the back of the train
everything makes you mad
but not enough to complain
got a brand new game
got a brand new, brand new game
got a brand new game
got a brand new game..

black and blue from passing around, white, he says, lady ain't a hit no more
cecilia amanda, i don't want to see you get like you got before
another patient in a party dress yesterday dancing on a permanent scratch
in a place where lonely men pay to make their opposites match
little miss amanda wants to know how long you're going to be gone
and she asked me can i fix it so your record plays the rest of her song
'cause every remembrance of you has been buried below
every memory that i unhappily know
i'm sorry for you and your kid, the things you promised and you never did
she asked me are you a pretty dancer, but i don't think i'm gonna answer
oh, black and blue from passing around, white, he's paying me back to the daily score
well, you got a little baby now.—i don't wanna see you around here no more
ah, amanda put on her new party dress yesterday dancing to a record you scratched
well, some deal in amateur acting making opposites match

Confidence Artist (So Many People)

the sweet hot of the passing hour
my makeup's starting to crack
people talk behind my back
and i don't like that
see the man of the moment
who's trying to get himself in my shot
telling everyone he's not
confidence artist
there's so many people
there's so many people
there's so many people
you gotta settle the score
look a little bit closer now
see if the side you can take
the suspense has to got break
and it will someday
still life in a darkened room
will be flooded with light
and it might make you uptight
but you won't die from exposure
there's so many people
there's so many people
there's so many people
you gotta settle the score
there's so many people
too many people
no no no
i'm just enchanted now
some other time
if you're seeing something here
that you're not supposed to see
you'll be charged a penalty
and you'll pay forever
i been working night and day
building sets on a lot
in a land that time forgot
captured here in my camera
there's so many people
there's so many people
there's so many people
you gotta settle the score
there's so many people
too many people
no no no
i'm too enchanted now
some other time
some other time

obvious that you got nowhere special to go
but i know you will before too long
'cause you're always there.. standing there
staring at the hole in the road
like it was a place somebody would go
confusion is king.. the talk of your town
red, hotter than the sun burning everyone
once you come around
you spoke softer than anybody i ever heard
softer than the velvet in your hair
tye it back black while you're mocking me black as a bird
i live in a cage and i could take you there
confusion is king.. the talk of your town
streets littered with debris
this is what you see always looking down
hanging out later i can't tell how to behave
when you're on a stage i hear your set
with animals painted in the dark on the walls of a cave
pictures of the ones i guess you won't forget
confusion is king.. the talk of your town
i don't know if you hear the meaning of a word
maybe just a sound
little things trigger big bombs
you can wipe out a state
maybe i'll destroy what makes you sad
if you hear there's so many minds
buried that you never relate
until your body's numb and it's all too bad
confusion is king.. the talk of your town
i don't know how to speak it
i don't know how to help you
i'll just be around
i don't know how to speak
i don't know how to help
i'll just be around

Coraliza

did you think if i was dead i'd give up trying?
caught in the wake of almost crying
and i thought you had a lot of nerve
but you don't feel that much
sessions of confessions, a body for a crutch
i'll tell you one thing, if you wanna know something
somewhere out there is a dutch man smoking
a tired old dumb warning, coraliza
you're up all night with a bottle of rum
i'm asleep in my room with my momentum
did you hear what i said?
when you turned your shoulder
a whistle you hear, play dead, you could roll over
you dry out your hair and you flush through your eyes
pictures of your man, and paranoid crimes
the little i can do i don't know how
but you're always talking..? it gives into a row
all the prince's lovers couldn't fit the slipper
even the one worn by your mother, coraliza
you're up all night with a bottle of rum
i'm asleep in my room with my momentum
i'm not one of your older men, coraliza
i'm asleep again
i'm not one of your older men, coraliza

Crushed Blind (Alternate Bled White)

so we come to the border
but the city's been bled white
and the doctor ordered
drinks all night
to see who throws up first
make me feel much worse
crushed blind
so i wait for the 14
and i wait for the 409
in the yesterdaydream
on a nicotine high
to drag the sunset down
to paint this paling town
crushed blind
who's the girl with the blank expression
everyone's trying to put someone to shame
but happiness pulls you the other direction
going to pioneer square to watch it rain
don't you dare disturb me while i'm balancing my past
'cause you can't even hurt me
like it always has
like it will tonight
you think i'm fucked you're right
crushed blind
crushed blind

&

Dancing on the Highway

here if you want me
listening so close from far away
i memorized what you told me
like a foreigner on holiday
i know to smile at confusion
and not forget the soul that smiles on me
dancing on the highway
the broken line that led from you to me
well i'll be at my station all night
so come on by if you feel like
still here if you want me
look at what i can do with empty time
a lost love that likes to haunt me
is waiting 'round to meet me when i die
death surrounds protects the living
this is what you said and i agreed not to be unforgiving
just because your soul's untimely free
still here if you want me, my love
dancing on the highway
but your sun still burns my eye
oh why? oh why?

&

Division Day

there was grown man dying from fright
so surprised at the things he'd say
with a giant fantasy life
running 'round on feet of clay
naked except for a perpetual debt
that couldn't be stripped away
an unrightable wrong that moved him along
closer to division day
spent a long time living with that
never could give it a name
(she operates on principal that
has no appropriate name)
and when you don't know what you're looking at
it makes it much harder to take
mostly they'd meet when he was asleep
and have some sick exchange
that struck him as wrong and moved him along
closer to division day
i can't/could i make an exception for a bad connection
that only goes one way
sell out for a song where i don't belong
with you on division day

('cause i knew all along that i didn't belong with you on division day)
the moon stood up on the ridge
looking down where the water shines
and a man looking over the bridge
like he done so many times
thinking about how to stay out
out of trouble's way
flying to fall away from you all
it's over division day
beautiful division day
thinking about how to stay out
out of trouble's way
flying to fall away from you all
it's over division day
beautiful division day

Easy Way Out (Early Version)

'it's my opinion' - words i never thought i'd use
(words you're never supposed to use)
but you make an enemy of me
you know you do
now i'm stuck on a side you know i never chose
but it's all about taking the easy way out for you i suppose
forlorn escapist always chasing someone else
an anxious arsonist burning out yourself
an invisible man who's always changing clothes
'cause it's all about taking the easy way out for you i suppose
let me count the ways you are fake
a million one.. a million two
you're a puzzle.. you're a problem
that i'm not gonna do
i heard you found another audience to bore
a creative thinker who imagined you were more
a new body for you who quickly decomposed
'cause it's all about taking the easy way out for you i suppose
it's all about taking the easy way out for you i suppose

The Enemy is You

you got your head turned 'round
walking upside down
through the sunken dream
through the crushing crowd
you don't know what it means
'cause you're a broken machine
you won't lisp it out
you're dressing up your man
it's all second hand
it's all hindsight
you don't understand
it's just an empty scene
it's still an empty scheme
you wanna block it out
but i know what i'm gonna do
with this big doubt
i'm gonna make it go away
when you go walking out
in the rose city
without a fucking clue
with an attitude
knowing what you need
what you will not do
the enemy is you
you beat up on yourself
'cause there ain't no one else
who feels quite as good
to put straight through hell
you know yourself well
you know what you're about
just wanna block it out
well, i know what i'm gonna do
with this big doubt
i'm gonna hide my face away
block it out
well, i know what i'm gonna do
with this big doubt
i'm gonna make it go away

everybody cares.. everybody understands
yes everybody cares about you
as a matter of fact i'm sure they do
but if you don't act just right
they kick you in the head
but it isn't a real offense, you see
they're doing it out of sympathy
and you're the one who's bringing it all about
so here i lay dreaming
looking at the brilliant/lazy sun
raining its guiding light upon everyone
for a moment's rest i leaned against the banister
after running upstairs again and again
from a place you people never been
with all/two of fear city's finest following behind
who with a greater skill and resourcefulness
after putting me under a wrongful arrest
stuck me out to the desert to dry and die
so here i lay dreaming
looking at the brilliant/lazy sun
raining its guiding light upon everyone
here i lay dreaming
looking at the brilliant sun
pushing its guiding light upon everyone
the dream-killing doctor says to describe my dream
some things are for no one to know
and for you, twelve-stepping cop, to not find out

&

Everything's Okay

everything's okay
walks along the dock
with some sailor's pay
shoved down in his sock
everything's ok
with some little boy in blue
who don't know you like i do
everything's okay
took him back to town
i didn't get paid today
so i'm in the lost and found
and i wonder if that clown
knows just what to do
what to say.. and what not to

pretty words that you whispered
maybe i misunderstood
somebody's not paying attention what they promise

and their word isn't good
everything's okay
i'm looking for you now
down here by the bay
where the water pounds
up against the wall
then i'm coming to
'cause i can't stay away from you
i don't need no satisfaction
i don't take just because i can
sometimes i get a strong impression
you just don't understand

that kind of man
everything's okay
i can see your face
down there in the waves
painted and erased
but i'm told it's just the reflection of the moon
a big fake resembling you
i'm gonna go down in the water
fill my mouth up full of sand
i'll be waiting still impatient with my dead imagination
while you're with some other man
everything's okay
i'll be with you soon
i'm walking out to place my arms around the moon
yeah, i'll be with you soon
just as soon as i pay
i'll walk 'cross the water
everything's okay
walk on the water
everything's okay

First Timer (Alternate)

you're a first timer blaming everybody else
for the hard time you give yourself
in a corridor where you find yourself now blocked
by a door you locked
but don't get backed into the corner talking to yourself
come on back to me my bright tomorrow
if you feel hollow and you know it's cause you are
well at least so far
i think of you with hesitation
i think of you too hard
come on back to me but don't make me sorry
you're a first timer blaming everybody else
for the hard time you give yourself
for the hard time you give yourself

Flowers for Charlie

flowers for charlie you know
i'm not a good gi joe
because i always aim low
and i won't fight you
i'm popular maybe where
i'm being caught in the cold
taking off through the storm
it's a cop-out
i don't want to win your friends anymore
there's a world within
that i can't call out
kiss me quickly
i'm in a hurry
and i've got worry enough
trying to stay around
brought you a flower from the other side
it's a free world
you don't have to hide

From a Poisoned Well (Alternate Lyrics Sheet 1999&

i'm a ghostwriter for an ocean in a shell
for a bottomless well
in the corridor by a picture in a frame
of a man with no name
a bottle's breaking in the corner talking to itself
come on back to me my bright tomorrow
but if you feel hollow well it's probably cause you are
or at least so far
memory tracks me like a killer
memory hits too hard
come on back to me but don't make me sorry
i'm a ghostwriter for an ocean in a shell
for a bottomless well
for a bottomless well..

Grand Mal

grand mal paid you a call
on the avenue
and bright white shot through the night
and i followed it to you
look through your window
went blind and broke
and you walked out into a ghost town
with no one to see what you're going through now
no one to see what you do
you took a fall and i followed down
as far as i could go
grand mal.. it's all over now
buried back below
when it comes calling
drawing you in
don't forget how much i love you
and there's no one to see what you're going through now
no one to see what you're going through now
no one can see what you do
remember these mirror eyes..

have you seen her?
have you seen her? have you seen her?
the figurine seems so white
let me come in on the second flight
on my way downtown to meet the girl
i sleep next to now every night
she doesn't acknowledge work classics
she doesn't listen to a non-woman tape
her face is simple excellence
and it's always changing shape
have you seen her? have you seen her?
have you seen her? have you seen her?
i miss her.. i miss her.. i miss her.. i miss her..
i'm over them now.. i'm over them now.. i'm over them now.. all over it now.
i've got acid in my teeth
i've got acid and i'm not gonna wait
'cause every minute's been shot up
full of yesterday's muted hate
i saw you just plain forget
i saw you remember and cry
the time that you didn't give a shit
the time you did but i didn't know why
i saw you come right in hotel dale
looking for somebody to score
i saw you in kingsboro with some clown
but i couldn't stand to see you anymore
i've been meaning to tell you i'm all over it now
man, i've been meaning to tell you i'm all over it now
have you seen her? have you seen her?
have you seen her? have you seen her?
i miss her.. i miss her.. i miss her..

How to Take a Fall

it's one word cover to cover
it's an endless fuse
chain repeater never seems to get any smarter
i'm always marking pages so that i don't get confused
end up in a fight i never had any part of
just a naive plaything
coming over clueless every time you call
an accident just waiting to happen
still hasn't fell down
how to take a fall
make me president
make me something sweet
small enough to go unnoticed and big enough to compete
with this massive pass that keeps blocking up my street
looking for a new contender to disassemble
just a naive plaything
coming over clueless every time you call
an accident just waiting to happen
still hasn't fell down
how to take a fall
how to take a fall
how to take a fall

I Can't Answer You Anymore

something came from nothing today
while i was saying No
don't you knock on my door
'cause i can't answer you anymore
absence makes the heart grow fond
staying away from people
was a question before
but i can't answer you anymore
step to the scene where we meet
and wrote a song
i did everything right for somebody that does everything wrong
so i go from coast to coast
over the hawthorne bridge
to the one i adore
you ask me what i'm looking for
but i can't answer you anymore
no i can't answer you anymore

I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure it Out

i can wait
i can wait
i can sit wondering what in world you think about
i don't think i'm ever gonna figure it out
after all the alchohol.. the pretty words that devolve down
to slurs and drunken shouts
i don't think i'm ever gonna figure it out
it's like some wild last frontier
you never know what kind of fight's goin' on up here
that once begun can't be won
started out losing already to go all ten rounds
i don't think i'm ever gonna figure it out
the tired hits that fall below
i can't connect, yeah yeah i know
i can wait
i can wait
i can sit wondering what in the world you think about
i don't think i'm ever gonna figure it out
i don't think i'm ever gonna figure it out
i don't think i'm ever gonna figure it out

I Figured You Out

i've seen you watching
her every time she crosses the floor
so won't you just go and talk to
the one you really adore
i'm getting pretty used to being
the one that you always ignore
when somebody wants you
i've seen it before
you're every kind of color
there ain't nothing that you won't claim
your ambition and promise
and your addiction to fame
and everyone's got a dollar$sign after their name
and when somebody wants you
you treat 'em just the same
so go on and pick up
you don't care what poison you choose
and what person you lose
it should've been me, yeah
shouldn't it be?
a crushing quiet
blows in through your window
to someone that wants you
that you'll never know
but i'll pick up around you
and clear everything out
leave you where i found you
i figured you out
leave you where i found you
i figured you out

ah, ah, ah
i love my room, yeah
i really do
i can just come right in & sit right down & open my window
& see the town
i love my room, yeah
i hope you like it too
i love to open the shutters wide
in the summertime
i only dream when she comes out at night
i sleep in a tent just to never feel right
but in my mind true rest takes a lot of time
they try to keep us on a tether
they thought that we had come to watch the leather
all i ever wanted was a plurality
and all i ever get is everything but company, oh
i love my room
ah, ah, ah
i love my room, yeah
i really do
sometimes i'll smoke a cigarette
but be careful so the ashes don't collect
in my room
i love my room, yeah
i hope you like it too
i love to in the darkness hide
after closing time
i was gonna tell you but i lost my senses
i forgot my grammar i was so tenses
there was this beautiful story
now it all comes back to me
everybody walked in a pack and

everyone was necklaced together
i pulled the fire alarm yeah
but i couldn't survive the weather
when i was 13 i was in a marching band
there were so many loved ones
they used to flock around me
and tell me all my plans
they all loved my hands
i love my room
da da dum, da da dum, da da dum
nah, nah, na, na na na nuh
da da dum, da da da, da da dum

I'm Doing Ok, Pretty Good (My New Freedom)

you can go anytime you want
i won't watch if it hurts too much
if you stay i promise you i'll be
better to you.. better to me..
i don't want your freedom
have a drink to you
(i've been out to celebrate my new freedom
with a drink to you)
'cause you made it new
and i hate everyone i see
(and i hate the people A through Z)
everyone.. everything
i know how to handle this situation
(i know how to celebrate my new freedom)
it'll forget of itself if i drink enough
(forget other stuff if i drink enough)
to pretend that i got people too.. people that love everything i do
(people i know.. who care what i do)
you were just trying to be nice
but i never asked for your advice
i know how to handle this situation
how to be discreet and admit defeat
you can go and i'll say what i should
"i'm doing okay, pretty good"

Junk Bond Trader (Alternate Abbey Road Rough)

the imitation wore a colorful habit
writing in the glow of the tv static
taking out the trash to the man
give the people something they understand
a stickman flashing a fine line smile
a junk bond trader trying to sell a sucker a style
rich man in a poor man's clothes
the permanent installment of the daily dose
and you tell people they're too paranoid
but it's only you they must avoid
fast asleep in a small reality
boring as a drug you take too regularly
the athletes laugh
the broken crutch
the first true love that failed because you felt too much
night brought you to no decision
but to execute every day with precision
happy holidays said sad savior
the leaving lover that i still favor
you gave me rhetoric.. more sympathy
the saddest song a symphony
but i don't expect anyone to quite connect
my broken heart together
now i'm a policeman directing traffic
keeping everything moving.. everything static
i'm the hitchhiker you'll recognize passing
on your way to some everlasting
everlasting waving hand..
everlasting waving hand..
everlasting waving hand..
everlasting waving hand..
everlasting waving
everlasting
waving..

the problem i have with the soul contraption
swallowed up slowly like a bad reaction
all around what you do and say while the symptom falls further away
you live in silence but you can't describe it
so what's the point of talking at all?
the store bought injury.. the family cane
just another boy bad at the game
this is when you need a friend to keep you moving around
'cause all your thinking has made you slow
you might be stopping out.. you know
frustrated fireworks inside your head
there's a lit fuse smoking.. you caught instead
what you're dealing.. but it's just a start
was a time since your problem was a poison dart
and you act like a cowboy.. whatever's in my hat
i'm a hardboiled hero and i'm not so bad
but i didn't know when to run from this
a proud fan is gonna see you shatter
i know that there really isn't anything the matter
nothing is gonna be crying words.. they only want their voice to be heard
they use it sometimes to show that they're around
or they build you up a theory like the walls of a town
a tired and ancient ruler right now.. the neighborhood slaves are hardly skilled
open your parachute and drop your weight
float on down to the center and investigate
i did my self requirement.. better cop out hard
or i'll leave right now
'cause this feeling of loving.. i felt it in my chest
like the nighttime footsteps of an unknown guest
i know it wasn't me.. i wasn't moving..
i felt thunder.. the rain was pouring
i know it must be something wrong all this is restoring
you don't have to live in a life's mistake
stay in the center and wait
stay in the center and wait
stay in the center and wait

Let's Turn the Record Over

tomorrow i'll feel fine, it's yesterday that took my breath away
flying off the handle.. finally sweeping down the avenue
god's up in his heaven, and the devil's on bonnie brae
but there seems to be no room for us
so choose your poison, it's up to you
i recommend you think about it
long and hard
'cause the woods can get thick quick inside
dark and tangled and petrified
and you wander through the endless night
and never see the light of day
let's turn the record over
there lies a pleasant valley
moonlight drives the god that's in the sun
his shadow stays behind you
graceful as a dancer in a ballet

A Living Will

time to kill wrote a living will and gave it to the man in the moon
but i'm gonna get well soon
this happy face is watching me die
elevate me to another world
all that i can do in my own
is leave well enough alone
leave well enough alone
leave well enough alone
circumstance dropped by uninvited and demand to be fed
but i've already gone to bed
there's nothing you can see from inside
my spirit arose and put on my clothes
and helped me disconnecting the phone
to leave well enough alone
leave well enough alone
leave well enough alone
time was i was a wire.. then a mole in a cake
first it's all the reaction.. now it's all the rage
waking up at a station stop and reality's invading my brain
the cops wanna search the train
they'll take away whatever they find
but i don't have the thoughts you want
just a memory of love i was shown
a vision that turns to stone
leave well enough alone
leave well enough alone

(he said don't you think lead is spelled capitol g?)
why don't you go for yourself and take what's coming to you?

(why don't you vote for yourself and mend a city or two?)
well i don't even want to go inside

Memory Lane (Early Alternate)

this is the place you end up when you lose the chase
in the patch or in the pill
to make you easier to kill
and all anybody knows is you look messed up
(you're all messed up)
they inspect you in the head
and send you back to bed
isolation draws into it static into night
builds a little house for you to stay
but everybody's scared of this place
and staying away
no one comes near memory lane..
it's just as it appears
and everybody fears
just to see you try to get
a very basic piece to fit
the part they never knew
'cause they did not want to
*it's him you quickly fear
will eventually appear
with a mountain of cliche
that he dumps right in your way
everyone took it the truth
because they did not know you
you'll keep your doors and windows shut
and never show a soul again but
isolation draws into static into night
builds a little house for you to stay
but everybody's scared of this place
staying away
no one comes near memory lane
if it's your decision to be open about yourself
be careful or else
better be careful or else
i'm comfortable apart
it's all written on my chart
and i take what's given me
most cooperatively
i do what people say and lie in bed all day
but i'm never going to cry
under the doctor's eye
isolation draws into it static into night
builds a little house for you to stay
but everybody's scared of this place
staying away
no one comes near memory lane..

(they don't belong to them anyhow
the piggy back riders from town
i tried to make an end of it all
misery let me down)

the man a floor above isn't home

Mr. Goodmorning (Just Between Us)

i saw you with mr goodmorning
some velvet rope on the curb
he gave me a wink for a warning
(he gave me the stormiest warning)
i saw "do not disturb me"
(you hung your head like a sign that said 'do not disturb')
don't try reading my mind /being part of my llife
it isn't gonna get you anywhere
go by, just between us
i won't cry i wasn't even there
(you know don't you know how much i care?)
i made the interior landscape
where he's been dancing with you
(you'll soon be walking him through)
fell in like a leaf on the water
(ruining the ruins of ruins)
nowhere that i'm going to now.. no
(all of the beautiful things that i made once for you)
don't try reading my mind (being part of my life)
it isn't gonna get you anywhere
go by, just between us
i won't cry i wasn't even there
(you know don't you know how much i care?)
but you could do but you won't
i want future and you don't
if a kind of mouth is laughing out
(like nothing happened at all..
don't come by.. don't hang around and don't call
i'll be kicking your memory's ass like a shot glass)
i saw you with mr goodmorning
there's been some others before
and when you've decided he's boring
that's when he'll think he adores you
don't try reading my mind, it isn't gonna get you anywhere
going by, just between us
i won't cry i wasn't even there
(don't try being part of my life
it isn't gonna take your pain away
i'm fine.. i'm strong with my love
feeling stronger every single day
feeling stronger every single day..)

at nighttime i go out and see the people
air goes cool and hurrying on my way
and dressing so sweet all the people to see
they're looking at me all the people to see
and when i set my eyes on you
you look like a kitty
and when you're in the mood
oh, you look so pretty
caught a glance in your eyes
and fell through the skies
glance in your eyes
and fell through the skies
i'm walking down the freezing street
scarf goes out behind
you said, "get them away"
please don't say a word
get me out of here
get me out of here
i hate it here
get me out of here
at nighttime i go out and see the people
air goes cool and hurrying on my way
and dressing so sweet all the people to see
they're looking at me all the people to see
and when i set my eyes on you
you look like a kitty
and when you're in the mood
oh, you look so pretty
caught a glance in your eyes
and fell through the skies
glance in your eyes
and fell through the skies

No Confidence Man

charlie got a band in his hand
a rubber loop
says i'm the man you really want
so just act natural
don't try to tell me your bullshit scheme
'cause i have no idea what you mean
no idea
i'm just trying to sleep
i've heard quite enough
just to listen is really tough
'cause you're on it all the time
hearing the bells it's 9am
you better wake up your friend before he won't wake up anymore
'cause i got to split i'm late to leave
he gave me nothing but grief
and some bullshit story only i would believe
i've heard quite enough
i heard quite enough
you're on it all the time
you're on it all the time
you're on it all the time
and you're full of it all the time

No Life

no life
no life
everything you need to keep it together
to keep you off the street
no life
once i used to see
a beautiful stranger
walking next to me
sometimes it's a long time coming
no life
no life
still a part alive
for offering nothing
you get it in return
no life
pushed away the hand
for fate might've found you
it found some other man

No More

tired of looking sideways
with the things in black and white
no more, no more
arguing my case to the wee hours of the night
what for? what for? what for?
put it in your face and let the petals fall
cursing your family name
rather be unhappy as the cause of it all
than panicked and hatefull, with nothing to blame
that's a usefull dream that pretended to explain
no more, no more, no more
superstition in the image of, one night i'll rather believe
easier to use 'cause i made it up to deal with the same things
tired of looking sideways
with the things in black and white
what for? what for? what for?

No Name #6

you've got the wrong equation
your figures fell so you make more up
all's false in celebration
if only you could just change your luck
this time we can't lose
this time we can't lose
you're pushing ninety through a pretty picture
playing with the sound turned down
we drive along between the cows and cotton
saying with the stars all around
this time we can't lose
this time we can't lose
the moon is in a sickle shape
you know you're only really happy just for now
look at the city scape
well there's a planet that'll catch you and drag you back down
this time we can't lose
this time we can't lose
this time we can't lose
this time we can't lose
can't lose
can't lose

Now You Wanna Show Me How

burned out still glowing
but i'm not worth knowing
some sickened story that follows you becoming untrue
where bright tomorrows give you comfort in sorrow
go around taking back mistakes just to remake them
now you wanna show me how you hate the sight of me.. oh why?
you know i'm not your lover now, and i will never be.. that's why
now you wanna show me how you hate the sight of me.. oh why?
you know i'm not your lover now, and i will never be
when i hear your footsteps my lip slips, my feet trip
washed out small talk that's all i can do to interact with you
'cause no word of kindness puts the whole thing behind us
d'you think the time would stop for me and you?
d'you think i could make it?
now you wanna show me how you hate the sight of me.. oh why?
you know i'm not your lover now, and i will never be.. that's why
why you wanna show me how you hate the sight of me.. oh why?
you know i'm not your lover now, and i will never be
got rid of me
got rid of me
you got rid of me

Pictures Of Me (Alternate)

your eyes turn down
flirting around with the image of
the one you really love
whose face you saw on the blue screen above
felt cheap and diseased
completely at ease
noise from inside
door swinging wide
looking at your feet
and 42nd street
saw you and me on the coin op tv
frozen in fear
there's nobody here
i'm not surprised at all
and really why should i be
see nothing wrong
see nothing wrong
so sick and tired of all these pictures of me
completely wrong
totally wrong
i'm walking by
come another guy
jailer who sells personal hells
who'd like to see me down on my fucking knees
don't expect to see me begging you please
hey hey hey hey
i'm not surprised at all
and really why should i be
see nothing wrong
see nothing wrong
so sick and tired of all these pictures of me
completely wrong
totally wrong
i'm not surprised at all and really
why should i be
see nothing wrong
see nothing wrong
so sick and tired of all these pictures of me
oh they're completely wrong
i couldn't compete
completely wrong
i couldn't compete
completely wrong
i couldn't compete

here's the foreign son on holiday
meeting her eyes about halfway
a look.. you know it's killed many men
and i've been all of them inside a week
see the man in the bar he got too drunk to speak
he endures that song, mundane as it is,
days in a dream that wasn't his
night's up at the top of the lift where continents drift
too far away to keep it together for long
this half-holiday
from the bar they walk to place pigalle
a taxi wave-down, goodnight, sleep well..
now it's just a step to the door
where he wants all the more to take her away
out of this temporary half-holiday

there's a glow at the border
(rose city on the 409)
but the city's been bled white
(white city on the 409)
and the doctor ordered
(white city on the 409)
he drinks all night
to see who throws up first
end up feeling much worse
pour white..
so i wait for the 14
(white city on the 409)
and i wait for the 4 by 9
(white city on the 409)
in a yesterday dream
(white city on the 409)
with a nicotine high
to drag the sunset down
and paint this paling town
pour white..
so here he comes with a blank expression
looking for me 'cause he thinks i feel the same
but happiness pulls me in my direction
going to follow this way to feel the pain
(i don't need anyone's help killing pain)
don't you dare disturb me
(white city on the 409)
while i'm balancing my past
(white city on the 409)
'cause you can't even hurt me
(white city on the 409)
like it already has
you didn't treat me right
but i'm not fucked.. not quite
pour white
pour white..

a wallpaper pulls his punch, talks to judy in a crowded corner
he don't read page to page or say the words in order
judy's illustrating and she's a stranger to the straight face
always seems so far away, staring out into space
'ii'm sorry, tried to stay away' says punch, later took hell, though.”
he'll dress like an opposite but really he's more than echo
judy leans over, like a strike of a clock says, 'i don't buy that, boy'
there's two inside of you and they're both gonna be destroyed.”

in the alley, mixing blood cheek to cheek
you're up against the words you never could dare to speak
it's your conflict shored up tight
your heavy steps that follow her steps so light

so judy holds punch, cufflinks inside her clenched fist
she had a dream of bandages on punch's wrist
so she sees punch with a thorn in his hand and says, 'stop right there
what the fuck are you doing don't you know i care?'

but she hears the bark of a cop and drops to the dirty street
'i wonder, punch says, 'do you know what at all what's protecting me?'
judy used to hold me like a pencil writing out some change
her cheap philosopher was spare change for brains

in the alley, mixing blood cheek to cheek
you're up against the words you never could dare to speak
it's your conflict shored up tight
your heavy steps that follow her steps so light..

Shy Town

crossing my eyes & making faces
i hope we don't go to too many places
'cause then before i go to sleep
i'll wonder exactly what you meant
when she says that i am
i am too shy
finding a way to stay inside
she always asks me are you having a good time?
come in here where the band is playing
are you coming along or are you staying?
well i'm fine, quit asking
it's the hardest thing to read her friends
i always feel like i have to entertain them
all alone with the jokes that i forget
someone's boyfriend & a tv set
well i live, i live, i live in shytown
well i live, i live, i live in a shytown

sonny boy wore a silver chain
then i saw the tracks to the train
but i have a hat in my hand that fit my past to a tee
broken easily
i took the stream from the curb below
where it's too disturbing to go
holding a needle in my hand above a symphony
broken easily
metal trumpets blare.. dissipate to air
and i've got praying hands a'hanging from a silver chain
with a talent for catastrophe i can't explain
when i count the steps to safety that i know won't protect me from pain
it just doesn't work till i give it a name

Some Song

it's a junkie dream makes you so uptight
yeah it's halloween tonight and every night
see you scratch your skin your sandpaper throat
you're a symphony, man, with one fucking note
charlie beat you up week after week
and when you grow up you're gonna be a freak
want a violent girl who's not scared of anything
help me kill my time
'cause i'll never be fine
help me kill my time
you went down to look at old dallas town
where you must be sick just to hang around
seen it on tv how to kill your man
then like gacy's scene a canvas in your hand
you better call your mom she's out looking for you
in the jail and the army and the hospital too
but those people there couldn't do anything for you
help me kill my time
'cause i'll never be fine
help me kill my time
help me kill my time
help me kill my time
'cause i'll never be fine
help me kill my time

Sorry My Mistake

a frozen tear melted here
between the man made lake
and the ice that wouldn't break
a drowning note fury wrote
that caused the earth to quake
confidence to shake
sorry my mistake
the sun rose high
and went screaming by
and the moon surveyed the scene
silent and serene
cops set cones around broken bones
saying for heaven's sake
what an obvious mistake
up came back down while
i was sewing up my stitch
and dreaming in the ditch
soooo sick of my sweet self
and everything i made
a friendly flare flashed midair
there was a twinkle in your eye
a smoke signing in the sky
and i feel deep in love asleep
looking wide awake
like a wave that wouldn't break
sorry my mistake

Splitzville

splitzville
quitsville
you wanna go to splitzville?
i got a full tank, let's ride
and my, my, my, my, my, my, my
splitzville
i know the way
and i'll end up there one day in splitzville
on a natural high
my, my, my, my, my, my, my
be beautiful, never cry
splitzville
you don't need a name
everybody there behaves the same
you're not the only one who didn't sleep last night
my, my, my, my, my, my, my
you'll feel a-okay, quite alright
is there something you've got waiting?
something you want too much?
hurry up now, you'll miss your bus
to splitzville
and end up right back here
just dreaming
about splitzville
splitzville splitzville
don't dream of death
in the other world
there's no diet bars and no pretty girls
no pusher man to fuck up your mind
my, my, my, my, my, my, my
you feel a-okay all the time
something you've got waiting?
something you want too much?
hurry up now, you'll miss your bus
to splitzville
and end up right back here

Stained Glass Eyes

people sink your boat
when you cut a tragic figure
they drink their lemonade
and throw you a line
boil your problem down
to yes and no, what's the matter?
they bomb your promenade
and this makes it shine
so you must play the comic if they want one
and describe their moment when they're in one
people pass you by
passing up the chance to know you
they're irregular in the usual way
you should crack a smile once in a while
it makes you pretty
it makes you wanna give them a piece of your mind
but they can't be people.. not if i'm one
if i have to be like them i'd rather be no one
couldn't make the scene
not with all the people looking
all these connoisseurs on guard all the time
rather spend the day blank as hell by the window
looking out of my stained glass eyes

Stickman

i sit here shooting blanks out of emptiness
ain't nothing really want to kill
maybe time i guess
i sit and spin the world on it's flipside
and i listen backwards for meaning
'cause i'm a stickman
i live with one dimension dead
trying not to think too many moves ahead
i draw from memory the stillest kind of life
cut slide after slide
mental pain's the sharpest knife
project what's done for everyone can see
(so everything's in phase)
to me it's just a reversal
(to me they're color reversals)
and i'm a stickman
in frames that go one by one
if i sped it up
you see i'm on the run
from some monster off screen
killing suns
lonely makes me blue
envy turns me green
hate might paint me red
if i load my magazine
but not just now when its easy to stay clean
when no one sees where i'm/you're bleeding
(i'm a stickman in black and everything is clear
empty in fact but for the fact i'm here
loading my blanks to make a silent sound
so make me smile
to make the cruel clown who drew me this way frown)
and i'm a stickman
stickman
stickman

Still Here (If You Want Me)

here if you want me
listening so close from far away
memorizing what you told me
like a foreigner on holiday smiling at confusion
filling in the cracks before you sleep
(talking to the speaker that i see)
dancing on the/your highway
the broken line that leads from you to me
i'll be at my station all night
with my jack and my flashlight
still here if you want me
look at what i can do
with empty time
lost love and words that haunt me
isn't this flat road just so so sublime
one stripe in the mural
planted into place like someone's kiss
a dead car on the tranquil sea between you and me
well that's all that is
but i'm here if you want me my love
dancing on the/your highway
your sun still in my sky
oh my oh my..

you get what you see
you're sad that you saw me completely
i thought you were looking through me
and now i'll never know
i don't look my best
but i might suit you better than the rest
if everything was surface
i'd be a brave man
i'd stand still burning
light up learning
but now i'm just trying to salve my candles in
struck down again
there's a parliament of owls
flying over a city of canals
people taking pictures
of our star shooting down
you get what you see
some things they just change invisibly
i don't know where i'm going
i don't even want to know
stand still burning
light up learning
waiting for this evil spell to end
struck down again
sailing oceans
sick from motion
thinking of the times you reeled me in
strung out again
strung out again
strung out again..

Suicide Machine

baby got a place in the sun selling people shade
renting out a room in a remote little corner
on profit's promenade
talking on the phone
waiting for a ring
well everybody's trying to turn me into a suicide machine..
i'll be riding forth on my pony
if you want to see me tonight
dressed in black up at the line of attack
by my counterpart in white
can't look every way
gonna move the street
everybody's trying to turn me into a suicide machine..
everything's alright
'xcept for how it seems
and everybody wants to turn me into a suicide machine..
baby got a place in the sun
i had to shade my eyes
i don't think i'll ever know anyone besides you
but it's no surprise
i know what you want
i got what you need
everybody's trying to turn me into a suicide machine
everybody's trying to turn me into a suicide machine
everybody's trying to turn me into a suicide machine

Taking a Fall

took it like medicine, horrible in a hurry
lots of plans go awry, nothing's wrong, i won't worry
but i rolled for a dollar on your advice
and i lost you bad 'cause that's the luck of the dice
taking a fall
you don't know who to call
well, you don't know who, do you?
taking a fall
why do the neighbor's kids have to scream when they're playing?
you know i never can understand
what you're saying
and you won't hear a word out of me
'cause i know how indifferent someone can be
taking a fall
you don't know who to call
well, you don't know who, do you?
taking a fall
well there's someone to call
but you don't know who, do you?
taking a fall
but you don't know who, do you?

Time Is Ours Now (Stranger Than Fiction 1986)

celia's walking down on 4th street
she said she's never been there before
she's meeting the gardener and her parents didn't hear the backdoor
celia got out her own party dress yesterday
put it on with a record that scratched and gone.
years go and the cars meet the rain in their own cultures and return again
years go and a red dancer will be the question of her own answer
(..and betrayal leads to..)
horace said, relax, i'm not obsessed which one or the other, babe, believe me, please.”
she never bothered with what her kids have
now she's back and out doing me mad
years go and the cars meet the rain in their own cultures and return again
years go and the red dancer will be the question of her answer.
celia's walking down on 4th street
she said she's never been there before
she's meeting the gardener and her parents didn't hear the backdoor
celia got out her old party dress yesterday, put it on with a record that scratched
well, she never bothered with what the kids asked
now she's back in a mask..

trouble.. oh trouble set me free
i have seen your face
and it's too much.. too much for me
trouble.. oh trouble can't you see?
you're eating my heart away
and there's nothing much left of me
i've drunk your wine
you have made your world mine
so won't you be fair?
so won't you be fair?
i don't want no more of you
so won't you be kind to me?
just let me go where
i have to go there
trouble.. oh trouble move away
i have seen your face
and it's too much for me today
trouble.. oh trouble can't you see?
you have made me a wreck
now won't you leave me in my misery?
i've seen your eyes
and i can see death's disguise
hangin' on me
hangin' on me
i'm beat.. i'm torn
shattered and tossed and worn
too shocking to see
too shocking to see
trouble.. oh trouble move from me
i have paid my debt
now won't you leave me in my misery?
trouble.. oh trouble please be kind
i don't want no fight
and i haven't got a lot of time..

True Love

true love is a rose behind glass
that's locked and kept closed
maybe just to me
'cause my heart's been attacked
and shattered by tough love, bad love
so i bought mine off the street
true love, man, it just can't be beat
i felt so complete
married to heavenly bodies above
and each night i'd look up
at a bright honey moon
'cause it sure seemed built to last
even after my honey moon passed
i kept right with it, man
like a ghost to a house it once haunted
day after day
i'd steal with my true love away
to some hide-out where left undisturbed
we could do what we wanted
but i started to feel like a liar
saying i love you
she was madly in love or mad mean

(it came on and on)
i found i can't make a stand
i'm her hired hand
i have to do harm
one day i got sick
she played me a nasty old trick
said i need cigarettes
walked 'round the block
and caught a cab
stayed gone for too long
my love had gotten so strong
just to try to being back on my own
i had to go to rehab
all i need is a safe place to bleed
is this where it's at?
half of no chance
steps in a dance
rest of my life spent in combat
now i'm the king of the ward
'cause i'm good and i swallow my sword
puke it out
for the doctor to write me a new prescription
tranquil as a dove
people that have lost their true love
they all seem to fit the same description
i feel cold, useless and old
i wish i was no one
take me up, my lord
take me up today
take me out of this place
take me up with you today

True Love (Alternate)

true love is a rose
in a case that's locked to get closed
'cause it's way more expensive than anybody on earth
so bought mine off the street
true love man just can't be beat
i felt so complete
like all my romans turned into ??
and each night i look up
at a bright honey moon
it seems so built to last
even after my honey moon past
i went right after it
like a ghost
to the house it once haunted
day after day
i'd steal with my true love away
to some hide out left undisturbed
we could do what we wanted
but i started to feel like a liar
saying i love you
she was madly in love and at me
there's no in between
felt so cold
i can't make a stand
i'm her hired hand
i have to do harm
one day i got sick
she played me a nasty old trick
said i need cigarettes
walked round the block
caught a cab
stayed gone for too long
my love had gotten too strong
just to try getting back on my own
i had to go to rehab
all i need is a safe place to bleed
they said this is it
well half a chance
steps in a dance
now i'm the king of the ward
cause i'm good and i swallow my sword
puke it up
so the doctor can write his prescription
tranquil as a dove
people that have lost their true love
they all seem to fit the same description
they feel cold, they feel old
like a no one
take me home
take me home today
take me out of this place
take me out, do it today..

Unlucky Charm

my flower would not unfold
always waiting for some sunnier day
quiet and patient, but afraid and hidden away
and when the awful truth's been told, matter of fact
and i can't take it back and i wouldn't want to
or at least that's what i say
will you come out now?
now that it's too late for me to be in on the scene
i hurt you bad, but you know you're a dream
do you want success, oh yeah
through somebody else, oh no no no no
so go start over, it's been a time since you've had to
do you got your own thing? yeah
what you want to do for now?
stop taking everything back
it confronts you just lying down
will you come out now?
who would you do it for, unlucky charm
beautiful collapsing star?
who would it be?
why wasn't it me?

Watch the Worlds Collide (Alternate I Didn'tUnderstand)

everybody's looking for the next in line to love
then ignore, put out and put away
and i'd be happy just to be
relieved from duty right away
i know what's going to happen to me
people talk about love
they're painting pictures of
someone's pretty side
go look yourself in the face
and watch the worlds collide
and watch the worlds collide..
waiting for a bus to take my thoughts away from us
and drop me off far away from you
'cause my feelings haven't changed a bit
i'm waiting to get over it
but i know what it is i have to do
people talk about love
they're painting pictures of someone's pretty side
i look myself in the face
and watch the worlds collide
and watch the worlds collide
watch the worlds collide..

We're All Friends Now

handcuffed to the bar their bodies jerk back and forth
and they watch the band finish their set
they look like sharks swimming in their swells
feedback starts and the singer yells
i'd rather die than give you control.”
but he's already sold the whole damn thing for a big low
i stepped out for a light stepped out for a smoke
in the parking lot you're all going for broke
you've been marinated in whiskey and gin
you say we're all friends now and it runs down your chin
oh yes we're all friends now
oh yeah we're all friends now
we're all friends now
oh yes we're all friends now
oh yeah we're all friends now
we're all friends now..
oh yes we're all friends now
oh yeah we're all friends now
we're all friends now

You Make it Seem Like Nothing (Come to Me)

i'm not used to coming through
more accustomed to a falling out
i'm trying hard now as i can for you
not to fuck up on some stupid doubt
you got your hopes set way up high
way on up there where the air is thin
limit's supposed to be the sky
trying not to let you down again
it's starting to come to me
i didn't know about.. i hadn't figured it out
but it's starting to come to me now
a little bit too late
i can't see anything you've done
any reason for the trouble you got
you haven't hurt anyone
compared to most i'd say that's saying quite a lot
i can't help you when you're sad
that's a constant source of pain to me
because i want to really bad
even though you make it seem like nothing
it's starting to come to me
didn't know about.. i hadn't figured it out
but it's starting to come to me now
a little bit too late

Antonio Carlos Jobim

why are you here?
couldn't you tell him?
were you afraid he'd hear?
you should have been thankful to be alone
you took off your shoes
said anything further would be bad news
'cause you'd already started to disappear
and he couldn't complain
just looked at your lyric and crossed over to play
a record of quiet instrumentals
and i like what you wrote
this is a record full of sour notes
you should've been thankful to be alone
and i like what you wrote
but don't say you mean it when you know you don't
you should have been thankful to be alone, you know
you should have been thankful to be alone, you know
you should have been thankful to be alone

Bastard John

come here in silence and kiss me quiet lying on the floor
i'm acting dumb like you wanted
but i'm not your kid anymore
i'm not your bastard john
just because i played along
i'm not your bastard john
just because i played along
you're just a comma
you give me pause with your temporary charm
but i'm distorted
can't you see it when i'm underneath you
trying not to look alarmed
i'm not your bastard john
just because i played along
i'm not your bastard john
i'm not your bastard john
so don't try to fake me out
with some bullshit promise that you didn't have to say
you present to me
just keeps on giving every damn day

Blackout

asked your permission, didn't i?
to self medicate this way once in a while
but you're afraid of everything
your love's a resume
you can't appreciate anything
down on the sofa with the record running
baby i can't help it
letting you down
letting you down
letting you down
got your attention, didn't i? crying,
coming apart right here before your eyes
you all disappointed, are you now?
i'm still listening.. just tell me what you want
i won't feel a thing.. just tell me what you are
leaving you alone wasn't my decision
baby it's not easy letting you down
letting you down
letting you down

Busted Lip

i must have looked hysterical trying to get away
riding on an avalanche of things you just don't say
i wanted someone's company, but to her i'm just some guy
and i got a busted lip on a silent night
i was in your car that night going out of town
i know something's gotta go and i guess i'll go now
white knuckles on the wheel and a pain above
that's how mother nature treats everyone she loves
so drive out
so have a drink
got a silent busted lip
you wanna make me just like yourself
till i like
he's looking at you now
like a little dove
true love blinking on and off
like a bad bulb
and when he breaks himself in two
you say you must be high
but people just always do
it makes them feel alive
hey little bird sing
hey little bird sing
hey little bird sing
hey little bird sing

Cannibal

up on the roof top my head explodes
just like the 4th of july
i'm about to say i'm about to want you so
i just feel blue like so many other times
don't put my name to shame
i listen when my mama calls me
i ain't no bald-faced liar
trying to take anybody off to sea
i listen when my mama calls me
i ain't no bald-faced liar
trying to take anybody off to sea
i gotta let the live wire go
gotta get the socket off my head
why'd you lead me around for so long?
like nobody can
don't you know what kinda guy i am?
don't put my name to shame
i listen when my mama calls me
i ain't no bald-faced liar
trying to take anybody off to sea
i listen when my mama calls me
i ain't no bald*faced liar
trying to take anybody off to sea
why'd you lead me around for so long?
like nobody can
don't you know what kinda guy i am?

Collect to NYC

you're a silence on the phone
you're a song with just one fucking note
and i'm clued out cold
like an off color joke
when i call collect to nyc
everybody learns eventually
to go hang it up
you go hang it up
it's really really easy
yeah i put your letter down
but this graffiti finds it's way around
i want to talk
why you want to stop?
it's impossible for me
so here's my trick.. when i hear your 'hello'
i know i'm listening to alcohol
oh, i'm drunk on a call
i heard you found some other guy
some high note you thought i couldn't hit
but i never tried
no i never did

The Corner Seat

her said maybe i'll just follow you over
but thinking twice he was quick to recover
'cause they're going to shut me out
they're going to shut me out
oh man you know you're so in love with yourself
now he's looking around the beautiful circle
it's a hip trip man you can never get out of
you're the one who brought me down here in the first place
oh man i'd rather be in outer space
than follow over to the corner seat
who now?
they're gong to shut me out
they're going to shut me out
oh man you know there's just nobody else
when you're so in love with yourself

Dead Air

i've been suffocating all night
too much of nothing made me get uptight
and i get this in my shot nerves
and say it's this that you deserve
do you wanna live in a soft shell?
when your arm is still craving a pill
and when you're shamed you want your 20 dollar bill
dead air
don't let it be spoken
a record's broken
skipping until it wears away
dead air
and you never say nothing
dead air between you and me
i've been suffocating all night
too much of nothing made me get uptight
you're in a rut with your hard*on
it'd take no guts to be the dumb one
to go around brooding and tight
when you got no reason for brooding
you've become completely incensed
you don't give a shit
you just wanna play dead
dead air
don't let it be spoken
a record's broken
skipping until it wears thin
in this dead air
and you never say nothing
dead air between you and me
i've been brooding all night
i got no reason for brooding
i don't know what i'm doing
i keep trying to speak out loud
dead air
dead air between you and me
a dead air between you and me

Dirt

they were digging the ground (digging the grounded)
they were digging the ground (digging the grounded)
up on the black ward you suddenly found
you are what you adore
you are what you adore
a china doll.. who won't feel nothing at all
you're a china doll.. and you don't feel nothing at all
they were digging the ground (digging the grounded)
and it's something we laid down (well then i'm grounded)
a part of your head that you can't get around
because you know what's in there
because you know what's in there
a china doll who won't feel nothing at all
you're a china doll and you don't feel nothing at all
and i feel this way
you say it's burning your arm
as some things pass on
what happened to you?
you're just going.. going.. gone
am i merely one of your needs?
one of your other names?
china doll.. i don't feel nothing at all
china doll.. and i don't feel nothing at all
yeah yeah yeah.. oh yeah.. nothing at all..
i feel this way all the time
and i feel this way

Everybody Has It

they stopped at the light
she painted her lips white
saying that 'green means go'
well i'm glad that at least i've been told the truth one time
'cause i don't need some line
supposed to appease me
i'm so sick of that when you echo back
and you're all right
everybody has it
everybody has it
everybody has it
it's all right
look around.. take a look around you
everybody has it
everybody has it
everybody has it
you're all right
he knows what he's got
he's almost thankful for what he's not
whenever he's drinking
which is most of the time
red is the color that she dreams about
and you're black and white..
it makes her cry
everybody has it
everybody has it
everybody has it
so don't cry
look around.. take a look around you
everybody has it
everybody has it
everybody has it
it's all right
look around.. take a look around you
everybody has it
and everybody has it
and everybody has it
you're so bright
i looked around and i looked around
and oh, you're so right
oh, you're so right
oh, you're so right
you're so bright
looked around and i looked around
and oh, you're so right
oh, you're so right
oh, you're so right
you're so bright

The Fix is In

you want every day to be like that magic first
when she took shape in your eyes and you in hers
you're going down to see her, it's a big mistake
she got ice she don't want anyone to break
don't call on me to make disguises fade away
'cause honestly i'm more inclined to let them stay
on your faces and over mine
i know how to turn others inside out
i can't stand by here waiting while you dumb me down
i fit the perfect picture that you want for all
the fix is in i'm going where i don't belong
sweet nothing is it something you need?
sweet nothing is it something you need?
sweet nothing, pretty nothing..
when you go talking trash i'm surprised at what you say
why you wanna keep these lies on parade?
nothing's gonna make me shy away
i know how to turn others inside out
i can't stand by here waiting while you dumb me down
i fit the perfect picture that you want for all
the fix is in i'm going where i don't belong

Flame!

i always find out too late.. i always find out too late
you wouldn't believe what i'm on
in all this time i felt nothing to live without it for
help me only.. help me only..
help me get me on my feet
i feel like turning me down.. i feel like turning me down
lucia and maria.. lucia and maria
i never was anything.. can't be happy or unhappy
and you wouldn't believe what i'm on
in all this time i felt nothing to live without it for
help me only.. help me only..
help me get me on my feet
i feel like turning me down.. i feel like turning me down
lucia and maria.. lucia and maria
oh, what are you now?
all you see is blanks
oh, what are you now?
what's wrong with you, little flame?
what's wrong with you, little flame?
i've been trying to cool off for so long
in all this time i felt nothing to stop with the pain
help me only.. help me only..
help me get me on my feet
i feel like turning me down.. i feel like turning me down
lucia and maria.. lucia and maria

let me put you in the play
down all the days
cast for your time
a sucker in the line
to be told you're so fine
you deserve the hire
well.. some folks cannot be satisfied
and they just want somebody to ride
well.. here it comes.. and you're the one they want
to have and have
and never have not
oh.. so take what you expect
and put it in reverse
see which one of us
bangs the cymbals first
we're taking you to pieces
we're taking you to pieces
we're taking you to pieces
we're taking you to pieces
you make it really easy
you make it really easy
oh.. you're never gonna touch me with your curse
get inside their minds before they get to yours
we're taking you to pieces
we're taking you to pieces
we're taking you to pieces
we're taking you to pieces
you make it really easy
you make it really easy
get lucky

&

Idler

idler
he's in the car
but he won't start
until you're gone upstairs
and driving past
he'll move his hat
to block out the glare
he'll pull up to open the door
independence day
yeah but he won't come out before
indenpendence day
so go back inside
upstairs and hide
he'll probably talk to himself about you
till eyes are red
and it's all said
and then he'll just drive without you
he'll pull up to open the door
independence day
yeah but he won't come out before
independence day
independence day

it seems like an anaesthetic.. it seems like novocaine
it's deadened me completely
i'll be satisfied.. i only took a bite
time passes.. trying to look in my head to say
hey.. it's no good at all
half of the point of just go alone
half of the point of just go alone
half of the point of just go alone
it seems like an anaesthetic.. and all the kids she knows
whatever else did she know
they start to cut
uniform spaces between all songs/albums/skulls
they start to cut
they only knew enough to stop just for a minute
it'd be plain as day
yeah it's no good at all
half of the point of just go it alone
half of the point of just go it alone
half of the point of just go it alone
a shame, a shame, a shame, a shame
a shame, a shame, a shame, a shame

Lowlife

i'm a lowlife.. lowlife
and i've been here.. caught standing still
i've gotta play into my head.. my head
full of crap i'm a landfill
didn't understand
i'm not talking now
didn't understand
for i know you well
a pretty penny gets you trouble.. gets you trouble
but i had enough of that
i kept on waiting on lies.. on lies
i kept waiting for a little tap
didn't understand
or a little "hey"
didn't understand
why can't you settle for that?
that's where that's where that's where you're at
i'm waiting on lies
you're standing still
i've got a play.. play it my head
i'm a landfill
didn't understand
i'm not talking now
didn't understand
i know you well
didn't understand
i'm not talking now
didn't understand
i know you well
well i've become yours like a lowlife
i went in under your door like a lowlife.. lowlife

Mightier than You

well.. i'm mightier than you with one hand on my crutch
i'm just a pointless punch and i'm trying to quit it
if it just happens straight-up once then that'd be enough
well.. i'm mightier than you.. is this a bone i touched?
my hands are made from concrete.. hush now, child
if it just happens straight-up once
then that'd be enough.. yeah.. that'd be enough
yeah.. tell me how come i'm just a pointless punch?
(pulling a punch) i'm just a pointless punch
(pulling a punch) i'm just a pointless punch
i'm just a pointless (pulling) punch

Mock-up

secondary.. secondary self for myself
a devil doll.. a close call.. somebody else
and your luck.. your love.. your luck
it's just a wicked friend and it's time that you're finding out
are you scared that i'm dying under voodoo spells?
(start believing in hell)
secondary.. secondary self for myself
a sick part.. a dead heart.. somebody else
you wanna get well on your own
but truth to tell.. you've been shot to hell
(and my blood, my life, my blood
we've all been wronged and troubled)
you're all fucking holes
(you're all broken bones)
all i ever allow are your fainting spells
doing things that i'll never tell anybody else
i'm not shooting.. i'm not shooting.. i'm not playing
i'm here waiting for anybody
well i guess.. well i guess i'm not playing
melodrama.. it's just me
it's just me.. it's just me
and your luck and your love
your luck.. your love.. your luck.. your love..

?
when will you leave me?
when will you leave me?
leave me alone for a while?
'cause i can't try
to be happy without you
leave me to my bourbon
it's a private kind of thing
and don't bother to tell me what you really think
'cause i left everything that meant something
so i could become something
if you ever see me in the arms of a gutter out in the 'burbs
just say man he's finally getting all the love he deserves

Plainclothes Man

you're everybody's second home
always trying to get me alone
an easy way to lose it all
always there when all else fails
over by the west side rails
but i don't really need that now
i never really did anyhow
i only really needed alcohol
something that'll treat me okay
and wouldn't say the things you'd say
please turn out the light
i get a sick confusion headache trying to figure out who's right
dreaming on the silver strand
waking up to plainclothes man
you little bastard, little boy in blue
someone's gonna get to you
and fuck up everything you do
some european son
he's furious with everyone
and he thinks he'll win you with his angry kiss
acting like he has no needs
wanting you to watch him bleed
made for each other.. that you pay me any mind
just goes to show my continual decline
they say that i'll recover my love of her once in a while
but i don't know
i don't think so
there's something that i'll tell you now
now that no one else is around
the sort of lesson that i learned from you
not quite the way you planned
but i know you'll understand
someone takes a photograph
a picture while their sweetheart laughs
a perfect moment in a flash of light
counting back from 3 to 1
that's exactly what you've done
and i'm so unsurprised
i remember, i remember why i dream in black and white
goes to show my continual decline
they say that i'll recover my love of her once in a while
but i don't know
i don't think so
i don't think so

Pop in G

mic city sons seem to dumb everything down
i got wished a lot of luck
and i'll tell you what it's worth now
it's a cold-blooded style
never was worthwhile
you're as good as they come
but you're such a fucking trial
you went and called me up
do you bother me on purpose?
you make me feel like i'm half my age
and at least twice as nervous
you go ah-ha whistling
sweet caroline
and i'm being a big pain
'cause i never speak my mind
it's a miracle how
no offence is taken
but i'm full of them now
anytime you feel up to face them
you go drink your problems still
a statue in the barroom
you've got feelings left to kill
and i won't forget it too soon
it's a cold&blooded style
never was worthwhile
you're as good as they come
but you're such a fucking trial
you go ah-ha whistling
sweet caroline
and i'm being a big pain
'cause i never speak my mind
you don't want me to speak my mind

Something to Lose

framed hands make the moon come down
i'm sick of my plans
tired of waiting around
i can't try 'cause i know that you need somebody tonight
something to lose
i'm waiting for a sign
something to lose
you're always looking down from a picture frame
it's sickening how we just get in each other's way
i can't be shocked like i was before
so don't throw your rocks at my window no more

i keep feeling my eyes close shut
you know i love you sincerely but
now i just wanna be still
and not move and not think
be still.. be still.. move and make me feel ill
i was afraid.. my eyes shut
don't open my body up
i don't wanna be in my body
oh imagine this overhead light
i'll believe anything you tell me is right
if you just let me be still
and not move and not think
still.. still.. think and make me feel ill
i was afraid.. my eyes shut
don't open my body up
i don't wanna be in my body
it makes me sick to shut up
so open my body up
oh come on.. oh come on..
and open my body up
i'm imagining an overhead light
i believe anything that you tell me is right
i don't wanna be in my body
it's the biggest trick
it makes me sick to shut up
so open my body up
come on.. come on..
open my body up

Stray

it was a deep sleep
i woke up weak
and i felt like.. like a stray
now i've been doing a lot for nothing
i was shaken and angry and used to nothing
coming to nothing.. are you coming to stay?
oh how familiar..
are you coming to take my place?
so take this disgrace
stray.. stray.. stray.. stray..
it was a deep sleep
i woke up weak
with a question and your promise not to separate
and i would feel so empty
space between me
that's what's with me
that's what's with me
are you coming to stay?
oh how familiar..
are you coming to take my place?
when i wake up in the lone star state
stray.. stray.. stray.. stray..

Temper

been digging up this ditch for a long time now
so i can push my temper underneath the ground
where there's room for me and you
come on, don't be a fool
i can't get out underneath this dirty cool
die laughing
die laughing
you just get angry, man
you just get upset
and you lie quiet but you can't get used to it
so we curl up in here in this dirty cool
and we're laughing
and we're laughing and crying too
die laughing
die laughing
i hear you now
die laughing
why can't you be happy?
why aren't you now?
die laughing
i can hear you now

Wake

i gave you what was mine.. i gave you what was mine
there's nothing wrong with you just because you're leaving all this behind
and it's alright if you do it to me
alright if you do it to me.. alright if you do it to me.. alright if you do it to me
i'm a paramedic.. i need a chalk outline to lie down in
you know.. one wound just wants to turn into another
it's alright if you do it to me
alright if you do it to me.. alright if you do it to me.. alright if you do it to me
i gave you what was mine for being on the line
there's nothing wrong with you just because you leave a few things behind
left lying in the wake.. wake
left lying in the wake.. wake
left lying in the wake.. wake

You Gotta Move

you gotta move
you gotta move
i'll show you what you should do
you gotta move this way
and everything's gonna be okay
it's a chemical bliss on a stranger's kiss
you always lose your color and fall
you just move, that's all
you're just below dallas town
where the sky burns bright white
i watched the sun go down
and the moon lights you up like a spotlight
so you stumble and trip down the broken strip
with your planet packed in your car
you just move, don't go far
you're starting to spin in your circle again
so pull the hammer back, that's a start
and just move, pull me apart..