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Better Oblivion Community Center
Better Oblivion Community Center
Dead Oceans , 2019
cd, album
Auch auf Vinyl erhätlich
(x)
Like, it's, it's impossible to count
One, two, three, four
Drinking cold, black coffee
I shake and shake, still won't get off me
Another blissed out fantasy
Where animals and objects talk to me
Always try and hate it
But then you laugh, it sounds outrageous
Spend another day sleepwalking
Is this having fun?
Or is it just because?
Which one is jumping first
Off of the face of the earth?
You like beer and chocolate
I like setting off those bottle rockets
We can never compromise
But fighting 'til the death keeps us alive
Why don't you stay
If you're going to leave your car here anyway?
Spend another summer shit-talking
Is this having fun?
It's not like the way it was
I thought that you loved this stuff
Or did I make that up?
Act insane, playing it safe
I wasn't sold on that plan anyways
Feeling afraid of making a change
Hoping to last another day
I want there to stop the circular dots
Spinning in a world full of forget-me-nots
I gave what I got
It came as a shock
To find out I'm fine with what I've lost
(x)
Like, it's, it's impossible to count
One, two, three, four
Drinking cold, black coffee
I shake and shake, still won't get off me
Another blissed out fantasy
Where animals and objects talk to me
Always try and hate it
But then you laugh, it sounds outrageous
Spend another day sleepwalking
Is this having fun?
Or is it just because?
Which one is jumping first
Off of the face of the earth?
You like beer and chocolate
I like setting off those bottle rockets
We can never compromise
But fighting 'til the death keeps us alive
Why don't you stay
If you're going to leave your car here anyway?
Spend another summer shit-talking
Is this having fun?
It's not like the way it was
I thought that you loved this stuff
Or did I make that up?
Act insane, playing it safe
I wasn't sold on that plan anyways
Feeling afraid of making a change
Hoping to last another day
I want there to stop the circular dots
Spinning in a world full of forget-me-nots
I gave what I got
It came as a shock
To find out I'm fine with what I've lost
It was quite early one morning
Hit me without warning
I went to hear the general speak
I was standing for the anthem
Banners all around him
Confetti made it hard to see
Put my footsteps on the pavement
Starved for entertainment
Four seasons of revolving doors
So sick of being honest
I'll die like Dylan Thomas
A seizure on the barroom floor
I'm getting greedy with this private hell
I'll go it alone, but that's just as well
These cats are scared and feral
The flag pins on their lapels
The truth is anybody's guess
These talking heads are saying
"The king is only playing a game of four dimensional chess"
There's flowers in the rubble
The weeds are gonna tumble
I'm lucid but I still can't think
I'm strapped into a corset
Climbed into your corvette
I'm thirsty for another drink
If it's advertised, we'll try it
And buy some peace and quiet
And shut up at the silent retreat
They say you've gotta fake it
At least until you make it
That ghost is just a kid in a sheet
I'm getting used to these dizzy spells
I'm taking a shower at the Bates Motel
I'm getting greedy with this private hell
I'll go it alone, but that's just as well
(x)
It was quite early one morning
Hit me without warning
I went to hear the general speak
I was standing for the anthem
Banners all around him
Confetti made it hard to see
Put my footsteps on the pavement
Starved for entertainment
Four seasons of revolving doors
So sick of being honest
I'll die like Dylan Thomas
A seizure on the barroom floor
I'm getting greedy with this private hell
I'll go it alone, but that's just as well
These cats are scared and feral
The flag pins on their lapels
The truth is anybody's guess
These talking heads are saying
"The king is only playing a game of four dimensional chess"
There's flowers in the rubble
The weeds are gonna tumble
I'm lucid but I still can't think
I'm strapped into a corset
Climbed into your corvette
I'm thirsty for another drink
If it's advertised, we'll try it
And buy some peace and quiet
And shut up at the silent retreat
They say you've gotta fake it
At least until you make it
That ghost is just a kid in a sheet
I'm getting used to these dizzy spells
I'm taking a shower at the Bates Motel
I'm getting greedy with this private hell
I'll go it alone, but that's just as well
You should really call your brother
Someone put up a picture where he can't stand
He's holding onto the table
Probably throwing darts or playing cards
Something that he lost made him so mad
Always said it didn't matter
With a pile of filthy coins clenched in his hands
Asking strangers to forgive him
But he never told him what it is
He did to them that made him feel so bad
Say what you mean and say it now
Don't state your name, that doesn't count
Who are you?
Who are you-
Looking for?
Thought that he was doing better
A notice, final eviction, he just laughed
Always had a sense of humor
We still joked until the bitter end
While all those steps he made can't walk them back
In and out of indecision
In and out of any options he once had
Farewell, so long
'Til the trouble that you made and hate is gone
Say what you mean and say it now
Don't throw a fit, quit acting out
Who are you?
Who are you-
Waiting for?
Just go out into the falling snow
Just go towards the light in the skylight
Just go past the trucks on the service road
Just go until you feel different
(x)
You should really call your brother
Someone put up a picture where he can't stand
He's holding onto the table
Probably throwing darts or playing cards
Something that he lost made him so mad
Always said it didn't matter
With a pile of filthy coins clenched in his hands
Asking strangers to forgive him
But he never told him what it is
He did to them that made him feel so bad
Say what you mean and say it now
Don't state your name, that doesn't count
Who are you?
Who are you-
Looking for?
Thought that he was doing better
A notice, final eviction, he just laughed
Always had a sense of humor
We still joked until the bitter end
While all those steps he made can't walk them back
In and out of indecision
In and out of any options he once had
Farewell, so long
'Til the trouble that you made and hate is gone
Say what you mean and say it now
Don't throw a fit, quit acting out
Who are you?
Who are you-
Waiting for?
Just go out into the falling snow
Just go towards the light in the skylight
Just go past the trucks on the service road
Just go until you feel different
You need an occupation
To warrant a vacation
Without anticipation
Nothing's satisfactory
I came out here to check out
Get away from my house
Now I don't leave this couch
Or turn off the TV
There's always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Why don't you want it?
Why don't you want it anymore?
Why don't you want it?
Why don't you want it anymore?
I wanted to avoid it
Live out in the forest
Play out of that orbit
Go drifting out to sea
But fate just wouldn't have it
It treats us like a magnet
Mends my broken habits
And makes a fool of me
There's always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Always an exemption
(x)
You need an occupation
To warrant a vacation
Without anticipation
Nothing's satisfactory
I came out here to check out
Get away from my house
Now I don't leave this couch
Or turn off the TV
There's always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Why don't you want it?
Why don't you want it anymore?
Why don't you want it?
Why don't you want it anymore?
I wanted to avoid it
Live out in the forest
Play out of that orbit
Go drifting out to sea
But fate just wouldn't have it
It treats us like a magnet
Mends my broken habits
And makes a fool of me
There's always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Always an exemption
To a world we'll not remember
When we're old and tired
We'll be blowing on the embers of a little fire
We were the tallest person watching in Chesapeake
You put me on your shoulders so I could see
I was all covered in sound
Ear plugs so it wasn't loud
Swallowed up by the crowd
Didn't know what they were singing about
I can't hardly wait
For someone to replace
It was hot in the arena
Good men die like dogs
My hero plays to no one, in a parking lot
Even though there's no one around
He broke a leg and the house came down
A smattering of applause
A sliver moon and a cover song
Oh sweet child of mine
You're always sorry for everything, never apologize
Oh sweet child of mine
Now you stand on the corner and hope you get recognized
I was all covered in sound
When you asked me to turn it down
Didn't even think it was loud
Can you hear it now?
(x)
To a world we'll not remember
When we're old and tired
We'll be blowing on the embers of a little fire
We were the tallest person watching in Chesapeake
You put me on your shoulders so I could see
I was all covered in sound
Ear plugs so it wasn't loud
Swallowed up by the crowd
Didn't know what they were singing about
I can't hardly wait
For someone to replace
It was hot in the arena
Good men die like dogs
My hero plays to no one, in a parking lot
Even though there's no one around
He broke a leg and the house came down
A smattering of applause
A sliver moon and a cover song
Oh sweet child of mine
You're always sorry for everything, never apologize
Oh sweet child of mine
Now you stand on the corner and hope you get recognized
I was all covered in sound
When you asked me to turn it down
Didn't even think it was loud
Can you hear it now?
Looking out on the river bend
Looking out on the thing that isn't
Looking out on the freeway's push and pull
Looking out for the current
Little spells of forgetfulness
Little sounds that are shrill and urgent
Little insects that sting as they come and go
Little moments of purpose
I loved you
I wore you out
I miss you
Where are you now?
This town is a monolith
This town is a crowded movie
This town is a depot, I come and go
This town is my city
I hate you
I tore you down
I miss you
Where are you now?
Looking bad like those Vegas odds
Wear a smile like it's camouflage
Today was a smoking sky
Today was a civic menace
Today I went walking while things explode
Some sad independence
I want to be just as loud
All this freedom just freaks me out
Risk it all on the game of chance
Chasing love like an ambulance
(x)
Looking out on the river bend
Looking out on the thing that isn't
Looking out on the freeway's push and pull
Looking out for the current
Little spells of forgetfulness
Little sounds that are shrill and urgent
Little insects that sting as they come and go
Little moments of purpose
I loved you
I wore you out
I miss you
Where are you now?
This town is a monolith
This town is a crowded movie
This town is a depot, I come and go
This town is my city
I hate you
I tore you down
I miss you
Where are you now?
Looking bad like those Vegas odds
Wear a smile like it's camouflage
Today was a smoking sky
Today was a civic menace
Today I went walking while things explode
Some sad independence
I want to be just as loud
All this freedom just freaks me out
Risk it all on the game of chance
Chasing love like an ambulance
You used to sing with a straight face "Que Sera, Sera"
And drive those perfumed queens back to our place in a velvet box
And then make your move
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You used to sing with a straight face "My Heart Will Go On"
And bring those tattoo'd freaks back to our place in a mason jar
You had something to prove
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Yeah, since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You passed out quick
You lack ambition
Why does everybody always end up in the kitchen?
The man in white slacks sure looks dangerous
And I heard the short one's kind of famous
You used to say you wanted to end up in Forest Lawn
The two of us side by side asleep while the teenagers drink 'til dawn
Please tell me it's true
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You used to sing with a straight face "Que Sera, Sera"
(x)
You used to sing with a straight face "Que Sera, Sera"
And drive those perfumed queens back to our place in a velvet box
And then make your move
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You used to sing with a straight face "My Heart Will Go On"
And bring those tattoo'd freaks back to our place in a mason jar
You had something to prove
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Yeah, since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You passed out quick
You lack ambition
Why does everybody always end up in the kitchen?
The man in white slacks sure looks dangerous
And I heard the short one's kind of famous
You used to say you wanted to end up in Forest Lawn
The two of us side by side asleep while the teenagers drink 'til dawn
Please tell me it's true
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You used to sing with a straight face "Que Sera, Sera"
Your black hair is red
I laughed when I saw your chest
You shook your head and pulled the curtains back, took in the view
Then you showed me the rest of you
And then I guess I thought I'd see the world
I guess I thought I would see the world
Your black heart is big
I'd ask you to cross but you'd never do it
But then again you stopped in the middle of the street
Just to kiss me, and I thought you'd stopped the world
I guess I thought you could stop the world
Alright, alright for now
Don't wanna think about it
I'm fine with hiding out
Alright, alright for now
I'll wrap my head around it
Make room for something else
Alright, alright for now
Don't wanna think about it
I'm fine with hiding out
Alright, alright for now
I'll wrap my head around it
Make room for something else
'Til then I'll hold it down
(x)
Your black hair is red
I laughed when I saw your chest
You shook your head and pulled the curtains back, took in the view
Then you showed me the rest of you
And then I guess I thought I'd see the world
I guess I thought I would see the world
Your black heart is big
I'd ask you to cross but you'd never do it
But then again you stopped in the middle of the street
Just to kiss me, and I thought you'd stopped the world
I guess I thought you could stop the world
Alright, alright for now
Don't wanna think about it
I'm fine with hiding out
Alright, alright for now
I'll wrap my head around it
Make room for something else
Alright, alright for now
Don't wanna think about it
I'm fine with hiding out
Alright, alright for now
I'll wrap my head around it
Make room for something else
'Til then I'll hold it down
Can you hear the crickets?
All I hear is crickets
Like a river
Shining through the edges of my sight
The sky is pitch black, dark
Yet somehow really peaceful
At the same time
It gets dark in the morning
Trade sleep for drinks in a bar
I'm sure as hell my breath stinks
Watch it float like smoke in the fog
I can feel a tornado
And it's shivering up my arms
I've been playing dominoes
I'm just trying not to wreck no cars
Putting fear in my nose
And trying to keep up with all my thoughts
If we're going somewhere, I'm ready
If it's just dirt, I'm not
I scrape my eye when I touch the sky
And lose a little vision for the man
I can call it in my mind
I don't want to hold nobody's hand
I can toss in the morning light
I'll play dead when I'm buried in the sand
I'm seeing shadows of man a who's
Homeless, buried and numb
A forecast of forgotten land
I hope it shows up in the setting sun
If we're going somewhere, I'm ready, honey
If it's nowhere, I'm done
I can hear a voice but it's speaking code
(Poured concrete on top, concrete on top, concrete)
Like I'm talking to strangers on a foreign phone
I can talk to angels when I'm all alone
They take me to a place in the city
And when we're done they take me home
Can't find a forest with the singing birds
Instead I'm just a low voice in the crowd
Can't hear my own voice in this crowd
I get edgy on dark streets
Coming home, I feel my heartbeat
I say I'm stoned for the last time
I do it again and repeat
I'm carpooling to kingdom come
Into the wild purgatory
Experience in a magic rainbow
All you got to do is follow
And if you're not feeling ready
There's always tomorrow
And if you're not feeling ready
There's always tomorrow
(x)
Can you hear the crickets?
All I hear is crickets
Like a river
Shining through the edges of my sight
The sky is pitch black, dark
Yet somehow really peaceful
At the same time
It gets dark in the morning
Trade sleep for drinks in a bar
I'm sure as hell my breath stinks
Watch it float like smoke in the fog
I can feel a tornado
And it's shivering up my arms
I've been playing dominoes
I'm just trying not to wreck no cars
Putting fear in my nose
And trying to keep up with all my thoughts
If we're going somewhere, I'm ready
If it's just dirt, I'm not
I scrape my eye when I touch the sky
And lose a little vision for the man
I can call it in my mind
I don't want to hold nobody's hand
I can toss in the morning light
I'll play dead when I'm buried in the sand
I'm seeing shadows of man a who's
Homeless, buried and numb
A forecast of forgotten land
I hope it shows up in the setting sun
If we're going somewhere, I'm ready, honey
If it's nowhere, I'm done
I can hear a voice but it's speaking code
(Poured concrete on top, concrete on top, concrete)
Like I'm talking to strangers on a foreign phone
I can talk to angels when I'm all alone
They take me to a place in the city
And when we're done they take me home
Can't find a forest with the singing birds
Instead I'm just a low voice in the crowd
Can't hear my own voice in this crowd
I get edgy on dark streets
Coming home, I feel my heartbeat
I say I'm stoned for the last time
I do it again and repeat
I'm carpooling to kingdom come
Into the wild purgatory
Experience in a magic rainbow
All you got to do is follow
And if you're not feeling ready
There's always tomorrow
And if you're not feeling ready
There's always tomorrow
Better Oblivion Community Center
Little Trouble
Dead Oceans , 2019
vinyl, single
nur bei den Liveshows erhätlich
(x)
Like, it's, it's impossible to count
One, two, three, four
Drinking cold, black coffee
I shake and shake, still won't get off me
Another blissed out fantasy
Where animals and objects talk to me
Always try and hate it
But then you laugh, it sounds outrageous
Spend another day sleepwalking
Is this having fun?
Or is it just because?
Which one is jumping first
Off of the face of the earth?
You like beer and chocolate
I like setting off those bottle rockets
We can never compromise
But fighting 'til the death keeps us alive
Why don't you stay
If you're going to leave your car here anyway?
Spend another summer shit-talking
Is this having fun?
It's not like the way it was
I thought that you loved this stuff
Or did I make that up?
Act insane, playing it safe
I wasn't sold on that plan anyways
Feeling afraid of making a change
Hoping to last another day
I want there to stop the circular dots
Spinning in a world full of forget-me-nots
I gave what I got
It came as a shock
To find out I'm fine with what I've lost
(x)
Like, it's, it's impossible to count
One, two, three, four
Drinking cold, black coffee
I shake and shake, still won't get off me
Another blissed out fantasy
Where animals and objects talk to me
Always try and hate it
But then you laugh, it sounds outrageous
Spend another day sleepwalking
Is this having fun?
Or is it just because?
Which one is jumping first
Off of the face of the earth?
You like beer and chocolate
I like setting off those bottle rockets
We can never compromise
But fighting 'til the death keeps us alive
Why don't you stay
If you're going to leave your car here anyway?
Spend another summer shit-talking
Is this having fun?
It's not like the way it was
I thought that you loved this stuff
Or did I make that up?
Act insane, playing it safe
I wasn't sold on that plan anyways
Feeling afraid of making a change
Hoping to last another day
I want there to stop the circular dots
Spinning in a world full of forget-me-nots
I gave what I got
It came as a shock
To find out I'm fine with what I've lost
Bright Eyes
Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
Saddle Creek , 2005
cd, album
(x)
It was Don Delillo, whiskey, neat
And a blinking midnight clock
Speakers on a tv stand, just a turntable to watch
When the smoke came out our mouths
On all those hooded sweatshirt walks
You were a stroke of luck
We were a goldmine and they gutted us
And from the sidelines
You see me run
Until I'm out of breath
Living the good life
I left for dead
The sorrowful midwest
Well I did my best
To keep my head
It was grass-stained jeans and incompletes
And a girl from class to touch
But you think about yourself too much
And you ruin who you love
Well all these claims at consciousness
My stray dog freedom
Let's have a nice clean cut
Like a bag we buy and divvy up
And from the sidelines
I see you run
Until you're out of breath
And all those white lines that sped us up
We hurry to our death
Well I lagged behind
So you got ahead
(x)
It was Don Delillo, whiskey, neat
And a blinking midnight clock
Speakers on a tv stand, just a turntable to watch
When the smoke came out our mouths
On all those hooded sweatshirt walks
You were a stroke of luck
We were a goldmine and they gutted us
And from the sidelines
You see me run
Until I'm out of breath
Living the good life
I left for dead
The sorrowful midwest
Well I did my best
To keep my head
It was grass-stained jeans and incompletes
And a girl from class to touch
But you think about yourself too much
And you ruin who you love
Well all these claims at consciousness
My stray dog freedom
Let's have a nice clean cut
Like a bag we buy and divvy up
And from the sidelines
I see you run
Until you're out of breath
And all those white lines that sped us up
We hurry to our death
Well I lagged behind
So you got ahead
You can make a plan
Carve it into stone
Like a feather falling
That is still unknown
Until the clock speaks up
Says it's time to go
You can choose the high
Or the lower road
You might clench your fist
You might fork your tongue
As you curse or praise
All the things you've done
And the faders move
And the music dies
As we pass over
On the arc of time
So you'll nurse your love
Like a wounded dove
In the covered cage of night
Every star is crossed
By frenetic thoughts
They separate and then collide
And they twist like sheets
Till you fall asleep
And they finally unwind
It's a black balloon
It's a dream you'll soon
Deny
I hear if you make friends
With Jesus Christ
You'll get right up
From that chalk outline
And then you'll get dolled up
And you'll dress in white
All to take your place
In his chorus line
And then in you'll come
With those marching drums
In a saintly compromise
No more whiskey slurs
No more blonde hair girls
For your whole eternal life
And you'll do the dance
That was choreographed
At the very dawn of time
Singing "I told you son
The day would come
You would die, you die, you die, you die..."
To the deepest part
Of the human heart
The fear of death expands
Till we crack the code
We've always known
But could never understand
On a circuit board
We'll soon be born
Again, again, again, again
(x)
You can make a plan
Carve it into stone
Like a feather falling
That is still unknown
Until the clock speaks up
Says it's time to go
You can choose the high
Or the lower road
You might clench your fist
You might fork your tongue
As you curse or praise
All the things you've done
And the faders move
And the music dies
As we pass over
On the arc of time
So you'll nurse your love
Like a wounded dove
In the covered cage of night
Every star is crossed
By frenetic thoughts
They separate and then collide
And they twist like sheets
Till you fall asleep
And they finally unwind
It's a black balloon
It's a dream you'll soon
Deny
I hear if you make friends
With Jesus Christ
You'll get right up
From that chalk outline
And then you'll get dolled up
And you'll dress in white
All to take your place
In his chorus line
And then in you'll come
With those marching drums
In a saintly compromise
No more whiskey slurs
No more blonde hair girls
For your whole eternal life
And you'll do the dance
That was choreographed
At the very dawn of time
Singing "I told you son
The day would come
You would die, you die, you die, you die..."
To the deepest part
Of the human heart
The fear of death expands
Till we crack the code
We've always known
But could never understand
On a circuit board
We'll soon be born
Again, again, again, again
I heard you fell into a rabbit hole
Covered yourself up in snow
Baby tell me where to go for days and days
Did they make you stay up all night
Did they paint your face that pasty white
You're thirsty but your appetite is chased away
The sun turns us to stone
It's a cloudy day but we still kept hold
Open up that cellar door
Till we seen then we're invisible
No one ever takes the garbage out
And maybe kid gets dared to touch the house
He runs back to announce there's no one home
Cause we paint the foil with the flame
Smear the soda, taste butane
For every fear that can't be named to calm you down
Your heart starts skipping steps
So you're farther gone
And you might expect
If your thoughts should turn to death
Gotta stomp them out like a cigarette
(x)
I heard you fell into a rabbit hole
Covered yourself up in snow
Baby tell me where to go for days and days
Did they make you stay up all night
Did they paint your face that pasty white
You're thirsty but your appetite is chased away
The sun turns us to stone
It's a cloudy day but we still kept hold
Open up that cellar door
Till we seen then we're invisible
No one ever takes the garbage out
And maybe kid gets dared to touch the house
He runs back to announce there's no one home
Cause we paint the foil with the flame
Smear the soda, taste butane
For every fear that can't be named to calm you down
Your heart starts skipping steps
So you're farther gone
And you might expect
If your thoughts should turn to death
Gotta stomp them out like a cigarette
First with your hands and then with your mouth
A downpour of sweat, damp cotton clouds
I was a fool, you were my friend
You made it happen
You took off your clothes, left on the light
You stood there so brave
You used to be shy
Each feature improved, each movement refined and eyes like a showroom
Now they're spreading out the blankets on the beach
That weatherman's a liar
He said it'd be raining
But it's clear and blue as far as I can see
Left by the lamp, right next to the bed
On a cartoon cat pad you scratched with a pen
"Everything is as it's always been
This never happened
Don't take it so bad, it's nothing you did
It's just once something dies you can't make it live
You're a beautiful boy
You're a sweet little kid but I am a woman"
So I laid back down and wrapped myself up in the sheet
And I must have looked like a ghost cause something frightened me
And since then I've been so good at vanishing
Now I do as I please and I lie through my teeth
Someone might get hurt, but it won't be me
I should probably feel cheap but I just feel free
And a little bit empty
No, it isn't so hard to get close to me
There'll be no arguments
We'll always agree
And I will try and be kind when I ask you to leave
We'll both take it easy
But if you stay too long inside my memory
I will trap you in a song tied to a melody
And I will keep you there so you can't bother me
(x)
First with your hands and then with your mouth
A downpour of sweat, damp cotton clouds
I was a fool, you were my friend
You made it happen
You took off your clothes, left on the light
You stood there so brave
You used to be shy
Each feature improved, each movement refined and eyes like a showroom
Now they're spreading out the blankets on the beach
That weatherman's a liar
He said it'd be raining
But it's clear and blue as far as I can see
Left by the lamp, right next to the bed
On a cartoon cat pad you scratched with a pen
"Everything is as it's always been
This never happened
Don't take it so bad, it's nothing you did
It's just once something dies you can't make it live
You're a beautiful boy
You're a sweet little kid but I am a woman"
So I laid back down and wrapped myself up in the sheet
And I must have looked like a ghost cause something frightened me
And since then I've been so good at vanishing
Now I do as I please and I lie through my teeth
Someone might get hurt, but it won't be me
I should probably feel cheap but I just feel free
And a little bit empty
No, it isn't so hard to get close to me
There'll be no arguments
We'll always agree
And I will try and be kind when I ask you to leave
We'll both take it easy
But if you stay too long inside my memory
I will trap you in a song tied to a melody
And I will keep you there so you can't bother me
I'm staring out into that vacuum again
From the back porch of my mind
The only thing thats alive, I'm all there is
And I start attacking my vodka
Stab the ice with my straw
My eyes have turned red as stoplights
You seem ready to walk
You know I'll call you eventually
When I wanna talk, until then you're invisible
Cause there's this switch that gets hit
And it all stops making sense
And in the middle of drinks
Maybe the fifth or the sixth
I'm completely alone at a table of friends
I feel nothing for them
I feel nothing, nothing
Well I need a break from the city again
I think I'll ship myself back west
I've got a friend there
She says "Hey anytime"
Unless that offer's expired
I have been less than frequent
She's under no obligation
To indulge every whim
And I'm so ungrateful, I take
She gives and forgives and I keep forgetting it
And each morning she wakes
With a dream to describe
Something lovely that bloomed
In her beautiful mind
I say, "i'll trade you one
For two nightmares of mine
I have some where i die
I have some where we all die"
I'm thinking of quitting drinking again
I know I've said that a couple of times
And I'm always changing my mind
Well I guess I am
But there's this burn in my stomach
And there's this pain in my side
And when I kneel at the toilet
And the morning's clean light
Pours in through the window
Sometimes I pray I don't die
I'm a goddamn hypocrite
But then night rolls around and it all starts making sense
There is no right way or wrong way, you just have to live
And so I do what I do, and at least I exist
What could mean more than this?
What would mean more, mean more?
(x)
I'm staring out into that vacuum again
From the back porch of my mind
The only thing thats alive, I'm all there is
And I start attacking my vodka
Stab the ice with my straw
My eyes have turned red as stoplights
You seem ready to walk
You know I'll call you eventually
When I wanna talk, until then you're invisible
Cause there's this switch that gets hit
And it all stops making sense
And in the middle of drinks
Maybe the fifth or the sixth
I'm completely alone at a table of friends
I feel nothing for them
I feel nothing, nothing
Well I need a break from the city again
I think I'll ship myself back west
I've got a friend there
She says "Hey anytime"
Unless that offer's expired
I have been less than frequent
She's under no obligation
To indulge every whim
And I'm so ungrateful, I take
She gives and forgives and I keep forgetting it
And each morning she wakes
With a dream to describe
Something lovely that bloomed
In her beautiful mind
I say, "i'll trade you one
For two nightmares of mine
I have some where i die
I have some where we all die"
I'm thinking of quitting drinking again
I know I've said that a couple of times
And I'm always changing my mind
Well I guess I am
But there's this burn in my stomach
And there's this pain in my side
And when I kneel at the toilet
And the morning's clean light
Pours in through the window
Sometimes I pray I don't die
I'm a goddamn hypocrite
But then night rolls around and it all starts making sense
There is no right way or wrong way, you just have to live
And so I do what I do, and at least I exist
What could mean more than this?
What would mean more, mean more?
Some plans were made and rice was thrown
A house was built, a baby born
How time can move both fast and slow amazes me
And so I raise my glass to symmetry
To the second hand and its accuracy
To the actual size of everything
The desert is the sand
You can't hold it in your hand
It won't bow to your demands
There's no difference you can make
There's no difference you can make
And if it seems like an accident
A collage of senselessness
You weren't looking hard enough
I wasn't looking hard enough
An argument for consciousness
The instinct of the blind insect
Who makes love to the flowerbed
And dies in the first freeze
I want to learn such simple things
No politics, no history
So what I want and what I need
Can finally be the same
I just got myself to blame
Give everything up to fate
When there's choices I can make
When there's choices I can make
Now my heart needs a polygraph
I'm so eager to pack my bags
When I really wanna stay
The arc of time, the stench of sex
The innocence you can't protect
Each quarter note, each marble step
Walk up and down that lonely treble clef
Each wanting the next one to arrive
An argument for consciousness
The instinct of the blind insect
Who never thinks not to accept it's fate, that's faith
There's happiness in death
You give to the next one
You give to the next on down the line
The levity of longing that
Distills each dream inside my head
By morning watered down, forget
On silver stars I wish and wish and wish
From one to the next one
From one to the next right down the line
You give to the next one
You give to the next on down the line
(x)
Some plans were made and rice was thrown
A house was built, a baby born
How time can move both fast and slow amazes me
And so I raise my glass to symmetry
To the second hand and its accuracy
To the actual size of everything
The desert is the sand
You can't hold it in your hand
It won't bow to your demands
There's no difference you can make
There's no difference you can make
And if it seems like an accident
A collage of senselessness
You weren't looking hard enough
I wasn't looking hard enough
An argument for consciousness
The instinct of the blind insect
Who makes love to the flowerbed
And dies in the first freeze
I want to learn such simple things
No politics, no history
So what I want and what I need
Can finally be the same
I just got myself to blame
Give everything up to fate
When there's choices I can make
When there's choices I can make
Now my heart needs a polygraph
I'm so eager to pack my bags
When I really wanna stay
The arc of time, the stench of sex
The innocence you can't protect
Each quarter note, each marble step
Walk up and down that lonely treble clef
Each wanting the next one to arrive
An argument for consciousness
The instinct of the blind insect
Who never thinks not to accept it's fate, that's faith
There's happiness in death
You give to the next one
You give to the next on down the line
The levity of longing that
Distills each dream inside my head
By morning watered down, forget
On silver stars I wish and wish and wish
From one to the next one
From one to the next right down the line
You give to the next one
You give to the next on down the line
A house of cards
The supple heart
Is not a place to dwell
Now you have your cake
Don't hesitate
Come on just do it
Come on just do it
Put it in your mouth
There is only now
Tomorrow has to wait
But know there's no backing out
This is gonna be reality
You can never dream it down
I have no way of telling
The two apart
Well I made amends
In the general sense
But the devil's in the details
And I know the cause
And I want to stop
But I can't do it
I just can't do it
There was love I meant
There were accidents
So tell me which is which
Cause I just can't work it out
But for memory and clarity
We had better write it down
I have no way of knowing
The truth with time dissolves
I put the past into the ground
I saw the future as a cloud
If there's still time to turn around
I'm going to
Its just one day I fell asleep
And now all day and night I dream
I am the first one I deceive
If I can make myself believe
The rest is easy
(x)
A house of cards
The supple heart
Is not a place to dwell
Now you have your cake
Don't hesitate
Come on just do it
Come on just do it
Put it in your mouth
There is only now
Tomorrow has to wait
But know there's no backing out
This is gonna be reality
You can never dream it down
I have no way of telling
The two apart
Well I made amends
In the general sense
But the devil's in the details
And I know the cause
And I want to stop
But I can't do it
I just can't do it
There was love I meant
There were accidents
So tell me which is which
Cause I just can't work it out
But for memory and clarity
We had better write it down
I have no way of knowing
The truth with time dissolves
I put the past into the ground
I saw the future as a cloud
If there's still time to turn around
I'm going to
Its just one day I fell asleep
And now all day and night I dream
I am the first one I deceive
If I can make myself believe
The rest is easy
I wanna be the surgeon that cuts you open
And fixes all of life's mistakes
I wanna be the house that you were raised in
The only place that you feel safe
I wanna be your shower in the morning
That wakes you up and makes you clean
I know I'm just the weather against your window
As you sleep through a winter's dream
Something's churning the earth
Something's stirring the sky
Every color at once in a column of light
Bacteria breeds on a microscope slide
The worm in my heart is the apple of your eye
Don't adore what is impossible
We have built this ship in a wine bottle
If we knew how it worked we would have to grow old
Something's eating at you
Wakes you up in the night
If you're digging the past
Who knows what you'll find
Read the newspaper print off the microfiche slide
And you're holding your breath
For the rest of your life
Don't you love what is intangible
I have built this ship in a wine bottle
But if you knew who I was
You would never grow old
(x)
I wanna be the surgeon that cuts you open
And fixes all of life's mistakes
I wanna be the house that you were raised in
The only place that you feel safe
I wanna be your shower in the morning
That wakes you up and makes you clean
I know I'm just the weather against your window
As you sleep through a winter's dream
Something's churning the earth
Something's stirring the sky
Every color at once in a column of light
Bacteria breeds on a microscope slide
The worm in my heart is the apple of your eye
Don't adore what is impossible
We have built this ship in a wine bottle
If we knew how it worked we would have to grow old
Something's eating at you
Wakes you up in the night
If you're digging the past
Who knows what you'll find
Read the newspaper print off the microfiche slide
And you're holding your breath
For the rest of your life
Don't you love what is intangible
I have built this ship in a wine bottle
But if you knew who I was
You would never grow old
John A Hobson was a good man
He used to loan me books and mic stands
He even got me a subscription to the Socialist Review
Listening to records in his basement
Old folk songs about the government
"It's love of money, not the market," he said
"These fuckers push on you
And freedom yells, it dont cry
Whatever sells will decide
But there is no hell when you die
So dont look so worried"
He got a night life
Lost his day job
Pushing paper, swinging pendulums
Anything to serve a function or to occupy some time
You have got to earn this living somehow
You are good as dead without a bank account
But it is funny how alive he felt, down in that unemployment line
With all the trash at his feet
The pools of piss in the street
All of that filthy empathy for the way we're feeling
The billboards shade
The flags they wave
The anthem was playing loud
The baseball game was letting out
Then all at once he saw the dust
And heard every tiny sound
Got in his truck and turned around
Drove out through the crowd and the cops
Drove out past that center mall
Out past that sickening sprawl
Out past that fenced in gold
And maybe he lost control fucking with the radio
But I bet the stars seemed so close at the end
(x)
John A Hobson was a good man
He used to loan me books and mic stands
He even got me a subscription to the Socialist Review
Listening to records in his basement
Old folk songs about the government
"It's love of money, not the market," he said
"These fuckers push on you
And freedom yells, it dont cry
Whatever sells will decide
But there is no hell when you die
So dont look so worried"
He got a night life
Lost his day job
Pushing paper, swinging pendulums
Anything to serve a function or to occupy some time
You have got to earn this living somehow
You are good as dead without a bank account
But it is funny how alive he felt, down in that unemployment line
With all the trash at his feet
The pools of piss in the street
All of that filthy empathy for the way we're feeling
The billboards shade
The flags they wave
The anthem was playing loud
The baseball game was letting out
Then all at once he saw the dust
And heard every tiny sound
Got in his truck and turned around
Drove out through the crowd and the cops
Drove out past that center mall
Out past that sickening sprawl
Out past that fenced in gold
And maybe he lost control fucking with the radio
But I bet the stars seemed so close at the end
I wish I had a parachute cause I'm falling bad for you
And I can see the ground approaching now
But I'm not sure what to do
I feel like a pinata won't you take a swing at me
If you could just crack the shell open
I think inside you'd find something sweet
I hear you like a hunter now, your footsteps in the leaves
And I would gladly leave my hiding place
Yes I'm hoping to be seen
So let your arrow fly and sing
I'm well within your aim
Lay your traps for a thousand miles
Please don't let me escape
Winter came to Omaha and left us looking like a bride
A million perfect snowflakes
And no two are alike
And so it's hard for me imagining the flaws in this design
I know debris, it covers everything
But still I am in love with this life
(x)
I wish I had a parachute cause I'm falling bad for you
And I can see the ground approaching now
But I'm not sure what to do
I feel like a pinata won't you take a swing at me
If you could just crack the shell open
I think inside you'd find something sweet
I hear you like a hunter now, your footsteps in the leaves
And I would gladly leave my hiding place
Yes I'm hoping to be seen
So let your arrow fly and sing
I'm well within your aim
Lay your traps for a thousand miles
Please don't let me escape
Winter came to Omaha and left us looking like a bride
A million perfect snowflakes
And no two are alike
And so it's hard for me imagining the flaws in this design
I know debris, it covers everything
But still I am in love with this life
Did it all get real, I guess it's real enough
They got refrigerators full of blood
Another century spent pointing guns
At anything that moves
Sometimes I worry that I've lost the plot
My twitching muscles tense my flippant thoughts
I never really dreamed of heaven much
Until we put him in the ground
But it's all I'm doing now
Listening for patterns in the sound
Of an endless static sea
But once the satellite's deceased
It blows like garbage through the streets
Of the night sky to infinity
But don't you weep
Don't you weep for them
There is nothing as lucky
Honey don't you weep
Don't you weep for them
There is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free
Don't be a criminal in this police state
You better shop and eat and procreate
You got vacation days then you might escape
To a condo on the coast
I set my watch to the atomic clock
I watch the crowd count down till the bomb gets dropped
I always figured there'd be time enough
I never let it get me down
But I can't help it now
Looking for faces in the clouds
I got some friends I barely see
But we're all planning to meet
We'll lay in bags as dead as leaves
All together for eternity
But don't you weep
Don't you weep for us
There is no one as lucky
Honey, don't you weep
Don't you weep for us
There is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free
(x)
Did it all get real, I guess it's real enough
They got refrigerators full of blood
Another century spent pointing guns
At anything that moves
Sometimes I worry that I've lost the plot
My twitching muscles tense my flippant thoughts
I never really dreamed of heaven much
Until we put him in the ground
But it's all I'm doing now
Listening for patterns in the sound
Of an endless static sea
But once the satellite's deceased
It blows like garbage through the streets
Of the night sky to infinity
But don't you weep
Don't you weep for them
There is nothing as lucky
Honey don't you weep
Don't you weep for them
There is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free
Don't be a criminal in this police state
You better shop and eat and procreate
You got vacation days then you might escape
To a condo on the coast
I set my watch to the atomic clock
I watch the crowd count down till the bomb gets dropped
I always figured there'd be time enough
I never let it get me down
But I can't help it now
Looking for faces in the clouds
I got some friends I barely see
But we're all planning to meet
We'll lay in bags as dead as leaves
All together for eternity
But don't you weep
Don't you weep for us
There is no one as lucky
Honey, don't you weep
Don't you weep for us
There is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free
Bright Eyes
I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
Saddle Creek , 2005
cd, album
(x)
If you hate the taste of wine
Why do you drink it till you're blind?
And if you swear that there's no truth and who cares
How come you say it like you're right?
Why are you scared to dream of God
When it's salvation that you want?
You see stars that clear have been dead for years
But the idea just lives on
In our wheels that roll around
As we move over the ground
And all day it seems we've been in between
The past and future town
We are nowhere and it's now
We are nowhere and it's now
And like a ten minute dream in the passenger seat
While the world was flying by
You haven't been gone very long
But it feels like a lifetime
I've been sleeping so strange at night
Side effects they don't advertise
I've been sleeping so strange
With a head full of pesticide
I've got no plans and too much time
I feel too restless to unwind
I'm always lost in thought as I walk a block
To my favorite neon sign
Where the waitress looks concerned
But she never says a word
Just turns the juke box on and we hum along
And I smile back at her
And my friend comes after work
When the features start to blur
She says these bars are filled with things that kill
By now you probably should have learned
Did you forget that yellow bird?
How could you forget your yellow bird?
She took a small silver wreath and pinned it onto me
She said this one will bring you love
And I don't know if it's true
But I keep it for good luck
(x)
If you hate the taste of wine
Why do you drink it till you're blind?
And if you swear that there's no truth and who cares
How come you say it like you're right?
Why are you scared to dream of God
When it's salvation that you want?
You see stars that clear have been dead for years
But the idea just lives on
In our wheels that roll around
As we move over the ground
And all day it seems we've been in between
The past and future town
We are nowhere and it's now
We are nowhere and it's now
And like a ten minute dream in the passenger seat
While the world was flying by
You haven't been gone very long
But it feels like a lifetime
I've been sleeping so strange at night
Side effects they don't advertise
I've been sleeping so strange
With a head full of pesticide
I've got no plans and too much time
I feel too restless to unwind
I'm always lost in thought as I walk a block
To my favorite neon sign
Where the waitress looks concerned
But she never says a word
Just turns the juke box on and we hum along
And I smile back at her
And my friend comes after work
When the features start to blur
She says these bars are filled with things that kill
By now you probably should have learned
Did you forget that yellow bird?
How could you forget your yellow bird?
She took a small silver wreath and pinned it onto me
She said this one will bring you love
And I don't know if it's true
But I keep it for good luck
Grey light new day leaks through the window
Some old song comes on the alarm clock radio
We walk the forty blocks to the middle
Of the place we heard that everything would be
And there were barricades to keep us off the street
But the crowd kept pushing forward
Till they swallowed the police
Yeah, they went wild, yeah, they went wild
yeah, they went wild, yeah, they went wild
We left before the dust had time to settle
And all the broken glass swept off the avenue
Ana all the way home held your camera like a bible
Just wishing so bad that it held some kind of truth
And I stood nervous next to you in the dark room
You drop the paper in the water
And it all begins to bloom
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
And just when I get so lonesome I can't speak
I see some flowers on a hillside
Like a wall of new TVs
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
(x)
Grey light new day leaks through the window
Some old song comes on the alarm clock radio
We walk the forty blocks to the middle
Of the place we heard that everything would be
And there were barricades to keep us off the street
But the crowd kept pushing forward
Till they swallowed the police
Yeah, they went wild, yeah, they went wild
yeah, they went wild, yeah, they went wild
We left before the dust had time to settle
And all the broken glass swept off the avenue
Ana all the way home held your camera like a bible
Just wishing so bad that it held some kind of truth
And I stood nervous next to you in the dark room
You drop the paper in the water
And it all begins to bloom
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
And just when I get so lonesome I can't speak
I see some flowers on a hillside
Like a wall of new TVs
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
I know that it is freezing but I think we have to walk
I keep waving at the taxis they keep turning their lights off
But Julie knows a party at some actor's west side loft
Supplies are endless in the evening by the morning they'll be gone
When everything is lonely I can be my own best friend
I get a coffee and the paper
Have my own conversations with the sidewalk and the pigeons and my window reflection
The mask I polish in the evening by the morning looks like shit
And I know you have a heavy heart
I can feel it when we kiss
So many men stronger than me have throw their backs out trying to lift it
But me I'm not a gamble you can count on me to split
The love I sell you in the evening by the morning won't exist
You're looking skinny like a model with your eyes all painted black
You just keep going to the bathroom always say you'll be right back
Well, it takes one to know one, kid, I think you got it bad
What's so easy in the evening by the morning's such a drag
I got a flask inside my pocket we can share it on the train
And if you promise to stay conscious I will try and do the same
Well we might die from medication but we sure killed all the pain
But what was normal in the evening by the morning seems insane
And I'm not sure what the trouble was that started all of this
The reasons all have run away but the feeling never did
It's not something I would recommend but it is one way to live
Cause what is simple in the moonlight by the morning never is
It was so simple in the moonlight now it's so complicated
It was so simple in the moonlight
(x)
I know that it is freezing but I think we have to walk
I keep waving at the taxis they keep turning their lights off
But Julie knows a party at some actor's west side loft
Supplies are endless in the evening by the morning they'll be gone
When everything is lonely I can be my own best friend
I get a coffee and the paper
Have my own conversations with the sidewalk and the pigeons and my window reflection
The mask I polish in the evening by the morning looks like shit
And I know you have a heavy heart
I can feel it when we kiss
So many men stronger than me have throw their backs out trying to lift it
But me I'm not a gamble you can count on me to split
The love I sell you in the evening by the morning won't exist
You're looking skinny like a model with your eyes all painted black
You just keep going to the bathroom always say you'll be right back
Well, it takes one to know one, kid, I think you got it bad
What's so easy in the evening by the morning's such a drag
I got a flask inside my pocket we can share it on the train
And if you promise to stay conscious I will try and do the same
Well we might die from medication but we sure killed all the pain
But what was normal in the evening by the morning seems insane
And I'm not sure what the trouble was that started all of this
The reasons all have run away but the feeling never did
It's not something I would recommend but it is one way to live
Cause what is simple in the moonlight by the morning never is
It was so simple in the moonlight now it's so complicated
It was so simple in the moonlight
You were born inside of a raindrop
I watched you falling to your death
And the sun, well, it could not save you
From falling down to the streets all wet
Body of water, toxic and timeless
Atlantic Ocean, New York skyline
I always get lost when I leave the village
So I couldn't come meet you in Brooklyn last night
But I sing glory from my lowest
And I will say peace to the people I meet
While the world waits for an explosion
That instant of light that wipes the slate clean
So don't be fooled, so don't be lied to
Love was always cruel
And don't act strange, don't be a stranger
It happened to me, now it's happening to you
But if you take that train underwater
Then we could talk it through
Well, if I could tame all of my desires
Wait out the weather that howls in my brain
Because it seems that it's always changing
The winds' indecision, the sorrowful rain
I was a postcard, I was a record
I was a camera until I went blind
Now I'm riding all over this island
Looking for something to open my eyes
We will sing glory from a high rise
And I will say thanks if you're pouring my drinks
While the world waits for an explosion
That moment in time when we are set free
So don't stay mad, just let some time pass
And in the morning you awake feeling new
And if I don't come back
I mean, if I get sidetracked
It's only 'cause I wanted to
Keeping up with the moon on an all night avenue
(x)
You were born inside of a raindrop
I watched you falling to your death
And the sun, well, it could not save you
From falling down to the streets all wet
Body of water, toxic and timeless
Atlantic Ocean, New York skyline
I always get lost when I leave the village
So I couldn't come meet you in Brooklyn last night
But I sing glory from my lowest
And I will say peace to the people I meet
While the world waits for an explosion
That instant of light that wipes the slate clean
So don't be fooled, so don't be lied to
Love was always cruel
And don't act strange, don't be a stranger
It happened to me, now it's happening to you
But if you take that train underwater
Then we could talk it through
Well, if I could tame all of my desires
Wait out the weather that howls in my brain
Because it seems that it's always changing
The winds' indecision, the sorrowful rain
I was a postcard, I was a record
I was a camera until I went blind
Now I'm riding all over this island
Looking for something to open my eyes
We will sing glory from a high rise
And I will say thanks if you're pouring my drinks
While the world waits for an explosion
That moment in time when we are set free
So don't stay mad, just let some time pass
And in the morning you awake feeling new
And if I don't come back
I mean, if I get sidetracked
It's only 'cause I wanted to
Keeping up with the moon on an all night avenue
This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
"I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
"Now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
"And I'd probably be happy"
So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We'll just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Then waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time it's different
I mean I really think you'll like me
(x)
This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
"I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
"Now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
"And I'd probably be happy"
So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We'll just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Then waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time it's different
I mean I really think you'll like me
Well I'm changing all my strings
I'm gonna write another travelin' song
About all the billion highways
And the cities at the break of dawn
I guess the best that I can do now
Is to pretend that I've done nothing wrong
And to dream about a train
That's gonna take me back where I belong
Well now the ocean speaks and spits
And I can hear it from the interstate
And I'm screamin' at my brother on a cellphone
He is far away
And I'm saying nothing in the past or future
Ever will feel like today
Until we're parking in an alley
Just hoping that our shit is safe
So I go back and forth forever All my thoughts they come in pairs Oh I will, I won't, I doubt, I don't, I'm not surprised but I never feel quite prepared Now I'm hunched over a typewriter
I guess you call that paintin' in a cave
And there's a word I can't remember
and a feeling I cannot escape
And now my ashtray's overflowing
I'm still staring at a clean white page
Oh and morning's at my window
She is sending me to bed again
Well I dream the dark on the horizon
I dream the desert where the dead lay down
I dream the prostituted child touching an old man in a fast food crown
I dreamt this ship was sinkin' there were people screaming all around
And I awoke to my alarm clock it was a pop song it was playin' loud
So I will find my fears and face them
Or I will cower like a dog
I will kick and scream or kneel and plead
I will fight like hell to hide that I've given up
(x)
Well I'm changing all my strings
I'm gonna write another travelin' song
About all the billion highways
And the cities at the break of dawn
I guess the best that I can do now
Is to pretend that I've done nothing wrong
And to dream about a train
That's gonna take me back where I belong
Well now the ocean speaks and spits
And I can hear it from the interstate
And I'm screamin' at my brother on a cellphone
He is far away
And I'm saying nothing in the past or future
Ever will feel like today
Until we're parking in an alley
Just hoping that our shit is safe
So I go back and forth forever All my thoughts they come in pairs Oh I will, I won't, I doubt, I don't, I'm not surprised but I never feel quite prepared Now I'm hunched over a typewriter
I guess you call that paintin' in a cave
And there's a word I can't remember
and a feeling I cannot escape
And now my ashtray's overflowing
I'm still staring at a clean white page
Oh and morning's at my window
She is sending me to bed again
Well I dream the dark on the horizon
I dream the desert where the dead lay down
I dream the prostituted child touching an old man in a fast food crown
I dreamt this ship was sinkin' there were people screaming all around
And I awoke to my alarm clock it was a pop song it was playin' loud
So I will find my fears and face them
Or I will cower like a dog
I will kick and scream or kneel and plead
I will fight like hell to hide that I've given up
If you walk away I'll walk away
Just tell me which road you will take
I don't want to risk our paths crossing someday
So you walk that way, I'll walk this way
The future hangs over our heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls all around like a cold steady rain
Just stay in when it's looking this way
And the moon's laying low in the sky
Forcing everything metal to shine
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case
They argue walk this way, now walk this way
Laura's asleep in my bed
As I'm leaving she wakes up and says
I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave
Baby, don't go away, come here
There's kids playing guns in the street
One's pointing his tree branch at me
So I put my hands up, said Enough is Enough
If you walk away, I'll walk away
Then he shot me dead
I found a liquid cure
For my landlocked blues
It will pass away, like a slow parade
It's leaving, but I don't know how soon
And the world's got me dizzy again
You'd think after 22 years I'd be used to the spin
But it only feels worse when I stay in one place
So I'm always pacing around or walking away
I'm drinking the ink from my pen
And I'm balancing history books up on my head
And it all boils down to one quotable phrase:
If you love something, give it away
A good woman will pick you apart
A box full of suggestions for a possible heart
And you may be offended, and you may be afraid
But don't walk away, don't walk away
We made love on the living room floor
With the noise in the background from a televised war
And in that deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say
If we walk away, they'll walk away
But greed is a bottomless pit
And all freedom's a joke, we're just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you're still free, start running away
Cos we're coming for you
I've grown tired of holding this pose
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home
So I'm making a deal with the devils of fame
Saying "Let me walk away, please"
You'll be free, child, once you have died
From the shackles of language in measurable time
And then we can trade places, play musical graves
Tell them walk away, walk away, walk away
So I'm up at dawn
Putting on my shoes
I just want to make a clean escape
I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
Yeah, I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
(x)
If you walk away I'll walk away
Just tell me which road you will take
I don't want to risk our paths crossing someday
So you walk that way, I'll walk this way
The future hangs over our heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls all around like a cold steady rain
Just stay in when it's looking this way
And the moon's laying low in the sky
Forcing everything metal to shine
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case
They argue walk this way, now walk this way
Laura's asleep in my bed
As I'm leaving she wakes up and says
I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave
Baby, don't go away, come here
There's kids playing guns in the street
One's pointing his tree branch at me
So I put my hands up, said Enough is Enough
If you walk away, I'll walk away
Then he shot me dead
I found a liquid cure
For my landlocked blues
It will pass away, like a slow parade
It's leaving, but I don't know how soon
And the world's got me dizzy again
You'd think after 22 years I'd be used to the spin
But it only feels worse when I stay in one place
So I'm always pacing around or walking away
I'm drinking the ink from my pen
And I'm balancing history books up on my head
And it all boils down to one quotable phrase:
If you love something, give it away
A good woman will pick you apart
A box full of suggestions for a possible heart
And you may be offended, and you may be afraid
But don't walk away, don't walk away
We made love on the living room floor
With the noise in the background from a televised war
And in that deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say
If we walk away, they'll walk away
But greed is a bottomless pit
And all freedom's a joke, we're just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you're still free, start running away
Cos we're coming for you
I've grown tired of holding this pose
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home
So I'm making a deal with the devils of fame
Saying "Let me walk away, please"
You'll be free, child, once you have died
From the shackles of language in measurable time
And then we can trade places, play musical graves
Tell them walk away, walk away, walk away
So I'm up at dawn
Putting on my shoes
I just want to make a clean escape
I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
Yeah, I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
Poison oak, some boyhood bravery
When the telephone was a tin can on a string
And I fell asleep with you still talking to me
You said you weren't afraid to die
In polaroids you were dressed in women's clothes
Were you made ashamed, why'd you lock them in a drawer?
Well, I don't think that I ever loved you more
Than when you turned away, when you slammed the door
When you stole the car and drove towards Mexico
And you wrote bad checks just to fill your arm
I was young enough, I still believed in war
Well let the poets cry themselves to sleep
And all their tearful words will turn back into steam
But me, I'm a single cell on a serpent's tongue
There's a muddy field where a garden was
And I'm glad you got away but I'm still stuck out here
My clothes are soaking wet from your brother's tears
And I never thought this life was possible
You're the yellow bird that I've been waiting for
The end of paralysis, I was a statuette
Now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench
And when I press the keys it all gets reversed
The sound of loneliness makes me happier
(x)
Poison oak, some boyhood bravery
When the telephone was a tin can on a string
And I fell asleep with you still talking to me
You said you weren't afraid to die
In polaroids you were dressed in women's clothes
Were you made ashamed, why'd you lock them in a drawer?
Well, I don't think that I ever loved you more
Than when you turned away, when you slammed the door
When you stole the car and drove towards Mexico
And you wrote bad checks just to fill your arm
I was young enough, I still believed in war
Well let the poets cry themselves to sleep
And all their tearful words will turn back into steam
But me, I'm a single cell on a serpent's tongue
There's a muddy field where a garden was
And I'm glad you got away but I'm still stuck out here
My clothes are soaking wet from your brother's tears
And I never thought this life was possible
You're the yellow bird that I've been waiting for
The end of paralysis, I was a statuette
Now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench
And when I press the keys it all gets reversed
The sound of loneliness makes me happier
The sun came up with no conclusions
Flowers sleeping in their beds
The city cemetery's humming
I'm wide awake, its morning
I have my drugs, I have my woman
They keep away my loneliness
My parents, they have their religion
But sleep in separate houses
I read the body count out of the paper
And now it's written all over my face
No one ever plans to sleep out in the gutter
Sometimes that's just the most comfortable place
So I'm drinking, breathing, writing, singing
Every day I'm on the clock
My mind races with all my longings
But can't keep up with what I've got
And so I hope I dont sound too ungrateful
For what history gave modern man
A telephone to talk to strangers
Machine guns and a camera lens
So when you're asked to fight a war that's over nothing
It's best to join the side that's gonna win
No one's sure how all of this got started
But we're gonna make 'em God damn certain how it's gonna end
Oh yeah we will, oh yeah we will
Well I could have been a famous singer
If I had some one else's voice
But failure's always sounded better
Let's fuck it up boys, make some noise
The sun came up with no conclusions
Flowers sleeping in their beds
The city cemetery's humming
I'm wide awake, it's morning
(x)
The sun came up with no conclusions
Flowers sleeping in their beds
The city cemetery's humming
I'm wide awake, its morning
I have my drugs, I have my woman
They keep away my loneliness
My parents, they have their religion
But sleep in separate houses
I read the body count out of the paper
And now it's written all over my face
No one ever plans to sleep out in the gutter
Sometimes that's just the most comfortable place
So I'm drinking, breathing, writing, singing
Every day I'm on the clock
My mind races with all my longings
But can't keep up with what I've got
And so I hope I dont sound too ungrateful
For what history gave modern man
A telephone to talk to strangers
Machine guns and a camera lens
So when you're asked to fight a war that's over nothing
It's best to join the side that's gonna win
No one's sure how all of this got started
But we're gonna make 'em God damn certain how it's gonna end
Oh yeah we will, oh yeah we will
Well I could have been a famous singer
If I had some one else's voice
But failure's always sounded better
Let's fuck it up boys, make some noise
The sun came up with no conclusions
Flowers sleeping in their beds
The city cemetery's humming
I'm wide awake, it's morning
Bright Eyes
First Day of My Life
Saddle Creek , 2005
cd, single
(x)
When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our womens' rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs, the ghetto's broke
No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't
Just give 'em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That's what God recommends
When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess God just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God
When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he's not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own bullshit
When the president talks to God?
I doubt it
I doubt it
(x)
When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our womens' rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs, the ghetto's broke
No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't
Just give 'em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That's what God recommends
When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess God just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God
When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he's not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own bullshit
When the president talks to God?
I doubt it
I doubt it
I am a blueblood I will admit that
I dance in blue shoes and wear a blue hat
Live in a blue house on a blue street, in a blue town by a blue creek
I write my blue songs with my blue pen
I sing the blue notes to my blue friends
Now I don't know that much about you
But I like you because you are true blue
I had a blue dream about a blue star
In it I drove there in my blue car
And when I got there I met a blue dog with a blue tongue
We had real fun
We bounced a blue ball
It broke a blue glass
We banged on blue drums and called it bluegrass
I guess the thing I'm trying to tell you is that it is best, kid
If you're true blue
Once I had gangrene I had it real bad
And so the Doc came with his black bag
I said "You know doc, I don't feel well
"If you had a blue bag, I think I'd get well"
So he came right back with a blue sack
He said, "Will this do?" I said, "Why not? Yeah"
That is how I am here today to tell you that it is best, man
To be true blue
Out on the blue sea I sailed a blue ship
I had a first mate that always had blue lips
His name was Bluebeard
He had a weird twitch
We flew a blue flag up on a big stick
And we ate bluegill and we ate blue chips
Oh, I felt real blue eating that blue fish
Because there ain't much that I won't do
Unless it keeps me from being true blue
Once in a blue moon there is a blue sky
I wear my blue jeans and fly my blue kite
It hangs like a bluebird until the wind dies
And then the tears pour out of my blue eyes
If it is your birthday we'll bake you a blue cake
And then we'll eat it off my blue plates
Because kid, I don't know much about you
But I like you because you are true blue
(x)
I am a blueblood I will admit that
I dance in blue shoes and wear a blue hat
Live in a blue house on a blue street, in a blue town by a blue creek
I write my blue songs with my blue pen
I sing the blue notes to my blue friends
Now I don't know that much about you
But I like you because you are true blue
I had a blue dream about a blue star
In it I drove there in my blue car
And when I got there I met a blue dog with a blue tongue
We had real fun
We bounced a blue ball
It broke a blue glass
We banged on blue drums and called it bluegrass
I guess the thing I'm trying to tell you is that it is best, kid
If you're true blue
Once I had gangrene I had it real bad
And so the Doc came with his black bag
I said "You know doc, I don't feel well
"If you had a blue bag, I think I'd get well"
So he came right back with a blue sack
He said, "Will this do?" I said, "Why not? Yeah"
That is how I am here today to tell you that it is best, man
To be true blue
Out on the blue sea I sailed a blue ship
I had a first mate that always had blue lips
His name was Bluebeard
He had a weird twitch
We flew a blue flag up on a big stick
And we ate bluegill and we ate blue chips
Oh, I felt real blue eating that blue fish
Because there ain't much that I won't do
Unless it keeps me from being true blue
Once in a blue moon there is a blue sky
I wear my blue jeans and fly my blue kite
It hangs like a bluebird until the wind dies
And then the tears pour out of my blue eyes
If it is your birthday we'll bake you a blue cake
And then we'll eat it off my blue plates
Because kid, I don't know much about you
But I like you because you are true blue
Bright Eyes
Oh Holy Fools - The Music of Son, Ambulance and Bright Eyes
Saddle Creek , 2001
1,3,5,7: Son, Ambulance
There's a voice on the phone telling what had happened
Some kind of confusion, more like a disaster
And it wondered how you were left unaffected
But you had no knowledge, no, the chemicals covered you
And so a jury was formed as more liquor was poured
No need for conviction, they're not thirsting for justice
But I slept with the lies I keep inside my head
I found out I was guilty
I found out I was guilty
But I won't be around for the sentencing
'Cause I'm leaving on the next airplane
And though I know that my actions are impossible to justify
They seem adequite to fill up my time
And if I could talk to myself like I was someone else
Then maybe I could take your advice
And I wouldn't act like such an asshole all the time
There's a film on the wall, makes the people look small
Who are sitting beside it, all consumed in the drama
They must return to their lives once the hero has died
They will drive to the office, stopping somewhere for coffee
Where the folk singers, poets, and playwrites convene
Dispensing their wisdom, oh dear amateur orator
They will detail their pain in some standard refrain
They will recite their sadness like it's some kind of contest
Well if it is, I think I am winning it
All beaming with confidence as I make my final lap
The gold medal gleams, so hang it around my neck
Because I am deserving it, the champion of idiots
But a kid carries his Walkman on that long bus ride to Omaha
I know a girl who cries when she practices violin
'Cause each note sounds so pure, it just cuts into her
And then the melody comes pouring out her eyes
Now to me everything else, it just sounds like a lie
(x)
There's a voice on the phone telling what had happened
Some kind of confusion, more like a disaster
And it wondered how you were left unaffected
But you had no knowledge, no, the chemicals covered you
And so a jury was formed as more liquor was poured
No need for conviction, they're not thirsting for justice
But I slept with the lies I keep inside my head
I found out I was guilty
I found out I was guilty
But I won't be around for the sentencing
'Cause I'm leaving on the next airplane
And though I know that my actions are impossible to justify
They seem adequite to fill up my time
And if I could talk to myself like I was someone else
Then maybe I could take your advice
And I wouldn't act like such an asshole all the time
There's a film on the wall, makes the people look small
Who are sitting beside it, all consumed in the drama
They must return to their lives once the hero has died
They will drive to the office, stopping somewhere for coffee
Where the folk singers, poets, and playwrites convene
Dispensing their wisdom, oh dear amateur orator
They will detail their pain in some standard refrain
They will recite their sadness like it's some kind of contest
Well if it is, I think I am winning it
All beaming with confidence as I make my final lap
The gold medal gleams, so hang it around my neck
Because I am deserving it, the champion of idiots
But a kid carries his Walkman on that long bus ride to Omaha
I know a girl who cries when she practices violin
'Cause each note sounds so pure, it just cuts into her
And then the melody comes pouring out her eyes
Now to me everything else, it just sounds like a lie
I met you through a common friend
In the attic of my parents' house
And though I didn't know it then
I soon was finding out
Oh, you are the roots that sleep beneath my feet
And hold the earth in place
Each time a faucet opens, words are spoken
The water runs away
And I hear your name
No, nothing has changed
There was this book I read and loved, the story of a ship
Who sailed around the world and found that nothing else exists
Beyond his own two sails, and wooden shell
And what is held within
All else is sure to pass, we clutch and grasp
And debate what's truly permanent
But when the wind starts to shift
Well, there's no argument
Now, I sing and drink and sleep on floors
And try hard not to be annoyed
By all these people worrying about me
So when I'm suffering through some awful drive
You occasionally cross my mind
It's my hidden hope that you are still among them
Well are you?
Oh, you are the roots that sleep beneath my feet
And hold the earth in place
Each time a curtain opens, sunlight pours in
A lifetime melts away
And we share a name
On some picturesque grave
(x)
I met you through a common friend
In the attic of my parents' house
And though I didn't know it then
I soon was finding out
Oh, you are the roots that sleep beneath my feet
And hold the earth in place
Each time a faucet opens, words are spoken
The water runs away
And I hear your name
No, nothing has changed
There was this book I read and loved, the story of a ship
Who sailed around the world and found that nothing else exists
Beyond his own two sails, and wooden shell
And what is held within
All else is sure to pass, we clutch and grasp
And debate what's truly permanent
But when the wind starts to shift
Well, there's no argument
Now, I sing and drink and sleep on floors
And try hard not to be annoyed
By all these people worrying about me
So when I'm suffering through some awful drive
You occasionally cross my mind
It's my hidden hope that you are still among them
Well are you?
Oh, you are the roots that sleep beneath my feet
And hold the earth in place
Each time a curtain opens, sunlight pours in
A lifetime melts away
And we share a name
On some picturesque grave
It was in the March of the winter I turned seventeen
That I bought those pills I thought I would need
And I wrote a letter to my family
Said it's not your fault, you've been good to me
It's just lately I've been feeling like I don't belong
Like the ground's not mine to walk upon
And I've heard that music echo through the house
Where my grandmother drank by herself
And I sat watching a flower as it was withering
I was embarassed by its honesty
So I'd prefer to be remembered as a smiling face
Not this fucking wreck that's taken its place
So please forgive what I have done
No, you can't stay mad at the setting sun
Because we all get tired, I mean eventually
There is nothing left to do but sleep
But spring came bearing sunlight, those persuasive rays
So I gave myself a few more days
My salvation it came, quite suddenly
When Justin spoke very plainly
He said "Now, of course it's your decision
But just so you know
If you decide to leave, soon I will follow"
I wrote this for a baby who has yet to be born
My brother's first child, I hope that womb's not too warm
'Cause it's cold out here, and it will be quite a shock
To breathe this air, to discover loss
So I'd like to make some changes before you arrive
So when your new eyes meet mine, they won't see no lies
Just love, just love
I will be pure, like snow, like gold
(x)
It was in the March of the winter I turned seventeen
That I bought those pills I thought I would need
And I wrote a letter to my family
Said it's not your fault, you've been good to me
It's just lately I've been feeling like I don't belong
Like the ground's not mine to walk upon
And I've heard that music echo through the house
Where my grandmother drank by herself
And I sat watching a flower as it was withering
I was embarassed by its honesty
So I'd prefer to be remembered as a smiling face
Not this fucking wreck that's taken its place
So please forgive what I have done
No, you can't stay mad at the setting sun
Because we all get tired, I mean eventually
There is nothing left to do but sleep
But spring came bearing sunlight, those persuasive rays
So I gave myself a few more days
My salvation it came, quite suddenly
When Justin spoke very plainly
He said "Now, of course it's your decision
But just so you know
If you decide to leave, soon I will follow"
I wrote this for a baby who has yet to be born
My brother's first child, I hope that womb's not too warm
'Cause it's cold out here, and it will be quite a shock
To breathe this air, to discover loss
So I'd like to make some changes before you arrive
So when your new eyes meet mine, they won't see no lies
Just love, just love
I will be pure, like snow, like gold
Love is real
It is not just in novels or the movies
It is fact
And it is standing here right in front of you
So if you open your eyes, oh what a sweet discovery
There is hope, and there is joy, and there is acceptance
So now let all of the light that collects on your plants
Keep you warm, make you smile
And I will be there with this pen in my hand
To record all the while
You'll be laughing so loud that the house would shake with sound
And everything will be as new as the day it was found
Love is real
It is not just in long distance commercials
Or something that you thought you felt back in high school
So I will turn black and white
Become that horoscope you're reading
It predicts something good is on its way
Oh, and then I will send you the world green and blue
In a box through the mail
You can open it up, hold it right in your hand
And be glad that it's there
And be glad that you're there
You can feel all the knots in your stomach start to untie
And suddenly it's not so hard to say you're all right
Love is real
It is not just in poetry and stories
It is truth, and it will follow you
Everywhere you go from now on
So if you'd just cast off your doubt
Then your lips would answer for you
Oh my darling, when you smile, it is like a song
And I can hear it now
(x)
Love is real
It is not just in novels or the movies
It is fact
And it is standing here right in front of you
So if you open your eyes, oh what a sweet discovery
There is hope, and there is joy, and there is acceptance
So now let all of the light that collects on your plants
Keep you warm, make you smile
And I will be there with this pen in my hand
To record all the while
You'll be laughing so loud that the house would shake with sound
And everything will be as new as the day it was found
Love is real
It is not just in long distance commercials
Or something that you thought you felt back in high school
So I will turn black and white
Become that horoscope you're reading
It predicts something good is on its way
Oh, and then I will send you the world green and blue
In a box through the mail
You can open it up, hold it right in your hand
And be glad that it's there
And be glad that you're there
You can feel all the knots in your stomach start to untie
And suddenly it's not so hard to say you're all right
Love is real
It is not just in poetry and stories
It is truth, and it will follow you
Everywhere you go from now on
So if you'd just cast off your doubt
Then your lips would answer for you
Oh my darling, when you smile, it is like a song
And I can hear it now
Bright Eyes
Fevers and Mirrors
Saddle Creek , 2000
cd, album
(x)
Here's a scale, weigh it out and you'll find, easily
More than sufficient doubt that these colors you see were picked in advance
By some careful hand with an absolute concept of beauty
They are smeared and these blurs come in random order
And they color the eyes of your former lovers
Hers were green like July, except when she cried they were red
Now, I know a disease that these doctors can't treat
You contract on the day you accept all you see
Is a mirror, and a mirror is all it can be-
A reflection of something we're missing
And language just happened, it was never planned
And it's inadequate to describe where I am
In the room of my house where the light's never been
Waiting for this day to end
And these clocks keep unwinding and completely ignore
Everything that we hate or adore
Once the page of a calendar is turned it's no more
So tell me then, what was it for?
Oh tell me, what was it for?
(x)
Here's a scale, weigh it out and you'll find, easily
More than sufficient doubt that these colors you see were picked in advance
By some careful hand with an absolute concept of beauty
They are smeared and these blurs come in random order
And they color the eyes of your former lovers
Hers were green like July, except when she cried they were red
Now, I know a disease that these doctors can't treat
You contract on the day you accept all you see
Is a mirror, and a mirror is all it can be-
A reflection of something we're missing
And language just happened, it was never planned
And it's inadequate to describe where I am
In the room of my house where the light's never been
Waiting for this day to end
And these clocks keep unwinding and completely ignore
Everything that we hate or adore
Once the page of a calendar is turned it's no more
So tell me then, what was it for?
Oh tell me, what was it for?
Does he kiss your eyelids in the morning when you start to raise your head?
And does he sing to you incessantly from the place between your bed and wall?
Does he walk around all day at school with his feet inside your shoes?
Looking down every few steps to pretend he walks with you?
Oh, does he know that place below your neck that is your favorite to be touched?
And does he cry through broken sentences, like 'I love you far too much'?
Does he lay awake listening to your breath?
Worried that you smoke too many cigarettes?
Is he coughing now on a bathroom floor?
For every speck of tile there's a thousand more
You won't ever see, but must hold inside yourself eternally
Well, I drug your ghost across the country and we plotted out my death
In every city, memories would whisper, 'Here is where you rest'
I was determined in Chicago but I dug my teeth into my knees
And I settled for a telephone and sang into your machine
'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine'
And I kissed a girl with a broken jaw that her father gave to her
She had eyes bright enough to burn me, they reminded me of yours
And in a story told she was a little girl in a red-rouge, sun-bruised field
And there were rows of ripe tomatoes where a secret was concealed
And it rose like thunder, clapped under our hands
And it stretched for centuries to a diary entry's end where I wrote,
'You make me happy when skies are gray
You make me happy when skies are gray, and gray, and gray'
Well the clock's heart, it hangs inside its open chest
With hands stretched towards the calendar hanging itself
But I will not weep for those dying days
For all the ones who've left there's a few that've stayed
And they found me here and pulled me from the grass where I was laid
(x)
Does he kiss your eyelids in the morning when you start to raise your head?
And does he sing to you incessantly from the place between your bed and wall?
Does he walk around all day at school with his feet inside your shoes?
Looking down every few steps to pretend he walks with you?
Oh, does he know that place below your neck that is your favorite to be touched?
And does he cry through broken sentences, like 'I love you far too much'?
Does he lay awake listening to your breath?
Worried that you smoke too many cigarettes?
Is he coughing now on a bathroom floor?
For every speck of tile there's a thousand more
You won't ever see, but must hold inside yourself eternally
Well, I drug your ghost across the country and we plotted out my death
In every city, memories would whisper, 'Here is where you rest'
I was determined in Chicago but I dug my teeth into my knees
And I settled for a telephone and sang into your machine
'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine'
And I kissed a girl with a broken jaw that her father gave to her
She had eyes bright enough to burn me, they reminded me of yours
And in a story told she was a little girl in a red-rouge, sun-bruised field
And there were rows of ripe tomatoes where a secret was concealed
And it rose like thunder, clapped under our hands
And it stretched for centuries to a diary entry's end where I wrote,
'You make me happy when skies are gray
You make me happy when skies are gray, and gray, and gray'
Well the clock's heart, it hangs inside its open chest
With hands stretched towards the calendar hanging itself
But I will not weep for those dying days
For all the ones who've left there's a few that've stayed
And they found me here and pulled me from the grass where I was laid
Now and again it seems worse than it is
But mostly the view is accurate
You see your breath in the air as you climb up the stairs
To that coffin you call your apartment
And you sink in the chair, brush the snow from your hair
And drink the cold away
And you're not really sure what you're doing this for
But you need something to fill up the days
A few more hours
There's a dream in my brain that just won't go away
It's been stuck there since it came a few nights ago
I'm standing on a bridge in the town where I lived
As a kid with my mom and my brothers
And then the bridge disappears and I'm standing on air with nothing holding me
And I hang like a star, fucking glow in the dark
For all their starving eyes to see
Like the ones we've wished on, but now I'm confused
Is this death really you?
Do these dreams have any meaning?
No, no, I think it's more like a ghost
That's been following us both
Something vague that we're not seeing
Something more like a feeling
(x)
Now and again it seems worse than it is
But mostly the view is accurate
You see your breath in the air as you climb up the stairs
To that coffin you call your apartment
And you sink in the chair, brush the snow from your hair
And drink the cold away
And you're not really sure what you're doing this for
But you need something to fill up the days
A few more hours
There's a dream in my brain that just won't go away
It's been stuck there since it came a few nights ago
I'm standing on a bridge in the town where I lived
As a kid with my mom and my brothers
And then the bridge disappears and I'm standing on air with nothing holding me
And I hang like a star, fucking glow in the dark
For all their starving eyes to see
Like the ones we've wished on, but now I'm confused
Is this death really you?
Do these dreams have any meaning?
No, no, I think it's more like a ghost
That's been following us both
Something vague that we're not seeing
Something more like a feeling
You follow the footsteps, echoes leading down a hall
To a room, there's music playing, tiny bells with moving parts
Here the shadows make things ugly, an effect quite undesirable
And the gold and yellow daylight grows like ivy across the wall
And it bounces off of the painted porcelain, a tiny dancing doll
Her body spins, as she pirouettes again, the world suddenly seems small
On an off-white, subtle morning
You stretch your legs in the front seat
And the road has made a vacuum where our voices used to be
And you lay your head onto my shoulder, pour like water over me
So if I just exist for the next ten minutes of this drive that would be fine
And all these trees that line this curb would be rejoicing and alive
Soon all the joy that pours from everything makes fountains of your eyes
Because you finally understand the movement of a hand
Waving good-bye
(x)
You follow the footsteps, echoes leading down a hall
To a room, there's music playing, tiny bells with moving parts
Here the shadows make things ugly, an effect quite undesirable
And the gold and yellow daylight grows like ivy across the wall
And it bounces off of the painted porcelain, a tiny dancing doll
Her body spins, as she pirouettes again, the world suddenly seems small
On an off-white, subtle morning
You stretch your legs in the front seat
And the road has made a vacuum where our voices used to be
And you lay your head onto my shoulder, pour like water over me
So if I just exist for the next ten minutes of this drive that would be fine
And all these trees that line this curb would be rejoicing and alive
Soon all the joy that pours from everything makes fountains of your eyes
Because you finally understand the movement of a hand
Waving good-bye
The fragile keep secrets, gathered in pockets
And they'll sell them for nothing, a cheap watch or locket
That kind of gold washes off
And the sad act like lepers, they stick to the shadows
They long to ring bells of warning to tell of their coming
So that the pure can shut their doors
And the angry are animals, senseless and savage
They act without order in logical lapses
They stain their mouths with blood
So take my hand, this barren land is alive tonight
Oh, the corn has grown stalks that form a wall too high
But the wind carries sounds that I can't see from beyond that line
Then the stalks begin to sway
Oh, stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away
Yeah
The wicked are vultures, and they bake in the canyons
They circle in sunlight and wait for their victims
To collapse and call to them
And the desperate are water, they'll run down forever
As they soak into silence and end up together
In a dark and distant, dark and distant place
So don't leave me here, with only mirrors watching me
This house, it holds nothing but the memories
And the moon, it leaves silver but never sleep
And then the sunlight turns to gray
Oh, stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away
(x)
The fragile keep secrets, gathered in pockets
And they'll sell them for nothing, a cheap watch or locket
That kind of gold washes off
And the sad act like lepers, they stick to the shadows
They long to ring bells of warning to tell of their coming
So that the pure can shut their doors
And the angry are animals, senseless and savage
They act without order in logical lapses
They stain their mouths with blood
So take my hand, this barren land is alive tonight
Oh, the corn has grown stalks that form a wall too high
But the wind carries sounds that I can't see from beyond that line
Then the stalks begin to sway
Oh, stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away
Yeah
The wicked are vultures, and they bake in the canyons
They circle in sunlight and wait for their victims
To collapse and call to them
And the desperate are water, they'll run down forever
As they soak into silence and end up together
In a dark and distant, dark and distant place
So don't leave me here, with only mirrors watching me
This house, it holds nothing but the memories
And the moon, it leaves silver but never sleep
And then the sunlight turns to gray
Oh, stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away
Tomorrow when I wake up I'm finding my brother
And I'm making him take me back down to the water
That lake where we sailed and we laughed with our father
I will not desert him, I will not desert him
No matter how I may wish for a coffin so clean
Or these trees to undress all their leaves onto me
I'll put my face in the dirt and then finally I'll see
The sky that has been avoiding me
Well, I started this letter, I'm gonna send it to Ruba
It will be blessed by her eyes on the gulf coast of Florida
With her feet in the sand and one hand on her swimsuit
She'll recite the prayer of my pen
Saying, time take us forward
Relief from this longing
They can land that plane on my heart, I don't care
Just give me November, the warmth of a whisper
In the freezing darkness of my room
But no matter what I would do in attempt to replace
All these pills that I take trying to balance my brain
I see the curious girl with that look on her face
So surprised, she stares out from her display case
(x)
Tomorrow when I wake up I'm finding my brother
And I'm making him take me back down to the water
That lake where we sailed and we laughed with our father
I will not desert him, I will not desert him
No matter how I may wish for a coffin so clean
Or these trees to undress all their leaves onto me
I'll put my face in the dirt and then finally I'll see
The sky that has been avoiding me
Well, I started this letter, I'm gonna send it to Ruba
It will be blessed by her eyes on the gulf coast of Florida
With her feet in the sand and one hand on her swimsuit
She'll recite the prayer of my pen
Saying, time take us forward
Relief from this longing
They can land that plane on my heart, I don't care
Just give me November, the warmth of a whisper
In the freezing darkness of my room
But no matter what I would do in attempt to replace
All these pills that I take trying to balance my brain
I see the curious girl with that look on her face
So surprised, she stares out from her display case
The phone slips from a loose grip
Words were missed like some apology
I didn't want to tell you this
No, it's just some guy she's been hanging out with
I don't know, the past couple of weeks I guess
Thank you and hang up the phone
Let the funeral start, hear the casket close
Let's pin split-black ribbon to your overcoat
But laughter pours from under doors
In this house, I don't understand that sound no more
It seems artificial, like a T.V. set
Well, haligh, haligh, haligh, haligh
This weight it must be satisfied
You offer only one reply
You know not what you do
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed now
A lock of hair you said would prove our love would never die
Well ha ha ha
I remember everything, the words we spoke on freezing South street
And all those morning watching you get ready for school
You combed your hair inside that mirror
The one you painted blue and glued with jewelry tears
Something about those bright colors would always make you feel better
But now we speak with ruined tongues and the words we say aren't meant for anyone
It's just a mumbled sentence to a passing acquaintance
But there was once you
You said you hate my suffering and you understood and you'd take care of me
You'd always be there, well where are you now?
Haligh, haligh, haligh, haligh
The plans were never finalized
But left to hang like yarn and twine dangling before my eyes
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed now
A lock of hair you said would prove our love would never die
And I sing and sing unlawful things, the pleasure that my sadness brings
As my fingers press onto the strings yet another clumsy chord
Haligh, haligh, an awful lie
This weight would now be satisfied
I'm gonna give you only one reply, I know not who I am
But I talk in the mirror to the stranger that appears
Our conversations are circles, always one-sided, nothing is clear
Except we keep coming back to this meaning that I lack
He says the choices were given and now you must live them
Or just not live, but do you want that?
(x)
The phone slips from a loose grip
Words were missed like some apology
I didn't want to tell you this
No, it's just some guy she's been hanging out with
I don't know, the past couple of weeks I guess
Thank you and hang up the phone
Let the funeral start, hear the casket close
Let's pin split-black ribbon to your overcoat
But laughter pours from under doors
In this house, I don't understand that sound no more
It seems artificial, like a T.V. set
Well, haligh, haligh, haligh, haligh
This weight it must be satisfied
You offer only one reply
You know not what you do
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed now
A lock of hair you said would prove our love would never die
Well ha ha ha
I remember everything, the words we spoke on freezing South street
And all those morning watching you get ready for school
You combed your hair inside that mirror
The one you painted blue and glued with jewelry tears
Something about those bright colors would always make you feel better
But now we speak with ruined tongues and the words we say aren't meant for anyone
It's just a mumbled sentence to a passing acquaintance
But there was once you
You said you hate my suffering and you understood and you'd take care of me
You'd always be there, well where are you now?
Haligh, haligh, haligh, haligh
The plans were never finalized
But left to hang like yarn and twine dangling before my eyes
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed now
A lock of hair you said would prove our love would never die
And I sing and sing unlawful things, the pleasure that my sadness brings
As my fingers press onto the strings yet another clumsy chord
Haligh, haligh, an awful lie
This weight would now be satisfied
I'm gonna give you only one reply, I know not who I am
But I talk in the mirror to the stranger that appears
Our conversations are circles, always one-sided, nothing is clear
Except we keep coming back to this meaning that I lack
He says the choices were given and now you must live them
Or just not live, but do you want that?
At the center of the world there's a statue of a girl
She is standing near a well with a bucket bare and dry
I went and looked her in the eyes and she turned me into sand
This clumsy form that I despise, it scattered easy in her hand
And came to rest upon a beach, with a million others there
We sat and waited for the sea to stretch out so that we could disappear
Into the endlessness of blue, into the horror of the truth
See, we are far less than we knew
Yeah, we are far less than we knew
But we knew what we could taste
Girls found honey to drench our hands, the men cut marble to mark our graves
Said, we'll need something to remind us of
All the sweetness that has passed through us
(fresh sangria and lemon tea)
The priest dressed children for choir
(white-robed small voices praise Him)
But found no joy in what was sung
The funeral had begun
In the middle of the day when you drive home to your place
From that job that makes you sleep back to the thoughts that keep you awake
Long after night has come to claim any light that still remains
In the corner of the frame that you put around her face
Two pills just weren't enough
The alarm clock's going off, but you're not waking up
This isn't happening, happening, happening, happening, happening
It is
(x)
At the center of the world there's a statue of a girl
She is standing near a well with a bucket bare and dry
I went and looked her in the eyes and she turned me into sand
This clumsy form that I despise, it scattered easy in her hand
And came to rest upon a beach, with a million others there
We sat and waited for the sea to stretch out so that we could disappear
Into the endlessness of blue, into the horror of the truth
See, we are far less than we knew
Yeah, we are far less than we knew
But we knew what we could taste
Girls found honey to drench our hands, the men cut marble to mark our graves
Said, we'll need something to remind us of
All the sweetness that has passed through us
(fresh sangria and lemon tea)
The priest dressed children for choir
(white-robed small voices praise Him)
But found no joy in what was sung
The funeral had begun
In the middle of the day when you drive home to your place
From that job that makes you sleep back to the thoughts that keep you awake
Long after night has come to claim any light that still remains
In the corner of the frame that you put around her face
Two pills just weren't enough
The alarm clock's going off, but you're not waking up
This isn't happening, happening, happening, happening, happening
It is
Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, swiftly go the days
Sunrise, sunset, you wake up, then you undress, it always is the same
A sunrise and a sunset, you are lying while you confess, keep trying to explain
The sunrise and the sun sets, you realize and then you forget
What you have been trying to retain
But everybody knows that it's all about the things that get stuck inside of your head
Like the songs your roommate sings, a vision of her body as she stretches out on your bed
She raised her hands in the air, asked you
"When was the last time you looked in the mirror?
'Cause you've changed, yeah, you've changed"
Sunrise, sunset, you're hopeful, then you regret, the circle never breaks
With a sunrise and sunset there's a change of heart or address, is there nothing that remains?
For a sunrise or a sunset, you're manic or you're depressed, will you ever feel ok?
For a sunrise and a sunset, your lover is an actress, did you really think she'd stay?
For a sunrise or a sunset, you're either coming or you just left
But you're always on the way
Towards a sunrise or a sunset, a scribble or a sonnet, they are really just the same
To the sunrise or the sunset, the master and his servant have exactly the same fate
It's a sunrise and a sunset, from a cradle to a casket, there is no way to escape
The sunrise and the sunset, hold your sadness like a puppet, keep putting on the play
But everything you do is leading to the point where you just won't know what to do
And at the moment you are laughing, there is someone there who will be laughing louder than you
So it's true, the trick is complete
You've become everything you said you never would be
You're a fool, you're a fool
Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset
The sunrise and the sunset, go home to your apartment
Put the cassette in the tape deck and let that fever play
Sunrise, sunset, where are you, Arienette?
Where are you, Arienette?
(x)
Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, swiftly go the days
Sunrise, sunset, you wake up, then you undress, it always is the same
A sunrise and a sunset, you are lying while you confess, keep trying to explain
The sunrise and the sun sets, you realize and then you forget
What you have been trying to retain
But everybody knows that it's all about the things that get stuck inside of your head
Like the songs your roommate sings, a vision of her body as she stretches out on your bed
She raised her hands in the air, asked you
"When was the last time you looked in the mirror?
'Cause you've changed, yeah, you've changed"
Sunrise, sunset, you're hopeful, then you regret, the circle never breaks
With a sunrise and sunset there's a change of heart or address, is there nothing that remains?
For a sunrise or a sunset, you're manic or you're depressed, will you ever feel ok?
For a sunrise and a sunset, your lover is an actress, did you really think she'd stay?
For a sunrise or a sunset, you're either coming or you just left
But you're always on the way
Towards a sunrise or a sunset, a scribble or a sonnet, they are really just the same
To the sunrise or the sunset, the master and his servant have exactly the same fate
It's a sunrise and a sunset, from a cradle to a casket, there is no way to escape
The sunrise and the sunset, hold your sadness like a puppet, keep putting on the play
But everything you do is leading to the point where you just won't know what to do
And at the moment you are laughing, there is someone there who will be laughing louder than you
So it's true, the trick is complete
You've become everything you said you never would be
You're a fool, you're a fool
Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset
The sunrise and the sunset, go home to your apartment
Put the cassette in the tape deck and let that fever play
Sunrise, sunset, where are you, Arienette?
Where are you, Arienette?
Did you expect it all to stop at the wave of your hand?
Like the sun's just gonna drop if it's night you demand
Well, in the dark we are just air so the house might dissolve
But once we're gone, who's gonna care if we were ever here at all?
Well, summer's gonna come, it's gonna cloud our eyes again
There's no need to focus when there's nothing that's worth seeing
So we trade liquor for blood in an attempt to tip the scales
I think you lost what you loved in that mess of details
They seemed so important at the time but now you can't even recall
Any of the names, faces, or lines, it's more the feeling of it all
Well, winter's gonna end, I'm gonna clean these veins again
So close to dying that I finally can start living
All right
(x)
Did you expect it all to stop at the wave of your hand?
Like the sun's just gonna drop if it's night you demand
Well, in the dark we are just air so the house might dissolve
But once we're gone, who's gonna care if we were ever here at all?
Well, summer's gonna come, it's gonna cloud our eyes again
There's no need to focus when there's nothing that's worth seeing
So we trade liquor for blood in an attempt to tip the scales
I think you lost what you loved in that mess of details
They seemed so important at the time but now you can't even recall
Any of the names, faces, or lines, it's more the feeling of it all
Well, winter's gonna end, I'm gonna clean these veins again
So close to dying that I finally can start living
All right
There's a middle-aged woman, she's dragging her feet
She carries baskets of clothes to a laundromat
While the Mexican children kick rocks into the street
And they laugh in a language I don't understand
But I love them, why do I love them?
The neighborhood's dimming, I smoke on the porch
And watch the people as they pass enclosed inside their cars
On their faces just anger or disappointment
I start wishing there was something I could offer them
A consolation, what could I offer them?
Well, they are sad in their suburbs
Robots water the lawn, and everything they touch gets dusted spotless
So they start to believe they've not touched anything at all
And the cars in the driveway only multiply
They are lost in their houses, I've heard them sing in the shower
Making speeches to their sister on the telephone, saying, You come home
Woman, you come here, don't stay so far away from me
This weather has me wanting love more tangible
Something I can hold 'cause it's getting cold
Let's hold up our fists to the flame in the sky
To block out the light that's reaching for our eyes
Because it would blind us, it will blind us
Now I've locked my actions in the grooves of routine
So I may never be free of this apathy
But I wait for a letter that's coming to me
She sends me pictures of the ocean in an envelope
So there still is hope, yes, I can be healed
There is someone looking for what I've concealed
In my secret drawer, in my pockets deep
You will find the reasons that I can't sleep and you will still want me
But will you still want me?
Come for the week, you can sleep in my bed
And pass through my life like a dream through my head
It will be easy, I'll make it easy
All I have for the moment is a song to pass the time
And a melody to keep me from worrying
Some simple progression to keep my fingers busy
And words that are sure to come back to me, and they will be laughing
My mediocrity, my mediocrity
(x)
There's a middle-aged woman, she's dragging her feet
She carries baskets of clothes to a laundromat
While the Mexican children kick rocks into the street
And they laugh in a language I don't understand
But I love them, why do I love them?
The neighborhood's dimming, I smoke on the porch
And watch the people as they pass enclosed inside their cars
On their faces just anger or disappointment
I start wishing there was something I could offer them
A consolation, what could I offer them?
Well, they are sad in their suburbs
Robots water the lawn, and everything they touch gets dusted spotless
So they start to believe they've not touched anything at all
And the cars in the driveway only multiply
They are lost in their houses, I've heard them sing in the shower
Making speeches to their sister on the telephone, saying, You come home
Woman, you come here, don't stay so far away from me
This weather has me wanting love more tangible
Something I can hold 'cause it's getting cold
Let's hold up our fists to the flame in the sky
To block out the light that's reaching for our eyes
Because it would blind us, it will blind us
Now I've locked my actions in the grooves of routine
So I may never be free of this apathy
But I wait for a letter that's coming to me
She sends me pictures of the ocean in an envelope
So there still is hope, yes, I can be healed
There is someone looking for what I've concealed
In my secret drawer, in my pockets deep
You will find the reasons that I can't sleep and you will still want me
But will you still want me?
Come for the week, you can sleep in my bed
And pass through my life like a dream through my head
It will be easy, I'll make it easy
All I have for the moment is a song to pass the time
And a melody to keep me from worrying
Some simple progression to keep my fingers busy
And words that are sure to come back to me, and they will be laughing
My mediocrity, my mediocrity
Radio: Hi, we're back. This is Radio KX and we're here with Conor Oberst of the band Bright Eyes. How are you doing Conor?
Conor: Fine, thanks. Just a little wet
Radio: Oh yeah, it's still coming down out there
Conor: Yeah, I sort of had to run from the car
Radio: Well, we are glad you made it. Now your new album, Fevers and Mirrors. Tell us a little bit about the title. I noticed there was a good deal of repeated imagery in the lyrics, fevers . . . mirrors, scales, clocks. Could you discuss some of this?
Conor: Sure. Let's see, the fever is . . .
Radio: First let me say, that this is a brilliant record, man, we're all really into it here at the station. We get lots of calls, it's really good stuff
Conor: Thanks, thanks a lot
Radio: So talk a little bit about some of the symbolism
Conor: The fever?
Radio: Sure
Conor: Well the fever is basically whatever ails you or oppresses you, it could be anything. In my case it's my neurosis, my depression, but I don't want to be limited to that. It's certainly different for different people. It's whatever keeps you up at night
Radio: I see
Conor: And then the mirror is like, as you might have guessed, self-examination or reflection or whatever form. This could be vanity or self-loathing. I don't know, I'm guilty of both
Radio: That's interesting. How about the scale?
Conor: The scale is essentially our attempt to solve our problems quantitatively through logic or rationalization. In my opinion it's often fruitless, but always, well, not always. And the clocks and calendars, etcetera, its just time, our little measurements. It's like, it's always chasing after us
Radio: It is, it is. How about this Arienette, how does she fit in to all of this?
Conor: I'd prefer not talk about it, in case she's listening
Radio: Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize she was a real person
Conor: She's not, but I made her up
Radio: Oh, so she's not real?
Conor: Just as real as you or I
Radio: I don't think I understand
Conor: Neither do I, but after I grow up I will. I mean, you know what, a lot of things are really unclear for me right now
Radio: That's interesting. Now you mentioned your depression
Conor: No I didn't
Radio: You're from Nebraska, right?
Conor: Yeah, that's right
Radio: Now let me know if I'm getting to personal, but there seems to be a pretty dark past back there somewhere. What was it like for you growing up?
Conor: Dark? Not really. Actually I had a great childhood. My parents were wonderful. I went to a Catholic school. They have, I had money, so it was all easy. I basically had everything that I wanted anytime
Radio: Really? So some of the references like babies in bathtubs are not biographical?
Conor: Well I did have a brother who died in a bathtub . . . he drowned. Well actually I had five brothers that drowned
Radio: (Chuckle)
Conor: No, I'm serious. My mother drowned one every year for five consecutive years. They were all named Padraic, and that's why they only got one song. It's kind of like walking out a door and discovering that it's a window
Radio: But your music is certainly very personal
Conor: Of course, I put a lot of myself into what I do. It's like being an author, you have to free yourself to use symbolism and allegory to meet your goal. And part of that is compassion, empathy for other people and their situations. Some of what I sing about comes from other people's experiences. It shouldn't matter, the message is intended to be universal
Radio: I see what you mean
Conor: Could you make that sound stop, please?
Radio: Yes. And your goal?
Conor: I don't know. Create feelings I guess. A song never ends up the way you planned it
Radio: That's funny you'd say that, do you think that . . .
Conor: Do you ever hear things that aren't really there?
Radio: I'm sorry, what?
Conor: Never mind. How long have you worked at this station?
Radio: Oh, just a few minutes. Now you mentioned empathy for others. Would you say that that motivates you to make the music that you make?
Conor: No, not really. It's more a need for sympathy. I want people to feel sorry for me. I like to feel the burn of the audience's eyes on me when I'm revealing all my darkest secrets into the microphone. When I was a kid I used to carry a safety pin around with me every where I went in my pocket, and when people weren't paying enough attention to me, I'd dig it into my arm until I started crying. Everyone would stop what they were doing and ask me what was the matter. I guess, I guess I kind of liked that
Radio: Really, you're telling me that you're doing all of this for attention?
Conor: No, I hate it when people look at me, I get nauseous. In fact, I could care less what people think about me. Do you feel that?
Radio: No, I feel sick
Conor: I really just want to be this warm yellow light that pours over everyone that I love
Radio: So you're going to play something for us now? Is this a new song?
Conor: Yeah, but I haven't written it yet. It's one I've been meaning to write called A Song To Pass The Time
Radio: Oh, that's a nice title
Conor: You should write your own scripts
Radio: Yeah, I know
(x)
Radio: Hi, we're back. This is Radio KX and we're here with Conor Oberst of the band Bright Eyes. How are you doing Conor?
Conor: Fine, thanks. Just a little wet
Radio: Oh yeah, it's still coming down out there
Conor: Yeah, I sort of had to run from the car
Radio: Well, we are glad you made it. Now your new album, Fevers and Mirrors. Tell us a little bit about the title. I noticed there was a good deal of repeated imagery in the lyrics, fevers . . . mirrors, scales, clocks. Could you discuss some of this?
Conor: Sure. Let's see, the fever is . . .
Radio: First let me say, that this is a brilliant record, man, we're all really into it here at the station. We get lots of calls, it's really good stuff
Conor: Thanks, thanks a lot
Radio: So talk a little bit about some of the symbolism
Conor: The fever?
Radio: Sure
Conor: Well the fever is basically whatever ails you or oppresses you, it could be anything. In my case it's my neurosis, my depression, but I don't want to be limited to that. It's certainly different for different people. It's whatever keeps you up at night
Radio: I see
Conor: And then the mirror is like, as you might have guessed, self-examination or reflection or whatever form. This could be vanity or self-loathing. I don't know, I'm guilty of both
Radio: That's interesting. How about the scale?
Conor: The scale is essentially our attempt to solve our problems quantitatively through logic or rationalization. In my opinion it's often fruitless, but always, well, not always. And the clocks and calendars, etcetera, its just time, our little measurements. It's like, it's always chasing after us
Radio: It is, it is. How about this Arienette, how does she fit in to all of this?
Conor: I'd prefer not talk about it, in case she's listening
Radio: Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize she was a real person
Conor: She's not, but I made her up
Radio: Oh, so she's not real?
Conor: Just as real as you or I
Radio: I don't think I understand
Conor: Neither do I, but after I grow up I will. I mean, you know what, a lot of things are really unclear for me right now
Radio: That's interesting. Now you mentioned your depression
Conor: No I didn't
Radio: You're from Nebraska, right?
Conor: Yeah, that's right
Radio: Now let me know if I'm getting to personal, but there seems to be a pretty dark past back there somewhere. What was it like for you growing up?
Conor: Dark? Not really. Actually I had a great childhood. My parents were wonderful. I went to a Catholic school. They have, I had money, so it was all easy. I basically had everything that I wanted anytime
Radio: Really? So some of the references like babies in bathtubs are not biographical?
Conor: Well I did have a brother who died in a bathtub . . . he drowned. Well actually I had five brothers that drowned
Radio: (Chuckle)
Conor: No, I'm serious. My mother drowned one every year for five consecutive years. They were all named Padraic, and that's why they only got one song. It's kind of like walking out a door and discovering that it's a window
Radio: But your music is certainly very personal
Conor: Of course, I put a lot of myself into what I do. It's like being an author, you have to free yourself to use symbolism and allegory to meet your goal. And part of that is compassion, empathy for other people and their situations. Some of what I sing about comes from other people's experiences. It shouldn't matter, the message is intended to be universal
Radio: I see what you mean
Conor: Could you make that sound stop, please?
Radio: Yes. And your goal?
Conor: I don't know. Create feelings I guess. A song never ends up the way you planned it
Radio: That's funny you'd say that, do you think that . . .
Conor: Do you ever hear things that aren't really there?
Radio: I'm sorry, what?
Conor: Never mind. How long have you worked at this station?
Radio: Oh, just a few minutes. Now you mentioned empathy for others. Would you say that that motivates you to make the music that you make?
Conor: No, not really. It's more a need for sympathy. I want people to feel sorry for me. I like to feel the burn of the audience's eyes on me when I'm revealing all my darkest secrets into the microphone. When I was a kid I used to carry a safety pin around with me every where I went in my pocket, and when people weren't paying enough attention to me, I'd dig it into my arm until I started crying. Everyone would stop what they were doing and ask me what was the matter. I guess, I guess I kind of liked that
Radio: Really, you're telling me that you're doing all of this for attention?
Conor: No, I hate it when people look at me, I get nauseous. In fact, I could care less what people think about me. Do you feel that?
Radio: No, I feel sick
Conor: I really just want to be this warm yellow light that pours over everyone that I love
Radio: So you're going to play something for us now? Is this a new song?
Conor: Yeah, but I haven't written it yet. It's one I've been meaning to write called A Song To Pass The Time
Radio: Oh, that's a nice title
Conor: You should write your own scripts
Radio: Yeah, I know
Bright Eyes
Lifted or The Story is in the Soil Keep Your Ear to the Ground
Saddle Creek , 2002
cd, album
(x)
There's no beginning to the story
A bookshelf sinks into the sand
And a language learned and forgot in turn
Is studied once again
It's a shocking bit of footage
Viewed from a shitty tv screen
You can squint at it
Just snow and static
To make out the meaning
And keep on stretching the antenna
Hoping that it will come clear
We need some reception
A higher message
Just tell us what to fear
'Cause I don't know what tomorrow brings
To light with such possibilities
All I know is I feel better when I sing
Burdens are lifted from me
That's my voice rising
So Michael please keep the tape rolling
Boys keep strumming those guitars
We need a record of our failures
Yes we must document our love
I have sat too long in my silence
I have grown too old in my pain
To shed this skin
Be born again
Oh it starts with an ending
So thank you friends for the time we shared
My love stays with you like sunlight and air
No I truly wish I could keep hanging around here
My joy is covering me
Soon I will disappear
It's not a movie
No private screening
This method acting
Well I call it living
It's like a fountain
A door has opened
We have a problem
With no solution but to love
And to be loved
So I've made peace with the fallen leaves
I see their same fate in my own body
But I won't be frightened when I'm awoken from this dream
And return to that which gave birth to me
Gave birth to me gave birth to me gave birth to me
And the story goes and the story goes
And it goes on and on and on and on
It's going on and on and on and on
(x)
There's no beginning to the story
A bookshelf sinks into the sand
And a language learned and forgot in turn
Is studied once again
It's a shocking bit of footage
Viewed from a shitty tv screen
You can squint at it
Just snow and static
To make out the meaning
And keep on stretching the antenna
Hoping that it will come clear
We need some reception
A higher message
Just tell us what to fear
'Cause I don't know what tomorrow brings
To light with such possibilities
All I know is I feel better when I sing
Burdens are lifted from me
That's my voice rising
So Michael please keep the tape rolling
Boys keep strumming those guitars
We need a record of our failures
Yes we must document our love
I have sat too long in my silence
I have grown too old in my pain
To shed this skin
Be born again
Oh it starts with an ending
So thank you friends for the time we shared
My love stays with you like sunlight and air
No I truly wish I could keep hanging around here
My joy is covering me
Soon I will disappear
It's not a movie
No private screening
This method acting
Well I call it living
It's like a fountain
A door has opened
We have a problem
With no solution but to love
And to be loved
So I've made peace with the fallen leaves
I see their same fate in my own body
But I won't be frightened when I'm awoken from this dream
And return to that which gave birth to me
Gave birth to me gave birth to me gave birth to me
And the story goes and the story goes
And it goes on and on and on and on
It's going on and on and on and on
On a string
On a string
on a string
I was held
The way I moved, can't you tell
My actions are orchestrated from above
And so I swing and I'll sway
Wave my hand, kick my leg
And it's always right with the music
(katie and tiffany: till all that swaying starts to make you sad)
For a song, I was bought
Now I lie, when I talk
With a careful eye on the cue card
Onto a stage, I was pushed
With my sorrow well rehearsed
So give me all your pity and your money now
All of it
(katie and tiffany: we used to think that sound was something pure)
But if I could act like this was my real life
And not some cage where I was placed
Well then I could tell you
The truth like I used to
And not be afraid of sounding fake
Not while all you were listening for was the mistakes
(katie: sorry!)
It's alright
One, two, three!
One, two, three!
In a house by myself
I hear the ice start to melt
And I watched the rooftops weep for the sunlight
And I know what must change
Fuck my face, fuck my name
They are brief and false advertisements
For a soul, I don't have
Something true I have lacked
I spent my whole life trying to make up for it
But I found, in a song
And I'll repeat
It will lift me up out of darkness
And now my door
It stands open, I'm inviting all of you in
We're gonna laugh, we're gonna drink
Until the morning comes
That's what we're gonna do!
Come on!
Come on!
(x)
On a string
On a string
on a string
I was held
The way I moved, can't you tell
My actions are orchestrated from above
And so I swing and I'll sway
Wave my hand, kick my leg
And it's always right with the music
(katie and tiffany: till all that swaying starts to make you sad)
For a song, I was bought
Now I lie, when I talk
With a careful eye on the cue card
Onto a stage, I was pushed
With my sorrow well rehearsed
So give me all your pity and your money now
All of it
(katie and tiffany: we used to think that sound was something pure)
But if I could act like this was my real life
And not some cage where I was placed
Well then I could tell you
The truth like I used to
And not be afraid of sounding fake
Not while all you were listening for was the mistakes
(katie: sorry!)
It's alright
One, two, three!
One, two, three!
In a house by myself
I hear the ice start to melt
And I watched the rooftops weep for the sunlight
And I know what must change
Fuck my face, fuck my name
They are brief and false advertisements
For a soul, I don't have
Something true I have lacked
I spent my whole life trying to make up for it
But I found, in a song
And I'll repeat
It will lift me up out of darkness
And now my door
It stands open, I'm inviting all of you in
We're gonna laugh, we're gonna drink
Until the morning comes
That's what we're gonna do!
Come on!
Come on!
Well, you say that I treat you like a book on a shelf
I don't take you out that often
'Cause I know that I completed you
And that's why you are here
That's the reason you stay here
How awful that must feel
You said you'd be my dream
I could have you every night
And if by morning I'd forgotten you
Well, no big deal, that'd be all right
'Cause you're the re-occuring kind
You are the re-occuring kind
You never really leave my mind
Are you the love of my lifetime
'Cause there's been times I've had my doubts
We were just kids when I first kissed you
In the attic of my parents' house
And I wish we were there now
I took so long to figure out
What this book has been about
Now I write when I'm away
Letters that you'll never read
You said 'Go explore those other women
The geography of their bodies
But there's just one map you'll need
You're a boomerang you'll see
You will return to me
Yeah you will you will you will'
Well, if you don't think this book's all lies
If you don't think my plans would all be ruined
I'll start drinking like the way I drank before
And I just won't have a future anymore
(x)
Well, you say that I treat you like a book on a shelf
I don't take you out that often
'Cause I know that I completed you
And that's why you are here
That's the reason you stay here
How awful that must feel
You said you'd be my dream
I could have you every night
And if by morning I'd forgotten you
Well, no big deal, that'd be all right
'Cause you're the re-occuring kind
You are the re-occuring kind
You never really leave my mind
Are you the love of my lifetime
'Cause there's been times I've had my doubts
We were just kids when I first kissed you
In the attic of my parents' house
And I wish we were there now
I took so long to figure out
What this book has been about
Now I write when I'm away
Letters that you'll never read
You said 'Go explore those other women
The geography of their bodies
But there's just one map you'll need
You're a boomerang you'll see
You will return to me
Yeah you will you will you will'
Well, if you don't think this book's all lies
If you don't think my plans would all be ruined
I'll start drinking like the way I drank before
And I just won't have a future anymore
I picked you out
Of a crowd to talk to you
Said I liked your shoes
You said thanks can I follow you?
So it's up the stairs
And out of view
No prying eyes
I poured some wine
I asked your name you asked the time
Well it's two o'clock
Yeah the club is closed we're up the block
Your hands on me
Pressing hard against your jeans
Your tongue in my mouth
Trying to keep the words from coming out
You didn't care to know
Who else may have been here before
I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a girl who's to sad to give a fuck
Where's the kid with the chemicals?
I thought he said he'd meet us here but I'm not sure
I got the money if you got the time
He said it feels good I said I'll give it a try
Then my mind went dark
We both forgot where your car was parked
Let's just take the train
I'll meet up with the band in the morning
Bad actors with bad habits
Some sad singers
They just play tragic
Now the phone's ringing
And the band's leaving
Let's just keep touching
Let's just keep keep singing
I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a boy who's so drunk he doesn't talk
Where's the kid with the chemicals
I got a hunger and I can't seem to get full
I need some meaning I can memorize
The kind I have always seems to slip my mind
But you but you
You write such pretty words
But life's no story book
Love is an excuse to get hurt
And to hurt
Do you like to hurt?
'Cause I do I do I do
This didn't hurt me
Didn't hurt me
Oh this hurt me
(x)
I picked you out
Of a crowd to talk to you
Said I liked your shoes
You said thanks can I follow you?
So it's up the stairs
And out of view
No prying eyes
I poured some wine
I asked your name you asked the time
Well it's two o'clock
Yeah the club is closed we're up the block
Your hands on me
Pressing hard against your jeans
Your tongue in my mouth
Trying to keep the words from coming out
You didn't care to know
Who else may have been here before
I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a girl who's to sad to give a fuck
Where's the kid with the chemicals?
I thought he said he'd meet us here but I'm not sure
I got the money if you got the time
He said it feels good I said I'll give it a try
Then my mind went dark
We both forgot where your car was parked
Let's just take the train
I'll meet up with the band in the morning
Bad actors with bad habits
Some sad singers
They just play tragic
Now the phone's ringing
And the band's leaving
Let's just keep touching
Let's just keep keep singing
I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a boy who's so drunk he doesn't talk
Where's the kid with the chemicals
I got a hunger and I can't seem to get full
I need some meaning I can memorize
The kind I have always seems to slip my mind
But you but you
You write such pretty words
But life's no story book
Love is an excuse to get hurt
And to hurt
Do you like to hurt?
'Cause I do I do I do
This didn't hurt me
Didn't hurt me
Oh this hurt me
The rain it started tappin'
On the window near my bed
There was a loophole in my dreamin'
So I got out of it
And to my surprise my eyes were wide and already open
Just my nightstand and my dresser
Where those nightmares had just been
So I dressed myself and left then
Out into the gray streets
But everything seemed different
And completely new to me
The sky the trees, houses, buildings, even my own body
And each person I encountered
I couldn't wait to meet
And I came upon a doctor
Who appeared in quite poor health
I said there's nothing I can do for you that you can't do for yourself
He said oh yes you can, just hold my hand, so I sat with him awhile
Then I asked him how he felt
He said I think I'm cured
No, in fact, I'm sure of it
Thank you, stranger
For your therapeutic smile
So that's how I learned the lesson
That everyone's alone
And your eyes must do some raining
If you're ever gonna grow
And when crying don't help
You can't compose yourself
It's best to compose a poem
An honest verse of longing
Or a simple song of hope
That's why I'm singing baby don't worry
'Cause now I got your back
And every time you feel like crying
I'm gonna try and make you laugh
And if I can't
If it just hurts too bad
Then we'll wait for it to pass
And I will keep you company for those days so long and black
And we'll keep working on the problem
We know we'll never solve
Our love's un-even remainders
Our lives are fractions of a whole
But if the world could remain within a frame
Like a painting on a wall
Then I think we'd see the beauty then
We'd stand staring in awe
At our still lives posed
Like a bowl of oranges
Like a story told
By the fault-lines in the soil
(x)
The rain it started tappin'
On the window near my bed
There was a loophole in my dreamin'
So I got out of it
And to my surprise my eyes were wide and already open
Just my nightstand and my dresser
Where those nightmares had just been
So I dressed myself and left then
Out into the gray streets
But everything seemed different
And completely new to me
The sky the trees, houses, buildings, even my own body
And each person I encountered
I couldn't wait to meet
And I came upon a doctor
Who appeared in quite poor health
I said there's nothing I can do for you that you can't do for yourself
He said oh yes you can, just hold my hand, so I sat with him awhile
Then I asked him how he felt
He said I think I'm cured
No, in fact, I'm sure of it
Thank you, stranger
For your therapeutic smile
So that's how I learned the lesson
That everyone's alone
And your eyes must do some raining
If you're ever gonna grow
And when crying don't help
You can't compose yourself
It's best to compose a poem
An honest verse of longing
Or a simple song of hope
That's why I'm singing baby don't worry
'Cause now I got your back
And every time you feel like crying
I'm gonna try and make you laugh
And if I can't
If it just hurts too bad
Then we'll wait for it to pass
And I will keep you company for those days so long and black
And we'll keep working on the problem
We know we'll never solve
Our love's un-even remainders
Our lives are fractions of a whole
But if the world could remain within a frame
Like a painting on a wall
Then I think we'd see the beauty then
We'd stand staring in awe
At our still lives posed
Like a bowl of oranges
Like a story told
By the fault-lines in the soil
Is it true what they say about the son of God?
Did he come for us or did he come at all?
And if I washed his feet with my dirty hair would he make me cleanagain?
Well, they don't know when but a day's gonna come
When there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun
It's gonna all go black, it's gonna all go back
To the way it was before
I knew a lovely girl with such pretty pride
Every man wanted her, yeah, and so did I, yeah, and so did I
But she up and died in a fit of vanity
Now men with purple hearts carry silver guns and they'llkill a man for what his father's done
But what my father did, no, it don't mean shit, I'm not him
But still it's hard to ignore all the news reports
That say we must defend ourselves and fight on foreign soil against the infidels with the oil wells
God saves gas prices
You think I need some discipline well, I've had my share
I've been sent to my room and I've sat in a chair
I held my tongue, I didn't plug my ears, no, I had a good talking to
And I don't know why, but I still try to smile when they talk at me like I'm just a child
But I'm not a child, even though I am much younger than that[them?]
Well, I've read some books and I've grown quite brave
If I could just speak up I think that I would say that there is no truth
No, there is only you and what you make the truth
So, I'll sing some songs and I'll pass a hat
And I'll leave your town and I'll never look back
No, I won't look back 'cause the road is clear and laid out ahead of me
When I get home I'll meet my friends at our favorite bar
We'll get some lighter heads for our heavy hearts
Yeah, we'll share a drink, we will share our fears
And they will know how I love them
Yeah, they will know how I love, they will know how I love them
I'm nothing without their love
Well, they don't know when but a day's gonna come
When there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun
It's gonna just go black, it's gonna just go back to the way it's supposed to be
Is it true what they say about the son of God?
Did he die for us or did he die at all?
If I sold my soul, for a bag of gold to you which one of us would be the foolish one?
Which one of us would be the fool? Which one of us would bethe foolish one?
Could you please start explaining? I think I need some understanding
Could you please start explaining? You know I need some understanding
Could you please start explaining? You know I wanna understand
(x)
Is it true what they say about the son of God?
Did he come for us or did he come at all?
And if I washed his feet with my dirty hair would he make me cleanagain?
Well, they don't know when but a day's gonna come
When there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun
It's gonna all go black, it's gonna all go back
To the way it was before
I knew a lovely girl with such pretty pride
Every man wanted her, yeah, and so did I, yeah, and so did I
But she up and died in a fit of vanity
Now men with purple hearts carry silver guns and they'llkill a man for what his father's done
But what my father did, no, it don't mean shit, I'm not him
But still it's hard to ignore all the news reports
That say we must defend ourselves and fight on foreign soil against the infidels with the oil wells
God saves gas prices
You think I need some discipline well, I've had my share
I've been sent to my room and I've sat in a chair
I held my tongue, I didn't plug my ears, no, I had a good talking to
And I don't know why, but I still try to smile when they talk at me like I'm just a child
But I'm not a child, even though I am much younger than that[them?]
Well, I've read some books and I've grown quite brave
If I could just speak up I think that I would say that there is no truth
No, there is only you and what you make the truth
So, I'll sing some songs and I'll pass a hat
And I'll leave your town and I'll never look back
No, I won't look back 'cause the road is clear and laid out ahead of me
When I get home I'll meet my friends at our favorite bar
We'll get some lighter heads for our heavy hearts
Yeah, we'll share a drink, we will share our fears
And they will know how I love them
Yeah, they will know how I love, they will know how I love them
I'm nothing without their love
Well, they don't know when but a day's gonna come
When there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun
It's gonna just go black, it's gonna just go back to the way it's supposed to be
Is it true what they say about the son of God?
Did he die for us or did he die at all?
If I sold my soul, for a bag of gold to you which one of us would be the foolish one?
Which one of us would be the fool? Which one of us would bethe foolish one?
Could you please start explaining? I think I need some understanding
Could you please start explaining? You know I need some understanding
Could you please start explaining? You know I wanna understand
Well the future's got me worried
Such awful thoughts
My head's a carousel of pictures
The spinning never stops
I just want someone to walk in front
And not follow the leader
Like when I fell under the weight of a schoolboy crush
Started carrying her books and doing lots of drugs
I almost forgot who I was
But I came to my senses
Now I'm trying to be assertive
I'm making plans
Gonna rise to the occasion yeah
Meet all their demands
But all I do is just lay in bed
And hide under the covers
Yeah I know I should be brave
But i'm just too afraid of all this change
And it's too hard to focus through all this doubt
I keep making these to-do lists but nothing gets crossed out
Working on the record seems pointless now
When the world ends who's gonna hear it?
But I'm trying to take some comfort in written words
Yeah, Tim, I heard your album and it's better than good
When we get off tour I think we should
Hang and black out together
'Cause I been feeling sentimental for days gone by
All the summers singing, drinking, my friend
Wasting our time
Remember all the songs and the way we smiled
In those basements made of music
But now I've got to crawl to get anywhere at all
I'm not as strong as I thought
So when I'm lost in a crowd
I hope that you'll pick me out
How I long to be found
The grass grew high, I laid down
Now I'm waiting for a hand
To lift me up, help me stand
I've been laying so low
Don't wanna lay here no more
Don't wanna lay here no more
Everything that happens is supposed to be
And it's all predetermined can't change your destiny
Guess I'll just keep moving
Someday maybe I'll get to where I'm going
(x)
Well the future's got me worried
Such awful thoughts
My head's a carousel of pictures
The spinning never stops
I just want someone to walk in front
And not follow the leader
Like when I fell under the weight of a schoolboy crush
Started carrying her books and doing lots of drugs
I almost forgot who I was
But I came to my senses
Now I'm trying to be assertive
I'm making plans
Gonna rise to the occasion yeah
Meet all their demands
But all I do is just lay in bed
And hide under the covers
Yeah I know I should be brave
But i'm just too afraid of all this change
And it's too hard to focus through all this doubt
I keep making these to-do lists but nothing gets crossed out
Working on the record seems pointless now
When the world ends who's gonna hear it?
But I'm trying to take some comfort in written words
Yeah, Tim, I heard your album and it's better than good
When we get off tour I think we should
Hang and black out together
'Cause I been feeling sentimental for days gone by
All the summers singing, drinking, my friend
Wasting our time
Remember all the songs and the way we smiled
In those basements made of music
But now I've got to crawl to get anywhere at all
I'm not as strong as I thought
So when I'm lost in a crowd
I hope that you'll pick me out
How I long to be found
The grass grew high, I laid down
Now I'm waiting for a hand
To lift me up, help me stand
I've been laying so low
Don't wanna lay here no more
Don't wanna lay here no more
Everything that happens is supposed to be
And it's all predetermined can't change your destiny
Guess I'll just keep moving
Someday maybe I'll get to where I'm going
Our love is dead but without limit
Like the surface of the moon
Or the land between here and the mountains
It is not these hiding places that have kept us innocent
But the way you taught me to just let it all go back
So we learn to be as faithless
Stand behind bulletproof glass
Exchanging our affections through a drawer
It was always horribly convenient and happening too fast
You should count your change before you're even out the door
Well, yes you should, but please return, return
To the person that you were, and I will do the same
'Cause it's too hard to belong to someone who is gone
My compass spins, but wilderness remains
Once too often I've retreated into the depths of my despair
I built a barricade to block you on the road
But standing there with all of my possessions piled higher than a house
I felt closer to you than you ever would have known
So let's let all these tiny acts of charity become ground on which tobuild
A monument to commemorate our time
And though you say you've found another who will surely speed you on your way
Don't let the forest grow over that path you came there by
But you will, so, so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him with your kindness
And he'll make war, oh, war, on who you were before
And claim all that has spoiled in your heart
But now I tell myself I've mended under these patches of blue sky
There's still a few holes that let in a little rain
And so it's crying on my shingles
My floorboards moan under my feet
The refrigerator's whining so I've got reason to complain
But I'm not gonna bless you with such compliments
Some degrading song of praise
Like the kind that converted you to me so long ago
Because the truth is that gossip's as good as gospel in this town
You can save face but you won't ever save your soul
And that's a fact so, so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him in your likeness
And he'll become, become, oh, the prisoner I was
And know all that has spoiled in your heart
Yeah, he'll know it all
He'll know all that has spoiled in your heart
so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him with your kindness
And he'll make war, oh, war, on who you were before
And claim all that has spoiled in your heart
(x)
Our love is dead but without limit
Like the surface of the moon
Or the land between here and the mountains
It is not these hiding places that have kept us innocent
But the way you taught me to just let it all go back
So we learn to be as faithless
Stand behind bulletproof glass
Exchanging our affections through a drawer
It was always horribly convenient and happening too fast
You should count your change before you're even out the door
Well, yes you should, but please return, return
To the person that you were, and I will do the same
'Cause it's too hard to belong to someone who is gone
My compass spins, but wilderness remains
Once too often I've retreated into the depths of my despair
I built a barricade to block you on the road
But standing there with all of my possessions piled higher than a house
I felt closer to you than you ever would have known
So let's let all these tiny acts of charity become ground on which tobuild
A monument to commemorate our time
And though you say you've found another who will surely speed you on your way
Don't let the forest grow over that path you came there by
But you will, so, so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him with your kindness
And he'll make war, oh, war, on who you were before
And claim all that has spoiled in your heart
But now I tell myself I've mended under these patches of blue sky
There's still a few holes that let in a little rain
And so it's crying on my shingles
My floorboards moan under my feet
The refrigerator's whining so I've got reason to complain
But I'm not gonna bless you with such compliments
Some degrading song of praise
Like the kind that converted you to me so long ago
Because the truth is that gossip's as good as gospel in this town
You can save face but you won't ever save your soul
And that's a fact so, so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him in your likeness
And he'll become, become, oh, the prisoner I was
And know all that has spoiled in your heart
Yeah, he'll know it all
He'll know all that has spoiled in your heart
so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him with your kindness
And he'll make war, oh, war, on who you were before
And claim all that has spoiled in your heart
I have a friend, he's mostly made of pain
He wakes up, drives to work and straight back home again
He once cut one of my nightmares out of paper
I thought it was beautiful, I put it on a record cover
And I tried to tell him that he had a sense
Of color and composition so magnificent
And he said thank you, please, but your flattery
It is truly not becoming me
Your eyes are poor, you're blind, you see
No beauty ever could have come from me
I'm a waste
Of breath, of space, of time
I knew a woman she was dignified and true
Her love for her man was one of her many virtues
Until one day she found out that he had lied
And decided the rest of her life from that point on would be a lie
She was grateful for everything that had happened
And she was anxious for all that would come next
But then she wept, what did you expect
In that big old house with the cars she kept
Such is life, she often said
With one day leading to the next
You get a little closer to your death
Which was fine with her, she never got upset
And with all the days she may have left
She would never clean another mess
Or fold his shirts, or look her best
She was free
To waste away alone
Last night my brother, he got drunk and drove
And this cop, he pulled him off to the side of the road
And he said officer, officer, you've got the wrong man
No, no, I'm a student of medicine, a son of a banker, you don't understand
The cop said No one got hurt, you should be thankful
And your carelessness, it is something awful
And no I can't just let you go
And though your father's name is known
Your decisions now are yours alone
You're nothing but a stepping stone on a path
To debt, to loss, to shame
The last few months I've been living with this couple
Yeah, you know the kind who buy everything in doubles
Yeah, they fit together like a puzzle
I love their love and I am thankful
That someone actually receives the prize that was promised
By all those fairy tales that drugged us
And still to me I'm sick, lonely
No laurel tree, just green envy
Will my number come up eventually
Like love's some kind of lottery
Where you scratch and see what's underneath
It's sorry
Just one cherry
I'll play again, get lucky
So now I hang out down by the train's depot
No, I don't ride, I just sit and watch the people there
They remind me of wind-up cars in motion
They way they spin and turn and jockey for positions
And I wanna scream out that it all is nonsense
Their life's one track and can't they see it's pointless?
But just then my knees give under me
My head feels weak and suddenly
It's clear to see, it's not them, but me
Who's lost my self-identity
And I hide behind these books I read
While scribbling my poetry
Like art could save a wretch like me
With some ideal ideology
That no one could hope to achieve
And I'm never real, it's just a sketch of me
And everything I've made is trite and cheap and a waste
Of paint
Of tape
Of time
So I park my car down by the cathedral
Where the floodlights point up at the steeples
Choir practice is filling up with people
I hear the sound escaping as an echo
Sloping off the ceiling at an angle
When the voices blend they sound like angels
I hope there's some room still in the middle
But when lift my voice up now to reach them
The range is too high way up in heaven
So I hold my tongue, forget the song
Tie my shoes, start walking off
And try to just keep moving on
With my broken heart and my absent god
And I have no faith but it's all I want
To be loved
And believe
In my soul, in my soul
(x)
I have a friend, he's mostly made of pain
He wakes up, drives to work and straight back home again
He once cut one of my nightmares out of paper
I thought it was beautiful, I put it on a record cover
And I tried to tell him that he had a sense
Of color and composition so magnificent
And he said thank you, please, but your flattery
It is truly not becoming me
Your eyes are poor, you're blind, you see
No beauty ever could have come from me
I'm a waste
Of breath, of space, of time
I knew a woman she was dignified and true
Her love for her man was one of her many virtues
Until one day she found out that he had lied
And decided the rest of her life from that point on would be a lie
She was grateful for everything that had happened
And she was anxious for all that would come next
But then she wept, what did you expect
In that big old house with the cars she kept
Such is life, she often said
With one day leading to the next
You get a little closer to your death
Which was fine with her, she never got upset
And with all the days she may have left
She would never clean another mess
Or fold his shirts, or look her best
She was free
To waste away alone
Last night my brother, he got drunk and drove
And this cop, he pulled him off to the side of the road
And he said officer, officer, you've got the wrong man
No, no, I'm a student of medicine, a son of a banker, you don't understand
The cop said No one got hurt, you should be thankful
And your carelessness, it is something awful
And no I can't just let you go
And though your father's name is known
Your decisions now are yours alone
You're nothing but a stepping stone on a path
To debt, to loss, to shame
The last few months I've been living with this couple
Yeah, you know the kind who buy everything in doubles
Yeah, they fit together like a puzzle
I love their love and I am thankful
That someone actually receives the prize that was promised
By all those fairy tales that drugged us
And still to me I'm sick, lonely
No laurel tree, just green envy
Will my number come up eventually
Like love's some kind of lottery
Where you scratch and see what's underneath
It's sorry
Just one cherry
I'll play again, get lucky
So now I hang out down by the train's depot
No, I don't ride, I just sit and watch the people there
They remind me of wind-up cars in motion
They way they spin and turn and jockey for positions
And I wanna scream out that it all is nonsense
Their life's one track and can't they see it's pointless?
But just then my knees give under me
My head feels weak and suddenly
It's clear to see, it's not them, but me
Who's lost my self-identity
And I hide behind these books I read
While scribbling my poetry
Like art could save a wretch like me
With some ideal ideology
That no one could hope to achieve
And I'm never real, it's just a sketch of me
And everything I've made is trite and cheap and a waste
Of paint
Of tape
Of time
So I park my car down by the cathedral
Where the floodlights point up at the steeples
Choir practice is filling up with people
I hear the sound escaping as an echo
Sloping off the ceiling at an angle
When the voices blend they sound like angels
I hope there's some room still in the middle
But when lift my voice up now to reach them
The range is too high way up in heaven
So I hold my tongue, forget the song
Tie my shoes, start walking off
And try to just keep moving on
With my broken heart and my absent god
And I have no faith but it's all I want
To be loved
And believe
In my soul, in my soul
There is a man holding a megaphone, so he must have been the voice of God
The bystanders claimed they saw angels flying up and down the block
Well, they must have been attached to wires
I saw one laying in the lawn with a broken arm, so I called 911
So that is one less founded opinion
One more cause for a dispute
So the street filled like a basin up with cameras and their crews
And they washed away the rumors leaving just the concrete truth
It was a spectacle
No, I mean a miracle
So then I fell like that girl from a balance beam
A gymnasium of eyes were all holding on to me
I lifted one foot to cross the other and I felt myself slipping
It was a small mistake
Sometimes that is all it takes
Now I'm staring at my wrist hoping that the timing is right
When the planets will align
There will be no planets to align
Just the carcass of the sun and those little painted marbles spinning senseless through an endless, black sky
(and so it never started and it will never stop just like I am and you are)
It was in a foreign hotel's bathtub I baptized myself in change
And one by one I drowned all of the people I had been
I emerged to find the parallels were fewer
I was cleansed
I looked in the mirror and someone new was there
Still I was as helpless as a chess piece when I was lifted up by someone's hand
And delivered from the corner my enemies had got me in
But in all of my salvation I still felt imprisoned inside that holding cell that is myself
So I wait for the day when I'll hear the key as it turns in the lock and the guard will say to me
"Oh my patient prisoner you have waited for this and finally... you are free! You are free! You are freezing"
Now I'm staring at the sun waiting for it to explode
Because a day is gonna come, don't know when but it will come
And then we will finally know the way out of here
And I will throw away this wrinkled map and my chart of stars and compass, cracked
And I'll climb that tree all wet with sap to avoid the hungry beasts below
I'll cut out my lover's tongue and sign of graveyard gray and a garden green and then we won't have worry no more
No, we won't ever worry again about how this song or story ends
About how this song and story will end
(x)
There is a man holding a megaphone, so he must have been the voice of God
The bystanders claimed they saw angels flying up and down the block
Well, they must have been attached to wires
I saw one laying in the lawn with a broken arm, so I called 911
So that is one less founded opinion
One more cause for a dispute
So the street filled like a basin up with cameras and their crews
And they washed away the rumors leaving just the concrete truth
It was a spectacle
No, I mean a miracle
So then I fell like that girl from a balance beam
A gymnasium of eyes were all holding on to me
I lifted one foot to cross the other and I felt myself slipping
It was a small mistake
Sometimes that is all it takes
Now I'm staring at my wrist hoping that the timing is right
When the planets will align
There will be no planets to align
Just the carcass of the sun and those little painted marbles spinning senseless through an endless, black sky
(and so it never started and it will never stop just like I am and you are)
It was in a foreign hotel's bathtub I baptized myself in change
And one by one I drowned all of the people I had been
I emerged to find the parallels were fewer
I was cleansed
I looked in the mirror and someone new was there
Still I was as helpless as a chess piece when I was lifted up by someone's hand
And delivered from the corner my enemies had got me in
But in all of my salvation I still felt imprisoned inside that holding cell that is myself
So I wait for the day when I'll hear the key as it turns in the lock and the guard will say to me
"Oh my patient prisoner you have waited for this and finally... you are free! You are free! You are freezing"
Now I'm staring at the sun waiting for it to explode
Because a day is gonna come, don't know when but it will come
And then we will finally know the way out of here
And I will throw away this wrinkled map and my chart of stars and compass, cracked
And I'll climb that tree all wet with sap to avoid the hungry beasts below
I'll cut out my lover's tongue and sign of graveyard gray and a garden green and then we won't have worry no more
No, we won't ever worry again about how this song or story ends
About how this song and story will end
Laura, are you still living there
On your estate of sorrows
You used to leave it occasionally
But now you don't even bother
To ride that commuter train, west to Chicago
To stroll through the greenery in the park past the statues
How their eyes seemed to follow you like a hated addiction
Their beauty carved out of absolutes that you could never claim
Or even envision
Laura, you were the saddest song
In the shape of a woman
Yeah, I thought you were beautiful
But I wept with your movements
But I hope that you're laughing now from that place on the carpet
Where we shared a sleeping bag in your sister's apartment
Oh, how she would worry so
You know, I was just a stranger
But she asked me to care for you, yes she did
And I went and betrayed her
But do you know we're in high demand, Laura, us people who suffer
Because we don't take to arguing
And we're quick to surrender
Well, I think I would call tonight if I still had your number
Your thoughts have always lain close to mine
Yeah, we were both skipping supper
But you should never be embarrassed by your trouble with living
'Cause it's the ones with the sorest throats, Laura
Who have done the most singing
Everybody
Lalalala...
(x)
Laura, are you still living there
On your estate of sorrows
You used to leave it occasionally
But now you don't even bother
To ride that commuter train, west to Chicago
To stroll through the greenery in the park past the statues
How their eyes seemed to follow you like a hated addiction
Their beauty carved out of absolutes that you could never claim
Or even envision
Laura, you were the saddest song
In the shape of a woman
Yeah, I thought you were beautiful
But I wept with your movements
But I hope that you're laughing now from that place on the carpet
Where we shared a sleeping bag in your sister's apartment
Oh, how she would worry so
You know, I was just a stranger
But she asked me to care for you, yes she did
And I went and betrayed her
But do you know we're in high demand, Laura, us people who suffer
Because we don't take to arguing
And we're quick to surrender
Well, I think I would call tonight if I still had your number
Your thoughts have always lain close to mine
Yeah, we were both skipping supper
But you should never be embarrassed by your trouble with living
'Cause it's the ones with the sorest throats, Laura
Who have done the most singing
Everybody
Lalalala...
Well the animals laugh from the dark of the wilderness
A baby cries hard in an apartment complex
As I pass in a car
Buried under the influence
The city's driving me out of my mind
I've seen a child getting caught in that sad trap of gravity
He falls from the lowest branch of the apple tree
And lands in the grass, and weeps for his dignity
Next time he will not aim so high
Yeah next time neither will I
Now my mother takes loans out
Sends her kids off to colleges
Her family's reduced to names on a shopping list
Well a coroner kneels beneath a great wooden crucifix
He goes, 'there are worse things than being alone'
And so I've learned to retreat at the first sign of danger
I mean why wait around, if it's just to surrender
And ambition, I've found, can lead only to failure
I do not read the reviews
No, I am not singing for you
Well I stood dropping a coin into the pit of a well
And I would throw my whole billfold if I thought it would help
With all these wishes I make, I should buy something real
At least a telephone, call home
Well my teachers they build this retaining wall of memory
All those bold, simple choices I answer so fluently
And got my grades back, and forgot just as easily
But at least I got an A
So I don't have them to blame
So I should stop pointing fingers
Reserve my judgement of all those public action figures
They count their presidents
So loud behind the bullhorn
So proud they can't admit
They may have made a mistake
Well-poisoning excuse from a speechwriter's pen
He knows he don't have to say it so it don't bother him
Honesty, accuracy, they're just popular opinion
The approval rating's high
Yeah so someone's gonna die
ABC, NBC, CBS bullshit
They give us fact or fiction and we can't even split
And each stupid act of war is tonight's entertainment
We're still pawns in their game
As they take eye for an eye, until no one can see
And we will stumble blindly forth, repeating history
Why can't we all be as useful on that flat-screen marquee
Blood red and white skin knowing the blues
Oh yeah the blues I got the blues
That's me
Well I awoke in relief
All my sheets and tubes were entangled
Weak from whiskey and pills in a Chicago hospital
And my father was there, in a chair by the window
Staring so far away
And I tried talking, just whispered, "so sorry, so selfish."
He stopped me and said, 'Child, I love you regardless
'And there is nothing you could do that would ever change this
'I'm not angry, it happens, but you just can't do it again'
So now I try to keep up
I've been exchanging my currency
One million objects pass through my periphery
And I'm rubbing my eyes, cause they're starting to bother me
I've been staring too long at the screen
But where was it when I first heard that sweet sound of humility
It came to my ears in the goddamn loveliest melody
How grateful I was then to be part of the mystery
To love and to be loved
Let's just hope that is enough
(x)
Well the animals laugh from the dark of the wilderness
A baby cries hard in an apartment complex
As I pass in a car
Buried under the influence
The city's driving me out of my mind
I've seen a child getting caught in that sad trap of gravity
He falls from the lowest branch of the apple tree
And lands in the grass, and weeps for his dignity
Next time he will not aim so high
Yeah next time neither will I
Now my mother takes loans out
Sends her kids off to colleges
Her family's reduced to names on a shopping list
Well a coroner kneels beneath a great wooden crucifix
He goes, 'there are worse things than being alone'
And so I've learned to retreat at the first sign of danger
I mean why wait around, if it's just to surrender
And ambition, I've found, can lead only to failure
I do not read the reviews
No, I am not singing for you
Well I stood dropping a coin into the pit of a well
And I would throw my whole billfold if I thought it would help
With all these wishes I make, I should buy something real
At least a telephone, call home
Well my teachers they build this retaining wall of memory
All those bold, simple choices I answer so fluently
And got my grades back, and forgot just as easily
But at least I got an A
So I don't have them to blame
So I should stop pointing fingers
Reserve my judgement of all those public action figures
They count their presidents
So loud behind the bullhorn
So proud they can't admit
They may have made a mistake
Well-poisoning excuse from a speechwriter's pen
He knows he don't have to say it so it don't bother him
Honesty, accuracy, they're just popular opinion
The approval rating's high
Yeah so someone's gonna die
ABC, NBC, CBS bullshit
They give us fact or fiction and we can't even split
And each stupid act of war is tonight's entertainment
We're still pawns in their game
As they take eye for an eye, until no one can see
And we will stumble blindly forth, repeating history
Why can't we all be as useful on that flat-screen marquee
Blood red and white skin knowing the blues
Oh yeah the blues I got the blues
That's me
Well I awoke in relief
All my sheets and tubes were entangled
Weak from whiskey and pills in a Chicago hospital
And my father was there, in a chair by the window
Staring so far away
And I tried talking, just whispered, "so sorry, so selfish."
He stopped me and said, 'Child, I love you regardless
'And there is nothing you could do that would ever change this
'I'm not angry, it happens, but you just can't do it again'
So now I try to keep up
I've been exchanging my currency
One million objects pass through my periphery
And I'm rubbing my eyes, cause they're starting to bother me
I've been staring too long at the screen
But where was it when I first heard that sweet sound of humility
It came to my ears in the goddamn loveliest melody
How grateful I was then to be part of the mystery
To love and to be loved
Let's just hope that is enough
Bright Eyes
Letting Off the Happiness
Saddle Creek , 1998
cd, album
(x)
I had a brother once
He drowned in a bathtub before he'd ever learned how to talk
And I don't know what his name was but my mother does, I heard her say it once
Padraic my prince, I have all but died from the sheer weight of my shame
You cried but no one came and the water filled your tiny lungs
Appear, my dear, and sing to me
It was six years ago today that we laid you in your grave
Your sweet young skin was shining then too
And so tonight to celebrate i will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
So I close the door and rest my head on the tile floor
Sickness and sleep turning me cold
I'm still not sure, is there some better place I should be heading towards?
Where the selfishly sick and self-absorbed are welcome
I saw the future once, I was drunk in a phone booth
My eyes were wet and red, but I could not tell what was said
And through the screams of the traffic voices carried
Saying I'm sorry
On a day so gray it's black inside, watching churches on TV
In a coma you don't dream, you just hope that someone sits with you
Babies turn blue when they're ignored like the sky on summer days
Before you turn and walk away it has changed you
So tonight to compensate I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
(x)
I had a brother once
He drowned in a bathtub before he'd ever learned how to talk
And I don't know what his name was but my mother does, I heard her say it once
Padraic my prince, I have all but died from the sheer weight of my shame
You cried but no one came and the water filled your tiny lungs
Appear, my dear, and sing to me
It was six years ago today that we laid you in your grave
Your sweet young skin was shining then too
And so tonight to celebrate i will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
So I close the door and rest my head on the tile floor
Sickness and sleep turning me cold
I'm still not sure, is there some better place I should be heading towards?
Where the selfishly sick and self-absorbed are welcome
I saw the future once, I was drunk in a phone booth
My eyes were wet and red, but I could not tell what was said
And through the screams of the traffic voices carried
Saying I'm sorry
On a day so gray it's black inside, watching churches on TV
In a coma you don't dream, you just hope that someone sits with you
Babies turn blue when they're ignored like the sky on summer days
Before you turn and walk away it has changed you
So tonight to compensate I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
Contrast and compare
Between the busy ones, and the ones that don't care
Until there is no one that you really know
So I drift through these days of appointments and promises made
They will all end up broken and quickly replaced
Weeks are slow, days drag on
Even practice and parties seem long, but I find myself going
I guess there's nothing to do... oh well
Group of kids, line of cars, more will show up after the bars close
There's this boredom that drowns everything
Bottles break, music plays, conversations competing for space
I look for a corner or a quieter room
There's no heat in this house, I can't breathe with these words in my mouth
But I'm not going to say them
Yeah, I've made that mistake before
On the stairs, she grabs my arm
Says whats up, where you been, is something wrong?
I try to just smile, and say everything's fine
(x)
Contrast and compare
Between the busy ones, and the ones that don't care
Until there is no one that you really know
So I drift through these days of appointments and promises made
They will all end up broken and quickly replaced
Weeks are slow, days drag on
Even practice and parties seem long, but I find myself going
I guess there's nothing to do... oh well
Group of kids, line of cars, more will show up after the bars close
There's this boredom that drowns everything
Bottles break, music plays, conversations competing for space
I look for a corner or a quieter room
There's no heat in this house, I can't breathe with these words in my mouth
But I'm not going to say them
Yeah, I've made that mistake before
On the stairs, she grabs my arm
Says whats up, where you been, is something wrong?
I try to just smile, and say everything's fine
The city has sex with itself I suppose
As the concrete collides, the scenery grows
And the lonely once bandaged lay fully exposed
Having exposed their wounds for each other
And there's a boy in a basement with a four track machine
He's been strumming and screaming all night, down there
The tape hiss will cover the words that he sings
But they say it's better to bury your sadness
In a graveyard or garden that waits for the spring
To awake from its sleep and burst into green
And I've cried and you would think I'd feel better for it
But the sadness just sleeps and it stays in your spine for the rest of your life
And I've learned and you'd think I'd be something more now
But it just goes to show it is not what you know
It's what you were thinking at the time
This feeling's familiar, I've been here before
In a kitchen this quiet I waited for a sign
Or just something that might reassure me
Of anything close to meaning or motion, with a reason to move
I need something I want to be close to
And I scream, but I still don't know why I do it
Because the sound never stays, it just swells and decays
So what is the point?
Why try to fight what is now so certain?
The truth is all that I am is a passing event
That will be forgotten
(x)
The city has sex with itself I suppose
As the concrete collides, the scenery grows
And the lonely once bandaged lay fully exposed
Having exposed their wounds for each other
And there's a boy in a basement with a four track machine
He's been strumming and screaming all night, down there
The tape hiss will cover the words that he sings
But they say it's better to bury your sadness
In a graveyard or garden that waits for the spring
To awake from its sleep and burst into green
And I've cried and you would think I'd feel better for it
But the sadness just sleeps and it stays in your spine for the rest of your life
And I've learned and you'd think I'd be something more now
But it just goes to show it is not what you know
It's what you were thinking at the time
This feeling's familiar, I've been here before
In a kitchen this quiet I waited for a sign
Or just something that might reassure me
Of anything close to meaning or motion, with a reason to move
I need something I want to be close to
And I scream, but I still don't know why I do it
Because the sound never stays, it just swells and decays
So what is the point?
Why try to fight what is now so certain?
The truth is all that I am is a passing event
That will be forgotten
Now that it's June, we'll sleep out in the garden
And if it rains, we'll just sink into the mud
Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is
And there's no clocks or phones to wake us up
Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing
As the one who's pressing would like you to believe
And I'm content to walk a little slower
Because there's nowhere that I really need to be
And I find that life is easier when it's just a blur
With no details to confuse who or what or where I was
So when the ending comes the full regret will seem obscure
But these are days we dream about when the sunlight paints us gold
And this apartment could not be prettier
As we dance up there alone
And this TV's old, the color's fucked, do you see the difference in the shades?
But the green's still close to green, my love
And I believe we are the same
And we'll stay like this, all gold and green
Light collects and projects your heart on a movie screen
And if you close your eyes, we will always be
The way we were that night you crawled inside of me
And you slept in my blood the way you sleep now
The quietest hush has consumed this house
And when the doctors have gone and you sweat through the bed
With the pictures and pills they piled around your head
Just rest now, and in a moment you'll know everything
Was it all a dream?
It's too vague now to recount
An outline of the one you loved
In a life that was, that no longer will be
Stands above you as you sleep
(x)
Now that it's June, we'll sleep out in the garden
And if it rains, we'll just sink into the mud
Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is
And there's no clocks or phones to wake us up
Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing
As the one who's pressing would like you to believe
And I'm content to walk a little slower
Because there's nowhere that I really need to be
And I find that life is easier when it's just a blur
With no details to confuse who or what or where I was
So when the ending comes the full regret will seem obscure
But these are days we dream about when the sunlight paints us gold
And this apartment could not be prettier
As we dance up there alone
And this TV's old, the color's fucked, do you see the difference in the shades?
But the green's still close to green, my love
And I believe we are the same
And we'll stay like this, all gold and green
Light collects and projects your heart on a movie screen
And if you close your eyes, we will always be
The way we were that night you crawled inside of me
And you slept in my blood the way you sleep now
The quietest hush has consumed this house
And when the doctors have gone and you sweat through the bed
With the pictures and pills they piled around your head
Just rest now, and in a moment you'll know everything
Was it all a dream?
It's too vague now to recount
An outline of the one you loved
In a life that was, that no longer will be
Stands above you as you sleep
Touch, lying on the floor
Wishing this could last, knowing that it can't
And soon you will leaveAnd I'll be on the floor, watching the TV
Trying hard to find a reason to move
I'm frozen in one place, staring at the screen
Listening to the rain falling on the street
Some days go on too long, and no one can hang out tonight
Here, where the carpet's cool and soft
Underneath the clock I feel my weary heart is put to rest
You gather around your friends, the connection that you feel
When the night has not yet died
You are new, with the promise of a love you'll probably never find
And a touch that you can really feel
The brokenness inside as hope and this collide
And nothing is real
Oh, there's nothing more I want
Than just one night that's free of doubt and sadness
One night, one night, that I can really feel
(x)
Touch, lying on the floor
Wishing this could last, knowing that it can't
And soon you will leaveAnd I'll be on the floor, watching the TV
Trying hard to find a reason to move
I'm frozen in one place, staring at the screen
Listening to the rain falling on the street
Some days go on too long, and no one can hang out tonight
Here, where the carpet's cool and soft
Underneath the clock I feel my weary heart is put to rest
You gather around your friends, the connection that you feel
When the night has not yet died
You are new, with the promise of a love you'll probably never find
And a touch that you can really feel
The brokenness inside as hope and this collide
And nothing is real
Oh, there's nothing more I want
Than just one night that's free of doubt and sadness
One night, one night, that I can really feel
I spent a week drinking the sunlight of Winnetka, California
Where they understand the weight of human hearts
See, sorrow gets too heavy and joy it tends to hold you
With the fear that it eventually departs
And the truth is I've been dreaming of some tired tranquil place
Where the weather won't get trapped inside my bones
And if all these years of searching find one sympathetic face
Then it's there I'll plant these seeds and make my home
I spent a day dreaming of dying in Mesa, Arizona
Where all the green of life had turned to ash
And I felt I was on fire, with the things I could have told you
I just assumed that you eventually would ask
And I wouldn't have to bring up my so badly broken heart
And all those months I just wanted to sleep
And though spring, it did come slowly, I guess it did its part
My heart has thawed and continues to beat
And I visited my brother on the outskirts of Olympia
Where the forest and the water become one
And we talked about our childhood, like a dream we were convinced of
The perfect, peaceful street that we came from
And I know he heard me strumming all those sad and simple chords
As I sat inside my room so long ago
And it hurts that he's still shaking from those secrets that were told
By a car closed up too tight and a heart turned cold
And I went to San Diego, and the birthplace of the summer
And watched the ocean dance under the moon
There was a girl I knew there, one more potential lover
I guess that something's gotta happen soon
'Cause I know I can't keep living in this dead or dying dream
And as I walked along the beach and drank with her
I thought about my true love, the one I really need
With eyes that burn so bright, they make me pure
They make me pure, they make me pure
I long to be with you
They make me pure, they make me pure
I long to be with you
(x)
I spent a week drinking the sunlight of Winnetka, California
Where they understand the weight of human hearts
See, sorrow gets too heavy and joy it tends to hold you
With the fear that it eventually departs
And the truth is I've been dreaming of some tired tranquil place
Where the weather won't get trapped inside my bones
And if all these years of searching find one sympathetic face
Then it's there I'll plant these seeds and make my home
I spent a day dreaming of dying in Mesa, Arizona
Where all the green of life had turned to ash
And I felt I was on fire, with the things I could have told you
I just assumed that you eventually would ask
And I wouldn't have to bring up my so badly broken heart
And all those months I just wanted to sleep
And though spring, it did come slowly, I guess it did its part
My heart has thawed and continues to beat
And I visited my brother on the outskirts of Olympia
Where the forest and the water become one
And we talked about our childhood, like a dream we were convinced of
The perfect, peaceful street that we came from
And I know he heard me strumming all those sad and simple chords
As I sat inside my room so long ago
And it hurts that he's still shaking from those secrets that were told
By a car closed up too tight and a heart turned cold
And I went to San Diego, and the birthplace of the summer
And watched the ocean dance under the moon
There was a girl I knew there, one more potential lover
I guess that something's gotta happen soon
'Cause I know I can't keep living in this dead or dying dream
And as I walked along the beach and drank with her
I thought about my true love, the one I really need
With eyes that burn so bright, they make me pure
They make me pure, they make me pure
I long to be with you
They make me pure, they make me pure
I long to be with you
Is the passion all gone?
Or is it still newly-wed?
If all this heat's doing is making us stick to the bed
Then there is no life to revive
But if the hunger's still there, hidden somewhere inside
Covered up by the boredom we've been trying to hide
Then dig it up and devour it
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
And the truth is that I can't hardly wait
And I don't care if we stay up too late
Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
And the truth is that I can't hardly wait
It's so bad I can't concentrate
Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
(x)
Is the passion all gone?
Or is it still newly-wed?
If all this heat's doing is making us stick to the bed
Then there is no life to revive
But if the hunger's still there, hidden somewhere inside
Covered up by the boredom we've been trying to hide
Then dig it up and devour it
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
And the truth is that I can't hardly wait
And I don't care if we stay up too late
Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
And the truth is that I can't hardly wait
It's so bad I can't concentrate
Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
The language in the dimmer rooms seems to represent the light source well
How soft they speak and seem to be at peace
With the music and the madness that is pulling me into this
And the shades of the lamps are woven red
The light, it stains and consecrates
Anointing all forgotten forms that swirl and smoke and haunt this place
The girls in gowns all nurse the dark, pulling it near to their swelling breasts
And watch as it seeps to their hearts, and beats within their virgin chests
And here I know seduction breeds from wanton hearts that would seduce
And grows and spreads its vine and leaves
Embracing those who might have moved
But now remain to drink the night from vials black and thick
With intoxicating delights that would leave you drunk inside this dream
And you watch them take the light from you
And you find yourself on a velvet couch
Tasting the skin of a foreign girl
Her eyes are black and wet like oil
And she ties your hands with a string of pearls
And you tremble like a frightened bird as she closes in and captures you
To place you in a silver cage deep within her poisoned womb
And once you're safe inside
She might let you out to fly in circles around the room
But it's always night and there is no moon
And you wonder if you're still alive, and you�re not sure if you want to be
But you drank her sweat like it was wine, and you lay with her on a bed of blue
And it's awful sweet, like the fruit she cuts and feeds to you
(x)
The language in the dimmer rooms seems to represent the light source well
How soft they speak and seem to be at peace
With the music and the madness that is pulling me into this
And the shades of the lamps are woven red
The light, it stains and consecrates
Anointing all forgotten forms that swirl and smoke and haunt this place
The girls in gowns all nurse the dark, pulling it near to their swelling breasts
And watch as it seeps to their hearts, and beats within their virgin chests
And here I know seduction breeds from wanton hearts that would seduce
And grows and spreads its vine and leaves
Embracing those who might have moved
But now remain to drink the night from vials black and thick
With intoxicating delights that would leave you drunk inside this dream
And you watch them take the light from you
And you find yourself on a velvet couch
Tasting the skin of a foreign girl
Her eyes are black and wet like oil
And she ties your hands with a string of pearls
And you tremble like a frightened bird as she closes in and captures you
To place you in a silver cage deep within her poisoned womb
And once you're safe inside
She might let you out to fly in circles around the room
But it's always night and there is no moon
And you wonder if you're still alive, and you�re not sure if you want to be
But you drank her sweat like it was wine, and you lay with her on a bed of blue
And it's awful sweet, like the fruit she cuts and feeds to you
Let's sail away, past the noise of the bay
Let's sail away, past the birth and death of the day
Let's sail away, to where the blues and greens swirl into gray
Let's sail away
Let's sail away, past the cradle of these waves
Let's sail away, past the tide and its slow decay
Let's sail away, to where the water goes, some endless open space
Let's sail away
Take only what you need, my love, and leave the rest behind
Don't be afraid of where we'll go, my love, I promise we'll be fine
Now you are the only one that's mine
Let's sail away, past the reflections of the light
Let's sail away, floating weightless through the night
Let's sail away, like a photograph, fading to all white
It's finally all right
Forget all the mistakes, my love, they won't be made again
Leave the photos in the drawer, my love, we no longer need them
We both know where we've been
Let's sail away, disappearing in the mist
Let's sail away, with a whisper and a kiss
Or vanish from a road somewhere, like Tereza and Tomas
Suspended in this bliss
(x)
Let's sail away, past the noise of the bay
Let's sail away, past the birth and death of the day
Let's sail away, to where the blues and greens swirl into gray
Let's sail away
Let's sail away, past the cradle of these waves
Let's sail away, past the tide and its slow decay
Let's sail away, to where the water goes, some endless open space
Let's sail away
Take only what you need, my love, and leave the rest behind
Don't be afraid of where we'll go, my love, I promise we'll be fine
Now you are the only one that's mine
Let's sail away, past the reflections of the light
Let's sail away, floating weightless through the night
Let's sail away, like a photograph, fading to all white
It's finally all right
Forget all the mistakes, my love, they won't be made again
Leave the photos in the drawer, my love, we no longer need them
We both know where we've been
Let's sail away, disappearing in the mist
Let's sail away, with a whisper and a kiss
Or vanish from a road somewhere, like Tereza and Tomas
Suspended in this bliss
Bright Eyes
Every Day and Every Night
Saddle Creek , 1999
cd, ep
(x)
Lately I've been wishing I had one desire
Something that would make me never want another
Something that would make it so that nothing matters
All would be clear then
But I guess I'll have to settle for a few brief moments
And watch it all dissolve into a single second
And try to write it down into a perfect sonnet
Or one foolish line
'Cause that's all that you'll get, so you'll have to accept
You are here, then you're gone
But I believe that lovers should be tied together
Thrown into the ocean in the worst of weather
Left there to drown, left there to drown in their innocence
But as for me I'm coming to the final chapter
I read all of the pages and there's still no answer
Only all that was before I know must soon come after
That's the only way it can be
So I stand in the sun, and I breathe with my lungs
I'm trying to spare me the weight of the truth
Saying everything you've ever seen was just a mirror
You've spent your whole life sweating in an endless fever
And laying in a bathtub full of freezing water
Wishing you were a ghost
But once you knew a girl and you named her Lover
Danced with her in kitchens through the greenest summer
Autumn came, she disappeared, you can't remember
Where she said she was going to
But you know that she's gone 'cause she left you a song
That you don't want to sing
We're singing, I believe that lovers should be chained together
Thrown into a fire with their songs and letters
And left there to burn in their arrogance
But as for me I'm coming to my final failure
I've killed myself with changes trying to make things better
Ended up becoming something other than what I had planned to be
All right
I believe that lovers should be draped in flowers
And laid entwined together on a bed of clover
And left there to sleep
Left there to dream of their happiness
(x)
Lately I've been wishing I had one desire
Something that would make me never want another
Something that would make it so that nothing matters
All would be clear then
But I guess I'll have to settle for a few brief moments
And watch it all dissolve into a single second
And try to write it down into a perfect sonnet
Or one foolish line
'Cause that's all that you'll get, so you'll have to accept
You are here, then you're gone
But I believe that lovers should be tied together
Thrown into the ocean in the worst of weather
Left there to drown, left there to drown in their innocence
But as for me I'm coming to the final chapter
I read all of the pages and there's still no answer
Only all that was before I know must soon come after
That's the only way it can be
So I stand in the sun, and I breathe with my lungs
I'm trying to spare me the weight of the truth
Saying everything you've ever seen was just a mirror
You've spent your whole life sweating in an endless fever
And laying in a bathtub full of freezing water
Wishing you were a ghost
But once you knew a girl and you named her Lover
Danced with her in kitchens through the greenest summer
Autumn came, she disappeared, you can't remember
Where she said she was going to
But you know that she's gone 'cause she left you a song
That you don't want to sing
We're singing, I believe that lovers should be chained together
Thrown into a fire with their songs and letters
And left there to burn in their arrogance
But as for me I'm coming to my final failure
I've killed myself with changes trying to make things better
Ended up becoming something other than what I had planned to be
All right
I believe that lovers should be draped in flowers
And laid entwined together on a bed of clover
And left there to sleep
Left there to dream of their happiness
There's a car parked where the block begins
And there are people singing praises
Say it's all because of him
And there's a bird perched on a frayed wet wire
And his voice sings out for a lover
But it's covered by the choir
Of voices reaching way beyond the rafters
With devotion they perform these sacred tasks
They cross themselves and offer up their checkbooks
Say that suffering is not too much to ask
Besides, we all are making money
And we're all fucking alone
And we don't know what we're doing
Maybe just buying us some hope
Because we know that we are lonely
Yeah, lonely that's for sure
And the older ones are coughing
Yeah, the older ones are dying
Maybe we're all dying
I pass a graveyard on my way to work
Today I saw two dozen white roses on a fresh new mound of dirt
And I wondered about the occupant
When the darkness finally swallowed him, was he calm and content?
Or was he sweating in a struggle to keep breathing
Ripping apart the sheets that dressed his bed
Crying out loud for someone to help him
And collapsing on his back all pale and dead
Maybe it's me who's this unstable
Always obsessed about the end
Why can't I let what happens happen, and just enjoy the time I spend?
Oh, how I wish it was that easy
But when there is no point to anything
It can get a bit confusing
why it is that I keep going
Why is it that we keep going?
(x)
There's a car parked where the block begins
And there are people singing praises
Say it's all because of him
And there's a bird perched on a frayed wet wire
And his voice sings out for a lover
But it's covered by the choir
Of voices reaching way beyond the rafters
With devotion they perform these sacred tasks
They cross themselves and offer up their checkbooks
Say that suffering is not too much to ask
Besides, we all are making money
And we're all fucking alone
And we don't know what we're doing
Maybe just buying us some hope
Because we know that we are lonely
Yeah, lonely that's for sure
And the older ones are coughing
Yeah, the older ones are dying
Maybe we're all dying
I pass a graveyard on my way to work
Today I saw two dozen white roses on a fresh new mound of dirt
And I wondered about the occupant
When the darkness finally swallowed him, was he calm and content?
Or was he sweating in a struggle to keep breathing
Ripping apart the sheets that dressed his bed
Crying out loud for someone to help him
And collapsing on his back all pale and dead
Maybe it's me who's this unstable
Always obsessed about the end
Why can't I let what happens happen, and just enjoy the time I spend?
Oh, how I wish it was that easy
But when there is no point to anything
It can get a bit confusing
why it is that I keep going
Why is it that we keep going?
If you could change your days, arranging them in some sweet new sequence
Like any new arrangement's gonna make a difference
Because it's the moment that you're living in and not the one that follows
That makes this mess you're cleaning in your head
And time still drags you forward, though you keep resisting
Because you know it's what you leave behind that you'll soon start missing
And the people you once counted on now say it's all depending
On how you act and how you treat yourself
And that's not very well
So baby, when I call for you
I want you to come and explain yourself to everyone
You nod in an acknowledgement of your frequent mood swings
But what good's an acknowledgement, it still don't change things
We've tried all forms of encouragement, and it's still no better
You just can't seem to fake or force a smile
Not even a little one
So baby, when I call to you I want you to come
And lay it out for everyone
Exactly how it was before any of this happened
And why you can't leave it behind
Don't just sit there when I call to you
I told you to come and lay it out for
Don't feel awkward
Lay it out for everyone
(x)
If you could change your days, arranging them in some sweet new sequence
Like any new arrangement's gonna make a difference
Because it's the moment that you're living in and not the one that follows
That makes this mess you're cleaning in your head
And time still drags you forward, though you keep resisting
Because you know it's what you leave behind that you'll soon start missing
And the people you once counted on now say it's all depending
On how you act and how you treat yourself
And that's not very well
So baby, when I call for you
I want you to come and explain yourself to everyone
You nod in an acknowledgement of your frequent mood swings
But what good's an acknowledgement, it still don't change things
We've tried all forms of encouragement, and it's still no better
You just can't seem to fake or force a smile
Not even a little one
So baby, when I call to you I want you to come
And lay it out for everyone
Exactly how it was before any of this happened
And why you can't leave it behind
Don't just sit there when I call to you
I told you to come and lay it out for
Don't feel awkward
Lay it out for everyone
In the morning when you throw up water
And your skin, it turns a pale, pale yellow
Well, every day you lose more color
Do you think that someone paints your mirror?
Do you think that someone paints your mirror?
So you think that things sound different
At the time when you speak
Well, there are visions much clearer than these blurs that you see
And like Neely O'Hara, you swallow your sleep
And wake up in the morning to find out
You are not who you used to be
You don't recognize behavior, or the spelling of your name
And the shape that's in the mirror
Well, you'd swear it's not the same
And like Neely O'Hara, you swallow your sleep
And you really can't remember
But you know you are not, think you are not
No, you are not who you used to be
(x)
In the morning when you throw up water
And your skin, it turns a pale, pale yellow
Well, every day you lose more color
Do you think that someone paints your mirror?
Do you think that someone paints your mirror?
So you think that things sound different
At the time when you speak
Well, there are visions much clearer than these blurs that you see
And like Neely O'Hara, you swallow your sleep
And wake up in the morning to find out
You are not who you used to be
You don't recognize behavior, or the spelling of your name
And the shape that's in the mirror
Well, you'd swear it's not the same
And like Neely O'Hara, you swallow your sleep
And you really can't remember
But you know you are not, think you are not
No, you are not who you used to be
Bright Eyes
3 New Hit Songs From Bright Eyes
Wichita Recordings , 2000
cd, single
(x)
All eyes on the calendar, another year I claim of total indifference
To here the days pile up with decisions to be made
I'm sure all of them were wrong
Into this song, I send myself
And with these drinks I plan to collapse and forget
This wasted year, these wasted years
Devoted friends, they disappear
I'm sorry about the phone call, and needing you
Some decisions you don't make
I guess it's like breathing and not wanting to
There are some things that you can't fake
I guess that it's typical to cling to memories you'll never get back again
And to sort through old photographs of a summer long ago
Or a friend that you used to know
And there, below his frozen face, you wrote the name and that ancient date
And you can't believe he is really gone
When all that's left is a fucking song
I'm sorry about the phone call and waking you
I know that it's late
But thank you for talking, because I needed to
Some things just can't wait
(x)
All eyes on the calendar, another year I claim of total indifference
To here the days pile up with decisions to be made
I'm sure all of them were wrong
Into this song, I send myself
And with these drinks I plan to collapse and forget
This wasted year, these wasted years
Devoted friends, they disappear
I'm sorry about the phone call, and needing you
Some decisions you don't make
I guess it's like breathing and not wanting to
There are some things that you can't fake
I guess that it's typical to cling to memories you'll never get back again
And to sort through old photographs of a summer long ago
Or a friend that you used to know
And there, below his frozen face, you wrote the name and that ancient date
And you can't believe he is really gone
When all that's left is a fucking song
I'm sorry about the phone call and waking you
I know that it's late
But thank you for talking, because I needed to
Some things just can't wait
So, I'm just the medicine
You take when you're sick
You get well and that's it
I'm put back on the shelf in your mirror
And it isn't exceptional
The course of our fate
So, people love and they hate
And I guess it's just our turn to hate
Yeah, you were just some song I wrote
A poem on a page
A sculpture I made out of clay
Desire was the flame
But now you're more of a basketball
Boys just pass you around
They bounce you hard on the ground and dribble
And then we all get high fives
And you think I'm an asshole now
Well, you're probably right
But at least I'm not blind to the facts
I've been wishing were lies
But still I hope you get everything
That you care to possess
And unbelievable sex with him
Or any one of my friends
But just don't ask about my appetite
I didn't lose it tonight
No, it's been gone half my life
It's just act, I've been eating for you
(x)
So, I'm just the medicine
You take when you're sick
You get well and that's it
I'm put back on the shelf in your mirror
And it isn't exceptional
The course of our fate
So, people love and they hate
And I guess it's just our turn to hate
Yeah, you were just some song I wrote
A poem on a page
A sculpture I made out of clay
Desire was the flame
But now you're more of a basketball
Boys just pass you around
They bounce you hard on the ground and dribble
And then we all get high fives
And you think I'm an asshole now
Well, you're probably right
But at least I'm not blind to the facts
I've been wishing were lies
But still I hope you get everything
That you care to possess
And unbelievable sex with him
Or any one of my friends
But just don't ask about my appetite
I didn't lose it tonight
No, it's been gone half my life
It's just act, I've been eating for you
Bright Eyes
Four Winds
Saddle Creek , 2007
cd, ep
(x)
My friend you were the model
A priceless work of art
Boys would fashion their emotions
To the pattern of your heart
And I heard you wrote that record
For a girl you loved but died
I'm here sewing mine together
Just hoping you're alive
And I know you'll never come back now
To the world where people are
Because you never understood
What they loved you for
Now ghosts, they have their secrets
And they'll tell them to a few
So you could never pay attention
When they're whispering to you
There were many talents you possessed
That I wished myself to have
But the way your eyes would gloss over
Well, I never envied that
And I doubt you'll ever come back now
From wherever it is you are
Because you never understood
What we loved you for
I'm sure the TV sets will tell us
When someone reinvents the wheel
Until then I'll have a million conversations
About shit that isn't real
But I've tried to breathe in meaning
Dig deep to every gasp of air
Because I know you did the same thing
For as long as you could bear
I guess everything just circles around
To where it was before
So I hope I see you soon
In some other form
(x)
My friend you were the model
A priceless work of art
Boys would fashion their emotions
To the pattern of your heart
And I heard you wrote that record
For a girl you loved but died
I'm here sewing mine together
Just hoping you're alive
And I know you'll never come back now
To the world where people are
Because you never understood
What they loved you for
Now ghosts, they have their secrets
And they'll tell them to a few
So you could never pay attention
When they're whispering to you
There were many talents you possessed
That I wished myself to have
But the way your eyes would gloss over
Well, I never envied that
And I doubt you'll ever come back now
From wherever it is you are
Because you never understood
What we loved you for
I'm sure the TV sets will tell us
When someone reinvents the wheel
Until then I'll have a million conversations
About shit that isn't real
But I've tried to breathe in meaning
Dig deep to every gasp of air
Because I know you did the same thing
For as long as you could bear
I guess everything just circles around
To where it was before
So I hope I see you soon
In some other form
Come on in, my weary friend
The welcome here is endless
These fears of yours, like painted whores
They will not stay the night
If all your life you've done what's right
Dont say you felt obliged
Come on along, is your timid tongue
Too shy to tell your story?
This pain in you so far removed
From anything youve known
So I wont condone another moan
When everything is fine
So when in drought, learn to dance
And pray the dead would return
Dream smoke without fire
Just come see me again when it burns
Somewhere along the way
Well, I was led astray
By a wolf in no one's clothing
It was a brilliant disguise
And I forgot that life existed
I thought it was just some kind of game
That's what brings me to your doorstep
Though I dont know why I came today
Standing still in the dust
Giving up on the rain
As with smoke without fire
I've already laid in the flames
I've already laid in the flames
Brother, be afraid of the flames
(x)
Come on in, my weary friend
The welcome here is endless
These fears of yours, like painted whores
They will not stay the night
If all your life you've done what's right
Dont say you felt obliged
Come on along, is your timid tongue
Too shy to tell your story?
This pain in you so far removed
From anything youve known
So I wont condone another moan
When everything is fine
So when in drought, learn to dance
And pray the dead would return
Dream smoke without fire
Just come see me again when it burns
Somewhere along the way
Well, I was led astray
By a wolf in no one's clothing
It was a brilliant disguise
And I forgot that life existed
I thought it was just some kind of game
That's what brings me to your doorstep
Though I dont know why I came today
Standing still in the dust
Giving up on the rain
As with smoke without fire
I've already laid in the flames
I've already laid in the flames
Brother, be afraid of the flames
There's a skinny dog
In a dirty parking lot
And he doesn't bite
But he begs
And he knows what's true
So if you are, he'll follow you
If you're headed home
All the way
So we let him finish
Every dinner plate
And we watched his tail say thanks, thanks, thanks
And we tried to name him
But he ran away
Once he knew his freedom was at stake
This same old shit
So it's how you deal with it
It's the glove that fits
That you wear
So when the wind blows strong
I put a few more layers on
And I tell myself
I don't care
I might make a phone call
To a better man
To ask the questions that I have, have, have
Like how do I get started
And where's it going to end?
Why should I treat a traitor like a friend?
(x)
There's a skinny dog
In a dirty parking lot
And he doesn't bite
But he begs
And he knows what's true
So if you are, he'll follow you
If you're headed home
All the way
So we let him finish
Every dinner plate
And we watched his tail say thanks, thanks, thanks
And we tried to name him
But he ran away
Once he knew his freedom was at stake
This same old shit
So it's how you deal with it
It's the glove that fits
That you wear
So when the wind blows strong
I put a few more layers on
And I tell myself
I don't care
I might make a phone call
To a better man
To ask the questions that I have, have, have
Like how do I get started
And where's it going to end?
Why should I treat a traitor like a friend?
I listened to a lecture of nonsense until dawn
By a plagiary poet with dark glasses on
He said, "How did you ever dream up that song
The one where the baby dies?"
I said, "I'll tell you the secret, which one's your good ear?
Yeah, people are made up of water and fear
If there weren't women present we wouldn't be here
So let's make like we're friends"
And the pot turned to powder and soured the mood
And the people I'd come with were gone from the room
So I asked like a child, "May I be excused?"
And disobeyed them all
Into that late-night latrine, rain soaking through my shoes
I tried walking backwards to get less confused
Working off the theory I could never prove
That it was life itself to blame
And time ruined the world
Like a failed revolution
A tumor we could not remove
An old friend, a constant, the blues
Now my days are distractions, sit wringing my hands
Solitaire, crosswords and films on demand
When you turn from a cartoon back into a man
You start to smell that human smell
So I sleep with the fan on to drown out the street
And the noise rising up from the bar underneath
But for that inconvenience all my drinks are free
So I guess it's just as well
Why do I envy the ending right from the start
Just get it together to take it apart
Watching the horse as it follows the cart
I sweep up my broken spell
And I felt something changing the world
Like a new constitution
A thief I would have to pursue
At all times, at all costs, the truth
(x)
I listened to a lecture of nonsense until dawn
By a plagiary poet with dark glasses on
He said, "How did you ever dream up that song
The one where the baby dies?"
I said, "I'll tell you the secret, which one's your good ear?
Yeah, people are made up of water and fear
If there weren't women present we wouldn't be here
So let's make like we're friends"
And the pot turned to powder and soured the mood
And the people I'd come with were gone from the room
So I asked like a child, "May I be excused?"
And disobeyed them all
Into that late-night latrine, rain soaking through my shoes
I tried walking backwards to get less confused
Working off the theory I could never prove
That it was life itself to blame
And time ruined the world
Like a failed revolution
A tumor we could not remove
An old friend, a constant, the blues
Now my days are distractions, sit wringing my hands
Solitaire, crosswords and films on demand
When you turn from a cartoon back into a man
You start to smell that human smell
So I sleep with the fan on to drown out the street
And the noise rising up from the bar underneath
But for that inconvenience all my drinks are free
So I guess it's just as well
Why do I envy the ending right from the start
Just get it together to take it apart
Watching the horse as it follows the cart
I sweep up my broken spell
And I felt something changing the world
Like a new constitution
A thief I would have to pursue
At all times, at all costs, the truth
It's not the road we used to know
They tore some buildings down
The traffic's like a pack of dogs
There's fewer trees, windows, fleas
There's concrete on the lawn
There's people here but you are gone
And I find still swimming through time
Afraid some days I've reached the shore
"Make yourself free"
Man said back to me
Now my heart is like an open door
And the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here any more
It's not my weight that makes me faint
Or the sugar in my blood
But the way these strangers stand so close
They say my name like a guessing game
"Is that really you?"
No, I dont think it ever was
In the spring
When the world's turning green
I only think about the fall
The frets on the board
My progression of chords
Oh, how I want this to resolve
And the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here any more
Now the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here
No, I'm not sure if I live here
No, I'm not sure if I live here
Anymore
(x)
It's not the road we used to know
They tore some buildings down
The traffic's like a pack of dogs
There's fewer trees, windows, fleas
There's concrete on the lawn
There's people here but you are gone
And I find still swimming through time
Afraid some days I've reached the shore
"Make yourself free"
Man said back to me
Now my heart is like an open door
And the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here any more
It's not my weight that makes me faint
Or the sugar in my blood
But the way these strangers stand so close
They say my name like a guessing game
"Is that really you?"
No, I dont think it ever was
In the spring
When the world's turning green
I only think about the fall
The frets on the board
My progression of chords
Oh, how I want this to resolve
And the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here any more
Now the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here
No, I'm not sure if I live here
No, I'm not sure if I live here
Anymore
Bright Eyes
Cassadaga
Saddle Creek , 2007
cd, album
(x)
Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe
There's people always dying trying to keep them alive
His body's decomposing in containers tonight
In an abandoned building where
A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint and a chemical swirl
She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed
She caves
The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute
If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still
They are pouring over sanskrit on the ivy league moons
While shadows lengthen the sun
Cast off the schools of meditation built to soften the times
And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds
It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines
Four winds, cry until it comes
And it's the son of man
Slouching towards Bethlehem
A heart just can't contain all of that empty space
It breaks, it breaks, it breaks
Well, I went back to my rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps
All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead
They said, "You'd better look alive"
And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps
In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east
I buried my ballast, I made my peace
With four winds, levelling the pines
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't compete with all that outer space
She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves
(x)
Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe
There's people always dying trying to keep them alive
His body's decomposing in containers tonight
In an abandoned building where
A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint and a chemical swirl
She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed
She caves
The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute
If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still
They are pouring over sanskrit on the ivy league moons
While shadows lengthen the sun
Cast off the schools of meditation built to soften the times
And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds
It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines
Four winds, cry until it comes
And it's the son of man
Slouching towards Bethlehem
A heart just can't contain all of that empty space
It breaks, it breaks, it breaks
Well, I went back to my rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps
All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead
They said, "You'd better look alive"
And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps
In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east
I buried my ballast, I made my peace
With four winds, levelling the pines
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't compete with all that outer space
She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves
When panic grips your body and your heart is a hummingbird
Raven thoughts blacken your mind until you're breathing in reverse
All your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse
Every reassurance just magnifies the doubt
Better find yourself a place to level out
Got a cricket for a conscience always looks the other way
A cocaine soul starts seeming like an empty cabaret
Hey, where have all the dancers gone? Now the music doesn't play
Tried to listen to the river but you couldn't shut your mouth
Better take a little time to level out
I never thought of running
My feet just led the way
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
Cars are switched out in the crazy rain
I could meet you any place
If the Brakeman turns my way
All this automatic writing I have tried to understand
From a psychedelic angel who was tugging on my hand
It's an infinite coincidence but it doesn't form a plan
So I'm headed for New England or the Paris of the South
Gonna find myself somewhere to level out
Are your brothels full, Oh Babylon, with merry Middlemen?
Never peer out of their periscopes from those deep opium dens
All this death must need a counterweight always someone born again
First a mother bathes her child then the other way around
The Scales always find a way to level out
I tried to pass for nothing
But my dreams gave me away
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
People snuffed out in the brutal rain
I could live to any age
If the Brakeman turns my way
It is an old world it's hard to remember
Like a dime store mystery
I'm a repeat first time offender
Who has rewritten history
Mixed up tea leaves
Phantom Pain
Fuzzy logic in the crazy rain
Getting better every day
If the Brakeman turns my way
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
Cars are switched out in the blinding rain
He'll be smiling as he seals my fate
When the Brakeman turns my way
(x)
When panic grips your body and your heart is a hummingbird
Raven thoughts blacken your mind until you're breathing in reverse
All your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse
Every reassurance just magnifies the doubt
Better find yourself a place to level out
Got a cricket for a conscience always looks the other way
A cocaine soul starts seeming like an empty cabaret
Hey, where have all the dancers gone? Now the music doesn't play
Tried to listen to the river but you couldn't shut your mouth
Better take a little time to level out
I never thought of running
My feet just led the way
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
Cars are switched out in the crazy rain
I could meet you any place
If the Brakeman turns my way
All this automatic writing I have tried to understand
From a psychedelic angel who was tugging on my hand
It's an infinite coincidence but it doesn't form a plan
So I'm headed for New England or the Paris of the South
Gonna find myself somewhere to level out
Are your brothels full, Oh Babylon, with merry Middlemen?
Never peer out of their periscopes from those deep opium dens
All this death must need a counterweight always someone born again
First a mother bathes her child then the other way around
The Scales always find a way to level out
I tried to pass for nothing
But my dreams gave me away
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
People snuffed out in the brutal rain
I could live to any age
If the Brakeman turns my way
It is an old world it's hard to remember
Like a dime store mystery
I'm a repeat first time offender
Who has rewritten history
Mixed up tea leaves
Phantom Pain
Fuzzy logic in the crazy rain
Getting better every day
If the Brakeman turns my way
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
Cars are switched out in the blinding rain
He'll be smiling as he seals my fate
When the Brakeman turns my way
The Wife forgave the Mistress for she only entertained
The pain was gone the instant she cleared her throat to speak her name
Said, "Both of us must suffer from the same unending ache"
The world was not of interest though her days were never dull
Her bed beneath a crucifix on guests performing miracles
With the Son of God just hanging like a common criminal
When I do wrong I am with God, she thought
When I feel lost I am not at all
So give me Black Light (Give Give me)
So give me Hot Knives (Deep Clean sleep)
On a dance floor no one tells time (There is no time)
Oh, I've made love, yeah, I've been fucked, so what?
I'm a cartoon, you're a full moon, let's stay up
She went to see a Mystic who made medicine from rain
And gave up her existence to feel everything, dream others' dreams
Bid farewell to her family with one ecstatic wave (Please take care I love you all)
Out the window as the car rolled away
She just vanished into a thick mist of change
So let us rejoice (Let's Rejoice!)
In all this Pink Noise (Out Pink Noise!)
An oscillation that we can pin point (We're right here!)
(x)
The Wife forgave the Mistress for she only entertained
The pain was gone the instant she cleared her throat to speak her name
Said, "Both of us must suffer from the same unending ache"
The world was not of interest though her days were never dull
Her bed beneath a crucifix on guests performing miracles
With the Son of God just hanging like a common criminal
When I do wrong I am with God, she thought
When I feel lost I am not at all
So give me Black Light (Give Give me)
So give me Hot Knives (Deep Clean sleep)
On a dance floor no one tells time (There is no time)
Oh, I've made love, yeah, I've been fucked, so what?
I'm a cartoon, you're a full moon, let's stay up
She went to see a Mystic who made medicine from rain
And gave up her existence to feel everything, dream others' dreams
Bid farewell to her family with one ecstatic wave (Please take care I love you all)
Out the window as the car rolled away
She just vanished into a thick mist of change
So let us rejoice (Let's Rejoice!)
In all this Pink Noise (Out Pink Noise!)
An oscillation that we can pin point (We're right here!)
I heard you're scheming new pyramids
Another big idea to get you rich
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
You said you had your foot in the door
You buy and you sell, you buy some more
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
Life is too short
Death doesn't ask
It don't owe you that
Some things you lose
You don't get back
So just know what you have
And make a plan to love me sometime soon
Life is Too $hort
To be a fool
I don't owe you that
Do what you feel
Whatever is cool
But I just have to ask
First you want to ride off into the Sun
Then you want to shoot straight to the Moon
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
When you are young the world is a Ferris Wheer
I know we will grow old it is lovely, still
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
Will you make a plan to love me?
(x)
I heard you're scheming new pyramids
Another big idea to get you rich
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
You said you had your foot in the door
You buy and you sell, you buy some more
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
Life is too short
Death doesn't ask
It don't owe you that
Some things you lose
You don't get back
So just know what you have
And make a plan to love me sometime soon
Life is Too $hort
To be a fool
I don't owe you that
Do what you feel
Whatever is cool
But I just have to ask
First you want to ride off into the Sun
Then you want to shoot straight to the Moon
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
When you are young the world is a Ferris Wheer
I know we will grow old it is lovely, still
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
Will you make a plan to love me?
See the Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to ribbons beneath a microphone stand
Felt the quickness of pity like a flash in a pan
For the Soul Singer in the session band
Now a red carpet bagger makes a Blackberry call
To the plastic piranhas in the city of salt
Wasted wheat paste campaign post no bills on the wall
You mean nothing to no one but that's nobody's fault
See the Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to ribbons beneath a microphone stand
Felt the quickness of pity like a flash in a pan
For the Soul Singer in the session band
I had a lengthy discussion about The Power of Myth
With a post-modern author who didn't exist
In this fictitious world all reality twists
I was a hopeless romantic now I'm just turning tricks
Just like that Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded confetti beneath a microphone stand
Saw the Conflict of Interest slipping cash in the hand
Of the Soul Singer in the session band
His room is on fire since he painted it red
There are a stranger's silk sequins at the foot of the bed
He has been to weddings and funerals but he still never wept
Now sorrow is pleasure when you want it instead
Just like the Soul Singer in the session band
Wailed like an infant atop a white baby grand
We'll need every sand bag and every man
To save the Soul Singer in the session band
Headlights or Taillights it's a flip of a coin
I have been coming and going since the day I was born
And I followed the breadcrumbs but I never got home
I grew old in an instant now I am all on my own
Just like that Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to nothing beneath the microphone stand
Saw the wave of the future through the crack of the dam
Drowned the Soul Singer in the session band
Bless the Soul singer in the session band
(x)
See the Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to ribbons beneath a microphone stand
Felt the quickness of pity like a flash in a pan
For the Soul Singer in the session band
Now a red carpet bagger makes a Blackberry call
To the plastic piranhas in the city of salt
Wasted wheat paste campaign post no bills on the wall
You mean nothing to no one but that's nobody's fault
See the Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to ribbons beneath a microphone stand
Felt the quickness of pity like a flash in a pan
For the Soul Singer in the session band
I had a lengthy discussion about The Power of Myth
With a post-modern author who didn't exist
In this fictitious world all reality twists
I was a hopeless romantic now I'm just turning tricks
Just like that Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded confetti beneath a microphone stand
Saw the Conflict of Interest slipping cash in the hand
Of the Soul Singer in the session band
His room is on fire since he painted it red
There are a stranger's silk sequins at the foot of the bed
He has been to weddings and funerals but he still never wept
Now sorrow is pleasure when you want it instead
Just like the Soul Singer in the session band
Wailed like an infant atop a white baby grand
We'll need every sand bag and every man
To save the Soul Singer in the session band
Headlights or Taillights it's a flip of a coin
I have been coming and going since the day I was born
And I followed the breadcrumbs but I never got home
I grew old in an instant now I am all on my own
Just like that Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to nothing beneath the microphone stand
Saw the wave of the future through the crack of the dam
Drowned the Soul Singer in the session band
Bless the Soul singer in the session band
She was a real royal lady, true patron of the arts
She said the best country singers die in the back of classic cars
So if I ever got too hungry for a suitcase or guitar
To think of them all alone in the dark
So I laid some nights beside her in a bed made for a queen
She said I kissed her different, that all the men her age were mean
Gave me anything I wanted, Oh the generosity
I took all that I could, it was free
Now the sky is a torn up denim and the clouds are just splattered paint
It's a room I'm renovating; it's a name I got to change
If I get out of California I'm going back to my home state
To tell them all that I made a mistake
And I keep looking for that blindfold faith
Lighting candles to a cynical saint
Who wants the last laugh at the fly trapped in the windowsill tape
You can go right out of your mind trying to escape
From the panicked paradox of day to day
If you can't understand something then it's best to be afraid
The whole world it loves you if you are a chic chameleon
Intersecting circles she could hang with anyone
But when conducting business she would lie about where she's from
Saying, "Life is how it is not how it was"
I learned to listen felt like I was back at school
She'd talk forever about the phases of the moon
Saying, "Everything is a cycle, you've got to let it come to you
And when it does, you will know what to do"
Without even knowing I guess I took her advice
Painted her front door it seemed a suitable goodbye
It's not that often but I think of her sometimes
Just something quaint, a couple ships in the night
And they keep moving at a glacial pace
Turning circles in a memory maze
I made a new cast of the death mask that is gonna cover my face
I had to change the combination to the safe
Hide it all behind a wall let people wait
And never trust a heart that is so bent it can't break
(x)
She was a real royal lady, true patron of the arts
She said the best country singers die in the back of classic cars
So if I ever got too hungry for a suitcase or guitar
To think of them all alone in the dark
So I laid some nights beside her in a bed made for a queen
She said I kissed her different, that all the men her age were mean
Gave me anything I wanted, Oh the generosity
I took all that I could, it was free
Now the sky is a torn up denim and the clouds are just splattered paint
It's a room I'm renovating; it's a name I got to change
If I get out of California I'm going back to my home state
To tell them all that I made a mistake
And I keep looking for that blindfold faith
Lighting candles to a cynical saint
Who wants the last laugh at the fly trapped in the windowsill tape
You can go right out of your mind trying to escape
From the panicked paradox of day to day
If you can't understand something then it's best to be afraid
The whole world it loves you if you are a chic chameleon
Intersecting circles she could hang with anyone
But when conducting business she would lie about where she's from
Saying, "Life is how it is not how it was"
I learned to listen felt like I was back at school
She'd talk forever about the phases of the moon
Saying, "Everything is a cycle, you've got to let it come to you
And when it does, you will know what to do"
Without even knowing I guess I took her advice
Painted her front door it seemed a suitable goodbye
It's not that often but I think of her sometimes
Just something quaint, a couple ships in the night
And they keep moving at a glacial pace
Turning circles in a memory maze
I made a new cast of the death mask that is gonna cover my face
I had to change the combination to the safe
Hide it all behind a wall let people wait
And never trust a heart that is so bent it can't break
I traveled though the atmosphere as a wall of feedback climbed
The pegs were gold, the band was old, they played in half time
Now every dream gets whittled down just like every fool gets wise
You will never reap of any seed deprived of sunlight
So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are mine
The in-between, the absentee
Is a beautiful disguise
So I keep my footlights shining bright just like I keep my exits wide
'Cause I never know when it's time to go, it's too crowded now inside
The dead can hide beneath the ground and the birds can always fly
But the rest of us do what we must in constant compromise
So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are fine
The "I don't know," the "maybe so"
Is the only real reply
It is the only true reply
(x)
I traveled though the atmosphere as a wall of feedback climbed
The pegs were gold, the band was old, they played in half time
Now every dream gets whittled down just like every fool gets wise
You will never reap of any seed deprived of sunlight
So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are mine
The in-between, the absentee
Is a beautiful disguise
So I keep my footlights shining bright just like I keep my exits wide
'Cause I never know when it's time to go, it's too crowded now inside
The dead can hide beneath the ground and the birds can always fly
But the rest of us do what we must in constant compromise
So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are fine
The "I don't know," the "maybe so"
Is the only real reply
It is the only true reply
Hear the chimes, did you know that the wind when it blows
It is older than Rome and all of this sorrow
See the new pyramids down in old Manhattan
From the roof of a friend's I watched an empire ending
Heard it loud and long the river's Om
Time marching on to a madman's drum
Don't forget what you've learned all you give is returned
And if life seems absurd what you need is some laughter
And a season to sleep and a place to get clean
Maybe Los Angeles, somewhere no one is expecting
On a detox loft through a Glendale Park over sidewalk chalk
Someone wrote in red, "start over"
So I muffled my scream on an Oxnard beach
Full of fever dreams that scare you sober
Into saltless dinners
Take the fruit from the tree, break the skin with your teeth
Is it bitter or sweet? All depends on your timing
Like a meeting of chance with the train station glance
Many lifetimes had past in a instant reminded
Of a millstone house in a seaside town
When your heart gave out in a mission bed
So your wife gave birth to a funeral dirge
You woke up purged as a wailing infant
In Krug Thep, Thailand
Hear the chimes, did you know that the wind when it blows
It is older than Rome and our joy and our sorrow
(x)
Hear the chimes, did you know that the wind when it blows
It is older than Rome and all of this sorrow
See the new pyramids down in old Manhattan
From the roof of a friend's I watched an empire ending
Heard it loud and long the river's Om
Time marching on to a madman's drum
Don't forget what you've learned all you give is returned
And if life seems absurd what you need is some laughter
And a season to sleep and a place to get clean
Maybe Los Angeles, somewhere no one is expecting
On a detox loft through a Glendale Park over sidewalk chalk
Someone wrote in red, "start over"
So I muffled my scream on an Oxnard beach
Full of fever dreams that scare you sober
Into saltless dinners
Take the fruit from the tree, break the skin with your teeth
Is it bitter or sweet? All depends on your timing
Like a meeting of chance with the train station glance
Many lifetimes had past in a instant reminded
Of a millstone house in a seaside town
When your heart gave out in a mission bed
So your wife gave birth to a funeral dirge
You woke up purged as a wailing infant
In Krug Thep, Thailand
Hear the chimes, did you know that the wind when it blows
It is older than Rome and our joy and our sorrow
Death may come, invisible
Or in a holy wall of fire
In the breath between the markers
On some black I-80 mile
From the madness of the governments
To the vengeance of the sea
Everything is eclipsed
By the shape of destiny
So love me now
Hell is coming
Could you do it now?
Hell is here
Little soldier, little insect
You know war, it has no heart
It will kill you in the sunshine
Or just as happily in the dark
Well, kindness is a card game
Or a bent-up cigarette
In the trenches, in the hard rain
With the bullet and the bit
He says help me out
Hell is coming
Just kiss my mouth
Hell is here
Do you see the sterile soil
Poisoned sky
Yellow water
The final scraps of life
Bringing new tears
Wake, baby, wake
Leave that blanket around you
There's no where we're safe
I'm leaving this place
But there's nothing
I'm planning to take
Just you
Just you
Just you
Just you
Just you
(x)
Death may come, invisible
Or in a holy wall of fire
In the breath between the markers
On some black I-80 mile
From the madness of the governments
To the vengeance of the sea
Everything is eclipsed
By the shape of destiny
So love me now
Hell is coming
Could you do it now?
Hell is here
Little soldier, little insect
You know war, it has no heart
It will kill you in the sunshine
Or just as happily in the dark
Well, kindness is a card game
Or a bent-up cigarette
In the trenches, in the hard rain
With the bullet and the bit
He says help me out
Hell is coming
Just kiss my mouth
Hell is here
Do you see the sterile soil
Poisoned sky
Yellow water
The final scraps of life
Bringing new tears
Wake, baby, wake
Leave that blanket around you
There's no where we're safe
I'm leaving this place
But there's nothing
I'm planning to take
Just you
Just you
Just you
Just you
Just you
Shrill as a choir of children
Urgent like the first day of May
False and inflatable feeling
Tugs at my senses, big as the Macy's Parade
One brick on top of another
Such is the measure of man
Planets are inset like diamonds
On a gravity halo, eternity's wedding band
I slept with that dealer all summer
The ecstasy is still in my spine
Coat Check I couldn't remember
Walked into the winter, came out on the other side
In the South the sun is shining
Back in the East the lights went out
Stuck on a ladder to heaven
On trial way back in The Hague
Lullaby sounds from the engine
In my Styrofoam coffin, asleep on the interstate
Black globes, old symbols of freedom
A murderer still on the lam
Cities encircled in iron
On a great silver beltway, democracy's shackled hands
Seance that brought us together
Objects we move with our minds
Coat Check and I lost the number
Short sleeves in the winter, fell back through the other side
Out in the West the cars are crashing
Up in the North the ice gave out
Saada Tekmel B'Lhouria...
Houria...
(x)
Shrill as a choir of children
Urgent like the first day of May
False and inflatable feeling
Tugs at my senses, big as the Macy's Parade
One brick on top of another
Such is the measure of man
Planets are inset like diamonds
On a gravity halo, eternity's wedding band
I slept with that dealer all summer
The ecstasy is still in my spine
Coat Check I couldn't remember
Walked into the winter, came out on the other side
In the South the sun is shining
Back in the East the lights went out
Stuck on a ladder to heaven
On trial way back in The Hague
Lullaby sounds from the engine
In my Styrofoam coffin, asleep on the interstate
Black globes, old symbols of freedom
A murderer still on the lam
Cities encircled in iron
On a great silver beltway, democracy's shackled hands
Seance that brought us together
Objects we move with our minds
Coat Check and I lost the number
Short sleeves in the winter, fell back through the other side
Out in the West the cars are crashing
Up in the North the ice gave out
Saada Tekmel B'Lhouria...
Houria...
Leave the bright blue door on the whitewashed wall
Leave the death ledger under city hall
Leave the joyful air in that rubber ball today
Leave the lilac print on the linen sheet
Leave the birds you killed at your father's feet
Let the sideways rain and the crooked street remain
Leave the whimpering dog in his cold kennel
Leave the dead starlet on her pedestal
Leave the acid kids in their green fishbowls today
Just leave the sad guitar in its hardshell case
Leave the worried look on your lover's face
Let the orange embers in the fireplace remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
A train off in the distance, bicycle chained to the stairs
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now, that is why I'm staying here
Leave the ocean's roar in the turquoise shell
Leave the widower in his private hell
Leave the liberty in that broken bell today
Leave the epic poem on its yellowed page
Leave the grey macaw in its covered cage
Let the traveling band on the interstate remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
Sound stage in California, televisions in Times Square
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now that is why I'm staying here
Yeah, I know that now, that is why I'm staying here
Leave the secret talks on the trundle bed
Leave the garden tools in that rusted shed
Leave those bad ideas in your troubled head today
Leave the restless ghost in his old hotel
Leave the homeless man in that cardboard cell
Let the painted horse on the carousel remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
Just like the gold around her finger or the silver in his hair
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now, that's why I'm staying here
I know that now, that's why I'm staying here
In truth the forest hears each sound
Each blade of grass as it lies down
The world requires no audience
No witnesses, no witnesses
Leave the old town drunk on his wooden stool
Leave the autumn leaves in their swimming pool
Leave the poor black child in his crumbling school today
Leave the novelist in his daydream tune
Leave the scientist in his Rubik's cube
Let the true genius in the padded room remain
Leave the horse's hair on the slanted bow
Leave the slot machines on the riverboat
Leave the cauliflower in the casserole today
Leave the hot bright trash in the shopping malls
Leave the hawks of war in their capitol
Let the organ's moan in the cathedral remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
They locked the Devil in the basement, threw God up into the air
Everything it must belong somewhere
And you know it's true, I wish you'd leave me here
You know it's true, why don't you leave me here?
(x)
Leave the bright blue door on the whitewashed wall
Leave the death ledger under city hall
Leave the joyful air in that rubber ball today
Leave the lilac print on the linen sheet
Leave the birds you killed at your father's feet
Let the sideways rain and the crooked street remain
Leave the whimpering dog in his cold kennel
Leave the dead starlet on her pedestal
Leave the acid kids in their green fishbowls today
Just leave the sad guitar in its hardshell case
Leave the worried look on your lover's face
Let the orange embers in the fireplace remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
A train off in the distance, bicycle chained to the stairs
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now, that is why I'm staying here
Leave the ocean's roar in the turquoise shell
Leave the widower in his private hell
Leave the liberty in that broken bell today
Leave the epic poem on its yellowed page
Leave the grey macaw in its covered cage
Let the traveling band on the interstate remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
Sound stage in California, televisions in Times Square
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now that is why I'm staying here
Yeah, I know that now, that is why I'm staying here
Leave the secret talks on the trundle bed
Leave the garden tools in that rusted shed
Leave those bad ideas in your troubled head today
Leave the restless ghost in his old hotel
Leave the homeless man in that cardboard cell
Let the painted horse on the carousel remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
Just like the gold around her finger or the silver in his hair
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now, that's why I'm staying here
I know that now, that's why I'm staying here
In truth the forest hears each sound
Each blade of grass as it lies down
The world requires no audience
No witnesses, no witnesses
Leave the old town drunk on his wooden stool
Leave the autumn leaves in their swimming pool
Leave the poor black child in his crumbling school today
Leave the novelist in his daydream tune
Leave the scientist in his Rubik's cube
Let the true genius in the padded room remain
Leave the horse's hair on the slanted bow
Leave the slot machines on the riverboat
Leave the cauliflower in the casserole today
Leave the hot bright trash in the shopping malls
Leave the hawks of war in their capitol
Let the organ's moan in the cathedral remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
They locked the Devil in the basement, threw God up into the air
Everything it must belong somewhere
And you know it's true, I wish you'd leave me here
You know it's true, why don't you leave me here?
I keep floating down the river but the ocean never comes
Since the operation I heard you're breathing just for one
Now everything is imaginary, especially what you love
You left another message said it's done,
It's done
When I hear beautiful music it's always from another time
Old friends I never visit, I remember what they're like
Standing on a doorstep full of nervous butterflies
Waiting to be asked to come inside
Just come inside
But I keep going out
I can't sleep next to a stranger when I'm coming down
It's 8 a.m. my heart is beating too loud
Too loud
Don't be so amazing or I'll miss you too much
I felt something that I had never touched
Everything gets smaller now the further that I go
Towards the mouth and the reunion of the Known and the Unknown
Consider yourself lucky if you think of it as home
You can move mountains with your misery if you don't
If you don't
It comes to me in fragments, even those still split in two
Under the leaves of that old Lime Tree I stood examining the fruit
Some were ripe and some were rotten, I felt nauseous with the truth
There will never be a time more opportune
So I just won't be late
The window closes, shock rolls over in a tidal wave
And all the color drains out of the frame
So pleased with a daydream that now living is no good
I took off my shoes and walked into the woods
I felt lost and found with every step I took
(x)
I keep floating down the river but the ocean never comes
Since the operation I heard you're breathing just for one
Now everything is imaginary, especially what you love
You left another message said it's done,
It's done
When I hear beautiful music it's always from another time
Old friends I never visit, I remember what they're like
Standing on a doorstep full of nervous butterflies
Waiting to be asked to come inside
Just come inside
But I keep going out
I can't sleep next to a stranger when I'm coming down
It's 8 a.m. my heart is beating too loud
Too loud
Don't be so amazing or I'll miss you too much
I felt something that I had never touched
Everything gets smaller now the further that I go
Towards the mouth and the reunion of the Known and the Unknown
Consider yourself lucky if you think of it as home
You can move mountains with your misery if you don't
If you don't
It comes to me in fragments, even those still split in two
Under the leaves of that old Lime Tree I stood examining the fruit
Some were ripe and some were rotten, I felt nauseous with the truth
There will never be a time more opportune
So I just won't be late
The window closes, shock rolls over in a tidal wave
And all the color drains out of the frame
So pleased with a daydream that now living is no good
I took off my shoes and walked into the woods
I felt lost and found with every step I took
Bright Eyes
A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997
Saddle Creek , 1997
cd, album
The heat comes in distant shifts to fill up my room
It spills out of these ancient vents, to meet the new cold
And I lay in my twisted sheets and stare out at the snow
Thinking of the next few months, my cold and lifeless eyes
No, I've never felt so separate
And then there's you, but that's so obvious
So I'll just say that it's hopeless, and I know this
That's why I can't dream
No desire or circumstance keeps it from me
One by one, to department stores, we walk through the aisles
In the forest of designer clothes, you touch me and smile
And oh, for a moment, I could want nothing
Your bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
So we stand as the shoppers pass us
And for once I can feel a touch completely
And I need to just be near you and fill these empty eyes
But you start turning as resistance pulls you from my cold and boring life
Let's make this easy and let time pass
As devotion dies, the list goes on and on
What difference is it
I'm aching, and I'm waiting for the touch to cure the fear
To cure the fear
(x)
The heat comes in distant shifts to fill up my room
It spills out of these ancient vents, to meet the new cold
And I lay in my twisted sheets and stare out at the snow
Thinking of the next few months, my cold and lifeless eyes
No, I've never felt so separate
And then there's you, but that's so obvious
So I'll just say that it's hopeless, and I know this
That's why I can't dream
No desire or circumstance keeps it from me
One by one, to department stores, we walk through the aisles
In the forest of designer clothes, you touch me and smile
And oh, for a moment, I could want nothing
Your bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
So we stand as the shoppers pass us
And for once I can feel a touch completely
And I need to just be near you and fill these empty eyes
But you start turning as resistance pulls you from my cold and boring life
Let's make this easy and let time pass
As devotion dies, the list goes on and on
What difference is it
I'm aching, and I'm waiting for the touch to cure the fear
To cure the fear
Virginia's almost sleeping, the night is getting older
There's static on the tv and she's lying on the sofa
The cats crawl over her
Jenny's in the garage, she's got the car in neutral
She rolls it out so quietly
It's Saturday as usual
It always is
And me I'm in my bedroom, drawing in my notebook
'Cause my hand thinks I'm an artist, but my heart knows I'm a poet
It's just words, they mean so little to me
So little to me, so little to me
And I can't seem to deal with something more from everyone
It falls back (?)
Daddy's in the backyard, his hands are getting dirty
And mom is in the kitchen, and the cake says that I'm thirteen
Another year
My brother went to college to become a doctor
And if he studies hard enough, he'll end up just like father
Who hates his life
And me, I'm in the bathroom, crying out my eyelids
'Cause it's hard to be a man when you're scared
Just like a little kid
Words become a little too mean
And I can't see the point of patient love
When everyone just wants to get fucked
(x)
Virginia's almost sleeping, the night is getting older
There's static on the tv and she's lying on the sofa
The cats crawl over her
Jenny's in the garage, she's got the car in neutral
She rolls it out so quietly
It's Saturday as usual
It always is
And me I'm in my bedroom, drawing in my notebook
'Cause my hand thinks I'm an artist, but my heart knows I'm a poet
It's just words, they mean so little to me
So little to me, so little to me
And I can't seem to deal with something more from everyone
It falls back (?)
Daddy's in the backyard, his hands are getting dirty
And mom is in the kitchen, and the cake says that I'm thirteen
Another year
My brother went to college to become a doctor
And if he studies hard enough, he'll end up just like father
Who hates his life
And me, I'm in the bathroom, crying out my eyelids
'Cause it's hard to be a man when you're scared
Just like a little kid
Words become a little too mean
And I can't see the point of patient love
When everyone just wants to get fucked
Tell me what you wanted to hear
Let me do the right thing, let me do the wrong thing
And if it's ever this clear
I'll only say it once
Just let me turn the amps way up
So you can hear nothing
And if I die tonight, then I guess I die tonight
Let me go on
Just say what you wanted to say
I cannot stand these talks, dear
They're only getting nowhere
It's never resolved, we only run around
You only tell me anyone could be just like me
If it was a different time and a different place to be
You would go on
(x)
Tell me what you wanted to hear
Let me do the right thing, let me do the wrong thing
And if it's ever this clear
I'll only say it once
Just let me turn the amps way up
So you can hear nothing
And if I die tonight, then I guess I die tonight
Let me go on
Just say what you wanted to say
I cannot stand these talks, dear
They're only getting nowhere
It's never resolved, we only run around
You only tell me anyone could be just like me
If it was a different time and a different place to be
You would go on
I wanted to come visit you waiting in the springtime
When the leaves change
And the ground outside is begging for that newness that surrounds us
As we dance back through the screen door
In the sunlight of mid-April
But the glow won't stop the smiles that are spreading on our faces
As we fall down on the kitchen floor
And she's laughing about something that she had heard earlier
And I can't help noticing that she is sitting closer to me
Than she ever has before
(x)
I wanted to come visit you waiting in the springtime
When the leaves change
And the ground outside is begging for that newness that surrounds us
As we dance back through the screen door
In the sunlight of mid-April
But the glow won't stop the smiles that are spreading on our faces
As we fall down on the kitchen floor
And she's laughing about something that she had heard earlier
And I can't help noticing that she is sitting closer to me
Than she ever has before
We escape from the house as the day disappears from the sky into night
We became what we wanted to be, like a dream or a ghost
I collapsed out of turn near a house
Lying still in the grass and felt the heat from the ground
Rising up to contract and expand like a breath
We leave from that place soaked with sweat and the poison we drank
Fill the bathtub with ice and hope this fever will break
Like a heart, easily
But I do not recall all the words that were formed
On those wire lips as they greeted me
A promise was made without thought as the temperature climbed
And I started to sink like the moon tends to do if you stare at it so long
Then you blink and it's gone, and we crawl to our sleep with the dawn
And isn't it the same mistake? And isn't it the same mistake?
There's not much you can escape
And isn't it the same?
We awake in the light feeling hollow and selfishly warm
Close the blinds and retreat until what's burning is gone
And its light is away
Then we're back in the dark chasing nothing through backyards and trees
You ripped your shirt on a fence, but it didn't get me
Yeah, it's fear, it makes you slow
And these creatures look crooked, their shadows cut lines through my face
And the concrete is fire where my bare feet are placed
In a line next to yours
And I guess I'm not sure if it's fear that was born
As those awful eyes laid their claim on us
I put my hands on the fence, said your name, and I started to climb
And it must have been sweat but I drank it like wine
It was sweet, my mouth was dry
I heard your scream but I made no reply
I can still taste it now if I try
(x)
We escape from the house as the day disappears from the sky into night
We became what we wanted to be, like a dream or a ghost
I collapsed out of turn near a house
Lying still in the grass and felt the heat from the ground
Rising up to contract and expand like a breath
We leave from that place soaked with sweat and the poison we drank
Fill the bathtub with ice and hope this fever will break
Like a heart, easily
But I do not recall all the words that were formed
On those wire lips as they greeted me
A promise was made without thought as the temperature climbed
And I started to sink like the moon tends to do if you stare at it so long
Then you blink and it's gone, and we crawl to our sleep with the dawn
And isn't it the same mistake? And isn't it the same mistake?
There's not much you can escape
And isn't it the same?
We awake in the light feeling hollow and selfishly warm
Close the blinds and retreat until what's burning is gone
And its light is away
Then we're back in the dark chasing nothing through backyards and trees
You ripped your shirt on a fence, but it didn't get me
Yeah, it's fear, it makes you slow
And these creatures look crooked, their shadows cut lines through my face
And the concrete is fire where my bare feet are placed
In a line next to yours
And I guess I'm not sure if it's fear that was born
As those awful eyes laid their claim on us
I put my hands on the fence, said your name, and I started to climb
And it must have been sweat but I drank it like wine
It was sweet, my mouth was dry
I heard your scream but I made no reply
I can still taste it now if I try
I had a beautiful, beautiful time
The drives and the talks were amazing
The kind of friend I thought I'd never find
I had a beautiful, beautiful time
You have a beautiful, beautiful smile
The way it curls and collapses on your lips
When you touch me I shake like a child
It's late, I'm afraid you might leave
'Cause sometimes it seems like you still don't believe me
There's nothing I can do to concentrate
It's so distracting, always thinking of you
So I expose and explain and I meant everything I said
And it's moments like this that repeat and replay in my head
When I'm laying in bed
It's a beautiful, beautiful time
As you laugh and roll onto your stomach
The carpet embraces your design
My heart pounds as I lay by your side
And I find that I am unable to hide all these feelings that flow
In this basement, and in this dim light, you look so beautiful
I'm unsure and unclear with the words that I say
I'm happy when you're near and I wish that forever could stay
Just like today
You have beautiful, beautiful eyes
So bright and alive and enchanting
I want to be with you all of the time
It's hopeless but I have to try
(x)
I had a beautiful, beautiful time
The drives and the talks were amazing
The kind of friend I thought I'd never find
I had a beautiful, beautiful time
You have a beautiful, beautiful smile
The way it curls and collapses on your lips
When you touch me I shake like a child
It's late, I'm afraid you might leave
'Cause sometimes it seems like you still don't believe me
There's nothing I can do to concentrate
It's so distracting, always thinking of you
So I expose and explain and I meant everything I said
And it's moments like this that repeat and replay in my head
When I'm laying in bed
It's a beautiful, beautiful time
As you laugh and roll onto your stomach
The carpet embraces your design
My heart pounds as I lay by your side
And I find that I am unable to hide all these feelings that flow
In this basement, and in this dim light, you look so beautiful
I'm unsure and unclear with the words that I say
I'm happy when you're near and I wish that forever could stay
Just like today
You have beautiful, beautiful eyes
So bright and alive and enchanting
I want to be with you all of the time
It's hopeless but I have to try
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to say that night has come
And there's one that guards this jagged shore
And there's one to call the children home
And there's one to light the path they take
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to keep the shadows off
And there's one that tells me she got home
And there's one to read his novel by
And there's one that warms this dreary room
And there's one to watch the baby sleep
And there's one to count the blinking stars
And there's one that I just can't forget
And there's one that I remember too
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one that waits for closing time
And there's one that gets left on all night
And there's one that marks the western sky
And it shines down on the quiet street
And there's one that floods the darker parts
And there's one that hurts my tired eyes
And there's one that says she's not asleep
And there's one that waits for her to wake
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There is one that spills out on the beach
And it sparkles on the jetting rocks
And there is one that waits for tired ships
That sleep within this tired port
(x)
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to say that night has come
And there's one that guards this jagged shore
And there's one to call the children home
And there's one to light the path they take
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to keep the shadows off
And there's one that tells me she got home
And there's one to read his novel by
And there's one that warms this dreary room
And there's one to watch the baby sleep
And there's one to count the blinking stars
And there's one that I just can't forget
And there's one that I remember too
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one that waits for closing time
And there's one that gets left on all night
And there's one that marks the western sky
And it shines down on the quiet street
And there's one that floods the darker parts
And there's one that hurts my tired eyes
And there's one that says she's not asleep
And there's one that waits for her to wake
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There is one that spills out on the beach
And it sparkles on the jetting rocks
And there is one that waits for tired ships
That sleep within this tired port
Meaning is sometimes hard to spot
It begins with the flickering of cigarettes
In the darkness of a dorm room, somewhere in this suffocated Midwest
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if there is truth then why can't we find it?
But beauty comes to those who have been waiting
For something that is bigger than themselves
But this is the sound of the hopeless kids
As they scream from the basements of the houses of their parents
And this is the sound of the hopeless ones
As they stare down at their books and realize that they've been lied to
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if the vision's gone, then I was not aware
Consistency like that which I have craved is that people change so unexpectedly
And realization finds you in a drunken airport
Some planes depart and others never arrive
So with this in mind I don't plan on waiting
If it's time to leave and break these old ties
Without something more the vision is fading
But until it's gone the pain will make us try
But this is the hope I've been searching for
As the wings catch the sunlight of the cold Nebraska skyline
And this is the dream I am dying in
As I wake to find tomorrow, be content without perfection
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if the vision's gone then I was not aware
(x)
Meaning is sometimes hard to spot
It begins with the flickering of cigarettes
In the darkness of a dorm room, somewhere in this suffocated Midwest
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if there is truth then why can't we find it?
But beauty comes to those who have been waiting
For something that is bigger than themselves
But this is the sound of the hopeless kids
As they scream from the basements of the houses of their parents
And this is the sound of the hopeless ones
As they stare down at their books and realize that they've been lied to
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if the vision's gone, then I was not aware
Consistency like that which I have craved is that people change so unexpectedly
And realization finds you in a drunken airport
Some planes depart and others never arrive
So with this in mind I don't plan on waiting
If it's time to leave and break these old ties
Without something more the vision is fading
But until it's gone the pain will make us try
But this is the hope I've been searching for
As the wings catch the sunlight of the cold Nebraska skyline
And this is the dream I am dying in
As I wake to find tomorrow, be content without perfection
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if the vision's gone then I was not aware
My grandfather's name was Moon because his eyes were bright and round
And no amount of time or liquor could dull them
My grandmother's name was Joy because it spilled out of her heart
And bathed her precious children in its warmth
And there was happiness in life beyond the sorrow and the pain
But how they ever found it I cannot explain
I guess time has a way of making everything all right
It's just there's not enough of it
And so we drink and we sing and we celebrate this life
And hope that it will last
Morning is here, and night has passed
My grandfather was a doctor, he cured the sick with his kind hands
And he taught me how to sail and how to find dry land
My grandmother was all sweetness, when she spoke we all heard bells
And they rang in such a way that we were comforted
And they held on to each other with all the strength they had
And they loved with devotion beyond what I understand
But fear has a way of making sleep unbearable, and the days seem cold and long
But we'll cry and we dance, and we stumble into love in awkward, perfect grace
The moon is gone and the sun has took its place
(x)
My grandfather's name was Moon because his eyes were bright and round
And no amount of time or liquor could dull them
My grandmother's name was Joy because it spilled out of her heart
And bathed her precious children in its warmth
And there was happiness in life beyond the sorrow and the pain
But how they ever found it I cannot explain
I guess time has a way of making everything all right
It's just there's not enough of it
And so we drink and we sing and we celebrate this life
And hope that it will last
Morning is here, and night has passed
My grandfather was a doctor, he cured the sick with his kind hands
And he taught me how to sail and how to find dry land
My grandmother was all sweetness, when she spoke we all heard bells
And they rang in such a way that we were comforted
And they held on to each other with all the strength they had
And they loved with devotion beyond what I understand
But fear has a way of making sleep unbearable, and the days seem cold and long
But we'll cry and we dance, and we stumble into love in awkward, perfect grace
The moon is gone and the sun has took its place
Emily, sing something sweet for me
I want to feel the warmth inside your heart
Emily, sing something sweet for me
I need to feel those words out of your mouth
Emily, sing something, please
I want to face the life behind your eyes
Emily, sing something, something, something, sweet
(x)
Emily, sing something sweet for me
I want to feel the warmth inside your heart
Emily, sing something sweet for me
I need to feel those words out of your mouth
Emily, sing something, please
I want to face the life behind your eyes
Emily, sing something, something, something, sweet
It is not the past few days that have made me feel this way
And it is not the tiny marks of doubt that cover everything I see
It is just the way she looks at me with a love so complete
That I have never seen
And from this grows a strong, undying guilt
The feeling of regret for things I never felt
But oh, I wanted to change and become what she needs
I know what she needs, what I can never be
(x)
It is not the past few days that have made me feel this way
And it is not the tiny marks of doubt that cover everything I see
It is just the way she looks at me with a love so complete
That I have never seen
And from this grows a strong, undying guilt
The feeling of regret for things I never felt
But oh, I wanted to change and become what she needs
I know what she needs, what I can never be
And, if it's true, baby, I'm the one in love with you
And I guess that I've been all my life
And I know, and I'll try
And I'll love you more than those other guys
'Cause you mean the world to me
You're exactly what I need
Baby, I'm waiting for you to stop shaking and come closer to me
My love and protection, my love and devotion, devotion
Covered the spread, won the bets
And now I'm the one who won your heart, and I hope that you'll always be mine
'Cause our love is for all time
And trust of a virtue, I'll never desert you
Or leave you behind
Forever and ever, yeah, we'll be together
Together, we'll be
And if it's true, baby, I'm the one in love with you
And I swear that I've been all my life
Covered the spread, won the bets
Baby, I'm the one that won your heart
And I know, and if it's true
(x)
And, if it's true, baby, I'm the one in love with you
And I guess that I've been all my life
And I know, and I'll try
And I'll love you more than those other guys
'Cause you mean the world to me
You're exactly what I need
Baby, I'm waiting for you to stop shaking and come closer to me
My love and protection, my love and devotion, devotion
Covered the spread, won the bets
And now I'm the one who won your heart, and I hope that you'll always be mine
'Cause our love is for all time
And trust of a virtue, I'll never desert you
Or leave you behind
Forever and ever, yeah, we'll be together
Together, we'll be
And if it's true, baby, I'm the one in love with you
And I swear that I've been all my life
Covered the spread, won the bets
Baby, I'm the one that won your heart
And I know, and if it's true
Close your eyes
The dark outside can't hurt you
And I will never desert your bedside
So close them tight
The stars are so glad that they've found you
And on the blankets that surround you
They shine their light, they shine their light
So rest your head, and I will be watching from the doorway
As you slip into a perfect, peaceful sleep
And morning will come, in all its simple glory
And you will find the light
And I will be there, standing in your shadow
Knowing that you once were mine
All mine, my baby, my girl
(x)
Close your eyes
The dark outside can't hurt you
And I will never desert your bedside
So close them tight
The stars are so glad that they've found you
And on the blankets that surround you
They shine their light, they shine their light
So rest your head, and I will be watching from the doorway
As you slip into a perfect, peaceful sleep
And morning will come, in all its simple glory
And you will find the light
And I will be there, standing in your shadow
Knowing that you once were mine
All mine, my baby, my girl
She kills, with foreign films, the emptiness of day to day
And I wait until the weekend comes
So I can clear this uselessness from my brain
I count the days until she arrives, those precious minutes when she is mine
As we walk from my front door to her car we're so close and alone
But that will disappear in a room filled with the warmth of others' company
There's just too much company
I hide my wounded pride and stare off into the other cars
If I could just speak the words to tell her exactly how I feel
I count the ways that I might say it but I know that none of them will work
Because she won't feel the same
I've come this far but I can't go through with it
Because the truth would hurt too much, this hurts too much
She goes back to the west coast to drink in the sunshine
And I will stay here in these dead plains and try to make a seed grow
And I would pray for rain if I thought that it would help
(x)
She kills, with foreign films, the emptiness of day to day
And I wait until the weekend comes
So I can clear this uselessness from my brain
I count the days until she arrives, those precious minutes when she is mine
As we walk from my front door to her car we're so close and alone
But that will disappear in a room filled with the warmth of others' company
There's just too much company
I hide my wounded pride and stare off into the other cars
If I could just speak the words to tell her exactly how I feel
I count the ways that I might say it but I know that none of them will work
Because she won't feel the same
I've come this far but I can't go through with it
Because the truth would hurt too much, this hurts too much
She goes back to the west coast to drink in the sunshine
And I will stay here in these dead plains and try to make a seed grow
And I would pray for rain if I thought that it would help
Agony and withdrawal disrupt my well-being
A voice flooded by the piercing and the sounds of distant lands
Silence is my heart, I carry out my cross
While the sun suffers away
The clouds reveal the chariots of venus
Restrictions of time and space retire
While her bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
And I can see I'm in heaven with her flesh in my arms
Easy the undeniable, the misery of my lack of truth
With the truth of love
(x)
Agony and withdrawal disrupt my well-being
A voice flooded by the piercing and the sounds of distant lands
Silence is my heart, I carry out my cross
While the sun suffers away
The clouds reveal the chariots of venus
Restrictions of time and space retire
While her bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
And I can see I'm in heaven with her flesh in my arms
Easy the undeniable, the misery of my lack of truth
With the truth of love
She says she's read too many fashion magazines
She's forgotten what real love is like
And as the basement collects more kids off the street
They smoke themselves to death waiting for the band to begin
They've been tuning up there for an hour now
And I don't think I can stand another minute more
But just then the first chord strums, and the drums set in
And I know what I have been waiting around for
Because no one's going home until the morning comes
No one's going to sleep until the sun comes up
Did you hear those first two songs?
They were fucking tuff
And the band's not going to stop until the cops show up
So hold your applause until the end, and wait for the sadness to set in
Because that's the only feeling that's worth a damn
He says he's done with the pop music scene
There's too many opinions and so few are worth a shit
He has got to learn to act a little more mean
Because the mean ones always end up with the record deals
And it's only when I'm angry that I feel complete
When we are screaming at each other is when I am most happy
I hang out with my friends and then I get depressed
And I drink myself to sleep with any strength that is left
And I quit going to church a year ago
And my teachers think that my faith is gone
But I can do without the eucharist because I found God
In a Solid Jackson song
(x)
She says she's read too many fashion magazines
She's forgotten what real love is like
And as the basement collects more kids off the street
They smoke themselves to death waiting for the band to begin
They've been tuning up there for an hour now
And I don't think I can stand another minute more
But just then the first chord strums, and the drums set in
And I know what I have been waiting around for
Because no one's going home until the morning comes
No one's going to sleep until the sun comes up
Did you hear those first two songs?
They were fucking tuff
And the band's not going to stop until the cops show up
So hold your applause until the end, and wait for the sadness to set in
Because that's the only feeling that's worth a damn
He says he's done with the pop music scene
There's too many opinions and so few are worth a shit
He has got to learn to act a little more mean
Because the mean ones always end up with the record deals
And it's only when I'm angry that I feel complete
When we are screaming at each other is when I am most happy
I hang out with my friends and then I get depressed
And I drink myself to sleep with any strength that is left
And I quit going to church a year ago
And my teachers think that my faith is gone
But I can do without the eucharist because I found God
In a Solid Jackson song
All eyes on the calendar, another year I claim of total indifference
To here the days pile up with decisions to be made
I'm sure all of them were wrong
Into this song, I send myself
And with these drinks I plan to collapse and forget
This wasted year, these wasted years
Devoted friends, they disappear
I'm sorry about the phone call, and needing you
Some decisions you don't make
I guess it's just like breathing, or not wanting to
There are some things that you can't fake
I guess that it's typical to cling to memories you'll never get back again
And to sort through old photographs of a summer long ago
Or a friend that you used to know
And there, below his frozen face, you wrote the name and that ancient date
And you can't believe he is really gone
When all that's left is a fucking song
I'm sorry about the phone call and waking you
I know that it's late
But thank you for talking, because I needed to
Some things just can't wait
(x)
All eyes on the calendar, another year I claim of total indifference
To here the days pile up with decisions to be made
I'm sure all of them were wrong
Into this song, I send myself
And with these drinks I plan to collapse and forget
This wasted year, these wasted years
Devoted friends, they disappear
I'm sorry about the phone call, and needing you
Some decisions you don't make
I guess it's just like breathing, or not wanting to
There are some things that you can't fake
I guess that it's typical to cling to memories you'll never get back again
And to sort through old photographs of a summer long ago
Or a friend that you used to know
And there, below his frozen face, you wrote the name and that ancient date
And you can't believe he is really gone
When all that's left is a fucking song
I'm sorry about the phone call and waking you
I know that it's late
But thank you for talking, because I needed to
Some things just can't wait
Come by when you get off work
I'll be sitting around doing nothing
We can wait till the sun goes down
Then we can drive off deep into the night I don't care where we're going, as long as I'm going with you
The summer swells in, with the heat comes a new kind of wanting
Cool nights never cooled us off
Lay around and wait for something to happen
When it is three lonely figures
A bedroom, a basement, she's scared
Which one is sleeping and which one is lying awake?
Yeah, which one is sleeping and which one is lying about it?
Afternoons drag on and on, movie nights that never end
We can hang out all night long, lay in bed and talk to a good friend
'Cause you only get older and you probably forget what it's like
The university's quiet today
We didn't clean, we just talked in the bathroom
The girl always gets in the way
Ruined friendships, but others replace them
These opinions are poison, I've been drinking them all of my life
I could never replace you, and I could never forget what it's like
Step out on a moonlit roof, the radio leads a feel good revolution
Cigarettes and my closest friends
I tell myself that I have to remember this
I have to remember this
(x)
Come by when you get off work
I'll be sitting around doing nothing
We can wait till the sun goes down
Then we can drive off deep into the night I don't care where we're going, as long as I'm going with you
The summer swells in, with the heat comes a new kind of wanting
Cool nights never cooled us off
Lay around and wait for something to happen
When it is three lonely figures
A bedroom, a basement, she's scared
Which one is sleeping and which one is lying awake?
Yeah, which one is sleeping and which one is lying about it?
Afternoons drag on and on, movie nights that never end
We can hang out all night long, lay in bed and talk to a good friend
'Cause you only get older and you probably forget what it's like
The university's quiet today
We didn't clean, we just talked in the bathroom
The girl always gets in the way
Ruined friendships, but others replace them
These opinions are poison, I've been drinking them all of my life
I could never replace you, and I could never forget what it's like
Step out on a moonlit roof, the radio leads a feel good revolution
Cigarettes and my closest friends
I tell myself that I have to remember this
I have to remember this

Better Oblivion Community Center
Better Oblivion Community Center
Dead Oceans , 2019
cd, album
Auch auf Vinyl erhätlich
My telephone, it doesn't have a camera
If it did I'd take a picture of myself
If it did I'd take a picture of the water
And the man on the offramp
Holding up the sign that's asking me for help
I got a job and I'll work here for the summer
I fold the towels and set them by the pool
Everyone looks happy with each other
'Til they step away and say the thing they really meant
They always sound so cruel
I didn't know what I was in for
When I signed up for that run
There's no way I'm curing cancer
But I'll sweat it out
I feel so proud now for all the good I've done
I know a girl who owns a boutique in the city
Selling clothes to the fashionably late
Says she cries at the news but doesn't really
'Cause it's too much fun, it's too much time
And too much plastic money to be made
I didn't know what I was in for
When they took my belt and strings
They told me I'd gone crazy
My arms are strapped in a straight jacket
So I couldn't save those TV refugees
When they're on their backs
In a bloody bath
Full of sarin gas
On a screen
I didn't know what I was in for
When I laid out in the sun
We get burned for being honest
I've really never done anything, for anyone
To fall asleep I need white noise to distract me
Otherwise I have to listen to me think
Otherwise I pace around, hold my breath, let it out
Sit on the couch and think about
How living's just a promise that I made
If it did I'd take a picture of myself
If it did I'd take a picture of the water
And the man on the offramp
Holding up the sign that's asking me for help
I got a job and I'll work here for the summer
I fold the towels and set them by the pool
Everyone looks happy with each other
'Til they step away and say the thing they really meant
They always sound so cruel
I didn't know what I was in for
When I signed up for that run
There's no way I'm curing cancer
But I'll sweat it out
I feel so proud now for all the good I've done
I know a girl who owns a boutique in the city
Selling clothes to the fashionably late
Says she cries at the news but doesn't really
'Cause it's too much fun, it's too much time
And too much plastic money to be made
I didn't know what I was in for
When they took my belt and strings
They told me I'd gone crazy
My arms are strapped in a straight jacket
So I couldn't save those TV refugees
When they're on their backs
In a bloody bath
Full of sarin gas
On a screen
I didn't know what I was in for
When I laid out in the sun
We get burned for being honest
I've really never done anything, for anyone
To fall asleep I need white noise to distract me
Otherwise I have to listen to me think
Otherwise I pace around, hold my breath, let it out
Sit on the couch and think about
How living's just a promise that I made
(x)
My telephone, it doesn't have a camera
If it did I'd take a picture of myself
If it did I'd take a picture of the water
And the man on the offramp
Holding up the sign that's asking me for help
I got a job and I'll work here for the summer
I fold the towels and set them by the pool
Everyone looks happy with each other
'Til they step away and say the thing they really meant
They always sound so cruel
I didn't know what I was in for
When I signed up for that run
There's no way I'm curing cancer
But I'll sweat it out
I feel so proud now for all the good I've done
I know a girl who owns a boutique in the city
Selling clothes to the fashionably late
Says she cries at the news but doesn't really
'Cause it's too much fun, it's too much time
And too much plastic money to be made
I didn't know what I was in for
When they took my belt and strings
They told me I'd gone crazy
My arms are strapped in a straight jacket
So I couldn't save those TV refugees
When they're on their backs
In a bloody bath
Full of sarin gas
On a screen
I didn't know what I was in for
When I laid out in the sun
We get burned for being honest
I've really never done anything, for anyone
To fall asleep I need white noise to distract me
Otherwise I have to listen to me think
Otherwise I pace around, hold my breath, let it out
Sit on the couch and think about
How living's just a promise that I made
If it did I'd take a picture of myself
If it did I'd take a picture of the water
And the man on the offramp
Holding up the sign that's asking me for help
I got a job and I'll work here for the summer
I fold the towels and set them by the pool
Everyone looks happy with each other
'Til they step away and say the thing they really meant
They always sound so cruel
I didn't know what I was in for
When I signed up for that run
There's no way I'm curing cancer
But I'll sweat it out
I feel so proud now for all the good I've done
I know a girl who owns a boutique in the city
Selling clothes to the fashionably late
Says she cries at the news but doesn't really
'Cause it's too much fun, it's too much time
And too much plastic money to be made
I didn't know what I was in for
When they took my belt and strings
They told me I'd gone crazy
My arms are strapped in a straight jacket
So I couldn't save those TV refugees
When they're on their backs
In a bloody bath
Full of sarin gas
On a screen
I didn't know what I was in for
When I laid out in the sun
We get burned for being honest
I've really never done anything, for anyone
To fall asleep I need white noise to distract me
Otherwise I have to listen to me think
Otherwise I pace around, hold my breath, let it out
Sit on the couch and think about
How living's just a promise that I made
Like, it's, it's impossible to count
One, two, three, four
Drinking cold, black coffee
I shake and shake, still won't get off me
Another blissed out fantasy
Where animals and objects talk to me
Always try and hate it
But then you laugh, it sounds outrageous
Spend another day sleepwalking
Is this having fun?
Or is it just because?
Which one is jumping first
Off of the face of the earth?
You like beer and chocolate
I like setting off those bottle rockets
We can never compromise
But fighting 'til the death keeps us alive
Why don't you stay
If you're going to leave your car here anyway?
Spend another summer shit-talking
Is this having fun?
It's not like the way it was
I thought that you loved this stuff
Or did I make that up?
Act insane, playing it safe
I wasn't sold on that plan anyways
Feeling afraid of making a change
Hoping to last another day
I want there to stop the circular dots
Spinning in a world full of forget-me-nots
I gave what I got
It came as a shock
To find out I'm fine with what I've lost
(x)
Like, it's, it's impossible to count
One, two, three, four
Drinking cold, black coffee
I shake and shake, still won't get off me
Another blissed out fantasy
Where animals and objects talk to me
Always try and hate it
But then you laugh, it sounds outrageous
Spend another day sleepwalking
Is this having fun?
Or is it just because?
Which one is jumping first
Off of the face of the earth?
You like beer and chocolate
I like setting off those bottle rockets
We can never compromise
But fighting 'til the death keeps us alive
Why don't you stay
If you're going to leave your car here anyway?
Spend another summer shit-talking
Is this having fun?
It's not like the way it was
I thought that you loved this stuff
Or did I make that up?
Act insane, playing it safe
I wasn't sold on that plan anyways
Feeling afraid of making a change
Hoping to last another day
I want there to stop the circular dots
Spinning in a world full of forget-me-nots
I gave what I got
It came as a shock
To find out I'm fine with what I've lost
It was quite early one morning
Hit me without warning
I went to hear the general speak
I was standing for the anthem
Banners all around him
Confetti made it hard to see
Put my footsteps on the pavement
Starved for entertainment
Four seasons of revolving doors
So sick of being honest
I'll die like Dylan Thomas
A seizure on the barroom floor
I'm getting greedy with this private hell
I'll go it alone, but that's just as well
These cats are scared and feral
The flag pins on their lapels
The truth is anybody's guess
These talking heads are saying
"The king is only playing a game of four dimensional chess"
There's flowers in the rubble
The weeds are gonna tumble
I'm lucid but I still can't think
I'm strapped into a corset
Climbed into your corvette
I'm thirsty for another drink
If it's advertised, we'll try it
And buy some peace and quiet
And shut up at the silent retreat
They say you've gotta fake it
At least until you make it
That ghost is just a kid in a sheet
I'm getting used to these dizzy spells
I'm taking a shower at the Bates Motel
I'm getting greedy with this private hell
I'll go it alone, but that's just as well
(x)
It was quite early one morning
Hit me without warning
I went to hear the general speak
I was standing for the anthem
Banners all around him
Confetti made it hard to see
Put my footsteps on the pavement
Starved for entertainment
Four seasons of revolving doors
So sick of being honest
I'll die like Dylan Thomas
A seizure on the barroom floor
I'm getting greedy with this private hell
I'll go it alone, but that's just as well
These cats are scared and feral
The flag pins on their lapels
The truth is anybody's guess
These talking heads are saying
"The king is only playing a game of four dimensional chess"
There's flowers in the rubble
The weeds are gonna tumble
I'm lucid but I still can't think
I'm strapped into a corset
Climbed into your corvette
I'm thirsty for another drink
If it's advertised, we'll try it
And buy some peace and quiet
And shut up at the silent retreat
They say you've gotta fake it
At least until you make it
That ghost is just a kid in a sheet
I'm getting used to these dizzy spells
I'm taking a shower at the Bates Motel
I'm getting greedy with this private hell
I'll go it alone, but that's just as well
You should really call your brother
Someone put up a picture where he can't stand
He's holding onto the table
Probably throwing darts or playing cards
Something that he lost made him so mad
Always said it didn't matter
With a pile of filthy coins clenched in his hands
Asking strangers to forgive him
But he never told him what it is
He did to them that made him feel so bad
Say what you mean and say it now
Don't state your name, that doesn't count
Who are you?
Who are you-
Looking for?
Thought that he was doing better
A notice, final eviction, he just laughed
Always had a sense of humor
We still joked until the bitter end
While all those steps he made can't walk them back
In and out of indecision
In and out of any options he once had
Farewell, so long
'Til the trouble that you made and hate is gone
Say what you mean and say it now
Don't throw a fit, quit acting out
Who are you?
Who are you-
Waiting for?
Just go out into the falling snow
Just go towards the light in the skylight
Just go past the trucks on the service road
Just go until you feel different
(x)
You should really call your brother
Someone put up a picture where he can't stand
He's holding onto the table
Probably throwing darts or playing cards
Something that he lost made him so mad
Always said it didn't matter
With a pile of filthy coins clenched in his hands
Asking strangers to forgive him
But he never told him what it is
He did to them that made him feel so bad
Say what you mean and say it now
Don't state your name, that doesn't count
Who are you?
Who are you-
Looking for?
Thought that he was doing better
A notice, final eviction, he just laughed
Always had a sense of humor
We still joked until the bitter end
While all those steps he made can't walk them back
In and out of indecision
In and out of any options he once had
Farewell, so long
'Til the trouble that you made and hate is gone
Say what you mean and say it now
Don't throw a fit, quit acting out
Who are you?
Who are you-
Waiting for?
Just go out into the falling snow
Just go towards the light in the skylight
Just go past the trucks on the service road
Just go until you feel different
You need an occupation
To warrant a vacation
Without anticipation
Nothing's satisfactory
I came out here to check out
Get away from my house
Now I don't leave this couch
Or turn off the TV
There's always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Why don't you want it?
Why don't you want it anymore?
Why don't you want it?
Why don't you want it anymore?
I wanted to avoid it
Live out in the forest
Play out of that orbit
Go drifting out to sea
But fate just wouldn't have it
It treats us like a magnet
Mends my broken habits
And makes a fool of me
There's always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Always an exemption
(x)
You need an occupation
To warrant a vacation
Without anticipation
Nothing's satisfactory
I came out here to check out
Get away from my house
Now I don't leave this couch
Or turn off the TV
There's always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Why don't you want it?
Why don't you want it anymore?
Why don't you want it?
Why don't you want it anymore?
I wanted to avoid it
Live out in the forest
Play out of that orbit
Go drifting out to sea
But fate just wouldn't have it
It treats us like a magnet
Mends my broken habits
And makes a fool of me
There's always an exemption
There's always an exception to the rule
Always an exemption
To a world we'll not remember
When we're old and tired
We'll be blowing on the embers of a little fire
We were the tallest person watching in Chesapeake
You put me on your shoulders so I could see
I was all covered in sound
Ear plugs so it wasn't loud
Swallowed up by the crowd
Didn't know what they were singing about
I can't hardly wait
For someone to replace
It was hot in the arena
Good men die like dogs
My hero plays to no one, in a parking lot
Even though there's no one around
He broke a leg and the house came down
A smattering of applause
A sliver moon and a cover song
Oh sweet child of mine
You're always sorry for everything, never apologize
Oh sweet child of mine
Now you stand on the corner and hope you get recognized
I was all covered in sound
When you asked me to turn it down
Didn't even think it was loud
Can you hear it now?
(x)
To a world we'll not remember
When we're old and tired
We'll be blowing on the embers of a little fire
We were the tallest person watching in Chesapeake
You put me on your shoulders so I could see
I was all covered in sound
Ear plugs so it wasn't loud
Swallowed up by the crowd
Didn't know what they were singing about
I can't hardly wait
For someone to replace
It was hot in the arena
Good men die like dogs
My hero plays to no one, in a parking lot
Even though there's no one around
He broke a leg and the house came down
A smattering of applause
A sliver moon and a cover song
Oh sweet child of mine
You're always sorry for everything, never apologize
Oh sweet child of mine
Now you stand on the corner and hope you get recognized
I was all covered in sound
When you asked me to turn it down
Didn't even think it was loud
Can you hear it now?
Looking out on the river bend
Looking out on the thing that isn't
Looking out on the freeway's push and pull
Looking out for the current
Little spells of forgetfulness
Little sounds that are shrill and urgent
Little insects that sting as they come and go
Little moments of purpose
I loved you
I wore you out
I miss you
Where are you now?
This town is a monolith
This town is a crowded movie
This town is a depot, I come and go
This town is my city
I hate you
I tore you down
I miss you
Where are you now?
Looking bad like those Vegas odds
Wear a smile like it's camouflage
Today was a smoking sky
Today was a civic menace
Today I went walking while things explode
Some sad independence
I want to be just as loud
All this freedom just freaks me out
Risk it all on the game of chance
Chasing love like an ambulance
(x)
Looking out on the river bend
Looking out on the thing that isn't
Looking out on the freeway's push and pull
Looking out for the current
Little spells of forgetfulness
Little sounds that are shrill and urgent
Little insects that sting as they come and go
Little moments of purpose
I loved you
I wore you out
I miss you
Where are you now?
This town is a monolith
This town is a crowded movie
This town is a depot, I come and go
This town is my city
I hate you
I tore you down
I miss you
Where are you now?
Looking bad like those Vegas odds
Wear a smile like it's camouflage
Today was a smoking sky
Today was a civic menace
Today I went walking while things explode
Some sad independence
I want to be just as loud
All this freedom just freaks me out
Risk it all on the game of chance
Chasing love like an ambulance
You used to sing with a straight face "Que Sera, Sera"
And drive those perfumed queens back to our place in a velvet box
And then make your move
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You used to sing with a straight face "My Heart Will Go On"
And bring those tattoo'd freaks back to our place in a mason jar
You had something to prove
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Yeah, since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You passed out quick
You lack ambition
Why does everybody always end up in the kitchen?
The man in white slacks sure looks dangerous
And I heard the short one's kind of famous
You used to say you wanted to end up in Forest Lawn
The two of us side by side asleep while the teenagers drink 'til dawn
Please tell me it's true
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You used to sing with a straight face "Que Sera, Sera"
(x)
You used to sing with a straight face "Que Sera, Sera"
And drive those perfumed queens back to our place in a velvet box
And then make your move
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You used to sing with a straight face "My Heart Will Go On"
And bring those tattoo'd freaks back to our place in a mason jar
You had something to prove
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Yeah, since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You passed out quick
You lack ambition
Why does everybody always end up in the kitchen?
The man in white slacks sure looks dangerous
And I heard the short one's kind of famous
You used to say you wanted to end up in Forest Lawn
The two of us side by side asleep while the teenagers drink 'til dawn
Please tell me it's true
Since you went underground
I've wanted to track you down
Since you went underground
I've wanted to dig you out
You used to sing with a straight face "Que Sera, Sera"
Your black hair is red
I laughed when I saw your chest
You shook your head and pulled the curtains back, took in the view
Then you showed me the rest of you
And then I guess I thought I'd see the world
I guess I thought I would see the world
Your black heart is big
I'd ask you to cross but you'd never do it
But then again you stopped in the middle of the street
Just to kiss me, and I thought you'd stopped the world
I guess I thought you could stop the world
Alright, alright for now
Don't wanna think about it
I'm fine with hiding out
Alright, alright for now
I'll wrap my head around it
Make room for something else
Alright, alright for now
Don't wanna think about it
I'm fine with hiding out
Alright, alright for now
I'll wrap my head around it
Make room for something else
'Til then I'll hold it down
(x)
Your black hair is red
I laughed when I saw your chest
You shook your head and pulled the curtains back, took in the view
Then you showed me the rest of you
And then I guess I thought I'd see the world
I guess I thought I would see the world
Your black heart is big
I'd ask you to cross but you'd never do it
But then again you stopped in the middle of the street
Just to kiss me, and I thought you'd stopped the world
I guess I thought you could stop the world
Alright, alright for now
Don't wanna think about it
I'm fine with hiding out
Alright, alright for now
I'll wrap my head around it
Make room for something else
Alright, alright for now
Don't wanna think about it
I'm fine with hiding out
Alright, alright for now
I'll wrap my head around it
Make room for something else
'Til then I'll hold it down
Can you hear the crickets?
All I hear is crickets
Like a river
Shining through the edges of my sight
The sky is pitch black, dark
Yet somehow really peaceful
At the same time
It gets dark in the morning
Trade sleep for drinks in a bar
I'm sure as hell my breath stinks
Watch it float like smoke in the fog
I can feel a tornado
And it's shivering up my arms
I've been playing dominoes
I'm just trying not to wreck no cars
Putting fear in my nose
And trying to keep up with all my thoughts
If we're going somewhere, I'm ready
If it's just dirt, I'm not
I scrape my eye when I touch the sky
And lose a little vision for the man
I can call it in my mind
I don't want to hold nobody's hand
I can toss in the morning light
I'll play dead when I'm buried in the sand
I'm seeing shadows of man a who's
Homeless, buried and numb
A forecast of forgotten land
I hope it shows up in the setting sun
If we're going somewhere, I'm ready, honey
If it's nowhere, I'm done
I can hear a voice but it's speaking code
(Poured concrete on top, concrete on top, concrete)
Like I'm talking to strangers on a foreign phone
I can talk to angels when I'm all alone
They take me to a place in the city
And when we're done they take me home
Can't find a forest with the singing birds
Instead I'm just a low voice in the crowd
Can't hear my own voice in this crowd
I get edgy on dark streets
Coming home, I feel my heartbeat
I say I'm stoned for the last time
I do it again and repeat
I'm carpooling to kingdom come
Into the wild purgatory
Experience in a magic rainbow
All you got to do is follow
And if you're not feeling ready
There's always tomorrow
And if you're not feeling ready
There's always tomorrow
(x)
Can you hear the crickets?
All I hear is crickets
Like a river
Shining through the edges of my sight
The sky is pitch black, dark
Yet somehow really peaceful
At the same time
It gets dark in the morning
Trade sleep for drinks in a bar
I'm sure as hell my breath stinks
Watch it float like smoke in the fog
I can feel a tornado
And it's shivering up my arms
I've been playing dominoes
I'm just trying not to wreck no cars
Putting fear in my nose
And trying to keep up with all my thoughts
If we're going somewhere, I'm ready
If it's just dirt, I'm not
I scrape my eye when I touch the sky
And lose a little vision for the man
I can call it in my mind
I don't want to hold nobody's hand
I can toss in the morning light
I'll play dead when I'm buried in the sand
I'm seeing shadows of man a who's
Homeless, buried and numb
A forecast of forgotten land
I hope it shows up in the setting sun
If we're going somewhere, I'm ready, honey
If it's nowhere, I'm done
I can hear a voice but it's speaking code
(Poured concrete on top, concrete on top, concrete)
Like I'm talking to strangers on a foreign phone
I can talk to angels when I'm all alone
They take me to a place in the city
And when we're done they take me home
Can't find a forest with the singing birds
Instead I'm just a low voice in the crowd
Can't hear my own voice in this crowd
I get edgy on dark streets
Coming home, I feel my heartbeat
I say I'm stoned for the last time
I do it again and repeat
I'm carpooling to kingdom come
Into the wild purgatory
Experience in a magic rainbow
All you got to do is follow
And if you're not feeling ready
There's always tomorrow
And if you're not feeling ready
There's always tomorrow

Better Oblivion Community Center
Little Trouble
Dead Oceans , 2019
vinyl, single
nur bei den Liveshows erhätlich
Side 1
Hey Little Trouble, what you doing tonight?
I got a bad thought, you can make it right
Fell on the concrete with all my might
Got up, dusted myself off, now I'm ready for the fight
Not every prodigy can age that well
Not every mannequin can stand so fucking still
When everyone's gone, you're dancing alone
When everything's done, still working the phones
For lazy tarot readings on hot June nights
Right next to that bodega's a neon sign
They'll tell you you were famous in some past life
But now you're just a Regular Joe, whose cover is blown
Well, tell me, baby, what's your biggest conceit?
Is it that you did it, or you did it with me?
I can't imagine what the problem could be
You found one song that you like, and you just play it on repeat
Not every certain death can be so brave
Not every psychopath can act so well-behaved
But what if the bomb just doesn't go off?
Still playing that song
Still dancing alone
For clumsy ballerinas with Dad's blank check
There's a place in Altadena that sounds perfect
Well, they'll let you be the swan even with missteps
And clap until your body is sore
For now it's just a matter of right place, right time
Singing "Every little thing's gonna be all right"
On some pretty college campus with skin so white
Three chords and an expensive guitar
It's the luck of the draw
Found a place to blind your darkness with bright strobe lights
No cops, no fire marshals, can dance all night
With your sad-eyed doppelganger you look just like
Your heartbreak's not your own anymore
I'll tell you that I love you, I'll scream it twice
You ask over the music, "Did I hear that right?"
Yes, I swear I told you in some past life
Right before they counted us off
It's the luck of the draw
I got a bad thought, you can make it right
Fell on the concrete with all my might
Got up, dusted myself off, now I'm ready for the fight
Not every prodigy can age that well
Not every mannequin can stand so fucking still
When everyone's gone, you're dancing alone
When everything's done, still working the phones
For lazy tarot readings on hot June nights
Right next to that bodega's a neon sign
They'll tell you you were famous in some past life
But now you're just a Regular Joe, whose cover is blown
Well, tell me, baby, what's your biggest conceit?
Is it that you did it, or you did it with me?
I can't imagine what the problem could be
You found one song that you like, and you just play it on repeat
Not every certain death can be so brave
Not every psychopath can act so well-behaved
But what if the bomb just doesn't go off?
Still playing that song
Still dancing alone
For clumsy ballerinas with Dad's blank check
There's a place in Altadena that sounds perfect
Well, they'll let you be the swan even with missteps
And clap until your body is sore
For now it's just a matter of right place, right time
Singing "Every little thing's gonna be all right"
On some pretty college campus with skin so white
Three chords and an expensive guitar
It's the luck of the draw
Found a place to blind your darkness with bright strobe lights
No cops, no fire marshals, can dance all night
With your sad-eyed doppelganger you look just like
Your heartbreak's not your own anymore
I'll tell you that I love you, I'll scream it twice
You ask over the music, "Did I hear that right?"
Yes, I swear I told you in some past life
Right before they counted us off
It's the luck of the draw
(x)
Hey Little Trouble, what you doing tonight?
I got a bad thought, you can make it right
Fell on the concrete with all my might
Got up, dusted myself off, now I'm ready for the fight
Not every prodigy can age that well
Not every mannequin can stand so fucking still
When everyone's gone, you're dancing alone
When everything's done, still working the phones
For lazy tarot readings on hot June nights
Right next to that bodega's a neon sign
They'll tell you you were famous in some past life
But now you're just a Regular Joe, whose cover is blown
Well, tell me, baby, what's your biggest conceit?
Is it that you did it, or you did it with me?
I can't imagine what the problem could be
You found one song that you like, and you just play it on repeat
Not every certain death can be so brave
Not every psychopath can act so well-behaved
But what if the bomb just doesn't go off?
Still playing that song
Still dancing alone
For clumsy ballerinas with Dad's blank check
There's a place in Altadena that sounds perfect
Well, they'll let you be the swan even with missteps
And clap until your body is sore
For now it's just a matter of right place, right time
Singing "Every little thing's gonna be all right"
On some pretty college campus with skin so white
Three chords and an expensive guitar
It's the luck of the draw
Found a place to blind your darkness with bright strobe lights
No cops, no fire marshals, can dance all night
With your sad-eyed doppelganger you look just like
Your heartbreak's not your own anymore
I'll tell you that I love you, I'll scream it twice
You ask over the music, "Did I hear that right?"
Yes, I swear I told you in some past life
Right before they counted us off
It's the luck of the draw
I got a bad thought, you can make it right
Fell on the concrete with all my might
Got up, dusted myself off, now I'm ready for the fight
Not every prodigy can age that well
Not every mannequin can stand so fucking still
When everyone's gone, you're dancing alone
When everything's done, still working the phones
For lazy tarot readings on hot June nights
Right next to that bodega's a neon sign
They'll tell you you were famous in some past life
But now you're just a Regular Joe, whose cover is blown
Well, tell me, baby, what's your biggest conceit?
Is it that you did it, or you did it with me?
I can't imagine what the problem could be
You found one song that you like, and you just play it on repeat
Not every certain death can be so brave
Not every psychopath can act so well-behaved
But what if the bomb just doesn't go off?
Still playing that song
Still dancing alone
For clumsy ballerinas with Dad's blank check
There's a place in Altadena that sounds perfect
Well, they'll let you be the swan even with missteps
And clap until your body is sore
For now it's just a matter of right place, right time
Singing "Every little thing's gonna be all right"
On some pretty college campus with skin so white
Three chords and an expensive guitar
It's the luck of the draw
Found a place to blind your darkness with bright strobe lights
No cops, no fire marshals, can dance all night
With your sad-eyed doppelganger you look just like
Your heartbreak's not your own anymore
I'll tell you that I love you, I'll scream it twice
You ask over the music, "Did I hear that right?"
Yes, I swear I told you in some past life
Right before they counted us off
It's the luck of the draw
Side 2
Like, it's, it's impossible to count
One, two, three, four
Drinking cold, black coffee
I shake and shake, still won't get off me
Another blissed out fantasy
Where animals and objects talk to me
Always try and hate it
But then you laugh, it sounds outrageous
Spend another day sleepwalking
Is this having fun?
Or is it just because?
Which one is jumping first
Off of the face of the earth?
You like beer and chocolate
I like setting off those bottle rockets
We can never compromise
But fighting 'til the death keeps us alive
Why don't you stay
If you're going to leave your car here anyway?
Spend another summer shit-talking
Is this having fun?
It's not like the way it was
I thought that you loved this stuff
Or did I make that up?
Act insane, playing it safe
I wasn't sold on that plan anyways
Feeling afraid of making a change
Hoping to last another day
I want there to stop the circular dots
Spinning in a world full of forget-me-nots
I gave what I got
It came as a shock
To find out I'm fine with what I've lost
(x)
Like, it's, it's impossible to count
One, two, three, four
Drinking cold, black coffee
I shake and shake, still won't get off me
Another blissed out fantasy
Where animals and objects talk to me
Always try and hate it
But then you laugh, it sounds outrageous
Spend another day sleepwalking
Is this having fun?
Or is it just because?
Which one is jumping first
Off of the face of the earth?
You like beer and chocolate
I like setting off those bottle rockets
We can never compromise
But fighting 'til the death keeps us alive
Why don't you stay
If you're going to leave your car here anyway?
Spend another summer shit-talking
Is this having fun?
It's not like the way it was
I thought that you loved this stuff
Or did I make that up?
Act insane, playing it safe
I wasn't sold on that plan anyways
Feeling afraid of making a change
Hoping to last another day
I want there to stop the circular dots
Spinning in a world full of forget-me-nots
I gave what I got
It came as a shock
To find out I'm fine with what I've lost

Bright Eyes
Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
Saddle Creek , 2005
cd, album
Death
Data entry
Ant hill law
Encoded arc our common cause
Drink liquid clocks 'til I see God
Crystal display
Can't turn it off
Shh...shh...shhhh
Don't talk
Don't talk
Data entry
Ant hill law
Encoded arc our common cause
Drink liquid clocks 'til I see God
Crystal display
Can't turn it off
Shh...shh...shhhh
Don't talk
Don't talk
(x)
Death
Data entry
Ant hill law
Encoded arc our common cause
Drink liquid clocks 'til I see God
Crystal display
Can't turn it off
Shh...shh...shhhh
Don't talk
Don't talk
Data entry
Ant hill law
Encoded arc our common cause
Drink liquid clocks 'til I see God
Crystal display
Can't turn it off
Shh...shh...shhhh
Don't talk
Don't talk
It was Don Delillo, whiskey, neat
And a blinking midnight clock
Speakers on a tv stand, just a turntable to watch
When the smoke came out our mouths
On all those hooded sweatshirt walks
You were a stroke of luck
We were a goldmine and they gutted us
And from the sidelines
You see me run
Until I'm out of breath
Living the good life
I left for dead
The sorrowful midwest
Well I did my best
To keep my head
It was grass-stained jeans and incompletes
And a girl from class to touch
But you think about yourself too much
And you ruin who you love
Well all these claims at consciousness
My stray dog freedom
Let's have a nice clean cut
Like a bag we buy and divvy up
And from the sidelines
I see you run
Until you're out of breath
And all those white lines that sped us up
We hurry to our death
Well I lagged behind
So you got ahead
(x)
It was Don Delillo, whiskey, neat
And a blinking midnight clock
Speakers on a tv stand, just a turntable to watch
When the smoke came out our mouths
On all those hooded sweatshirt walks
You were a stroke of luck
We were a goldmine and they gutted us
And from the sidelines
You see me run
Until I'm out of breath
Living the good life
I left for dead
The sorrowful midwest
Well I did my best
To keep my head
It was grass-stained jeans and incompletes
And a girl from class to touch
But you think about yourself too much
And you ruin who you love
Well all these claims at consciousness
My stray dog freedom
Let's have a nice clean cut
Like a bag we buy and divvy up
And from the sidelines
I see you run
Until you're out of breath
And all those white lines that sped us up
We hurry to our death
Well I lagged behind
So you got ahead
You can make a plan
Carve it into stone
Like a feather falling
That is still unknown
Until the clock speaks up
Says it's time to go
You can choose the high
Or the lower road
You might clench your fist
You might fork your tongue
As you curse or praise
All the things you've done
And the faders move
And the music dies
As we pass over
On the arc of time
So you'll nurse your love
Like a wounded dove
In the covered cage of night
Every star is crossed
By frenetic thoughts
They separate and then collide
And they twist like sheets
Till you fall asleep
And they finally unwind
It's a black balloon
It's a dream you'll soon
Deny
I hear if you make friends
With Jesus Christ
You'll get right up
From that chalk outline
And then you'll get dolled up
And you'll dress in white
All to take your place
In his chorus line
And then in you'll come
With those marching drums
In a saintly compromise
No more whiskey slurs
No more blonde hair girls
For your whole eternal life
And you'll do the dance
That was choreographed
At the very dawn of time
Singing "I told you son
The day would come
You would die, you die, you die, you die..."
To the deepest part
Of the human heart
The fear of death expands
Till we crack the code
We've always known
But could never understand
On a circuit board
We'll soon be born
Again, again, again, again
(x)
You can make a plan
Carve it into stone
Like a feather falling
That is still unknown
Until the clock speaks up
Says it's time to go
You can choose the high
Or the lower road
You might clench your fist
You might fork your tongue
As you curse or praise
All the things you've done
And the faders move
And the music dies
As we pass over
On the arc of time
So you'll nurse your love
Like a wounded dove
In the covered cage of night
Every star is crossed
By frenetic thoughts
They separate and then collide
And they twist like sheets
Till you fall asleep
And they finally unwind
It's a black balloon
It's a dream you'll soon
Deny
I hear if you make friends
With Jesus Christ
You'll get right up
From that chalk outline
And then you'll get dolled up
And you'll dress in white
All to take your place
In his chorus line
And then in you'll come
With those marching drums
In a saintly compromise
No more whiskey slurs
No more blonde hair girls
For your whole eternal life
And you'll do the dance
That was choreographed
At the very dawn of time
Singing "I told you son
The day would come
You would die, you die, you die, you die..."
To the deepest part
Of the human heart
The fear of death expands
Till we crack the code
We've always known
But could never understand
On a circuit board
We'll soon be born
Again, again, again, again
I heard you fell into a rabbit hole
Covered yourself up in snow
Baby tell me where to go for days and days
Did they make you stay up all night
Did they paint your face that pasty white
You're thirsty but your appetite is chased away
The sun turns us to stone
It's a cloudy day but we still kept hold
Open up that cellar door
Till we seen then we're invisible
No one ever takes the garbage out
And maybe kid gets dared to touch the house
He runs back to announce there's no one home
Cause we paint the foil with the flame
Smear the soda, taste butane
For every fear that can't be named to calm you down
Your heart starts skipping steps
So you're farther gone
And you might expect
If your thoughts should turn to death
Gotta stomp them out like a cigarette
(x)
I heard you fell into a rabbit hole
Covered yourself up in snow
Baby tell me where to go for days and days
Did they make you stay up all night
Did they paint your face that pasty white
You're thirsty but your appetite is chased away
The sun turns us to stone
It's a cloudy day but we still kept hold
Open up that cellar door
Till we seen then we're invisible
No one ever takes the garbage out
And maybe kid gets dared to touch the house
He runs back to announce there's no one home
Cause we paint the foil with the flame
Smear the soda, taste butane
For every fear that can't be named to calm you down
Your heart starts skipping steps
So you're farther gone
And you might expect
If your thoughts should turn to death
Gotta stomp them out like a cigarette
First with your hands and then with your mouth
A downpour of sweat, damp cotton clouds
I was a fool, you were my friend
You made it happen
You took off your clothes, left on the light
You stood there so brave
You used to be shy
Each feature improved, each movement refined and eyes like a showroom
Now they're spreading out the blankets on the beach
That weatherman's a liar
He said it'd be raining
But it's clear and blue as far as I can see
Left by the lamp, right next to the bed
On a cartoon cat pad you scratched with a pen
"Everything is as it's always been
This never happened
Don't take it so bad, it's nothing you did
It's just once something dies you can't make it live
You're a beautiful boy
You're a sweet little kid but I am a woman"
So I laid back down and wrapped myself up in the sheet
And I must have looked like a ghost cause something frightened me
And since then I've been so good at vanishing
Now I do as I please and I lie through my teeth
Someone might get hurt, but it won't be me
I should probably feel cheap but I just feel free
And a little bit empty
No, it isn't so hard to get close to me
There'll be no arguments
We'll always agree
And I will try and be kind when I ask you to leave
We'll both take it easy
But if you stay too long inside my memory
I will trap you in a song tied to a melody
And I will keep you there so you can't bother me
(x)
First with your hands and then with your mouth
A downpour of sweat, damp cotton clouds
I was a fool, you were my friend
You made it happen
You took off your clothes, left on the light
You stood there so brave
You used to be shy
Each feature improved, each movement refined and eyes like a showroom
Now they're spreading out the blankets on the beach
That weatherman's a liar
He said it'd be raining
But it's clear and blue as far as I can see
Left by the lamp, right next to the bed
On a cartoon cat pad you scratched with a pen
"Everything is as it's always been
This never happened
Don't take it so bad, it's nothing you did
It's just once something dies you can't make it live
You're a beautiful boy
You're a sweet little kid but I am a woman"
So I laid back down and wrapped myself up in the sheet
And I must have looked like a ghost cause something frightened me
And since then I've been so good at vanishing
Now I do as I please and I lie through my teeth
Someone might get hurt, but it won't be me
I should probably feel cheap but I just feel free
And a little bit empty
No, it isn't so hard to get close to me
There'll be no arguments
We'll always agree
And I will try and be kind when I ask you to leave
We'll both take it easy
But if you stay too long inside my memory
I will trap you in a song tied to a melody
And I will keep you there so you can't bother me
I'm staring out into that vacuum again
From the back porch of my mind
The only thing thats alive, I'm all there is
And I start attacking my vodka
Stab the ice with my straw
My eyes have turned red as stoplights
You seem ready to walk
You know I'll call you eventually
When I wanna talk, until then you're invisible
Cause there's this switch that gets hit
And it all stops making sense
And in the middle of drinks
Maybe the fifth or the sixth
I'm completely alone at a table of friends
I feel nothing for them
I feel nothing, nothing
Well I need a break from the city again
I think I'll ship myself back west
I've got a friend there
She says "Hey anytime"
Unless that offer's expired
I have been less than frequent
She's under no obligation
To indulge every whim
And I'm so ungrateful, I take
She gives and forgives and I keep forgetting it
And each morning she wakes
With a dream to describe
Something lovely that bloomed
In her beautiful mind
I say, "i'll trade you one
For two nightmares of mine
I have some where i die
I have some where we all die"
I'm thinking of quitting drinking again
I know I've said that a couple of times
And I'm always changing my mind
Well I guess I am
But there's this burn in my stomach
And there's this pain in my side
And when I kneel at the toilet
And the morning's clean light
Pours in through the window
Sometimes I pray I don't die
I'm a goddamn hypocrite
But then night rolls around and it all starts making sense
There is no right way or wrong way, you just have to live
And so I do what I do, and at least I exist
What could mean more than this?
What would mean more, mean more?
(x)
I'm staring out into that vacuum again
From the back porch of my mind
The only thing thats alive, I'm all there is
And I start attacking my vodka
Stab the ice with my straw
My eyes have turned red as stoplights
You seem ready to walk
You know I'll call you eventually
When I wanna talk, until then you're invisible
Cause there's this switch that gets hit
And it all stops making sense
And in the middle of drinks
Maybe the fifth or the sixth
I'm completely alone at a table of friends
I feel nothing for them
I feel nothing, nothing
Well I need a break from the city again
I think I'll ship myself back west
I've got a friend there
She says "Hey anytime"
Unless that offer's expired
I have been less than frequent
She's under no obligation
To indulge every whim
And I'm so ungrateful, I take
She gives and forgives and I keep forgetting it
And each morning she wakes
With a dream to describe
Something lovely that bloomed
In her beautiful mind
I say, "i'll trade you one
For two nightmares of mine
I have some where i die
I have some where we all die"
I'm thinking of quitting drinking again
I know I've said that a couple of times
And I'm always changing my mind
Well I guess I am
But there's this burn in my stomach
And there's this pain in my side
And when I kneel at the toilet
And the morning's clean light
Pours in through the window
Sometimes I pray I don't die
I'm a goddamn hypocrite
But then night rolls around and it all starts making sense
There is no right way or wrong way, you just have to live
And so I do what I do, and at least I exist
What could mean more than this?
What would mean more, mean more?
Some plans were made and rice was thrown
A house was built, a baby born
How time can move both fast and slow amazes me
And so I raise my glass to symmetry
To the second hand and its accuracy
To the actual size of everything
The desert is the sand
You can't hold it in your hand
It won't bow to your demands
There's no difference you can make
There's no difference you can make
And if it seems like an accident
A collage of senselessness
You weren't looking hard enough
I wasn't looking hard enough
An argument for consciousness
The instinct of the blind insect
Who makes love to the flowerbed
And dies in the first freeze
I want to learn such simple things
No politics, no history
So what I want and what I need
Can finally be the same
I just got myself to blame
Give everything up to fate
When there's choices I can make
When there's choices I can make
Now my heart needs a polygraph
I'm so eager to pack my bags
When I really wanna stay
The arc of time, the stench of sex
The innocence you can't protect
Each quarter note, each marble step
Walk up and down that lonely treble clef
Each wanting the next one to arrive
An argument for consciousness
The instinct of the blind insect
Who never thinks not to accept it's fate, that's faith
There's happiness in death
You give to the next one
You give to the next on down the line
The levity of longing that
Distills each dream inside my head
By morning watered down, forget
On silver stars I wish and wish and wish
From one to the next one
From one to the next right down the line
You give to the next one
You give to the next on down the line
(x)
Some plans were made and rice was thrown
A house was built, a baby born
How time can move both fast and slow amazes me
And so I raise my glass to symmetry
To the second hand and its accuracy
To the actual size of everything
The desert is the sand
You can't hold it in your hand
It won't bow to your demands
There's no difference you can make
There's no difference you can make
And if it seems like an accident
A collage of senselessness
You weren't looking hard enough
I wasn't looking hard enough
An argument for consciousness
The instinct of the blind insect
Who makes love to the flowerbed
And dies in the first freeze
I want to learn such simple things
No politics, no history
So what I want and what I need
Can finally be the same
I just got myself to blame
Give everything up to fate
When there's choices I can make
When there's choices I can make
Now my heart needs a polygraph
I'm so eager to pack my bags
When I really wanna stay
The arc of time, the stench of sex
The innocence you can't protect
Each quarter note, each marble step
Walk up and down that lonely treble clef
Each wanting the next one to arrive
An argument for consciousness
The instinct of the blind insect
Who never thinks not to accept it's fate, that's faith
There's happiness in death
You give to the next one
You give to the next on down the line
The levity of longing that
Distills each dream inside my head
By morning watered down, forget
On silver stars I wish and wish and wish
From one to the next one
From one to the next right down the line
You give to the next one
You give to the next on down the line
A house of cards
The supple heart
Is not a place to dwell
Now you have your cake
Don't hesitate
Come on just do it
Come on just do it
Put it in your mouth
There is only now
Tomorrow has to wait
But know there's no backing out
This is gonna be reality
You can never dream it down
I have no way of telling
The two apart
Well I made amends
In the general sense
But the devil's in the details
And I know the cause
And I want to stop
But I can't do it
I just can't do it
There was love I meant
There were accidents
So tell me which is which
Cause I just can't work it out
But for memory and clarity
We had better write it down
I have no way of knowing
The truth with time dissolves
I put the past into the ground
I saw the future as a cloud
If there's still time to turn around
I'm going to
Its just one day I fell asleep
And now all day and night I dream
I am the first one I deceive
If I can make myself believe
The rest is easy
(x)
A house of cards
The supple heart
Is not a place to dwell
Now you have your cake
Don't hesitate
Come on just do it
Come on just do it
Put it in your mouth
There is only now
Tomorrow has to wait
But know there's no backing out
This is gonna be reality
You can never dream it down
I have no way of telling
The two apart
Well I made amends
In the general sense
But the devil's in the details
And I know the cause
And I want to stop
But I can't do it
I just can't do it
There was love I meant
There were accidents
So tell me which is which
Cause I just can't work it out
But for memory and clarity
We had better write it down
I have no way of knowing
The truth with time dissolves
I put the past into the ground
I saw the future as a cloud
If there's still time to turn around
I'm going to
Its just one day I fell asleep
And now all day and night I dream
I am the first one I deceive
If I can make myself believe
The rest is easy
I wanna be the surgeon that cuts you open
And fixes all of life's mistakes
I wanna be the house that you were raised in
The only place that you feel safe
I wanna be your shower in the morning
That wakes you up and makes you clean
I know I'm just the weather against your window
As you sleep through a winter's dream
Something's churning the earth
Something's stirring the sky
Every color at once in a column of light
Bacteria breeds on a microscope slide
The worm in my heart is the apple of your eye
Don't adore what is impossible
We have built this ship in a wine bottle
If we knew how it worked we would have to grow old
Something's eating at you
Wakes you up in the night
If you're digging the past
Who knows what you'll find
Read the newspaper print off the microfiche slide
And you're holding your breath
For the rest of your life
Don't you love what is intangible
I have built this ship in a wine bottle
But if you knew who I was
You would never grow old
(x)
I wanna be the surgeon that cuts you open
And fixes all of life's mistakes
I wanna be the house that you were raised in
The only place that you feel safe
I wanna be your shower in the morning
That wakes you up and makes you clean
I know I'm just the weather against your window
As you sleep through a winter's dream
Something's churning the earth
Something's stirring the sky
Every color at once in a column of light
Bacteria breeds on a microscope slide
The worm in my heart is the apple of your eye
Don't adore what is impossible
We have built this ship in a wine bottle
If we knew how it worked we would have to grow old
Something's eating at you
Wakes you up in the night
If you're digging the past
Who knows what you'll find
Read the newspaper print off the microfiche slide
And you're holding your breath
For the rest of your life
Don't you love what is intangible
I have built this ship in a wine bottle
But if you knew who I was
You would never grow old
John A Hobson was a good man
He used to loan me books and mic stands
He even got me a subscription to the Socialist Review
Listening to records in his basement
Old folk songs about the government
"It's love of money, not the market," he said
"These fuckers push on you
And freedom yells, it dont cry
Whatever sells will decide
But there is no hell when you die
So dont look so worried"
He got a night life
Lost his day job
Pushing paper, swinging pendulums
Anything to serve a function or to occupy some time
You have got to earn this living somehow
You are good as dead without a bank account
But it is funny how alive he felt, down in that unemployment line
With all the trash at his feet
The pools of piss in the street
All of that filthy empathy for the way we're feeling
The billboards shade
The flags they wave
The anthem was playing loud
The baseball game was letting out
Then all at once he saw the dust
And heard every tiny sound
Got in his truck and turned around
Drove out through the crowd and the cops
Drove out past that center mall
Out past that sickening sprawl
Out past that fenced in gold
And maybe he lost control fucking with the radio
But I bet the stars seemed so close at the end
(x)
John A Hobson was a good man
He used to loan me books and mic stands
He even got me a subscription to the Socialist Review
Listening to records in his basement
Old folk songs about the government
"It's love of money, not the market," he said
"These fuckers push on you
And freedom yells, it dont cry
Whatever sells will decide
But there is no hell when you die
So dont look so worried"
He got a night life
Lost his day job
Pushing paper, swinging pendulums
Anything to serve a function or to occupy some time
You have got to earn this living somehow
You are good as dead without a bank account
But it is funny how alive he felt, down in that unemployment line
With all the trash at his feet
The pools of piss in the street
All of that filthy empathy for the way we're feeling
The billboards shade
The flags they wave
The anthem was playing loud
The baseball game was letting out
Then all at once he saw the dust
And heard every tiny sound
Got in his truck and turned around
Drove out through the crowd and the cops
Drove out past that center mall
Out past that sickening sprawl
Out past that fenced in gold
And maybe he lost control fucking with the radio
But I bet the stars seemed so close at the end
I wish I had a parachute cause I'm falling bad for you
And I can see the ground approaching now
But I'm not sure what to do
I feel like a pinata won't you take a swing at me
If you could just crack the shell open
I think inside you'd find something sweet
I hear you like a hunter now, your footsteps in the leaves
And I would gladly leave my hiding place
Yes I'm hoping to be seen
So let your arrow fly and sing
I'm well within your aim
Lay your traps for a thousand miles
Please don't let me escape
Winter came to Omaha and left us looking like a bride
A million perfect snowflakes
And no two are alike
And so it's hard for me imagining the flaws in this design
I know debris, it covers everything
But still I am in love with this life
(x)
I wish I had a parachute cause I'm falling bad for you
And I can see the ground approaching now
But I'm not sure what to do
I feel like a pinata won't you take a swing at me
If you could just crack the shell open
I think inside you'd find something sweet
I hear you like a hunter now, your footsteps in the leaves
And I would gladly leave my hiding place
Yes I'm hoping to be seen
So let your arrow fly and sing
I'm well within your aim
Lay your traps for a thousand miles
Please don't let me escape
Winter came to Omaha and left us looking like a bride
A million perfect snowflakes
And no two are alike
And so it's hard for me imagining the flaws in this design
I know debris, it covers everything
But still I am in love with this life
Did it all get real, I guess it's real enough
They got refrigerators full of blood
Another century spent pointing guns
At anything that moves
Sometimes I worry that I've lost the plot
My twitching muscles tense my flippant thoughts
I never really dreamed of heaven much
Until we put him in the ground
But it's all I'm doing now
Listening for patterns in the sound
Of an endless static sea
But once the satellite's deceased
It blows like garbage through the streets
Of the night sky to infinity
But don't you weep
Don't you weep for them
There is nothing as lucky
Honey don't you weep
Don't you weep for them
There is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free
Don't be a criminal in this police state
You better shop and eat and procreate
You got vacation days then you might escape
To a condo on the coast
I set my watch to the atomic clock
I watch the crowd count down till the bomb gets dropped
I always figured there'd be time enough
I never let it get me down
But I can't help it now
Looking for faces in the clouds
I got some friends I barely see
But we're all planning to meet
We'll lay in bags as dead as leaves
All together for eternity
But don't you weep
Don't you weep for us
There is no one as lucky
Honey, don't you weep
Don't you weep for us
There is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free
(x)
Did it all get real, I guess it's real enough
They got refrigerators full of blood
Another century spent pointing guns
At anything that moves
Sometimes I worry that I've lost the plot
My twitching muscles tense my flippant thoughts
I never really dreamed of heaven much
Until we put him in the ground
But it's all I'm doing now
Listening for patterns in the sound
Of an endless static sea
But once the satellite's deceased
It blows like garbage through the streets
Of the night sky to infinity
But don't you weep
Don't you weep for them
There is nothing as lucky
Honey don't you weep
Don't you weep for them
There is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free
Don't be a criminal in this police state
You better shop and eat and procreate
You got vacation days then you might escape
To a condo on the coast
I set my watch to the atomic clock
I watch the crowd count down till the bomb gets dropped
I always figured there'd be time enough
I never let it get me down
But I can't help it now
Looking for faces in the clouds
I got some friends I barely see
But we're all planning to meet
We'll lay in bags as dead as leaves
All together for eternity
But don't you weep
Don't you weep for us
There is no one as lucky
Honey, don't you weep
Don't you weep for us
There is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free

Bright Eyes
I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
Saddle Creek , 2005
cd, album
So there was this woman and
She was on an airplane and
She's flying to meet her fiancé
Sailing high above the largest ocean
On planet Earth and she was seated
Next to this man who you know
She had tried to start a conversation
But really the only thing
She heard him say was to order his Bloody Mary
And she's sitting there and she's reading
This really arduous magazine article about this
Third world country that she couldn't
Even pronounce the name of and
She's feeling very bored and very despondent
And then uh suddenly there's this huge mechanical failure
And one of the engines gave out
And they started just falling thirty thousand feet
And the pilot's on the microphone and he's saying
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Oh My God, I'm Sorry"
And apologizing and she looks at the man and she says
"Where are we going?" and he looks at her and he says
"We're going to a party, it's a birthday party
"It's your birthday party, happy birthday darling
"We love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much"
And then he starts humming this little tune and it kind of goes like this:
One, Two, One, Two, Three, Four
We must talk in every telephone, get eaten off the web
We must rip out all the epilogues from the books we have read
Into the face of every criminal strapped firmly in a chair
We must stare, we must stare, we must stare
We must take all of the medicines too expensive now to sell
Set fire to the preacher who is promising us hell
And in the ear of every anarchist who sleeps but doesn't dream
We must sing, we must sing, we must sing
And it'll go like this
While my mother waters plants my father loads his gun
He says, "Death will give us back to God
"Just like the setting sun
"is returned to the lonesome ocean"
And then they splashed into the deep blue sea
And it was a wonderful splash
We must blend into the choir, sing ecstatic with the whole
We must memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul
And in this endless race for property and privilege to be won
We must run, we must run, we must run
We must hang up in the belfry where the bats in moonlight laugh
We must stare into a crystal ball and only see the past
And in the caverns of tomorrow with our flashlights and our love
We must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge
And then we'll get down there
way down to the very bottom of everything
and then we'll see it, we'll see it, we'll see it
Oh my morning's coming back
The whole world's waking up
Oh the city bus is swimming past
I'm happy just because
I found out I am really no one
She was on an airplane and
She's flying to meet her fiancé
Sailing high above the largest ocean
On planet Earth and she was seated
Next to this man who you know
She had tried to start a conversation
But really the only thing
She heard him say was to order his Bloody Mary
And she's sitting there and she's reading
This really arduous magazine article about this
Third world country that she couldn't
Even pronounce the name of and
She's feeling very bored and very despondent
And then uh suddenly there's this huge mechanical failure
And one of the engines gave out
And they started just falling thirty thousand feet
And the pilot's on the microphone and he's saying
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Oh My God, I'm Sorry"
And apologizing and she looks at the man and she says
"Where are we going?" and he looks at her and he says
"We're going to a party, it's a birthday party
"It's your birthday party, happy birthday darling
"We love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much"
And then he starts humming this little tune and it kind of goes like this:
One, Two, One, Two, Three, Four
We must talk in every telephone, get eaten off the web
We must rip out all the epilogues from the books we have read
Into the face of every criminal strapped firmly in a chair
We must stare, we must stare, we must stare
We must take all of the medicines too expensive now to sell
Set fire to the preacher who is promising us hell
And in the ear of every anarchist who sleeps but doesn't dream
We must sing, we must sing, we must sing
And it'll go like this
While my mother waters plants my father loads his gun
He says, "Death will give us back to God
"Just like the setting sun
"is returned to the lonesome ocean"
And then they splashed into the deep blue sea
And it was a wonderful splash
We must blend into the choir, sing ecstatic with the whole
We must memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul
And in this endless race for property and privilege to be won
We must run, we must run, we must run
We must hang up in the belfry where the bats in moonlight laugh
We must stare into a crystal ball and only see the past
And in the caverns of tomorrow with our flashlights and our love
We must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge
And then we'll get down there
way down to the very bottom of everything
and then we'll see it, we'll see it, we'll see it
Oh my morning's coming back
The whole world's waking up
Oh the city bus is swimming past
I'm happy just because
I found out I am really no one
(x)
So there was this woman and
She was on an airplane and
She's flying to meet her fiancé
Sailing high above the largest ocean
On planet Earth and she was seated
Next to this man who you know
She had tried to start a conversation
But really the only thing
She heard him say was to order his Bloody Mary
And she's sitting there and she's reading
This really arduous magazine article about this
Third world country that she couldn't
Even pronounce the name of and
She's feeling very bored and very despondent
And then uh suddenly there's this huge mechanical failure
And one of the engines gave out
And they started just falling thirty thousand feet
And the pilot's on the microphone and he's saying
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Oh My God, I'm Sorry"
And apologizing and she looks at the man and she says
"Where are we going?" and he looks at her and he says
"We're going to a party, it's a birthday party
"It's your birthday party, happy birthday darling
"We love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much"
And then he starts humming this little tune and it kind of goes like this:
One, Two, One, Two, Three, Four
We must talk in every telephone, get eaten off the web
We must rip out all the epilogues from the books we have read
Into the face of every criminal strapped firmly in a chair
We must stare, we must stare, we must stare
We must take all of the medicines too expensive now to sell
Set fire to the preacher who is promising us hell
And in the ear of every anarchist who sleeps but doesn't dream
We must sing, we must sing, we must sing
And it'll go like this
While my mother waters plants my father loads his gun
He says, "Death will give us back to God
"Just like the setting sun
"is returned to the lonesome ocean"
And then they splashed into the deep blue sea
And it was a wonderful splash
We must blend into the choir, sing ecstatic with the whole
We must memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul
And in this endless race for property and privilege to be won
We must run, we must run, we must run
We must hang up in the belfry where the bats in moonlight laugh
We must stare into a crystal ball and only see the past
And in the caverns of tomorrow with our flashlights and our love
We must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge
And then we'll get down there
way down to the very bottom of everything
and then we'll see it, we'll see it, we'll see it
Oh my morning's coming back
The whole world's waking up
Oh the city bus is swimming past
I'm happy just because
I found out I am really no one
She was on an airplane and
She's flying to meet her fiancé
Sailing high above the largest ocean
On planet Earth and she was seated
Next to this man who you know
She had tried to start a conversation
But really the only thing
She heard him say was to order his Bloody Mary
And she's sitting there and she's reading
This really arduous magazine article about this
Third world country that she couldn't
Even pronounce the name of and
She's feeling very bored and very despondent
And then uh suddenly there's this huge mechanical failure
And one of the engines gave out
And they started just falling thirty thousand feet
And the pilot's on the microphone and he's saying
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Oh My God, I'm Sorry"
And apologizing and she looks at the man and she says
"Where are we going?" and he looks at her and he says
"We're going to a party, it's a birthday party
"It's your birthday party, happy birthday darling
"We love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much"
And then he starts humming this little tune and it kind of goes like this:
One, Two, One, Two, Three, Four
We must talk in every telephone, get eaten off the web
We must rip out all the epilogues from the books we have read
Into the face of every criminal strapped firmly in a chair
We must stare, we must stare, we must stare
We must take all of the medicines too expensive now to sell
Set fire to the preacher who is promising us hell
And in the ear of every anarchist who sleeps but doesn't dream
We must sing, we must sing, we must sing
And it'll go like this
While my mother waters plants my father loads his gun
He says, "Death will give us back to God
"Just like the setting sun
"is returned to the lonesome ocean"
And then they splashed into the deep blue sea
And it was a wonderful splash
We must blend into the choir, sing ecstatic with the whole
We must memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul
And in this endless race for property and privilege to be won
We must run, we must run, we must run
We must hang up in the belfry where the bats in moonlight laugh
We must stare into a crystal ball and only see the past
And in the caverns of tomorrow with our flashlights and our love
We must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge
And then we'll get down there
way down to the very bottom of everything
and then we'll see it, we'll see it, we'll see it
Oh my morning's coming back
The whole world's waking up
Oh the city bus is swimming past
I'm happy just because
I found out I am really no one
If you hate the taste of wine
Why do you drink it till you're blind?
And if you swear that there's no truth and who cares
How come you say it like you're right?
Why are you scared to dream of God
When it's salvation that you want?
You see stars that clear have been dead for years
But the idea just lives on
In our wheels that roll around
As we move over the ground
And all day it seems we've been in between
The past and future town
We are nowhere and it's now
We are nowhere and it's now
And like a ten minute dream in the passenger seat
While the world was flying by
You haven't been gone very long
But it feels like a lifetime
I've been sleeping so strange at night
Side effects they don't advertise
I've been sleeping so strange
With a head full of pesticide
I've got no plans and too much time
I feel too restless to unwind
I'm always lost in thought as I walk a block
To my favorite neon sign
Where the waitress looks concerned
But she never says a word
Just turns the juke box on and we hum along
And I smile back at her
And my friend comes after work
When the features start to blur
She says these bars are filled with things that kill
By now you probably should have learned
Did you forget that yellow bird?
How could you forget your yellow bird?
She took a small silver wreath and pinned it onto me
She said this one will bring you love
And I don't know if it's true
But I keep it for good luck
(x)
If you hate the taste of wine
Why do you drink it till you're blind?
And if you swear that there's no truth and who cares
How come you say it like you're right?
Why are you scared to dream of God
When it's salvation that you want?
You see stars that clear have been dead for years
But the idea just lives on
In our wheels that roll around
As we move over the ground
And all day it seems we've been in between
The past and future town
We are nowhere and it's now
We are nowhere and it's now
And like a ten minute dream in the passenger seat
While the world was flying by
You haven't been gone very long
But it feels like a lifetime
I've been sleeping so strange at night
Side effects they don't advertise
I've been sleeping so strange
With a head full of pesticide
I've got no plans and too much time
I feel too restless to unwind
I'm always lost in thought as I walk a block
To my favorite neon sign
Where the waitress looks concerned
But she never says a word
Just turns the juke box on and we hum along
And I smile back at her
And my friend comes after work
When the features start to blur
She says these bars are filled with things that kill
By now you probably should have learned
Did you forget that yellow bird?
How could you forget your yellow bird?
She took a small silver wreath and pinned it onto me
She said this one will bring you love
And I don't know if it's true
But I keep it for good luck
Grey light new day leaks through the window
Some old song comes on the alarm clock radio
We walk the forty blocks to the middle
Of the place we heard that everything would be
And there were barricades to keep us off the street
But the crowd kept pushing forward
Till they swallowed the police
Yeah, they went wild, yeah, they went wild
yeah, they went wild, yeah, they went wild
We left before the dust had time to settle
And all the broken glass swept off the avenue
Ana all the way home held your camera like a bible
Just wishing so bad that it held some kind of truth
And I stood nervous next to you in the dark room
You drop the paper in the water
And it all begins to bloom
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
And just when I get so lonesome I can't speak
I see some flowers on a hillside
Like a wall of new TVs
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
(x)
Grey light new day leaks through the window
Some old song comes on the alarm clock radio
We walk the forty blocks to the middle
Of the place we heard that everything would be
And there were barricades to keep us off the street
But the crowd kept pushing forward
Till they swallowed the police
Yeah, they went wild, yeah, they went wild
yeah, they went wild, yeah, they went wild
We left before the dust had time to settle
And all the broken glass swept off the avenue
Ana all the way home held your camera like a bible
Just wishing so bad that it held some kind of truth
And I stood nervous next to you in the dark room
You drop the paper in the water
And it all begins to bloom
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
And just when I get so lonesome I can't speak
I see some flowers on a hillside
Like a wall of new TVs
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
Yeah, they go wild, yeah, they go wild
I know that it is freezing but I think we have to walk
I keep waving at the taxis they keep turning their lights off
But Julie knows a party at some actor's west side loft
Supplies are endless in the evening by the morning they'll be gone
When everything is lonely I can be my own best friend
I get a coffee and the paper
Have my own conversations with the sidewalk and the pigeons and my window reflection
The mask I polish in the evening by the morning looks like shit
And I know you have a heavy heart
I can feel it when we kiss
So many men stronger than me have throw their backs out trying to lift it
But me I'm not a gamble you can count on me to split
The love I sell you in the evening by the morning won't exist
You're looking skinny like a model with your eyes all painted black
You just keep going to the bathroom always say you'll be right back
Well, it takes one to know one, kid, I think you got it bad
What's so easy in the evening by the morning's such a drag
I got a flask inside my pocket we can share it on the train
And if you promise to stay conscious I will try and do the same
Well we might die from medication but we sure killed all the pain
But what was normal in the evening by the morning seems insane
And I'm not sure what the trouble was that started all of this
The reasons all have run away but the feeling never did
It's not something I would recommend but it is one way to live
Cause what is simple in the moonlight by the morning never is
It was so simple in the moonlight now it's so complicated
It was so simple in the moonlight
(x)
I know that it is freezing but I think we have to walk
I keep waving at the taxis they keep turning their lights off
But Julie knows a party at some actor's west side loft
Supplies are endless in the evening by the morning they'll be gone
When everything is lonely I can be my own best friend
I get a coffee and the paper
Have my own conversations with the sidewalk and the pigeons and my window reflection
The mask I polish in the evening by the morning looks like shit
And I know you have a heavy heart
I can feel it when we kiss
So many men stronger than me have throw their backs out trying to lift it
But me I'm not a gamble you can count on me to split
The love I sell you in the evening by the morning won't exist
You're looking skinny like a model with your eyes all painted black
You just keep going to the bathroom always say you'll be right back
Well, it takes one to know one, kid, I think you got it bad
What's so easy in the evening by the morning's such a drag
I got a flask inside my pocket we can share it on the train
And if you promise to stay conscious I will try and do the same
Well we might die from medication but we sure killed all the pain
But what was normal in the evening by the morning seems insane
And I'm not sure what the trouble was that started all of this
The reasons all have run away but the feeling never did
It's not something I would recommend but it is one way to live
Cause what is simple in the moonlight by the morning never is
It was so simple in the moonlight now it's so complicated
It was so simple in the moonlight
You were born inside of a raindrop
I watched you falling to your death
And the sun, well, it could not save you
From falling down to the streets all wet
Body of water, toxic and timeless
Atlantic Ocean, New York skyline
I always get lost when I leave the village
So I couldn't come meet you in Brooklyn last night
But I sing glory from my lowest
And I will say peace to the people I meet
While the world waits for an explosion
That instant of light that wipes the slate clean
So don't be fooled, so don't be lied to
Love was always cruel
And don't act strange, don't be a stranger
It happened to me, now it's happening to you
But if you take that train underwater
Then we could talk it through
Well, if I could tame all of my desires
Wait out the weather that howls in my brain
Because it seems that it's always changing
The winds' indecision, the sorrowful rain
I was a postcard, I was a record
I was a camera until I went blind
Now I'm riding all over this island
Looking for something to open my eyes
We will sing glory from a high rise
And I will say thanks if you're pouring my drinks
While the world waits for an explosion
That moment in time when we are set free
So don't stay mad, just let some time pass
And in the morning you awake feeling new
And if I don't come back
I mean, if I get sidetracked
It's only 'cause I wanted to
Keeping up with the moon on an all night avenue
(x)
You were born inside of a raindrop
I watched you falling to your death
And the sun, well, it could not save you
From falling down to the streets all wet
Body of water, toxic and timeless
Atlantic Ocean, New York skyline
I always get lost when I leave the village
So I couldn't come meet you in Brooklyn last night
But I sing glory from my lowest
And I will say peace to the people I meet
While the world waits for an explosion
That instant of light that wipes the slate clean
So don't be fooled, so don't be lied to
Love was always cruel
And don't act strange, don't be a stranger
It happened to me, now it's happening to you
But if you take that train underwater
Then we could talk it through
Well, if I could tame all of my desires
Wait out the weather that howls in my brain
Because it seems that it's always changing
The winds' indecision, the sorrowful rain
I was a postcard, I was a record
I was a camera until I went blind
Now I'm riding all over this island
Looking for something to open my eyes
We will sing glory from a high rise
And I will say thanks if you're pouring my drinks
While the world waits for an explosion
That moment in time when we are set free
So don't stay mad, just let some time pass
And in the morning you awake feeling new
And if I don't come back
I mean, if I get sidetracked
It's only 'cause I wanted to
Keeping up with the moon on an all night avenue
This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
"I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
"Now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
"And I'd probably be happy"
So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We'll just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Then waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time it's different
I mean I really think you'll like me
(x)
This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
"I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
"Now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
"And I'd probably be happy"
So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We'll just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Then waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time it's different
I mean I really think you'll like me
Well I'm changing all my strings
I'm gonna write another travelin' song
About all the billion highways
And the cities at the break of dawn
I guess the best that I can do now
Is to pretend that I've done nothing wrong
And to dream about a train
That's gonna take me back where I belong
Well now the ocean speaks and spits
And I can hear it from the interstate
And I'm screamin' at my brother on a cellphone
He is far away
And I'm saying nothing in the past or future
Ever will feel like today
Until we're parking in an alley
Just hoping that our shit is safe
So I go back and forth forever All my thoughts they come in pairs Oh I will, I won't, I doubt, I don't, I'm not surprised but I never feel quite prepared Now I'm hunched over a typewriter
I guess you call that paintin' in a cave
And there's a word I can't remember
and a feeling I cannot escape
And now my ashtray's overflowing
I'm still staring at a clean white page
Oh and morning's at my window
She is sending me to bed again
Well I dream the dark on the horizon
I dream the desert where the dead lay down
I dream the prostituted child touching an old man in a fast food crown
I dreamt this ship was sinkin' there were people screaming all around
And I awoke to my alarm clock it was a pop song it was playin' loud
So I will find my fears and face them
Or I will cower like a dog
I will kick and scream or kneel and plead
I will fight like hell to hide that I've given up
(x)
Well I'm changing all my strings
I'm gonna write another travelin' song
About all the billion highways
And the cities at the break of dawn
I guess the best that I can do now
Is to pretend that I've done nothing wrong
And to dream about a train
That's gonna take me back where I belong
Well now the ocean speaks and spits
And I can hear it from the interstate
And I'm screamin' at my brother on a cellphone
He is far away
And I'm saying nothing in the past or future
Ever will feel like today
Until we're parking in an alley
Just hoping that our shit is safe
So I go back and forth forever All my thoughts they come in pairs Oh I will, I won't, I doubt, I don't, I'm not surprised but I never feel quite prepared Now I'm hunched over a typewriter
I guess you call that paintin' in a cave
And there's a word I can't remember
and a feeling I cannot escape
And now my ashtray's overflowing
I'm still staring at a clean white page
Oh and morning's at my window
She is sending me to bed again
Well I dream the dark on the horizon
I dream the desert where the dead lay down
I dream the prostituted child touching an old man in a fast food crown
I dreamt this ship was sinkin' there were people screaming all around
And I awoke to my alarm clock it was a pop song it was playin' loud
So I will find my fears and face them
Or I will cower like a dog
I will kick and scream or kneel and plead
I will fight like hell to hide that I've given up
If you walk away I'll walk away
Just tell me which road you will take
I don't want to risk our paths crossing someday
So you walk that way, I'll walk this way
The future hangs over our heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls all around like a cold steady rain
Just stay in when it's looking this way
And the moon's laying low in the sky
Forcing everything metal to shine
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case
They argue walk this way, now walk this way
Laura's asleep in my bed
As I'm leaving she wakes up and says
I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave
Baby, don't go away, come here
There's kids playing guns in the street
One's pointing his tree branch at me
So I put my hands up, said Enough is Enough
If you walk away, I'll walk away
Then he shot me dead
I found a liquid cure
For my landlocked blues
It will pass away, like a slow parade
It's leaving, but I don't know how soon
And the world's got me dizzy again
You'd think after 22 years I'd be used to the spin
But it only feels worse when I stay in one place
So I'm always pacing around or walking away
I'm drinking the ink from my pen
And I'm balancing history books up on my head
And it all boils down to one quotable phrase:
If you love something, give it away
A good woman will pick you apart
A box full of suggestions for a possible heart
And you may be offended, and you may be afraid
But don't walk away, don't walk away
We made love on the living room floor
With the noise in the background from a televised war
And in that deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say
If we walk away, they'll walk away
But greed is a bottomless pit
And all freedom's a joke, we're just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you're still free, start running away
Cos we're coming for you
I've grown tired of holding this pose
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home
So I'm making a deal with the devils of fame
Saying "Let me walk away, please"
You'll be free, child, once you have died
From the shackles of language in measurable time
And then we can trade places, play musical graves
Tell them walk away, walk away, walk away
So I'm up at dawn
Putting on my shoes
I just want to make a clean escape
I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
Yeah, I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
(x)
If you walk away I'll walk away
Just tell me which road you will take
I don't want to risk our paths crossing someday
So you walk that way, I'll walk this way
The future hangs over our heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls all around like a cold steady rain
Just stay in when it's looking this way
And the moon's laying low in the sky
Forcing everything metal to shine
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case
They argue walk this way, now walk this way
Laura's asleep in my bed
As I'm leaving she wakes up and says
I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave
Baby, don't go away, come here
There's kids playing guns in the street
One's pointing his tree branch at me
So I put my hands up, said Enough is Enough
If you walk away, I'll walk away
Then he shot me dead
I found a liquid cure
For my landlocked blues
It will pass away, like a slow parade
It's leaving, but I don't know how soon
And the world's got me dizzy again
You'd think after 22 years I'd be used to the spin
But it only feels worse when I stay in one place
So I'm always pacing around or walking away
I'm drinking the ink from my pen
And I'm balancing history books up on my head
And it all boils down to one quotable phrase:
If you love something, give it away
A good woman will pick you apart
A box full of suggestions for a possible heart
And you may be offended, and you may be afraid
But don't walk away, don't walk away
We made love on the living room floor
With the noise in the background from a televised war
And in that deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say
If we walk away, they'll walk away
But greed is a bottomless pit
And all freedom's a joke, we're just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you're still free, start running away
Cos we're coming for you
I've grown tired of holding this pose
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home
So I'm making a deal with the devils of fame
Saying "Let me walk away, please"
You'll be free, child, once you have died
From the shackles of language in measurable time
And then we can trade places, play musical graves
Tell them walk away, walk away, walk away
So I'm up at dawn
Putting on my shoes
I just want to make a clean escape
I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
Yeah, I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
Poison oak, some boyhood bravery
When the telephone was a tin can on a string
And I fell asleep with you still talking to me
You said you weren't afraid to die
In polaroids you were dressed in women's clothes
Were you made ashamed, why'd you lock them in a drawer?
Well, I don't think that I ever loved you more
Than when you turned away, when you slammed the door
When you stole the car and drove towards Mexico
And you wrote bad checks just to fill your arm
I was young enough, I still believed in war
Well let the poets cry themselves to sleep
And all their tearful words will turn back into steam
But me, I'm a single cell on a serpent's tongue
There's a muddy field where a garden was
And I'm glad you got away but I'm still stuck out here
My clothes are soaking wet from your brother's tears
And I never thought this life was possible
You're the yellow bird that I've been waiting for
The end of paralysis, I was a statuette
Now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench
And when I press the keys it all gets reversed
The sound of loneliness makes me happier
(x)
Poison oak, some boyhood bravery
When the telephone was a tin can on a string
And I fell asleep with you still talking to me
You said you weren't afraid to die
In polaroids you were dressed in women's clothes
Were you made ashamed, why'd you lock them in a drawer?
Well, I don't think that I ever loved you more
Than when you turned away, when you slammed the door
When you stole the car and drove towards Mexico
And you wrote bad checks just to fill your arm
I was young enough, I still believed in war
Well let the poets cry themselves to sleep
And all their tearful words will turn back into steam
But me, I'm a single cell on a serpent's tongue
There's a muddy field where a garden was
And I'm glad you got away but I'm still stuck out here
My clothes are soaking wet from your brother's tears
And I never thought this life was possible
You're the yellow bird that I've been waiting for
The end of paralysis, I was a statuette
Now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench
And when I press the keys it all gets reversed
The sound of loneliness makes me happier
The sun came up with no conclusions
Flowers sleeping in their beds
The city cemetery's humming
I'm wide awake, its morning
I have my drugs, I have my woman
They keep away my loneliness
My parents, they have their religion
But sleep in separate houses
I read the body count out of the paper
And now it's written all over my face
No one ever plans to sleep out in the gutter
Sometimes that's just the most comfortable place
So I'm drinking, breathing, writing, singing
Every day I'm on the clock
My mind races with all my longings
But can't keep up with what I've got
And so I hope I dont sound too ungrateful
For what history gave modern man
A telephone to talk to strangers
Machine guns and a camera lens
So when you're asked to fight a war that's over nothing
It's best to join the side that's gonna win
No one's sure how all of this got started
But we're gonna make 'em God damn certain how it's gonna end
Oh yeah we will, oh yeah we will
Well I could have been a famous singer
If I had some one else's voice
But failure's always sounded better
Let's fuck it up boys, make some noise
The sun came up with no conclusions
Flowers sleeping in their beds
The city cemetery's humming
I'm wide awake, it's morning
(x)
The sun came up with no conclusions
Flowers sleeping in their beds
The city cemetery's humming
I'm wide awake, its morning
I have my drugs, I have my woman
They keep away my loneliness
My parents, they have their religion
But sleep in separate houses
I read the body count out of the paper
And now it's written all over my face
No one ever plans to sleep out in the gutter
Sometimes that's just the most comfortable place
So I'm drinking, breathing, writing, singing
Every day I'm on the clock
My mind races with all my longings
But can't keep up with what I've got
And so I hope I dont sound too ungrateful
For what history gave modern man
A telephone to talk to strangers
Machine guns and a camera lens
So when you're asked to fight a war that's over nothing
It's best to join the side that's gonna win
No one's sure how all of this got started
But we're gonna make 'em God damn certain how it's gonna end
Oh yeah we will, oh yeah we will
Well I could have been a famous singer
If I had some one else's voice
But failure's always sounded better
Let's fuck it up boys, make some noise
The sun came up with no conclusions
Flowers sleeping in their beds
The city cemetery's humming
I'm wide awake, it's morning

Bright Eyes
First Day of My Life
Saddle Creek , 2005
cd, single
This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
"I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
"Now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
"And I'd probably be happy"
So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We'll just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Then waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time it's different
I mean I really think you'll like me
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
"I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
"Now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
"And I'd probably be happy"
So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We'll just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Then waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time it's different
I mean I really think you'll like me
(x)
This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
"I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
"Now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
"And I'd probably be happy"
So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We'll just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Then waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time it's different
I mean I really think you'll like me
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
"I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
"Now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
"And I'd probably be happy"
So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We'll just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Then waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time it's different
I mean I really think you'll like me
When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our womens' rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs, the ghetto's broke
No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't
Just give 'em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That's what God recommends
When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess God just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God
When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he's not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own bullshit
When the president talks to God?
I doubt it
I doubt it
(x)
When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our womens' rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs, the ghetto's broke
No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't
Just give 'em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That's what God recommends
When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess God just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God
When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he's not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own bullshit
When the president talks to God?
I doubt it
I doubt it
I am a blueblood I will admit that
I dance in blue shoes and wear a blue hat
Live in a blue house on a blue street, in a blue town by a blue creek
I write my blue songs with my blue pen
I sing the blue notes to my blue friends
Now I don't know that much about you
But I like you because you are true blue
I had a blue dream about a blue star
In it I drove there in my blue car
And when I got there I met a blue dog with a blue tongue
We had real fun
We bounced a blue ball
It broke a blue glass
We banged on blue drums and called it bluegrass
I guess the thing I'm trying to tell you is that it is best, kid
If you're true blue
Once I had gangrene I had it real bad
And so the Doc came with his black bag
I said "You know doc, I don't feel well
"If you had a blue bag, I think I'd get well"
So he came right back with a blue sack
He said, "Will this do?" I said, "Why not? Yeah"
That is how I am here today to tell you that it is best, man
To be true blue
Out on the blue sea I sailed a blue ship
I had a first mate that always had blue lips
His name was Bluebeard
He had a weird twitch
We flew a blue flag up on a big stick
And we ate bluegill and we ate blue chips
Oh, I felt real blue eating that blue fish
Because there ain't much that I won't do
Unless it keeps me from being true blue
Once in a blue moon there is a blue sky
I wear my blue jeans and fly my blue kite
It hangs like a bluebird until the wind dies
And then the tears pour out of my blue eyes
If it is your birthday we'll bake you a blue cake
And then we'll eat it off my blue plates
Because kid, I don't know much about you
But I like you because you are true blue
(x)
I am a blueblood I will admit that
I dance in blue shoes and wear a blue hat
Live in a blue house on a blue street, in a blue town by a blue creek
I write my blue songs with my blue pen
I sing the blue notes to my blue friends
Now I don't know that much about you
But I like you because you are true blue
I had a blue dream about a blue star
In it I drove there in my blue car
And when I got there I met a blue dog with a blue tongue
We had real fun
We bounced a blue ball
It broke a blue glass
We banged on blue drums and called it bluegrass
I guess the thing I'm trying to tell you is that it is best, kid
If you're true blue
Once I had gangrene I had it real bad
And so the Doc came with his black bag
I said "You know doc, I don't feel well
"If you had a blue bag, I think I'd get well"
So he came right back with a blue sack
He said, "Will this do?" I said, "Why not? Yeah"
That is how I am here today to tell you that it is best, man
To be true blue
Out on the blue sea I sailed a blue ship
I had a first mate that always had blue lips
His name was Bluebeard
He had a weird twitch
We flew a blue flag up on a big stick
And we ate bluegill and we ate blue chips
Oh, I felt real blue eating that blue fish
Because there ain't much that I won't do
Unless it keeps me from being true blue
Once in a blue moon there is a blue sky
I wear my blue jeans and fly my blue kite
It hangs like a bluebird until the wind dies
And then the tears pour out of my blue eyes
If it is your birthday we'll bake you a blue cake
And then we'll eat it off my blue plates
Because kid, I don't know much about you
But I like you because you are true blue

Bright Eyes
Oh Holy Fools - The Music of Son, Ambulance and Bright Eyes
Saddle Creek , 2001
1,3,5,7: Son, Ambulance
There's a voice on the phone telling what had happened
Some kind of confusion, more like a disaster
And it wondered how you were left unaffected
But you had no knowledge, no, the chemicals covered you
And so a jury was formed as more liquor was poured
No need for conviction, they're not thirsting for justice
But I slept with the lies I keep inside my head
I found out I was guilty
I found out I was guilty
But I won't be around for the sentencing
'Cause I'm leaving on the next airplane
And though I know that my actions are impossible to justify
They seem adequite to fill up my time
And if I could talk to myself like I was someone else
Then maybe I could take your advice
And I wouldn't act like such an asshole all the time
There's a film on the wall, makes the people look small
Who are sitting beside it, all consumed in the drama
They must return to their lives once the hero has died
They will drive to the office, stopping somewhere for coffee
Where the folk singers, poets, and playwrites convene
Dispensing their wisdom, oh dear amateur orator
They will detail their pain in some standard refrain
They will recite their sadness like it's some kind of contest
Well if it is, I think I am winning it
All beaming with confidence as I make my final lap
The gold medal gleams, so hang it around my neck
Because I am deserving it, the champion of idiots
But a kid carries his Walkman on that long bus ride to Omaha
I know a girl who cries when she practices violin
'Cause each note sounds so pure, it just cuts into her
And then the melody comes pouring out her eyes
Now to me everything else, it just sounds like a lie
(x)
There's a voice on the phone telling what had happened
Some kind of confusion, more like a disaster
And it wondered how you were left unaffected
But you had no knowledge, no, the chemicals covered you
And so a jury was formed as more liquor was poured
No need for conviction, they're not thirsting for justice
But I slept with the lies I keep inside my head
I found out I was guilty
I found out I was guilty
But I won't be around for the sentencing
'Cause I'm leaving on the next airplane
And though I know that my actions are impossible to justify
They seem adequite to fill up my time
And if I could talk to myself like I was someone else
Then maybe I could take your advice
And I wouldn't act like such an asshole all the time
There's a film on the wall, makes the people look small
Who are sitting beside it, all consumed in the drama
They must return to their lives once the hero has died
They will drive to the office, stopping somewhere for coffee
Where the folk singers, poets, and playwrites convene
Dispensing their wisdom, oh dear amateur orator
They will detail their pain in some standard refrain
They will recite their sadness like it's some kind of contest
Well if it is, I think I am winning it
All beaming with confidence as I make my final lap
The gold medal gleams, so hang it around my neck
Because I am deserving it, the champion of idiots
But a kid carries his Walkman on that long bus ride to Omaha
I know a girl who cries when she practices violin
'Cause each note sounds so pure, it just cuts into her
And then the melody comes pouring out her eyes
Now to me everything else, it just sounds like a lie
I met you through a common friend
In the attic of my parents' house
And though I didn't know it then
I soon was finding out
Oh, you are the roots that sleep beneath my feet
And hold the earth in place
Each time a faucet opens, words are spoken
The water runs away
And I hear your name
No, nothing has changed
There was this book I read and loved, the story of a ship
Who sailed around the world and found that nothing else exists
Beyond his own two sails, and wooden shell
And what is held within
All else is sure to pass, we clutch and grasp
And debate what's truly permanent
But when the wind starts to shift
Well, there's no argument
Now, I sing and drink and sleep on floors
And try hard not to be annoyed
By all these people worrying about me
So when I'm suffering through some awful drive
You occasionally cross my mind
It's my hidden hope that you are still among them
Well are you?
Oh, you are the roots that sleep beneath my feet
And hold the earth in place
Each time a curtain opens, sunlight pours in
A lifetime melts away
And we share a name
On some picturesque grave
(x)
I met you through a common friend
In the attic of my parents' house
And though I didn't know it then
I soon was finding out
Oh, you are the roots that sleep beneath my feet
And hold the earth in place
Each time a faucet opens, words are spoken
The water runs away
And I hear your name
No, nothing has changed
There was this book I read and loved, the story of a ship
Who sailed around the world and found that nothing else exists
Beyond his own two sails, and wooden shell
And what is held within
All else is sure to pass, we clutch and grasp
And debate what's truly permanent
But when the wind starts to shift
Well, there's no argument
Now, I sing and drink and sleep on floors
And try hard not to be annoyed
By all these people worrying about me
So when I'm suffering through some awful drive
You occasionally cross my mind
It's my hidden hope that you are still among them
Well are you?
Oh, you are the roots that sleep beneath my feet
And hold the earth in place
Each time a curtain opens, sunlight pours in
A lifetime melts away
And we share a name
On some picturesque grave
It was in the March of the winter I turned seventeen
That I bought those pills I thought I would need
And I wrote a letter to my family
Said it's not your fault, you've been good to me
It's just lately I've been feeling like I don't belong
Like the ground's not mine to walk upon
And I've heard that music echo through the house
Where my grandmother drank by herself
And I sat watching a flower as it was withering
I was embarassed by its honesty
So I'd prefer to be remembered as a smiling face
Not this fucking wreck that's taken its place
So please forgive what I have done
No, you can't stay mad at the setting sun
Because we all get tired, I mean eventually
There is nothing left to do but sleep
But spring came bearing sunlight, those persuasive rays
So I gave myself a few more days
My salvation it came, quite suddenly
When Justin spoke very plainly
He said "Now, of course it's your decision
But just so you know
If you decide to leave, soon I will follow"
I wrote this for a baby who has yet to be born
My brother's first child, I hope that womb's not too warm
'Cause it's cold out here, and it will be quite a shock
To breathe this air, to discover loss
So I'd like to make some changes before you arrive
So when your new eyes meet mine, they won't see no lies
Just love, just love
I will be pure, like snow, like gold
(x)
It was in the March of the winter I turned seventeen
That I bought those pills I thought I would need
And I wrote a letter to my family
Said it's not your fault, you've been good to me
It's just lately I've been feeling like I don't belong
Like the ground's not mine to walk upon
And I've heard that music echo through the house
Where my grandmother drank by herself
And I sat watching a flower as it was withering
I was embarassed by its honesty
So I'd prefer to be remembered as a smiling face
Not this fucking wreck that's taken its place
So please forgive what I have done
No, you can't stay mad at the setting sun
Because we all get tired, I mean eventually
There is nothing left to do but sleep
But spring came bearing sunlight, those persuasive rays
So I gave myself a few more days
My salvation it came, quite suddenly
When Justin spoke very plainly
He said "Now, of course it's your decision
But just so you know
If you decide to leave, soon I will follow"
I wrote this for a baby who has yet to be born
My brother's first child, I hope that womb's not too warm
'Cause it's cold out here, and it will be quite a shock
To breathe this air, to discover loss
So I'd like to make some changes before you arrive
So when your new eyes meet mine, they won't see no lies
Just love, just love
I will be pure, like snow, like gold
Love is real
It is not just in novels or the movies
It is fact
And it is standing here right in front of you
So if you open your eyes, oh what a sweet discovery
There is hope, and there is joy, and there is acceptance
So now let all of the light that collects on your plants
Keep you warm, make you smile
And I will be there with this pen in my hand
To record all the while
You'll be laughing so loud that the house would shake with sound
And everything will be as new as the day it was found
Love is real
It is not just in long distance commercials
Or something that you thought you felt back in high school
So I will turn black and white
Become that horoscope you're reading
It predicts something good is on its way
Oh, and then I will send you the world green and blue
In a box through the mail
You can open it up, hold it right in your hand
And be glad that it's there
And be glad that you're there
You can feel all the knots in your stomach start to untie
And suddenly it's not so hard to say you're all right
Love is real
It is not just in poetry and stories
It is truth, and it will follow you
Everywhere you go from now on
So if you'd just cast off your doubt
Then your lips would answer for you
Oh my darling, when you smile, it is like a song
And I can hear it now
(x)
Love is real
It is not just in novels or the movies
It is fact
And it is standing here right in front of you
So if you open your eyes, oh what a sweet discovery
There is hope, and there is joy, and there is acceptance
So now let all of the light that collects on your plants
Keep you warm, make you smile
And I will be there with this pen in my hand
To record all the while
You'll be laughing so loud that the house would shake with sound
And everything will be as new as the day it was found
Love is real
It is not just in long distance commercials
Or something that you thought you felt back in high school
So I will turn black and white
Become that horoscope you're reading
It predicts something good is on its way
Oh, and then I will send you the world green and blue
In a box through the mail
You can open it up, hold it right in your hand
And be glad that it's there
And be glad that you're there
You can feel all the knots in your stomach start to untie
And suddenly it's not so hard to say you're all right
Love is real
It is not just in poetry and stories
It is truth, and it will follow you
Everywhere you go from now on
So if you'd just cast off your doubt
Then your lips would answer for you
Oh my darling, when you smile, it is like a song
And I can hear it now

Bright Eyes
Fevers and Mirrors
Saddle Creek , 2000
cd, album
You turn on a spindle
You're so much looser now, but you're not explaining how
You gained such new repose
I touch the clasp of your locket, with its picture held
Some secret you wouldn't tell
But let it choke your neck
So imagine a darkness, where all shapes divide, solids changing into light
With a burst of heat so bright
Well fine, don't you do what I want you to
Don't degrade yourself the way I do
Because you don't depend on all the shit that I use
To make my moods improve
Near a sea of pianos, there were waves of chords that crashed against the shore
In one huge and pointless roar
And there were girls bringing water, like a dream they came
To cure the fever of my brain and soothe my burning throat
And they made me a necklace, hanging beads of sweat on a string of my regrets
And placed it round my neck, and they were singing,
"Don't you do what you've wanted to
Yeah, don't destroy yourself like those cowards do
And maybe the sun keeps coming up because it has gotten used to you
And your constant need for proof
You're so much looser now, but you're not explaining how
You gained such new repose
I touch the clasp of your locket, with its picture held
Some secret you wouldn't tell
But let it choke your neck
So imagine a darkness, where all shapes divide, solids changing into light
With a burst of heat so bright
Well fine, don't you do what I want you to
Don't degrade yourself the way I do
Because you don't depend on all the shit that I use
To make my moods improve
Near a sea of pianos, there were waves of chords that crashed against the shore
In one huge and pointless roar
And there were girls bringing water, like a dream they came
To cure the fever of my brain and soothe my burning throat
And they made me a necklace, hanging beads of sweat on a string of my regrets
And placed it round my neck, and they were singing,
"Don't you do what you've wanted to
Yeah, don't destroy yourself like those cowards do
And maybe the sun keeps coming up because it has gotten used to you
And your constant need for proof
(x)
You turn on a spindle
You're so much looser now, but you're not explaining how
You gained such new repose
I touch the clasp of your locket, with its picture held
Some secret you wouldn't tell
But let it choke your neck
So imagine a darkness, where all shapes divide, solids changing into light
With a burst of heat so bright
Well fine, don't you do what I want you to
Don't degrade yourself the way I do
Because you don't depend on all the shit that I use
To make my moods improve
Near a sea of pianos, there were waves of chords that crashed against the shore
In one huge and pointless roar
And there were girls bringing water, like a dream they came
To cure the fever of my brain and soothe my burning throat
And they made me a necklace, hanging beads of sweat on a string of my regrets
And placed it round my neck, and they were singing,
"Don't you do what you've wanted to
Yeah, don't destroy yourself like those cowards do
And maybe the sun keeps coming up because it has gotten used to you
And your constant need for proof
You're so much looser now, but you're not explaining how
You gained such new repose
I touch the clasp of your locket, with its picture held
Some secret you wouldn't tell
But let it choke your neck
So imagine a darkness, where all shapes divide, solids changing into light
With a burst of heat so bright
Well fine, don't you do what I want you to
Don't degrade yourself the way I do
Because you don't depend on all the shit that I use
To make my moods improve
Near a sea of pianos, there were waves of chords that crashed against the shore
In one huge and pointless roar
And there were girls bringing water, like a dream they came
To cure the fever of my brain and soothe my burning throat
And they made me a necklace, hanging beads of sweat on a string of my regrets
And placed it round my neck, and they were singing,
"Don't you do what you've wanted to
Yeah, don't destroy yourself like those cowards do
And maybe the sun keeps coming up because it has gotten used to you
And your constant need for proof
Here's a scale, weigh it out and you'll find, easily
More than sufficient doubt that these colors you see were picked in advance
By some careful hand with an absolute concept of beauty
They are smeared and these blurs come in random order
And they color the eyes of your former lovers
Hers were green like July, except when she cried they were red
Now, I know a disease that these doctors can't treat
You contract on the day you accept all you see
Is a mirror, and a mirror is all it can be-
A reflection of something we're missing
And language just happened, it was never planned
And it's inadequate to describe where I am
In the room of my house where the light's never been
Waiting for this day to end
And these clocks keep unwinding and completely ignore
Everything that we hate or adore
Once the page of a calendar is turned it's no more
So tell me then, what was it for?
Oh tell me, what was it for?
(x)
Here's a scale, weigh it out and you'll find, easily
More than sufficient doubt that these colors you see were picked in advance
By some careful hand with an absolute concept of beauty
They are smeared and these blurs come in random order
And they color the eyes of your former lovers
Hers were green like July, except when she cried they were red
Now, I know a disease that these doctors can't treat
You contract on the day you accept all you see
Is a mirror, and a mirror is all it can be-
A reflection of something we're missing
And language just happened, it was never planned
And it's inadequate to describe where I am
In the room of my house where the light's never been
Waiting for this day to end
And these clocks keep unwinding and completely ignore
Everything that we hate or adore
Once the page of a calendar is turned it's no more
So tell me then, what was it for?
Oh tell me, what was it for?
Does he kiss your eyelids in the morning when you start to raise your head?
And does he sing to you incessantly from the place between your bed and wall?
Does he walk around all day at school with his feet inside your shoes?
Looking down every few steps to pretend he walks with you?
Oh, does he know that place below your neck that is your favorite to be touched?
And does he cry through broken sentences, like 'I love you far too much'?
Does he lay awake listening to your breath?
Worried that you smoke too many cigarettes?
Is he coughing now on a bathroom floor?
For every speck of tile there's a thousand more
You won't ever see, but must hold inside yourself eternally
Well, I drug your ghost across the country and we plotted out my death
In every city, memories would whisper, 'Here is where you rest'
I was determined in Chicago but I dug my teeth into my knees
And I settled for a telephone and sang into your machine
'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine'
And I kissed a girl with a broken jaw that her father gave to her
She had eyes bright enough to burn me, they reminded me of yours
And in a story told she was a little girl in a red-rouge, sun-bruised field
And there were rows of ripe tomatoes where a secret was concealed
And it rose like thunder, clapped under our hands
And it stretched for centuries to a diary entry's end where I wrote,
'You make me happy when skies are gray
You make me happy when skies are gray, and gray, and gray'
Well the clock's heart, it hangs inside its open chest
With hands stretched towards the calendar hanging itself
But I will not weep for those dying days
For all the ones who've left there's a few that've stayed
And they found me here and pulled me from the grass where I was laid
(x)
Does he kiss your eyelids in the morning when you start to raise your head?
And does he sing to you incessantly from the place between your bed and wall?
Does he walk around all day at school with his feet inside your shoes?
Looking down every few steps to pretend he walks with you?
Oh, does he know that place below your neck that is your favorite to be touched?
And does he cry through broken sentences, like 'I love you far too much'?
Does he lay awake listening to your breath?
Worried that you smoke too many cigarettes?
Is he coughing now on a bathroom floor?
For every speck of tile there's a thousand more
You won't ever see, but must hold inside yourself eternally
Well, I drug your ghost across the country and we plotted out my death
In every city, memories would whisper, 'Here is where you rest'
I was determined in Chicago but I dug my teeth into my knees
And I settled for a telephone and sang into your machine
'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine'
And I kissed a girl with a broken jaw that her father gave to her
She had eyes bright enough to burn me, they reminded me of yours
And in a story told she was a little girl in a red-rouge, sun-bruised field
And there were rows of ripe tomatoes where a secret was concealed
And it rose like thunder, clapped under our hands
And it stretched for centuries to a diary entry's end where I wrote,
'You make me happy when skies are gray
You make me happy when skies are gray, and gray, and gray'
Well the clock's heart, it hangs inside its open chest
With hands stretched towards the calendar hanging itself
But I will not weep for those dying days
For all the ones who've left there's a few that've stayed
And they found me here and pulled me from the grass where I was laid
Now and again it seems worse than it is
But mostly the view is accurate
You see your breath in the air as you climb up the stairs
To that coffin you call your apartment
And you sink in the chair, brush the snow from your hair
And drink the cold away
And you're not really sure what you're doing this for
But you need something to fill up the days
A few more hours
There's a dream in my brain that just won't go away
It's been stuck there since it came a few nights ago
I'm standing on a bridge in the town where I lived
As a kid with my mom and my brothers
And then the bridge disappears and I'm standing on air with nothing holding me
And I hang like a star, fucking glow in the dark
For all their starving eyes to see
Like the ones we've wished on, but now I'm confused
Is this death really you?
Do these dreams have any meaning?
No, no, I think it's more like a ghost
That's been following us both
Something vague that we're not seeing
Something more like a feeling
(x)
Now and again it seems worse than it is
But mostly the view is accurate
You see your breath in the air as you climb up the stairs
To that coffin you call your apartment
And you sink in the chair, brush the snow from your hair
And drink the cold away
And you're not really sure what you're doing this for
But you need something to fill up the days
A few more hours
There's a dream in my brain that just won't go away
It's been stuck there since it came a few nights ago
I'm standing on a bridge in the town where I lived
As a kid with my mom and my brothers
And then the bridge disappears and I'm standing on air with nothing holding me
And I hang like a star, fucking glow in the dark
For all their starving eyes to see
Like the ones we've wished on, but now I'm confused
Is this death really you?
Do these dreams have any meaning?
No, no, I think it's more like a ghost
That's been following us both
Something vague that we're not seeing
Something more like a feeling
You follow the footsteps, echoes leading down a hall
To a room, there's music playing, tiny bells with moving parts
Here the shadows make things ugly, an effect quite undesirable
And the gold and yellow daylight grows like ivy across the wall
And it bounces off of the painted porcelain, a tiny dancing doll
Her body spins, as she pirouettes again, the world suddenly seems small
On an off-white, subtle morning
You stretch your legs in the front seat
And the road has made a vacuum where our voices used to be
And you lay your head onto my shoulder, pour like water over me
So if I just exist for the next ten minutes of this drive that would be fine
And all these trees that line this curb would be rejoicing and alive
Soon all the joy that pours from everything makes fountains of your eyes
Because you finally understand the movement of a hand
Waving good-bye
(x)
You follow the footsteps, echoes leading down a hall
To a room, there's music playing, tiny bells with moving parts
Here the shadows make things ugly, an effect quite undesirable
And the gold and yellow daylight grows like ivy across the wall
And it bounces off of the painted porcelain, a tiny dancing doll
Her body spins, as she pirouettes again, the world suddenly seems small
On an off-white, subtle morning
You stretch your legs in the front seat
And the road has made a vacuum where our voices used to be
And you lay your head onto my shoulder, pour like water over me
So if I just exist for the next ten minutes of this drive that would be fine
And all these trees that line this curb would be rejoicing and alive
Soon all the joy that pours from everything makes fountains of your eyes
Because you finally understand the movement of a hand
Waving good-bye
The fragile keep secrets, gathered in pockets
And they'll sell them for nothing, a cheap watch or locket
That kind of gold washes off
And the sad act like lepers, they stick to the shadows
They long to ring bells of warning to tell of their coming
So that the pure can shut their doors
And the angry are animals, senseless and savage
They act without order in logical lapses
They stain their mouths with blood
So take my hand, this barren land is alive tonight
Oh, the corn has grown stalks that form a wall too high
But the wind carries sounds that I can't see from beyond that line
Then the stalks begin to sway
Oh, stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away
Yeah
The wicked are vultures, and they bake in the canyons
They circle in sunlight and wait for their victims
To collapse and call to them
And the desperate are water, they'll run down forever
As they soak into silence and end up together
In a dark and distant, dark and distant place
So don't leave me here, with only mirrors watching me
This house, it holds nothing but the memories
And the moon, it leaves silver but never sleep
And then the sunlight turns to gray
Oh, stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away
(x)
The fragile keep secrets, gathered in pockets
And they'll sell them for nothing, a cheap watch or locket
That kind of gold washes off
And the sad act like lepers, they stick to the shadows
They long to ring bells of warning to tell of their coming
So that the pure can shut their doors
And the angry are animals, senseless and savage
They act without order in logical lapses
They stain their mouths with blood
So take my hand, this barren land is alive tonight
Oh, the corn has grown stalks that form a wall too high
But the wind carries sounds that I can't see from beyond that line
Then the stalks begin to sway
Oh, stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away
Yeah
The wicked are vultures, and they bake in the canyons
They circle in sunlight and wait for their victims
To collapse and call to them
And the desperate are water, they'll run down forever
As they soak into silence and end up together
In a dark and distant, dark and distant place
So don't leave me here, with only mirrors watching me
This house, it holds nothing but the memories
And the moon, it leaves silver but never sleep
And then the sunlight turns to gray
Oh, stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away
Tomorrow when I wake up I'm finding my brother
And I'm making him take me back down to the water
That lake where we sailed and we laughed with our father
I will not desert him, I will not desert him
No matter how I may wish for a coffin so clean
Or these trees to undress all their leaves onto me
I'll put my face in the dirt and then finally I'll see
The sky that has been avoiding me
Well, I started this letter, I'm gonna send it to Ruba
It will be blessed by her eyes on the gulf coast of Florida
With her feet in the sand and one hand on her swimsuit
She'll recite the prayer of my pen
Saying, time take us forward
Relief from this longing
They can land that plane on my heart, I don't care
Just give me November, the warmth of a whisper
In the freezing darkness of my room
But no matter what I would do in attempt to replace
All these pills that I take trying to balance my brain
I see the curious girl with that look on her face
So surprised, she stares out from her display case
(x)
Tomorrow when I wake up I'm finding my brother
And I'm making him take me back down to the water
That lake where we sailed and we laughed with our father
I will not desert him, I will not desert him
No matter how I may wish for a coffin so clean
Or these trees to undress all their leaves onto me
I'll put my face in the dirt and then finally I'll see
The sky that has been avoiding me
Well, I started this letter, I'm gonna send it to Ruba
It will be blessed by her eyes on the gulf coast of Florida
With her feet in the sand and one hand on her swimsuit
She'll recite the prayer of my pen
Saying, time take us forward
Relief from this longing
They can land that plane on my heart, I don't care
Just give me November, the warmth of a whisper
In the freezing darkness of my room
But no matter what I would do in attempt to replace
All these pills that I take trying to balance my brain
I see the curious girl with that look on her face
So surprised, she stares out from her display case
The phone slips from a loose grip
Words were missed like some apology
I didn't want to tell you this
No, it's just some guy she's been hanging out with
I don't know, the past couple of weeks I guess
Thank you and hang up the phone
Let the funeral start, hear the casket close
Let's pin split-black ribbon to your overcoat
But laughter pours from under doors
In this house, I don't understand that sound no more
It seems artificial, like a T.V. set
Well, haligh, haligh, haligh, haligh
This weight it must be satisfied
You offer only one reply
You know not what you do
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed now
A lock of hair you said would prove our love would never die
Well ha ha ha
I remember everything, the words we spoke on freezing South street
And all those morning watching you get ready for school
You combed your hair inside that mirror
The one you painted blue and glued with jewelry tears
Something about those bright colors would always make you feel better
But now we speak with ruined tongues and the words we say aren't meant for anyone
It's just a mumbled sentence to a passing acquaintance
But there was once you
You said you hate my suffering and you understood and you'd take care of me
You'd always be there, well where are you now?
Haligh, haligh, haligh, haligh
The plans were never finalized
But left to hang like yarn and twine dangling before my eyes
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed now
A lock of hair you said would prove our love would never die
And I sing and sing unlawful things, the pleasure that my sadness brings
As my fingers press onto the strings yet another clumsy chord
Haligh, haligh, an awful lie
This weight would now be satisfied
I'm gonna give you only one reply, I know not who I am
But I talk in the mirror to the stranger that appears
Our conversations are circles, always one-sided, nothing is clear
Except we keep coming back to this meaning that I lack
He says the choices were given and now you must live them
Or just not live, but do you want that?
(x)
The phone slips from a loose grip
Words were missed like some apology
I didn't want to tell you this
No, it's just some guy she's been hanging out with
I don't know, the past couple of weeks I guess
Thank you and hang up the phone
Let the funeral start, hear the casket close
Let's pin split-black ribbon to your overcoat
But laughter pours from under doors
In this house, I don't understand that sound no more
It seems artificial, like a T.V. set
Well, haligh, haligh, haligh, haligh
This weight it must be satisfied
You offer only one reply
You know not what you do
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed now
A lock of hair you said would prove our love would never die
Well ha ha ha
I remember everything, the words we spoke on freezing South street
And all those morning watching you get ready for school
You combed your hair inside that mirror
The one you painted blue and glued with jewelry tears
Something about those bright colors would always make you feel better
But now we speak with ruined tongues and the words we say aren't meant for anyone
It's just a mumbled sentence to a passing acquaintance
But there was once you
You said you hate my suffering and you understood and you'd take care of me
You'd always be there, well where are you now?
Haligh, haligh, haligh, haligh
The plans were never finalized
But left to hang like yarn and twine dangling before my eyes
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed now
A lock of hair you said would prove our love would never die
And I sing and sing unlawful things, the pleasure that my sadness brings
As my fingers press onto the strings yet another clumsy chord
Haligh, haligh, an awful lie
This weight would now be satisfied
I'm gonna give you only one reply, I know not who I am
But I talk in the mirror to the stranger that appears
Our conversations are circles, always one-sided, nothing is clear
Except we keep coming back to this meaning that I lack
He says the choices were given and now you must live them
Or just not live, but do you want that?
At the center of the world there's a statue of a girl
She is standing near a well with a bucket bare and dry
I went and looked her in the eyes and she turned me into sand
This clumsy form that I despise, it scattered easy in her hand
And came to rest upon a beach, with a million others there
We sat and waited for the sea to stretch out so that we could disappear
Into the endlessness of blue, into the horror of the truth
See, we are far less than we knew
Yeah, we are far less than we knew
But we knew what we could taste
Girls found honey to drench our hands, the men cut marble to mark our graves
Said, we'll need something to remind us of
All the sweetness that has passed through us
(fresh sangria and lemon tea)
The priest dressed children for choir
(white-robed small voices praise Him)
But found no joy in what was sung
The funeral had begun
In the middle of the day when you drive home to your place
From that job that makes you sleep back to the thoughts that keep you awake
Long after night has come to claim any light that still remains
In the corner of the frame that you put around her face
Two pills just weren't enough
The alarm clock's going off, but you're not waking up
This isn't happening, happening, happening, happening, happening
It is
(x)
At the center of the world there's a statue of a girl
She is standing near a well with a bucket bare and dry
I went and looked her in the eyes and she turned me into sand
This clumsy form that I despise, it scattered easy in her hand
And came to rest upon a beach, with a million others there
We sat and waited for the sea to stretch out so that we could disappear
Into the endlessness of blue, into the horror of the truth
See, we are far less than we knew
Yeah, we are far less than we knew
But we knew what we could taste
Girls found honey to drench our hands, the men cut marble to mark our graves
Said, we'll need something to remind us of
All the sweetness that has passed through us
(fresh sangria and lemon tea)
The priest dressed children for choir
(white-robed small voices praise Him)
But found no joy in what was sung
The funeral had begun
In the middle of the day when you drive home to your place
From that job that makes you sleep back to the thoughts that keep you awake
Long after night has come to claim any light that still remains
In the corner of the frame that you put around her face
Two pills just weren't enough
The alarm clock's going off, but you're not waking up
This isn't happening, happening, happening, happening, happening
It is
Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, swiftly go the days
Sunrise, sunset, you wake up, then you undress, it always is the same
A sunrise and a sunset, you are lying while you confess, keep trying to explain
The sunrise and the sun sets, you realize and then you forget
What you have been trying to retain
But everybody knows that it's all about the things that get stuck inside of your head
Like the songs your roommate sings, a vision of her body as she stretches out on your bed
She raised her hands in the air, asked you
"When was the last time you looked in the mirror?
'Cause you've changed, yeah, you've changed"
Sunrise, sunset, you're hopeful, then you regret, the circle never breaks
With a sunrise and sunset there's a change of heart or address, is there nothing that remains?
For a sunrise or a sunset, you're manic or you're depressed, will you ever feel ok?
For a sunrise and a sunset, your lover is an actress, did you really think she'd stay?
For a sunrise or a sunset, you're either coming or you just left
But you're always on the way
Towards a sunrise or a sunset, a scribble or a sonnet, they are really just the same
To the sunrise or the sunset, the master and his servant have exactly the same fate
It's a sunrise and a sunset, from a cradle to a casket, there is no way to escape
The sunrise and the sunset, hold your sadness like a puppet, keep putting on the play
But everything you do is leading to the point where you just won't know what to do
And at the moment you are laughing, there is someone there who will be laughing louder than you
So it's true, the trick is complete
You've become everything you said you never would be
You're a fool, you're a fool
Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset
The sunrise and the sunset, go home to your apartment
Put the cassette in the tape deck and let that fever play
Sunrise, sunset, where are you, Arienette?
Where are you, Arienette?
(x)
Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, swiftly go the days
Sunrise, sunset, you wake up, then you undress, it always is the same
A sunrise and a sunset, you are lying while you confess, keep trying to explain
The sunrise and the sun sets, you realize and then you forget
What you have been trying to retain
But everybody knows that it's all about the things that get stuck inside of your head
Like the songs your roommate sings, a vision of her body as she stretches out on your bed
She raised her hands in the air, asked you
"When was the last time you looked in the mirror?
'Cause you've changed, yeah, you've changed"
Sunrise, sunset, you're hopeful, then you regret, the circle never breaks
With a sunrise and sunset there's a change of heart or address, is there nothing that remains?
For a sunrise or a sunset, you're manic or you're depressed, will you ever feel ok?
For a sunrise and a sunset, your lover is an actress, did you really think she'd stay?
For a sunrise or a sunset, you're either coming or you just left
But you're always on the way
Towards a sunrise or a sunset, a scribble or a sonnet, they are really just the same
To the sunrise or the sunset, the master and his servant have exactly the same fate
It's a sunrise and a sunset, from a cradle to a casket, there is no way to escape
The sunrise and the sunset, hold your sadness like a puppet, keep putting on the play
But everything you do is leading to the point where you just won't know what to do
And at the moment you are laughing, there is someone there who will be laughing louder than you
So it's true, the trick is complete
You've become everything you said you never would be
You're a fool, you're a fool
Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset
The sunrise and the sunset, go home to your apartment
Put the cassette in the tape deck and let that fever play
Sunrise, sunset, where are you, Arienette?
Where are you, Arienette?
Did you expect it all to stop at the wave of your hand?
Like the sun's just gonna drop if it's night you demand
Well, in the dark we are just air so the house might dissolve
But once we're gone, who's gonna care if we were ever here at all?
Well, summer's gonna come, it's gonna cloud our eyes again
There's no need to focus when there's nothing that's worth seeing
So we trade liquor for blood in an attempt to tip the scales
I think you lost what you loved in that mess of details
They seemed so important at the time but now you can't even recall
Any of the names, faces, or lines, it's more the feeling of it all
Well, winter's gonna end, I'm gonna clean these veins again
So close to dying that I finally can start living
All right
(x)
Did you expect it all to stop at the wave of your hand?
Like the sun's just gonna drop if it's night you demand
Well, in the dark we are just air so the house might dissolve
But once we're gone, who's gonna care if we were ever here at all?
Well, summer's gonna come, it's gonna cloud our eyes again
There's no need to focus when there's nothing that's worth seeing
So we trade liquor for blood in an attempt to tip the scales
I think you lost what you loved in that mess of details
They seemed so important at the time but now you can't even recall
Any of the names, faces, or lines, it's more the feeling of it all
Well, winter's gonna end, I'm gonna clean these veins again
So close to dying that I finally can start living
All right
There's a middle-aged woman, she's dragging her feet
She carries baskets of clothes to a laundromat
While the Mexican children kick rocks into the street
And they laugh in a language I don't understand
But I love them, why do I love them?
The neighborhood's dimming, I smoke on the porch
And watch the people as they pass enclosed inside their cars
On their faces just anger or disappointment
I start wishing there was something I could offer them
A consolation, what could I offer them?
Well, they are sad in their suburbs
Robots water the lawn, and everything they touch gets dusted spotless
So they start to believe they've not touched anything at all
And the cars in the driveway only multiply
They are lost in their houses, I've heard them sing in the shower
Making speeches to their sister on the telephone, saying, You come home
Woman, you come here, don't stay so far away from me
This weather has me wanting love more tangible
Something I can hold 'cause it's getting cold
Let's hold up our fists to the flame in the sky
To block out the light that's reaching for our eyes
Because it would blind us, it will blind us
Now I've locked my actions in the grooves of routine
So I may never be free of this apathy
But I wait for a letter that's coming to me
She sends me pictures of the ocean in an envelope
So there still is hope, yes, I can be healed
There is someone looking for what I've concealed
In my secret drawer, in my pockets deep
You will find the reasons that I can't sleep and you will still want me
But will you still want me?
Come for the week, you can sleep in my bed
And pass through my life like a dream through my head
It will be easy, I'll make it easy
All I have for the moment is a song to pass the time
And a melody to keep me from worrying
Some simple progression to keep my fingers busy
And words that are sure to come back to me, and they will be laughing
My mediocrity, my mediocrity
(x)
There's a middle-aged woman, she's dragging her feet
She carries baskets of clothes to a laundromat
While the Mexican children kick rocks into the street
And they laugh in a language I don't understand
But I love them, why do I love them?
The neighborhood's dimming, I smoke on the porch
And watch the people as they pass enclosed inside their cars
On their faces just anger or disappointment
I start wishing there was something I could offer them
A consolation, what could I offer them?
Well, they are sad in their suburbs
Robots water the lawn, and everything they touch gets dusted spotless
So they start to believe they've not touched anything at all
And the cars in the driveway only multiply
They are lost in their houses, I've heard them sing in the shower
Making speeches to their sister on the telephone, saying, You come home
Woman, you come here, don't stay so far away from me
This weather has me wanting love more tangible
Something I can hold 'cause it's getting cold
Let's hold up our fists to the flame in the sky
To block out the light that's reaching for our eyes
Because it would blind us, it will blind us
Now I've locked my actions in the grooves of routine
So I may never be free of this apathy
But I wait for a letter that's coming to me
She sends me pictures of the ocean in an envelope
So there still is hope, yes, I can be healed
There is someone looking for what I've concealed
In my secret drawer, in my pockets deep
You will find the reasons that I can't sleep and you will still want me
But will you still want me?
Come for the week, you can sleep in my bed
And pass through my life like a dream through my head
It will be easy, I'll make it easy
All I have for the moment is a song to pass the time
And a melody to keep me from worrying
Some simple progression to keep my fingers busy
And words that are sure to come back to me, and they will be laughing
My mediocrity, my mediocrity
Radio: Hi, we're back. This is Radio KX and we're here with Conor Oberst of the band Bright Eyes. How are you doing Conor?
Conor: Fine, thanks. Just a little wet
Radio: Oh yeah, it's still coming down out there
Conor: Yeah, I sort of had to run from the car
Radio: Well, we are glad you made it. Now your new album, Fevers and Mirrors. Tell us a little bit about the title. I noticed there was a good deal of repeated imagery in the lyrics, fevers . . . mirrors, scales, clocks. Could you discuss some of this?
Conor: Sure. Let's see, the fever is . . .
Radio: First let me say, that this is a brilliant record, man, we're all really into it here at the station. We get lots of calls, it's really good stuff
Conor: Thanks, thanks a lot
Radio: So talk a little bit about some of the symbolism
Conor: The fever?
Radio: Sure
Conor: Well the fever is basically whatever ails you or oppresses you, it could be anything. In my case it's my neurosis, my depression, but I don't want to be limited to that. It's certainly different for different people. It's whatever keeps you up at night
Radio: I see
Conor: And then the mirror is like, as you might have guessed, self-examination or reflection or whatever form. This could be vanity or self-loathing. I don't know, I'm guilty of both
Radio: That's interesting. How about the scale?
Conor: The scale is essentially our attempt to solve our problems quantitatively through logic or rationalization. In my opinion it's often fruitless, but always, well, not always. And the clocks and calendars, etcetera, its just time, our little measurements. It's like, it's always chasing after us
Radio: It is, it is. How about this Arienette, how does she fit in to all of this?
Conor: I'd prefer not talk about it, in case she's listening
Radio: Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize she was a real person
Conor: She's not, but I made her up
Radio: Oh, so she's not real?
Conor: Just as real as you or I
Radio: I don't think I understand
Conor: Neither do I, but after I grow up I will. I mean, you know what, a lot of things are really unclear for me right now
Radio: That's interesting. Now you mentioned your depression
Conor: No I didn't
Radio: You're from Nebraska, right?
Conor: Yeah, that's right
Radio: Now let me know if I'm getting to personal, but there seems to be a pretty dark past back there somewhere. What was it like for you growing up?
Conor: Dark? Not really. Actually I had a great childhood. My parents were wonderful. I went to a Catholic school. They have, I had money, so it was all easy. I basically had everything that I wanted anytime
Radio: Really? So some of the references like babies in bathtubs are not biographical?
Conor: Well I did have a brother who died in a bathtub . . . he drowned. Well actually I had five brothers that drowned
Radio: (Chuckle)
Conor: No, I'm serious. My mother drowned one every year for five consecutive years. They were all named Padraic, and that's why they only got one song. It's kind of like walking out a door and discovering that it's a window
Radio: But your music is certainly very personal
Conor: Of course, I put a lot of myself into what I do. It's like being an author, you have to free yourself to use symbolism and allegory to meet your goal. And part of that is compassion, empathy for other people and their situations. Some of what I sing about comes from other people's experiences. It shouldn't matter, the message is intended to be universal
Radio: I see what you mean
Conor: Could you make that sound stop, please?
Radio: Yes. And your goal?
Conor: I don't know. Create feelings I guess. A song never ends up the way you planned it
Radio: That's funny you'd say that, do you think that . . .
Conor: Do you ever hear things that aren't really there?
Radio: I'm sorry, what?
Conor: Never mind. How long have you worked at this station?
Radio: Oh, just a few minutes. Now you mentioned empathy for others. Would you say that that motivates you to make the music that you make?
Conor: No, not really. It's more a need for sympathy. I want people to feel sorry for me. I like to feel the burn of the audience's eyes on me when I'm revealing all my darkest secrets into the microphone. When I was a kid I used to carry a safety pin around with me every where I went in my pocket, and when people weren't paying enough attention to me, I'd dig it into my arm until I started crying. Everyone would stop what they were doing and ask me what was the matter. I guess, I guess I kind of liked that
Radio: Really, you're telling me that you're doing all of this for attention?
Conor: No, I hate it when people look at me, I get nauseous. In fact, I could care less what people think about me. Do you feel that?
Radio: No, I feel sick
Conor: I really just want to be this warm yellow light that pours over everyone that I love
Radio: So you're going to play something for us now? Is this a new song?
Conor: Yeah, but I haven't written it yet. It's one I've been meaning to write called A Song To Pass The Time
Radio: Oh, that's a nice title
Conor: You should write your own scripts
Radio: Yeah, I know
(x)
Radio: Hi, we're back. This is Radio KX and we're here with Conor Oberst of the band Bright Eyes. How are you doing Conor?
Conor: Fine, thanks. Just a little wet
Radio: Oh yeah, it's still coming down out there
Conor: Yeah, I sort of had to run from the car
Radio: Well, we are glad you made it. Now your new album, Fevers and Mirrors. Tell us a little bit about the title. I noticed there was a good deal of repeated imagery in the lyrics, fevers . . . mirrors, scales, clocks. Could you discuss some of this?
Conor: Sure. Let's see, the fever is . . .
Radio: First let me say, that this is a brilliant record, man, we're all really into it here at the station. We get lots of calls, it's really good stuff
Conor: Thanks, thanks a lot
Radio: So talk a little bit about some of the symbolism
Conor: The fever?
Radio: Sure
Conor: Well the fever is basically whatever ails you or oppresses you, it could be anything. In my case it's my neurosis, my depression, but I don't want to be limited to that. It's certainly different for different people. It's whatever keeps you up at night
Radio: I see
Conor: And then the mirror is like, as you might have guessed, self-examination or reflection or whatever form. This could be vanity or self-loathing. I don't know, I'm guilty of both
Radio: That's interesting. How about the scale?
Conor: The scale is essentially our attempt to solve our problems quantitatively through logic or rationalization. In my opinion it's often fruitless, but always, well, not always. And the clocks and calendars, etcetera, its just time, our little measurements. It's like, it's always chasing after us
Radio: It is, it is. How about this Arienette, how does she fit in to all of this?
Conor: I'd prefer not talk about it, in case she's listening
Radio: Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize she was a real person
Conor: She's not, but I made her up
Radio: Oh, so she's not real?
Conor: Just as real as you or I
Radio: I don't think I understand
Conor: Neither do I, but after I grow up I will. I mean, you know what, a lot of things are really unclear for me right now
Radio: That's interesting. Now you mentioned your depression
Conor: No I didn't
Radio: You're from Nebraska, right?
Conor: Yeah, that's right
Radio: Now let me know if I'm getting to personal, but there seems to be a pretty dark past back there somewhere. What was it like for you growing up?
Conor: Dark? Not really. Actually I had a great childhood. My parents were wonderful. I went to a Catholic school. They have, I had money, so it was all easy. I basically had everything that I wanted anytime
Radio: Really? So some of the references like babies in bathtubs are not biographical?
Conor: Well I did have a brother who died in a bathtub . . . he drowned. Well actually I had five brothers that drowned
Radio: (Chuckle)
Conor: No, I'm serious. My mother drowned one every year for five consecutive years. They were all named Padraic, and that's why they only got one song. It's kind of like walking out a door and discovering that it's a window
Radio: But your music is certainly very personal
Conor: Of course, I put a lot of myself into what I do. It's like being an author, you have to free yourself to use symbolism and allegory to meet your goal. And part of that is compassion, empathy for other people and their situations. Some of what I sing about comes from other people's experiences. It shouldn't matter, the message is intended to be universal
Radio: I see what you mean
Conor: Could you make that sound stop, please?
Radio: Yes. And your goal?
Conor: I don't know. Create feelings I guess. A song never ends up the way you planned it
Radio: That's funny you'd say that, do you think that . . .
Conor: Do you ever hear things that aren't really there?
Radio: I'm sorry, what?
Conor: Never mind. How long have you worked at this station?
Radio: Oh, just a few minutes. Now you mentioned empathy for others. Would you say that that motivates you to make the music that you make?
Conor: No, not really. It's more a need for sympathy. I want people to feel sorry for me. I like to feel the burn of the audience's eyes on me when I'm revealing all my darkest secrets into the microphone. When I was a kid I used to carry a safety pin around with me every where I went in my pocket, and when people weren't paying enough attention to me, I'd dig it into my arm until I started crying. Everyone would stop what they were doing and ask me what was the matter. I guess, I guess I kind of liked that
Radio: Really, you're telling me that you're doing all of this for attention?
Conor: No, I hate it when people look at me, I get nauseous. In fact, I could care less what people think about me. Do you feel that?
Radio: No, I feel sick
Conor: I really just want to be this warm yellow light that pours over everyone that I love
Radio: So you're going to play something for us now? Is this a new song?
Conor: Yeah, but I haven't written it yet. It's one I've been meaning to write called A Song To Pass The Time
Radio: Oh, that's a nice title
Conor: You should write your own scripts
Radio: Yeah, I know

Bright Eyes
Lifted or The Story is in the Soil Keep Your Ear to the Ground
Saddle Creek , 2002
cd, album
The picture's far too big to look at kid, your eyes won't open wide enough
And you're constantly surrounded by the swirling stream of what is and what was
Well, we've all made our predictions but the truth still isn't out
But if you wanna see the future, go and stare into a cloud
And keep trying to find your way out through that maze of memories
It all sorta looks familiar till you get up close then it's different clearly
But each time you turn a corner
You're right back where you were
And your only hope is that forgetting might make a door appear
Is it your fear of being buried that makes you so afraid to speak?
An avalanche of opinions like the one that fell that I'm now underneath
It was my voice that moved the first rock and I would do it all again
I mean, it's cool if you keep quiet but I like singing
So I'll be holding my note and stomping and strumming and feeling so very lucky
And there is nothing I know except a lifetime's one moment and wishing will just leave you empty
So you can try to live in darkness but you will never shake the light
No, it will greet you every morning, make you more aware with its absence at night
When you're wrapped up in your blankets, baby, that comfortable cocoon
But I've seen the day of your awakening, boy, and it's coming soon
So go ahead and lose yourself in liquor and you can praise the clouded mind
But it isn't what you're thinking, no, it's the course of history, your position in line
You're just a piece of the puzzle, so I think you'd better find your place
And don't go blaming your knowledge on some fruit you ate
'Cause there's been a great deal of discussion, yes, about the properties of man
I mean, animal or angel, you were carved from bone but your heart is just sand
And the wind is gonna scatter it and cover everything with love
So if it makes you happy then keep kneeling, but I'm standing up
Because this veil it has been lifted, yes, my eyes are wet with clarity
I've been a witness to such wonders, yes, I have searched for them all across this country
But I think I'll be returning now to the town where I was born
And I understand you must keep moving, friend, but I'm headed home
Yeah, I'm gonna follow the road and let the scenery sweeping by easily enter my body
I will send this message in code, underground, through forests and deserts and cities
All across electric wire, it's a baited line, yeah the hook's in deep, boys, there's no more time
So you can struggle in the water, be too stubborn to die
Or you can just let go and be lifted to the sky
And you're constantly surrounded by the swirling stream of what is and what was
Well, we've all made our predictions but the truth still isn't out
But if you wanna see the future, go and stare into a cloud
And keep trying to find your way out through that maze of memories
It all sorta looks familiar till you get up close then it's different clearly
But each time you turn a corner
You're right back where you were
And your only hope is that forgetting might make a door appear
Is it your fear of being buried that makes you so afraid to speak?
An avalanche of opinions like the one that fell that I'm now underneath
It was my voice that moved the first rock and I would do it all again
I mean, it's cool if you keep quiet but I like singing
So I'll be holding my note and stomping and strumming and feeling so very lucky
And there is nothing I know except a lifetime's one moment and wishing will just leave you empty
So you can try to live in darkness but you will never shake the light
No, it will greet you every morning, make you more aware with its absence at night
When you're wrapped up in your blankets, baby, that comfortable cocoon
But I've seen the day of your awakening, boy, and it's coming soon
So go ahead and lose yourself in liquor and you can praise the clouded mind
But it isn't what you're thinking, no, it's the course of history, your position in line
You're just a piece of the puzzle, so I think you'd better find your place
And don't go blaming your knowledge on some fruit you ate
'Cause there's been a great deal of discussion, yes, about the properties of man
I mean, animal or angel, you were carved from bone but your heart is just sand
And the wind is gonna scatter it and cover everything with love
So if it makes you happy then keep kneeling, but I'm standing up
Because this veil it has been lifted, yes, my eyes are wet with clarity
I've been a witness to such wonders, yes, I have searched for them all across this country
But I think I'll be returning now to the town where I was born
And I understand you must keep moving, friend, but I'm headed home
Yeah, I'm gonna follow the road and let the scenery sweeping by easily enter my body
I will send this message in code, underground, through forests and deserts and cities
All across electric wire, it's a baited line, yeah the hook's in deep, boys, there's no more time
So you can struggle in the water, be too stubborn to die
Or you can just let go and be lifted to the sky
(x)
The picture's far too big to look at kid, your eyes won't open wide enough
And you're constantly surrounded by the swirling stream of what is and what was
Well, we've all made our predictions but the truth still isn't out
But if you wanna see the future, go and stare into a cloud
And keep trying to find your way out through that maze of memories
It all sorta looks familiar till you get up close then it's different clearly
But each time you turn a corner
You're right back where you were
And your only hope is that forgetting might make a door appear
Is it your fear of being buried that makes you so afraid to speak?
An avalanche of opinions like the one that fell that I'm now underneath
It was my voice that moved the first rock and I would do it all again
I mean, it's cool if you keep quiet but I like singing
So I'll be holding my note and stomping and strumming and feeling so very lucky
And there is nothing I know except a lifetime's one moment and wishing will just leave you empty
So you can try to live in darkness but you will never shake the light
No, it will greet you every morning, make you more aware with its absence at night
When you're wrapped up in your blankets, baby, that comfortable cocoon
But I've seen the day of your awakening, boy, and it's coming soon
So go ahead and lose yourself in liquor and you can praise the clouded mind
But it isn't what you're thinking, no, it's the course of history, your position in line
You're just a piece of the puzzle, so I think you'd better find your place
And don't go blaming your knowledge on some fruit you ate
'Cause there's been a great deal of discussion, yes, about the properties of man
I mean, animal or angel, you were carved from bone but your heart is just sand
And the wind is gonna scatter it and cover everything with love
So if it makes you happy then keep kneeling, but I'm standing up
Because this veil it has been lifted, yes, my eyes are wet with clarity
I've been a witness to such wonders, yes, I have searched for them all across this country
But I think I'll be returning now to the town where I was born
And I understand you must keep moving, friend, but I'm headed home
Yeah, I'm gonna follow the road and let the scenery sweeping by easily enter my body
I will send this message in code, underground, through forests and deserts and cities
All across electric wire, it's a baited line, yeah the hook's in deep, boys, there's no more time
So you can struggle in the water, be too stubborn to die
Or you can just let go and be lifted to the sky
And you're constantly surrounded by the swirling stream of what is and what was
Well, we've all made our predictions but the truth still isn't out
But if you wanna see the future, go and stare into a cloud
And keep trying to find your way out through that maze of memories
It all sorta looks familiar till you get up close then it's different clearly
But each time you turn a corner
You're right back where you were
And your only hope is that forgetting might make a door appear
Is it your fear of being buried that makes you so afraid to speak?
An avalanche of opinions like the one that fell that I'm now underneath
It was my voice that moved the first rock and I would do it all again
I mean, it's cool if you keep quiet but I like singing
So I'll be holding my note and stomping and strumming and feeling so very lucky
And there is nothing I know except a lifetime's one moment and wishing will just leave you empty
So you can try to live in darkness but you will never shake the light
No, it will greet you every morning, make you more aware with its absence at night
When you're wrapped up in your blankets, baby, that comfortable cocoon
But I've seen the day of your awakening, boy, and it's coming soon
So go ahead and lose yourself in liquor and you can praise the clouded mind
But it isn't what you're thinking, no, it's the course of history, your position in line
You're just a piece of the puzzle, so I think you'd better find your place
And don't go blaming your knowledge on some fruit you ate
'Cause there's been a great deal of discussion, yes, about the properties of man
I mean, animal or angel, you were carved from bone but your heart is just sand
And the wind is gonna scatter it and cover everything with love
So if it makes you happy then keep kneeling, but I'm standing up
Because this veil it has been lifted, yes, my eyes are wet with clarity
I've been a witness to such wonders, yes, I have searched for them all across this country
But I think I'll be returning now to the town where I was born
And I understand you must keep moving, friend, but I'm headed home
Yeah, I'm gonna follow the road and let the scenery sweeping by easily enter my body
I will send this message in code, underground, through forests and deserts and cities
All across electric wire, it's a baited line, yeah the hook's in deep, boys, there's no more time
So you can struggle in the water, be too stubborn to die
Or you can just let go and be lifted to the sky
There's no beginning to the story
A bookshelf sinks into the sand
And a language learned and forgot in turn
Is studied once again
It's a shocking bit of footage
Viewed from a shitty tv screen
You can squint at it
Just snow and static
To make out the meaning
And keep on stretching the antenna
Hoping that it will come clear
We need some reception
A higher message
Just tell us what to fear
'Cause I don't know what tomorrow brings
To light with such possibilities
All I know is I feel better when I sing
Burdens are lifted from me
That's my voice rising
So Michael please keep the tape rolling
Boys keep strumming those guitars
We need a record of our failures
Yes we must document our love
I have sat too long in my silence
I have grown too old in my pain
To shed this skin
Be born again
Oh it starts with an ending
So thank you friends for the time we shared
My love stays with you like sunlight and air
No I truly wish I could keep hanging around here
My joy is covering me
Soon I will disappear
It's not a movie
No private screening
This method acting
Well I call it living
It's like a fountain
A door has opened
We have a problem
With no solution but to love
And to be loved
So I've made peace with the fallen leaves
I see their same fate in my own body
But I won't be frightened when I'm awoken from this dream
And return to that which gave birth to me
Gave birth to me gave birth to me gave birth to me
And the story goes and the story goes
And it goes on and on and on and on
It's going on and on and on and on
(x)
There's no beginning to the story
A bookshelf sinks into the sand
And a language learned and forgot in turn
Is studied once again
It's a shocking bit of footage
Viewed from a shitty tv screen
You can squint at it
Just snow and static
To make out the meaning
And keep on stretching the antenna
Hoping that it will come clear
We need some reception
A higher message
Just tell us what to fear
'Cause I don't know what tomorrow brings
To light with such possibilities
All I know is I feel better when I sing
Burdens are lifted from me
That's my voice rising
So Michael please keep the tape rolling
Boys keep strumming those guitars
We need a record of our failures
Yes we must document our love
I have sat too long in my silence
I have grown too old in my pain
To shed this skin
Be born again
Oh it starts with an ending
So thank you friends for the time we shared
My love stays with you like sunlight and air
No I truly wish I could keep hanging around here
My joy is covering me
Soon I will disappear
It's not a movie
No private screening
This method acting
Well I call it living
It's like a fountain
A door has opened
We have a problem
With no solution but to love
And to be loved
So I've made peace with the fallen leaves
I see their same fate in my own body
But I won't be frightened when I'm awoken from this dream
And return to that which gave birth to me
Gave birth to me gave birth to me gave birth to me
And the story goes and the story goes
And it goes on and on and on and on
It's going on and on and on and on
On a string
On a string
on a string
I was held
The way I moved, can't you tell
My actions are orchestrated from above
And so I swing and I'll sway
Wave my hand, kick my leg
And it's always right with the music
(katie and tiffany: till all that swaying starts to make you sad)
For a song, I was bought
Now I lie, when I talk
With a careful eye on the cue card
Onto a stage, I was pushed
With my sorrow well rehearsed
So give me all your pity and your money now
All of it
(katie and tiffany: we used to think that sound was something pure)
But if I could act like this was my real life
And not some cage where I was placed
Well then I could tell you
The truth like I used to
And not be afraid of sounding fake
Not while all you were listening for was the mistakes
(katie: sorry!)
It's alright
One, two, three!
One, two, three!
In a house by myself
I hear the ice start to melt
And I watched the rooftops weep for the sunlight
And I know what must change
Fuck my face, fuck my name
They are brief and false advertisements
For a soul, I don't have
Something true I have lacked
I spent my whole life trying to make up for it
But I found, in a song
And I'll repeat
It will lift me up out of darkness
And now my door
It stands open, I'm inviting all of you in
We're gonna laugh, we're gonna drink
Until the morning comes
That's what we're gonna do!
Come on!
Come on!
(x)
On a string
On a string
on a string
I was held
The way I moved, can't you tell
My actions are orchestrated from above
And so I swing and I'll sway
Wave my hand, kick my leg
And it's always right with the music
(katie and tiffany: till all that swaying starts to make you sad)
For a song, I was bought
Now I lie, when I talk
With a careful eye on the cue card
Onto a stage, I was pushed
With my sorrow well rehearsed
So give me all your pity and your money now
All of it
(katie and tiffany: we used to think that sound was something pure)
But if I could act like this was my real life
And not some cage where I was placed
Well then I could tell you
The truth like I used to
And not be afraid of sounding fake
Not while all you were listening for was the mistakes
(katie: sorry!)
It's alright
One, two, three!
One, two, three!
In a house by myself
I hear the ice start to melt
And I watched the rooftops weep for the sunlight
And I know what must change
Fuck my face, fuck my name
They are brief and false advertisements
For a soul, I don't have
Something true I have lacked
I spent my whole life trying to make up for it
But I found, in a song
And I'll repeat
It will lift me up out of darkness
And now my door
It stands open, I'm inviting all of you in
We're gonna laugh, we're gonna drink
Until the morning comes
That's what we're gonna do!
Come on!
Come on!
Well, you say that I treat you like a book on a shelf
I don't take you out that often
'Cause I know that I completed you
And that's why you are here
That's the reason you stay here
How awful that must feel
You said you'd be my dream
I could have you every night
And if by morning I'd forgotten you
Well, no big deal, that'd be all right
'Cause you're the re-occuring kind
You are the re-occuring kind
You never really leave my mind
Are you the love of my lifetime
'Cause there's been times I've had my doubts
We were just kids when I first kissed you
In the attic of my parents' house
And I wish we were there now
I took so long to figure out
What this book has been about
Now I write when I'm away
Letters that you'll never read
You said 'Go explore those other women
The geography of their bodies
But there's just one map you'll need
You're a boomerang you'll see
You will return to me
Yeah you will you will you will'
Well, if you don't think this book's all lies
If you don't think my plans would all be ruined
I'll start drinking like the way I drank before
And I just won't have a future anymore
(x)
Well, you say that I treat you like a book on a shelf
I don't take you out that often
'Cause I know that I completed you
And that's why you are here
That's the reason you stay here
How awful that must feel
You said you'd be my dream
I could have you every night
And if by morning I'd forgotten you
Well, no big deal, that'd be all right
'Cause you're the re-occuring kind
You are the re-occuring kind
You never really leave my mind
Are you the love of my lifetime
'Cause there's been times I've had my doubts
We were just kids when I first kissed you
In the attic of my parents' house
And I wish we were there now
I took so long to figure out
What this book has been about
Now I write when I'm away
Letters that you'll never read
You said 'Go explore those other women
The geography of their bodies
But there's just one map you'll need
You're a boomerang you'll see
You will return to me
Yeah you will you will you will'
Well, if you don't think this book's all lies
If you don't think my plans would all be ruined
I'll start drinking like the way I drank before
And I just won't have a future anymore
I picked you out
Of a crowd to talk to you
Said I liked your shoes
You said thanks can I follow you?
So it's up the stairs
And out of view
No prying eyes
I poured some wine
I asked your name you asked the time
Well it's two o'clock
Yeah the club is closed we're up the block
Your hands on me
Pressing hard against your jeans
Your tongue in my mouth
Trying to keep the words from coming out
You didn't care to know
Who else may have been here before
I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a girl who's to sad to give a fuck
Where's the kid with the chemicals?
I thought he said he'd meet us here but I'm not sure
I got the money if you got the time
He said it feels good I said I'll give it a try
Then my mind went dark
We both forgot where your car was parked
Let's just take the train
I'll meet up with the band in the morning
Bad actors with bad habits
Some sad singers
They just play tragic
Now the phone's ringing
And the band's leaving
Let's just keep touching
Let's just keep keep singing
I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a boy who's so drunk he doesn't talk
Where's the kid with the chemicals
I got a hunger and I can't seem to get full
I need some meaning I can memorize
The kind I have always seems to slip my mind
But you but you
You write such pretty words
But life's no story book
Love is an excuse to get hurt
And to hurt
Do you like to hurt?
'Cause I do I do I do
This didn't hurt me
Didn't hurt me
Oh this hurt me
(x)
I picked you out
Of a crowd to talk to you
Said I liked your shoes
You said thanks can I follow you?
So it's up the stairs
And out of view
No prying eyes
I poured some wine
I asked your name you asked the time
Well it's two o'clock
Yeah the club is closed we're up the block
Your hands on me
Pressing hard against your jeans
Your tongue in my mouth
Trying to keep the words from coming out
You didn't care to know
Who else may have been here before
I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a girl who's to sad to give a fuck
Where's the kid with the chemicals?
I thought he said he'd meet us here but I'm not sure
I got the money if you got the time
He said it feels good I said I'll give it a try
Then my mind went dark
We both forgot where your car was parked
Let's just take the train
I'll meet up with the band in the morning
Bad actors with bad habits
Some sad singers
They just play tragic
Now the phone's ringing
And the band's leaving
Let's just keep touching
Let's just keep keep singing
I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a boy who's so drunk he doesn't talk
Where's the kid with the chemicals
I got a hunger and I can't seem to get full
I need some meaning I can memorize
The kind I have always seems to slip my mind
But you but you
You write such pretty words
But life's no story book
Love is an excuse to get hurt
And to hurt
Do you like to hurt?
'Cause I do I do I do
This didn't hurt me
Didn't hurt me
Oh this hurt me
The rain it started tappin'
On the window near my bed
There was a loophole in my dreamin'
So I got out of it
And to my surprise my eyes were wide and already open
Just my nightstand and my dresser
Where those nightmares had just been
So I dressed myself and left then
Out into the gray streets
But everything seemed different
And completely new to me
The sky the trees, houses, buildings, even my own body
And each person I encountered
I couldn't wait to meet
And I came upon a doctor
Who appeared in quite poor health
I said there's nothing I can do for you that you can't do for yourself
He said oh yes you can, just hold my hand, so I sat with him awhile
Then I asked him how he felt
He said I think I'm cured
No, in fact, I'm sure of it
Thank you, stranger
For your therapeutic smile
So that's how I learned the lesson
That everyone's alone
And your eyes must do some raining
If you're ever gonna grow
And when crying don't help
You can't compose yourself
It's best to compose a poem
An honest verse of longing
Or a simple song of hope
That's why I'm singing baby don't worry
'Cause now I got your back
And every time you feel like crying
I'm gonna try and make you laugh
And if I can't
If it just hurts too bad
Then we'll wait for it to pass
And I will keep you company for those days so long and black
And we'll keep working on the problem
We know we'll never solve
Our love's un-even remainders
Our lives are fractions of a whole
But if the world could remain within a frame
Like a painting on a wall
Then I think we'd see the beauty then
We'd stand staring in awe
At our still lives posed
Like a bowl of oranges
Like a story told
By the fault-lines in the soil
(x)
The rain it started tappin'
On the window near my bed
There was a loophole in my dreamin'
So I got out of it
And to my surprise my eyes were wide and already open
Just my nightstand and my dresser
Where those nightmares had just been
So I dressed myself and left then
Out into the gray streets
But everything seemed different
And completely new to me
The sky the trees, houses, buildings, even my own body
And each person I encountered
I couldn't wait to meet
And I came upon a doctor
Who appeared in quite poor health
I said there's nothing I can do for you that you can't do for yourself
He said oh yes you can, just hold my hand, so I sat with him awhile
Then I asked him how he felt
He said I think I'm cured
No, in fact, I'm sure of it
Thank you, stranger
For your therapeutic smile
So that's how I learned the lesson
That everyone's alone
And your eyes must do some raining
If you're ever gonna grow
And when crying don't help
You can't compose yourself
It's best to compose a poem
An honest verse of longing
Or a simple song of hope
That's why I'm singing baby don't worry
'Cause now I got your back
And every time you feel like crying
I'm gonna try and make you laugh
And if I can't
If it just hurts too bad
Then we'll wait for it to pass
And I will keep you company for those days so long and black
And we'll keep working on the problem
We know we'll never solve
Our love's un-even remainders
Our lives are fractions of a whole
But if the world could remain within a frame
Like a painting on a wall
Then I think we'd see the beauty then
We'd stand staring in awe
At our still lives posed
Like a bowl of oranges
Like a story told
By the fault-lines in the soil
Is it true what they say about the son of God?
Did he come for us or did he come at all?
And if I washed his feet with my dirty hair would he make me cleanagain?
Well, they don't know when but a day's gonna come
When there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun
It's gonna all go black, it's gonna all go back
To the way it was before
I knew a lovely girl with such pretty pride
Every man wanted her, yeah, and so did I, yeah, and so did I
But she up and died in a fit of vanity
Now men with purple hearts carry silver guns and they'llkill a man for what his father's done
But what my father did, no, it don't mean shit, I'm not him
But still it's hard to ignore all the news reports
That say we must defend ourselves and fight on foreign soil against the infidels with the oil wells
God saves gas prices
You think I need some discipline well, I've had my share
I've been sent to my room and I've sat in a chair
I held my tongue, I didn't plug my ears, no, I had a good talking to
And I don't know why, but I still try to smile when they talk at me like I'm just a child
But I'm not a child, even though I am much younger than that[them?]
Well, I've read some books and I've grown quite brave
If I could just speak up I think that I would say that there is no truth
No, there is only you and what you make the truth
So, I'll sing some songs and I'll pass a hat
And I'll leave your town and I'll never look back
No, I won't look back 'cause the road is clear and laid out ahead of me
When I get home I'll meet my friends at our favorite bar
We'll get some lighter heads for our heavy hearts
Yeah, we'll share a drink, we will share our fears
And they will know how I love them
Yeah, they will know how I love, they will know how I love them
I'm nothing without their love
Well, they don't know when but a day's gonna come
When there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun
It's gonna just go black, it's gonna just go back to the way it's supposed to be
Is it true what they say about the son of God?
Did he die for us or did he die at all?
If I sold my soul, for a bag of gold to you which one of us would be the foolish one?
Which one of us would be the fool? Which one of us would bethe foolish one?
Could you please start explaining? I think I need some understanding
Could you please start explaining? You know I need some understanding
Could you please start explaining? You know I wanna understand
(x)
Is it true what they say about the son of God?
Did he come for us or did he come at all?
And if I washed his feet with my dirty hair would he make me cleanagain?
Well, they don't know when but a day's gonna come
When there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun
It's gonna all go black, it's gonna all go back
To the way it was before
I knew a lovely girl with such pretty pride
Every man wanted her, yeah, and so did I, yeah, and so did I
But she up and died in a fit of vanity
Now men with purple hearts carry silver guns and they'llkill a man for what his father's done
But what my father did, no, it don't mean shit, I'm not him
But still it's hard to ignore all the news reports
That say we must defend ourselves and fight on foreign soil against the infidels with the oil wells
God saves gas prices
You think I need some discipline well, I've had my share
I've been sent to my room and I've sat in a chair
I held my tongue, I didn't plug my ears, no, I had a good talking to
And I don't know why, but I still try to smile when they talk at me like I'm just a child
But I'm not a child, even though I am much younger than that[them?]
Well, I've read some books and I've grown quite brave
If I could just speak up I think that I would say that there is no truth
No, there is only you and what you make the truth
So, I'll sing some songs and I'll pass a hat
And I'll leave your town and I'll never look back
No, I won't look back 'cause the road is clear and laid out ahead of me
When I get home I'll meet my friends at our favorite bar
We'll get some lighter heads for our heavy hearts
Yeah, we'll share a drink, we will share our fears
And they will know how I love them
Yeah, they will know how I love, they will know how I love them
I'm nothing without their love
Well, they don't know when but a day's gonna come
When there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun
It's gonna just go black, it's gonna just go back to the way it's supposed to be
Is it true what they say about the son of God?
Did he die for us or did he die at all?
If I sold my soul, for a bag of gold to you which one of us would be the foolish one?
Which one of us would be the fool? Which one of us would bethe foolish one?
Could you please start explaining? I think I need some understanding
Could you please start explaining? You know I need some understanding
Could you please start explaining? You know I wanna understand
Well the future's got me worried
Such awful thoughts
My head's a carousel of pictures
The spinning never stops
I just want someone to walk in front
And not follow the leader
Like when I fell under the weight of a schoolboy crush
Started carrying her books and doing lots of drugs
I almost forgot who I was
But I came to my senses
Now I'm trying to be assertive
I'm making plans
Gonna rise to the occasion yeah
Meet all their demands
But all I do is just lay in bed
And hide under the covers
Yeah I know I should be brave
But i'm just too afraid of all this change
And it's too hard to focus through all this doubt
I keep making these to-do lists but nothing gets crossed out
Working on the record seems pointless now
When the world ends who's gonna hear it?
But I'm trying to take some comfort in written words
Yeah, Tim, I heard your album and it's better than good
When we get off tour I think we should
Hang and black out together
'Cause I been feeling sentimental for days gone by
All the summers singing, drinking, my friend
Wasting our time
Remember all the songs and the way we smiled
In those basements made of music
But now I've got to crawl to get anywhere at all
I'm not as strong as I thought
So when I'm lost in a crowd
I hope that you'll pick me out
How I long to be found
The grass grew high, I laid down
Now I'm waiting for a hand
To lift me up, help me stand
I've been laying so low
Don't wanna lay here no more
Don't wanna lay here no more
Everything that happens is supposed to be
And it's all predetermined can't change your destiny
Guess I'll just keep moving
Someday maybe I'll get to where I'm going
(x)
Well the future's got me worried
Such awful thoughts
My head's a carousel of pictures
The spinning never stops
I just want someone to walk in front
And not follow the leader
Like when I fell under the weight of a schoolboy crush
Started carrying her books and doing lots of drugs
I almost forgot who I was
But I came to my senses
Now I'm trying to be assertive
I'm making plans
Gonna rise to the occasion yeah
Meet all their demands
But all I do is just lay in bed
And hide under the covers
Yeah I know I should be brave
But i'm just too afraid of all this change
And it's too hard to focus through all this doubt
I keep making these to-do lists but nothing gets crossed out
Working on the record seems pointless now
When the world ends who's gonna hear it?
But I'm trying to take some comfort in written words
Yeah, Tim, I heard your album and it's better than good
When we get off tour I think we should
Hang and black out together
'Cause I been feeling sentimental for days gone by
All the summers singing, drinking, my friend
Wasting our time
Remember all the songs and the way we smiled
In those basements made of music
But now I've got to crawl to get anywhere at all
I'm not as strong as I thought
So when I'm lost in a crowd
I hope that you'll pick me out
How I long to be found
The grass grew high, I laid down
Now I'm waiting for a hand
To lift me up, help me stand
I've been laying so low
Don't wanna lay here no more
Don't wanna lay here no more
Everything that happens is supposed to be
And it's all predetermined can't change your destiny
Guess I'll just keep moving
Someday maybe I'll get to where I'm going
Our love is dead but without limit
Like the surface of the moon
Or the land between here and the mountains
It is not these hiding places that have kept us innocent
But the way you taught me to just let it all go back
So we learn to be as faithless
Stand behind bulletproof glass
Exchanging our affections through a drawer
It was always horribly convenient and happening too fast
You should count your change before you're even out the door
Well, yes you should, but please return, return
To the person that you were, and I will do the same
'Cause it's too hard to belong to someone who is gone
My compass spins, but wilderness remains
Once too often I've retreated into the depths of my despair
I built a barricade to block you on the road
But standing there with all of my possessions piled higher than a house
I felt closer to you than you ever would have known
So let's let all these tiny acts of charity become ground on which tobuild
A monument to commemorate our time
And though you say you've found another who will surely speed you on your way
Don't let the forest grow over that path you came there by
But you will, so, so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him with your kindness
And he'll make war, oh, war, on who you were before
And claim all that has spoiled in your heart
But now I tell myself I've mended under these patches of blue sky
There's still a few holes that let in a little rain
And so it's crying on my shingles
My floorboards moan under my feet
The refrigerator's whining so I've got reason to complain
But I'm not gonna bless you with such compliments
Some degrading song of praise
Like the kind that converted you to me so long ago
Because the truth is that gossip's as good as gospel in this town
You can save face but you won't ever save your soul
And that's a fact so, so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him in your likeness
And he'll become, become, oh, the prisoner I was
And know all that has spoiled in your heart
Yeah, he'll know it all
He'll know all that has spoiled in your heart
so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him with your kindness
And he'll make war, oh, war, on who you were before
And claim all that has spoiled in your heart
(x)
Our love is dead but without limit
Like the surface of the moon
Or the land between here and the mountains
It is not these hiding places that have kept us innocent
But the way you taught me to just let it all go back
So we learn to be as faithless
Stand behind bulletproof glass
Exchanging our affections through a drawer
It was always horribly convenient and happening too fast
You should count your change before you're even out the door
Well, yes you should, but please return, return
To the person that you were, and I will do the same
'Cause it's too hard to belong to someone who is gone
My compass spins, but wilderness remains
Once too often I've retreated into the depths of my despair
I built a barricade to block you on the road
But standing there with all of my possessions piled higher than a house
I felt closer to you than you ever would have known
So let's let all these tiny acts of charity become ground on which tobuild
A monument to commemorate our time
And though you say you've found another who will surely speed you on your way
Don't let the forest grow over that path you came there by
But you will, so, so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him with your kindness
And he'll make war, oh, war, on who you were before
And claim all that has spoiled in your heart
But now I tell myself I've mended under these patches of blue sky
There's still a few holes that let in a little rain
And so it's crying on my shingles
My floorboards moan under my feet
The refrigerator's whining so I've got reason to complain
But I'm not gonna bless you with such compliments
Some degrading song of praise
Like the kind that converted you to me so long ago
Because the truth is that gossip's as good as gospel in this town
You can save face but you won't ever save your soul
And that's a fact so, so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him in your likeness
And he'll become, become, oh, the prisoner I was
And know all that has spoiled in your heart
Yeah, he'll know it all
He'll know all that has spoiled in your heart
so hurry up and run to the one that you love
And blind him with your kindness
And he'll make war, oh, war, on who you were before
And claim all that has spoiled in your heart
I have a friend, he's mostly made of pain
He wakes up, drives to work and straight back home again
He once cut one of my nightmares out of paper
I thought it was beautiful, I put it on a record cover
And I tried to tell him that he had a sense
Of color and composition so magnificent
And he said thank you, please, but your flattery
It is truly not becoming me
Your eyes are poor, you're blind, you see
No beauty ever could have come from me
I'm a waste
Of breath, of space, of time
I knew a woman she was dignified and true
Her love for her man was one of her many virtues
Until one day she found out that he had lied
And decided the rest of her life from that point on would be a lie
She was grateful for everything that had happened
And she was anxious for all that would come next
But then she wept, what did you expect
In that big old house with the cars she kept
Such is life, she often said
With one day leading to the next
You get a little closer to your death
Which was fine with her, she never got upset
And with all the days she may have left
She would never clean another mess
Or fold his shirts, or look her best
She was free
To waste away alone
Last night my brother, he got drunk and drove
And this cop, he pulled him off to the side of the road
And he said officer, officer, you've got the wrong man
No, no, I'm a student of medicine, a son of a banker, you don't understand
The cop said No one got hurt, you should be thankful
And your carelessness, it is something awful
And no I can't just let you go
And though your father's name is known
Your decisions now are yours alone
You're nothing but a stepping stone on a path
To debt, to loss, to shame
The last few months I've been living with this couple
Yeah, you know the kind who buy everything in doubles
Yeah, they fit together like a puzzle
I love their love and I am thankful
That someone actually receives the prize that was promised
By all those fairy tales that drugged us
And still to me I'm sick, lonely
No laurel tree, just green envy
Will my number come up eventually
Like love's some kind of lottery
Where you scratch and see what's underneath
It's sorry
Just one cherry
I'll play again, get lucky
So now I hang out down by the train's depot
No, I don't ride, I just sit and watch the people there
They remind me of wind-up cars in motion
They way they spin and turn and jockey for positions
And I wanna scream out that it all is nonsense
Their life's one track and can't they see it's pointless?
But just then my knees give under me
My head feels weak and suddenly
It's clear to see, it's not them, but me
Who's lost my self-identity
And I hide behind these books I read
While scribbling my poetry
Like art could save a wretch like me
With some ideal ideology
That no one could hope to achieve
And I'm never real, it's just a sketch of me
And everything I've made is trite and cheap and a waste
Of paint
Of tape
Of time
So I park my car down by the cathedral
Where the floodlights point up at the steeples
Choir practice is filling up with people
I hear the sound escaping as an echo
Sloping off the ceiling at an angle
When the voices blend they sound like angels
I hope there's some room still in the middle
But when lift my voice up now to reach them
The range is too high way up in heaven
So I hold my tongue, forget the song
Tie my shoes, start walking off
And try to just keep moving on
With my broken heart and my absent god
And I have no faith but it's all I want
To be loved
And believe
In my soul, in my soul
(x)
I have a friend, he's mostly made of pain
He wakes up, drives to work and straight back home again
He once cut one of my nightmares out of paper
I thought it was beautiful, I put it on a record cover
And I tried to tell him that he had a sense
Of color and composition so magnificent
And he said thank you, please, but your flattery
It is truly not becoming me
Your eyes are poor, you're blind, you see
No beauty ever could have come from me
I'm a waste
Of breath, of space, of time
I knew a woman she was dignified and true
Her love for her man was one of her many virtues
Until one day she found out that he had lied
And decided the rest of her life from that point on would be a lie
She was grateful for everything that had happened
And she was anxious for all that would come next
But then she wept, what did you expect
In that big old house with the cars she kept
Such is life, she often said
With one day leading to the next
You get a little closer to your death
Which was fine with her, she never got upset
And with all the days she may have left
She would never clean another mess
Or fold his shirts, or look her best
She was free
To waste away alone
Last night my brother, he got drunk and drove
And this cop, he pulled him off to the side of the road
And he said officer, officer, you've got the wrong man
No, no, I'm a student of medicine, a son of a banker, you don't understand
The cop said No one got hurt, you should be thankful
And your carelessness, it is something awful
And no I can't just let you go
And though your father's name is known
Your decisions now are yours alone
You're nothing but a stepping stone on a path
To debt, to loss, to shame
The last few months I've been living with this couple
Yeah, you know the kind who buy everything in doubles
Yeah, they fit together like a puzzle
I love their love and I am thankful
That someone actually receives the prize that was promised
By all those fairy tales that drugged us
And still to me I'm sick, lonely
No laurel tree, just green envy
Will my number come up eventually
Like love's some kind of lottery
Where you scratch and see what's underneath
It's sorry
Just one cherry
I'll play again, get lucky
So now I hang out down by the train's depot
No, I don't ride, I just sit and watch the people there
They remind me of wind-up cars in motion
They way they spin and turn and jockey for positions
And I wanna scream out that it all is nonsense
Their life's one track and can't they see it's pointless?
But just then my knees give under me
My head feels weak and suddenly
It's clear to see, it's not them, but me
Who's lost my self-identity
And I hide behind these books I read
While scribbling my poetry
Like art could save a wretch like me
With some ideal ideology
That no one could hope to achieve
And I'm never real, it's just a sketch of me
And everything I've made is trite and cheap and a waste
Of paint
Of tape
Of time
So I park my car down by the cathedral
Where the floodlights point up at the steeples
Choir practice is filling up with people
I hear the sound escaping as an echo
Sloping off the ceiling at an angle
When the voices blend they sound like angels
I hope there's some room still in the middle
But when lift my voice up now to reach them
The range is too high way up in heaven
So I hold my tongue, forget the song
Tie my shoes, start walking off
And try to just keep moving on
With my broken heart and my absent god
And I have no faith but it's all I want
To be loved
And believe
In my soul, in my soul
There is a man holding a megaphone, so he must have been the voice of God
The bystanders claimed they saw angels flying up and down the block
Well, they must have been attached to wires
I saw one laying in the lawn with a broken arm, so I called 911
So that is one less founded opinion
One more cause for a dispute
So the street filled like a basin up with cameras and their crews
And they washed away the rumors leaving just the concrete truth
It was a spectacle
No, I mean a miracle
So then I fell like that girl from a balance beam
A gymnasium of eyes were all holding on to me
I lifted one foot to cross the other and I felt myself slipping
It was a small mistake
Sometimes that is all it takes
Now I'm staring at my wrist hoping that the timing is right
When the planets will align
There will be no planets to align
Just the carcass of the sun and those little painted marbles spinning senseless through an endless, black sky
(and so it never started and it will never stop just like I am and you are)
It was in a foreign hotel's bathtub I baptized myself in change
And one by one I drowned all of the people I had been
I emerged to find the parallels were fewer
I was cleansed
I looked in the mirror and someone new was there
Still I was as helpless as a chess piece when I was lifted up by someone's hand
And delivered from the corner my enemies had got me in
But in all of my salvation I still felt imprisoned inside that holding cell that is myself
So I wait for the day when I'll hear the key as it turns in the lock and the guard will say to me
"Oh my patient prisoner you have waited for this and finally... you are free! You are free! You are freezing"
Now I'm staring at the sun waiting for it to explode
Because a day is gonna come, don't know when but it will come
And then we will finally know the way out of here
And I will throw away this wrinkled map and my chart of stars and compass, cracked
And I'll climb that tree all wet with sap to avoid the hungry beasts below
I'll cut out my lover's tongue and sign of graveyard gray and a garden green and then we won't have worry no more
No, we won't ever worry again about how this song or story ends
About how this song and story will end
(x)
There is a man holding a megaphone, so he must have been the voice of God
The bystanders claimed they saw angels flying up and down the block
Well, they must have been attached to wires
I saw one laying in the lawn with a broken arm, so I called 911
So that is one less founded opinion
One more cause for a dispute
So the street filled like a basin up with cameras and their crews
And they washed away the rumors leaving just the concrete truth
It was a spectacle
No, I mean a miracle
So then I fell like that girl from a balance beam
A gymnasium of eyes were all holding on to me
I lifted one foot to cross the other and I felt myself slipping
It was a small mistake
Sometimes that is all it takes
Now I'm staring at my wrist hoping that the timing is right
When the planets will align
There will be no planets to align
Just the carcass of the sun and those little painted marbles spinning senseless through an endless, black sky
(and so it never started and it will never stop just like I am and you are)
It was in a foreign hotel's bathtub I baptized myself in change
And one by one I drowned all of the people I had been
I emerged to find the parallels were fewer
I was cleansed
I looked in the mirror and someone new was there
Still I was as helpless as a chess piece when I was lifted up by someone's hand
And delivered from the corner my enemies had got me in
But in all of my salvation I still felt imprisoned inside that holding cell that is myself
So I wait for the day when I'll hear the key as it turns in the lock and the guard will say to me
"Oh my patient prisoner you have waited for this and finally... you are free! You are free! You are freezing"
Now I'm staring at the sun waiting for it to explode
Because a day is gonna come, don't know when but it will come
And then we will finally know the way out of here
And I will throw away this wrinkled map and my chart of stars and compass, cracked
And I'll climb that tree all wet with sap to avoid the hungry beasts below
I'll cut out my lover's tongue and sign of graveyard gray and a garden green and then we won't have worry no more
No, we won't ever worry again about how this song or story ends
About how this song and story will end
Laura, are you still living there
On your estate of sorrows
You used to leave it occasionally
But now you don't even bother
To ride that commuter train, west to Chicago
To stroll through the greenery in the park past the statues
How their eyes seemed to follow you like a hated addiction
Their beauty carved out of absolutes that you could never claim
Or even envision
Laura, you were the saddest song
In the shape of a woman
Yeah, I thought you were beautiful
But I wept with your movements
But I hope that you're laughing now from that place on the carpet
Where we shared a sleeping bag in your sister's apartment
Oh, how she would worry so
You know, I was just a stranger
But she asked me to care for you, yes she did
And I went and betrayed her
But do you know we're in high demand, Laura, us people who suffer
Because we don't take to arguing
And we're quick to surrender
Well, I think I would call tonight if I still had your number
Your thoughts have always lain close to mine
Yeah, we were both skipping supper
But you should never be embarrassed by your trouble with living
'Cause it's the ones with the sorest throats, Laura
Who have done the most singing
Everybody
Lalalala...
(x)
Laura, are you still living there
On your estate of sorrows
You used to leave it occasionally
But now you don't even bother
To ride that commuter train, west to Chicago
To stroll through the greenery in the park past the statues
How their eyes seemed to follow you like a hated addiction
Their beauty carved out of absolutes that you could never claim
Or even envision
Laura, you were the saddest song
In the shape of a woman
Yeah, I thought you were beautiful
But I wept with your movements
But I hope that you're laughing now from that place on the carpet
Where we shared a sleeping bag in your sister's apartment
Oh, how she would worry so
You know, I was just a stranger
But she asked me to care for you, yes she did
And I went and betrayed her
But do you know we're in high demand, Laura, us people who suffer
Because we don't take to arguing
And we're quick to surrender
Well, I think I would call tonight if I still had your number
Your thoughts have always lain close to mine
Yeah, we were both skipping supper
But you should never be embarrassed by your trouble with living
'Cause it's the ones with the sorest throats, Laura
Who have done the most singing
Everybody
Lalalala...
Well the animals laugh from the dark of the wilderness
A baby cries hard in an apartment complex
As I pass in a car
Buried under the influence
The city's driving me out of my mind
I've seen a child getting caught in that sad trap of gravity
He falls from the lowest branch of the apple tree
And lands in the grass, and weeps for his dignity
Next time he will not aim so high
Yeah next time neither will I
Now my mother takes loans out
Sends her kids off to colleges
Her family's reduced to names on a shopping list
Well a coroner kneels beneath a great wooden crucifix
He goes, 'there are worse things than being alone'
And so I've learned to retreat at the first sign of danger
I mean why wait around, if it's just to surrender
And ambition, I've found, can lead only to failure
I do not read the reviews
No, I am not singing for you
Well I stood dropping a coin into the pit of a well
And I would throw my whole billfold if I thought it would help
With all these wishes I make, I should buy something real
At least a telephone, call home
Well my teachers they build this retaining wall of memory
All those bold, simple choices I answer so fluently
And got my grades back, and forgot just as easily
But at least I got an A
So I don't have them to blame
So I should stop pointing fingers
Reserve my judgement of all those public action figures
They count their presidents
So loud behind the bullhorn
So proud they can't admit
They may have made a mistake
Well-poisoning excuse from a speechwriter's pen
He knows he don't have to say it so it don't bother him
Honesty, accuracy, they're just popular opinion
The approval rating's high
Yeah so someone's gonna die
ABC, NBC, CBS bullshit
They give us fact or fiction and we can't even split
And each stupid act of war is tonight's entertainment
We're still pawns in their game
As they take eye for an eye, until no one can see
And we will stumble blindly forth, repeating history
Why can't we all be as useful on that flat-screen marquee
Blood red and white skin knowing the blues
Oh yeah the blues I got the blues
That's me
Well I awoke in relief
All my sheets and tubes were entangled
Weak from whiskey and pills in a Chicago hospital
And my father was there, in a chair by the window
Staring so far away
And I tried talking, just whispered, "so sorry, so selfish."
He stopped me and said, 'Child, I love you regardless
'And there is nothing you could do that would ever change this
'I'm not angry, it happens, but you just can't do it again'
So now I try to keep up
I've been exchanging my currency
One million objects pass through my periphery
And I'm rubbing my eyes, cause they're starting to bother me
I've been staring too long at the screen
But where was it when I first heard that sweet sound of humility
It came to my ears in the goddamn loveliest melody
How grateful I was then to be part of the mystery
To love and to be loved
Let's just hope that is enough
(x)
Well the animals laugh from the dark of the wilderness
A baby cries hard in an apartment complex
As I pass in a car
Buried under the influence
The city's driving me out of my mind
I've seen a child getting caught in that sad trap of gravity
He falls from the lowest branch of the apple tree
And lands in the grass, and weeps for his dignity
Next time he will not aim so high
Yeah next time neither will I
Now my mother takes loans out
Sends her kids off to colleges
Her family's reduced to names on a shopping list
Well a coroner kneels beneath a great wooden crucifix
He goes, 'there are worse things than being alone'
And so I've learned to retreat at the first sign of danger
I mean why wait around, if it's just to surrender
And ambition, I've found, can lead only to failure
I do not read the reviews
No, I am not singing for you
Well I stood dropping a coin into the pit of a well
And I would throw my whole billfold if I thought it would help
With all these wishes I make, I should buy something real
At least a telephone, call home
Well my teachers they build this retaining wall of memory
All those bold, simple choices I answer so fluently
And got my grades back, and forgot just as easily
But at least I got an A
So I don't have them to blame
So I should stop pointing fingers
Reserve my judgement of all those public action figures
They count their presidents
So loud behind the bullhorn
So proud they can't admit
They may have made a mistake
Well-poisoning excuse from a speechwriter's pen
He knows he don't have to say it so it don't bother him
Honesty, accuracy, they're just popular opinion
The approval rating's high
Yeah so someone's gonna die
ABC, NBC, CBS bullshit
They give us fact or fiction and we can't even split
And each stupid act of war is tonight's entertainment
We're still pawns in their game
As they take eye for an eye, until no one can see
And we will stumble blindly forth, repeating history
Why can't we all be as useful on that flat-screen marquee
Blood red and white skin knowing the blues
Oh yeah the blues I got the blues
That's me
Well I awoke in relief
All my sheets and tubes were entangled
Weak from whiskey and pills in a Chicago hospital
And my father was there, in a chair by the window
Staring so far away
And I tried talking, just whispered, "so sorry, so selfish."
He stopped me and said, 'Child, I love you regardless
'And there is nothing you could do that would ever change this
'I'm not angry, it happens, but you just can't do it again'
So now I try to keep up
I've been exchanging my currency
One million objects pass through my periphery
And I'm rubbing my eyes, cause they're starting to bother me
I've been staring too long at the screen
But where was it when I first heard that sweet sound of humility
It came to my ears in the goddamn loveliest melody
How grateful I was then to be part of the mystery
To love and to be loved
Let's just hope that is enough

Bright Eyes
Letting Off the Happiness
Saddle Creek , 1998
cd, album
I dreamt of a fever, one that would cure me of this cold, winter-set heart
With heat to melt these frozen tears, burned with reasons as to carry on
Into these twisted months I plunge without a light to follow
But I swear that I would follow anything
Just get me out of here
But you get six months to adapt, and you get two more to leave town
And in the event that you do adapt, we still might not want you around
But I fell for the promise of a life with a purpose
But I know that that's impossible now
And so I drink to stay warm, and to kill selected memories
'Cause I just can't think anymore about that, or about her tonight
I give myself three days to feel better
Or else I swear I'm driving off a fucking cliff
'Cause if I can't make myself feel better
How can I expect anyone else to give a shit?
And I scream for the sunlight, or a car to take me anywhere
Just get me past this dead and eternal snow
'Cause I swear that I'm dying, slowly but it's happening
And if the perfect spring is waiting somewhere
Just take me there, and lie to me and say it's gonna be all right
It's gonna be all right, yeah you worry too much kid
It's gonna be all right
With heat to melt these frozen tears, burned with reasons as to carry on
Into these twisted months I plunge without a light to follow
But I swear that I would follow anything
Just get me out of here
But you get six months to adapt, and you get two more to leave town
And in the event that you do adapt, we still might not want you around
But I fell for the promise of a life with a purpose
But I know that that's impossible now
And so I drink to stay warm, and to kill selected memories
'Cause I just can't think anymore about that, or about her tonight
I give myself three days to feel better
Or else I swear I'm driving off a fucking cliff
'Cause if I can't make myself feel better
How can I expect anyone else to give a shit?
And I scream for the sunlight, or a car to take me anywhere
Just get me past this dead and eternal snow
'Cause I swear that I'm dying, slowly but it's happening
And if the perfect spring is waiting somewhere
Just take me there, and lie to me and say it's gonna be all right
It's gonna be all right, yeah you worry too much kid
It's gonna be all right
(x)
I dreamt of a fever, one that would cure me of this cold, winter-set heart
With heat to melt these frozen tears, burned with reasons as to carry on
Into these twisted months I plunge without a light to follow
But I swear that I would follow anything
Just get me out of here
But you get six months to adapt, and you get two more to leave town
And in the event that you do adapt, we still might not want you around
But I fell for the promise of a life with a purpose
But I know that that's impossible now
And so I drink to stay warm, and to kill selected memories
'Cause I just can't think anymore about that, or about her tonight
I give myself three days to feel better
Or else I swear I'm driving off a fucking cliff
'Cause if I can't make myself feel better
How can I expect anyone else to give a shit?
And I scream for the sunlight, or a car to take me anywhere
Just get me past this dead and eternal snow
'Cause I swear that I'm dying, slowly but it's happening
And if the perfect spring is waiting somewhere
Just take me there, and lie to me and say it's gonna be all right
It's gonna be all right, yeah you worry too much kid
It's gonna be all right
With heat to melt these frozen tears, burned with reasons as to carry on
Into these twisted months I plunge without a light to follow
But I swear that I would follow anything
Just get me out of here
But you get six months to adapt, and you get two more to leave town
And in the event that you do adapt, we still might not want you around
But I fell for the promise of a life with a purpose
But I know that that's impossible now
And so I drink to stay warm, and to kill selected memories
'Cause I just can't think anymore about that, or about her tonight
I give myself three days to feel better
Or else I swear I'm driving off a fucking cliff
'Cause if I can't make myself feel better
How can I expect anyone else to give a shit?
And I scream for the sunlight, or a car to take me anywhere
Just get me past this dead and eternal snow
'Cause I swear that I'm dying, slowly but it's happening
And if the perfect spring is waiting somewhere
Just take me there, and lie to me and say it's gonna be all right
It's gonna be all right, yeah you worry too much kid
It's gonna be all right
I had a brother once
He drowned in a bathtub before he'd ever learned how to talk
And I don't know what his name was but my mother does, I heard her say it once
Padraic my prince, I have all but died from the sheer weight of my shame
You cried but no one came and the water filled your tiny lungs
Appear, my dear, and sing to me
It was six years ago today that we laid you in your grave
Your sweet young skin was shining then too
And so tonight to celebrate i will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
So I close the door and rest my head on the tile floor
Sickness and sleep turning me cold
I'm still not sure, is there some better place I should be heading towards?
Where the selfishly sick and self-absorbed are welcome
I saw the future once, I was drunk in a phone booth
My eyes were wet and red, but I could not tell what was said
And through the screams of the traffic voices carried
Saying I'm sorry
On a day so gray it's black inside, watching churches on TV
In a coma you don't dream, you just hope that someone sits with you
Babies turn blue when they're ignored like the sky on summer days
Before you turn and walk away it has changed you
So tonight to compensate I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
(x)
I had a brother once
He drowned in a bathtub before he'd ever learned how to talk
And I don't know what his name was but my mother does, I heard her say it once
Padraic my prince, I have all but died from the sheer weight of my shame
You cried but no one came and the water filled your tiny lungs
Appear, my dear, and sing to me
It was six years ago today that we laid you in your grave
Your sweet young skin was shining then too
And so tonight to celebrate i will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
So I close the door and rest my head on the tile floor
Sickness and sleep turning me cold
I'm still not sure, is there some better place I should be heading towards?
Where the selfishly sick and self-absorbed are welcome
I saw the future once, I was drunk in a phone booth
My eyes were wet and red, but I could not tell what was said
And through the screams of the traffic voices carried
Saying I'm sorry
On a day so gray it's black inside, watching churches on TV
In a coma you don't dream, you just hope that someone sits with you
Babies turn blue when they're ignored like the sky on summer days
Before you turn and walk away it has changed you
So tonight to compensate I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
Contrast and compare
Between the busy ones, and the ones that don't care
Until there is no one that you really know
So I drift through these days of appointments and promises made
They will all end up broken and quickly replaced
Weeks are slow, days drag on
Even practice and parties seem long, but I find myself going
I guess there's nothing to do... oh well
Group of kids, line of cars, more will show up after the bars close
There's this boredom that drowns everything
Bottles break, music plays, conversations competing for space
I look for a corner or a quieter room
There's no heat in this house, I can't breathe with these words in my mouth
But I'm not going to say them
Yeah, I've made that mistake before
On the stairs, she grabs my arm
Says whats up, where you been, is something wrong?
I try to just smile, and say everything's fine
(x)
Contrast and compare
Between the busy ones, and the ones that don't care
Until there is no one that you really know
So I drift through these days of appointments and promises made
They will all end up broken and quickly replaced
Weeks are slow, days drag on
Even practice and parties seem long, but I find myself going
I guess there's nothing to do... oh well
Group of kids, line of cars, more will show up after the bars close
There's this boredom that drowns everything
Bottles break, music plays, conversations competing for space
I look for a corner or a quieter room
There's no heat in this house, I can't breathe with these words in my mouth
But I'm not going to say them
Yeah, I've made that mistake before
On the stairs, she grabs my arm
Says whats up, where you been, is something wrong?
I try to just smile, and say everything's fine
The city has sex with itself I suppose
As the concrete collides, the scenery grows
And the lonely once bandaged lay fully exposed
Having exposed their wounds for each other
And there's a boy in a basement with a four track machine
He's been strumming and screaming all night, down there
The tape hiss will cover the words that he sings
But they say it's better to bury your sadness
In a graveyard or garden that waits for the spring
To awake from its sleep and burst into green
And I've cried and you would think I'd feel better for it
But the sadness just sleeps and it stays in your spine for the rest of your life
And I've learned and you'd think I'd be something more now
But it just goes to show it is not what you know
It's what you were thinking at the time
This feeling's familiar, I've been here before
In a kitchen this quiet I waited for a sign
Or just something that might reassure me
Of anything close to meaning or motion, with a reason to move
I need something I want to be close to
And I scream, but I still don't know why I do it
Because the sound never stays, it just swells and decays
So what is the point?
Why try to fight what is now so certain?
The truth is all that I am is a passing event
That will be forgotten
(x)
The city has sex with itself I suppose
As the concrete collides, the scenery grows
And the lonely once bandaged lay fully exposed
Having exposed their wounds for each other
And there's a boy in a basement with a four track machine
He's been strumming and screaming all night, down there
The tape hiss will cover the words that he sings
But they say it's better to bury your sadness
In a graveyard or garden that waits for the spring
To awake from its sleep and burst into green
And I've cried and you would think I'd feel better for it
But the sadness just sleeps and it stays in your spine for the rest of your life
And I've learned and you'd think I'd be something more now
But it just goes to show it is not what you know
It's what you were thinking at the time
This feeling's familiar, I've been here before
In a kitchen this quiet I waited for a sign
Or just something that might reassure me
Of anything close to meaning or motion, with a reason to move
I need something I want to be close to
And I scream, but I still don't know why I do it
Because the sound never stays, it just swells and decays
So what is the point?
Why try to fight what is now so certain?
The truth is all that I am is a passing event
That will be forgotten
Now that it's June, we'll sleep out in the garden
And if it rains, we'll just sink into the mud
Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is
And there's no clocks or phones to wake us up
Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing
As the one who's pressing would like you to believe
And I'm content to walk a little slower
Because there's nowhere that I really need to be
And I find that life is easier when it's just a blur
With no details to confuse who or what or where I was
So when the ending comes the full regret will seem obscure
But these are days we dream about when the sunlight paints us gold
And this apartment could not be prettier
As we dance up there alone
And this TV's old, the color's fucked, do you see the difference in the shades?
But the green's still close to green, my love
And I believe we are the same
And we'll stay like this, all gold and green
Light collects and projects your heart on a movie screen
And if you close your eyes, we will always be
The way we were that night you crawled inside of me
And you slept in my blood the way you sleep now
The quietest hush has consumed this house
And when the doctors have gone and you sweat through the bed
With the pictures and pills they piled around your head
Just rest now, and in a moment you'll know everything
Was it all a dream?
It's too vague now to recount
An outline of the one you loved
In a life that was, that no longer will be
Stands above you as you sleep
(x)
Now that it's June, we'll sleep out in the garden
And if it rains, we'll just sink into the mud
Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is
And there's no clocks or phones to wake us up
Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing
As the one who's pressing would like you to believe
And I'm content to walk a little slower
Because there's nowhere that I really need to be
And I find that life is easier when it's just a blur
With no details to confuse who or what or where I was
So when the ending comes the full regret will seem obscure
But these are days we dream about when the sunlight paints us gold
And this apartment could not be prettier
As we dance up there alone
And this TV's old, the color's fucked, do you see the difference in the shades?
But the green's still close to green, my love
And I believe we are the same
And we'll stay like this, all gold and green
Light collects and projects your heart on a movie screen
And if you close your eyes, we will always be
The way we were that night you crawled inside of me
And you slept in my blood the way you sleep now
The quietest hush has consumed this house
And when the doctors have gone and you sweat through the bed
With the pictures and pills they piled around your head
Just rest now, and in a moment you'll know everything
Was it all a dream?
It's too vague now to recount
An outline of the one you loved
In a life that was, that no longer will be
Stands above you as you sleep
Touch, lying on the floor
Wishing this could last, knowing that it can't
And soon you will leaveAnd I'll be on the floor, watching the TV
Trying hard to find a reason to move
I'm frozen in one place, staring at the screen
Listening to the rain falling on the street
Some days go on too long, and no one can hang out tonight
Here, where the carpet's cool and soft
Underneath the clock I feel my weary heart is put to rest
You gather around your friends, the connection that you feel
When the night has not yet died
You are new, with the promise of a love you'll probably never find
And a touch that you can really feel
The brokenness inside as hope and this collide
And nothing is real
Oh, there's nothing more I want
Than just one night that's free of doubt and sadness
One night, one night, that I can really feel
(x)
Touch, lying on the floor
Wishing this could last, knowing that it can't
And soon you will leaveAnd I'll be on the floor, watching the TV
Trying hard to find a reason to move
I'm frozen in one place, staring at the screen
Listening to the rain falling on the street
Some days go on too long, and no one can hang out tonight
Here, where the carpet's cool and soft
Underneath the clock I feel my weary heart is put to rest
You gather around your friends, the connection that you feel
When the night has not yet died
You are new, with the promise of a love you'll probably never find
And a touch that you can really feel
The brokenness inside as hope and this collide
And nothing is real
Oh, there's nothing more I want
Than just one night that's free of doubt and sadness
One night, one night, that I can really feel
I spent a week drinking the sunlight of Winnetka, California
Where they understand the weight of human hearts
See, sorrow gets too heavy and joy it tends to hold you
With the fear that it eventually departs
And the truth is I've been dreaming of some tired tranquil place
Where the weather won't get trapped inside my bones
And if all these years of searching find one sympathetic face
Then it's there I'll plant these seeds and make my home
I spent a day dreaming of dying in Mesa, Arizona
Where all the green of life had turned to ash
And I felt I was on fire, with the things I could have told you
I just assumed that you eventually would ask
And I wouldn't have to bring up my so badly broken heart
And all those months I just wanted to sleep
And though spring, it did come slowly, I guess it did its part
My heart has thawed and continues to beat
And I visited my brother on the outskirts of Olympia
Where the forest and the water become one
And we talked about our childhood, like a dream we were convinced of
The perfect, peaceful street that we came from
And I know he heard me strumming all those sad and simple chords
As I sat inside my room so long ago
And it hurts that he's still shaking from those secrets that were told
By a car closed up too tight and a heart turned cold
And I went to San Diego, and the birthplace of the summer
And watched the ocean dance under the moon
There was a girl I knew there, one more potential lover
I guess that something's gotta happen soon
'Cause I know I can't keep living in this dead or dying dream
And as I walked along the beach and drank with her
I thought about my true love, the one I really need
With eyes that burn so bright, they make me pure
They make me pure, they make me pure
I long to be with you
They make me pure, they make me pure
I long to be with you
(x)
I spent a week drinking the sunlight of Winnetka, California
Where they understand the weight of human hearts
See, sorrow gets too heavy and joy it tends to hold you
With the fear that it eventually departs
And the truth is I've been dreaming of some tired tranquil place
Where the weather won't get trapped inside my bones
And if all these years of searching find one sympathetic face
Then it's there I'll plant these seeds and make my home
I spent a day dreaming of dying in Mesa, Arizona
Where all the green of life had turned to ash
And I felt I was on fire, with the things I could have told you
I just assumed that you eventually would ask
And I wouldn't have to bring up my so badly broken heart
And all those months I just wanted to sleep
And though spring, it did come slowly, I guess it did its part
My heart has thawed and continues to beat
And I visited my brother on the outskirts of Olympia
Where the forest and the water become one
And we talked about our childhood, like a dream we were convinced of
The perfect, peaceful street that we came from
And I know he heard me strumming all those sad and simple chords
As I sat inside my room so long ago
And it hurts that he's still shaking from those secrets that were told
By a car closed up too tight and a heart turned cold
And I went to San Diego, and the birthplace of the summer
And watched the ocean dance under the moon
There was a girl I knew there, one more potential lover
I guess that something's gotta happen soon
'Cause I know I can't keep living in this dead or dying dream
And as I walked along the beach and drank with her
I thought about my true love, the one I really need
With eyes that burn so bright, they make me pure
They make me pure, they make me pure
I long to be with you
They make me pure, they make me pure
I long to be with you
Is the passion all gone?
Or is it still newly-wed?
If all this heat's doing is making us stick to the bed
Then there is no life to revive
But if the hunger's still there, hidden somewhere inside
Covered up by the boredom we've been trying to hide
Then dig it up and devour it
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
And the truth is that I can't hardly wait
And I don't care if we stay up too late
Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
And the truth is that I can't hardly wait
It's so bad I can't concentrate
Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
(x)
Is the passion all gone?
Or is it still newly-wed?
If all this heat's doing is making us stick to the bed
Then there is no life to revive
But if the hunger's still there, hidden somewhere inside
Covered up by the boredom we've been trying to hide
Then dig it up and devour it
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
And the truth is that I can't hardly wait
And I don't care if we stay up too late
Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
And the truth is that I can't hardly wait
It's so bad I can't concentrate
Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone
And it'll be more like a song
And less like it's math
When you pull on my hair, and bite me like that
The language in the dimmer rooms seems to represent the light source well
How soft they speak and seem to be at peace
With the music and the madness that is pulling me into this
And the shades of the lamps are woven red
The light, it stains and consecrates
Anointing all forgotten forms that swirl and smoke and haunt this place
The girls in gowns all nurse the dark, pulling it near to their swelling breasts
And watch as it seeps to their hearts, and beats within their virgin chests
And here I know seduction breeds from wanton hearts that would seduce
And grows and spreads its vine and leaves
Embracing those who might have moved
But now remain to drink the night from vials black and thick
With intoxicating delights that would leave you drunk inside this dream
And you watch them take the light from you
And you find yourself on a velvet couch
Tasting the skin of a foreign girl
Her eyes are black and wet like oil
And she ties your hands with a string of pearls
And you tremble like a frightened bird as she closes in and captures you
To place you in a silver cage deep within her poisoned womb
And once you're safe inside
She might let you out to fly in circles around the room
But it's always night and there is no moon
And you wonder if you're still alive, and you�re not sure if you want to be
But you drank her sweat like it was wine, and you lay with her on a bed of blue
And it's awful sweet, like the fruit she cuts and feeds to you
(x)
The language in the dimmer rooms seems to represent the light source well
How soft they speak and seem to be at peace
With the music and the madness that is pulling me into this
And the shades of the lamps are woven red
The light, it stains and consecrates
Anointing all forgotten forms that swirl and smoke and haunt this place
The girls in gowns all nurse the dark, pulling it near to their swelling breasts
And watch as it seeps to their hearts, and beats within their virgin chests
And here I know seduction breeds from wanton hearts that would seduce
And grows and spreads its vine and leaves
Embracing those who might have moved
But now remain to drink the night from vials black and thick
With intoxicating delights that would leave you drunk inside this dream
And you watch them take the light from you
And you find yourself on a velvet couch
Tasting the skin of a foreign girl
Her eyes are black and wet like oil
And she ties your hands with a string of pearls
And you tremble like a frightened bird as she closes in and captures you
To place you in a silver cage deep within her poisoned womb
And once you're safe inside
She might let you out to fly in circles around the room
But it's always night and there is no moon
And you wonder if you're still alive, and you�re not sure if you want to be
But you drank her sweat like it was wine, and you lay with her on a bed of blue
And it's awful sweet, like the fruit she cuts and feeds to you
Let's sail away, past the noise of the bay
Let's sail away, past the birth and death of the day
Let's sail away, to where the blues and greens swirl into gray
Let's sail away
Let's sail away, past the cradle of these waves
Let's sail away, past the tide and its slow decay
Let's sail away, to where the water goes, some endless open space
Let's sail away
Take only what you need, my love, and leave the rest behind
Don't be afraid of where we'll go, my love, I promise we'll be fine
Now you are the only one that's mine
Let's sail away, past the reflections of the light
Let's sail away, floating weightless through the night
Let's sail away, like a photograph, fading to all white
It's finally all right
Forget all the mistakes, my love, they won't be made again
Leave the photos in the drawer, my love, we no longer need them
We both know where we've been
Let's sail away, disappearing in the mist
Let's sail away, with a whisper and a kiss
Or vanish from a road somewhere, like Tereza and Tomas
Suspended in this bliss
(x)
Let's sail away, past the noise of the bay
Let's sail away, past the birth and death of the day
Let's sail away, to where the blues and greens swirl into gray
Let's sail away
Let's sail away, past the cradle of these waves
Let's sail away, past the tide and its slow decay
Let's sail away, to where the water goes, some endless open space
Let's sail away
Take only what you need, my love, and leave the rest behind
Don't be afraid of where we'll go, my love, I promise we'll be fine
Now you are the only one that's mine
Let's sail away, past the reflections of the light
Let's sail away, floating weightless through the night
Let's sail away, like a photograph, fading to all white
It's finally all right
Forget all the mistakes, my love, they won't be made again
Leave the photos in the drawer, my love, we no longer need them
We both know where we've been
Let's sail away, disappearing in the mist
Let's sail away, with a whisper and a kiss
Or vanish from a road somewhere, like Tereza and Tomas
Suspended in this bliss

Bright Eyes
Every Day and Every Night
Saddle Creek , 1999
cd, ep
Sitting around, no work today
Try pacing to keep awake
Laying around, no school today
Just drink until the clock has circled all the way
It's late afternoon as you walk through the rooms
Of a house that is quiet, except for unanswered telephones
You stand near the sink while you're mixing a drink
You think you don't want to pass out
Where your roommates will find you again
Stumble around the neighborhood with nothing to do
You're always looking for something to sniff, smoke, or swallow
Calling over next door to see what they've got
You would settle for anything that would make your brain slow down or stop
Break this circle of thoughts you chase
Before they catch back up with you
Your parents noticied your thinning face
All the weight you lost, all the weight you're losing
You said, "I'm done feeling like a skeleton, no more sleep walking dead"
You're gonna wake from this coma
You're gonna crawl from this bed you have made
And stop counting on that camera that hangs round your neck
Because you will never remember what you choose to forget
As you try to find some source of light
Try to name one thing you like
You used to have such a longer list
And light, you never had to look for it
But now it's so easy, it's so easy to second guess everything you do
Until all you want is to finish this half-empty glass
Before the ice all melts away
This feeling always used to pass
But it seems like it's every day
Seems like it's every night now
Try pacing to keep awake
Laying around, no school today
Just drink until the clock has circled all the way
It's late afternoon as you walk through the rooms
Of a house that is quiet, except for unanswered telephones
You stand near the sink while you're mixing a drink
You think you don't want to pass out
Where your roommates will find you again
Stumble around the neighborhood with nothing to do
You're always looking for something to sniff, smoke, or swallow
Calling over next door to see what they've got
You would settle for anything that would make your brain slow down or stop
Break this circle of thoughts you chase
Before they catch back up with you
Your parents noticied your thinning face
All the weight you lost, all the weight you're losing
You said, "I'm done feeling like a skeleton, no more sleep walking dead"
You're gonna wake from this coma
You're gonna crawl from this bed you have made
And stop counting on that camera that hangs round your neck
Because you will never remember what you choose to forget
As you try to find some source of light
Try to name one thing you like
You used to have such a longer list
And light, you never had to look for it
But now it's so easy, it's so easy to second guess everything you do
Until all you want is to finish this half-empty glass
Before the ice all melts away
This feeling always used to pass
But it seems like it's every day
Seems like it's every night now
(x)
Sitting around, no work today
Try pacing to keep awake
Laying around, no school today
Just drink until the clock has circled all the way
It's late afternoon as you walk through the rooms
Of a house that is quiet, except for unanswered telephones
You stand near the sink while you're mixing a drink
You think you don't want to pass out
Where your roommates will find you again
Stumble around the neighborhood with nothing to do
You're always looking for something to sniff, smoke, or swallow
Calling over next door to see what they've got
You would settle for anything that would make your brain slow down or stop
Break this circle of thoughts you chase
Before they catch back up with you
Your parents noticied your thinning face
All the weight you lost, all the weight you're losing
You said, "I'm done feeling like a skeleton, no more sleep walking dead"
You're gonna wake from this coma
You're gonna crawl from this bed you have made
And stop counting on that camera that hangs round your neck
Because you will never remember what you choose to forget
As you try to find some source of light
Try to name one thing you like
You used to have such a longer list
And light, you never had to look for it
But now it's so easy, it's so easy to second guess everything you do
Until all you want is to finish this half-empty glass
Before the ice all melts away
This feeling always used to pass
But it seems like it's every day
Seems like it's every night now
Try pacing to keep awake
Laying around, no school today
Just drink until the clock has circled all the way
It's late afternoon as you walk through the rooms
Of a house that is quiet, except for unanswered telephones
You stand near the sink while you're mixing a drink
You think you don't want to pass out
Where your roommates will find you again
Stumble around the neighborhood with nothing to do
You're always looking for something to sniff, smoke, or swallow
Calling over next door to see what they've got
You would settle for anything that would make your brain slow down or stop
Break this circle of thoughts you chase
Before they catch back up with you
Your parents noticied your thinning face
All the weight you lost, all the weight you're losing
You said, "I'm done feeling like a skeleton, no more sleep walking dead"
You're gonna wake from this coma
You're gonna crawl from this bed you have made
And stop counting on that camera that hangs round your neck
Because you will never remember what you choose to forget
As you try to find some source of light
Try to name one thing you like
You used to have such a longer list
And light, you never had to look for it
But now it's so easy, it's so easy to second guess everything you do
Until all you want is to finish this half-empty glass
Before the ice all melts away
This feeling always used to pass
But it seems like it's every day
Seems like it's every night now
Lately I've been wishing I had one desire
Something that would make me never want another
Something that would make it so that nothing matters
All would be clear then
But I guess I'll have to settle for a few brief moments
And watch it all dissolve into a single second
And try to write it down into a perfect sonnet
Or one foolish line
'Cause that's all that you'll get, so you'll have to accept
You are here, then you're gone
But I believe that lovers should be tied together
Thrown into the ocean in the worst of weather
Left there to drown, left there to drown in their innocence
But as for me I'm coming to the final chapter
I read all of the pages and there's still no answer
Only all that was before I know must soon come after
That's the only way it can be
So I stand in the sun, and I breathe with my lungs
I'm trying to spare me the weight of the truth
Saying everything you've ever seen was just a mirror
You've spent your whole life sweating in an endless fever
And laying in a bathtub full of freezing water
Wishing you were a ghost
But once you knew a girl and you named her Lover
Danced with her in kitchens through the greenest summer
Autumn came, she disappeared, you can't remember
Where she said she was going to
But you know that she's gone 'cause she left you a song
That you don't want to sing
We're singing, I believe that lovers should be chained together
Thrown into a fire with their songs and letters
And left there to burn in their arrogance
But as for me I'm coming to my final failure
I've killed myself with changes trying to make things better
Ended up becoming something other than what I had planned to be
All right
I believe that lovers should be draped in flowers
And laid entwined together on a bed of clover
And left there to sleep
Left there to dream of their happiness
(x)
Lately I've been wishing I had one desire
Something that would make me never want another
Something that would make it so that nothing matters
All would be clear then
But I guess I'll have to settle for a few brief moments
And watch it all dissolve into a single second
And try to write it down into a perfect sonnet
Or one foolish line
'Cause that's all that you'll get, so you'll have to accept
You are here, then you're gone
But I believe that lovers should be tied together
Thrown into the ocean in the worst of weather
Left there to drown, left there to drown in their innocence
But as for me I'm coming to the final chapter
I read all of the pages and there's still no answer
Only all that was before I know must soon come after
That's the only way it can be
So I stand in the sun, and I breathe with my lungs
I'm trying to spare me the weight of the truth
Saying everything you've ever seen was just a mirror
You've spent your whole life sweating in an endless fever
And laying in a bathtub full of freezing water
Wishing you were a ghost
But once you knew a girl and you named her Lover
Danced with her in kitchens through the greenest summer
Autumn came, she disappeared, you can't remember
Where she said she was going to
But you know that she's gone 'cause she left you a song
That you don't want to sing
We're singing, I believe that lovers should be chained together
Thrown into a fire with their songs and letters
And left there to burn in their arrogance
But as for me I'm coming to my final failure
I've killed myself with changes trying to make things better
Ended up becoming something other than what I had planned to be
All right
I believe that lovers should be draped in flowers
And laid entwined together on a bed of clover
And left there to sleep
Left there to dream of their happiness
There's a car parked where the block begins
And there are people singing praises
Say it's all because of him
And there's a bird perched on a frayed wet wire
And his voice sings out for a lover
But it's covered by the choir
Of voices reaching way beyond the rafters
With devotion they perform these sacred tasks
They cross themselves and offer up their checkbooks
Say that suffering is not too much to ask
Besides, we all are making money
And we're all fucking alone
And we don't know what we're doing
Maybe just buying us some hope
Because we know that we are lonely
Yeah, lonely that's for sure
And the older ones are coughing
Yeah, the older ones are dying
Maybe we're all dying
I pass a graveyard on my way to work
Today I saw two dozen white roses on a fresh new mound of dirt
And I wondered about the occupant
When the darkness finally swallowed him, was he calm and content?
Or was he sweating in a struggle to keep breathing
Ripping apart the sheets that dressed his bed
Crying out loud for someone to help him
And collapsing on his back all pale and dead
Maybe it's me who's this unstable
Always obsessed about the end
Why can't I let what happens happen, and just enjoy the time I spend?
Oh, how I wish it was that easy
But when there is no point to anything
It can get a bit confusing
why it is that I keep going
Why is it that we keep going?
(x)
There's a car parked where the block begins
And there are people singing praises
Say it's all because of him
And there's a bird perched on a frayed wet wire
And his voice sings out for a lover
But it's covered by the choir
Of voices reaching way beyond the rafters
With devotion they perform these sacred tasks
They cross themselves and offer up their checkbooks
Say that suffering is not too much to ask
Besides, we all are making money
And we're all fucking alone
And we don't know what we're doing
Maybe just buying us some hope
Because we know that we are lonely
Yeah, lonely that's for sure
And the older ones are coughing
Yeah, the older ones are dying
Maybe we're all dying
I pass a graveyard on my way to work
Today I saw two dozen white roses on a fresh new mound of dirt
And I wondered about the occupant
When the darkness finally swallowed him, was he calm and content?
Or was he sweating in a struggle to keep breathing
Ripping apart the sheets that dressed his bed
Crying out loud for someone to help him
And collapsing on his back all pale and dead
Maybe it's me who's this unstable
Always obsessed about the end
Why can't I let what happens happen, and just enjoy the time I spend?
Oh, how I wish it was that easy
But when there is no point to anything
It can get a bit confusing
why it is that I keep going
Why is it that we keep going?
If you could change your days, arranging them in some sweet new sequence
Like any new arrangement's gonna make a difference
Because it's the moment that you're living in and not the one that follows
That makes this mess you're cleaning in your head
And time still drags you forward, though you keep resisting
Because you know it's what you leave behind that you'll soon start missing
And the people you once counted on now say it's all depending
On how you act and how you treat yourself
And that's not very well
So baby, when I call for you
I want you to come and explain yourself to everyone
You nod in an acknowledgement of your frequent mood swings
But what good's an acknowledgement, it still don't change things
We've tried all forms of encouragement, and it's still no better
You just can't seem to fake or force a smile
Not even a little one
So baby, when I call to you I want you to come
And lay it out for everyone
Exactly how it was before any of this happened
And why you can't leave it behind
Don't just sit there when I call to you
I told you to come and lay it out for
Don't feel awkward
Lay it out for everyone
(x)
If you could change your days, arranging them in some sweet new sequence
Like any new arrangement's gonna make a difference
Because it's the moment that you're living in and not the one that follows
That makes this mess you're cleaning in your head
And time still drags you forward, though you keep resisting
Because you know it's what you leave behind that you'll soon start missing
And the people you once counted on now say it's all depending
On how you act and how you treat yourself
And that's not very well
So baby, when I call for you
I want you to come and explain yourself to everyone
You nod in an acknowledgement of your frequent mood swings
But what good's an acknowledgement, it still don't change things
We've tried all forms of encouragement, and it's still no better
You just can't seem to fake or force a smile
Not even a little one
So baby, when I call to you I want you to come
And lay it out for everyone
Exactly how it was before any of this happened
And why you can't leave it behind
Don't just sit there when I call to you
I told you to come and lay it out for
Don't feel awkward
Lay it out for everyone
In the morning when you throw up water
And your skin, it turns a pale, pale yellow
Well, every day you lose more color
Do you think that someone paints your mirror?
Do you think that someone paints your mirror?
So you think that things sound different
At the time when you speak
Well, there are visions much clearer than these blurs that you see
And like Neely O'Hara, you swallow your sleep
And wake up in the morning to find out
You are not who you used to be
You don't recognize behavior, or the spelling of your name
And the shape that's in the mirror
Well, you'd swear it's not the same
And like Neely O'Hara, you swallow your sleep
And you really can't remember
But you know you are not, think you are not
No, you are not who you used to be
(x)
In the morning when you throw up water
And your skin, it turns a pale, pale yellow
Well, every day you lose more color
Do you think that someone paints your mirror?
Do you think that someone paints your mirror?
So you think that things sound different
At the time when you speak
Well, there are visions much clearer than these blurs that you see
And like Neely O'Hara, you swallow your sleep
And wake up in the morning to find out
You are not who you used to be
You don't recognize behavior, or the spelling of your name
And the shape that's in the mirror
Well, you'd swear it's not the same
And like Neely O'Hara, you swallow your sleep
And you really can't remember
But you know you are not, think you are not
No, you are not who you used to be

Bright Eyes
3 New Hit Songs From Bright Eyes
Wichita Recordings , 2000
cd, single
The drunk kids, the catholics
They're all about the same
They're waiting for something, hoping to be saved
Well I have been happy the past couple days
Just thinking of the women who've taken your place
And every night I think I won't ever sleep sober or alone
And then suddenly it occurs to me that I slept alone before you
And so I pour myself the stiffest drink that my stomach can stand
And I convince myself to lay back down again
I'm gonna lay back down, I'm gonna lay back down again
The drunk kids, the catholics
Are all about the same
They're waiting for something
Hoping to be saved
They crawl from the ocean to paint in the caves
But I'm working all weekend
I need to get paid
They're all about the same
They're waiting for something, hoping to be saved
Well I have been happy the past couple days
Just thinking of the women who've taken your place
And every night I think I won't ever sleep sober or alone
And then suddenly it occurs to me that I slept alone before you
And so I pour myself the stiffest drink that my stomach can stand
And I convince myself to lay back down again
I'm gonna lay back down, I'm gonna lay back down again
The drunk kids, the catholics
Are all about the same
They're waiting for something
Hoping to be saved
They crawl from the ocean to paint in the caves
But I'm working all weekend
I need to get paid
(x)
The drunk kids, the catholics
They're all about the same
They're waiting for something, hoping to be saved
Well I have been happy the past couple days
Just thinking of the women who've taken your place
And every night I think I won't ever sleep sober or alone
And then suddenly it occurs to me that I slept alone before you
And so I pour myself the stiffest drink that my stomach can stand
And I convince myself to lay back down again
I'm gonna lay back down, I'm gonna lay back down again
The drunk kids, the catholics
Are all about the same
They're waiting for something
Hoping to be saved
They crawl from the ocean to paint in the caves
But I'm working all weekend
I need to get paid
They're all about the same
They're waiting for something, hoping to be saved
Well I have been happy the past couple days
Just thinking of the women who've taken your place
And every night I think I won't ever sleep sober or alone
And then suddenly it occurs to me that I slept alone before you
And so I pour myself the stiffest drink that my stomach can stand
And I convince myself to lay back down again
I'm gonna lay back down, I'm gonna lay back down again
The drunk kids, the catholics
Are all about the same
They're waiting for something
Hoping to be saved
They crawl from the ocean to paint in the caves
But I'm working all weekend
I need to get paid
All eyes on the calendar, another year I claim of total indifference
To here the days pile up with decisions to be made
I'm sure all of them were wrong
Into this song, I send myself
And with these drinks I plan to collapse and forget
This wasted year, these wasted years
Devoted friends, they disappear
I'm sorry about the phone call, and needing you
Some decisions you don't make
I guess it's like breathing and not wanting to
There are some things that you can't fake
I guess that it's typical to cling to memories you'll never get back again
And to sort through old photographs of a summer long ago
Or a friend that you used to know
And there, below his frozen face, you wrote the name and that ancient date
And you can't believe he is really gone
When all that's left is a fucking song
I'm sorry about the phone call and waking you
I know that it's late
But thank you for talking, because I needed to
Some things just can't wait
(x)
All eyes on the calendar, another year I claim of total indifference
To here the days pile up with decisions to be made
I'm sure all of them were wrong
Into this song, I send myself
And with these drinks I plan to collapse and forget
This wasted year, these wasted years
Devoted friends, they disappear
I'm sorry about the phone call, and needing you
Some decisions you don't make
I guess it's like breathing and not wanting to
There are some things that you can't fake
I guess that it's typical to cling to memories you'll never get back again
And to sort through old photographs of a summer long ago
Or a friend that you used to know
And there, below his frozen face, you wrote the name and that ancient date
And you can't believe he is really gone
When all that's left is a fucking song
I'm sorry about the phone call and waking you
I know that it's late
But thank you for talking, because I needed to
Some things just can't wait
So, I'm just the medicine
You take when you're sick
You get well and that's it
I'm put back on the shelf in your mirror
And it isn't exceptional
The course of our fate
So, people love and they hate
And I guess it's just our turn to hate
Yeah, you were just some song I wrote
A poem on a page
A sculpture I made out of clay
Desire was the flame
But now you're more of a basketball
Boys just pass you around
They bounce you hard on the ground and dribble
And then we all get high fives
And you think I'm an asshole now
Well, you're probably right
But at least I'm not blind to the facts
I've been wishing were lies
But still I hope you get everything
That you care to possess
And unbelievable sex with him
Or any one of my friends
But just don't ask about my appetite
I didn't lose it tonight
No, it's been gone half my life
It's just act, I've been eating for you
(x)
So, I'm just the medicine
You take when you're sick
You get well and that's it
I'm put back on the shelf in your mirror
And it isn't exceptional
The course of our fate
So, people love and they hate
And I guess it's just our turn to hate
Yeah, you were just some song I wrote
A poem on a page
A sculpture I made out of clay
Desire was the flame
But now you're more of a basketball
Boys just pass you around
They bounce you hard on the ground and dribble
And then we all get high fives
And you think I'm an asshole now
Well, you're probably right
But at least I'm not blind to the facts
I've been wishing were lies
But still I hope you get everything
That you care to possess
And unbelievable sex with him
Or any one of my friends
But just don't ask about my appetite
I didn't lose it tonight
No, it's been gone half my life
It's just act, I've been eating for you

Bright Eyes
Four Winds
Saddle Creek , 2007
cd, ep
Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe
There's people always dying trying to keep them alive
There are bodies decomposing in containers tonight
In an abandoned building where
A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint in a chemical swirl
She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed
She caves
The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute
If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still
They are pouring over sanskrit on the ivy league moons
While shadows lengthen in the sun
Cast on a school of meditation built to soften the times
And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds
It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines
Four winds, cry until it comes
And it's the sum of man
Slouching towards Bethlehem
A heart just can't contain all of that empty space
It breaks, it breaks, it breaks
Well, I went back to my rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps
All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead
They said, "You'd better look alive"
And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps
In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east
I buried my ballast, I made my peace
Heard four winds leveling the pines
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't remain with all that outer space
She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves
There's people always dying trying to keep them alive
There are bodies decomposing in containers tonight
In an abandoned building where
A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint in a chemical swirl
She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed
She caves
The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute
If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still
They are pouring over sanskrit on the ivy league moons
While shadows lengthen in the sun
Cast on a school of meditation built to soften the times
And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds
It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines
Four winds, cry until it comes
And it's the sum of man
Slouching towards Bethlehem
A heart just can't contain all of that empty space
It breaks, it breaks, it breaks
Well, I went back to my rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps
All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead
They said, "You'd better look alive"
And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps
In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east
I buried my ballast, I made my peace
Heard four winds leveling the pines
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't remain with all that outer space
She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves
(x)
Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe
There's people always dying trying to keep them alive
There are bodies decomposing in containers tonight
In an abandoned building where
A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint in a chemical swirl
She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed
She caves
The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute
If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still
They are pouring over sanskrit on the ivy league moons
While shadows lengthen in the sun
Cast on a school of meditation built to soften the times
And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds
It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines
Four winds, cry until it comes
And it's the sum of man
Slouching towards Bethlehem
A heart just can't contain all of that empty space
It breaks, it breaks, it breaks
Well, I went back to my rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps
All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead
They said, "You'd better look alive"
And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps
In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east
I buried my ballast, I made my peace
Heard four winds leveling the pines
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't remain with all that outer space
She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves
There's people always dying trying to keep them alive
There are bodies decomposing in containers tonight
In an abandoned building where
A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint in a chemical swirl
She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed
She caves
The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute
If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still
They are pouring over sanskrit on the ivy league moons
While shadows lengthen in the sun
Cast on a school of meditation built to soften the times
And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds
It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines
Four winds, cry until it comes
And it's the sum of man
Slouching towards Bethlehem
A heart just can't contain all of that empty space
It breaks, it breaks, it breaks
Well, I went back to my rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps
All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead
They said, "You'd better look alive"
And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps
In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east
I buried my ballast, I made my peace
Heard four winds leveling the pines
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't remain with all that outer space
She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves
My friend you were the model
A priceless work of art
Boys would fashion their emotions
To the pattern of your heart
And I heard you wrote that record
For a girl you loved but died
I'm here sewing mine together
Just hoping you're alive
And I know you'll never come back now
To the world where people are
Because you never understood
What they loved you for
Now ghosts, they have their secrets
And they'll tell them to a few
So you could never pay attention
When they're whispering to you
There were many talents you possessed
That I wished myself to have
But the way your eyes would gloss over
Well, I never envied that
And I doubt you'll ever come back now
From wherever it is you are
Because you never understood
What we loved you for
I'm sure the TV sets will tell us
When someone reinvents the wheel
Until then I'll have a million conversations
About shit that isn't real
But I've tried to breathe in meaning
Dig deep to every gasp of air
Because I know you did the same thing
For as long as you could bear
I guess everything just circles around
To where it was before
So I hope I see you soon
In some other form
(x)
My friend you were the model
A priceless work of art
Boys would fashion their emotions
To the pattern of your heart
And I heard you wrote that record
For a girl you loved but died
I'm here sewing mine together
Just hoping you're alive
And I know you'll never come back now
To the world where people are
Because you never understood
What they loved you for
Now ghosts, they have their secrets
And they'll tell them to a few
So you could never pay attention
When they're whispering to you
There were many talents you possessed
That I wished myself to have
But the way your eyes would gloss over
Well, I never envied that
And I doubt you'll ever come back now
From wherever it is you are
Because you never understood
What we loved you for
I'm sure the TV sets will tell us
When someone reinvents the wheel
Until then I'll have a million conversations
About shit that isn't real
But I've tried to breathe in meaning
Dig deep to every gasp of air
Because I know you did the same thing
For as long as you could bear
I guess everything just circles around
To where it was before
So I hope I see you soon
In some other form
Come on in, my weary friend
The welcome here is endless
These fears of yours, like painted whores
They will not stay the night
If all your life you've done what's right
Dont say you felt obliged
Come on along, is your timid tongue
Too shy to tell your story?
This pain in you so far removed
From anything youve known
So I wont condone another moan
When everything is fine
So when in drought, learn to dance
And pray the dead would return
Dream smoke without fire
Just come see me again when it burns
Somewhere along the way
Well, I was led astray
By a wolf in no one's clothing
It was a brilliant disguise
And I forgot that life existed
I thought it was just some kind of game
That's what brings me to your doorstep
Though I dont know why I came today
Standing still in the dust
Giving up on the rain
As with smoke without fire
I've already laid in the flames
I've already laid in the flames
Brother, be afraid of the flames
(x)
Come on in, my weary friend
The welcome here is endless
These fears of yours, like painted whores
They will not stay the night
If all your life you've done what's right
Dont say you felt obliged
Come on along, is your timid tongue
Too shy to tell your story?
This pain in you so far removed
From anything youve known
So I wont condone another moan
When everything is fine
So when in drought, learn to dance
And pray the dead would return
Dream smoke without fire
Just come see me again when it burns
Somewhere along the way
Well, I was led astray
By a wolf in no one's clothing
It was a brilliant disguise
And I forgot that life existed
I thought it was just some kind of game
That's what brings me to your doorstep
Though I dont know why I came today
Standing still in the dust
Giving up on the rain
As with smoke without fire
I've already laid in the flames
I've already laid in the flames
Brother, be afraid of the flames
There's a skinny dog
In a dirty parking lot
And he doesn't bite
But he begs
And he knows what's true
So if you are, he'll follow you
If you're headed home
All the way
So we let him finish
Every dinner plate
And we watched his tail say thanks, thanks, thanks
And we tried to name him
But he ran away
Once he knew his freedom was at stake
This same old shit
So it's how you deal with it
It's the glove that fits
That you wear
So when the wind blows strong
I put a few more layers on
And I tell myself
I don't care
I might make a phone call
To a better man
To ask the questions that I have, have, have
Like how do I get started
And where's it going to end?
Why should I treat a traitor like a friend?
(x)
There's a skinny dog
In a dirty parking lot
And he doesn't bite
But he begs
And he knows what's true
So if you are, he'll follow you
If you're headed home
All the way
So we let him finish
Every dinner plate
And we watched his tail say thanks, thanks, thanks
And we tried to name him
But he ran away
Once he knew his freedom was at stake
This same old shit
So it's how you deal with it
It's the glove that fits
That you wear
So when the wind blows strong
I put a few more layers on
And I tell myself
I don't care
I might make a phone call
To a better man
To ask the questions that I have, have, have
Like how do I get started
And where's it going to end?
Why should I treat a traitor like a friend?
I listened to a lecture of nonsense until dawn
By a plagiary poet with dark glasses on
He said, "How did you ever dream up that song
The one where the baby dies?"
I said, "I'll tell you the secret, which one's your good ear?
Yeah, people are made up of water and fear
If there weren't women present we wouldn't be here
So let's make like we're friends"
And the pot turned to powder and soured the mood
And the people I'd come with were gone from the room
So I asked like a child, "May I be excused?"
And disobeyed them all
Into that late-night latrine, rain soaking through my shoes
I tried walking backwards to get less confused
Working off the theory I could never prove
That it was life itself to blame
And time ruined the world
Like a failed revolution
A tumor we could not remove
An old friend, a constant, the blues
Now my days are distractions, sit wringing my hands
Solitaire, crosswords and films on demand
When you turn from a cartoon back into a man
You start to smell that human smell
So I sleep with the fan on to drown out the street
And the noise rising up from the bar underneath
But for that inconvenience all my drinks are free
So I guess it's just as well
Why do I envy the ending right from the start
Just get it together to take it apart
Watching the horse as it follows the cart
I sweep up my broken spell
And I felt something changing the world
Like a new constitution
A thief I would have to pursue
At all times, at all costs, the truth
(x)
I listened to a lecture of nonsense until dawn
By a plagiary poet with dark glasses on
He said, "How did you ever dream up that song
The one where the baby dies?"
I said, "I'll tell you the secret, which one's your good ear?
Yeah, people are made up of water and fear
If there weren't women present we wouldn't be here
So let's make like we're friends"
And the pot turned to powder and soured the mood
And the people I'd come with were gone from the room
So I asked like a child, "May I be excused?"
And disobeyed them all
Into that late-night latrine, rain soaking through my shoes
I tried walking backwards to get less confused
Working off the theory I could never prove
That it was life itself to blame
And time ruined the world
Like a failed revolution
A tumor we could not remove
An old friend, a constant, the blues
Now my days are distractions, sit wringing my hands
Solitaire, crosswords and films on demand
When you turn from a cartoon back into a man
You start to smell that human smell
So I sleep with the fan on to drown out the street
And the noise rising up from the bar underneath
But for that inconvenience all my drinks are free
So I guess it's just as well
Why do I envy the ending right from the start
Just get it together to take it apart
Watching the horse as it follows the cart
I sweep up my broken spell
And I felt something changing the world
Like a new constitution
A thief I would have to pursue
At all times, at all costs, the truth
It's not the road we used to know
They tore some buildings down
The traffic's like a pack of dogs
There's fewer trees, windows, fleas
There's concrete on the lawn
There's people here but you are gone
And I find still swimming through time
Afraid some days I've reached the shore
"Make yourself free"
Man said back to me
Now my heart is like an open door
And the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here any more
It's not my weight that makes me faint
Or the sugar in my blood
But the way these strangers stand so close
They say my name like a guessing game
"Is that really you?"
No, I dont think it ever was
In the spring
When the world's turning green
I only think about the fall
The frets on the board
My progression of chords
Oh, how I want this to resolve
And the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here any more
Now the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here
No, I'm not sure if I live here
No, I'm not sure if I live here
Anymore
(x)
It's not the road we used to know
They tore some buildings down
The traffic's like a pack of dogs
There's fewer trees, windows, fleas
There's concrete on the lawn
There's people here but you are gone
And I find still swimming through time
Afraid some days I've reached the shore
"Make yourself free"
Man said back to me
Now my heart is like an open door
And the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here any more
It's not my weight that makes me faint
Or the sugar in my blood
But the way these strangers stand so close
They say my name like a guessing game
"Is that really you?"
No, I dont think it ever was
In the spring
When the world's turning green
I only think about the fall
The frets on the board
My progression of chords
Oh, how I want this to resolve
And the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here any more
Now the road finally gave me back
But I dont think I'll unpack
Because I'm not sure if I live here
No, I'm not sure if I live here
No, I'm not sure if I live here
Anymore

Bright Eyes
Cassadaga
Saddle Creek , 2007
cd, album
Corporate or Colonial
The Movement is unstoppable
Like the body of a centerfold it spreads
To the counter-culture copyright
Get your revolution at a lower price
Or make believe and throw the fight, play dead
It's exploding bags, aerosol cans
Southbound buses, Peter Pan
They left it up to us again
I thought you knew the drill
It's kill or be killed
Future Markets, Holy Wars
Been tried ten thousand times before
If you think that God is keeping score, Hooray!
For the freedom-fighting simulcast (Victory! A defeat! Victory!)
The imminent and the aftermath
Draw another bloody bath to drain
Like the polar icecaps centrifuge (Oh Allah! Oh Jesus please!)
First snowman built at the end of June
He slicks his hair for the interview, his fifteen-minute fame
Would you agree times have changed?
The Movement is unstoppable
Like the body of a centerfold it spreads
To the counter-culture copyright
Get your revolution at a lower price
Or make believe and throw the fight, play dead
It's exploding bags, aerosol cans
Southbound buses, Peter Pan
They left it up to us again
I thought you knew the drill
It's kill or be killed
Future Markets, Holy Wars
Been tried ten thousand times before
If you think that God is keeping score, Hooray!
For the freedom-fighting simulcast (Victory! A defeat! Victory!)
The imminent and the aftermath
Draw another bloody bath to drain
Like the polar icecaps centrifuge (Oh Allah! Oh Jesus please!)
First snowman built at the end of June
He slicks his hair for the interview, his fifteen-minute fame
Would you agree times have changed?
(x)
Corporate or Colonial
The Movement is unstoppable
Like the body of a centerfold it spreads
To the counter-culture copyright
Get your revolution at a lower price
Or make believe and throw the fight, play dead
It's exploding bags, aerosol cans
Southbound buses, Peter Pan
They left it up to us again
I thought you knew the drill
It's kill or be killed
Future Markets, Holy Wars
Been tried ten thousand times before
If you think that God is keeping score, Hooray!
For the freedom-fighting simulcast (Victory! A defeat! Victory!)
The imminent and the aftermath
Draw another bloody bath to drain
Like the polar icecaps centrifuge (Oh Allah! Oh Jesus please!)
First snowman built at the end of June
He slicks his hair for the interview, his fifteen-minute fame
Would you agree times have changed?
The Movement is unstoppable
Like the body of a centerfold it spreads
To the counter-culture copyright
Get your revolution at a lower price
Or make believe and throw the fight, play dead
It's exploding bags, aerosol cans
Southbound buses, Peter Pan
They left it up to us again
I thought you knew the drill
It's kill or be killed
Future Markets, Holy Wars
Been tried ten thousand times before
If you think that God is keeping score, Hooray!
For the freedom-fighting simulcast (Victory! A defeat! Victory!)
The imminent and the aftermath
Draw another bloody bath to drain
Like the polar icecaps centrifuge (Oh Allah! Oh Jesus please!)
First snowman built at the end of June
He slicks his hair for the interview, his fifteen-minute fame
Would you agree times have changed?
Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe
There's people always dying trying to keep them alive
His body's decomposing in containers tonight
In an abandoned building where
A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint and a chemical swirl
She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed
She caves
The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute
If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still
They are pouring over sanskrit on the ivy league moons
While shadows lengthen the sun
Cast off the schools of meditation built to soften the times
And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds
It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines
Four winds, cry until it comes
And it's the son of man
Slouching towards Bethlehem
A heart just can't contain all of that empty space
It breaks, it breaks, it breaks
Well, I went back to my rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps
All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead
They said, "You'd better look alive"
And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps
In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east
I buried my ballast, I made my peace
With four winds, levelling the pines
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't compete with all that outer space
She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves
(x)
Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe
There's people always dying trying to keep them alive
His body's decomposing in containers tonight
In an abandoned building where
A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint and a chemical swirl
She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed
She caves
The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute
If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still
They are pouring over sanskrit on the ivy league moons
While shadows lengthen the sun
Cast off the schools of meditation built to soften the times
And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds
It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines
Four winds, cry until it comes
And it's the son of man
Slouching towards Bethlehem
A heart just can't contain all of that empty space
It breaks, it breaks, it breaks
Well, I went back to my rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps
All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead
They said, "You'd better look alive"
And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps
In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east
I buried my ballast, I made my peace
With four winds, levelling the pines
But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon
She just can't compete with all that outer space
She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves
When panic grips your body and your heart is a hummingbird
Raven thoughts blacken your mind until you're breathing in reverse
All your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse
Every reassurance just magnifies the doubt
Better find yourself a place to level out
Got a cricket for a conscience always looks the other way
A cocaine soul starts seeming like an empty cabaret
Hey, where have all the dancers gone? Now the music doesn't play
Tried to listen to the river but you couldn't shut your mouth
Better take a little time to level out
I never thought of running
My feet just led the way
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
Cars are switched out in the crazy rain
I could meet you any place
If the Brakeman turns my way
All this automatic writing I have tried to understand
From a psychedelic angel who was tugging on my hand
It's an infinite coincidence but it doesn't form a plan
So I'm headed for New England or the Paris of the South
Gonna find myself somewhere to level out
Are your brothels full, Oh Babylon, with merry Middlemen?
Never peer out of their periscopes from those deep opium dens
All this death must need a counterweight always someone born again
First a mother bathes her child then the other way around
The Scales always find a way to level out
I tried to pass for nothing
But my dreams gave me away
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
People snuffed out in the brutal rain
I could live to any age
If the Brakeman turns my way
It is an old world it's hard to remember
Like a dime store mystery
I'm a repeat first time offender
Who has rewritten history
Mixed up tea leaves
Phantom Pain
Fuzzy logic in the crazy rain
Getting better every day
If the Brakeman turns my way
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
Cars are switched out in the blinding rain
He'll be smiling as he seals my fate
When the Brakeman turns my way
(x)
When panic grips your body and your heart is a hummingbird
Raven thoughts blacken your mind until you're breathing in reverse
All your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse
Every reassurance just magnifies the doubt
Better find yourself a place to level out
Got a cricket for a conscience always looks the other way
A cocaine soul starts seeming like an empty cabaret
Hey, where have all the dancers gone? Now the music doesn't play
Tried to listen to the river but you couldn't shut your mouth
Better take a little time to level out
I never thought of running
My feet just led the way
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
Cars are switched out in the crazy rain
I could meet you any place
If the Brakeman turns my way
All this automatic writing I have tried to understand
From a psychedelic angel who was tugging on my hand
It's an infinite coincidence but it doesn't form a plan
So I'm headed for New England or the Paris of the South
Gonna find myself somewhere to level out
Are your brothels full, Oh Babylon, with merry Middlemen?
Never peer out of their periscopes from those deep opium dens
All this death must need a counterweight always someone born again
First a mother bathes her child then the other way around
The Scales always find a way to level out
I tried to pass for nothing
But my dreams gave me away
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
People snuffed out in the brutal rain
I could live to any age
If the Brakeman turns my way
It is an old world it's hard to remember
Like a dime store mystery
I'm a repeat first time offender
Who has rewritten history
Mixed up tea leaves
Phantom Pain
Fuzzy logic in the crazy rain
Getting better every day
If the Brakeman turns my way
Mixed up Signals
Bullet Train
Cars are switched out in the blinding rain
He'll be smiling as he seals my fate
When the Brakeman turns my way
The Wife forgave the Mistress for she only entertained
The pain was gone the instant she cleared her throat to speak her name
Said, "Both of us must suffer from the same unending ache"
The world was not of interest though her days were never dull
Her bed beneath a crucifix on guests performing miracles
With the Son of God just hanging like a common criminal
When I do wrong I am with God, she thought
When I feel lost I am not at all
So give me Black Light (Give Give me)
So give me Hot Knives (Deep Clean sleep)
On a dance floor no one tells time (There is no time)
Oh, I've made love, yeah, I've been fucked, so what?
I'm a cartoon, you're a full moon, let's stay up
She went to see a Mystic who made medicine from rain
And gave up her existence to feel everything, dream others' dreams
Bid farewell to her family with one ecstatic wave (Please take care I love you all)
Out the window as the car rolled away
She just vanished into a thick mist of change
So let us rejoice (Let's Rejoice!)
In all this Pink Noise (Out Pink Noise!)
An oscillation that we can pin point (We're right here!)
(x)
The Wife forgave the Mistress for she only entertained
The pain was gone the instant she cleared her throat to speak her name
Said, "Both of us must suffer from the same unending ache"
The world was not of interest though her days were never dull
Her bed beneath a crucifix on guests performing miracles
With the Son of God just hanging like a common criminal
When I do wrong I am with God, she thought
When I feel lost I am not at all
So give me Black Light (Give Give me)
So give me Hot Knives (Deep Clean sleep)
On a dance floor no one tells time (There is no time)
Oh, I've made love, yeah, I've been fucked, so what?
I'm a cartoon, you're a full moon, let's stay up
She went to see a Mystic who made medicine from rain
And gave up her existence to feel everything, dream others' dreams
Bid farewell to her family with one ecstatic wave (Please take care I love you all)
Out the window as the car rolled away
She just vanished into a thick mist of change
So let us rejoice (Let's Rejoice!)
In all this Pink Noise (Out Pink Noise!)
An oscillation that we can pin point (We're right here!)
I heard you're scheming new pyramids
Another big idea to get you rich
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
You said you had your foot in the door
You buy and you sell, you buy some more
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
Life is too short
Death doesn't ask
It don't owe you that
Some things you lose
You don't get back
So just know what you have
And make a plan to love me sometime soon
Life is Too $hort
To be a fool
I don't owe you that
Do what you feel
Whatever is cool
But I just have to ask
First you want to ride off into the Sun
Then you want to shoot straight to the Moon
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
When you are young the world is a Ferris Wheer
I know we will grow old it is lovely, still
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
Will you make a plan to love me?
(x)
I heard you're scheming new pyramids
Another big idea to get you rich
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
You said you had your foot in the door
You buy and you sell, you buy some more
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
Life is too short
Death doesn't ask
It don't owe you that
Some things you lose
You don't get back
So just know what you have
And make a plan to love me sometime soon
Life is Too $hort
To be a fool
I don't owe you that
Do what you feel
Whatever is cool
But I just have to ask
First you want to ride off into the Sun
Then you want to shoot straight to the Moon
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
When you are young the world is a Ferris Wheer
I know we will grow old it is lovely, still
Make a plan to love me sometime soon
Will you make a plan to love me?
See the Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to ribbons beneath a microphone stand
Felt the quickness of pity like a flash in a pan
For the Soul Singer in the session band
Now a red carpet bagger makes a Blackberry call
To the plastic piranhas in the city of salt
Wasted wheat paste campaign post no bills on the wall
You mean nothing to no one but that's nobody's fault
See the Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to ribbons beneath a microphone stand
Felt the quickness of pity like a flash in a pan
For the Soul Singer in the session band
I had a lengthy discussion about The Power of Myth
With a post-modern author who didn't exist
In this fictitious world all reality twists
I was a hopeless romantic now I'm just turning tricks
Just like that Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded confetti beneath a microphone stand
Saw the Conflict of Interest slipping cash in the hand
Of the Soul Singer in the session band
His room is on fire since he painted it red
There are a stranger's silk sequins at the foot of the bed
He has been to weddings and funerals but he still never wept
Now sorrow is pleasure when you want it instead
Just like the Soul Singer in the session band
Wailed like an infant atop a white baby grand
We'll need every sand bag and every man
To save the Soul Singer in the session band
Headlights or Taillights it's a flip of a coin
I have been coming and going since the day I was born
And I followed the breadcrumbs but I never got home
I grew old in an instant now I am all on my own
Just like that Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to nothing beneath the microphone stand
Saw the wave of the future through the crack of the dam
Drowned the Soul Singer in the session band
Bless the Soul singer in the session band
(x)
See the Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to ribbons beneath a microphone stand
Felt the quickness of pity like a flash in a pan
For the Soul Singer in the session band
Now a red carpet bagger makes a Blackberry call
To the plastic piranhas in the city of salt
Wasted wheat paste campaign post no bills on the wall
You mean nothing to no one but that's nobody's fault
See the Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to ribbons beneath a microphone stand
Felt the quickness of pity like a flash in a pan
For the Soul Singer in the session band
I had a lengthy discussion about The Power of Myth
With a post-modern author who didn't exist
In this fictitious world all reality twists
I was a hopeless romantic now I'm just turning tricks
Just like that Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded confetti beneath a microphone stand
Saw the Conflict of Interest slipping cash in the hand
Of the Soul Singer in the session band
His room is on fire since he painted it red
There are a stranger's silk sequins at the foot of the bed
He has been to weddings and funerals but he still never wept
Now sorrow is pleasure when you want it instead
Just like the Soul Singer in the session band
Wailed like an infant atop a white baby grand
We'll need every sand bag and every man
To save the Soul Singer in the session band
Headlights or Taillights it's a flip of a coin
I have been coming and going since the day I was born
And I followed the breadcrumbs but I never got home
I grew old in an instant now I am all on my own
Just like that Soul Singer in the session band
Shredded to nothing beneath the microphone stand
Saw the wave of the future through the crack of the dam
Drowned the Soul Singer in the session band
Bless the Soul singer in the session band
She was a real royal lady, true patron of the arts
She said the best country singers die in the back of classic cars
So if I ever got too hungry for a suitcase or guitar
To think of them all alone in the dark
So I laid some nights beside her in a bed made for a queen
She said I kissed her different, that all the men her age were mean
Gave me anything I wanted, Oh the generosity
I took all that I could, it was free
Now the sky is a torn up denim and the clouds are just splattered paint
It's a room I'm renovating; it's a name I got to change
If I get out of California I'm going back to my home state
To tell them all that I made a mistake
And I keep looking for that blindfold faith
Lighting candles to a cynical saint
Who wants the last laugh at the fly trapped in the windowsill tape
You can go right out of your mind trying to escape
From the panicked paradox of day to day
If you can't understand something then it's best to be afraid
The whole world it loves you if you are a chic chameleon
Intersecting circles she could hang with anyone
But when conducting business she would lie about where she's from
Saying, "Life is how it is not how it was"
I learned to listen felt like I was back at school
She'd talk forever about the phases of the moon
Saying, "Everything is a cycle, you've got to let it come to you
And when it does, you will know what to do"
Without even knowing I guess I took her advice
Painted her front door it seemed a suitable goodbye
It's not that often but I think of her sometimes
Just something quaint, a couple ships in the night
And they keep moving at a glacial pace
Turning circles in a memory maze
I made a new cast of the death mask that is gonna cover my face
I had to change the combination to the safe
Hide it all behind a wall let people wait
And never trust a heart that is so bent it can't break
(x)
She was a real royal lady, true patron of the arts
She said the best country singers die in the back of classic cars
So if I ever got too hungry for a suitcase or guitar
To think of them all alone in the dark
So I laid some nights beside her in a bed made for a queen
She said I kissed her different, that all the men her age were mean
Gave me anything I wanted, Oh the generosity
I took all that I could, it was free
Now the sky is a torn up denim and the clouds are just splattered paint
It's a room I'm renovating; it's a name I got to change
If I get out of California I'm going back to my home state
To tell them all that I made a mistake
And I keep looking for that blindfold faith
Lighting candles to a cynical saint
Who wants the last laugh at the fly trapped in the windowsill tape
You can go right out of your mind trying to escape
From the panicked paradox of day to day
If you can't understand something then it's best to be afraid
The whole world it loves you if you are a chic chameleon
Intersecting circles she could hang with anyone
But when conducting business she would lie about where she's from
Saying, "Life is how it is not how it was"
I learned to listen felt like I was back at school
She'd talk forever about the phases of the moon
Saying, "Everything is a cycle, you've got to let it come to you
And when it does, you will know what to do"
Without even knowing I guess I took her advice
Painted her front door it seemed a suitable goodbye
It's not that often but I think of her sometimes
Just something quaint, a couple ships in the night
And they keep moving at a glacial pace
Turning circles in a memory maze
I made a new cast of the death mask that is gonna cover my face
I had to change the combination to the safe
Hide it all behind a wall let people wait
And never trust a heart that is so bent it can't break
I traveled though the atmosphere as a wall of feedback climbed
The pegs were gold, the band was old, they played in half time
Now every dream gets whittled down just like every fool gets wise
You will never reap of any seed deprived of sunlight
So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are mine
The in-between, the absentee
Is a beautiful disguise
So I keep my footlights shining bright just like I keep my exits wide
'Cause I never know when it's time to go, it's too crowded now inside
The dead can hide beneath the ground and the birds can always fly
But the rest of us do what we must in constant compromise
So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are fine
The "I don't know," the "maybe so"
Is the only real reply
It is the only true reply
(x)
I traveled though the atmosphere as a wall of feedback climbed
The pegs were gold, the band was old, they played in half time
Now every dream gets whittled down just like every fool gets wise
You will never reap of any seed deprived of sunlight
So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are mine
The in-between, the absentee
Is a beautiful disguise
So I keep my footlights shining bright just like I keep my exits wide
'Cause I never know when it's time to go, it's too crowded now inside
The dead can hide beneath the ground and the birds can always fly
But the rest of us do what we must in constant compromise
So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are fine
The "I don't know," the "maybe so"
Is the only real reply
It is the only true reply
Hear the chimes, did you know that the wind when it blows
It is older than Rome and all of this sorrow
See the new pyramids down in old Manhattan
From the roof of a friend's I watched an empire ending
Heard it loud and long the river's Om
Time marching on to a madman's drum
Don't forget what you've learned all you give is returned
And if life seems absurd what you need is some laughter
And a season to sleep and a place to get clean
Maybe Los Angeles, somewhere no one is expecting
On a detox loft through a Glendale Park over sidewalk chalk
Someone wrote in red, "start over"
So I muffled my scream on an Oxnard beach
Full of fever dreams that scare you sober
Into saltless dinners
Take the fruit from the tree, break the skin with your teeth
Is it bitter or sweet? All depends on your timing
Like a meeting of chance with the train station glance
Many lifetimes had past in a instant reminded
Of a millstone house in a seaside town
When your heart gave out in a mission bed
So your wife gave birth to a funeral dirge
You woke up purged as a wailing infant
In Krug Thep, Thailand
Hear the chimes, did you know that the wind when it blows
It is older than Rome and our joy and our sorrow
(x)
Hear the chimes, did you know that the wind when it blows
It is older than Rome and all of this sorrow
See the new pyramids down in old Manhattan
From the roof of a friend's I watched an empire ending
Heard it loud and long the river's Om
Time marching on to a madman's drum
Don't forget what you've learned all you give is returned
And if life seems absurd what you need is some laughter
And a season to sleep and a place to get clean
Maybe Los Angeles, somewhere no one is expecting
On a detox loft through a Glendale Park over sidewalk chalk
Someone wrote in red, "start over"
So I muffled my scream on an Oxnard beach
Full of fever dreams that scare you sober
Into saltless dinners
Take the fruit from the tree, break the skin with your teeth
Is it bitter or sweet? All depends on your timing
Like a meeting of chance with the train station glance
Many lifetimes had past in a instant reminded
Of a millstone house in a seaside town
When your heart gave out in a mission bed
So your wife gave birth to a funeral dirge
You woke up purged as a wailing infant
In Krug Thep, Thailand
Hear the chimes, did you know that the wind when it blows
It is older than Rome and our joy and our sorrow
Death may come, invisible
Or in a holy wall of fire
In the breath between the markers
On some black I-80 mile
From the madness of the governments
To the vengeance of the sea
Everything is eclipsed
By the shape of destiny
So love me now
Hell is coming
Could you do it now?
Hell is here
Little soldier, little insect
You know war, it has no heart
It will kill you in the sunshine
Or just as happily in the dark
Well, kindness is a card game
Or a bent-up cigarette
In the trenches, in the hard rain
With the bullet and the bit
He says help me out
Hell is coming
Just kiss my mouth
Hell is here
Do you see the sterile soil
Poisoned sky
Yellow water
The final scraps of life
Bringing new tears
Wake, baby, wake
Leave that blanket around you
There's no where we're safe
I'm leaving this place
But there's nothing
I'm planning to take
Just you
Just you
Just you
Just you
Just you
(x)
Death may come, invisible
Or in a holy wall of fire
In the breath between the markers
On some black I-80 mile
From the madness of the governments
To the vengeance of the sea
Everything is eclipsed
By the shape of destiny
So love me now
Hell is coming
Could you do it now?
Hell is here
Little soldier, little insect
You know war, it has no heart
It will kill you in the sunshine
Or just as happily in the dark
Well, kindness is a card game
Or a bent-up cigarette
In the trenches, in the hard rain
With the bullet and the bit
He says help me out
Hell is coming
Just kiss my mouth
Hell is here
Do you see the sterile soil
Poisoned sky
Yellow water
The final scraps of life
Bringing new tears
Wake, baby, wake
Leave that blanket around you
There's no where we're safe
I'm leaving this place
But there's nothing
I'm planning to take
Just you
Just you
Just you
Just you
Just you
Shrill as a choir of children
Urgent like the first day of May
False and inflatable feeling
Tugs at my senses, big as the Macy's Parade
One brick on top of another
Such is the measure of man
Planets are inset like diamonds
On a gravity halo, eternity's wedding band
I slept with that dealer all summer
The ecstasy is still in my spine
Coat Check I couldn't remember
Walked into the winter, came out on the other side
In the South the sun is shining
Back in the East the lights went out
Stuck on a ladder to heaven
On trial way back in The Hague
Lullaby sounds from the engine
In my Styrofoam coffin, asleep on the interstate
Black globes, old symbols of freedom
A murderer still on the lam
Cities encircled in iron
On a great silver beltway, democracy's shackled hands
Seance that brought us together
Objects we move with our minds
Coat Check and I lost the number
Short sleeves in the winter, fell back through the other side
Out in the West the cars are crashing
Up in the North the ice gave out
Saada Tekmel B'Lhouria...
Houria...
(x)
Shrill as a choir of children
Urgent like the first day of May
False and inflatable feeling
Tugs at my senses, big as the Macy's Parade
One brick on top of another
Such is the measure of man
Planets are inset like diamonds
On a gravity halo, eternity's wedding band
I slept with that dealer all summer
The ecstasy is still in my spine
Coat Check I couldn't remember
Walked into the winter, came out on the other side
In the South the sun is shining
Back in the East the lights went out
Stuck on a ladder to heaven
On trial way back in The Hague
Lullaby sounds from the engine
In my Styrofoam coffin, asleep on the interstate
Black globes, old symbols of freedom
A murderer still on the lam
Cities encircled in iron
On a great silver beltway, democracy's shackled hands
Seance that brought us together
Objects we move with our minds
Coat Check and I lost the number
Short sleeves in the winter, fell back through the other side
Out in the West the cars are crashing
Up in the North the ice gave out
Saada Tekmel B'Lhouria...
Houria...
Leave the bright blue door on the whitewashed wall
Leave the death ledger under city hall
Leave the joyful air in that rubber ball today
Leave the lilac print on the linen sheet
Leave the birds you killed at your father's feet
Let the sideways rain and the crooked street remain
Leave the whimpering dog in his cold kennel
Leave the dead starlet on her pedestal
Leave the acid kids in their green fishbowls today
Just leave the sad guitar in its hardshell case
Leave the worried look on your lover's face
Let the orange embers in the fireplace remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
A train off in the distance, bicycle chained to the stairs
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now, that is why I'm staying here
Leave the ocean's roar in the turquoise shell
Leave the widower in his private hell
Leave the liberty in that broken bell today
Leave the epic poem on its yellowed page
Leave the grey macaw in its covered cage
Let the traveling band on the interstate remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
Sound stage in California, televisions in Times Square
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now that is why I'm staying here
Yeah, I know that now, that is why I'm staying here
Leave the secret talks on the trundle bed
Leave the garden tools in that rusted shed
Leave those bad ideas in your troubled head today
Leave the restless ghost in his old hotel
Leave the homeless man in that cardboard cell
Let the painted horse on the carousel remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
Just like the gold around her finger or the silver in his hair
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now, that's why I'm staying here
I know that now, that's why I'm staying here
In truth the forest hears each sound
Each blade of grass as it lies down
The world requires no audience
No witnesses, no witnesses
Leave the old town drunk on his wooden stool
Leave the autumn leaves in their swimming pool
Leave the poor black child in his crumbling school today
Leave the novelist in his daydream tune
Leave the scientist in his Rubik's cube
Let the true genius in the padded room remain
Leave the horse's hair on the slanted bow
Leave the slot machines on the riverboat
Leave the cauliflower in the casserole today
Leave the hot bright trash in the shopping malls
Leave the hawks of war in their capitol
Let the organ's moan in the cathedral remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
They locked the Devil in the basement, threw God up into the air
Everything it must belong somewhere
And you know it's true, I wish you'd leave me here
You know it's true, why don't you leave me here?
(x)
Leave the bright blue door on the whitewashed wall
Leave the death ledger under city hall
Leave the joyful air in that rubber ball today
Leave the lilac print on the linen sheet
Leave the birds you killed at your father's feet
Let the sideways rain and the crooked street remain
Leave the whimpering dog in his cold kennel
Leave the dead starlet on her pedestal
Leave the acid kids in their green fishbowls today
Just leave the sad guitar in its hardshell case
Leave the worried look on your lover's face
Let the orange embers in the fireplace remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
A train off in the distance, bicycle chained to the stairs
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now, that is why I'm staying here
Leave the ocean's roar in the turquoise shell
Leave the widower in his private hell
Leave the liberty in that broken bell today
Leave the epic poem on its yellowed page
Leave the grey macaw in its covered cage
Let the traveling band on the interstate remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
Sound stage in California, televisions in Times Square
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now that is why I'm staying here
Yeah, I know that now, that is why I'm staying here
Leave the secret talks on the trundle bed
Leave the garden tools in that rusted shed
Leave those bad ideas in your troubled head today
Leave the restless ghost in his old hotel
Leave the homeless man in that cardboard cell
Let the painted horse on the carousel remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
Just like the gold around her finger or the silver in his hair
Everything it must belong somewhere
I know that now, that's why I'm staying here
I know that now, that's why I'm staying here
In truth the forest hears each sound
Each blade of grass as it lies down
The world requires no audience
No witnesses, no witnesses
Leave the old town drunk on his wooden stool
Leave the autumn leaves in their swimming pool
Leave the poor black child in his crumbling school today
Leave the novelist in his daydream tune
Leave the scientist in his Rubik's cube
Let the true genius in the padded room remain
Leave the horse's hair on the slanted bow
Leave the slot machines on the riverboat
Leave the cauliflower in the casserole today
Leave the hot bright trash in the shopping malls
Leave the hawks of war in their capitol
Let the organ's moan in the cathedral remain
Everything it must belong somewhere
They locked the Devil in the basement, threw God up into the air
Everything it must belong somewhere
And you know it's true, I wish you'd leave me here
You know it's true, why don't you leave me here?
I keep floating down the river but the ocean never comes
Since the operation I heard you're breathing just for one
Now everything is imaginary, especially what you love
You left another message said it's done,
It's done
When I hear beautiful music it's always from another time
Old friends I never visit, I remember what they're like
Standing on a doorstep full of nervous butterflies
Waiting to be asked to come inside
Just come inside
But I keep going out
I can't sleep next to a stranger when I'm coming down
It's 8 a.m. my heart is beating too loud
Too loud
Don't be so amazing or I'll miss you too much
I felt something that I had never touched
Everything gets smaller now the further that I go
Towards the mouth and the reunion of the Known and the Unknown
Consider yourself lucky if you think of it as home
You can move mountains with your misery if you don't
If you don't
It comes to me in fragments, even those still split in two
Under the leaves of that old Lime Tree I stood examining the fruit
Some were ripe and some were rotten, I felt nauseous with the truth
There will never be a time more opportune
So I just won't be late
The window closes, shock rolls over in a tidal wave
And all the color drains out of the frame
So pleased with a daydream that now living is no good
I took off my shoes and walked into the woods
I felt lost and found with every step I took
(x)
I keep floating down the river but the ocean never comes
Since the operation I heard you're breathing just for one
Now everything is imaginary, especially what you love
You left another message said it's done,
It's done
When I hear beautiful music it's always from another time
Old friends I never visit, I remember what they're like
Standing on a doorstep full of nervous butterflies
Waiting to be asked to come inside
Just come inside
But I keep going out
I can't sleep next to a stranger when I'm coming down
It's 8 a.m. my heart is beating too loud
Too loud
Don't be so amazing or I'll miss you too much
I felt something that I had never touched
Everything gets smaller now the further that I go
Towards the mouth and the reunion of the Known and the Unknown
Consider yourself lucky if you think of it as home
You can move mountains with your misery if you don't
If you don't
It comes to me in fragments, even those still split in two
Under the leaves of that old Lime Tree I stood examining the fruit
Some were ripe and some were rotten, I felt nauseous with the truth
There will never be a time more opportune
So I just won't be late
The window closes, shock rolls over in a tidal wave
And all the color drains out of the frame
So pleased with a daydream that now living is no good
I took off my shoes and walked into the woods
I felt lost and found with every step I took

Bright Eyes
A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997
Saddle Creek , 1997
cd, album
The heat comes in distant shifts to fill up my room
It spills out of these ancient vents, to meet the new cold
And I lay in my twisted sheets and stare out at the snow
Thinking of the next few months, my cold and lifeless eyes
No, I've never felt so separate
And then there's you, but that's so obvious
So I'll just say that it's hopeless, and I know this
That's why I can't dream
No desire or circumstance keeps it from me
One by one, to department stores, we walk through the aisles
In the forest of designer clothes, you touch me and smile
And oh, for a moment, I could want nothing
Your bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
So we stand as the shoppers pass us
And for once I can feel a touch completely
And I need to just be near you and fill these empty eyes
But you start turning as resistance pulls you from my cold and boring life
Let's make this easy and let time pass
As devotion dies, the list goes on and on
What difference is it
I'm aching, and I'm waiting for the touch to cure the fear
To cure the fear
(x)
The heat comes in distant shifts to fill up my room
It spills out of these ancient vents, to meet the new cold
And I lay in my twisted sheets and stare out at the snow
Thinking of the next few months, my cold and lifeless eyes
No, I've never felt so separate
And then there's you, but that's so obvious
So I'll just say that it's hopeless, and I know this
That's why I can't dream
No desire or circumstance keeps it from me
One by one, to department stores, we walk through the aisles
In the forest of designer clothes, you touch me and smile
And oh, for a moment, I could want nothing
Your bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
So we stand as the shoppers pass us
And for once I can feel a touch completely
And I need to just be near you and fill these empty eyes
But you start turning as resistance pulls you from my cold and boring life
Let's make this easy and let time pass
As devotion dies, the list goes on and on
What difference is it
I'm aching, and I'm waiting for the touch to cure the fear
To cure the fear
Virginia's almost sleeping, the night is getting older
There's static on the tv and she's lying on the sofa
The cats crawl over her
Jenny's in the garage, she's got the car in neutral
She rolls it out so quietly
It's Saturday as usual
It always is
And me I'm in my bedroom, drawing in my notebook
'Cause my hand thinks I'm an artist, but my heart knows I'm a poet
It's just words, they mean so little to me
So little to me, so little to me
And I can't seem to deal with something more from everyone
It falls back (?)
Daddy's in the backyard, his hands are getting dirty
And mom is in the kitchen, and the cake says that I'm thirteen
Another year
My brother went to college to become a doctor
And if he studies hard enough, he'll end up just like father
Who hates his life
And me, I'm in the bathroom, crying out my eyelids
'Cause it's hard to be a man when you're scared
Just like a little kid
Words become a little too mean
And I can't see the point of patient love
When everyone just wants to get fucked
(x)
Virginia's almost sleeping, the night is getting older
There's static on the tv and she's lying on the sofa
The cats crawl over her
Jenny's in the garage, she's got the car in neutral
She rolls it out so quietly
It's Saturday as usual
It always is
And me I'm in my bedroom, drawing in my notebook
'Cause my hand thinks I'm an artist, but my heart knows I'm a poet
It's just words, they mean so little to me
So little to me, so little to me
And I can't seem to deal with something more from everyone
It falls back (?)
Daddy's in the backyard, his hands are getting dirty
And mom is in the kitchen, and the cake says that I'm thirteen
Another year
My brother went to college to become a doctor
And if he studies hard enough, he'll end up just like father
Who hates his life
And me, I'm in the bathroom, crying out my eyelids
'Cause it's hard to be a man when you're scared
Just like a little kid
Words become a little too mean
And I can't see the point of patient love
When everyone just wants to get fucked
Tell me what you wanted to hear
Let me do the right thing, let me do the wrong thing
And if it's ever this clear
I'll only say it once
Just let me turn the amps way up
So you can hear nothing
And if I die tonight, then I guess I die tonight
Let me go on
Just say what you wanted to say
I cannot stand these talks, dear
They're only getting nowhere
It's never resolved, we only run around
You only tell me anyone could be just like me
If it was a different time and a different place to be
You would go on
(x)
Tell me what you wanted to hear
Let me do the right thing, let me do the wrong thing
And if it's ever this clear
I'll only say it once
Just let me turn the amps way up
So you can hear nothing
And if I die tonight, then I guess I die tonight
Let me go on
Just say what you wanted to say
I cannot stand these talks, dear
They're only getting nowhere
It's never resolved, we only run around
You only tell me anyone could be just like me
If it was a different time and a different place to be
You would go on
I wanted to come visit you waiting in the springtime
When the leaves change
And the ground outside is begging for that newness that surrounds us
As we dance back through the screen door
In the sunlight of mid-April
But the glow won't stop the smiles that are spreading on our faces
As we fall down on the kitchen floor
And she's laughing about something that she had heard earlier
And I can't help noticing that she is sitting closer to me
Than she ever has before
(x)
I wanted to come visit you waiting in the springtime
When the leaves change
And the ground outside is begging for that newness that surrounds us
As we dance back through the screen door
In the sunlight of mid-April
But the glow won't stop the smiles that are spreading on our faces
As we fall down on the kitchen floor
And she's laughing about something that she had heard earlier
And I can't help noticing that she is sitting closer to me
Than she ever has before
We escape from the house as the day disappears from the sky into night
We became what we wanted to be, like a dream or a ghost
I collapsed out of turn near a house
Lying still in the grass and felt the heat from the ground
Rising up to contract and expand like a breath
We leave from that place soaked with sweat and the poison we drank
Fill the bathtub with ice and hope this fever will break
Like a heart, easily
But I do not recall all the words that were formed
On those wire lips as they greeted me
A promise was made without thought as the temperature climbed
And I started to sink like the moon tends to do if you stare at it so long
Then you blink and it's gone, and we crawl to our sleep with the dawn
And isn't it the same mistake? And isn't it the same mistake?
There's not much you can escape
And isn't it the same?
We awake in the light feeling hollow and selfishly warm
Close the blinds and retreat until what's burning is gone
And its light is away
Then we're back in the dark chasing nothing through backyards and trees
You ripped your shirt on a fence, but it didn't get me
Yeah, it's fear, it makes you slow
And these creatures look crooked, their shadows cut lines through my face
And the concrete is fire where my bare feet are placed
In a line next to yours
And I guess I'm not sure if it's fear that was born
As those awful eyes laid their claim on us
I put my hands on the fence, said your name, and I started to climb
And it must have been sweat but I drank it like wine
It was sweet, my mouth was dry
I heard your scream but I made no reply
I can still taste it now if I try
(x)
We escape from the house as the day disappears from the sky into night
We became what we wanted to be, like a dream or a ghost
I collapsed out of turn near a house
Lying still in the grass and felt the heat from the ground
Rising up to contract and expand like a breath
We leave from that place soaked with sweat and the poison we drank
Fill the bathtub with ice and hope this fever will break
Like a heart, easily
But I do not recall all the words that were formed
On those wire lips as they greeted me
A promise was made without thought as the temperature climbed
And I started to sink like the moon tends to do if you stare at it so long
Then you blink and it's gone, and we crawl to our sleep with the dawn
And isn't it the same mistake? And isn't it the same mistake?
There's not much you can escape
And isn't it the same?
We awake in the light feeling hollow and selfishly warm
Close the blinds and retreat until what's burning is gone
And its light is away
Then we're back in the dark chasing nothing through backyards and trees
You ripped your shirt on a fence, but it didn't get me
Yeah, it's fear, it makes you slow
And these creatures look crooked, their shadows cut lines through my face
And the concrete is fire where my bare feet are placed
In a line next to yours
And I guess I'm not sure if it's fear that was born
As those awful eyes laid their claim on us
I put my hands on the fence, said your name, and I started to climb
And it must have been sweat but I drank it like wine
It was sweet, my mouth was dry
I heard your scream but I made no reply
I can still taste it now if I try
I had a beautiful, beautiful time
The drives and the talks were amazing
The kind of friend I thought I'd never find
I had a beautiful, beautiful time
You have a beautiful, beautiful smile
The way it curls and collapses on your lips
When you touch me I shake like a child
It's late, I'm afraid you might leave
'Cause sometimes it seems like you still don't believe me
There's nothing I can do to concentrate
It's so distracting, always thinking of you
So I expose and explain and I meant everything I said
And it's moments like this that repeat and replay in my head
When I'm laying in bed
It's a beautiful, beautiful time
As you laugh and roll onto your stomach
The carpet embraces your design
My heart pounds as I lay by your side
And I find that I am unable to hide all these feelings that flow
In this basement, and in this dim light, you look so beautiful
I'm unsure and unclear with the words that I say
I'm happy when you're near and I wish that forever could stay
Just like today
You have beautiful, beautiful eyes
So bright and alive and enchanting
I want to be with you all of the time
It's hopeless but I have to try
(x)
I had a beautiful, beautiful time
The drives and the talks were amazing
The kind of friend I thought I'd never find
I had a beautiful, beautiful time
You have a beautiful, beautiful smile
The way it curls and collapses on your lips
When you touch me I shake like a child
It's late, I'm afraid you might leave
'Cause sometimes it seems like you still don't believe me
There's nothing I can do to concentrate
It's so distracting, always thinking of you
So I expose and explain and I meant everything I said
And it's moments like this that repeat and replay in my head
When I'm laying in bed
It's a beautiful, beautiful time
As you laugh and roll onto your stomach
The carpet embraces your design
My heart pounds as I lay by your side
And I find that I am unable to hide all these feelings that flow
In this basement, and in this dim light, you look so beautiful
I'm unsure and unclear with the words that I say
I'm happy when you're near and I wish that forever could stay
Just like today
You have beautiful, beautiful eyes
So bright and alive and enchanting
I want to be with you all of the time
It's hopeless but I have to try
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to say that night has come
And there's one that guards this jagged shore
And there's one to call the children home
And there's one to light the path they take
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to keep the shadows off
And there's one that tells me she got home
And there's one to read his novel by
And there's one that warms this dreary room
And there's one to watch the baby sleep
And there's one to count the blinking stars
And there's one that I just can't forget
And there's one that I remember too
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one that waits for closing time
And there's one that gets left on all night
And there's one that marks the western sky
And it shines down on the quiet street
And there's one that floods the darker parts
And there's one that hurts my tired eyes
And there's one that says she's not asleep
And there's one that waits for her to wake
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There is one that spills out on the beach
And it sparkles on the jetting rocks
And there is one that waits for tired ships
That sleep within this tired port
(x)
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to say that night has come
And there's one that guards this jagged shore
And there's one to call the children home
And there's one to light the path they take
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to keep the shadows off
And there's one that tells me she got home
And there's one to read his novel by
And there's one that warms this dreary room
And there's one to watch the baby sleep
And there's one to count the blinking stars
And there's one that I just can't forget
And there's one that I remember too
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one that waits for closing time
And there's one that gets left on all night
And there's one that marks the western sky
And it shines down on the quiet street
And there's one that floods the darker parts
And there's one that hurts my tired eyes
And there's one that says she's not asleep
And there's one that waits for her to wake
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There is one that spills out on the beach
And it sparkles on the jetting rocks
And there is one that waits for tired ships
That sleep within this tired port
Meaning is sometimes hard to spot
It begins with the flickering of cigarettes
In the darkness of a dorm room, somewhere in this suffocated Midwest
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if there is truth then why can't we find it?
But beauty comes to those who have been waiting
For something that is bigger than themselves
But this is the sound of the hopeless kids
As they scream from the basements of the houses of their parents
And this is the sound of the hopeless ones
As they stare down at their books and realize that they've been lied to
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if the vision's gone, then I was not aware
Consistency like that which I have craved is that people change so unexpectedly
And realization finds you in a drunken airport
Some planes depart and others never arrive
So with this in mind I don't plan on waiting
If it's time to leave and break these old ties
Without something more the vision is fading
But until it's gone the pain will make us try
But this is the hope I've been searching for
As the wings catch the sunlight of the cold Nebraska skyline
And this is the dream I am dying in
As I wake to find tomorrow, be content without perfection
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if the vision's gone then I was not aware
(x)
Meaning is sometimes hard to spot
It begins with the flickering of cigarettes
In the darkness of a dorm room, somewhere in this suffocated Midwest
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if there is truth then why can't we find it?
But beauty comes to those who have been waiting
For something that is bigger than themselves
But this is the sound of the hopeless kids
As they scream from the basements of the houses of their parents
And this is the sound of the hopeless ones
As they stare down at their books and realize that they've been lied to
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if the vision's gone, then I was not aware
Consistency like that which I have craved is that people change so unexpectedly
And realization finds you in a drunken airport
Some planes depart and others never arrive
So with this in mind I don't plan on waiting
If it's time to leave and break these old ties
Without something more the vision is fading
But until it's gone the pain will make us try
But this is the hope I've been searching for
As the wings catch the sunlight of the cold Nebraska skyline
And this is the dream I am dying in
As I wake to find tomorrow, be content without perfection
But if this is real then I was mistaken
And if the vision's gone then I was not aware
My grandfather's name was Moon because his eyes were bright and round
And no amount of time or liquor could dull them
My grandmother's name was Joy because it spilled out of her heart
And bathed her precious children in its warmth
And there was happiness in life beyond the sorrow and the pain
But how they ever found it I cannot explain
I guess time has a way of making everything all right
It's just there's not enough of it
And so we drink and we sing and we celebrate this life
And hope that it will last
Morning is here, and night has passed
My grandfather was a doctor, he cured the sick with his kind hands
And he taught me how to sail and how to find dry land
My grandmother was all sweetness, when she spoke we all heard bells
And they rang in such a way that we were comforted
And they held on to each other with all the strength they had
And they loved with devotion beyond what I understand
But fear has a way of making sleep unbearable, and the days seem cold and long
But we'll cry and we dance, and we stumble into love in awkward, perfect grace
The moon is gone and the sun has took its place
(x)
My grandfather's name was Moon because his eyes were bright and round
And no amount of time or liquor could dull them
My grandmother's name was Joy because it spilled out of her heart
And bathed her precious children in its warmth
And there was happiness in life beyond the sorrow and the pain
But how they ever found it I cannot explain
I guess time has a way of making everything all right
It's just there's not enough of it
And so we drink and we sing and we celebrate this life
And hope that it will last
Morning is here, and night has passed
My grandfather was a doctor, he cured the sick with his kind hands
And he taught me how to sail and how to find dry land
My grandmother was all sweetness, when she spoke we all heard bells
And they rang in such a way that we were comforted
And they held on to each other with all the strength they had
And they loved with devotion beyond what I understand
But fear has a way of making sleep unbearable, and the days seem cold and long
But we'll cry and we dance, and we stumble into love in awkward, perfect grace
The moon is gone and the sun has took its place
Emily, sing something sweet for me
I want to feel the warmth inside your heart
Emily, sing something sweet for me
I need to feel those words out of your mouth
Emily, sing something, please
I want to face the life behind your eyes
Emily, sing something, something, something, sweet
(x)
Emily, sing something sweet for me
I want to feel the warmth inside your heart
Emily, sing something sweet for me
I need to feel those words out of your mouth
Emily, sing something, please
I want to face the life behind your eyes
Emily, sing something, something, something, sweet
It is not the past few days that have made me feel this way
And it is not the tiny marks of doubt that cover everything I see
It is just the way she looks at me with a love so complete
That I have never seen
And from this grows a strong, undying guilt
The feeling of regret for things I never felt
But oh, I wanted to change and become what she needs
I know what she needs, what I can never be
(x)
It is not the past few days that have made me feel this way
And it is not the tiny marks of doubt that cover everything I see
It is just the way she looks at me with a love so complete
That I have never seen
And from this grows a strong, undying guilt
The feeling of regret for things I never felt
But oh, I wanted to change and become what she needs
I know what she needs, what I can never be
And, if it's true, baby, I'm the one in love with you
And I guess that I've been all my life
And I know, and I'll try
And I'll love you more than those other guys
'Cause you mean the world to me
You're exactly what I need
Baby, I'm waiting for you to stop shaking and come closer to me
My love and protection, my love and devotion, devotion
Covered the spread, won the bets
And now I'm the one who won your heart, and I hope that you'll always be mine
'Cause our love is for all time
And trust of a virtue, I'll never desert you
Or leave you behind
Forever and ever, yeah, we'll be together
Together, we'll be
And if it's true, baby, I'm the one in love with you
And I swear that I've been all my life
Covered the spread, won the bets
Baby, I'm the one that won your heart
And I know, and if it's true
(x)
And, if it's true, baby, I'm the one in love with you
And I guess that I've been all my life
And I know, and I'll try
And I'll love you more than those other guys
'Cause you mean the world to me
You're exactly what I need
Baby, I'm waiting for you to stop shaking and come closer to me
My love and protection, my love and devotion, devotion
Covered the spread, won the bets
And now I'm the one who won your heart, and I hope that you'll always be mine
'Cause our love is for all time
And trust of a virtue, I'll never desert you
Or leave you behind
Forever and ever, yeah, we'll be together
Together, we'll be
And if it's true, baby, I'm the one in love with you
And I swear that I've been all my life
Covered the spread, won the bets
Baby, I'm the one that won your heart
And I know, and if it's true
Close your eyes
The dark outside can't hurt you
And I will never desert your bedside
So close them tight
The stars are so glad that they've found you
And on the blankets that surround you
They shine their light, they shine their light
So rest your head, and I will be watching from the doorway
As you slip into a perfect, peaceful sleep
And morning will come, in all its simple glory
And you will find the light
And I will be there, standing in your shadow
Knowing that you once were mine
All mine, my baby, my girl
(x)
Close your eyes
The dark outside can't hurt you
And I will never desert your bedside
So close them tight
The stars are so glad that they've found you
And on the blankets that surround you
They shine their light, they shine their light
So rest your head, and I will be watching from the doorway
As you slip into a perfect, peaceful sleep
And morning will come, in all its simple glory
And you will find the light
And I will be there, standing in your shadow
Knowing that you once were mine
All mine, my baby, my girl
She kills, with foreign films, the emptiness of day to day
And I wait until the weekend comes
So I can clear this uselessness from my brain
I count the days until she arrives, those precious minutes when she is mine
As we walk from my front door to her car we're so close and alone
But that will disappear in a room filled with the warmth of others' company
There's just too much company
I hide my wounded pride and stare off into the other cars
If I could just speak the words to tell her exactly how I feel
I count the ways that I might say it but I know that none of them will work
Because she won't feel the same
I've come this far but I can't go through with it
Because the truth would hurt too much, this hurts too much
She goes back to the west coast to drink in the sunshine
And I will stay here in these dead plains and try to make a seed grow
And I would pray for rain if I thought that it would help
(x)
She kills, with foreign films, the emptiness of day to day
And I wait until the weekend comes
So I can clear this uselessness from my brain
I count the days until she arrives, those precious minutes when she is mine
As we walk from my front door to her car we're so close and alone
But that will disappear in a room filled with the warmth of others' company
There's just too much company
I hide my wounded pride and stare off into the other cars
If I could just speak the words to tell her exactly how I feel
I count the ways that I might say it but I know that none of them will work
Because she won't feel the same
I've come this far but I can't go through with it
Because the truth would hurt too much, this hurts too much
She goes back to the west coast to drink in the sunshine
And I will stay here in these dead plains and try to make a seed grow
And I would pray for rain if I thought that it would help
Agony and withdrawal disrupt my well-being
A voice flooded by the piercing and the sounds of distant lands
Silence is my heart, I carry out my cross
While the sun suffers away
The clouds reveal the chariots of venus
Restrictions of time and space retire
While her bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
And I can see I'm in heaven with her flesh in my arms
Easy the undeniable, the misery of my lack of truth
With the truth of love
(x)
Agony and withdrawal disrupt my well-being
A voice flooded by the piercing and the sounds of distant lands
Silence is my heart, I carry out my cross
While the sun suffers away
The clouds reveal the chariots of venus
Restrictions of time and space retire
While her bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
And I can see I'm in heaven with her flesh in my arms
Easy the undeniable, the misery of my lack of truth
With the truth of love
She says she's read too many fashion magazines
She's forgotten what real love is like
And as the basement collects more kids off the street
They smoke themselves to death waiting for the band to begin
They've been tuning up there for an hour now
And I don't think I can stand another minute more
But just then the first chord strums, and the drums set in
And I know what I have been waiting around for
Because no one's going home until the morning comes
No one's going to sleep until the sun comes up
Did you hear those first two songs?
They were fucking tuff
And the band's not going to stop until the cops show up
So hold your applause until the end, and wait for the sadness to set in
Because that's the only feeling that's worth a damn
He says he's done with the pop music scene
There's too many opinions and so few are worth a shit
He has got to learn to act a little more mean
Because the mean ones always end up with the record deals
And it's only when I'm angry that I feel complete
When we are screaming at each other is when I am most happy
I hang out with my friends and then I get depressed
And I drink myself to sleep with any strength that is left
And I quit going to church a year ago
And my teachers think that my faith is gone
But I can do without the eucharist because I found God
In a Solid Jackson song
(x)
She says she's read too many fashion magazines
She's forgotten what real love is like
And as the basement collects more kids off the street
They smoke themselves to death waiting for the band to begin
They've been tuning up there for an hour now
And I don't think I can stand another minute more
But just then the first chord strums, and the drums set in
And I know what I have been waiting around for
Because no one's going home until the morning comes
No one's going to sleep until the sun comes up
Did you hear those first two songs?
They were fucking tuff
And the band's not going to stop until the cops show up
So hold your applause until the end, and wait for the sadness to set in
Because that's the only feeling that's worth a damn
He says he's done with the pop music scene
There's too many opinions and so few are worth a shit
He has got to learn to act a little more mean
Because the mean ones always end up with the record deals
And it's only when I'm angry that I feel complete
When we are screaming at each other is when I am most happy
I hang out with my friends and then I get depressed
And I drink myself to sleep with any strength that is left
And I quit going to church a year ago
And my teachers think that my faith is gone
But I can do without the eucharist because I found God
In a Solid Jackson song
All eyes on the calendar, another year I claim of total indifference
To here the days pile up with decisions to be made
I'm sure all of them were wrong
Into this song, I send myself
And with these drinks I plan to collapse and forget
This wasted year, these wasted years
Devoted friends, they disappear
I'm sorry about the phone call, and needing you
Some decisions you don't make
I guess it's just like breathing, or not wanting to
There are some things that you can't fake
I guess that it's typical to cling to memories you'll never get back again
And to sort through old photographs of a summer long ago
Or a friend that you used to know
And there, below his frozen face, you wrote the name and that ancient date
And you can't believe he is really gone
When all that's left is a fucking song
I'm sorry about the phone call and waking you
I know that it's late
But thank you for talking, because I needed to
Some things just can't wait
(x)
All eyes on the calendar, another year I claim of total indifference
To here the days pile up with decisions to be made
I'm sure all of them were wrong
Into this song, I send myself
And with these drinks I plan to collapse and forget
This wasted year, these wasted years
Devoted friends, they disappear
I'm sorry about the phone call, and needing you
Some decisions you don't make
I guess it's just like breathing, or not wanting to
There are some things that you can't fake
I guess that it's typical to cling to memories you'll never get back again
And to sort through old photographs of a summer long ago
Or a friend that you used to know
And there, below his frozen face, you wrote the name and that ancient date
And you can't believe he is really gone
When all that's left is a fucking song
I'm sorry about the phone call and waking you
I know that it's late
But thank you for talking, because I needed to
Some things just can't wait
Come by when you get off work
I'll be sitting around doing nothing
We can wait till the sun goes down
Then we can drive off deep into the night I don't care where we're going, as long as I'm going with you
The summer swells in, with the heat comes a new kind of wanting
Cool nights never cooled us off
Lay around and wait for something to happen
When it is three lonely figures
A bedroom, a basement, she's scared
Which one is sleeping and which one is lying awake?
Yeah, which one is sleeping and which one is lying about it?
Afternoons drag on and on, movie nights that never end
We can hang out all night long, lay in bed and talk to a good friend
'Cause you only get older and you probably forget what it's like
The university's quiet today
We didn't clean, we just talked in the bathroom
The girl always gets in the way
Ruined friendships, but others replace them
These opinions are poison, I've been drinking them all of my life
I could never replace you, and I could never forget what it's like
Step out on a moonlit roof, the radio leads a feel good revolution
Cigarettes and my closest friends
I tell myself that I have to remember this
I have to remember this
(x)
Come by when you get off work
I'll be sitting around doing nothing
We can wait till the sun goes down
Then we can drive off deep into the night I don't care where we're going, as long as I'm going with you
The summer swells in, with the heat comes a new kind of wanting
Cool nights never cooled us off
Lay around and wait for something to happen
When it is three lonely figures
A bedroom, a basement, she's scared
Which one is sleeping and which one is lying awake?
Yeah, which one is sleeping and which one is lying about it?
Afternoons drag on and on, movie nights that never end
We can hang out all night long, lay in bed and talk to a good friend
'Cause you only get older and you probably forget what it's like
The university's quiet today
We didn't clean, we just talked in the bathroom
The girl always gets in the way
Ruined friendships, but others replace them
These opinions are poison, I've been drinking them all of my life
I could never replace you, and I could never forget what it's like
Step out on a moonlit roof, the radio leads a feel good revolution
Cigarettes and my closest friends
I tell myself that I have to remember this
I have to remember this