1. |
||||
You expected a lot, I know,
That can fall apart so fast
Caught up in what comes next
And the poison pull of the past
But before you declare you done
Try wearing your heart on your sleeve
You might find it hard to believe
It's The Beginner's Guide To Birds
And you wake up, you work, and you die
You get beaten down at every smile
Well, I've been there, I've done my worst
Try The Beginner's Guide To Birds
There's so much more to be
Outside of the nine to five world
It's peeking out from a movie screen
And slashing at you from a magazine
But you'd better be ready to fight
While there's still a spark in your mind
Do you need something to get behind?
Here's The Beginner's Guide To Birds
And all of the wrong ones live, yeah
And all of the tight ones die
But you'll have to learn to forgive yourself
Have The Beginner's Guide To Birds
You wake up, you work, and you die
You get beaten down at every smile
Well, I've been there, I broke that curse
You need The Beginner's Guide To Birds
It's how my father got stuck in the 'burbs
Try The Beginner's Guide To Birds
I don't want to wake up 'cause it hurts
Have The Beginner's Guide To Birds
And, like, a new car is making it worse
Here's The Beginner's Guide To Birds
And, like, how I do I break the curse?
You need The Beginner's Guide To Birds
|
||||
2. |
Alice Escher
02:16
|
|||
Alice Escher wasn’t much of a catch
With her crooked smile and her spine to match
She snapped her key off in the lock coming home
A perfect end to a night best forgot
Alice Escher’d made her way to the party
Sat talking low into her untouched Bacardi and coke
She expected to see some friends who never showed,
Sat crossing her thumbs on the sofa alone
Oh, Alice Escher...
Someone asked her for the millionth time
If she’s related to that famous family line
She explained “It’s just a coincidence”
But by then the boy had lost interest
Alice Escher tossed her keys across the table
“What a waste!” she yells to her cat Abigail
“Another night with socks that won’t stay tight!”
Stands crossing her knees under the kitchen light
Oh, Alice Escher...
|
||||
3. |
This John's A Journalist
02:24
|
|||
"Can’t you stay quiet, keep those pen scratchings to yourself?
We’re trying to sleep up here, and you’re murmuring loud as hell
As loud as hell, as loud as hell"
"Oh mother, you don’t understand, I think I’m part of some elaborate plot
A strange shape’s trying to convince me to do just what it wants
Just what it wants, just what it wants
But this John’s a journalist with a bottle in his grip"
(What a strange document)
"Can’t you keep those bones from knocking in your closet, I’m trying to sleep
I know you’re not feeling well, but they’re trembling hard as hell
As hard as hell, as hard as hell"
"Oh mother, you don’t understand, I’ve got to rattle them out of here
I’ll give ‘em this hollow little squint until they disappear
'Cause this John’s an exorcist with a bottle for a crucifix"
(What a strange relapse)
"You can pretend that pen’s a wishing well
But whatever hell you’ve seen is written in-between your cells"
"'Cause this John’s a journalist…"
"Why don’t you publish your ramblings if you think you’ve got something figured out?"
"Oh mother, you don’t understand, lunatics get famous and I’d rather stay drunk in here
That should be pretty clear
'Cause this John’s a realist with a grip on business sense"
(What a strange defense)
|
||||
4. |
American Shoes
01:43
|
|||
I want to wake up to the girl from surprise
I want to wake up to the girl from surprise
When I learned she'd be missing for weeks
Well, I just followed her down into my sleep
Oh yes, oh my word, what a clue
T-total gold
The dry grass crunching
Under your American Shoes
I want to wake up with your coat in my mouth
I want to wake up smiling your name
Searching my pockets for the number that you wrote
On some cellophane
Oh yes, oh that's so you
With a kiss that slips like colour with a u
After your American Shoes
Oh please squeeze some gold through my veins...
|
||||
5. |
Miss Museumpiece
03:04
|
|||
She's an artifact
That you wanted to attract
So you smuggled her out
But she's too rare to remain
She holds back
And holds off
And she tells you to do the same
So be careful not to smear
Your fingerprints on her pane
And do not steam
Your breath
On her exhibit case
She'll stand all day
In the shower just to scrub them away
Now, Miss Museumpiece
Can I get some sleep?
With the torture of your voice
Echoing like the creak on the ladder
While I'm trying to believe
That you're lying next to me
But I can hear your windowcrawl
All the sneaking you sneak
Can't make you invisible
When you pressure and slide
Along the spine of her grip
And she reaches down
To show you how to give her some lip
Do not make a mess
Oh, do not forget to be rough
She'll keep her distance
Just to show you she's had enough
Now, Miss Museumpiece
Can I get some sleep?
'Cause the torture of your voice
Is like the cunning creak
Of your footsteps as they darkly sneak
Oh, but darling I can see
You silhouetted by the light in the hall
All the sneaking you sneak
Won't make you invisible
|
||||
6. |
||||
Well you can stop staring at me, cause I know
That I’m double-exposed and it shows
But just where am I supposed to go when I know
That I was Born In The Wrong Universe?
I’ve thought it through perfectly well
And I’ve written it down and it’s hell
'Cause just who am I supposed to tell when I know
That I was Born In The Wrong Universe?
My friends, they say “Why don’t you try?”
“'Cause it’s hard!, and I’ve been drinking since three and I’m bored"
I’m the passenger sort so my calls go ignored
'Cause I was Born In The Wrong Universe
Born In The Wrong Universe
Let me get back in the dirt
I was Born In The Wrong Universe
I can tell, cause it’s too boring to stop
Someone somewhere must’ve stole my place
And now they’re living well and feeling fine
They must’ve made some deal with luck, and then I came unstuck
Cross my heart and hope to die
Or maybe put me back in
Either tear me out or else stick me back in
My heart is missing the part which implies
That it’s absent the part that denies it can apologize
All these parts are obscured
'Cause I was Born In The Wrong Universe
And I remember saying “shit, this is lame”
No one asked me to further explain
They always just quietly turn their heads and cough
Cause I was Born In The Wrong Universe
Born In The Wrong Universe
Let me jump into the hearse
I was Born In The Wrong Universe
I can tell, 'cause it’s too boring to hurt
Fuck, I was Born In The Wrong Universe
|
||||
7. |
Ejector Seat
02:26
|
|||
Ejector seat
You escaped from the life that we made
And who could blame you, who could blame you?
Ejector seat
I pushed the button and I shot you away
And then I blamed you, then I blamed you
Why couldn't I be what you want all the time?
'Cause I wasted a year sleepwalking in circles around
All of my vanity lies
With another girl's hand on my eyes
Ejector seat
I forgot you were grinding your teeth
But then I heard you, then I heard you
Ejector seat
I was too late for you to believe
That's when I told you, that's right when I told you
Why couldn't we feel what we felt right on time?
'Cause I was writing my mind in a tactical style of describe
And you whispered you heard what I meant
With another guy's hand on your forehead
He's got you strapped in
And safety check's complete
I'd dive any enemy
Only this time it's you, escaping me
So take a seat
This is where I unveil the speech
That I've been shaping, I've been shaping
You were a burst
But I guess I'm expecting the worst
That's you escaping, that's you escaping
Say I can look for you when I land
|
||||
8. |
||||
Well, I fell in love with the girl from the grammar police
Correction's her job and her joy and it puts her at ease
But as for me?
Well, I've never been one to take words that seriously
A winsome smile and wink always worked for me
But now I'm gonna have to try
For the girl of my dreams
'Cause could there ever be a more excellent sight
Than the lovely legs of a grammar girl in neon light?
She's very bright!
Well, what can I say to a girl from the grammar police?
Her cold morphologist's eye is always roving on me
But as for she
She breaks her thoughts into perfect sets
Broken down into exes and effs
With all these nine dollar words I know I'll never get
And no I don't know the difference between which and whether
But she always seems to be right at the end of her tether
She's very clever!
Would it help at all if I opened up the dictionary?
And tried to memorize your labyrinthine vocabulary?
You're really scary
Well, I think it's clear that all her rules are far beyond me
And I'll never grasp the principles of the grammar police
And it hurts alright
'Cause she's a real figure of speech
(The girl from the grammar police)...
|
||||
9. |
Unlimited Thank You's
02:14
|
|||
When the world got full
Of bright wet grey days
And our smiles tumbled stairwise
Like a clumsy child
And our tears fell like glass
Through old honey
And our fingers laid to rust
They were laced with white mold
And all the flowers that we picked
Were just snakes of light
Reflected off suburban rain puddles
And then someone shouted “sleep!”
She was full of claustrophobic
And all the world went monochrome
With ice-colored glitter
Now suspicions could solve themselves
In the fissure of sweaters
With moons trembling in her window canyons
Trembling, snow in my hair
Gutless, don’t be afraid...
She says our bodies mold by thirty...
And no plans could attack our bones
See, we were too sleepy to die
|
||||
10. |
Quiet, Ophelia
03:05
|
|||
She asks a very quiet question about blown youth
The music vows and the fair state too
But I haven't changed, it isn't true
Don't skip ahead, you won't like the ending
Quiet, Ophelia, 'cause I'm only pretending
She says I'm out of time, an ex-expectant rose
Pretends she's chaste as ice and pure as snow
But my mind is clean, not overthrown
Don't skip ahead, 'cause I'm only pretending
Quiet, Ophelia, 'cause you won't like the ending
Well the glass of fashion and mold of form
Has never darkened and never torn
It's just priorities alter and rearrange
And the simplest thing is to act this strange
And if I leave you wretched, dejected and changed
Well, I'm sorry Ophelia, but I must play my game
Not blasted with ecstasy, not honey-drained
When the observer's observed, the observer's changed
And I'm just too obsessed to explain
Don't skip ahead, there'll be no god-sending
All bright revenge when fired comes bending
Well, dead man's fingers, you won't like the ending
Quiet, Ophelia, 'cause I'm only pretending
|
||||
11. |
Estella's Ghost
06:08
|
|||
I raised my glass, but not to toast
Because inside my throat is where I caught her ghost
It makes me such
A thirsty host
Estella's Ghost
I know exactly when it was I changed
Exactly when my thoughts got rearranged
It was fifteen years ago this Saturday
I noticed that my moods got in the way
Of something vague
That had some other game
Estella's Ghost
She kept her distance while she was alive
Until the night when sinister she sighed
"A friend's apartment, can I get a ride?"
Oh my insides
I thought it was my time
Estella
Fifteen years ago last Saturday
I drove but didn't think that I would stay
But she got her way
And I stayed just in case
Estella
She was suddenly all touching and loose hugs
When the party turned ugly, she just shrugged
When everyone turned to run
She gave my hand a tug
I was well and truly stunned
Cause as I turned to run
Her tongue found my tongue
I heard the gun
They opened fire
And we were one...
Estella's Ghost
Soon enough I learned to let it lead
More often than not it spoke for me
I never drink
But now I'm six by three
Estella's Ghost
Her liquor slicks down the back of my throat
So sometimes I don't even know
What words she'll decide should flow
Well, now my friends
Well, they don't call no more
Estella's Ghost
Now I sting my head with major tones
Because right between ears is where I caught her ghost
On nights like this, what I wonder most
Is why it was me that she chose?
Well, was it something to show me
How easily she could own me?
There was something I can't describe
Some evil sparkle in her eyes
But what I can't decide
Is why did she want to die
And haunt my mind?
Tonight's our anniversary
Which no one knows
She has me pour another gin and coke
The walls are close
So raise a toast to drown Estella's Ghost
And not to boast
But my therapist says I might be getting close
|
||||
12. |
||||
My life is starting over again, over again
My friends say I'm back again
My life is starting over again, over again
My fame is spreading across the land
Now I've got me a band, I've got me a band
My fame is spreading across the land
My life is starting over again, over again
I know that there's no place left to hide
Well, I guess that it's better than suicide
The years of heartache and pain
Got no one to blame except myself
My life is starting over again, over again
I know that there's no place left to hide
I guess that it's better than suicide
My life is starting over again, over again
My friends, say I'm back again
Well, my life is starting over again, over again...
|
||||
13. |
Now I Know My Place
03:29
|
|||
I was pushed down and I scraped a fourth-grade knee
(A shadow on the playground)
I jumped up, kicking and swearing and screaming
(At a shadow that laughed loud)
But Stephen Chance was big
He swung and caught me in the teeth
Crying so hard I couldn't speak
And I swear the teachers were smiling
Shaking their heads like "If you can't fight back
Then you don't deserve to be saved"
Well, wipe that smile off your face, please
Now I know my place
She was chewing me out for reading instead of planning
(Our rent would be up soon)
I kept my mouth shut, I kept my drawings in hiding
(Under the chair in the front room)
But Sarah Quick was straight
And she abandoned my fate
"Perhaps your daydream dolls can pay your rent," she said
"Tomorrow's already the tenth"
Now I'm cap in hand "Can I please work here
And I promise I won't be late"
Well hide that look on your face, please
Now I know my place
I know my place now and I don't need reminding
That the world is a spider and its web is tightening
Shake your act up, be a real go-getter
I don't need you to spell it out for me
All my days spent lost in a cubicle maze
Well now I know that I'm a disgrace
Now I know my place
|
||||
14. |
You're Breaking My Arms
03:34
|
|||
Well, my baby picked me up on a Thursday night
I said "Whatever you want to do, I will not put up a fight"
Words I would live to regret, as it came to pass
Her backseat full of implements, the cigarette lighter flashed
With the slightest hint of evil, she said
"Let's have a blast"
Well, baby baby baby let me share with you a fact
It may come as some surprise, but I do not bend like that
I'm not gonna lie, my body's pumping with alarm
I said "Baby baby baby baby baby,
You're breaking my arms"
I said "You're breaking my arms"
Well, I came to on the table with the leather straps tight
My baby looking deadly in the full moonlight
There was some kind of contraption with a pulley and winch
Connected to my body, I said "Baby, what's all this?"
She said "Honey, this is my idea of what a Thursday night is"
Well, baby baby baby got me bent up like a bug
Taking photographs for friends so they can rank them on her blog
I'm trying not to pass out and I'm fighting to stay calm
Just that baby baby baby baby baby
I think you're breaking my arms
I think you're breaking my arms
You know you're breaking my arms
You're breaking my...guitar solo...
Well, please not the ether baby, please not the straps
Put down the blowtorch, take that coffee maker back
I don't know what you want from me, some kinda confession?
I don't know what's in store for me, the worst I'm guessing?
Now it's Friday morning and I'm crawling into work
Well, I woke up dumped off in my front lawn
I could barely change my shirt
Jake, you know, from sales? says "Man, you look like hell"
I said "Looks are nothing, Jake, you should have heard me yell"
He just whistled and grinned and said "Can I have her cel?"
No, you do not want it, Jake!
Oh baby, now the pictures they are pumping in my eyes
Every time I close them as I'm putting back my files
The mental scars may linger, that's not the worst part
It's that baby baby baby baby baby I think you broke my arms
You know you broke my arms
You broke my arms
That was you that broke my arms
Yeah, you broke my arms
|
||||
15. |
Brushfire Kisses
04:13
|
|||
What'll happen to my heart when I fall into your mouth?
I might catch on fire
So your brushfire kisses having set me alight
Are burning through the night sky
Sending up sparks in the shape
Of all the nice things you whispered to me last night
When we fell apart the couch
And we were only our mouths
We were only just arms
We were only just clowning around downtown
Love and laughter aren't different to me
And it's alright, baby take it slow
I hate when you have to go
But I can shiver myself with your thought all day
Fire this bright? It never burns away
What'll happen to my heart when I fall into your mouth?
I might catch on fire
'Cause your eskimo kisses having melted my heart
I thought I'd woken up from a dream that hadn't started yet
Well, can it really get better than that?
I thought "How can I sleep when you're laying along me?
And how can I dream when all your arms are
Already holding on me?"
Your heart and mine aren't different to me
And there were two of everything
'Cause you drank it in so quickly
And I drank you in like that myself
"Well, take it easy," I thought,
"It's not good for your health"
With fire this bright
I might be coming to life
So if my heart feels strange
It's not burning away
I just might have been dead for years
Your kiss has opened my eyes
Now my every sense is on fire
I can hear your heart when you're way across town
I can feel your pulse when I touch the ground
I can see your lips part, burn me down
What'll happen to your heart when you fall into my mouth?
You might catch on fire
I could drown in your mouth and never come up
You're so gold it strikes matches
In the dark of my heart
When you do that stuff
I might catch on fire
I thought you might be mine when you wrote your smile
In your eyes, like a prop plane
Writing my name in the sky, darling
You might catch on fire
And your bottomless kisses having pulled me in
I get so elastic when your eyes flash
I'm feeling pins and needles
Needles and pins
So your brushfire kisses having opened my eyes
The train car clatters like a carnival ride
When you opened your mouth
I might catch on fire
Or else I might be coming to life
|
||||
16. |
Timothy Grey
03:39
|
|||
Timothy Grey, you nearly gave it away
There are rules to the game, Tim, and a way you must play
Don't undersell and stay calm as hell
If they say "No, thank you" don't let them get away
It's just like getting a girl, Tim
Do you know what I mean?
Because I'm giving you pearls, kid
Don't you want to succeed, Timothy Grey?
Timothy Grey, just show them what's on display
And get them to talk in a personal way
You're a natural closer, with a little steering,
The world could be a hurdle that you'd be clearing
If you don't have it you fake it
I can help you succeed
Don't be too shy to take it
Are you writing all this down, Timothy Grey?
I'm sorry I don't get it, Tim
What do you mean that's not how you want to win?
No one can take it with them, kid
What can all the respect in the world possibly mean in the end?
You might as well take what you can
While you're in the game
Cause no one loves a loser, Timothy Grey
Timothy Grey, I don't know what to say
I guess you don't have the stomach to go all the way
I'm disappointed in you, this should be your last day
You're just too soft to turn events your way
You could sell anything you wanted
Shaking hands when they departed
Slow dance with their wives when the husbands were late
Do you know how many would kill for your place?
You could have been one of the greats, Timothy Grey
"Timothy Grey, whose conscience got in the way,"
Oh, that's what they'll say
I'm letting you go today, Timothy Grey
|
||||
17. |
Flower Shop Girl
03:27
|
|||
Flower Shop Girl
Like a redhead light at the bottom of the world
And I'm on the second floor
Peering down at where you are
Through the mezzanine
At where you listlessly lean
With your plain jane wave
You're no corporate slave like me
Flower Shop Girl
I make up stories about your world
How your father got saved
Your home town got paved
And how you've never lived alone
But you still hate going home
The way you take the change,
What's your name?
I'll probably never know
Because I fall in love
With every girl I see
It's a curse I developed
Back when I was seventeen
When the first girl I loved
Disappeared into a dream
And it never goes away
A little worse every day
Flower Shop Girl
I consider descending into your world
But you seem so nice
And I swear I'm cold as ice
And I'll only break your heart
Because I fall in love
With ever girl I see
And so whenever you quit
Or get replaced on your team
I'll watch the new girl lean
Through the mezzanine
It's a curse
And it only gets worse
Flower Shop Girl
|
||||
18. |
Our Bubbles Bursting
05:03
|
|||
Well, we should never have started the sequel
Never mind the prequel, girl
We were doomed from the starting gun
Although it seemed like fun
When we were spun on a warehouse run
Stickers and glowsticks, we were out of our minds
Our love was like a new branch finding the light
I wrote "the drugs won't be our balloon," and sighed
'Cause truer words were never lied
And darling, can I confide
That there are times when I wish we were still that high?
Oh, but we came down like balloons must do
You were clutching me and I was clutching you
So in the minute or two left to us before impact
I don't want to talk, just brace for the crash
And so I'll turn up my headphones
I suggest you do the same
It's not the best song around
It's just something I found
That might drown out the sound of our bubbles bursting
Soon we were living on our own in a winter town
Just a minute or two before we hit the ground
Before we got tripped up in the creeper vines
And I got snagged on girls
And you got caught on guys
And I stayed out all night
To take a long walk or maybe talk to someone else
In a low-necked shelf
Feet up on the bleachers
With the raddest sneakers
And you'd be stuck at home trying to balance the book
Buying lingerie and learning to cook
You got frayed and let the summer boys splay you
I did everything I could to delay you
Except for say to you
"Wait, don't go, I would've changed all year for you"
And a bigger lie was never true
So in the minute or two before we crash and burn
Can we put on a movie, I think it's your turn
And so I'd crank up the volume
And the neighbors would complain
Saying we've seen it before
And we can take one more
It's just the four on the floor of our bubbles bursting
I had a dream last night that broke my heart again
That we were back like we once had been
Back at the turn of the new century
Under my covers, we were high on E
And our eyes were so wild and freaked out bright
Cause our love was like a new branch finding the light
But hey, now it's alright
We both came out something like alive
You've got one foot in a wedding ring
And one foot in graphic design
And I've got a foot that couldn't draw a straight line
Not to save my life
And so a week or two after we broke our backs
While stumbling home
I heard every track
By every band
We'd ever loved
And for once, instead of ask what I could have done
I just turned up my headphones
And I trust you'll do the same
For a last ditch song that goes on a bit long
But still pops like the bomb of our bubbles bursting
Don't talk
Don't stop
Our bubbles bursting now
|
||||
19. |
||||
Shirley,
It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this new room
Shirley,
You're my reason to get out of bed before noon
Shirley,
You know when we sat out on the fire escape talking
Shirley,
What did you say about running before we were walking
Sometimes when we're as close as this
It's like we're in a dream
How can you lie there and think of England
When you don't even know who's in the team
Shirley,
Your sexual politics have left me all of a muddle
Shirley,
We are joined in the ideological cuddle
I'm celebrating my love for you
With a pint of beer and a new tattoo
And if you haven't noticed yet
I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet
Politics and pregnancy
Are debated as we empty our glasses
And how I love those evening classes
Shirley,
You really know how to make a young man angry
Shirley,
Can we get through the night without mentioning family?
The people from your church agree
It's not much of a career
Trying the handles of parked cars
Whoops, there goes another year
Whoops, there goes another pint of beer
Here we are in our summer years
Living on ice cream and chocolate kisses
Would the leaves fall from the trees
If I was your old man and you were my missus?
Shirley,
Give my greetings to the new brunette...
|
||||
20. |
||||
All the bright, smooth shapes
Seen twisting in the flames
Like a clutched, broken flower
Forms the twist of her name,
And she's gone away
All the punches and clicks
Of the pocketwatch, advancing in the ditch
Like the words in italics
You will find the colors drift into her name,
Now she's gone away
Caddy's broken smile
Undone
Over, gone
Caddy's broken smile
All along
Closed, done
We were talking about you just last week
Writing songs for you to sing in your sleep
Later on when all that burned,
When it drowned,
Mistakes were made, sure
But yours devoured
Sound and rage,
A hollow roar,
This house will fall
And there'll be nothing more than
Caddy's broken smile
Sad song
Now it's all become
Caddy's broken smile
Was all wrong
Now it's over and done, ah...
Oh, if she exists in any way
Well, who can say
All we know is stored
Between pages 1 and 374, oh
Caddy's broken smile
Undone
Over, gone
Caddy's broken smile
Sad song
Now it's all become
Caddy's broken bones
Better leave
What can't be known
Caddy's overtones
They'll echo until
We all go home...
|
||||
21. |
The Wendy House
03:36
|
|||
So, I was sitting at a desk with a pen half-poised
Above a record of expense accounts
When some scent in the air
Like of a co-worker's hair
Produced a funny taste in my mouth
And it was just like the smell of your garden, dear
A place I hadn't recalled in at least twelve years
And I felt such a lie in this suit and tie
Remembering back on those days:
Too young to feel strange when we played those games
You were five, I think, and I was three
But I was quiet as a mouse down at the Wendy House
Was I you or were you me?
Well, the tinkling of ice in your Cheshire glass
While you chose my dress and I rolled up your pants
Is all such a haze now in this cubicle maze
That I wonder if it was real
But I know I recall the Wendy House...
I've been so terribly straight
Since you shut the gate
And put all your clothes in the past
I saw you at a wedding then some years later
And I wanted to ask if you
Could recall playing doctor and changing genders
While your mother set the tea for two
But we just made small talk, as a matter of course
How I'd had a daughter and you'd had a divorce
If you'd've told me then we'd end up boring as my dad
I'm not sure if I'd have ever left
I know I'd've never left
The Wendy House
|
||||
22. |
No Man's Land
03:36
|
|||
This isn't the world
I expected to find
The end of an error,
Surrounded on all sides
By barbed wire fences,
Tickets, and parking fines
Wrong attitude girls,
Empty bottles of wine
There are some nights
I can drink the words away
But most times
They just won't behave
No matter who it drives away
(From no man's land)
It's never over
Just take it slower now
You're in over your head
Getting frantic
For some way out of the trench
Well it's a mess in my mind
But that's all that I am
Garbled orders
And so quick to cancel plans
So don't wait,
You'll never believe the things you say
But it's alright
Allow the love of the good ghost,
It won't get in the way
(In no man's land)
You're getting older
It's getting colder and
You're getting lost out here
It's easy to kid yourself
That nothing will ever change
Another night in an empty house
Where everybody knows your name
Do you feel bo(u)lder now
That you've jumped the ride
Bloody minded,
Swimming against the tide
You're waging a war
Against yourself in fits and starts
The last man standing
In a field of broken hearts
Well take it easy,
Don't go over the top tonight
Forgive yourself,
Allow the love of the good ghost now
And you'll be alright
No man's land
|
||||
23. |
Low Life
03:27
|
|||
I've been up and I've gone down
Went from sold to selling out
Oh, but I got through the year somehow
(So don't count me out)
Another drink in another town
Went from cloned to being clowned
It's not that I haven't been trying, lord
But I can't shake this low life
I've been down but I'm trying to get down
I'm sick of living in a rich kid's town
Lower than low and I'm taking the train,
Killing the pain
To start it all over again
Every low life day seems the same to me
I've been poor and I've been broke
Went from choking to being choked
This low life will try to slit your throat
(You gotta laugh at the jokes)
I've been clocked and on the clock
They'll kick you out and they'll change the locks
It's not that I hate the attention, lord
But I'm over this low life
I've tried to change my mind
But it's not easy when your pockets are dry
Drinking and driving to the cornerstore
To pick up some more
Another bottle of Oh, Poor Me
Every low life day seems the same to me
I've never asked for a helping hand
And so I'm drowning here on dry land
Lower than low
And it's a lonely night, just a landlord to fight with
But I'll get out of this jail
If I can save up enough to post bail
I might even live to tell the tale
Oh, lord don't let me live
Oh, lord don't let me life a low, low life
|
||||
24. |
Confetti
03:57
|
|||
A boy was crying in the confetti
The party was over, he was drunk and sweaty
He was watching her sneakers disappear from view
And shouting maybe we bit off more than we could screw
Oh
He threw her a party to try and win her back
Well, they were both surprised, I think he'd better check his math
She quietly said it was a little too little too late
And then she left him lying in a distasteful state
Well, would you really want it back like it was?
It was fragile as glass, easy to smash
I'm surprised we took so long to collapse, babe
And leave me crying in the confetti
Baubles and quips sit still on the lips
Of the couple who don't speak
But there's no puling it back for all the jokes that you crack
Once it's passed its peak
You know that screwing in silence
Won't staunch the blood once you've stabbed it
Because she sorta loves crying alone
When she cabs it
So take all that hurt with a pinch of salt
'Cause you were liars in love and maybe it wasn't your fault
Or maybe you were wrong to ever let it go
As you lay there crying at least you'll know
That the remedy's cheap and even works in your sleep
And I'm sure that we've got same
I've hid it under the sink to left of the leak
And bring me back one
Well, you could drink it down or take a look at yourself
But I know you're not ready
You'll be down there for years, with your drink and your fears
Crying in the confetti
Crying in the confetti
I know you're not ready
Crying in the confetti
Can't even hold it steady
Crying in the confetti
I know you're not ready
Crying in the confetti
Pull out when you're ready to go
|
||||
25. |
The Standing Army
03:20
|
|||
The Standing Army will rise from the snow
With their citizen's caps in hand, they'll know where to go
Pale and dull, American through and through
With their open-mouthed murmurs
They'll come staggering after you and you and you
And they won't know quite what's wrong
But they'll know when they've felt it
They'll be hungry to tear you down,
They won't be able to help it
You better run
That Standing Army's been idle so long
They'll rise from the ground and march when the signal is strong
Here they come for you,
I hope that you think you're prepared
Because there's nothing that you can do
And no disguise you can wear
Well, they won't read you your rights
Because they've got you surrounded
They'll just shout your days are ours
And your nights have been impounded
But they don't know that there's a room inside my head
Where I never make the bed
And I can hide in there, inside in there
And never come out again
Yes, and though my body may grow cold
When their sensible fingers, grasping out, do hold me down
And though their army of the dead
May grow, marching across the cities of the world
But in my heart they can't win, no
What do you think of that, Jim?
What do you think of that, Kim?
What do you think of that, Tim?
What do you think of that, Lynn?
Of that, Ben?
Of that?
The Standing Army
Is coming for you
And there's nothing that you can do
|
||||
26. |
New Moon Pilgrims
03:39
|
|||
No one has been here before
We're wandering now through the trees of flesh
Their limp arms wave us on with the rest
To the warm corridor of oranges and sweat
My fingers slide along an undersea vent
I can smell the taste that bubbles in her pulse
And I can hear it loud in the heartbeat lulls
There must be magnets, seal my skin to yours
'Cause every single moment drags me deeper into your pores
Trapped for gold on the ocean floor
New moon pilgrims
In the palm of your hand
My eyes are half moons
When you suck me through the sand
The hot night heaven
I've had all I can stand
When I hear you murmuring
"No one has been here before"
We're the tendrils now in the ventricle arch
That's supporting the beams in the church of hearts
And I feel the pull from the monocle glow
The hot center of heat in a rip of snow
I've got ideas that you're pointing me towards
The wormwood's drying as stiff as swords
There's a lush and a press and then a light from the globes
The new moon finger that presses on into the snow
Trapped for gold in your winter moan
We're new moon pilgrims
Cutting trails through the cold
Jungles in the thread
Of my quickening hold
You've had all you can swallow
My summer moans
Somewhere in a crater
Flowers ache to burst
There's pollen in my mouth
That's drowning out your thirst
There's signposts saying
That your flesh is a church
Then you hear me murmur that
No one has been there before
No one has been there
|
||||
27. |
Other Boys Do
03:17
|
|||
Other boys do exactly what you want 'em to
Pick up this and buy me that
I don't believe that's where it's at
Other boys do initially what they have to do
To get you where they want you at
I don't believe I'd go for that
So baby turn it around
I don't see no point in going any further
Baby turn it around
I don't see no point in us being here together
If all you wanna do is have me treat you like
The other boys do
Other boys do some crazy things you want 'em to
Silly boys playing with their toys
I don't profess to be that cool
Other boys do whatever they can do for you
Not me baby, no siree
I don't believe it's here in me
So can I turn it around
I don't see no point in going any further
Can I turn it around
I don't see no point in us being here together
If all you wanna do is have me treat you like
The other boys do
So baby turn it around
I don't see no point in going any further
Baby turn it around
I don't see no point in us being here together
If all you wanna do is have me treat you like
The other boys do
|
||||
28. |
Scrawny
02:34
|
|||
I'm blowing it on a perfect night
With flowers in your eyes
Smile them to me, oh blow my mind
There are words in the words
And a tremble in the touch
She's so pretty and I'm pretty lost
Oh! Wine night catastrophe
I'm spinning out of control
The words in my mouth are always the last to know
Somehow this tumble
Is tumbling out of control
I'll show myself out, I should go
And write another little strummy number
When the wine flows like a flood
She's such an autumn sparkplug
Hey, Scrawny, come over
The bottle is getting lower
I gotta try to take it slower
Cause this is getting me nowhere
Hey, Scrawny, get closer
And the closer that you get
I'm the one with owls in his chest
I'm gonna smash out the street lights
There's such a thing as too bright
I think you lost some points tonight
And Scrawny, go faster
There's red wine on the plaster
I'm stumbling in the grass, sure
Or was I tumbling up to ask her?
Hey, Scrawny, get closer
Now I'm spinning out of control
The words in my mouth are always the last to know
|
||||
29. |
Dropcloth Curves
03:25
|
|||
Well, I suppose it's what I deserve
Browsing through a book while they fray your nerves
They're giving her the gas, and it makes her scream
Somewhere far away and I don't want to believe
That they collect the blood from the surgery floor
Now she's empty and I know for sure
I've been swept up in her dropcloth curves
And I should be ashamed cause you got hurt
But that's not how it works
Fluorescent lights and psychotic evil
Working on the great American sequel
'Cause I can't handle their icy stares
Ah, they call your number and they kill it right there
And sweep it away in a dropcloth curve
Our powerful love became a powerful thirst
I think I'm going to burst,
Dropcloth curves
It took me years to get the knack
For how to stop hurting and to start hurting back
And when I finally got that old
I was drunk and drowned and California gold
Now!
While they collect the blood from the surgery floor
If you're still awake, I can do it some more
Or maybe I can sneak upstairs next week
Slip under the covers while you're trying to sleep
Yeah, and with my cold hands moving the sheets
Oh, and in the dark I can take a peek
And see what's under your dropcloth curves
The waiting room was freaked out enough, girl
And you're making it worse
All this deception's been fraying my nerves
And I should be ashamed 'cause you got hurt
But love comes in spurts
And I think I'm going to burst, dropcloth curves
It took me years to get the knack
For how to stop hurting and to start hurting back
And when I finally got that old
I was drunk and drowned and California gold
Now!
|
||||
30. |
Catsitter's Nightmare
04:41
|
|||
It doesn't seem complete, the way you left it
And it still has a haunt on your mind
A thousand friends can say it's best when it ends
But that doesn't help you hold the line
She's always had a critique, even here
In the night when you're doing dreams
Well, that doesn't matter, her mouth doesn't flatter
And the shock of touching feels complete
She just wants you to kiss her
You just wanted to miss her
And now she wants you to miss her
She doesn't need you to kiss her anymore
This is a nightmare
This is a daydream
This is real life
Let it go
What you found in the night time crying out for help
Is still upstairs
These cats can take their toll on you,
Just ask your last great book of affairs
Well there's
Still this spare set of keys you could use
Or climb through the kitchen glass
It's just a good night's sleep away
Until you roll your hand down her pants
You just wanted to waste her
She just wants you to taste her
You only wanna deface her
And now you'll have to embrace her,
Well dream on
Catsitter's nightmare
When you're the last person anyone trusts
You're one favor away from a bad parade
And our patience is starting to rust to dust...
This is a nightmare
This is a daydream
This is real life
How can I let it go
Let it go
When I'm a catsitter's nightmare
Well, I'm the last ditch digging the dust
I'm a hopeless case with a head in space
And a girl that I fucked it up
This is a nightmare
This is a daydream
This is real life
I'm gonna let it go
Let it go
|
||||
31. |
Soundcheck
02:52
|
|||
Soundcheck, I don't wanna lose your love
Not when all we do is fit like a glove
Can you pretend to not regret
This kick and shove me to the fringe
Of how to deal with it
Soundcheck, I took you to the movies, oh
Bad timing cause the underground had taken hold
Of all the words I can't suspend
For any diamond ring at all
Not at all
Hollywood's been calling
I'm not answering
Because I want to
Well, you can comfort yourself you're just a gentle deceiver
No cold-blooded killer, you just need a breather
Get some snow in your hair, some blood in your cheeks
Pack your things and give them your two weeks'
But beware, because the lights look different from the front row
The sound is different from the front row
To push or pull out, it's hard to know
Because that feedback's loud as hell and so persuasive
Soundcheck, left me in a spiral now
Lots of people won't remember I'm dead
I can't pretend I could stomach that life of crime you led
But that's okay
It's nearly over
|
||||
32. |
35 Comeback
02:16
|
|||
Staring at the walls, hearing creaking in the halls
Keep away, don't knock on my door
Drink another beer, sneak out so no one hears
I'll have the rent on Thursday or so
Watch another movie that you won't remember
Anything to keep from getting it together
I know you're the king of putting it off and off
Well, suit yourself, it's no one else's loss
But yours again
If you back out on another great idea
Just know your excuse as the date creeps ever nearer
To your 35 Comeback
Well, you should write a shitty novel
Just to get something started
Keep away, don't knock on my door
Or maybe just get high like that's Tuesday fine,
Just fine
I'll have the rent next week or so
Here's something you could try
Here's something you could try
Quit/keep drinking, quit/keep blaming the weather
I know it takes a long time
It takes a long time
To even threaten to get it together
I know, you're the best at putting it off and off
Well, drop the ball then, it's no one else's loss
But yours, my friend
If you back out on another great idea
You better practice your excuse as the date creeps ever nearer
To your 35 Comeback
Your 35 Comeback
Your 35 Comeback
Your 35 Comeback
I'd lay your odds at 35 to one
|
||||
33. |
Two Thirds Of A Ghost
01:57
|
|||
Two thirds of a ghost, yeah!
Some people will try anything
To get them out of things
Even death or a diamond ring
Neither one of them's a permanent thing
Well, this I know
I've done this one before
The one with bags packed by the door,
Two thirds of a ghost, yeah!
I pawned some shit that you needed
Your number did get deleted
I'm crawling 'round on all fours,
Crawling 'round on all fours,
Like a zombie with nowhere to go
Cause this I know
I've been that guy before
The one with bags packed by the door,
Two thirds of a ghost
I know you're pretending
That nothing is ending
Is this bad bereavement
You think you get special treatment?
You're one slip at most from a ghost
I said "I'll see you in the morning if I make it to the morning
And my heart can take it anymore"
Two thirds of a ghost
|
||||
34. |
Reinstall Yourself
02:29
|
|||
Reinstall yourself...reinstall yourself...reinstall yourself...
Look in my eyes and tell me honestly
Would you return yourself to then
For anything?
In another life, but you can count me out
Here's a fact for your file:
The songs you wrote were blurred
That girl is gone and not one word from you
Could change that shape
So stop apologizing for the way you are
Our specialists say
To reinstall yourself...reinstall yourself...reinstall yourself...
Changing shape is never comfortable
If the data is slow
Reinstall yourself
And the screen is snow
Reinstall yourself
And your pulse is cold
Reinstall yourself
And you're on your own
Reboot, restart, electrocute your heart
Do you wish you could end yourself?
Better than pretending yourself to be
A friend of false complicity
Hold down alt and then control delete
If even your moods do not resolve themselves...
Reinstall yourself...reinstall yourself...reinstall yourself...
|
||||
35. |
||||
Time to get high and to go down to
The backyard creepy release show
All our dead friends who are at loose ends
Are getting stoned backstage at the show
And you know
That it's more fun to play than it is to go
And see the backyard creepy release show, bro
We'll let you know after the show
We'll let you go after the show
Well, I don't want to join in, don't want to sing along
But one is the loneliest protest song
So when it gets late, call that girl you don't hate
And get her stoned backstage at the show and you know...
You'll forget the words to the best songs on earth
At the graveyard industry fake show
When everyone dies, they will all sink down
To the never-ending release show
Where there's a past-it guitar god with skeleton hands
And a drummer with quick time dead arm bloodshot plans
And a terrorist frontman who's never lived, but can tell you how
To feel and fulfill if you sell out
But there's no use listening now
Cause everyone's dead by the time they get
To the backyard..
Labelmates roll like heads of state
Down to the backyard creepy release show
It's a creepy release show, bro
It's a creepy release show
We're throwing in the backyard
We're dying in the backyard
And colliding in the backyard
Stoned and hiding in the backyard...
|
||||
36. |
White Houdini
03:18
|
|||
Here we go...
See him practicing his smile
Been leaning there a while
Watching girls like he's keeping careful notes
He's been drinking
You can see what he's thinking
Transparent as a senator,
You know he only votes for himself
You see him then you don't
He's climbing up the rope
He's vanished up in smoke, Houdini
But I remember your face, White Houdini
You won't be hard to replace, White Houdini
You'll peace out in a haste, White Houdini
Go on, make your escape, White Houdini
Here we go...
He knows which guys are holding junk
He's riding in the trunk
Now he's asking for a hit of your shit again
He's been flirting
With your girlfriend while she's learning
To share his sympathy and why he's in a dead end
Now you see him, now you don't
He's always got a joke
He's so funny I could choke Houdini
I've got your number okay, White Houdini
I'll get you out of the way, White Houdini
Your nerves are starting to fray, White Houdini
Just try to make your escape, White Houdini
Once you see him coming you should hide your wine and women,
Watch his hands,
He might be sneaking pockets full of anything than can be sold
I think you oughta go now, White Houdini
Here we go again...
He's dangerous and comfortable and cunning and deplorable,
And even if you're watching him,
He might be slipping fingers in your coat
He's got you in the moment, White Houdini
Here we go again...Houdini
You make it look so easy
|
||||
37. |
The Royal Skeleton
03:43
|
|||
Somebody should have told you that everybody lies
Wedding bells were cancelled,
There's no refund on the rest of your life
In the well-wisher's corner, the rain-soaked supporters
Were just as bored as you
My bright disarmy
Went white at the sight of the enemy's face tonight
You'll see it in my eyes
If you believe my disguise
Oh, come on
Distract me from my fears
For a couple of days
Open up now, cause it's not too late
To get a shiver of birds from you, girl
When you come like a breath of skin
For the Royal Skeleton
I'll get over it someday
But for now it's twisting red inside of me
All is well, go to hell,
Copyright my time and energy gone
On the last night we shared
Scraping the ghosts from the bottom of the stairs
The paint we spilled and drinks we killed
I remember them warmly,
She's coming towards me, oh
I see it in her eyes
A sequel she cannot disguise
Oh, come on
Tell her with your tears
Now, before it's too late
Before her smile slips away
And you stutter "Who takes the blame?"
Doesn't matter when she's got you pinned
Like a breath of skin
To the Royal Skeleton
|
||||
38. |
||||
Now you're in the front row
Now you're all alone
Now you're taking photographs for them again
Now you're heading home
With all that sound and all that anger
Still singing, pounding in your head
As you collapse to slumber in the ghosts
Of past advantages, now dead
You can barely sleep at all
Dreaming of the songs that you would write
If you could only care
And dreaming of the words that you would shout
If there was anyone to shout to out there
Like somebody in the front row
Who's taking photos of their own
Now you're heading home
Now you're in the front row
For now there's just an inkling
A little logo that you draw
Something to help you stay up all night, all night
Something that's hardly there at all
But it makes pictures in your head
Now all the words just take their sweet time
To say something that you believe in
Well, that's such an uphill climb
Instead you're standing in the front row
And so jealous of the lights again
Although tonight you can't remember
Why you started down that slide
For now you're on the outside
Choking on the words that you could shout
If there was anyone to dream about at all
Like somebody in the front row
Who's got an inkling of their own
Now they're heading home
Now you're in the front row
|
||||
39. |
Geneva
03:13
|
|||
Oh Geneva, Geneva, whose radio glows
For phantom men and dangerous drunks in the know
Oh Geneva, who's all grown up into foam
A clever flirt with a child at home
When you're gone I never know where you have been
And when you're strong, I'm weak
And then you take it on the cheek
And on a night so dark
You just had to impress us again, oh no...
Geneva, where did you go?
Oh, Geneva, who stayed out late with a blonde
Who made a senator's call from the dawn to say
"Listen up, cause you will be thrown for a blow,
You'll be shattered and slashed up, believe me, I know"
Why won't you say where you have been?
And when you're gone I'm weak
And when you take it in the streets
You're a headline now, oh Geneva
You won't come back, so sad...
I've built a life because you're gone
Don't get me wrong
It doesn't feel like a life because you're gone
Notable absences:
Spark, gas, and filament
But no.
Sometimes there's hope
Sometime's the weather's mild
Sometimes I like me
It's a whiskey on a hot night
A bad friend's disaster,
A rainbow in June,
A woman on the street and man,
She's wearing your perfume, Geneva
Just tell me where have you been
Oh Geneva, Geneva...
|
||||
40. |
Emmanuelle
05:15
|
|||
Emmanuelle...
Well, I can see the ships from the mainland
And the waves wash up red as hell
The flags of this foreign navy
Will be bloody as a close-out sale, oh yeah
Emmanuelle...
If I could train for the perfect resentment
It was the wife alone in Chinese snow
Who couldn't hold out too long in the steam room, son
She was the highest mountain that I know
And I called her Emmanuelle...
'Cause they can tell it's over as well
Not casting your spell so well, Emmanuelle
You cast your spell so well, Emmanuelle
Well, you can say a prayer for Lexington werewolves
And you can fold yourself back into your shell
But there's still murderers, conmen, and barsluts
Just waiting 'til you post bail, oh yeah
Emmanuelle...
'Cause they can tell it's over as well
Not casting your spell so well, Emmanuelle
No, you're not casting your spell that well, Emmanuelle
Now you're shimmying down to the ground floor
And you forgot to book a cheap hotel
The flags of that foreign navy
Now the waves wash up red as hell, oh yeah
Emmanuelle...
|
||||
41. |
Cold Shoulders
02:32
|
|||
Does this mean we're done?
(I think it does)
Wasn't it still fun?
(I thought it was)
Yeah, you seem distracted
(You rolled away)
Quitting me like a habit
You're thinking of that guy you met tonight
The one you lit up for on sight
How many nights 'til he leaves you dry
And you're showing him those
Cold shoulders, your cold, cold shoulders now
Cold shoulders, your cold, cold shoulders
Cold shoulders, another day over
It used to be we couldn't wait
To put the lights out
We used to sleep so naked
The neighbors heard us shaking
But all that's over now
Just say it, I'll move out
I'll be gone in a day, okay?
Alright?
But for tonight, if you're awake
(And I'm still up)
We could use a break
(From this breaking up)
We still have to sleep
(In the same bed)
Though it's not for keeps, just turn around
And look into my eyes
Even if it's momentary, I
Think we have earned a warm respite
From the shadow of your
Cold shoulders, your cold, cold shoulders now
Cold shoulders, your cold, cold shoulders
Cold shoulders, and after it's over
I promise I'll crawl away
Good night
Good luck
|
||||
42. |
The Dead Caulfields
02:56
|
|||
Dead Caulfields, out of my way
Viscountess of the dying day
Top-tier customers, my best customers
Are all the dead flowers, all the rules in my way
Dead Caulfields are live on stage tonight
Their girlfriends are half their age tonight
You're on stage, they're out the door
And they're rolling on the floor now
To turn you on
And turn you off
All the girls and boys of too much noise
Dead Caulfields crawl when I hear your voice
And I'm left with nothing inside
Dead Caulfields, I can hear the things you said
The best amongst us now lies dead
All the chords that keep ringing out in my head
Yeah, but then again, they're not that great
They're not that great
No, they were never that great
|
||||
43. |
Very Honey
02:24
|
|||
I know you wanted to come today
I know you tried but you had to stay there
That's how I played there,
Very Honey
And you were gone when you turned away
It wasn't wrong, but you had to stay there
We should've played there
Caught when you wrote
Out your poem
On the old patio
When we were gone
Four frames
And we could not
Recall the game
That time
I was you
Very sugar you
How you opened the gates
How you wonder in every state
And you do
Where we go
What she thought
When she burned through
I knew he was gone when you turned away
I knew I'd lost you,
I wanted to stay there
Now could we remain there?
Very Honey
|
||||
44. |
Henry & Catherine
01:59
|
|||
Henry & Catherine were getting distracted, I know
Well, it showed
Henry was seen with some girl that he used to know
At the Pavement show
He was holding her coat for her
Holding her hand for her
Holding her heart for her
Everything was on hold for her
He never wanted to stay
He was drifting away...
Henry & Catherine decided to be on their own
Then Catherine got stoned
On her own at a party
She agreed when she was approached
And then at his home
She pocket-dialed her husband's phone
She was holding off years for him
Holding her heart for him
Holding off waiting and wondering what to say
What she gave up for him
She was drifting away...
Then Catherine moved to the northwest side
|
||||
45. |
Late Arrivals
02:33
|
|||
Sorry for the late arrival...
We shouldn't show
How I've now become the rival
Of your current beau
It was cunning it crept up on us
Whatever it was, well, it sure wasn't honest
Our Halloween eyes, transparent disguise
Were almost comical
Nominal
Unillogical
I opened your gown
And we fell straight down
Into a sordid state
You said don't tell
I was under your spell
We arrived so late
You said please don't choke
When we got to the joke
Of our late arrival
Make it plausible
Unimprobable
We picked up wine and whiskey
That's why we were...slow...
"Have you met my neighbor Marcy?"
I haven't, no...
When they judge the costume contest
Your mask might slip but they won't notice regardless
Can't he see you vanishing from the room right right
Before his eyes
Or did he minimize?
He wasn't unhypnotized
I followed you down
Into the grounds of
A sordid lake
You said don't tell
I was under your spell
I never felt so fake
It started out as a joke
Until a fib was a cloak
For our late arrival...
Where'd you guys go?
Somewhere for a lie low
Your lies though...
They were never too subtle ohhhh...
It was just that he trusted us both
It's not just perceptible
It's regrettable,
Not unindefensible
It's in our eyes...Christmas lights...
Those telltale signs weren't invisible
|
||||
46. |
||||
On Halloween Saturday,
When the world was on display,
I fell into your heart, then
We sang Shoulder Songs,
Drove faster than my thoughts,
Collided with my apartment
An invasion of roses
Invasion of roses and light
Inside out
Like your secret eyes
Ah-ah, freaked when you got so high...
What's not to trust about me?
I'm not a phantom mystery
Just a Bleeding Heart Machine
That slept along your seam, for this
Those days weren't make believe,
You climbed me like a tree,
All the way to the Off Switch
Invasion of roses
Invasion of roses, goodnight
In my house of bachelor light
Ah-ah, why did you come here tonight?
To torture or to tease?
To knock your awkward knees
When you dance and when you sleep
A saintly halo steeps
Hold for Miniature Hands, please
Your roses blow my mind
Don't tell me they've Withered and Died
|
||||
47. |
Cartoon Creek
02:25
|
|||
I was into your friend,
But I didn't know that then
I was a fixture
And she wasn't sure of me,
Not too much, 'til later
When he wasn't down
Don't over think it,
The fuse is burning down
It was an animated autumn
Calling us home
Parked on the side of the road
It was so hard to wait
Cause it was slowly and gold
Walking alone
Down at Cartoon Creek
And we weren't just visiting there
We were looking to be
We were starting to see
We were shocked, being one of a three
But nobody noticed then,
Shockingly, 'til later
When she's not around
(It's the perfect day to do something stupid)
What's that in the distance?
A disappearing cloud
It was an animated autumn
Spinning us home
Drunk on the side of the road
It wasn't hard to say
Cause it was all in the tone
Walking alone
Down at Cartoon Creek
We were down at Cartoon Creek
(What you doing to me?
We were shocked into being
What you're looking at me
What you doing to me?
We were looking to be)
And we weren't just visiting
|
||||
48. |
Don't Give Up On Me
02:45
|
|||
Yeah, yeah, yeah...
I was in the way
He'd been making you wait
You were done
But we both know it's harder to stay
And so much harder to say
When you're acting strange
Don't call for days
And can't be bothered to explain
Don't get distracted by advice
From friends who don't think twice about poetry
And don't give up on me
You were on the way,
Had something to say,
I could tell,
Like "We both know it isn't gonna take"
Well, that should hurt you more
I slept on the floor,
I don't know what you even wanted me around for
It's so close it's hard to see
I know what you mean
When you're a silent spring
It's really okay,
Just don't go drifting away
Don't give up on me
In the fashion of a dream
Well, you laid it out for me, so cold and clean
You were an ocean away
Don't give up on me
|
||||
49. |
Gemini Twins
03:02
|
|||
Only the two of us know
Gemini twins on the go
Hand in hand for a fable
With an unknown end,
All his madness and his glow
Under the table below
Just a touch and the world went slow
Said to whisper intentions
That should not be spent
But now the fear is taking hold
The fear is in our bones
The fear of being alone
Please recommend me to the snow
He knows
She knows
Only a year or so
Spent on a Sunday slow
We were words and our actions
Written on the shades
The silhouettes are taking hold
Now we can feel it in our bones
It's just another shade of gold
Please recommend me to the snow
He knows
She knows
Time lapse lovers' low
And now that he's alone
He can feel what makes it home
It's all her rhythms and her toes
All her sadness and her snow
He knows
She knows
|
||||
50. |
See Through Girl
05:50
|
|||
See Through Girl
Throwing glances from another world
Should I file under chances that I can't uncurl?
They're complicated dimensions indeed
You're breaking something to make something you need
We're down by the water with the kids and clay
When something unsuspected shivers into shape
In the spaces between us
Where illusory creatures make such sense
We're not hard to convince
And the pattern is see through, girl
See Through Girl
Seeking advances from last night's world
When the one that she wakes in just won't uncurl
She's out of phase with where her head oughta be
With her hands in her pockets where she keeps me
Some dreams with no substance now seem too clear
All touchable, spectral, inconsistent, and clear
I thought I was see through, girl
But that smile of yours is so transparent
I swear I can see the wallpaper through it, girl
See Through Girl, I'm transparent as you
And if a fever dream's what it turns out to be
With a stolen smile and a brush of our sleeves
It might slip through our fingers
But a ghost will linger
Behind our eyes, even I could see through that, girl
See Through Girl, I'm transparent as you
See Through Girl, I'm not flattering you
See Through Girl, I'm transparent as you
See Through Girl, I wanna matter with you
That pocket's a world I want to shatter with you
See Through Girl, I think we'll slip right through
There's a concrete world I want to shatter with you
See Through Girl, I want to matter to you
Nothing good from deception, we both know that that's true
See Through Girl, it's written right on you
Don't be too sensible, it just isn't you
See Through Girl, I want to matter with you
|
||||
51. |
||||
Sorry I skipped your party
Sorry I overslept
I didn't think you'd notice
Another promise I never kept
Sorry if you told your girlfriends
That I was coming around
I bet I fell out of favor
With the bonfire hippie crowd
Locked doors, shut, windows blurred
I could be laid along your curves
Which I won't pretend to deserve
Such a ghost now
I spent the weekend just singing to myself
Which I know sounds lame as hell
But still, I'm sorry I skipped your party
I know I should go out
But I slept late, spoke not a word
I hope you're not feeling burned
Not that it wouldn't be deserved,
You live so close now,
I stayed up late just crushing through Luke Cage
Which I know sounds kinda lame
But still, I'm sorry I skipped your party
I'm so sorry I skipped your party
Well, you weren't the only one
No, you weren't the only one
|
||||
52. |
||||
The portable court poisoner
Devises tactics while he waits for the queen
A mouth of manners and a satin sheen
She's bored, delighted by the wicked and sly
It's darkest right before the wink of her eye
So he slips her a different elixir to try
A smile marks her reply
To the portable court poisoner
She smolders brighter than a rose is red
A breadcrumb trail leads them right to his bed
And it takes two, she don't mind
Well, I'd bet you it was only a matter of time
She pulls him down to her thigh
Good night
Potions, perfections
You know tongues will talk
Defeated knights lying
Circled in chalk
So how much discord has he sewn?
It's hard to say, but me?
I wouldn't leave her on her own
With the portable court poisoner
The portable court poisoner
He doesn't know why he goes to extremes
It's not important to her in her dreams
Now there's connection while your back is turned
And if it's smoking, well it must be burned
So she slips him an invitation to sigh
It's like she hopes it goes awry
With the portable court poisoner
He's deception level hall of fame
And she's got plots that never wax or wane
He's undone now and she melts him down
One concoction away from the crown
In due time
Their silhouettes start to slide
Good night
Potions, perfections
You know tongues will talk
Defeated knights lying
Circled in chalk
Has no compunction to unravel the king
Not if the royals such a broken thing
Not if the kiss flashes right past the throne
All the affections of a decade blown
I know you trust him, but me?
I wouldn't leave her on her own
With the portable court poisoner
The portable court poisoner
He'll slip her riddles if he can
She doesn't even have a plan
It's as capricious as it sounds
It's funny neither has a doubt
Instead of sleeping on his couch
Her robe slides, slips in beside, beguiles
I think they might be awhile
Good night
|
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