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The Beginner's Guide To Birds ( 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 8 )

by Painkiller The Pigeon

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thejohnkehl
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thejohnkehl It's hard to find a song on this massive collection that I don't like. For me, this is the perfect combination of catchy melodies, 60's harmonies, and they might be giants style quirkiness Favorite track: Born In The Wrong Universe.
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    For this archival collection, all sales will be donated equally between Girls Rock! Chicago and She Rock She Rock in Minnesota, for the two cities where these songs were written. A 46-page booklet was written to accompany this compilation, please download it for exhaustive details on the recordings and general state of their author at the time.
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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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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, 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...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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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

about

The best tracks from a secret history of self-recorded, unfinished albums by producer/songwriter Devon Torrey Bryant (Earwolf, FURY THINGS, Brighton MA, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, Warm Ones, Saint Sophia). Sometimes character studies, often coded diary entries, mostly written in lieu of proper therapy or on a dare from a dentist, these songs from Chicago and Saint Paul are purposely traditional pop skewed by strange subject matter, lyrical or production approaches, and adventurous structures. All sales will be donated equally between Girls Rock! Chicago and She Rock She Rock in Minnesota. Please enjoy, if you must.

credits

released December 4, 2020

All songs by Devon Torrey Bryant (BMI), produced, recorded and played by same with the camaraderie and assistance of Brett Whitacre (Drums on 2-5, 7 & 9), Tony Sackett (Bass on 4, Bass, handclaps & backing vocals on 24 & 28) and Al Church (Drums, handclaps & backing vocals on 24 & 28). Additional engineering and equipment loans by Johnny Records. 12 by Daniel Johnston, 19 by Billy Bragg, 27 by Tommy Marolda.

Recorded in various states of distress in bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, practice spaces, and occasionally an actual studio, in Chicago IL (Alice Escher - No Man's Land) and Saint Paul MN (Beginner's Guide & everything else). Cover art by the fantastic Laura Suzanne.

Rationale available on request.

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Painkiller The Pigeon Los Angeles, California

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