Do not tell me I've changed
you're just raising your standards
("Beautiful Head", The National)

Story of my fuckin' life.

Don't know if they're my favorite, but this tune was the first thing that popped into my head.


Said Red Molly to James that's a fine motorbike
A girl could feel special on any such like
Said James to Red Molly, well my hat's off to you
It's a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952
And I've seen you at the corners and cafes it seems
Red hair and black leather, my favorite color scheme
And he pulled her on behind
And down to Box Hill they did ride

Said James to Red Molly, here's a ring for your right hand
But I'll tell you in earnest I'm a dangerous man
I've fought with the law since I was seventeen
robbed many a man to get my Vincent machine
Now I'm 21 years, I might make 22
And I don't mind dying, but for the love of you
And if fate should break my stride
Then I'll give you my Vincent to ride

Come down, come down, Red Molly, called Sergeant McRae
For they've taken young James Adie for armed robbery
Shotgun blast hit his chest, left nothing inside
Oh, come down, Red Molly to his dying bedside
When she came to the hospital, there wasn't much left
He was running out of road, he was running out of breath
But he smiled to see her cry
And said I'll give you my Vincent to ride

Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world
Beats a 52 Vincent and a red headed girl
Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do
They don't have a soul like a Vincent 52
He reached for her hand and he slipped her the keys
He said I've got no further use for these I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome
Swooping down from heaven to carry me home
And he gave her one last kiss and died

And he gave her his Vincent to ride

You know, I totally take it back. The lyrics aren't great, I just like the story and love the song.

I love, love, love Such Great Heights.

Oh boy, I have a million different favorite lyrics depending upon my mood. Here's one that ran through my head pretty constantly right before I moved to Cleveland a few years ago - I was becoming really unhappy in my particular rut, and this song summed it all up very well. Say what you might about The Used, I really like Taste of Ink.

Is it worth it can you even hear me
Standing with your spotlight on me
Not enough to feed the hungry
I'm tired and I felt it for awhile now
In this sea of lonely
The taste of ink is getting old
It's four o' clock in the fucking morning
Each day gets more and more like the last day
Still I can see it coming
While I'm standing in the river drowning
This could be my chance to break out
This could be my chance to say goodbye
At last it's finally over
Couldn't take this town much longer
Being half dead wasn't what I planned to be
Now I'm ready to be free

aaaaaaaaaaa-HOO!
a YEAH YEAH YEAH!
NO NO-NO NO NO-NO NO!
("Personality Crisis", New York Dolls)

in nervous convulsion crouches infant ape trembling in mothers shit
cage eyes tear less filled with contempt clinic mask experiment with
life and death smell lingering noxious mixed scent anxiety omnipotent doctor
grinds the cage door revealing loves primal instinct taken away the tiny
face terrified rant and rave smash your head against the cage vacuum
clicks on high conscious of the pain pass off as humane white coat seems
so clean most dirt bleached out of greed force the point of habit eyes burn
in a rabbit push the pain test button spines cut trip mucous inflection
more die. pills each day what goes around comes back stronger tap into
the brain break the skull again smash price research rat lab rent pain
in flesh more ill drug store sales sharpen the knife emphasis on money
new disease everyday end is seen and coming reseach turns it's back
to gain crush the spine genocide kitten drags its dead limb continuing
all suffering it will come back and win shock paralyse turn trauma
burns out the will to live the lying message
("Testure", Skinny Puppy)

Hard to narrow down, impossible to name one, but this ranks high:

He's not the kind of wheel
You fall asleep at

But now she's dead
Forever dead
Forever dead and lovely now

("Dead and Lovely", Tom Waits)

Quei giorni perduti a rincorrere il vento
A chiederci un bacio e volerne altri cento
Un giorno qualunque li ricorderai
Amore che fuggi da me tornerai

E tu che con gli occhi di un altro colore
Mi dici le stesse parole d'amore
Fra un mese fra un anno scordate le avrai
Amore che vieni da me fuggirai

Venuto dal sole o da spiagge gelate
Perduto in novembre o col vento d'estate
Io t'ho amato sempre non t'ho amato mai
Amore che vieni amore che vai

(Franco Battiato)

I'll attempt a translation.

Mother cannot guide you,
Now you're on your own.
Only me beside you,
Still, you're not alone.
No one is alone-- Truly.
No one is alone.

Sometimes people leave you,
Halfway through the wood.
Others may deceive you,
You decide whats good.
You decide alone.
But no one is alone.
(I wish...I know.)

Mother isn't here now,
(Wrong things, right things)
Who knows what she'd say?
(Who can say what's true?)
Nothings quite so clear now,
(Do things, fight things)
Feel you've lost your way?
You decide, but
You are not alone
Believe me,
No one is alone
No one is alone.
Believe me--Truly

You move just a finger,
Say the slightest word,
Somethings bound to linger.
Be heard.
No one acts alone.
Careful.
No one is alone.

People make mistakes.
Fathers, Mothers,
People make mistakes,
Holding to their own,
Thinking they're alone.

Honor their mistakes
Everybody makes
Fight for their mistakes
One another's terrible mistakes.

Witches can be right,
Giants can be good.
You decide what's right
you decide what's good.

Just remember:
(Just remember)
Someone is on your side,
(OUR side)
Our side.
Someone else is not.

While we're seeing our side,
(Our side)
Maybe we forgot.
they are not alone.
No one is alone.

Hard to see the light now,
Just don't let it go.
Things will come out right now,
We can make it so.
Someone is on your side,
No one is alone.

k here's my translation:

Those days wasted in chasing the wind,
asking for a kiss and wanting a hundred more.
One day you'll remember them
Love that runs from me, you'll come back.

And you, with eyes of a different colour,
tell me the same words of love.
In a month, in a year, you'll have forgotten them
Love that comes, you'll run from me.

Arrived in the sun, or on a frozen beach,
Lost in November, or in a summer breeze,
I always loved you, I never loved you
Love comes, love goes.

There are lyrics for every occasion, every emotion, every mood, and every phase. Rage, fantasy and wonder, mystery, love, lust, mischief, joie de vivre, loneliness, melancholy, desperation, triumph, morning and evening, autumn and spring. How can I choose a favorite?

One more:

Elvis Costello, Shipbuilding

Is it worth it?
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
And a bicycle on the boy's birthday
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
By the women and children
Soon we'll be shipbuilding.......
Well I ask you
The boy said "Dad they're going to take me to task, but I'll be back by Christmas"
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
Somebody said that someone got filled in
For saying that people get killed in
The result of this shipbuilding
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
It's just a rumour that was spread around town
A telegram or a picture postcard
Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards
And notifying the next of kin
Once again
It's all we're skilled in
We will be shipbuilding........

Disclaimer: I'm an atheist. But I love this band and I love the voice and I love the conceit:
NICKEL CREEK LYRICS

"The Hand Song"

The boy only wanting to give mother something,
And all of her roses had bloomed.

Looking at him as he came rushing in,
without knowing her roses were doomed.

All she could see were some thorns buried deep,
And tears that he cried as she tended his wounds.

And she knew it was love, it was what she could understand.
He was showing his love and that's how he hurt his hands.

He still remembers that night as a child, on his mothers knee.
She held him close and she opened her Bible, and quietly started to read.

Then seeing a picture of Jesus, he cried out:
"Mama he's got some scars just like me!"

And he knew it was love, it was what he could understand.
He was showing his love, and that's how he hurt his hands.


Now the boy is grown and moved out on his own.
When Uncle Sam comes along.
A foreign affair, but our young men are there.
And luck had his number drawn.

It wasn't that long till our hero was gone, he gave to a friend what he learned from the cross.

But they knew it was love, it one they could understand.
He was showing his love, and that's how he hurt his hands.

It was one they could understand.

He was showing his love, and that's how he hurt his hands.

I'm partial to lyrics that comprise a short story, and "Barroom Girls" by Gillian Welch is one of my favorites (not in part because it documents a big chunk of my life):

Oh the night came undone like a party dress
And fell at her feet in a beautiful mess
The smoke and the whiskey came home in her curls
And they crept through the dreams of the barroom girls

Well she tosses and turns because the sun is unkind
And the heat of the day is coming in through the blinds
But leave all the blue skies for the rest of the world
Because the neon will shine for the barroom girls

Oh the barroom girls go by your side
Like the ponies who pass on a carousel ride
And all of the colors go 'round in a swirl
When you dance in the arms of the barroom girls

Now she rolls to her feet when she can't sleep no more
And looks at her clothes lying out on the floor
Last night's spangles and yesterday's pearls
Are the bright morning stars of the barroom girls
Last night's spangles and yesterday's pearls
Are the bright morning stars of the barroom girls

And two from Iron & Wine that I can't help posting, because the imagery is so evocative, and they both make me tear up.

Bird Stealing Bread

Tell me, baby, tell me,
are you still on the stoop
watching the windows close?
I've not seen you lately
on the street by the beach
or places we used to go

I've a picture of you
on our favorite day
by the seaside.
There's a bird stealing bread
that I brought
out from under my nose.

Tell me, baby, tell me
does his company make
light of a rainy day?
How i've missed you lately
and the way we would speak
and all that we wouldn't say.

Do his hands in your hair
feel a lot like a thing
you believe in?
Or a bit like a bird
stealing bread out from under your nose?

Tell me, baby, tell me
do you carry the words
around like a key, or change?
I've been thinking lately
of a night on the stoop
and all that we wouldn't say.

If i see you again
on the street by the beach
in the evening
will you fly like a bird
stealing bread out from under my nose?

Upward Over the Mountain
(the bit about the dog and the pups? omg)

Mother don't worry, I killed the last snake that lived in the creek bed
Mother don't worry, I've got some money I saved for the weekend
Mother remember being so stern with that girl who was with me?
Mother remember the blink of an eye when I breathed through your body?

So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
Sons are like birds, flying upward over the mountain

Mother I made it up from the bruise on the floor of this prison
Mother I lost it, all of the fear of the Lord I was given
Mother forget me now that the creek drank the cradle you sang to
Mother forgive me, I sold your car for the shoes that I gave you

So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
Sons could be birds, taken broken up to the mountain

Mother don't worry, I've got a coat and some friends on the corner
Mother don't worry, she's got a garden we're planting together
Mother remember the night that the dog had her pups in the pantry?
Blood on the floor, fleas on their paws,
And you cried 'til the morning

So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
Sons are like birds, flying always over the mountain

I was riding on the Mayflower
When I thought I spied some land
I yelled for Captain Arab
I have yuh understand
Who came running to the deck
Said, "Boys, forget the whale
Look on over yonder
Cut the engines
Change the sail
Haul on the bowline"
We sang that melody
Like all tough sailors do
When they are far away at sea

"I think I'll call it America"
I said as we hit land
I took a deep breath
I fell down, I could not stand
Captain Arab he started
Writing up some deeds
He said, "Let's set up a fort
And start buying the place with beads"
Just then this cop comes down the street
Crazy as a loon
He throw us all in jail
For carryin' harpoons

Ah me I busted out
Don't even ask me how
I went to get some help
I walked by a Guernsey cow
Who directed me down
To the Bowery slums
Where people carried signs around
Saying, "Ban the bums"
I jumped right into line
Sayin', "I hope that I'm not late"
When I realized I hadn't eaten
For five days straight

I went into a restaurant
Lookin' for the cook
I told them I was the editor
Of a famous etiquette book
The waitress he was handsome
He wore a powder blue cape
I ordered some suzette, I said
"Could you please make that crepe"
Just then the whole kitchen exploded
From boilin' fat
Food was flying everywhere
And I left without my hat

Now, I didn't mean to be nosy
But I went into a bank
To get some bail for Arab
And all the boys back in the tank
They asked me for some collateral
And I pulled down my pants
They threw me in the alley
When up comes this girl from France
Who invited me to her house
I went, but she had a friend
Who knocked me out
And robbed my boots
And I was on the street again

Well, I rapped upon a house
With the U.S. flag upon display
I said, "Could you help me out
I got some friends down the way"
The man says, "Get out of here
I'll tear you limb from limb"
I said, "You know they refused Jesus, too"
He said, "You're not Him
Get out of here before I break your bones
I ain't your pop"
I decided to have him arrested
And I went looking for a cop

I ran right outside
And I hopped inside a cab
I went out the other door
This Englishman said, "Fab"
As he saw me leap a hot dog stand
And a chariot that stood
Parked across from a building
Advertising brotherhood
I ran right through the front door
Like a hobo sailor does
But it was just a funeral parlor
And the man asked me who I was

I repeated that my friends
Were all in jail, with a sigh
He gave me his card
He said, "Call me if they die"
I shook his hand and said goodbye
Ran out to the street
When a bowling ball came down the road
And knocked me off my feet
A pay phone was ringing
It just about blew my mind
When I picked it up and said hello
This foot came through the line

Well, by this time I was fed up
At tryin' to make a stab
At bringin' back any help
For my friends and Captain Arab
I decided to flip a coin
Like either heads or tails
Would let me know if I should go
Back to ship or back to jail
So I hocked my sailor suit
And I got a coin to flip
It came up tails
It rhymed with sails
So I made it back to the ship

Well, I got back and took
The parkin' ticket off the mast
I was ripping it to shreds
When this coastguard boat went past
They asked me my name
And I said, "Captain Kidd"
They believed me but
They wanted to know
What exactly that I did
I said for the Pope of Eruke
I was employed
They let me go right away
They were very paranoid

Well, the last I heard of Arab
He was stuck on a whale
That was married to the deputy
Sheriff of the jail
But the funniest thing was
When I was leavin' the bay
I saw three ships a-sailin'
They were all heading my way
I asked the captain what his name was
And how come he didn't drive a truck
He said his name was Columbus
I just said, "Good luck."

-Bob Dylan, "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream"

cubs in five-Mt. Goats

they're gonna find intelligent life up there on the moon
and the canterbury tales will shoot up to the top of the best seller list
and stay there for 27 weeks

and the chicago cubs will beat every team in the league
and the tampa bay bucs will make it the way to january
and i will love you again
i will love you, like i used to
i will love you again
i will love you, like i used to

the stars are gonna spell out the answers to tommorow's crosswords
and the phillips corporation will admit that they've made an awful mistake
and bill gates
will single handedly spearhead the heaven seventeen revival

and the chicago cubs will beat every team in the league
and the tampa bay bucs will take it all the way to the top
and i will love you again
i will love you, like i used to
and i will love you again
i will love you, like i used to

hope I die before I get old/
this is my generation

"My Generation" by Pete Townshend

He was born in the Bitteroot Valley in the early morning rain.
Wild geese over the water, heading north and home again.
Bringin' a warm wind from the south, bringin'the first taste of the spring.
His mother took him to her breast and softly she did sing:

Oh, Montana, give this child a home.
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own.
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes.
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies.

His mother died that summer and he never learned to cry.
He never knew his father and he never did ask why.
An' he never knew the answers that would make an easy way,
But he learned to know the wilderness and to be a man that way.

His mother's brother took him in to his family and his home.
Gave him a hand that he could lean on and a strength to call his own.
And he learned to be a farmer and he learned to love the land.
And he learned to read the seasons and he learned to make a stand.

Oh, Montana, give this child a home.
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own.
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes.
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies.

On the eve of his 21st birthday, he set out on his own.
He was 30 years and runnin' when he found his way back home.
Ridin' a storm across the mountains and an achin' in his heart.
Said he came to turn the pages and to make a brand new start.

Now he never told the story of the time that he was gone.
Some say he was a lawyer, some say he was a john.
There was something in the city that he said he couldn't breathe.
There was something in the country that he said he couldn't leave.

Oh, Montana, give this child a home.
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own.
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes.
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies.

Instrumental break.

Now some say he was crazy; some are glad he's gone.
An' some of us will miss him; we'll try to carry on.
Giving a voice to the forest, giving a voice to the dawn.
Giving a voice to the wilderness and the land that he lived on.

Oh, Montana, give this child a home.
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own.
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes.
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies.

Oh, Montana, give this child a home.
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own.
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes.
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies.

Wild Montana Skies, John Denver and Emmylou Harris

There is freedom within, there is freedom without
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost
But you'll never see the end of the road
While you're traveling with me

Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win

Now I'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof
My possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof
In the paper today tales of war and of waste
But you turn right over to the T.V. page

Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum
And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart
Only shadows ahead barely clearing the roof
Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief

Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
Don't ever let them win

- Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"

Well I went down to the local arena
Asked to see the manager man
He came from his office, said, "Son can I help you?"
I looked at him and said, "Yes you can..."

I want to Drive the Zamboni...hey
I want to Drive the Zamboni...Yes I do!

Now ever since I was young it's been my dream
That I might drive a Zamboni machine
I'd get the ice just as slick as could be
And all the kids would look up to me

I want to drive the Zamboni...hey
I want to drive the Zamboni...Yes I do!

Now the manager said, "Son, I know it looks keen
But that right there is one expensive machine
And I've got Smokey who's been driving for years."
About that time I broke down in tears.

Cause I want to drive the Zamboni...hey
I want to drive the Zamboni...Yes I do!

"I wanna drive the Zamboni", the Gear Daddies

Just you wait -
One of these days see me driving round town
In my rock 'n' rolls royce with the sun roof down
My bottle of booze
No summer time blues
Shouting out, "look at me"
In my rock 'n' roll voice

Ain't No Fun (waiting Round To Be A Millionaire) by Bon Scott

The fun part of this thread is reading the lyrics, then guessing who posted them before scrolling down.

Rainbaby, I saw Nickel Creek at a Bluegrass Festival back when they were kids and one of their dads played with them. They were great and absolutely thrilled that some people were shouting requests. They just kept giggling and saying, "You know our songs!" It was adorable. I'm really happy for their success.

I hear Mariachi static on my radio
And the tubes they glow in the dark
And I'm there with her in Ensenada
And I'm here in Echo Park

Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town

Well, I'm sittin' here playing solitaire
With my pearl-handled deck
The county won't give me no more methadone
And they cut off your welfare check

Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town

Well, I pawned my Smith Corona
And I went to meet my man
He hangs out down on Alvarado Street
By the Pioneer chicken stand

Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town

Carmelita hold me tighter
I think I'm sinking down
And I'm all strung out on heroin
On the outskirts of town

"Carmelita" by Warren Zevon

"the best memories in my collection are moments
of shared deception, but I guess it only goes so far..."
- The Cannanes, Blue Skies Over the Ocean

----

"I fell.
(Didja feel low?) No.
Not at all. (Huh?!!)
I fell
into the arms
of Venus
de Milo..."
- Television, Venus

----

When you wrote last month
Asking 'Who touches you now?'
I sat in this dusty square for a long time
Trying to recall.

And then it came to me:
Moonlight touches me sometimes,
Or this cold hand might.

[Who touches you...]

When I touch at my temple,
When I touch at my throat,
When I touch at my thigh there's a faint memory of heat.

[Who touches you...]

Who was ravenous,
Who was always in need?
Who touches you...now?

Then there was no more romance.
Everyone had the same flat voice.
Where were you when that happened?
Where were you?

Once we ate off the same plate.
We cut ourselves with the same knife.
We were gold--
We were gold!
In each other's hands.

[Who touches you now?]

Maybe we happened and
Maybe we didn't at all.

Maybe we happened
and
Maybe
we didn't
at all

Who touches you
now?
Who touches you now?

- Consonant, Who Touches You Now? (lyrics by Holly Anderson and Clint Conley)

I lit a thin green candle, to make you jealous of me.
But the room just filled up with mosquitos,
they heard that my body was free.
Then I took the dust of a long sleepless night
and I put it in your little shoe.
And then I confess that I tortured the dress
that you wore for the world to look through.
I showed my heart to the doctor: he said I just have to quit.
Then he wrote himself a prescription,
and your name was mentioned in it!
Then he locked himself in a library shelf
with the details of our honeymoon,
and I hear from the nurse that he's gotten much worse
and his practice is all in a ruin.

I heard of a saint who had loved you,
so I studied all night in his school.
He taught that the duty of lovers
is to tarnish the golden rule.
And just when I was sure that his teachings were pure
he drowned himself in the pool.
His body is gone but back here on the lawn
his spirit continues to drool.

An Eskimo showed me a movie
he'd recently taken of you:
the poor man could hardly stop shivering,
his lips and his fingers were blue.
I suppose that he froze when the wind took your clothes
and I guess he just never got warm.
But you stand there so nice, in your blizzard of ice,
oh please let me come into the storm.

- One of us cannot be wrong - Leonard Cohen

If I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat

If I were Roy Rogers
I'd sure enough be single
I couldn't bring myself to marrying old Dale
It'd just be me and trigger
We'd go riding through them movies
Then we'd buy a boat and on the sea we'd sail

And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat

The mystery masked man was smart
He got himself a Tonto
'Cause Tonto did the dirty work for free
But Tonto he was smarter
And one day said kemo sabe
"Kiss my ass I bought a boat
I'm going out to sea"

And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat

And if I were like lightning
I wouldn't need no sneakers
I'd come and go wherever I would please
And I'd scare 'em by the shade tree
And I'd scare 'em by the light pole
But I would not scare my pony on my boat out on the sea

And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat

"if I Had a Boat" by Lyle Lovett

aw damn that got cut off. sorry.

nevermind.

I dont know where
but she sends me there

from "Good Vibrations" by Brian Wilson/Mike Love (Tony Asher uncredited lyricist)

Let’s talk about leather: leatherrrrrr
And so you kissed a little sailor
Tex abel, starring in the latest shepperton production:
Who had just blew in from spain
Sir richard pump-a-loaf
You sniffed the reeking buns of angel
The story of a demented bread-boffer
And acted like it was cocaine
Cucumber pud annexed to a fine whole-wheat loaf
You were dazzled by the exciting new costume of ko-ko
Then on tuesday night, ceasar’s back in town
In a way you can’t explain
Facing off in a no-holds-barred tag team grudge match
With kona.
And so you worked the wall with michael
Three-hundred-seventy-nine pounds of samoan dynamite
Which gave your back an awful strain
Volcanic hell
But you came back on sunday for the gong show
Next thursday, teen town’s finest...
But you forgot what I was sayin’
’cause you’re an asshole, you’re an asshole
That’s right
You’re an asshole, you’re an asshole
Yes, yes
You’re an asshole, you’re an asshole
That’s right
(Broken Hearts Are For Assholes - Frank Zappa)

From Madam Wong's to Starwood
To the Whiskey on the strip
You can hear the crashing, blasting strum
Of bands that come to be real hip
And get a record contract
From a talent scout someday
They'll sell their ass, their cocks and balls
They'll take the check 'n' walk away
If they're lucky they'll get famous
For a week or two perhaps
They'll buy some ugly clothes to wear
And hope the business don't collapse
Before some stupid magazine
Decides they're really good
They're a Tinsel Town Rebellion Band
From downtown Hollywood
Tinsel Town Rebellion,
Tinsel Town Rebellion Band
It's a little bitty Tinsel Town Rebellion
A Tinsel Town Rebellion Band
They used to play all kinds of stuff
And some of it was nice
Some of it was musical
But then they took some guy's advice
To get a record deal, he said
They would have to be more punk
Forget their chops and play real dumb
Or else they would be sunk
So off they go to S.I.R. to learn some stupid riffs
And practice all their poses
In between their powder sniffs
Chop up a line now, snort it up now
And when they think they've got it
They launch a new career
Who gives a fuck if what they play
Is somewhat insincere
Tinsel Town Rebellion,
Tinsel Town Rebellion Band
A Tinsel Town Rebellion
A Tinsel Town Rebellion Band
Did you know that in Tinsel Town the people there
Think substance is a bore
And if your New Wave group looks good
They'll hurry on back for more
Of leather groups and plastic groups
And groups that look real queer
The Tinsel Town aficionados
Come to see and not to hear
But then again this system works
As perfect as a dream
It works for all those record company pricks
Who come to skim the cream
From the cesspools of excitement
Where Jim Morrison once stood
It's the Tinsel Town Rebellion
From downtown Hollywood
(Tinseltown Rebellion - Frank Zappa)

Well you can stick your nine to five livin'
And your collar and your tie
And stick your moral standards
'Cause it's all a dirty lie
You can stick your golden handshake
And you can stick your silly rules
And all the other shit
That they teach to kids in school
('Cause I ain't no fool)

Gonna be a rock 'n' roll singer
Gonna be a rock 'n' roll star

from "rock 'n' roll singer" by Bon Scott

Kids if you want some fun
Mr. LaPage is your man
He's always laughing, having fun
Showing his films in the den
Come on, come on
Soon you will be eighteen
I think you know what I mean
Don't tell your mama
Your daddy or mama
They'll never know where you been

CHORUS:
Everyone's gone to the movies
Now we're alone at last

Listen to what I say
He wants to show you the way
Right down the hallway with open arms
To teach you a new game to play
Come on, come on
Soon it will be too late
Bobbing for apples can wait
We know you're used to sixteen or more
Sorry we only have eight

CHORUS

Kids if you want some fun
See what you never have seen
Take off your cheaters and sit right down
Start the projection machine

CHORUS

- "Everyone's Gone to the Movies," Steely Dan

Everyone is trying to get to the bar.
The name of the bar, the bar is called Heaven.
The band in Heaven plays my favorite song.
They play it once again, they play it all night long.

Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.
Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.

There is a party, everyone is there.
Everyone will leave at exactly the same time.
Its hard to imagine that nothing at all
could be so exciting, and so much fun.

Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.
Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.

When this kiss is over it will start again.
It will not be any different, it will be exactly
the same.
It's hard to imagine that nothing at all
could be so exciting, could be so much fun.

Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.
Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.

(Talking Heads, "Heaven")

...and a song that makes me tear up if I listen to the lyrics, because Coyne wrote them about his dad dying:

Asked you a question
I didn't need you to reply
Is it gettin' heavy?
But then I realize
Is it gettin' heavy?
Well I thought it was already as heavy
As can be

Is it overwhelming
To use a crane to crush a fly?
It's a good time for Superman
To lift the sun into the sky

'Cause it's gettin' heavy
Well I thought it was already as heavy
As can be

Tell everybody
Waitin' for Superman
That they should try to hold on
Best they can
He hasn't dropped them
Forgot them
Or anything
It's just too heavy for Superman to lift

(The Flaming Lips, "Waitin' For A Superman")

Wow, there are some stunning lyrics in here. drjimmy11, "If I had a boat" is one of my favourite songs, too. It inspired me to buy my dad that album, thus making another Lyle Lovett fan. And dipsomaniac's song reminded me of another favourite:

I saw her driving the zamboni
I asked her out for some spumoni
and just when things were going well
they sent me to the AHL

("Sabrina", the Hanson Brothers)

If you walk away, I’ll walk away
First tell me which road you will take
I don’t want to risk our paths crossing some day
So you walk that way, I’ll walk this way

And the future hangs over our heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls all around like a cold steady rain
Just stay in when it’s looking this way

And the moon’s laying low in the sky
Forcing everything metal to shine
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like the jewelry store case
They argue walk this way, no, walk this way

And Laura’s asleep in my bed
As I’m leaving she wakes up and says
“I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave
Baby don’t go away, come here”

And there’s kids playing guns in the street
And ones pointing his tree branch at me
So I put my hands up I say “enough is enough,
If you walk away, I’ll walk away”
And he shot me dead

I found a liquid cure
From my landlocked blues
It’ll pass away like a slow parade
It’s leaving but I don’t know how soon

And the world’s got me dizzy again
You think after 22 years I’d be used to the spin
And it only feels worse when I stay in one place
So I’m always pacing around or walking away
I keep drinking the ink from my pen
And I’m balancing history books up on my head
But it all boils down to one quotable phrase
If you love something, give it away

A good woman will pick you apart
A box full of suggestions for your possible heart
But you may be offended and you may be afraid
But don’t walk away, don’t walk away

We made love on the living room floor
With the noise in the background of a televised war
And in the deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say
“If we walk away, they’ll walk away”

But greed is a bottomless pit
And our freedom’s a joke
We’re just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you’re still free start running away
Cause we’re coming for you!

I’ve grown tired of holding this pose
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home
So I’m making a deal with the devils of fame
Saying “let me walk away, please”
You’ll be free child once you have died
From the shackles of language and measurable time
And then we can trade places, play musical graves
Till then walk away, walk away

So I’m up at dawn
Putting on my shoes
I just want to make a clean escape
I’m leaving but I don’t know where to
I know I’m leaving but I don’t know where to

"Landlocked Blues" by Conor Oberst

ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
you fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
waiting for someone or something to show you the way
tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
and then one day you find ten years have got behind you
no one told you when to run
you missed the starting gun
and you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking
and racing around to come up behind you again
the sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
shorter of breath and one day closer to death
every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
hanging on in quiet desperation is the english way
the time has gone, the song is over
thought I'd something more to say ...

Can't knock the hustle/
But I seen street dreams deferred

-or-

When yer head gets twisted and yer mind grows numb
When you think you're too old, too young, too smart or too dumb
When yer laggin' behind an' losin' yer pace
In a slow-motion crawl of life's busy race
No matter what yer doing if you start givin' up
If the wine don't come to the top of yer cup
If the wind's got you sideways with with one hand holdin' on
And the other starts slipping and the feeling is gone
And yer train engine fire needs a new spark to catch it
And the wood's easy findin' but yer lazy to fetch it
And yer sidewalk starts curlin' and the street gets too long
And you start walkin' backwards though you know its wrong
And lonesome comes up as down goes the day
And tomorrow's mornin' seems so far away
And you feel the reins from yer pony are slippin'
And yer rope is a-slidin' 'cause yer hands are a-drippin'
And yer sun-decked desert and evergreen valleys
Turn to broken down slums and trash-can alleys
And yer sky cries water and yer drain pipe's a-pourin'
And the lightnin's a-flashing and the thunder's a-crashin'
And the windows are rattlin' and breakin' and the roof tops a-shakin'
And yer whole world's a-slammin' and bangin'
And yer minutes of sun turn to hours of storm
And to yourself you sometimes say
"I never knew it was gonna be this way
Why didn't they tell me the day I was born"
And you start gettin' chills and yer jumping from sweat
And you're lookin' for somethin' you ain't quite found yet
And yer knee-deep in the dark water with yer hands in the air
And the whole world's a-watchin' with a window peek stare
And yer good gal leaves and she's long gone a-flying
And yer heart feels sick like fish when they're fryin'
And yer jackhammer falls from yer hand to yer feet
And you need it badly but it lays on the street
And yer bell's bangin' loudly but you can't hear its beat
And you think yer ears might a been hurt
Or yer eyes've turned filthy from the sight-blindin' dirt
And you figured you failed in yesterdays rush
When you were faked out an' fooled white facing a four flush
And all the time you were holdin' three queens
And it's makin you mad, it's makin' you mean
Like in the middle of Life magazine
Bouncin' around a pinball machine
And there's something on yer mind you wanna be saying
That somebody someplace oughta be hearin'
But it's trapped on yer tongue and sealed in yer head
And it bothers you badly when your layin' in bed
And no matter how you try you just can't say it
And yer scared to yer soul you just might forget it
And yer eyes get swimmy from the tears in yer head
And yer pillows of feathers turn to blankets of lead
And the lion's mouth opens and yer staring at his teeth
And his jaws start closin with you underneath
And yer flat on your belly with yer hands tied behind
And you wish you'd never taken that last detour sign
And you say to yourself just what am I doin'
On this road I'm walkin', on this trail I'm turnin'
On this curve I'm hanging
On this pathway I'm strolling, in the space I'm taking
In this air I'm inhaling
Am I mixed up too much, am I mixed up too hard
Why am I walking, where am I running
What am I saying, what am I knowing
On this guitar I'm playing, on this banjo I'm frailin'
On this mandolin I'm strummin', in the song I'm singin'
In the tune I'm hummin', in the words I'm writin'
In the words that I'm thinkin'
In this ocean of hours I'm all the time drinkin'
Who am I helping, what am I breaking
What am I giving, what am I taking
But you try with your whole soul best
Never to think these thoughts and never to let
Them kind of thoughts gain ground
Or make yer heart pound
But then again you know why they're around
Just waiting for a chance to slip and drop down
"Cause sometimes you hear'em when the night times comes creeping
And you fear that they might catch you a-sleeping
And you jump from yer bed, from yer last chapter of dreamin'
And you can't remember for the best of yer thinking
If that was you in the dream that was screaming
And you know that it's something special you're needin'
And you know that there's no drug that'll do for the healin'
And no liquor in the land to stop yer brain from bleeding
And you need something special
Yeah, you need something special all right
You need a fast flyin' train on a tornado track
To shoot you someplace and shoot you back
You need a cyclone wind on a stream engine howler
That's been banging and booming and blowing forever
That knows yer troubles a hundred times over
You need a Greyhound bus that don't bar no race
That won't laugh at yer looks
Your voice or your face
And by any number of bets in the book
Will be rollin' long after the bubblegum craze
You need something to open up a new door
To show you something you seen before
But overlooked a hundred times or more
You need something to open your eyes
You need something to make it known
That it's you and no one else that owns
That spot that yer standing, that space that you're sitting
That the world ain't got you beat
That it ain't got you licked
It can't get you crazy no matter how many
Times you might get kicked
You need something special all right
You need something special to give you hope
But hope's just a word
That maybe you said or maybe you heard
On some windy corner 'round a wide-angled curve

But that's what you need man, and you need it bad
And yer trouble is you know it too good
"Cause you look an' you start getting the chills

"Cause you can't find it on a dollar bill
And it ain't on Macy's window sill
And it ain't on no rich kid's road map
And it ain't in no fat kid's fraternity house
And it ain't made in no Hollywood wheat germ
And it ain't on that dimlit stage
With that half-wit comedian on it
Ranting and raving and taking yer money
And you thinks it's funny
No you can't find it in no night club or no yacht club
And it ain't in the seats of a supper club
And sure as hell you're bound to tell
That no matter how hard you rub
You just ain't a-gonna find it on yer ticket stub
No, and it ain't in the rumors people're tellin' you
And it ain't in the pimple-lotion people are sellin' you
And it ain't in no cardboard-box house
Or down any movie star's blouse
And you can't find it on the golf course
And Uncle Remus can't tell you and neither can Santa Claus
And it ain't in the cream puff hair-do or cotton candy clothes
And it ain't in the dime store dummies or bubblegum goons
And it ain't in the marshmallow noises of the chocolate cake voices
That come knockin' and tappin' in Christmas wrappin'
Sayin' ain't I pretty and ain't I cute and look at my skin
Look at my skin shine, look at my skin glow
Look at my skin laugh, look at my skin cry
When you can't even sense if they got any insides
These people so pretty in their ribbons and bows
No you'll not now or no other day
Find it on the doorsteps made out-a paper mache´
And inside it the people made of molasses
That every other day buy a new pair of sunglasses
And it ain't in the fifty-star generals and flipped-out phonies
Who'd turn yuh in for a tenth of a penny
Who breathe and burp and bend and crack
And before you can count from one to ten
Do it all over again but this time behind yer back
My friend
The ones that wheel and deal and whirl and twirl
And play games with each other in their sand-box world
And you can't find it either in the no-talent fools
That run around gallant
And make all rules for the ones that got talent
And it ain't in the ones that ain't got any talent but think they do
And think they're foolin' you
The ones who jump on the wagon
Just for a while 'cause they know it's in style
To get their kicks, get out of it quick
And make all kinds of money and chicks
And you yell to yourself and you throw down yer hat
Sayin', "Christ do I gotta be like that
Ain't there no one here that knows where I'm at
Ain't there no one here that knows how I feel
Good God Almighty
THAT STUFF AIN'T REAL"

No but that ain't yer game, it ain't even yer race
You can't hear yer name, you can't see yer face
You gotta look some other place
And where do you look for this hope that yer seekin'
Where do you look for this lamp that's a-burnin'
Where do you look for this oil well gushin'
Where do you look for this candle that's glowin'
Where do you look for this hope that you know is there
And out there somewhere
And your feet can only walk down two kinds of roads
Your eyes can only look through two kinds of windows
Your nose can only smell two kinds of hallways
You can touch and twist
And turn two kinds of doorknobs
You can either go to the church of your choice
Or you can go to Brooklyn State Hospital
You'll find God in the church of your choice
You'll find Woody Guthrie in Brooklyn State Hospital

And though it's only my opinion
I may be right or wrong
You'll find them both
In the Grand Canyon
At sundown

Book Of Love
The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures and instructions for dancing
But I
I love it when you read to me
And you
You can read me anything
The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb
But I
I love it when you sing to me
And you
You can sing me anything
The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know
But I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
And I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
And I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
You ought to give me wedding rings
Peter Gabriel

i love that song, theora : >

I thought it was Stephen Merritt tho? Magnetic Fields?

I am the entertainer
And I know just where I stand
Another Serenader
And another long-haired band
Today I am your champion
I may have won your hearts
But I know the game, you'll forget my name
And I won't be here in another year
If I don't stay on the charts

I am the entertainer
And I've had to pay my price
The things I did not know at first
I learned by doin' twice
Ah, but still they come to haunt me
Still they want their say
So I've learned to dance with a hand in my pants
I let 'em rub my neck and I write 'em a check
And they go their merry way

I am the entertainer
Been all around the world
I've played all kinds of palaces
And laid all kinds of girls
I can't remember faces
I don't remember names
Ah, but what the hell
You know it's just as well
'Cause after a while and a thousand miles
It all becomes the same

I am the entertainer
I bring to you my songs
I'd like to spend a day or two
I can't stay that long
No, I've got to meet expenses
I got to stay in line
Gotta get those fees to the agencies
And I'd love to stay but there's bills to pay
So I just don't have the time

I am the entertainer
I come to do my show
You've heard my latest record
It's been on the radio
Ah, it took me years to write it
They were the best years of my life
It was a beautiful song
But it ran too long
If you're gonna have a hit
You gotta make it fit
So they cut it down to 3:05

I am the entertainer
The idol of my age
I make all kinds of money
When I go on the stage
Ah, you've seen me in the papers
I've been in the magazines
But if I go cold I won't get sold
I'll get put in the back in the discount rack
Like another can of beans

I am the entertainer
And I know just where I stand
Another Serenader
And another long-haired band
Today I am your champion
I may have won your hearts
But I know the game, you'll forget my name
I won't be here in another year
If I don't stay on the charts

"the Entertainer" by Billy Joel (yeah, he was good once)

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places - worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere - going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression - no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tommorow - no tommorow

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very Mad World

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen - sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me - no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me - look right through me

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very Mad World

Tears For Fears, Mad World
(Though the Gary Jules version is great too).

that's definitely Stephen Merritt/Magnetic Fields theora55/amberglow. Oh, lyrics, here's a few of mine (today), which will change in exactly 15 minutes:

When I say I'm in love you best believe I'm in love, L-U-V... Yeah, well I hear he's bad. Umm, he's good bad, but he's not evil. (that last one cracks me up every single time.--Shangri-Las, "Give Him a Great Big Kiss")

and all the sterile striking it defends
an empty dock you cast away
and rain upon your forehead
where the mists for hire if it's just too clear
let's smoke the last quarter randomly
go down to the outlet once again
(pavement "here" peel session)

This man came up to me just the other day.
He asked me if I'd been born again.
I told him I didn't think I had
That I had been rejected, but I think hell's got all the good bands anyway.
(Flaming Lips, "Ode to CC [part 2]")

We all got holes to fill
them holes are all that's real.
Some fall on you like a storm,
sometimes you dig your own.
The choice is yours to make,
time is yours to take;
some dive into the sea,
some toil upon the stone.
To live is to fly all low and high,
so shake the dust off of your wings
and the sleep out of your eyes.
Oh shake the dust off of your wings
and the tears out of your eyes.
(Townes Van Zandt, "To Live is to Fly")

Sylvia Plath was never too good at math, but she still finished at the head of her class. If she lost her virginity, she didn’t lose it too fast. There wouldn’t be any dress rehearsals for Sylvia Plath... And when you check out of this hotel, Jack, you’re nothing but an autograph. The desk clerk comes around soon and he tosses it out with the trash. Still, he keeps a couple of letters, return address Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath went and turned on the gas. Then she put her head down and completely forgot about lighting a match. The rest of the details are just too boring to attach, so let’s see you do one thing as graceful as Sylvia Plath. Yeah let’s see you do one thing as graceful as Sylvia Plath. Yeah, let’s see you do one thing as senselessly cruel as Sylvia Plath.
(The Johnsons, "Sylvia Plath"--I don't know why, but this song has been running through my head lately, and I don't even really like Sylvia's poetry. But I love that the details "are just too boring to attach" and it crushes me when the song slows down and they say, "Let's see you do one thing as senselessly cruel...")

And anything Stephen Merritt's written, especially (today):

You get signed to a major top 40 label
Blow David Geffen, blow Seymour Stein
You can make an atrocious top 40 record
No one will know in two weeks' time
(6ths, “Rot in the Sun”)

And, just for the ridiculous rhyme:

Your heart is Kansas City
In Kansas and in Miss-our-i (get it—Misery! that's a punchline that I remember to a joke I forget from around here)
(Magnetic Fields, "Long Vermont Roads")

and dammit, I should be working on music. Why am I here again?
(these aren't lyrics, just me wondering out loud.)

Sleepy_Pete is Mr. Melissa, right?

YAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!

Y'all need to get back in here, dammit. Or else there will be hell to pay. Big hell. Big, serious hell.

yes, well, yes. here's where we are: we're finishing an "album," and playing this weird onslaught of shows where it's like we're on tour but we're not going anywhere (ask interrobang), and we're both looking for the ever-elusive job that will place us where we want to be--wherever that is. and why am i still here, dammit? I should be working on music...

there's also this pavement song where i swear he says, "In leather pants you sold us all" but it's "conduit for sale" and that's not what he says (according to the lyrics places i looked at tonight). that line always reminded me of this guy i knew that wanted to be a cop but never made it, and for some reason that's on my mind. maybe a post about misheard lyrics is in order (not including that damn Jimi Hendrix line about kissing guys).

and hell's got all the good bands anyway (hi mudpuppie).

I hear the train a comin´
it´s rolling round the bend
and I ain´t seen the sunshine since I don´t know when,
I´m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin´ on
but that train keeps a rollin´ on down to San Antone..

When I was just a baby my mama told me; Son,
always be a good boy, don´t ever play with guns.
But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry..

I bet there´s rich folks eating in a fancy dining car
they´re probably drinkin´ coffee and smoking big cigars.
Well I know I had it coming, I know I can´t be free
but those people keep a movin´
and that´s what tortures me...

Well if they´d free me from this prison,
if that railroad train was mine
I bet I´d move just a little further down the line
far from Folsom prison, that's where I want to stay
and I´d let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away.....

Feh, sleepy_pete!

Who here isn't doing all the stuff you're doing? (Except, you know, for the 'touring' thing and 'writing music' thing and 'living with melissamay' thing...)

Don't be strangers, dammit. Those 20 cumulative minutes that you spend eating each day? You should be spending them with us. Because we luuuuuurve you and support you.

And because food is really fucking overrated.

So, excuses denied!

There are 3 for me... well, provided I can *remember* what they are.... first one is..


Man watching video
The bomb keeps on ticking
He doesn't know why
He's just cattle for slaughter

The requiem

When the meaningful words
When they cease to function
When there's nothing to say
When will it start bothering you?

The requiem

Only a hint of religion
Uncensors to its false depravity
The sound of breaking glass
This is a reflection

The requiem

Killing Joke 'Requiem' Killing Joke, 1980

(damn elizard plying me with wine, anyways. my head's gone all kinda ...fuzzy.)

Another....


I dream of the ocean and the beautiful skies rolling out to sea
I dream of the ocean and the rip of the tide west of Finnistair
The weight of the water pouring down, holding on to me
I dream of the ocean, rising, rising
I dream of the ocean, rising, rising

I dream of the ocean - through the night the ghosts are sailing still
The James Caird steering east by north-east through the wild Atlantic swell
The men lie soaked and cold beneath the sail on a bed of ballast stone
They hear the boss cry out - I can see them now,
the snow-capped peaks of land
But it was the ocean, rising, rising
A forty foot wall of water crashing down
They held their breath and prayed to god
in the hour of death - To save them
From the ocean, rising, rising
I dream of the ocean, rising, rising

And so the years flow and journey's end
The old crew sailed south again
And they buried the boss by the melting snow
In the summer winds on the island
And now the ice it cracks and falls away,
driven in the storms
And I'll be there - where the sky touches the sea
At the edge of the ocean where the beautiful world fades into the grey
I dream of the ocean, rising, rising
I dream of the ocean, rising, rising
I dream of the ocean, rising, rising

Justin Sullivan, 'Ocean Rising', Navigating by the Stars, 2003

And, quite frankly, pretty much anything Mr. Sullivan and New Model Army have done. What an amazing songwriter. (imho, natch)

So many songs to choose from!
But I have a real soft spot for this...

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine
Staying home to watch the rain
And you are young and life is long
And there is time to kill today
And then one day you find
Ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run
You missed the starting gun

And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter
Never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to nought
Or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desparation is the English way
The time is gone
The song is over
Thought I'd something more to say

Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
When I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells

seanyboy - you know, I've always tried to not like that song for no readily apparent reason... don't get me wrong - I like Pink Floyd - every time they get to the final verse, it always pulls me in and makes me want to listen to the song again. :)

Hmmm. So I thought, how are people going to know what the hell I'm going on about without an aural reference? he is a bit obscure. Justin Sullivan .mp3 link.

Great minds think alike, seanyboy. Or fools never differ. Or something.

Oh, and...


The way you moved
I can't explain
The mood subsides
And grows again
I've lived alone
I've held a hand
I've tried to care
And understand

What is faith
And when belief
And who knows how
These things deceive
I never said
And though I tried
If I could leave
And sleep tonight

I can't imagine
How this ever came to be

I can't imagine
How this ever came to be


Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 'Statues', Organisation, 1980

THE AMOROUS HUMPHREY PLUGG (Scott Walker)

Hello Mr. Big Shot
Say, you're looking smart
I've had a tiring day
I took the kids along to the park

You've become a stranger
Every night with the boys
Got a new suit
That old smile's come back
And I kiss the children good night
And I slip away on the newly waxed floor

I've become a giant
I fill every street
I dwarf the rooftops
I hunchback the moon

Stars dance at my feet
Leave it all behind me
Screaming kids on my knee
And the telly swallowing me
And the neighbor shouting next door
And the subway trembling the roller-skate floor

I seek the buildings blazing with moonlight
In Channing Way
Their very eyes seem to suck you in with their laughter
They seem to say

You're all right now
So stop a while behind our smile
In Channing Way

Oh to die of kisses
Ecstasies and charms
Pavements of poets will write that I died
In nine angel's arms

And they all were smiling
Still seductive as sin in their eyes
The man I had been
No more hard luck stories to wear
Nothing left to give
Why the hell should I care?

Ann knows my smile and buries my shadow
In Channing Way
And with her cellophane sighs
Corrina the candle
Begs (Bades?) me to stay

You're all right now
So stop a while behind our smile
In Channing Way

Wow! Lots of great lyrics.

My favourite lines have always been these two from a Mink (short-lived band from my hometown) song.

I love you too much to take you to bed
Why fuck you when I can fuck with your head?

Fits my mood more times than I care to admit.

I used to be disgusted
now I try to be amused...


Just roll down the window
and let the wind blow back your hair
the night's busted open
these two lanes will take us anywhere...

Uno, dos, one, two, tres, quatro
Matty told Hatty about a thing she saw.
Had two big horns and a wooly jaw.
Wooly bully, wooly bully.
Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully.

Hatty told Matty, "Let's don't take no chance.
Let's not be L-seven, come and learn to dance."
Wooly bully, wooly bully
Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully.

Matty told Hatty, "That's the thing to do.
Get you someone really to pull the wool with you."
Wooly bully, wooly bully.
Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully.

What a beautiful face I have found in this place that is circling all round the sun

what a beautiful dream that could flash on the screen in a blink of an eye and be gone from me

soft and sweet let me hold it close and keep it here with me

and one day we will die and our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea

but for now we are young let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see

love to be in the arms of all im keeping here with me

What a curious life we have found here tonight there is music that sounds from the street

there are lights in the clouds Anna's ghost all around

Hear her voice as it's rolling and ringing through me soft and sweet

how the notes all bend and reach above the
trees

now how I remember you how I would push my fingers through your mouth to make those muscles move that made your voice so smooth and sweet

and now we keep where we don't know all secrets sleep in winter clothes

with one you loved so long ago now he don't
even know his name

what a beautiful face I have found in this place that is circling all round the sun

and when we meet on a cloud I'll be laughing out loud

I'll be laughing with everyone I see

can't believe how strange it is to be anything

at all

-In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel


And:

We live on a mountain
Right at the top
There's a beautiful view
From the top of the mountain
Every morning I walk towards the edge
And throw little things off
Like:
Car parts, bottles and cutlery
Or whatever I find lying around

It's become a habit
A way
To start the day

I go through all this
Before you wake up
So I can feel happier
To be safe up here with you

It's early morning
No one is awake
I'm back at my cliff
Still throwing things off
I listen to the sounds they make
On their way down
I follow with my eyes 'til they crash
Imagine what my body would sound like
Slamming against those rocks

When it lands
Will my eyes
Be closed or open?

I go through all this
Before you wake up
So I can feel happier
To be safe up here with you

-Hyperballad, Bjork

Hi, I'm Kate, and I am a Taurus.
I love tomatoes and black-capped chickadees.

It's the sad eyed goodbye
Yesterday's moments I remember
It's the bleak street,week kneed partings I recall
It's the mistier mists the hazier days
The brighter sun and the easier lays
There's all the more reason for laughing and crying
When you're younger and life isn't to hard at all

It's the fantastic drowse
Of the afternoon Sundays
That bored you to rages of tears
The unending pleadings
To waste all your good times
In thoughts of your middle-aged years
It's the vertical hold all the things that you're told
For the everyday hero it all turns to zero
And there's all the more reason
For living or dying when you're young
And your troubles are all very small

from "Drowse" by Roger Taylor (the drummer from Queen, not the guy from Duran Duran or whatever)

Amberglow, I just heard Book of Love when I watched Shall We Dance. Based on the Amazon clip, Stephen Merritt's really good. I'll have to look for more. t55

Take the velvet line for comfort
High above the water, feel disconnected and free
Tired of hopes that I just can't run from
I travel in secret, I know they're pursuing me

Morning that falls represents a weak link
After is after night's work is done
There's no sun, just a grey horizon
Hiding from heaven another frozen world

Watch the ship hold to its course

As an act of devotion
And me, I'm lost at sea
Going through the motions

Gave all my passion to the ocean
She holds it for me in reserve
My word is gone into remission
Your love's a tragedy that I don't deserve

She said, "you're only growing now."
She said, "soon have we begun, then she can have you.
But until then, you're mine."

I watch her hold to her course
As an act of devotion
And me, I'm riding high
Going through

Seems like every flash in her eye's
An act of devotion
And me I'm lost in her hands
Going through the motions

Shore far away off the port side
Shore far away off the bow
Shore far away off the starboard side
Shore far away from now

-- American Music Club, The Confidential Agent

Right on vers...I almost posted that one.
I hope I NEVER feel like that.

I'll post something cheerful next time instead of beautifully bleak and chill. If I remember by the time the next time rolls around, that is. And hey, it's nice to know I'm not alone in liking Eitzel.

The moment you said yes
Was arguably the finest one yet
And the moment I spoke my mind
Was my own fault.

We each have our ways of playing it safe
Though that's the last thing we need.
For example you don't call
For example I act like I don't notice when you don't call.

And the moment that you give in
To an evening of conjugal sin
Is the moment that I concede
That I answer to a physical greed.

I am missing you more
Now than ever before
And I do not sleep nights.
I am missing you more
Than is possibly healthy
And I don't sleep.

Do you get tired of the stupid little boys
Who do not think for themselves?
Well I got tired of the stupid little girls
Who wear their body weight in make-up.

You've been cutting your hair
In the bathroom at school
Tryin' hard not to stare
Tryin' hard to be cool
But my heart will go bad
If it never is used
Then I'd really be sad
Cuz I made it for you.

What do I have to do
To convince you that you
Would be stupid to be unaffected by me?
What do I have to do
To convince you that you
Would be stupid to be stupid?

And how can I protest
Your total lack of interest?

Do you get tired of the stupid little boys?
Cuz I was never one of them.
I got tired of the stupid little girls
Who spend their whole lives planning their weddings.

What do I have to do
To convince you
That I am like no other?
My heart will go bowling and my body to science
But my soul never met
Year 2000 compliance.

And what do I have to do
To convince you
That I am like no other?
And who do I have to fuck
To finally be your lover?

The moment that you said yes
Is the moment that you'll regret.
You'll spend every summer night trying hard to forget.

Or maybe you won't.
I cannot really know.
Everyone says they know when they don't.
Maybe you will be happy for the first time in your whole life.

Maybe you will be happy fast asleep next to me.
You will be fast asleep, next to me.
You will be fast asleep in my bed till 11.
We will be fast asleep, bodily assumed into heaven.

"The Moment You Said Yes" by Soltero.