1. |
Gone Fishing
03:54
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from the mountains to the sea
in empires built on sand
there are marvelous bodies
with bottles in their hands
they're lighting up their eyes
and slowing down their roll
they're silencing the tides
and losing all control
it began with a laugh
and with a laugh it will end
and the poison will remain
in our veins even when
we give our
whole lives
every day
the laughter of the kids
the attention of the mules
the sobriety of virgins
the arrogance of fools
we give our
whole lives
every day
decadence
madness
science
violence
so let us bury in the dark
the glory and the doom
and what began in disgust
will end in a riot of perfume
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2. |
Big Black Jewel
03:15
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the night was like
a big black jewel
and I was a
thieving fool
and the street looked like the sky
on the night you said goodbye
the tide washed
over the sand
and the cranes
went lookin' for land
and the clouds laid down and cried
on the night you said goodbye
there was a boat
all full of the stars
like the headlights
of passing cars
and the moon looked me right in the eye
on the night you said goodbye
your memory like a fanned flame grows
in the soft dark, the smell of clothes
like the powder from a matchlock gun
it's gone with the rising sun
a passing plane
caught a moonbeam
as its passengers
awoke from their dreams
and something inside of me died
on the night you said goodbye
and something inside of me died
on the night you said goodbye
|
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3. |
Everything is Stolen
02:39
|
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I had to let that one go
she held on too tight
I had to let that one go
and now I'm with you tonight
it's been a long, long time
that the stone's been rollin'
don't you know by now
that everything is stolen
there's more than one kind of smart
there's the part that you borrow
that's why there's nothing today
that there won't be tomorrow
so draw me a picture
I'll write you a song
take it out on the street
bring your sculptures along
we’ll paint up our faces
and fracture our bones
bring out the wolves
and leave the bunnies at home
it's been a long, long time
that the stone's been rollin'
don't you know by now
that everything is stolen
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4. |
After the Flood
03:50
|
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as soon as the idea
of drowning had passed
we sought higher ground
and said prayers to the grass
and all the precious stones
they began to hide
as the flowerbells swayed
in the approaching night
after the flood
black palls and organs
lightning and thunder
rise and roll
in the dirty main street
they set up the stalls
boats hauled to the sea
past the water-stained walls
a slaughterhouse circus
as pale as your soul
as beavers built damns
and blood and milk flowed
after the flood
black palls and organs
lightning and thunder
rise and roll
soldiers drank coffee
with brandy in bars
children in mourning
looking up for the stars
in the village square
a boy waved his arms
like a wild weather vane
on a wind-whipped barn
after the flood
black palls and organs
lightning and thunder
rise and roll
a bartender played piano
old women went to church
as the moon heard jackals
howling down in the dirt
and out in the orchard
the violent budding trees
signaled it was spring
and brought me to my knees
after the flood
black palls and organs
lightning and thunder
rise and roll
the beauty was unbearable
the queen in her fancy robes
the witch lights a fire in her pot
but won't tell what she knows
|
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5. |
In Your Belly
03:28
|
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he says "you must be joking"
you say you are sincere
he shrinks back into his lawn chair and cracks open a beer
a kiddie pool and a Weber grill, wet laundry on the fence
he stares up into the sky in total silence
"it's your son or your daughter, you know"
as around him a darkness grows
and you sit there and wiggle your toes
and watch your small patch of grass grow
'cause with or without him you'll survive
the thought makes you feel so alive
like the first time you shot daddy's gun
you feel like some kind of chosen one
and there's a thousand rays of sunlight in your belly
you see the road
straight and wide
some gasoline
and an evening drive
with nothing to lose
and a life to gain
hitch up that pony
you're not afraid
you're not afraid
you're not afraid
he sleeps out on the lawn
you pack up all your things
you talk into the mirror as you take off your ring
a flannel shirt and dozen tees, a raincoat and some jeans
you pull your boots out from under the bed and you wipe 'em clean
|
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6. |
Side Show
03:04
|
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they are very sturdy rogues
adept at exploiting the world
with no needs, and in no hurry
plenty of money and cornfed girls
they are god fearing men
eyes vacant like the night
decorated with stripes and stars
faces distorted and teeth so white
what a side show
some of them are young
and flush with terrifying dreams
they're sent snaring out on the town
tricked out with nauseating luxury
what a side show
they pose in improvised costumes
in stores and under manicured trees
they shake hands and hold ripe little babies
on the covers of our glossy magazines
eyes flame, blood sings, bones swell
and there are always some tears
the clowning and terror lasts a minute
or entire years
what a side show
they are very sturdy rogues
adept at exploiting the world
with no needs, and in no hurry
plenty of money and cornfed girls
what a side show
what a side show
|
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7. |
Temples
03:45
|
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out there on the summer lawn
there's the neighbor's son
his name is Paul and he's
waiting for his dinner
on the kitchen floor
back behind the door
the bird dog Bob ain't
getting any thinner
carolyn wipes off some dishes
says something about her wishes
then her hands hold biscuits
wrapped in cellophane
and outside Jack joins Paul
the roadside grass is tall
and out o'er the fields
the sky, it looks like rain
each body is a temple
but y'know it's not that simple
'cause the door is known to open
once the sun goes down
a sad bulb shines out in the night
on the porch, they watch the fight
their bellies full of bacon
their minds alive
the sweet science of fist to face
as ghosts surround the place
and the featherweight
gets knocked out in round five
eat some supper, boy
better eat up your beans, boy
people from all over town
come on over to the sound
of a party in the country
a bottle and some dancing girls
and death is everyone's last name
but don't let your face hang
don't let your arms fall
you're alive in the modern world
|
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8. |
The Good Fight
02:58
|
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no one speaking
floorboards creaking
fan blades twirling
wood grain swirling
put on your jacket and step outside
hop on your bike and go for a ride
sunset, light rain
red clouds, freeway
the city behind you
the horizon a soft moon
everything open and everything free
wheels over land like driftwood on the sea
country, cornfields
kitchens, hot meals
farmers' headlights
fighting the good fight
a life in a moment, a flash in the pan
she stands in a driveway, a leash in her hand
get lost, white lines
side roads 'til sunrise
dead weight lifting
sorrow drifting
head for the night as it runs for the hills
time is no object, it changes at will
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9. |
Empty Pages
03:39
|
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a light turns on in the back of my mind
while i'm giving all i've got to give
early in the morning before the demons have a will to live
while the city sleeps and the dogs dream of a life out in the country
where the rooster crows and a cool wind blows and the apples fall from the trees
the light is a hall of books
and the hall is the city
and the books are all the people
and the people are all you and me
and we're on these shelves together
and we're bound in battered leather
and we're checked out one at a time
and we're brought back never
in the quiet room of a dusty house
on an evening in the ghetto
we're finding ourselves in the dark
and we're fighting to take it slow
we're pressed up cover to cover
and we've got no sense of time
so let me fill my pages with words from yours
and yours with words from mine
|
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10. |
Ready to Go
04:04
|
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I've got you on the phone, sitting all alone at home
I've got you on the phone, sitting all alone at home
I can hear the neighbor screaming and there's music on the stereo
and I can tell by the way you say nothing
that you're ready to go
there's nothing going on in the streets of that little town
there's nothing going on in the streets of that little town
there are a few nice people, and a few that like to get around
but most of them have already
dug themselves a hole in the ground
and you're the mayor
and your the watch dog
and your the big brother
but it's not too late
to be a dreamer
the streets are only scary when you see 'em on the evening news
the streets are only scary when you see 'em on the evening news
it's a bill to New York City, we can meet on Bedford Avenue
I've got a friend who just moved out there and he tells me that there's plenty to do
but you're the mayor
and your the watch dog
and your the big brother
but it's not too late
to be a dreamer
the streets are only scary when you see 'em on the evening news
the streets are only scary when you see 'em on the evening news
it's a bill to California, we can meet on Melrose Avenue
I’ve got a friend who just moved out there and she tells me that there's plenty to do
or you can go to Paris
or Mexico City
or Tokyo
or Madrid
or Sri Lanka
or Amsterdam
or Buenos Aires
or Santo Domingo
or to the North Pole
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