1. |
For Specious Skies
02:20
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I should've met you
When my hardhat went where I'd go
Packed lunch several stories high
Would've seemed apropos
Though I couldn't realize
What I did not define
Whistles and punch cards
Jumping off the support beam
Can't do what is asked of
My self-esteem
Though I didn't realize
What I did not define
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2. |
Barrel Aged
04:10
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Goodbyes, reminders
Leave us on the same terms:
Quiet as a vowed monk
And the clothes that you found
That were inside-out
Come from nights when you were drunk
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3. |
Psalm
02:26
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There's no such thing as bad dreams
You just hate the good times
And though things aren't as they seem
Take deeper breaths, you'll be fine
Have you heard?
Everything's happening tonight
And I've got a hunch that it might
Leave all of us happy
It's absurd
For our emotions to hinge upon
The feelings our friends let on
That let us know we're happy
If you ever feel unwelcome
Or you don't know what to say
Take a step back
Don't fall prey
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4. |
Don't Be So Hard
08:53
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In gleaning over you
This subject's run its course
Mouth says you're tired
But your eyes say otherwise
Oh, your eyes
Next motion's trivial
A secondly natural pause
Locked glances and
We both know not to trust lust
It's a lost cause
Baby, don't you be so hard
We've been up and down around this mark
I'll keep studying this lesson
In order to love
Lessening aptitude
Encouraged to leave this hand
I'm not waxing poetic, I'm waning and
That's a command
Stand down
Baby, don't you be so hard
We've been up and down around this mark
I'll keep studying this lesson
In order to love
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5. |
Our Fiscal Year
02:58
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I could see your house from a ladder
I could see your roof from the thick of the trees if I really tried
I could sense your doubt growing fatter
I could hear my thoughts turn to words turn to hurt on the snowy ground
Revisiting accounts and expenditures
Our fiscal year comes apart at the seams
Previously I thought maybe she was born with it
Now I'm thinking maybe it's make believe
It was not my ways you were so
Defiant of, although
You made some cuts
To the budget of us
|
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6. |
Fox's Driveway
05:43
|
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Oh god, oh goodness gracious yes
I just received my first kiss, I'll tell you how it went
Leaning nervously across the console, just us two
Parked in her driveway, sitting in my mom's Subaru
Scared to head in, she had me forgetting what first dates are for
But her mom was out seeing a cover band
Let's stay here a few minutes more
Or possibly hours
Who's to say?
In Fox's driveway
Reluctant as ever to walk up to that screen door, oh
Told me the finer points of Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Winter outside had us so cold, the A/C couldn't relieve it
Her skin, pale and dim, proved for sure she's anemic
Covered both sets of parents, separated and how they used to fight
I hope that raccoon doesn't mistake you for trash and take a bite
Now that your offer stands
I just might
In Fox's driveway
True Grit was okay, we went to Starbucks to see how we feel
Almost collided with a car when I neglected to yield
Gum melted to the side of her coffee cup, the timing was great
I've been out longer than told, my family thinks I'm dead
Well, they'll have to wait
Right now, I'm occupied with those jade eyes
In Fox's driveway
Oh god, oh goodness gracious yes
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7. |
||||
Meet Buster, son of Kurt
Wife Judy, from the producers of "hurt"
Daughter Diane, man's best friend Paul
TV Guide says, "comedy gold"
Come laugh along
Buster's in a band
They're not so great
Diane pines over a guy
But receives heartache
She doesn't fall far
From the tree
'Cause Judy knows heartache all too well
Because Kurt's an unresponsive lover
Come laugh along
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8. |
Pantopon Rose
05:39
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Parted hair and ways again
Checklist shows "Cap A" and "Feather B"
It's mayonnaise to me
Press gathers around
Microphones extend themselves
But the opprobrium
Shakes hands and says,
"Gee, I never meant to hurt no one,
Just couldn't let them have all the fun"
Bristles on a toothbrush fail
Licking dirt from the floor
From some awful office-looking kind of place
Staring at the antiseptic
You realize hand sanitizer's
Holy water for any given public space
An elder's dotage causes concern
Now when's the last time you've seen her?
I've seen her...
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9. |
I Used to Be Beautiful
03:52
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The Palace, The Lyceum, The Majestic
I've seen them all
Helen Hayes, Walter Kerr
Not to mention The Imperial
These days I've succumbed to the fact
Old age is one's worst enemy
These days I find I'm going grey
Both atop my head and tonally
I used to be beautiful, that was many years ago
I performed in musicals, although you might not think it so
Now I'm unusable and that's unusual
Scratching off lottery tickets
This is all that joy can bring
Put the piano up for sale
What good is ivory if I can't sing?
That's last call for tonight
I'm leaving, I beg your pardon
Find me tomorrow
Scalping tickets to Winter Garden
I used to be beautiful, that was many years ago
I performed in musicals, although you might not think it so
Now I'm unusable and that's unusual
Give us an encore, get back on the stage
I used to be beautiful
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10. |
Variable
02:20
|
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Resign myself to the proverb of old, stating
"Everything in the universe has its place"
There are two things I'm sure of in this moratorium stage:
Leaving things behind ain't easy and
Tension has a face
These words were written a long time ago on
Microsoft Word, were it 2005?
I'll sing them now, not out of writers block
But because there's innocent snow on the porch and it makes me feel like
Giving them a try
I am the soul who protested
I am the plant that's infested
I am the show you're not invested in
I am the factor being tested
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11. |
Baker Drive
07:36
|
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A floor below, the unlocked house is empty
I dare you to find something to steal
Step where the welcome mat was and remove me of my pith
Before the big city does it for real
And now, bidding Baker adieu
The park won't look as lovely now that we're through
Now, bidding Baker adieu
Catching one more azure sky from my window's view
There's a difference between living and standing a chance
These days in this couchridden week are numbered
There's a difference between the first and second glance
The city never sleeps and I barely slumber
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12. |
Keeping in Touch
02:31
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You can say that you don't know this
Just confess
And you can claim that you don't notice
When I digress
But here I am, doing it again
With my friends
And here you are, listening again
Here I am, doing it again
With all my friends
And there you are, listening again
Our goodbyes will never be enough
'Cause we all like each other too much
I'm keeping in touch
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13. |
Scholar's Rock
07:34
|
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I'll have you know
Nothing, not a thing, about this is easy
Baptized in gold
Not fire, and left me grateful and queasy
Mad for the scene
Athens, Ohio is not necessarily what I mean
It's the inertia that lies
Somewhere in between
A bevy of willful ears, but they don't go to my head
Check back once a year to make sure I don't betray what I said
My heart, my heart can be
Taken for granted, taken for granted
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