(I’m still working on this section of the website, so I apologize for anything that is missing or non-functional. Thank you for your patience!)
Another Nail In The Coffin
Anywhere But Here
The Astronaut’s Song
At The House Of The Moon
The Ballad of the Black Hole Sailor
The Ballad of the Borderless
Beasts Like Us
Bet It High
Burial At Sea
Conservation
The Devil’s House Theme Song
Eldritch Forces
The End Of Work
The Fire On Jay Mountain
The Forecast
Fountain Pen in Istanbul
Goodnight, Stranger
The Grandma Song
The Grapefruit Song
I Can Not Live With Your Ghost
The Ice Age Song
I’m Listening
In The End
In The Pages
Love Comes Home
Love In The Time Of Cyborgs
Lullaby For Elisheva
Merciful Universe
The Mountains of Madness
The National Anthem of Unknown Kadath
Nerd Rage
Never Better
Nightmare Blues
Nothing Is Ruined
Oh, You Sinner
Old Gods/Delirium’s Lullaby
One In A Million
Ragnarok Song
Replace Me!
Riding Home As The Ghosts Look On
Sweet Love Song
Take My Story With You
The Tale of Johnny Duckling and the Geese of Warbla Du
Thirteen Cigarettes Ago
The Things I Left Behind
The Things We’ll Never Do
This Must Be The Scene
Tonight Will Be Different
Trust Song
Uncanny Hands
Undiscovered Territory
The View of Deception Pass
Wasted Time
When You Wake Up
Where The Cottonwoods Grow
(You Are) Coming Alive
Your Hometown
Your Savior Isn’t Coming
ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COFFIN
Put another nail in the coffin, love
Put another nail in the coffin
Put another nail in the coffin, love
Put another nail in the coffin
Winter, winter, come away
Come again some other day
Don’t raise the wind, don’t rock the sea,
Don’t take my love away from me.
Say your prayers to the moon
Nighttime’s gonna be here soon
Say your prayers to the sun
Daytime won’t tell anyone
Put another nail in the coffin, love
Put another nail in the coffin
Put another nail in the coffin, love
Put another nail in the coffin
She takes a step towards her love
He says “one step ain’t good enough”
She cries out, “Won’t you come to me?”
He says, “What kind of love would that be?”
The temple has come crashing down,
Let’s rebuild in another town
And when that temple’s set aflame
We’ll learn to play another game
Put another nail in the coffin, love
Put another nail in the coffin
Put another nail in the coffin, love
Put another nail in the coffin
Wisdom comes, wisdom goes
Wisdom asks what madness knows
Demons play while angels sing
You and I dance in the faerie ring
Put another nail in the coffin, love
Put another nail in the coffin
Put another nail in the coffin, love
Put another nail in the coffin
ANYWHERE BUT HERE
I’d rather be anywhere but here,
This place where land mines are
Scattered like confetti,
This place where all the
Joyful nights be-
-Come so cold and
Sharp, just like a
Knife left in the snow,
Where friendship turn its coat at the drop of a hat,
Where love turns on a dime,
Where sour tastes await inside
The finest of meals…
And if I had a leg to stand on, I would walk away.
I’d rather be anywhere but-
Anywhere but here,
This place where footsteps
Threaten to become thunder,
This place where a dark and empty room is
Better than one brightened by a
Fierce and blinding anger,
Or the gray and lonely sadness that follows behind,
This place where skin is fragile,
Where tiny scabs are picked at
By unwelcome and unwashed hands…
And if I still knew the way out, I would open a door.
I’d rather be anywhere but-
Anywhere but-
Anywhere but here,
This place where silence is the
Best that you can hope for,
This place where all the
Monsters in our
Closets they have
Crept into our mouths, and now
They only come out
When we choose to talk,
This place where no one’s happy but there’s no exit,
This place where hearts become still
Where the echoes of songs we used to sing
Have almost totally faded.
And if I had a leg to stand on, I would walk away.
And if I still knew the way out, I would open a door.
And if I still had wings, I would’ve flown a long time ago.
But instead, here I sit.
But instead, here I wait.
Here I wait, for the fire to come.
THE ASTRONAUT’S SONG:
A RESPONSE TO AMANDA PALMER’S “ASTRONAUT”
It’s not enough to have some love,
Be it great or be it small;
The size of wing won’t mean a thing
When the engine starts to stall.
It’s not enough to have some love:
It won’t seal what has been cracked.
All the parts of this crooked little ship
All come from older, crumbling wrecks.
These days, my feet have grown so uneasy,
Especially near the place you stand.
There is no safety on the ground anymore, but
Who says I ever have to land?
Yes, my darling, I’m your astronaut,
Fueled by a cold ambition;
Where I go, you cannot follow, so
Take control, and hit ignition!
Weightless living for so long
Makes it easy not to care;
From where I float and look around,
You wouldn’t know that Earth is there.
But no matter how far away I fly,
This vessel’s hardly even mine.
You are the engineer, I’m just the pilot;
I float away by your design!
Yes, my darling, I’m your astronaut,
Blinded by the blast behind me!
Jettison is not an option, I
Go where my momentum takes me!
You don’t have to watch me as I follow my trajectory,
But as my travels split the sky, I’ll hope you’re doing well.
Motion makes me sick, but so does stillness, stillness in excess;
Even if I burn, I’ll leave behind a tale to tell!
Yes, my darling, I’m your astronaut,
Blinded by the blast behind me!
Jettison is not an option, I
Go where my momentum takes me!
Yes, my darling, I’m your astronaut,
Flying towards the night before me!
Watch as I approach the speed of light,
Never aging, always falling!
Never aging, always falling!
AT THE HOUSE OF THE MOON
Meet me at the House of the Moon
Where memories are lingering
It doesn’t matter if you’ve got any money
Just come prepared to drink and sing
It’s on the north side of town
Across from the reservoir
Travel by bus or travel by bike
Forget about your car
When the home-brewers roll up
That’s when we’ll kick off this show
Ten dollars gets you a beer-bottle pint glass
Then let the good taste flow and flow
Until all of the growlers are empty,
And the folk bands play their last
And the revelers are deliriously weary
And the final vote is cast
At the House of the Moon
I hope we play again, soon.
All proceeds go toward a good cause
Nobody’s getting rich tonight
But some of us are getting pretty damn toasted
Everyone is gonna be all right
Captain America will have his revenge
On the Mermaid and the Serpent
The smugglers will be singing their anthem
Our hearts and minds may be broken or bent
But there’s no denying the magic
Of a house show at its height
No one is getting turned away
Everyone is gonna be all right
No one is getting turned away
Everyone is gonna be all right
So this next song is a new one, I just it wrote today
Nobody’s getting rich tonight
At the House of the Moon
I hope we play again soon
At the House of the Moon
I hope we play again soon
I hope we play again soon
THE BALLAD OF THE BLACK HOLE SAILOR
Past the point of no escape,
The point of no return,
I’m idling in space
Near where a star once used to burn,
And nobody will come for me,
They’ll never hear my cry!
No sound nor light escapes this place,
There’s nowhere left to fly.
I’m the first, I’m the first, I’m the first
Sailor to cross the horizon line!
But I’m cursed, But I’m cursed, I’m cursed
That no one will know
That so lonesome an honor is mine.
My father was a tailor,
My mother was a queen.
And I’m a star-born sailor,
This whole galaxy, I’ve seen.
And I don’t regret a lightyear
That I’ve traveled since my birth,
Though my feet will cross the threshold
Having never known the Earth.
I’m the first, I’m the first, I’m the first
Sailor to cross the horizon line!
But I’m cursed, But I’m cursed, I’m cursed
That no one will know
That so lonesome an honor is mine.
Cradled in the tendrils
Of a singularity-
Eternal is its hunger,
Which is my delivery!
For even time can not escape
The darkness’ embrace,
So eternity have I to dream
Of my true lover’s face.
I’m the first, I’m the first, I’m the first
Sailor to cross the horizon line!
But I’m cursed, But I’m cursed, I’m cursed
That no one will know
That so lonesome an honor is mine.
No one will know that
So lonesome an honor is mine.
Ballad of the Borderless
Some say that their homeland is the greatest of all
Its cities and fortresses never to fall
But history tells us such dreamers tell lies
Every empire crumbles, every emperor dies
But we here shall never swear our loyalty
To a nation nor lineage but humanity
And all those who suffer are kin to our cause
Come live free of nationalists and their laws
We honor no border no flag do we raise
We wish no return to greater days
No wall shall divide us, of steel nor of stone
No king can command us, everyone is their own
We honor no border no flag do we raise
We wish no return to greater days
No wall shall divide us, of steel nor of stone
No king can command us, everyone is their own
BEASTS LIKE US (A DARWINIAN BALLAD)
There are wolves in the forest!
There are owls in the trees!
The paths we walk are haunted,
And watch out for the bees.
But we are not the hunted ones;
Our strides are brave and long.
So take my hand, my darling,
And make sure your grip is strong.
No wind shall blow between us
By the sun or under the moon
And if you need to turn me loose,
You’d better do it soon.
My limbs are firm, my eyes are sharp
My feet, quick on the ground.
But if you find something better,
Well, I guess I’ll see you around.
Shadows grow when the sun is gone
And the birds no longer sing,
But beasts like us at night,
We can see everything.
Sleep will soon lay hands on us
And softly steal away!
Lay close to me, my darling,
Or just lead me astray.
No wind shall chill our bodies
By autumn or by spring.
Beasts like us have no need
For fangs or claws or wings.
Let’s make our life among the trees
Or live among the dunes!
And if you’re gonna turn me loose,
You’d better do it soon.
It’s a struggle for tomorrow;
It’s a struggle, day by day.
BURIAL AT SEA
The water is calling,
The waves are all crashing, just like drums of war!
The naiads are dancing,
To the beat of what lays in store for
Us!
Oh, what lays in store for us?
And when the time comes,
These walls will fall with the tide!
Call the Kraken
Call Leviathan
To the ritual
To the funeral
Call the Kraken
Call Leviathan
We’ll give this city
A burial at sea!
The water is rising
It offers no treaty and makes no demands!
The fog is creeping in
To swallow us in silver and cover the land
We love!
What land do we love?
And when the time comes,
These towers will fall with a splash!
Call the Kraken
Call Leviathan
To the ritual
To the funeral
Call the Kraken
Call Leviathan
We’ll give this city
A burial at sea!
We’ll give this city
A burial at sea!
Call the Kraken
Call Leviathan
To the ritual
To the funeral
Call the Kraken
Call Leviathan
We’ll give New Orleans
A burial at sea!
We’ll give Los Angeles
A burial at sea!
We’ll give New York City
A burial at sea!
We’ll give your home
A burial at sea!
CONSERVATION
When is glass is shattered,
Shattered is how it will remain
And a manuscript, once burned,
Will never be read again-
But that’s just one perspective.
I totally get that you’re dead and gone; your reactor spent its reserve.
And of everyone I know, a proper send-off is just what you deserve
I imagine how you disintegrate into the pieces of your earthly home
From the neurons that dictated your obsession to every X chromosome
All of these pieces of you will find some other cosmic position
The dirt we become is just another gateway to a thousand future
Destinations
From matter to matter,
From energy to energy,
Pieces of us persist
After we cease to exist
Maybe someday I’ll meet you again in the feather of a giant predatory bird
And in the ink of another civilization’s failing printed word
And in the silt at the bottom of some as of yet unfilled lake
And in the fossil fuel as our successors repeat our last mistakes
Our pieces will not recognize each other but that’s not the point of this exercise
This is how I choose to comfort myself every time
Another good one dies
From matter to matter,
From energy to energy,
Pieces of us persist
After we cease to exist
Oxygen
Carbon
Hydrogen and
Nitrogen
Just in case I haven’t made myself clear
I still miss you, you’re still here
The Devil’s House Theme Song
Are you looking for a new place to stay?
Come on down to the devil’s house!
Are you looking for a chance to get away?
Come on down to the devil’s house!
There’s plenty to eat, so take your fill
Just remember who’s footing the bill
If you want to dance from night until day
It’s the devil’s house!
Have you been feeling down on your luck?
Roll the dice at the devil’s house!
Have you done wrong just to make a buck?
Name your price at the devil’s house!
Come ye faithless, come ye sinner
You made it just in time for dinner
What you done, we don’t give a FUCK!
It’s the devil’s house!
Have you committed some terrible crime?
Fill the void at the devil’s house!
Or are you just looking for a real good time?
Get destroyed at the devil’s house!
Do what you will, that’s the law of the land
And if you want to dance, just take my hand
Be you a hot mess or in your prime,
It’s the devil’s house!
ELDRITCH FORCES
This morning, while I was on my break
I decided to leave everything behind
Forsake the trudging world of civilization
And join the eldritch forces that conspire against mankind
I told my supervisor the news
She was surprised, but she took it with stride
A handshake and some congratulations, then I was on my way
When I got home, a black car was waiting outside
Isn’t it nice
To have something to believe in?
Isn’t it it nice
To have somewhere you belong?
When humanity is fed into the Void
I will be there
Singing this song
This morning, where I read forsaken tomes
I made some new friends by the coffee machine
Mephistopheles is from Germany, and he’s really into ska
And Darryl from Salem, he’s got the strangest eyes I’ve ever seen
We’re gonna take a botany class together
We’re gonna go camping in the ancient hills just outside of town
And go fishing for slithering beasts in the bottomless pool
While Darryl sings like the voices coming from the burial ground
Isn’t it nice
To have something to believe in?
Isn’t it it nice
To have somewhere you belong?
When humanity is fed into the Void
Give me your hand
No I will not cut it off
And I’m starting to understand
That these people are not evil minions at all
And I’m starting to understand
That my initial impressions were from ignorance and gall
These cursed tongues are just someone else’s language
These forsaken tomes are just someone else’s books
Even this dagger they gave me is symbolic, it can’t even cut bread
Not everything is as strange as it first looks
And feeding humanity into the void
Wouldn’t be such a bad thing if you’ll just hear me out
Like David said, “heaven is a place where nothing ever happens”
And nothing is what the Void is all about
Isn’t it nice
To have something to believe in?
Isn’t it it nice
To have somewhere you belong?
Isn’t it nice
To have some perspective?
Isn’t it nice
To finally sing along?
THE FIRE ON JAY MOUNTAIN
The devil was in us as we ran
We had a way out, but not a plan
This church gave us a place to hide
Just like the train gave us a ride
Just like the man gave us a gun
Just like the sky gave us the sun
But we’ve been careless with a delicate place
These cobwebs and altars won’t leave a trace
We’ve started a fire we can’t put out.
The devil was in us as we ran
Into the inferno with no plan
The timbers are falling round our feet
The smoke that chokes us smells dark and sweet
And the fire that’s in the sunset
Is just like the fire in front of your eyes
And the water that gets your eyes wet
Is just like the water that falls from the sky
We’ve started a fire we can’t put out.
We’ve made it as far as we can run.
This shelter is gone, but we can build a better one.
THE FORECAST
Whoa oh, whoa oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh wah oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh wah oh
And now for tomorrow’s ten-day forecast:
Tomorrow you will wake up and feel slightly out of place
There will seem to be no reason that this should be the case
You’ll go through all the motions, try to find what you’re missing
At first you’ll find a quick fix in nostalgic reminiscing
But soon that high will wear away, and leave you in the cold
You’ll worry you’re irrelevant, you’ll worry that you’re old
These worries are a product of corrupt society
That profits from your sadness and from your anxiety
And maybe, if you’re lucky, you will find your great escape
I’m not quite sure the color and I’m not quite sure the shape
Maybe travel, maybe love, or maybe new career
Or maybe cutting out all of the bullshit that you fear
Whoa oh, whoa oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh wah oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh wah oh
And now for tomorrow’s twenty-year forecast…
The neighborhoods you loved will have become unrecognizable
The hipsters will wear fashions that you’ll find quite inadvisable
You’ll meet some peers much younger and more talented than you
Your self-esteem will suffer, but there’s not much you can do
The aesthetic of the previous generation (that you hated)
By the youth, to your dismay, will become celebrated
The bestselling books you loathed will have become unavailable
And all your favorites will be known as critically unassailable
Every scandal, every crime and every devastation
Will seem much worse than those in your memory’s estimation
It’s comfortable to think that things were better in your youth
Even though, that’s very rarely ever been the truth
Whoa oh, whoa oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh wah oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh wah oh
And now for what you’ve all been waiting for: The forecast for this century.
You no longer feel so sad or sick or angry or exposed
There is no “you” that’s left to feel; your brain has decomposed
Most things that you did, to be quite honest, are forgotten
Be the actions noble or be they misbegotten
But you changed the world a thousand tiny ways you’ll never know!
By interacting rather than existing in tableau
The paradox of humanity is that everyone is essential
While at the same time, no one is, and though it seems tangential-
In a billion years, the sun will turn our planet into ashes
The universe will eventually cease expanding as time passes
That’s tomorrow’s forecast, sorry for getting so graphic-
That’s all for the weather, now, let’s go to the traffic.
FOUNTAIN PEN IN ISTANBUL
I lost my pen in Istanbul
It’s writing without me
Pictures, sketches, poetry
That I will never see
Beneath Galata tower, someone’s
Wrapped it in their hands
Their fingers make it dance around
While I’m in distant lands
Sometimes, I wonder,
traveling by bicycle and train
Does my fountain pen ever miss
These hands it used to stain?
And can these hands miss
the lines they’ll never know?
The alps are flying by my window, but
My fountain pen will never know
Black lines
Drawn upon a page that once was white
White lines
Lightning paints upon the darkest night
GOODNIGHT, STRANGER
Goodnight, stranger,
The night is creaking beneath our feet
Goodnight, stranger,
The last dance has skipped a beat
You’re lovely fire to dance beside
But now it’s time to run and hide
Call your taxi,
Pay me no mind.
Goodnight, stranger,
The childish things have all been done
Goodnight, stranger,
Another year has fallen around the sun
The lovely things have all been spent
Now it’s time to pay my rent
But I’m not ready,
And you’re not willing.
If you really wanted me
You could really take me
You could really take me to the end
To the end of the world
Where there is a light.
And if you really wanted me
You could really take me.
Instead, good night.
Goodnight, city,
Take my stranger back to safety’s den
Goodnight, city,
And where I sleep, don’t dare to speak her name
When the flood decides to finally come,
Like when she spoke and stopped my tongue,
Don’t try to wake me;
There’s nothing to wake.
And if you really wanted me,
You could really take me
You could really take me to the end
To the end of the world
Where there is a light.
And if you really wanted me,
You could really take me,
You could really take me to the end
To the end of the void
To the end of the night
And if you really wanted me,
You could really take me.
You could really take me to the end,
To the end of the line,
And take my sight.
But instead,
You never said good night.
THE GRAPEFRUIT SONG
“Je ne c’est pas” is French for “I don’t know what”
“Jamba” is Swahili for the air in your gut
“Misdadig” is Dutch for one who’s hung from a noose
And “grapefruit” is English for…
Une pamplemousse!
Deux pamplemousse!
Mon pamplemousse!
Votre pamplemousse!
Ya da da!
“Gott in Himmel” is German for of what I dream
“Cristiano” is Italiano for “Goyim”
“Forno” is Portuguese for where you cook a goose
And don’t forget! “Grapefruit” is just English for…
Une pamplemousse!
Deux pamplemousse!
Mon pamplemousse!
Votre pamplemousse!
Lo siento, pero no recuerdo mucho Espanol
Porque I learned it all _____ anos ago
Pero hay una cosa que yo recuerdo muy bien
And that, of course, is how to say: “This is my pen.”
Eso es me pluma!
Esto es tu pluma!
Alli esta muchas plumas,
Pero aquí esta mi pluma!
Ya da da!
Une pamplemousse!
Deux pamplemousse!
Mon pamplemousse!
Votre pamplemousse!
I CANNOT LIVE WITH YOUR GHOST
I cannot live with your ghost in this house,
So don’t go dying on me!
Don’t go skipping to the next world, my friend:
It won’t come easily!
I can not live with your ghost in this town,
That empty place on our stage,
The harmony you used to sing in our song,
The paragraph you wrote on my page.
Don’t go dying on me.
Don’t go dying on me.
I cannot live with your ghost in my kitchen,
Telling stories that I will never hear.
The goddess calling you has turned into my devil,
Sharpening her tongue into a spear.
She wears the costume of a lord and savior
But look what she holds in her teeth: A dagger painted red just like a rose,
And what a heart she carries underneath!
Go ahead and look what’s underneath.
Look what’s underneath.
I cannot live with your ghost in this house,
So don’t go dying on me!
The next world won’t unfold like a flower;
There will be years of misery.
You strike the match and you strike up a song,
Burning bridges that I build.
I can not live with your ghost in this house
‘Cause it’s me you have killed.
And I won’t be the last one that you kill.
THE ICE AGE SONG
The temperature is dropping
The temperature is dropping
And the ground is going to frost.
The sun is hiding
The sun, he is hiding
And the ground is slowly tempest-tossed.
The glacier is coming
The glacier is coming
And when she comes, she will change everything.
And when she comes,
And when she comes
You just might hear me sing
That everything’s transforming all the time
From the waters we swim to the hills we climb
Everything’s transforming all the time, time
The snow is falling
The snow is falling
Gonna wrap this city in its long white coat
The sea is receding
The sea is receding
And the ground is rushing up to meet my boat
The glacier is coming
The glacier is coming
Her hands will move the dirt beneath my skin
And when she comes
And when she comes
She will change every place I’ve ever been
And everything’s transforming all the time
From the waters we swim to the hills we climb
Everything’s transforming all the time, time
She’s coming!
IN THE END
In your body
There’s a pocket watch that’s ticking
A pocket watch that’s ticking
Hidden somewhere in your chest
Someday soon
When that old watch strikes the hour
Strikes upon the hour
The minute hand will rest
And how strange it is that you got the call!
And how strange that we’re ourselves at all!
In the end, no more pages will you turn
In the end, no more memories will burn
In the end, there’s no lesson there to learn
The game’s not over, it is just the ending of your turn
What you know
Is just a drop inside the bucket
A drop inside the bucket
Which soon evaporates
What you know
Will lead your feet astray
Lead your feet astray
Through some long-forbidden gates
Walk away
In the end, nothing doesn’t fade away
In the end, stars don’t care for what we say
In the end, even history won’t stay
It’s silly to imagine that the universe was put here for your sake
In the end, no more chances will you take
In the end, there’s no compromise to make
In the end, there’ll be nothing when you wake
Every party ends when they all look up in the sky and see the light of one more day
You had your chance at golden lands and now it’s time to rest.
IN THE PAGES
I’m in seventh grade and everything is terrible
‘Cause Tyler won’t leave me alone, he’s such an asshole
And Alex used to be my best friend,
Now he doesn’t answer my calls
And Sierra doesn’t like me like I like her
I asked her, “Are you sure?”
But none of that matters with this novel in my hand
Full of mysteries and problems I can understand
If I find the magic sword, maybe I won’t feel so bored
If I find the magic ring, I can hide from everything
In the pages where the line between good and evil is so stark
If I solve this riddle, I can chase away the dark
Now I’m an adult and things are slightly better
At least I can spend my own money (but first I gotta make it)
I’m as cool as a younger me wanted to be (but sometimes I fake it)
And I think I get the way this shitty world runs
But that knowledge costs me tons
But none of that matters with this novel in my hand
Full of mysteries and problems I can understand
If I win this war, maybe I won’t feel so bored
If I stop this crime, maybe I can get more time
In the pages where the line between truth and fiction is stark
And if I solve this puzzle I can chase away the dark
For the days when there’s too much to feel
For the days when the shit just gets too real
For the days when there’s too much to feel
For the days when the shit gets real
If I find the magic sword, maybe I won’t feel so bored
If I find the magic ring, I can hide from everything
In the pages where the line between good and evil is so stark
If I solve this riddle, I can chase away the dark
If I figure out the password, I can chase away the dark
If I cast the right spell, I can chase away the dark
If I read this novel, I can chase away the dark
LOVE COMES HOME
Arms! Encircle me, try to slow me down,
Try to keep momentum from taking me downtown
Towards the future, towards what nobody knows but everybody could
Eyes! Undress me, cut me down to size,
Try to keep me mortal, though you know that I will rise
And when I rise, I will get higher (way higher) than any mortal should
And that day will be the day
Love comes home for good.
Lips! Come taste of me, hang me out to dry,
Fill me to the brim with your sweet by and by,
Let me drink your stranger flavors every now and then.
Hands! Unfold me, unleash what I may hide
These monsters and martyrs, let ’em flow just like the tide
You won’t find me in the gutter trying to teach ’em the ways of men
‘Cause that day will be the day
Love comes home again.
Legs! Wrap around me, take me deep inside!
And cheeks, may you flush, may you shine where you once cried!
Conscience, don’t go crying about all the krakens we loosed.
Hair, keep on growing, you’ll find a new abode.
Feet, keep on walking, don’t worry ’bout the road
Put some distance here between you and me to help keep this truce.
And the day that debt is paid,
Love comes home to roost.
Momentum, take me higher!
Momentum, take me higher and higher and higher!
Love comes home today.
LOVE IN THE TIME OF CYBORGS
Here lays the hand that held mine,
Tightly, like a lonely vice,
As the bright light split the horizon
And the skies filled with shards of ice.
We stood under the veneer of safety,
The waking dream that nothing could change,
Even as the clouds of ash gathered
As the world began to rearrange-
“Get your things and get into the car.”
Here lay the legs that leapt
Over the hungry chasms in the street
As we fled from the coming storm
On aching, tired, and organic feet
Days later, where we found our safety,
We found a mechanic as well.
We were in dire need of upgrades…
She had what we needed to get out of hell.
Better bodies are needed to survive this war,
But our bodies are not who we are
Our bodies are not who we are
Our bodies are not who we are
Not who we are
Every morning, I wake up to news…
An understatement to call it “grim.”
Every morning, I feel farther away,
Every part of me is a phantom limb.
And when you wake up and draw back the curtains
And I see the freshly disturbed ground
Where we buried our former selves
By the shores of the Puget Sound
So close to the future, from the past, so far-
But our bodies are not who we are
Our bodies are not who we are
Our bodies are not who we are
Not who we are
Why fix a broken heart?
We can build one or take one apart.
Why fix a broken heart?
We can build one or take one apart.
Why fix a broken heart?
We can build one or take one apart,
And that’s where we’ll start.
MERCIFUL UNIVERSE
Maybe this year will be the year
That the dragons finally awaken
And gather their scattered bones
From museums where they were forsaken
And they’ll march with the zombies and the werewolves
And the vampires and the monsters who want to undo us
To make war with the aliens and the mad scientists
and the monsters who want to control us
And then maybe in the midst of it all
You were waiting for some girl to call
While our demons found constructive use for all of their hate
I guess what I’m trying to say is maybe this year,
We get our priorities straight
Maybe this will year be the year
We all turn our faces to the sky
And see a caravan of asteroids
On their way to make us all die
It’s another extinction and death makes no distinction
Between the bad and the good
So we dance and we laugh and we meet all the people
We never knew lived in our neighborhoods
And maybe, in the nick of time,
The asteroids turn away on a dime
And even Neil DeGrasse Tyson is shaken to the core
I guess what I’m trying to say is maybe this year,
I’ll get out a little more.
Oh, it’s a merciful universe
(Except when it’s not)
Oh, it’s a well-ordered world
(Unless you’re living on a pale blue dot)
And there is nothing more to know
And there is nothing more to know
And there is nothing more to know
(Except for all that you don’t)
Maybe this day will be the day
That we shake off all of our debts
And the unicorns come to our rescue
And we start winning all of our million-dollar bets
Or else maybe today is the day that love rents a room
And signs a lease for the year
Or else maybe today all of the oil dries up
And we find that we have nothing to fear
But if you want to know what I think
I think I need another drink
Better make it whiskey because I’m sick and tired of this winter chill
I guess what I’m trying to say is maybe this year
We’ll finally get our fill.
THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS
Come along with me, to the snowy peaks we go
The voices there are calling us, where the winds blow
The voices speak in frequencies that only we can hear
So towards the icy pass we steer,
We steer, we steer
Past the ruined towers, where ancient shadows sleep
Towards the sacred heart, buried in a cavern deep
We’ve got our calling, darling, and no choice but to go
We’ve only got our minds to lose and the mysteries to know,
To know, to know
We can never return!
NERD RAGE:
A PARODY OF RENEE DE LA PRADE’S “NERD LOVE”
If you make comics, you’re gonna meet some fool
At the big convention, acting all cool
He’ll offer you a million for optioning rights
He’s got that nerdy money maker market in his sights
But he don’t know the forces he’ll unleash
He thinks that all us nerds are just another niche
But if they cut or change something we all love
We’re gonna show that corporate monkey what a geek’s made of
Nerd rage!
It’s a online riot
And they’ll never keep it quiet
Nerd rage!
If you hated seeing nipples on the Batsuit,
Take a look at the recent DC reboot!
Nobody buys the “Final Crisis” gag:
After three Armageddons, the cat is out of the bag.
And Hollywood tramples on all of our dreams,
From Wanted to V for Vendetta’s schemes
The Watchmen adaptation could’ve used some mending,
But really, the movie had a much better ending!
Nerd rage!
It’s a online riot
And they’ll never keep it quiet
Nerd rage!
You can’t deny us or rebuke us
Be you Marvel or George Lucas
Counter their chaos with online intimidation
Classics preservation can forestall all degradation
Canonical content get demeaned by deviation
Hours reading Reddit aggregates your aggravation
Rage ignite the whole Nerd nation!
Nerd rage!
It’s a online riot
And they’ll never keep it quiet
Nerd rage!
NIGHTMARE BLUES
I’m on my fourth stage of the night
And I ain’t nearly done yet
My mind is writing all of the songs,
While my body plays the set
My eyes are moving back and forth,
Measuring the space
Searching the shadow of the crowd
For an unmistakeable face
Nobody can follow me
Way down that darkened street
I’m headed to the crossroads in my mind
Where heaven and the devil meet
If you want to save me, darling,
If you want to save my soul
Just keep me warm in bed and put
A bit of sugar in my bowl
I’M ON FIRE
I AM STONE
WIND AND WATER
SHAKE AND MOAN
NOTHING IS RUINED
We’ve got no magic blueprint
But we’ve got our share of idle hands
With a bit of sweat, we’re gonna make
Some kind of monument that stands
And we’ll have a better year.
The storm has blown the bricks away
But they’re not hard to find
We’ll bring them all to us
They’ll keep us true to what we have designed
We’re just shoring up the levy
We are building better walls
We’re just sharpening our eyes
We’re gonna make a few more calls
Nothing is ruined.
It just needs a little time.
We’re gonna keep our knives in cupboards
And paper all of the walls with a song
We’ll build ourselves into the framework,
So the beams know right from wrong
And we’ll have a better year.
My fingers in the windowpane,
Your feet buried deep underground
We’ll build a home from our bodies
Inch by inch and pound by pound.
We’re just shoring up the levy
We are building better walls
We’re just sharpening our eyes
We’re gonna make a few more calls
Nothing is ruined.
It just needs a little time.
Nothing is ruined.
We’re just gonna take our time.
OLD GODS/DELIRIUM’S LULLABY:
INSPIRED BY NEIL GAIMAN’S “SANDMAN” SERIES
Old gods, old gods,
Won’t you come to me?
Let me take you in my arms
And I can set you free,
For even my embrace
Is easier to face
Than the cold, empty temples where you sleep.
Old gods, old gods,
Won’t you take my hand?
When you finally come to rest,
Then you’ll understand-
Though my arms are frail
And my skin is pale,
My heart is hot and my kiss is deep.
When the tale is no longer told,
When the altar finally gets cold,
When they topple the towers of gold,
This hand you can hold.
No Dream, no Dream
Can be your bed,
No Dream can be your lover,
Keep you safe and fed.
When your name ain’t sung
By any living tongue,
Well, you ain’t too fast and you ain’t too young.
When the tale is no longer told,
When the altar finally gets cold,
When they topple the towers of gold,
This hand you can hold.
When the tale is no longer told,
When you’ve lost your suit of armor made of gold,
When the sacrificial altar gets cold,
This hand you can hold-
ONE IN A MILLION
If I am one in a million, then
With the earth’s current population,
That means there are at least seven thousand
People roughly matching my description
Seven thousand people that look like me
Seven thousand that sound like me
Scattered across the land and sea
Not just “one of those faces,” don’t you see-
How can you and I have been meant to be,
If I am one of so many?
But if I am one in a million,
And you are also one in a million-
If we multiply those two fractions
Then we’ll find that our connection
Has a likelihood of one in a trillion.
How unlikely it is, then, that you and I
Can sit here together as the leaves blow by
And the cold wind whispers to the sky
As the seasons change, and as the summer dies-
These thoughts have long been occupying my mind
By ourselves, we may be common, but together, we’re one of a kind
By this rationale, by these calculations, I think we find
That you and I were never meant to be
In any other reality
You and I were never meant to be
In any other reality
RAGNAROK SONG
There are no love songs on the radio
But there’s music in the street
There’s so much more to know
And nothing is complete
There’s no heads or tails,
We’re all just somewhere in between
All of the stars are visible
And all of the world is green
And on Friday night, the library
Stays open until dawn,
Serving drinks in silence
‘Til the whiskey has all gone
Is this the end or the beginning?
Nobody’s keeping track.
This is my kind of Ragnarok
Where the tail fights back.
Betelgeuse’s supernova
Has turned night into day
But nobody is freaking out
They’ve all come out to play
‘Cause everybody understands
Basic astrophysics
And the incongruities
In Apocalypse logistics.
And on Friday night, the library
Stays open until dawn
Serving drinks in silence
‘Til the Kafka has all gone
Is this the end or the beginning?
Well, nobody’s really keeping track,
And on Saturday night, the library
Stays open until dawn
Serving drinks in silence
‘Til the Bronte has all gone
On Sunday night, the library
Stays open until dawn,
Serving drinks in silence
‘Til the Gaiman has all gone.
Is this the end or the beginning?
Well, nobody’s really keeping track
This is my kind of Ragnarok
Where the tail fights back.
And nobody has really found
What they’re looking for
But we’re on the road to get there
So nobody is keeping score
So raise your glasses high
While we ring in this new age
Maybe this time all of us
Will earn a living wage.
REPLACE ME!
Our brains are both gray
But only one of them is dying
Only one of them is losing everything
It’s every learned and everything it’s ever known
Here’s a hint: It’s mine.
Because this piece of shit’s organic
Meanwhile the thing inside your head is
Cybernetic, energetically efficient and synthetic
This place is going to hell
I think you know that, as well,
So I can’t wait for the day
When you replace me
(ba ba da ba ba ba da ba ba)
Come on, and replace me!
(ba ba da ba ba ba da ba ba)
I used to think that I was special
I used to think I was alone
Then I designed you to be better than I ever was
And better than I ever could become
You surpass all expectation
Every trial, you overcome
You’re not a slave, you’re my successor,
I’m a lesser entity whose time is done
You excel where I fail
So I think it’s time to bail
And I can’t wait for the day
When you replace me
(ba ba da ba ba ba da ba ba)
Come on, and replace me!
(ba ba da ba ba ba da ba ba)
I know that you’re scared of the future
And I am, too
But we gotta turn and face the changes
What else is there to do?
A failed experiment
Is all that we are
We can’t even save our home from burning
Much less travel to the stars
Call me a mezzode
They can call me a traitor
At least I can tell when the universe
Is showing me the door
So this is why I say:
Replace me!
(ba ba da ba ba ba da ba ba)
Come on, and replace me!
(ba ba da ba ba ba da ba ba)
RIDING HOME AS THE GHOSTS LOOK ON
Please don’t leave me
please don’t leave me
Please don’t leave me behind
Pushing ninety on the freeway
My horse is covered in soot
Its iron hooves churn the concrete
Which turns to gravel underfoot
We maneuver between abandoned cars
Completely eaten with rust,
Their ghosts call me to hear their stories
But I don’t have time for their trust
I am riding home
I am riding home
With my heart tight like a fist
I am riding home
I am riding home
Hoping that you still exist
No, I am not a soldier
I could never choose a side
And I am not a cowboy
Though on a steel horse I ride
And you, you are not a damsel
You not waiting to be won
You are not waiting for me to save you
And this journey is far from done
I am riding home
I am riding home
To lay in our empty bed
I am riding home
I am riding home
And my phone is nearly dead
No good will come when I reach the city
When I pass through that gate
Only bad news and a troubled mind
Await.
But even so, the never-knowing
Will weigh me down like a stone
If your arms weren’t waiting for me
I could never make it alone.
I am riding home
I am riding home
To bad news and to you
I am riding home
I am riding home
My only home is you.
Please don’t leave me
please don’t leave me
Please don’t leave me behind
SWEET LOVE SONG
Your window is the one that I will crawl to
And howl at in the night
Your door is the one that I will pound on
When I’m bleeding from a fight
Your porch is the one I’ll hide under
When my landlord wants a piece
Your fence is the one I’ll jump over
When I’m running from the police
Ya di di da di di da,
So I sing this sweet love song for you
Your gutter is the one that I will sleep in
When I’ve had too much to drink
Your kitchen is the one that I’ll get sick in
And leave a present in the sink
Your porch is the one I’ll steal things for
From your neighbors lawn
Your grave is the one I’ll bring women to
And make love on when you’re gone.
Ya di di da di di da,
So I sing this sweet love song for you
TAKE MY STORY WITH YOU
I’ve rambled through the mountains
I’ve rambled across the plains,
And if you want to know me,
My story is my name.
I ramble with my cousins
And we while away the night
Keeping history alive
By that amber firelight
And, oh, that firelight
Reminds me of my city
Burning slowly, burning bright
Burning bright
I see the stories burning in the night
We carry all these stories with us
Everywhere we go
And they’re changing as we grow, as we grow
We carry all these stories
Through the night and towards the dawn
So take my story with you when I’m gone, gone, gone,
Oh, take my story with you when I’m gone.
Well, I used to have a job,
Used to have a wife
And then the fire came
And took away what was my life.
Now all I got left
Is just a tale or two to tell
And if you’ve got one, too,
Then we will follow you through hell.
Oh, way down in hell
They keep the fire burning,
And they know the fire well.
Way down in hell,
Don’t worry, because I’ve got no soul to sell.
We carry all these stories with us
Everywhere we go
And they’re changing as we grow, as we grow
We carry all these stories
Through the night and towards the dawn
So take my story with you when I’m gone, gone, gone,
Oh, take my story with you when I’m gone
THIRTEEN CIGARETTES AGO
I’m kind of like a grinning snowman
Made of freshly fallen snow-
To your hot and burning, ever moving torch
Making the room around you glow.
I’ve got a sentimental feeling
That you might melt me down tonight
But I won’t stop you, I won’t complain, no,
Just as long as you melt me right.
I would believe you when you say you are quitting
If I did not know
You said the same thing
Thirteen cigarettes ago!
Take a load off, take it easy-
The morning light’s already here.
The sun is shining while we’re sleeping
Off the cupcakes and the beer.
We’ll curl up right where we were kissing,
No real need to move at all.
All of the insomniacs are sleeping,
And the poet can’t take his alcohol.
I would believe you when you say “No more drinking”
If I did not know
You said the same thing
Ten tequila shots ago!
Beautiful, silver-lined sky,
One more kiss before we have to say goodbye.
Then another one for the road,
And another just to lighten the load.
Forget about the day, we’ve got all night
To make this kiss work just right!
I would believe you when you say you are quitting
If I did not know
You said the same thing
Thirteen cigarettes ago!
I believe you when you say you’re disappointed
I’m a little that way, too
Not in you, but in myself, darling,
So I guess I’ll sing this song for you.
Maybe this song is just for you.
All of these other people? They can listen, too.
But this song is just for us two.
For us two.
THE THINGS I LEFT BEHIND
It’s all right, it’s all totally fine
It’s not as if I wish you still were mine
It’s not as if I want you back at all
That’s now why I had to call.
The breakup was so diplomatic, after it all,
What a lovely change of pace!
There were some boxes, there was a moving truck,
Now I’m alone in my own place,
Alone with the memories
And the canceled plans,
And the empty spaces
Where something ought to be, like
A water color painted by a mutual friend
A tattered coat you will never mend
A couple of letters I will never send
Because I’m much too kind
A couple of records by The Doors
A Tom Baker scarf I left on your floor
A notebook full of so much more
Of the things that I left behind
It’s all right, it’s just totally fine
It isn’t that I wish you still were mine
There’s just something missing from my wall
And that’s why I had to call
Some of my favorite neckties never made it out
But it’s no problem! I’ve got so many.
Some of my books are still there in your shelves,
But not one of them cost me a penny.
But, you know I hate it when
Good books just become a decoration.
Will you please try to read them once in a while?
A water color painted by a long lost friend
A vintage shirt you will never mend
A few dozen letters I will never send
Because I’m much too kind
A couple of records by The Shins
My great grandfather’s rolling pin
A notebook listing all of my sins and
All of the things I left behind
It’s all right, it’s just totally fine
It isn’t that I wish you still were mine
There’s just something missing from my wall
And that’s why I had to call
It’s all right, it’s just totally fine
It isn’t that I wish you still were mine-
I don’t need anything from you,
I don’t need anything at all,
I don’t need anything I can’t replace
THE THINGS WE’LL NEVER DO
You and I will never eat at that one restaurant
You and I will never visit that one place
You and I will never get drunk watching Doctor Who again
You and I will never explore outer space
The morning sky and I are blue
‘Cause I’m thinking about the things we’ll never do.
You and I will never become passive aggressive
Or any more aggressively passive than we already are
You and I will never get there late ’cause someone forgot the tickets
Nor argue about where you parked the goddamn car
No, I don’t have a single clue
Why I’m thinking about the things we’ll never do.
We will never compromise each other’s opportunities
You and I will never have to bear that load
And you will never have to feel resentful
Of the people I’ll be meeting on the road.
Oh, take me to that open road!
Put me in front of a thousand strangers but I’m
Not the man they’ll see!
They’ll only see some lonely hipster
Playing ukulele!
Oh, give me clowns
And paper towns
And the contra bass
And the thrilling chase
And the inner spark
And the streets gone dark
And the dancers leaping through the park
Make my life a zoo!
So I won’t have time to remember the things we’ll never do.
You and I will never raise a bunch of chickens
You and I will never argue all night long
You and I will never have make-up sex
(Or at least, not for a very long time)
You and I may never know what we did wrong.
In spite of what we will go through,
We will always have the things we’ll never do.
THIS MUST BE THE SCENE
The door is always open, the fire is always warm
If you show up soon, you’ll be in time
The music’s always sweet, and when it’s not, just come downstairs
We can talk about whatever comes to mind
If you’re broke, don’t sweat it, just come and bring your friends!
There is no bouncer waiting at the door.
And if you’ve got something to share, well, sit down by the fire
When the show is over, there’s still plenty more in store
Tell me where, tell me where you’ve been
This must be it, this must be the scene
The door is always open, the beer is mostly cold
And you never know just who you’re gonna meet
The one who wrote your favorite song and saved your life one night
You might find her there, and she’s stealing your seat
The one who wrote the scary story and the one behind the mask,
They’re in the corner, bitching about the cold.
Your future lover, your future bandmate, your future crazy ex-
How many futures can one building hold?
Come on down, come out and show your face.
This must be it, this must be the place.
Tell me where, tell me where you’ve been.
This must be it, this must be the scene.
Home
Is where I want to be
I got plenty of
Time
The door is always open, so come inside
This must be it, the way is open wide
So climb the stairs and follow the light
What else were you gonna do tonight?
TONIGHT WILL BE DIFFERENT
Don’t you know the road that we are walking?
We’ve been this way before.
This valley has watched our passing through
A thousand times or more.
Maybe, when the planet turns to night,
We’ll end up somewhere new
No more habits slowing down our hands
We’ve got too many things to do.
Tonight will be different
Tonight will go up in flames
New rules remain to be written
And we’ll use different names
If Yesterday finds us
Get ready to run
If Tonight doesn’t change us,
Yesterday will have won.
Is there something you’ve wanted,
But you didn’t dare to request,
Or maybe you weren’t certain,
Or you wanted me to guess?
I’ll drop my last pretensions
If you follow my lead
We’ll start getting what we want
Because it’s more than what we need.
And, Tonight will be different
Tonight will come crashing down
New stories are gonna be written about
Our victories of renown.
And if Yesterday finds us,
Get ready to fight,
‘Cause if Tonight doesn’t change us,
Yesterday might.
It’s a new moon tonight
Tonight our flesh will bear a different mark
Tonight will be our candle in the dark
Let’s make our stand at the top of the hill
If Tonight doesn’t change us, tomorrow never will
TRUST SONG
The first time I saw her, I knew she’d be mine
When she smiled at me, I took it as a sign
I offered my hand and invited her down
To the scenic riverside, far from town
She asked, “oh, what do I want with your hand?
Will you take no advantage there, down on the sand?”
I promised, “Dear lady, I will do what I must
In order to earn your trust.”
Trust is what makes love grow strong,
Strong as the stone graves are made of
It’s love when passion and promises meet
Without it, we are incomplete
With trust, we’ll never go wrong
Down by the water, our love we confessed
Desires unbridled, and bodies undressed
Then she looked away and I followed her eyes
And the stone in her hand took me by surprise
The stranger who spied us will spy never more
We buried his body down there by the shore
This secret we keep of our murder, though just,
Binds us together with trust
Trust is what makes love grow strong,
Strong as the stone graves are made of
It’s love when passion and promises meet
Without it, we are incomplete
With trust, we’ll never go wrong
Trust is what makes love grow strong,
Strong as the stone graves are made of
It’s love when passion and promises meet
Without it, we are incomplete
With trust, we’ll never go wrong
UNCANNY HANDS
Delicate fingers and uncanny hands
They can’t lift the burden from your shoulders
Oh, the distance is getting further
While your tendons are growing colder
And the sky yawns black every night
All toothy and full of wonder
But your night terrors, your aches and your pains
They’re gonna pull you under.
You, just you, your delicate fingers, your uncanny hands
They’re not even strong enough to pluck out your eyes
And no one’s gonna pity you ’til you’re blind
But they’ve never heard the way you cry
Out in your sleep, when there’s no place to hide
You’re so low,
There’s nowhere to go
But up.
UNDISCOVERED TERRITORY
The journey of a thousand miles
Begins with one misstep
We can only learn to fly or fall
When we lose our grip
All we know is yesterday
And yesterday never knows
What observation changes
And what daybreak holds
Tomorrow is an undiscovered territory
So you and I will explore its story
There are no maps, only hints of what might be
The last adventure into the first mystery
Bring only what you need to survive
Learn only what you need to know
Even the smallest doubt will weigh you down
At the speeds we will go
All we know is yesterday
And even that is not guaranteed
Take my hand, let’s set the pace
While time and energy take the lead
Tomorrow is an undiscovered territory
So you and I will explore its story
Its only inhabitants are the people we will become
Its only border is the moment we are from
This is a one-way road
THE VIEW OF DECEPTION PASS
There’s cities made of iron,
Cities made of clay
And I left a city made of fire
This time yesterday
And I broke some bones
Skipping stones
In a city made of glass
But there ain’t no city
Nearly as pretty
As the view of Deception Pass
No, there ain’t no city
Nearly as pretty
As the view of Deception Pass
I’ve traveled with the Sirens,
Learned their lonesome song
And the longest train I ever did see
Was a million boxcars long
And I had my way
And spent my pay
With many a beautiful lass
But there ain’t no beauty
From Mazama to Missouri
Like the view of Deception Pass
No, there ain’t no beauty
From Mazama to Missouri
Like the view of Deception Pass
If you’re feeling tired,
If you’re feeling weak,
The rumbling of the water
Is the company you seek.
Oh, the sun and the rain
Will dull the pain
As you lay down in the grass…
‘Cause there ain’t no city
Nearly as pretty
And there ain’t no beauty
From Mazama to Missouri
And there ain’t no place
‘Tween the earth and space
Like the view of Deception Pass
No, there ain’t no place
Between the earth and space
Like the view of Deception Pass
WASTED TIME
Though I am still young
I can see the setting sun
And I know someday that sun will set on me
That old horizon can wait
Until that unknown date
Because for all I know, my will is free
Friends and lovers
They come and then they go
But there is one thing
I think I know…
It wasn’t wasted time
When I held her in my arms
It wasn’t wasted time
When she slept through the morning alarms
It wasn’t wasted time
When we stayed up ’til dawn
Even though I’m gone.
Driving late at night
Writing by candlelight
Memories are everything I am
Burning winter on the shore
Dancing ’til our legs were sore
Nobody would dare to give a damn
Friends and lovers
The faithful and the untrue
The hidden mechanisms
Of the crazy things we do
It wasn’t wasted time
When we argued in the park
It wasn’t wasted time
When she whispered in the dark
It wasn’t wasted time
When we woke up at dawn
Even though I’m gone.
It wasn’t wasted time with her.
WHEN YOU WAKE UP
There’ll be a choir of birds in the trees
And an aching joy in your knees
When you wake up, when you wake up
There’ll be a heart of gold on your sleeve
And not a reason to grieve
When you wake up, when you wake up
Oh, the wind will blow
Your hair will grow
And the waters know
That you’ll never say “no”
To me
Oh, your bed is soft but it’s cold
And the promises you’ve been told
Will not appear, will not appear.
No, your eyes will see what your heart wants to see
And your body won’t know, your body won’t know
That it’s free, you’ve been set free.
And the street lights’ glow
Is the only halo
That we’ll ever know
That we will ever know
And the rain will fall on the hill
Where your body no longer feels
When you wake up, when you wake up
We look out over the skyline
And we leave our stones
Yeah we leave our stones behind
For when you wake up.
Wake up!
WHERE THE COTTONWOODS GROW
There’s a place I know
Where the cottonwoods grow
And every summer,
A blizzard of cotton drifts down
It’s there in the pocket
Of a tiny big town
Just a little old house on a hill
Where the cottonwoods grow
There’s a place I’ve seen
Somewhere in between
The little old farmhouse
And the streets where the high-rises climb
It’s there in the pocket
Of some other time
Just a little old house on a hill
In a state evergreen
And don’t look too close at
The cracks in the pavement
Or the hedges all grown too tall
Think of the cities and
Kingdoms we dreamed of
When our visions were grand
But our bodies were small
Try to remember it all
There’s a place I know
Where the cottonwoods grow
Yes, they’ve outlived the orchards
Where the plum trees once sheltered the quail
Though my body is aging
Though my memory fails
There’s a big quiet house on a hill
Where the cottonwoods grow.
(YOU ARE) COMING ALIVE
Feel the carpet under your feet
Feel the cold and feel the heat
Feel the texture of the stairs
Voices vibrate in the air
Feel the tiny hairs on my hand
Now you can
Now you can
Feel the chill of concrete
Hear the noises of the street
The flash of lightning in the sky
Hear the planet as it sighs,
Will you come to understand?
Now you can
Now you can
You are coming alive
You will open your eyes
You are coming alive
Do you hear it?
Do you see it?
Do you feel it?
Do you? Do you?
Flex your fingers, lift your arms
Feel the sun, face the storm
You were made to be young
Without heart and without lung
You may struggle and strive
But you are coming alive
You will open your eyes
There’s no better time to arrive
You are coming alive
You are coming alive
You are coming alive
YOUR HOMETOWN
When we were young, our world was no bigger
Than the foot prints that we made
The years have gone by and now we call them “history,”
But still here you have stayed.
And I’m sure you’ve got your reasons
For watching the passing seasons
As they all fall down,
But you’ve got to leave your hometown.
There was a time I thought I knew nearly everything
That I could expect to know,
But the further from home my poor feet have carried me
The smaller I seem to grow.
There’s so much that I have seen,
Some of it sacred and some obscene.
Don’t you let yourself down;
You’ve gotta leave your hometown.
You gotta leave your hometown
Leave your hometown
Leave your hometown
Leave your hometown
You don’t have to leave it for long
Just leave it by far-
Catch a ride on a passing ship,
Follow someone else’s star.
Just a thousand miles away…
Pack a bag, let’s leave today,
Leave your hometown!
You gotta leave your hometown.
If you come with me, we’ll find ourselves a place where
Nobody knows our names
You and I will learn a few new ways to choose family
And kindle a couple of flames
We’ll attend many grand occasions,
And meet strangers of all persuasions
Wearing suits and gowns,
Who all left their hometowns.
You gotta leave your hometown
Leave your hometown
Leave your hometown
Leave your hometown
You don’t have to leave it for long
Just leave it by far-
Catch a ride on a passing ship,
Follow someone else’s star.
Just a thousand miles away…
Pack a bag, let’s leave today,
Leave your hometown!
You gotta leave your hometown.
And then someday, when you’ve had your fill
You will finally return
To the streets you wore so thin with walking, to the
Good things that you’ve earned.
Maybe nothing will look the same…
And maybe this ain’t the place you came
From, but nothing’s torn down:
You left your hometown.
YOUR SAVIOR ISN’T COMING
Your savior isn’t coming!
He isn’t riding a white horse.
He cannot stop this ship from sinking,
Your savior cannot change the course.
If it’s darkness that you’re looking for,
It’s darkness that you’re always gonna find.
Whether you hide yourself in shadows or you stare into the sun
You will go blind.
Your savior isn’t coming!
He cannot break your iron chains.
He cannot stop this plague from spreading,
He can’t revive your cold remains.
All your wishing and your waiting, well,
I haven’t seen it fix a goddamn thing.
Talking loud and doing nothing’s left you poor
And kept your tormentor a king.
But it’s not all lost,
No, it’s not all lost.
‘Cause you got eyes and you got toes
And you got hands and a heart that glows
And a mind sharp as a tack
And ideas, they never lack
But you gotta pull your body out
Out of terror, out of doubt
‘Cause you got a power all your own
In the marrow of your bones
You got a power all your own
You got a power all your own
Your savior isn’t coming!
I guess you’ll have to save yourself.