1. |
Don't Know Why
04:27
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I don’t know why I try to fly
The sky’s so high
I don’t know why I try
Sometimes I think I live a lie
I try to try to fly the kite
It leaves the ground, I tug the string
In figure eights it spirals down
I shed a bit of skin tonight
It’s been a while – the time was right
I’m going down the rabbit hole
And I won’t be back til morning
I did my best to hold the fort
The fort’s a mess – the window’s cracked
The towels stink down on the floor
With greasy bags that bring remorse
A morning breeze that brings a kiss
There’s got to be a better source
Infinity has run its course
It called the shots – it ran the board
But luck runs out and truth be told
Our time is short - The blood’s been bled
Step by step and hand in hand
You’re still my time when Time stands still
In better times I rest my head
And sleep the sleep of buttered bread
In better times I rest my head
And sleep the sleep of buttered bread
But lately with my bitter bones
I lay my head on cold stone
I don’t know why I try to fly
The sky’s so high
I don’t know why I try
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2. |
Again The Beginner
03:19
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Again the beginner
Beginning again
Alive at the altar with nothing to spend
I spend my life moving beginning to end
Again and again
The beginner
I promised myself I’d never be bitter
Again and again and again
Still as a snake with the skin of a quitter
I shed it like liquid it rolls off my back
With the guilt of a sinner I straighten my hat
Again the beginner…
I sit at the table and bet like a sinner
Again and again and again
I hold up my cards with the grin of a winner
I feel my heart bluffing with a liar’s refrain
My chips disappear down the gambler’s drain
Again the beginner…
I’m holding on tight while the backlash delivers
Again and again and again
The wind’s picking up and my dreams start to shiver
I raise up my voice and I sing through the dark
Stepping through shadow I crawl to the spark
Again the beginner…
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3. |
Any Fool Will Tell You
04:12
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There’s an isolated island on an isolated lake
With an isolated undertow that really takes the cake
I’m trying to stay alive while I try to stay awake
Any fool will tell you that everything’s at stake
In the isolated harbor of the isolated lake
There stands an ancient theater where the song and dances shake
I took a peek behind the curtain and I saw a couple things
Every trick just slipped away while I waited in the wings
CHORUS
Any fool will tell you to always bend the rules
Any fool will tell you to always trust a fool
In the dead of night when the water’s calm
And your head says “stay afloat”
Any fool will tell you to always rock the boat
I got it on authority - this show is shutting down
When curtains fall and lights go dim and no one’s coming round
You can drag it out a couple weeks for vanity and pride
But any fool will tell you that momentum turns the tide
Any fool will tell you to always bend the rules
Any fool will tell you to always trust a fool
In the dead of night when the water’s calm
And your head says “stay afloat“
Any fool will tell you to always rock the boat
BRIDGE
I’ve been rolling with the punches
But the punch just makes me drunk
And I am stuck inside a paper bag
At the bottom of this trunk
And I’m lucky like a leper with my finger on the pulse
Of the stillness on the island
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4. |
Shooting Straight
03:59
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Smoking guns are everywhere
The doors are open wide
Every time I turn around the ghost is picking sides
And it seems that every string of lies is now a string of pearls
Shooting straight no longer is an option in this world
Situations come and go and the stakes are getting high
Every innuendo says it’s better if you lie
Circumstance will stir the pot
Make every straight line curl
Shooting straight no longer is an option in this world
Loaded dice and crooked looks are pissing on the burning bush
The wind don’t make a sound
Help me up / Don’t shoot me down
Sailing with integrity is going out of style
A sinking ship is nothing if you’re swimming in denial
On rising tide this ship of fools is circling the swirl
Shooting straight no longer is an option in this world
You seem like such a shining star
Bursting out with pride
You can get away with anything if luck is on your side
But luck will leave you in a ditch for another lucky girl
Shooting straight no longer is an option in this world
Loaded dice and crooked looks are pissing….
With steady hand the jeweler turns a germ into a gem
Repeats the lie that starts to turn the root into a stem
The vine that snakes around the truth
And chokes it with a twirl
Shooting straight no longer is an option in this world
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5. |
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I float a raft down Tricky River and hang on for life
Carried by current away from the fight
I feel like a bowling pin at Gutter’s End
Humiliation’s little friend
Humiliation’s little friend
Where love just pretends
I’ll be there at the corner where no one knows my name
Folded up in my coat is my pride and my shame
I’ve been standing in line to see destiny bend
Humiliation’s little friend
Humiliation’s little friend
Where love just pretends
I’ve been ringing the mop just to manage my spills
Everyone’s down on their knees
Just give me a minute to gather my pills
And you’ll be sweeping me off of my feet
Carry me up just to throw me again
Cover me up just to shield me from wind
Then kick off the blanket and see how it ends
Humiliation’s little friend
Humiliation’s little friend
Where love just pretends
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6. |
Smile Of sorrow
03:58
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Friends and folks keep telling me
To take it all in stride
But the voices tell me otherwise
And I ain’t picking sides
I’m picking up a signal from the beehive up the street
The queen bee hums a prayer
For all the honey on the tree
Steam rises from a manhole in the blinding winter sun
The wind chill factor’s got my coat
My baby’s got my gun
Wind blows through the old soft shoe
Been going toe to toe
It’s a quirky little winter storm
From rain to sleet to snow
You can smile the smile of sorrow
Punching holes in the haze
If you keep the scent in focus
Then the goal won’t seem so hopeless
I’ll meet you in our corner of the maze
It’s a limited horizon
Sort of standard for our time
The rhythm stutters patiently like accidental rhyme
The parade has left without us
Turned the corner like a song
The cadence fades like gaslight
Steals the moment. Then it’s gone
So adios amigos
I’ll be reaching for the stars
Got my jigsaw jukebox with all its working parts
In the aftermath of summer senses, silhouette and girls
I’ll be driving cross the desert
Toward the sunset of this world
You can smile the smile of sorrow
Punching holes in the haze
If you keep the scent in focus
Then the goal won’t seem so hopeless
I’ll meet you in our corner of the maze
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7. |
Sign On The Doorpost
04:12
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The sign on the doorpost says “come back again”
Come back when you’re weary
Come back when you’re stronger
The guesthouse is drafty / The walls paper thin
Come back when you’re hungry
Come back when you’re wronger
I made up my mind between stillness and wind
I stomped on the dust til the floor boards caved in
I’ll gather my papers and ladder and rope to
Lift me right out of this hole
The sign on the window says “come back around”
Come back when you’re broken
Come back when you’re holy
The toolbox is rusty
The workshop shut down
Come back to me faster and Leave me more slowly
I made up my mind between stillness and wind
I stomped on the dust til the floor boards caved in
I’ll gather my papers and ladder and rope to
Lift me right out of this hole
Give me your hand and a ten dollar grin and
We’ll start things from scratch by the light of the wind
The sign on the fencepost says “don’t make a sound”
Come back when it’s futile
Come back when you’re empty
I’ll grab me a shovel and fill up this town
Come back when it’s senseless
And things are more tempting
We’ll eat us a diet of shortbread and cane
And wash it all down with our buckets of rain
I’ll gather my papers and ladder and rope to
Lift me right out of this hole
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8. |
Said & Done
04:13
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When all is said and done
Now that common sense is numb
This story will be written in a cave
The present and the future are just bastards of the past
And the calendar just takes it day to day
When the gravy boat delivers all the gravy to the port
We celebrate by dancing in the rain
We take a bit for us and then put some in a bowl
We send it down the line by gravy train
But the way this story goes, there are gamblers flashing gold
With warmth that turns the water into ice
The bakers shine the light, but the cowards cut the pie
And those assholes always want another slice
The memories stand tall enough
Tall enough to reach ‘em
We’ll remember every lesson
But not enough to teach ‘em
So remember every touch
And remember every smell
And remember every shame
And remember fare thee well
Your decisive indecision was a ramble through the haze
As you brought a nation gasping to its knees
With clusterfuck precision you cut another maze
Then you locked it up and threw away the keys
Your fiction proved you right
But the truth is much too bright
Like a ribbon that has faded in the sun
So you tried to take a turn and the friction made you burn
Now you’re flaming like a dumpster on the run
The scenario’s best case is we slip into the cracks
But things are looking up, boys, by and by
We’re looking at blue sky cuz we landed on our backs
And the rules say to play it where they lie
The memories stand tall enough
Tall enough to reach ‘em
We’ll remember every lesson
But not enough to teach ‘em
So remember every touch
And remember every smell
And remember every shout
And remember every bell
And remember every name
And remember every blame
And remember every shame
And remember fare thee well
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9. |
Tokyo Gypsy
03:56
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Tokyo gypsy with Idaho luck is sleeping off Tennessee grief
He’s taking his time with a lady in love
She asked him to feed her and leave
The lady in love got a foot in the door
And she promised the gypsy no heat
He’s got no idea what she has in store so he took a deep breath of relief
The lady in love got a bird in the hand
But she swears it was two if by sea
Tokyo gypsy just strikes up the band
Singing “Beg me to leave her in peace”
CHORUS : She begged me to leave her in peace
She asked me to feed her and leave
I got no more favors to roll out the door
So I buried my heart in my sleeve
The lady in love has been wanting a change
As sure as the leaves are all green
She feels the gust of the wind picking up
She’s confused by the forest of trees
The Tokyo gypsy just wants to play ball
But the letter he sent went unseen
The lady in love didn’t answer his call
So he followed his heart down the street
CHORUS
The Tokyo gypsy got one final chance
And he wanted to make things discreet
He held up his hat to the heavenly clouds
And proceeded to drop to his knees
As sure as you’re born you’re gonna lay down and die
I heard this from the chief of police
The Tokyo gypsy with Idaho luck
He’s gonna tear up his ticket and leave
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10. |
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I had another restless night
And I’m running out of dreams
The minutes hover over
And I’m running out of sheep
Now the quiet’s got my goat
And my thoughts have crossed the line
I’m just staring through the dark
Mixing alcohol and rhyme
CHORUS:
Most alarms are false alarms
Most regrets have legs
Hold me, baby, in your arms
Until the siren begs
Let me be the lucky key
That opens up the lock
Let me be the second hand
That sweeps away the clock
Let me be the ocean tide
That raises every boat
Let me be the honey pie
That sweetens up your throat
Darkness blames the shadow’s shade
And the shadow blames the wall
The wall is all the window has
To frame a heart this small
When the morning rain leaves town
And the sky returns to blue
I’m gonna follow you around
Like a ring around the room
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11. |
A Week From Someday
04:34
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A week from someday
Light a candle
Walk across the burning sand
Hold me closer than a handle
Let your guard down / Take a stand
A week from someday
Write your story
Scratch it out and get it down
Paint a picture with no pressure
Get dressed up and go to town
A week from someday
Shed a layer
Let me see you in the dark
Crack a window / Say a prayer
Let the breeze fill up your heart
Chorus:
Someday came just like a whisper
Grazed my cheek just like a kiss
I’m weaker now
I missed my boat
A week from now I won’t resist
A week from someday
Take a pencil
Write a word and cross it out
Nothing seems to make much sense, still
Nothing makes the loudest sound
A week from someday
Crunch the numbers
You never know what’s coming next
Ain’t no sin in getting numb-er
Grab a pen and bounce a check
A week from someday / Make some noise
Lend an ear and hear me out
Find a rhythm from your heartbeat
Play them drums all over town
Chorus
A week from someday
Grab a compass
Think of north when things go south
Pick a number or a color
Left brain - right brain
Sort it out
A week from someday
Climb a tower
Meet me halfway with a sign
Promise me a borrowed hour
It’s always raining half the time
A week from someday
Light a candle
There’s nothing more to talk about
Shut your mouth / Avoid a scandal
Dig a trench and wait it out
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12. |
All Of This Is Yours
03:38
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All of this is yours, baby
Every single word
Every time I write it down the swollen river burns
All of this is yours, baby
Every single phrase
Every line that takes a turn on every single page
From the morning glory whisper
To the sunset without words
All of this is yours, honey
All of this is yours
All of this is yours, baby
Every single line
Every drop in every glass of overflowing wine
All of this is yours, baby
Every single page
Every single silence from a whisper to a rage
From the morning glory whisper
To the sunset without words
All of this is yours, honey
All of this is yours
All of this is yours, baby
Every single prayer
When summer falls into your arms and
Winter springs me there
All of this is yours, baby
Every single roar
Every scratch and every knock that brought me to your door
From the morning glory whisper
To the sunset without words
All of this is yours, honey
All of this is yours
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13. |
Dignity & Grace
03:44
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I heard it on the news today
A peaceful day at home
Scattered clouds above the couch and showers by the phone
It’s stable in the kitchen
But some garbage must be moved
They said you’d make a statement in the early afternoon
I heard it on the news today
The skirmishes should end
The living room stayed neutral from a treaty with the den
The pantry was engulfed in flames from riots after lunch
I’ll be waiting in the closet for the passing of the grudge
The film at ten showed everything
In every room
And every drink
Every flame and every crash
Every chip in every glass
Come join me at the table
Before this friendship ends
The truth will stretch like thunderclouds
But only til it bends
Let’s try to make it through this meal
While we try to save some fac
Let’s sit together knee to knee
Singing dignity and grace
When dignity and grace ring out
That’s where the light shines in
That’s when the window opens
And it’s where the darkness ends
And when the shadow lifts the veil
It’s gone without a trace
We’ll sit together knee to knee
Singing dignity and grace
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