1. |
You Like Me
03:24
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Brian caught you staring at me
Staring at me across the classroom
And that’s how Brian knows that you like me
And Natalie got a note from Brian
While Mr. Leigh was rambling about something
That Brian caught you staring at me
Staring at me across the classroom
And that’s how Natalie knows that you like me
And Marlon heard while playing hopscotch
Right between the six and seven
That Natalie got a note from Brian
While Mr. Leigh was rambling about something
That Brian caught you staring at me
Staring at me across the classroom
And that’s how Marlon knows that you like me
And Glenny read a Sharpie scrawl
Scribbled on a bathroom stall
That Marlon heard while playing hopscotch
Right between the six and seven
That Natalie got a note from Brian
While Mr. Leigh was rambling about something
That Brian caught you staring at me
Staring at me across the classroom
And that’s how Glenny knows that you like me
And Zoe heard in general music
While tuning up her ukulele
That Glenny read a Sharpie scrawl
Scribbled on a bathroom stall
That Marlon heard while playing hopscotch
Right between the six and seven
That Natalie got a note from Brian
While Mr. Leigh was rambling about something
That Brian caught you staring at me
Staring at me across the classroom
And that’s how Zoe knows that you like me
And Zoe stopped me in the hallway
With a conspiratorial whisper
That she had heard in general music
While tuning up her ukulele
That Glenny read a Sharpie scrawl
Scribbled on a bathroom stall
That Marlon heard while playing hopscotch
Right between the six and seven
That Natalie got a note from Brian
While Mr. Leigh was rambling about something
That Brian caught you staring at me
Staring at me across the classroom
And that’s how Brian
And that’s how Natalie
And that’s how Marlon
And that’s how Glenny
And that’s how Zoe
And that’s how I know
That you like me
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2. |
Cannibal Town
02:27
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So, you were fairly young when you came into this world (as a boy, as a girl, it doesn't really matter). See, your parents saw in you all they wanted for themselves; you were going to be their own little them, only better. So they scolded you, they praised you, they molded you, they raised you to do everything that they had learned that you're supposed to do... and so when the neighbors say "What a great little kid!" well, it's your parents they're applauding, not you.
And when they take you down to Cannibal Town
They will make you feel right at home
But there's a dirty little secret about Cannibal Town
It's filled with cannibals
Now, your parents are busy; your parents have jobs, and others have the same problem too. So to keep you kids from forming unsupervised mobs, they send the whole lot off to school, where you learn things like Geography, Science, Orthography, the Stories of the Brave and the Bold, and things like Knowing you Place and Hiding you Face and Doing Whatever You're Told.
And when they take you down to Cannibal Town
They will make you feel right at home
But there's a dirty little secret about Cannibal Town
It's filled with cannibals
Now you find yourself working in an office in the city in a building made of metal and glass, and your primary duties include sleeping through meetings, looking pretty, reading memos and kissing ass. And they don't pay you much but it's just enough to keep you suffering in silence, not considering violence, oh it's a science. You don't buy it? I don't hear you deny it, and you're so quiet I've a feeling I won't see you at the riot.
All right, so when you were a child you thought like a child, and you acted like a child and you smelled like a child. Now as a woman or a man, there's a change of plan: can't keep your damn head in the damn sand, gotta take a stand. See, everybody wants something, and most think that maybe they can get it from you, but the truth is this: if you don't get remiss, they can really only get it if you want them to.
And when they take you down to Cannibal Town
They will make you feel right at home
But there's a dirty little secret about Cannibal Town
It's filled with cannibals
credits
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3. |
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I could never sing like you did
I wouldn’t dare, even if I had the choice
It was tarnished, and faded, and muted
But it was always the golden voice
I sort of thought you were immortal
So preternaturally ancient and wise
Till the day that you stepped through that portal
To some kind of other side
And now I hope you run into the Sisters of Mercy again
Yes and I hope that they sweeten the dark of your unending night
I know you’ll have greeted the darkness just like an old friend
Oh but I hope there’s a big enough crack to let in some light
You’d been to the past and the future
You knew how the cycle repeats
And this chaos, deception and murder
Well it wasn’t something you needed to see
But now I hope you run into the Sisters of Mercy again
Yes and I hope that they sweeten the dark of your unending night
I know you’ll have greeted the darkness just like an old friend
Oh but I hope there’s a big enough crack to let in some light
Yes now I hope you run into the Sisters of Mercy again
Oh and I hope that they sweeten the dark of your unending night
Now I never did catch you to tell you that you were my man
But your fingerprints are on every song that I write
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4. |
Dad Joke
03:30
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My kids know, when they come to me,
That my advice is always free
In any situation
I just look them in the eye
I say “Life is short, so buy some stilts
In this time frame, there’s no place for gilt”
And in exasperation
They say, “Why, Dad, why?”
And I’m the perfect dad ‘cause I’m a grown man
What I mean, my jokes are bad, they make you groan, man
I’m not as smart as I hope I sound,
No, I’m the biggest dope around
Acting like I’m so profound,
But I’m just blowing smoke
And when I open up my mouth you’re gonna hear another dad joke.
In the car, wherever we go,
I bring the oars, ‘cause I’m on the “rowed”
And we can only snack when I’m driving slow; when I speed up, that’s a fast
And when we drive by a fueling station,
My family knows the situation
They roll down all the windows, ‘cause I’m passing gas
I’m the perfect dad ‘cause I’m a grown man
What I mean, my jokes are bad, they make you groan, man
You say I’m a bad influence
But I know that you’re mad into this
Got a whole band of miscreants
Ruing every word I spoke
‘Cause when I open up my mouth you’re gonna hear another dad joke.
This way of life you can’t unlearn
No stone or phrase goes unturned
I unearth the mirth, no fun spurned
My wires, juices, they hum, churn
See I’ve been infected by the pun germ
Unasked, unwelcome, unearned
So when my boy says, “Dad, you’re some nerd”
I get the SPF, ‘cause that’s a son burn
My first aid humor’s unstoppable
Ointment jokes are always topical
And you just need some Irish aspirin to build a Pill O’Fort
And when my kids go out with all their friends
Well their embarrassment never ends
‘Cause when they say they’ll be home around ten-ish
I say “Tennish? Why, that’sh my favorite shport!”
I’m the perfect dad ‘cause I’m a grown man
What I mean, my jokes are bad, they make you groan, man
When it comes to puns, I make the most
The ones that make your head shake the most
Like the Virginia settlers built acorn boats
So they could row-an-oak
Yes, when I open up my mouth you’re gonna hear another dad joke.
No there’s never any doubt, there’s gonna be another dad joke.
East, west, north, or south, you know I compass up a dad joke.
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5. |
I Sing for Clara
03:01
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I sing for Clara
The finest mind of her era
And the melodies she harbored
As she sat in the shadow of Robert
Robert the genius
The composer, and Clara the pianist
He the tortured brooding artist
She the wife, and guess whose job was hardest
Oh how she loved him
Asked nothing of him
Kept his house
While she played his tunes
With no time for her own
Think of what we lost
The melodies forgotten, tossed
The music we will never hear,
The songs unsung
For there was women’s work to be done
I sing for Clara
And her sisters through every era
In the shadows, incidental
To the man monumental
I sing for the millions
Possessing that uncommon brilliance
Never polished to the finest
By a world that would rather think them mindless
I sing for Clara
This tune she taught to me
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6. |
Zero Gravity
04:45
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Tonight my bedsheets hold me tight
The only thing that's keeping me in place
I feel I could float right into space
But if I hold on I know I'll be alright
I feel I could float right into space
Drift away in zero gravity
And the way I feel you feel for me
Is the only thing that's keeping me in place
I can't feel the way you feel for me
And the bedsheets don't hold me quite so tight
If I let go I know I'll be alright
Just drift away in zero gravity
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7. |
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Laudate Dominum
Qui solem lunamque creavit.
I know the sun will shine till the day I die
And a few billion years more
And I'll be fine till the day I die
With the sunlight keeping me warm
And I can measure the days as they pass me by
And on days when I can't seem to stop myself whining
I look up to the sun and I see it's still shining
And if somehow the sun
Were to suddenly dim
I would survive through faith in the one
Who created the sun
And I know the moon will turn, turn, turn about the earth
For at least a few billion years more
I know that it will pull, pull, pull against the ocean
And peel it away from the shore
And I can mark the months as they pass me by
And on nights when it seems that the whole world is burning
I look up to the moon and I see it's still turning
And if somehow the moon
Were to stop in its tracks
I would survive through faith in the one
Who created the moon
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8. |
Whichever Whenever
02:51
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Life is series of branching paths
Decision theory taught me that
And you get weary, I understand
From choice after choice now
With every turn there’s something to choose
Something to win and something to lose
And sometimes you yearn to wear some other shoes
As the choices press down
But darling please believe that hope is not forsaken
You are not alone in the choices that you’re making
‘Cause whichever you choose, and whenever you do
I’m right beside you
I’m yours all right
Wherever you go, I’ll follow you
I’ll follow through
‘Cause I’m yours all right
Darling please believe that hope is not forsaken
You are not alone in the choices that you’re making
‘Cause whichever you choose, and whenever you do
I’m right beside you
I’m yours all right
Wherever you go, I’ll follow you
I’ll follow through
‘Cause I’m yours all right
Whenever you pull the lever in whichever direction
I’m there for you, I care for you, did I mention
I don’t need a contract with seventy subsections
Stipulating nothing, my support is unquestioned
The best thing about being me is being with you
The rest of the world can see, they know it’s true
If we got a problem, if we got an issue
Stick with me, you’ll see, we’ll see this through
Whichever you choose, and whenever you do
I’m right beside you
I’m yours all right
Wherever you go, I’ll follow you
I’ll follow through
‘Cause I’m yours all right
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9. |
The Dream Crusher
04:52
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Boy
Beautiful baby boy
Bright and blazing bolt, jumping jolt of joy
In love
In love with the world all around you
Every moment a miracle, the sights and the sounds all astound you
But they’re gonna pluck you like rose right from the garden
They’ll say the softest parts of you all need to harden
They’ll offer continents to conquer, crowns to wear
If you give up the parts of you that feel and care
They’re gonna throw you in the dream crusher
They’re gonna pull you apart
They’re gonna tear you down, they’re gonna throw you around
They’re gonna break your heart
They’re gonna throw you in the dream crusher
Rip you up at the seams
Turn you from a sacred work of art
To just another moving part in their machine
They’re gonna crush your dreams
Girl
Glorious glittering girl
Flying free with your fearsome flag unfurled
In love
In love with the body you’re given
Wherever you roam, you’re at home in the skin that you live in
But they’re gonna tell you you’ve been broken all along
Point out how every single piece of you is wrong
They’re gonna laugh at every hope you ever cherished
Say all you need is four white horses and a carriage
They’re gonna throw you in the dream crusher
They’re gonna pull you apart
They’re gonna tear you down, they’re gonna throw you around
They’re gonna break your heart
They’re gonna throw you in the dream crusher
Rip you up at the seams
Turn you from a sacred work of art
To just another moving part in their machine
They’re gonna crush your dreams
Child
Cherished and chosen child
Beloved
Wise and wondrous and wild
Stay
Stay in love with yourself
Stay in love with the world, and with everyone else
There’s so much poison that they’ll try to make you swallow
There’s so much noise, but every word of it is hollow
They want your tenderness, my love, they want your pride
They’ve got a box that they want you to fit inside
Don’t let them throw you in the dream crusher
Don’t let them pull you apart
Don’t let them tear you down, don’t let them throw you around,
Don’t let them break your heart
Don’t let them throw you in the dream crusher
Rip you up at the seams
Child, you are a sacred work of art
Not just another moving part in their machine
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10. |
Let Them In
02:30
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There are pilgrims at our border, let them in.
Amid the chaos and disorder, let them in.
While we ponder and debate, they are standing at the gate,
So rid your heart of hate and let them in.
If they come from Guatemala, let them in.
If they come from Nicaragua, let them in.
If they come across the ocean, if they’re Haitian or Laotian,
Let yourself feel some emotion, let them in.
The statue says, “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
And Jesus on that Galilean shore,
Said, “Let the little children come to me.”
If they come here fleeing violence, let them in.
If they come seeking asylum, let them in.
If they’re worried and afraid,
If they’ve hoped and dreamed and prayed,
Then let yourself be swayed and let them in.
And if they come to work our fields, then let them in.
If they come to cook our meals, then let them in.
If they come with hands to labor,
Then be a friendly neighbor,
Stop rattling your saber, let them in.
It’s written there in Deuteronomy,
To treat the stranger in your land as your own kin.
I don’t know how much clearer it could be:
Love your neighbor as yourself and let them in.
Yes it’s written there in Deuteronomy,
To treat the stranger in your land as your own kin.
I don’t know how much clearer it could be:
Love your neighbor as yourself and let them in.
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11. |
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You stand in line
A line that shuffles slowly and seems to stretch for miles
You wait to give your line
To the family all in black with their red-eyed smiles
A line about how sorry you are
About the pain they must feel
It’s all rehearsed in your head
But it just doesn’t seem real
You try to figure what to say and how to say it
You search for words that might supply some healing balm
Who knows the price of grief? but now you watch them try to pay it
Maybe it’s easier to say nothing at all
And then some day
You face the line
A line that shuffles slowly and seems to stretch for miles
You hear a thousand lines
You receive them with a nod and a red-eyed smile
These lines about how sorry they are
About the pain you must feel
It’s all rehearsed, but their eyes
Tell you the feeling is real
You won’t remember what they say or how they say it
There are no words that will supply that healing balm
You’ve learned the price of grief, and now you’re busy trying to pay it
You’ll just remember that they said something at all
You won’t remember what they say or how they say it
You’ll just remember that they said something at all
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12. |
My Girlfriend's Pants
01:37
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I'm wearing my girlfriend's pants
And nobody notices, nobody notices
Because me and my girlfriend, see we're the same size
Some days when we walk down the street
You know some people stare at us, some people swear at us
And I'm wearing my girlfriend's pants, but I know that that's not why
You see me and my girlfriend, we're in love
(Yes we're in love, yes we're in love)
But for some people, that will never be enough
You know these people, they just don't care
(They just don't care, they just don't care)
And that won't change no matter whose pants I wear
So I'm wearing my girlfriend's pants
And nobody notices, nobody notices
Because me and my girlfriend, see we're the same size
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13. |
Tandem
03:34
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You’re moving in for two-three months
My parents knew your parents once
We both have off from school
And you seem pretty cool
But we don’t have a lot to say
And we can’t sit inside all day
The weather’s nice and clear
So I’ve got an idea
It’s you
It’s you I like
Let’s spend the summer, you and me
On a tandem bike
You may be short, I may be tall
But friend, that’s no concern at all
We’ll both adjust our seats
Some oil will cure that squeak
The sun is high, the days are long
These country roads stretch on and on
We’ve got no place to be
I’ve never felt so free
It’s you
It’s you I like
Let’s spend the summer, you and me
On a tandem bike
Some bikes are built for one
Some bikes are just no fun
They make you struggle on your own
But that reality’s
Not how it has to be
And you don’t have to ride alone
This summer soon will reach its end
I’ll say goodbye to you, my friend
We’ll go our separate ways
Live out our separate days
This bicycle will turn to rust
Some day our bones will turn to dust
Nothing on earth can stay
But right now, here, today
It’s you
It’s you I like
Let’s spend the summer, you and me
On a tandem bike
It’s you
It’s you I like
Let’s spend the summer, you and me
On a tandem bike
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14. |
Friend, I've Forgotten
04:02
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Friend, I’ve forgotten
Friend, I’ve forgotten your name
I tried to hold onto it, but much to my shame
The sequence of syllables started to all sound the same
So friend I’ve forgotten,
Friend, I’ve forgotten your name.
Friend I’ve forgotten
Friend I’ve forgotten your face
Somewhere or other the features all fell out of place
The curves and the edges that miles and years have erased
Oh, friend, I’ve forgotten,
Friend, I’ve forgotten your face.
And friend,
Oh, friend I’ve forgotten your voice
Believe, please believe, please believe me, it wasn’t by choice
When I try to imagine it now, I only hear noise
Friend, I’ve forgotten,
Friend, I’ve forgotten your voice.
Friend, I’ve forgotten,
Friend, I’ve forgotten your touch
Of all of the wounds that I carry, none pains me as much
I have to believe it was gentle, and loving, and such
But friend, I’ve forgotten,
Friend, I’ve forgotten your touch.
But sometimes when I’m in the snow, or the sun, or the rain
Or when I’m awake, or sometimes when I’m dreaming again
There’s a feeling that I can’t describe, that I can’t explain
But friend, I remember
Friend, I remember you then.
And sometimes when I feel like I’m flying, or like I could drown
When the world’s all as it should be, or it’s all falling down
Sometimes I hear a hello, sometimes an amen
And friend, I remember
Friend, I remember you then.
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