599 : 11/30/99 : Grass, Trees, Enlightened (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 46/101)

1,672 : 44 ?


I have a notion
I'm gonna be all right
come what may...
just look I'll have
escaped to paradise
within another day
grass, trees, enlightened
bees whisper
secrets as you dream
insensible
to the notion
of your own silent stream

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

New Continuity Record

Allow me to break the flow of the decade past for a moment for a note on what I'm writing now - I noticed today that I have broken my previous recorded continuity record on the current songwriting, that is to say the number of songs I have written on consecutive days without missing a day. Sometime around March 2009 (my handwritten notations on the subject are difficult to decipher) I broke a streak of 40 songs written on consecutive days; today I wrote song number 1,672 of the Second Series, marking 44 songs written without missing a day, and still rolling. Huzzah.

598 : 11/29/99 : Right From Wrong (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 45/101)

I need a classroom
to myself
to learn to write this one song
I need special treatment
because I don’t know
right from wrong
right and wrong
and good and evil
man and woman tooth and nail
If we have endorsed
the wrong rites
well maybe that god is in some detail
I learn my lesson
learn to pull back
before the hammer strikes
I learn to count
my p’s and q’s and use
my muse to fuel my mikes

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

597 : 11/28/99 : The Thief (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 44/101)

After I got off my sentence
I went back to the only one
who had not called me a thief
His singular example
had created
something like belief

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

596 : 11/27/99 : Beggar’s Life (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 43/101)

I am not cut out for the beggar’s life
always down and out misfortune is my life
I’m attached to food and wealth and mystery
this beggar’s life is too hard for me
I would like to be renowned for what I know
but I do not love knowledge for it’s own sake, so
the beggar’s path is all that is left to trod
I’ll beg my way to heaven, I’ll beg my way to God
I’ll beg my way all the way to Carnegie Hall
I’ll beg my way out when my back’s against the wall
I’m begging right now for grace I have not earned
isn’t it something how the wurm has turned
If I can make it three days on the beggar road
I may have a vision of Master Joad
And he’ll whisper the beggar’s secret in my ear
Softly softly just for me to hear

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

595 : 11/26/99 : Dead Man (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 42/101)

I said
I am dead
to this world
to this inheritance of the meek
she kicked me
in the head
and said
fool
dead men do not speak

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

594 : 11/25/99 : Joshu’s Zen (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 41/101)

What can
not be
thrown or
carried
no thing
no thought
burned or
buried
I can’t
wrap my
head a-
round it
Joshu
spun it
then I
found it
no thing
no thought
taut or
tangled
on the
hook of
mind I
dangled
no thing
in my
battered
noggin
take the
back off
let this
cog in
fit me
in a-
mong the
wurmgears
turn me
turn me
till my
mind clears

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

593 : 11/24/99 : Dreamland (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 40/101)

Dreamland
see the sages and
pick up the robe
the master dropped
touch the bowl
and dreamland stopped

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

592 : 11/23/99 : Sleeping in the Daytime (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 39/101)

1,666 : 38 ?


They say
Soyen
never slept in the day time
is that a riddle
what time did he
sleep in
then?

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

591 : 11/22/99 : Work (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 38/101)

thirteen years’ work
and still more gates
and still more blows
still more glory to come
when I feel the jerk
of the collar I hesitate
but where it leads I go
a grind to another a glory to some

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

590 : 11/21/99 : Sutras (II) (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 37/101)

Penny by penny
stone by stone
another day another dollar
I work alone
saving up to publish
My invisible sutras
ten years or twenty
don't matter to me
maybe no one gets it
well what will be will be
until I publish
my invisible sutras
penny for the orphan
penny for the poor
penny for the widow
wish I had a little more
hope they read what they need
in my invisible sutras

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

589 : 11/20/99 : Flower (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 36/101)

A long time ago the scientists say
flowers were unknown in all the land
they came before we made the scene
predestining our grasping hand
reach you cannot hold it
it’s just the way they told it
the flowers will inherit the earth
as they fall down around me
the simple truths astound me
the whole world spins an empty hub of mirth
everything changed when flowers came
everything changes when the flowers fall
the spider god crouches at the center of the world
and the ancestor gods make me record it all
and past the point of no return
is when you finally feel the burn
the empty in the fullness of desire
and while nobody complains much
when the flowers fall at the rain’s touch
they know at heart the elements of fire

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

588 : 11/19/99 : Minute Zen (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 35/101)

I’m a Lutheran myself
but every now and then
I have to stop and do
a little minute Zen
One breath that rocks the bellows
between heaven and earth
and pulls the stars into existence
at the cosmos’ birth
I practice grace through faith not works
I’m always at the cross
I rock a thousand times a day
between satori and plain loss
I’ve nothing but a shelf of books
my notebook and my pen
I turn it into time gone by
and lose myself in Minute Zen

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

587 : 11/18/99 : A Smile (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 34/101)

when they come to take you
and the guillotine awaits you
greet them with a smile
when it's time to meet your maker
and they beat you blind for being a Quaker
get up and take it with a smile
Nothing is fair and nothing makes sense
We're all getting put up at heaven's expense
and none of it will matter a thousand years hence
so greet the new day with a smile
when the big computer mixes you
and your alien slave lord fixes you
hey wake up with a smile
when the universe enters the big heat death
and you're in pain whenever you piss or take a breath
oh lie down each night with a smile
We're all headed for oblivion anyway
and nobody knows who listens when we pray
so you might as well live in the one day
and meet each moment with a smile

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

586 : 11/17/99 : Hand (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 33/101)

My hand is clenched tight
around my heart
I am a stingy miser
and I play a stingy part
I need to open my hand
and let my treasure go
it’s no use to me like this
to live it has to flow
I need to open my hand
and cast my bread abroad
across the seven waters
to show my faith in God
my heart can’t stand the squeezing
my treasure’s turning green
I’ll take my hand away from it
step from behind the screen

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

585 : 11/16/99 : Inch Time Foot Gem (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 32/101)

1,659 : 31 ?


Seven times a day
Inch time foot gem
this day will not come again
each minute’s price a worthless gem

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

584 : 11/15/99 : Everything Is Best (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 31/101)

Everything is best
everything is right
wakes you in the morning
keeps you up at night
could it be that simple
could it be that fast
Every beggar’s wealthy
every first is last

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

583 : 11/14/99 : Calling Card (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 30/101)

A goose ran over your grave
while you were away sir
an important man
stood scattering sand
while I lay sleeping
my fate stopped in
while passing by
I was out with my mortal sin
engaging in the long goodbye
and a blank calling card
is what I returned to
on the back it said I knocked once
on the back it said we spurned you
a blank calling card
a space for a name
on the back it said
just leave the way you came

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

582 : 11/13/99 : No Water No Moon (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 29/101)

No water, no moon
No water, no moon
at last I understand
not one minute too soon
no more water in the pail
no more moon in the water
I've uncovered my fate
after years that I sought her
after years on the search
after years on the path
there are waves in the water
and moonlight in the bath
there is light in the water
and light in my eyes
there is light everywhere
it should come as no surprise
and the light spills down
from a bamboo spoon
no water, no moon
no water, no moon

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

581 : 11/12/99 : Treasure House (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 28/101)

All the beautiful things you seek
are inside of you
In the end the darkness is overcome
and cannot hide the truth
And I’m not sayin’ nothin’
I’m quiet as a mouse
All the wonderful things I seek
are hidden in my treasure house

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

580 : 11/11/99 : The Voice of Happiness (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 27/101)

I’d kill and I’d die
I’d give my one good eye
just to speak with a voice of clear intent
I’d love to be enlightened
and have all my inputs heightened
but the hub is very tiny
and the spokes are very bent
they say the holy men
Speak with tongues mightier than the pen
and voices unencumbered with duress
unrestricted by society
free to speak the heart’s endless variety
how I yearn to hear the voice of happiness

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

579 : 11/10/99 : Trading Dialog (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 26/101)

The victor with the snappy lines
Wins the right to be the figurehead
sets up house in the cradle of society
We’d be better off electing a blind mute instead
trading dialog for a place to stay
trading dialog for food
they talk us out of a hell of a lot
and if we balk they act so rude
power speaks a wordless language
a fist shook under our noses
the man with the plan he warns us
there’s no time to smell the roses
It’s time to depose the masters of
the lying rhetorical game
and knock our stupid little brother off the throne
and know power by its true name
it’s time to win the war of dialog
and roust this class of professional liars
all they do is talk in circles
and piss on imaginary fires

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

578 : 11/9/99 : Three Days More (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 25/101)

1,651 : 23 ?


I’m only going to put up with this
three days more
I tried my best but in the end I
couldn’t find the door
I listen for a sound
that isn’t there at all
I guess I’d better kill myself
3 days is a damn long time to fall
I’m only going to knock myself out
three days more
if trying doesn’t work then what
is trying for
enlightenment or bust friend in
three days I’ll know
I’ll know as clean and crisp and clear
as freshly fallen mountain snow

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

577 : 11/8/99 : Sutras (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 24/101)

Was Hitler Enlightened?
Was Stalin Enlightened?
Was Pol Pot Enlightened?
When the Buddha turned the light on
In the world that day
I write my own Sutras
Recite my own Sutras
My daily homegrown Sutras
Why not I’m not so very holy
to use the real thing anyway
I’d like to exclude some
the wicked and fearsome
I can’t work out the sum
of evil versus universal
transcendent salvation
I baffle the lotus
I circle the lotus
I can’t work the lotus
into my twisted
universal equation

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

576 : 11/7/99 : Departure (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 23/101)

Stupid people ask me if the fire burns
Stupid men concern themselves
with steady returns on investment
What did you get out of life today
When the time of my departure comes at last
I won’t get sidetracked
by my past or a digest of regrets
It’s the same as anything say what you may
I’m on a plane and the plane’s on fire
It seems an awfully complicated
funeral pyre to me
technology has arranged my departure
for me
My preacher told me ‘bout the afterlife
he said nobody’s sure
but it’s the end of strife I promise
and it’s all guaranteed and all
for free

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

575 : 11/6/99 : My Heart Burns Like Fire (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 22/101)

My heart burns like fire
But my eyes are cold as dead ashes
See how the ocean rises
See how the great wave crashes
I’ve never eaten enough to fill me
I never think about the past
I never raise the flag up
it always flies half mast
But my heart burns like fire
and my eyes are cold and dark
and if I let an arrow fly
it always finds its mark

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

574 : 11/5/99 : One Hand Clapping (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 21/101)

The files among other things
collect one thousand songs
for example the world's smallest bell
and the way the surf of the big sea pounds
and the meow of the kitten that made me sad
dripping water in a cave where no one's been
and diamonds crystallizing on Neptune
and a duplicate of Einstein's voice in paraffin
a grasshopper chewing on the first page of
the last copy of an undiscovered verse
which lays out in aching clarity
a truth so complete it had no choice but to disperse
a cymbal, a wristwatch, a party horn
a candle, a bird's bone snapping
a windmill, a whirlwind, a dinosaur egg
from which there comes the slightest tapping
but nowhere among these rare recordings
or the nine hundred eighty five more
is the sound of one hand clapping
they say it's somehow secretly embedded in the core.

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

573 : 11/4/99 : Advice (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 20/101)

My mom gave this advice
don’t invent the wheel twice
All the good things that you seek
You’ll find inside of you

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

572 : 11/3/99 : The First Principle (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 19/101)

The theory is the
empty and unfettered mind
sets down a bold stroke
and each that follows in kind
is a masterpiece
perfect and simple
led inevitably
through from the first principle

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

571 : 11/2/99 : Parable (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 18/101)

If all my certainty
is only rooted in habit
I guess what sweet is offered me
I’m bound to reach out and grab it
if only reason creates order
what then creates reason
if chaos is a postulate
why do I name each season
I’m caught in between the
certainty of doubt
and the doubt of certainty and
I’m dying to get out
I’m trying to square the circle
and turn lead into gold
while I practice all my tricks
the future will unfold
just the way it wants to
So strong in wanting nothing
Don’t think too hard about it
You must have your own parable to sing

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here

570 : 11/1/99 : Stingy Teacher (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 17/101)

1,645 : 17 ?


I’ve got a stingy teacher
she won’t give me an inch
and everything is hard to me
that she says is a cinch
she teaches me with riddles
they don’t make any sense
she just laughs and says
that I’m spectacularly dense
I’ve got a stingy teacher
she won’t give me a clue
She says I must do what I must
to know what I must do
I threaten that I’ll leave her
I threaten I’ll give up
she asked after the color
of the water in my cup
She stumped me with a question
one word that means no thing
Now that I think about it
There’s no word that I can sing.

You can read an explanation of the origin of these lyrics here