Wednesday, August 31, 2016

2.1581 : 8/31/09 : Bread

Let’s hear it for hummus
let’s hear it for bread
Let’s hear it for wine and beer
without it we’d all be dead
Let’s hear it for dairy
let’s hear it for rice
if we could get a little bit to everyone
wouldn’t that be nice
wouldn’t it be nice if we
broke free of dull selection
and just chose to help everyone
oh maybe, next election

what

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

2.1580 : 8/30/09 : Days Off

What are days off for
not for this to be sure
in a decade it shall not impress
Seems unlikely there will be
a problem there to address
but just in case
I’ll shake this daze off
and reel until your
tired eyes glaze off

what

Monday, August 29, 2016

2.1579 : 8/29/09 : Five Years On

The magazine folded
was it even a year
and the patrons all got hung out
missed their money’s worth I fear
and I’m not quite pushing 40
but I’m on the downhill side
and lately I admit
I haven’t thought much of the ride
Five years on
from some declaration
whatever I thought it was
was all in my imagination
if it wasn’t for all the ink
visibly spilled
I would count it all a dream
that harsh morning sunlight

killed

what

Sunday, August 28, 2016

2.1578 : 8/28/09 : Coda: You’ll Be Back (The Devil’s Trichord 5/5)

You’ll be back
I don’t doubt
speeches don’t mean anything
however we might shout
I could get cynical
at this point but I won’t
I’ll send a silent message:
if you’re tempted to,
don’t
Maybe you’ll get back
and get it all right
keep things in perspective
not stay up all night
Why not, I’ll wish it like
it was already so
in the meantime I think
now
it might be time for me to go

what

Saturday, August 27, 2016

2.1577 : 8/27/09 : Me and the Devil’s Rancher’s Blues (The Devil’s Trichord 4/5)

It’s harder than it looks isn’t it?
To get onto a lot you start with such a little bit
and I’m walking a mile in your shoes
walking a while with me and the devil’s rancher’s blues
reread all my hurried notes and they all made sense
but did not make me want to dwell in the present tense
have you made your break friend or are you lurking still
If you don’t know the devil’s rancher
I imagine you will
I wouldn’t trade my son
for a used ukulele
At the crossroads I’m carrying
a big shillelagh
To ward off the devil’s rancher’s blues
but I have to take my chances there
to dig up some more clues
Well you’ll probably never see it
and I don’t really know you
but I felt pain and why you bid adieu
to the ghost world sometimes we all have to get real
And remember that the blues
aren’t all we can feel

what

Friday, August 26, 2016

2.1576 : 8/26/09 : Sympathy for the Devil’s Rancher (The Devil’s Trichord 3/5)

I tease because I love
because I sympathize
I see so much time wasted
regrets dance before my eyes
follow the Devil’s Rancher
to his fields of
hearty stock
I hope it will work
you’ll think me a jerk
but regret to say that
good intentions
are not bedrock

what

Thursday, August 25, 2016

2.1575 : 8/25/09 : Friend of the Devil’s Rancher (The Devil’s Trichord 2/5)

Do you know my friend the Devil’s Rancher
he is a friend of mine
I’m writing him a prayer
if you’re so inclined
that his lonely ascent
may see him bursting through the clouds
and turning out
fantastic rhymes
far from the madding crowds

what

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

2.1574 : 8/24/09 : Prelude: Chase the Sun (The Devil’s Trichord 1/5)

Drive like a maniac
buy a couple minutes
If I were rich maybe I
could outfly it
but that’s the trouble isn’t it?
chase the sun
but you’ll get no more time
the alarm is irrevocable
and from this day
to waste one minute
is a crime

what

2.1573 : 8/23/09 : Definition of Failure

The definition of failure
offloading weakness
on my wife or son;
thinking I’m unique
I’m not the only one
Getting het up about
the fact you can’t beat city hall
the tiny scale, the little picture
don’t mean anything at all
The definition of failure
is doing what’s failed
and failed again
I’ll fold my arms
and not admit defeat
and let it lie
it’s no sin

what

Monday, August 22, 2016

2.1572 : 8/22/09 : Leaving the Body

4,129 : 61 ?



Maybe Jesse was right
hey as a Governor I think
he was all right
and if you think the example is poor
I’ve got to wonder what you think
democracy is for
Maybe pain is weakness
leaving the body
I foresee pain coming
I gotta take it, hey howdy
I bought what I paid for
I truly deserve it
this dish served cold
only me has got to serve it
Maybe pain is weakness
leaving the body
I foresee pain coming
I gotta take it, hey howdy
I don’t know from fate
don’t know from random chance
I only know that
I’ve got just one dance
Maybe pain is weakness
leaving the body
I foresee pain coming
I gotta take it, hey howdy
So if you don’t like it
baby tell me why
The universal principle
The mote in God’s eye
Maybe pain is weakness
leaving the body
I foresee pain coming
I gotta take it, hey howdy
No more random strikes
this has to hit the heart
we are only what we are
but we all have a right to art
Maybe pain is weakness
leaving the body
I foresee pain coming
I gotta take it, hey howdy
Maybe pain is weakness
leaving the body
I foresee pain coming

I gotta take it, hey howdy

what

Sunday, August 21, 2016

2.1571 : 8/21/09 : Bootstrap Gospel Mark What?

Like a dream
suddenly awakened
can’t remember a thing
yet somehow I’m shaken
by images buried deep
in the meta-cortex
seen through Miyazaki see
and Robyn Hitchcock vortex
I’m afraid of the scope of the task
I want to offload
some of the work onto Ask
They may mix me true
but I’ve remembered my objective
to rise defiant howling
at the idea that
truth is subjective

what

Saturday, August 20, 2016

2.1570 : 8/20/09 : Shit to do instead of wasting time on the internet

Write a scifi story I love that speculative jazz
write a song the world can always use a little more razz-ma-taz
learn to code in Python it’s so awesome
Think of a healthy snack yum yum yum
Play a little Myst it’s retro yo
or waggle that Wii hey I’m the new boho
Got a stack of books waiting to enlighten
and if I haven’t hit the strings in a while I might then
get on the mill and grind out a few miles
write a letter generate some smiles
pick an old lyric and practice it’s free
lay down an a cappella when I’m ready for Carnegie
fire up the DS 10 and code up a track
dig into that old and weird to do stack
Throw out some words on the electric waters
Transcribe old songs for faithful fairly secret spotters
So much to do even without a clue
I’m sorry for time wasted but I can’t rely on You
anymore I’m on my own who knows why why why
But I better not let another minute pass me by
without getting busy working up the old goal shredder
Filling in the database for the next family Easter letter
Pick a box or shelf and get some clutter in hand
do it up do it down spontaneous or planned
listen to music maybe some classical
daydream what I’d study if they paid me to go back to school
say a prayer for everyone I love
and go to sleep when push comes to shove

what

Friday, August 19, 2016

2.1569 : 8/19/09 : My Only Hope

I guess I better confess to it
You better believe I had to stress through it
I want to be a star of unprecedented scope:
But I need help and you’re my only hope
Please help me Wil Wheaton you’re my only hope
Won’t you help me Jon Coulton you’re my only hope
(we’ve got the same name!)
Good God Gabe and Tycho you’re my only hope
I’ve got material I’m no dope!
I need help to get by a little help from my friends
You don’t know me but I’ve got glorious ends
in mind don’t we all need hope
don’t we all need friends to help us cope
Please help me Metafilter you’re my only hope
Won’t you help me Cat Garza you’re my only hope
Help me out Jonathan Blow you’re my only hope
I really want to make it I just need more rope
I need help to get by a little help from my friends
You don’t know me but I’ve got glorious ends
in mind don’t we all need hope
don’t we all need friends to help us cope
Help me Cory Doctorow you’re my only hope
Help me Brad Sucks you’re my only hope
Help me Kristin Hersh you’re my only hope
Never heard of me before you remind me not to mope
I need help to get by a little help from my friends
You don’t know me but I’ve got glorious ends
in mind don’t we all need hope
don’t we all need friends to help us cope
Help me Jonathan Blow you’re my only hope
(yeah you’ve got my name too!)
Help me Four Eyed Monsters you’re my only hope
(someday I’ll see you!)
Help me Frontalot you’re my only hope
(yeah yeah yeah yeah)
And boy Jim Munroe you’re like the DIY Pope
I need help to get by a little help from my friends
You don’t know me but I’ve got glorious ends
in mind don’t we all need hope
don’t we all need friends to help us cope
(and Dave Sim… and Aaron Cometbus)
I need help to get by a little help from my friends
You don’t know me but I’ve got glorious ends
in mind don’t we all need hope
don’t we all need friends to cope
(and there’s so many more!)

what

Thursday, August 18, 2016

2.1568 : 8/18/09 : Factotum

Factotum:
count forward 13 days
in some twilight hour
some secret world
what could I say:
I could hardly claim to count
on what’s built
on good intentions
just the moment
and I thought
I’d nod to it
with a slight mention

what

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

2.1567 : 8/17/09 : Decision

The decision came
without preconceived ideas
the decision was partly
an artifact of a geas
decades ago I didn’t know
how to rectify
hours spent grinding
so clear now
the only lies
associated with the combines
So normal
who doesn’t want tunes
the wicked combine
I can wrap it up
right now
this is the transfer alert
the Sacred Gospel Plow

what

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

2.1566 : 8/16/09 : For the Road

One more for the road
my boys
all the glamor and lights
were just kids toys
strip something down
to bare bones and lath
a little exposition
after the aftermath
Don’t know where it’s winding
or the destination
if it’s doomed to just another
and another iteration
but it could be worse
oh a thousand times
well at least it’s here
well at least it rhymes

what

Monday, August 15, 2016

2.1565 : 8/15/09 : Attitude

Hey check out my
positive attitude
arrived at honestly
subject to no platitude
of easy return
of gain without work
I’ve got to cultivate it baby
Because I’m no young turk
there’s a lot pressing down
I have to grin and bear it
the shoe fits so well
I guess I have to wear it
don’t wrinkle your nose
at what smells so crude
it’s just me and my
positive attitude

what

Sunday, August 14, 2016

2.1564 : 8/14/09 : Wrong Path

Wrong pathing it
Willful, lost
surely there’s consequences
surely there’s a cost
is the goal to make the best of it
or somehow break through
when you’re not even gone yet
and I’m already missing you
keep looking for the right path
if there is such a thing
trying to see how to get on it
and just what I’m supposed to bring

what

2.1563 : 8/13/09 : Failure (III)

If you turned up hoping
to see me pop
Go off the rails, spin off the track
you may just as well go back
because I’ll never let you see me
really see me pop
and the only failure I’ll show you
is the failure to stop

what

Thursday, August 11, 2016

2.1562 : 8/12/09 : Failure (II)

Once someone held up to me
a true brass ring
the kind of thing I should have wanted
if I wanted anything
I didn’t stretch out my hand to take it
I barely raised my head
and I suppose that I’ll regret
that failure till the day I’m dead

what

2.1561 : 8/11/09 : Failure (I)

Failure to teach one damn thing
failure to come up with anything
new or even elegant
failure to wonder where the
days all went
until it was too late
all orders dissipate
all flows to lukewarm paste
that’s great if it’s your taste

what

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

2.1560 : 8/10/09 : Descent

Descent into Glenwood
to Spicer to Priam
no signs on the highway
You have to infer them
these roads that I’ve driven
been driven, so many
times tales of lost days
never told not to any
a joke from an old life
check cancelled long gone
daydream a reunion
get off, get it on
lately I’m always
contending with choice
am I upright or do I
just fear the invoice

what

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

2.1559 : 8/9/09 : Slow Time

As if a minute means ten
keep tracing over the line again
darkness, coldness
no revelation no boldness
It’s a crime
I can’t battle this slow time
Store up against all those bad old
fleeting moments I can never hold
If you want it you can’t get it
Want to throw it away then forget it
It speaks of a designer true
one who’s got it out for you
It’s a crime
I can’t battle this slow time
Store up against all those bad old
fleeting moments you can never hold
It’s a crime
I can’t battle this slow time
Store up against all those bad old
fleeting moments you can never hold

what

Monday, August 08, 2016

2.1558 : 8/8/09 : The Hat

I have to take
whatever
comes out of the hat
I sure don’t have
the option
to be choosy like that
The pile’s a bit too high
though I’m no ordinary guy
You could say I have to
bring it on
at every at bat
but it could stop right there
that really said it all
but I’ve got this strange obsession
with response and call
If I could do it all
again
or why not six times
or ten
more options more confusion
man
that trick hat is tall

what

Sunday, August 07, 2016

2.1557 : 8/7/09 : Flashback

It’s been flashback after flashback
on this weird strange trip
this night’s got three hours left at least
and I don’t want a bit of it
this isn’t how I planned to spend it
but I guess I made these choices
up alone so far past midnight
in the boondocks hearing voices

what

2.1556 : 8/6/09 : Freedom from Constraints

Suddenly without a frame
freed from constraints
in no one's name
was anything learned
was anything good
did a point get made
did you think it should
one less excuse
for my whining complaints
I guess it’s what it looks like
freedom from constraints

what

Friday, August 05, 2016

2.1555 : 8/5/09 : Don’t Mention It (The Golden Age 100/100)

The numbers don’t wait for your good intentions
or your shining hour or your moment of truth
You get what you’re dealt all your honorable mentions
all of us getting slower getting long in the tooth
Don’t mention it don’t mention it
I’d rather stay obscure
keep toiling in anonymity
Maybe someday I’ll be sure
However hard I tried I couldn’t master the popular tone
Maybe life’s gotten too easy short on crisis and shock
Maybe I’m just too wordy all that talking to myself alone
Too much self-evaluation too much taking stock
Don’t mention it don’t mention it
I’d rather stay obscure
keep toiling in anonymity
Maybe someday I’ll be sure
Don’t mention it don’t mention it
I’d rather stay obscure
keep toiling in anonymity
Maybe someday I’ll be sure
Don’t mention it don’t mention it
I’d rather stay obscure
keep toiling in anonymity
Maybe someday I’ll be sure


what

Thursday, August 04, 2016

2.1554 : 8/4/09 : Super King (The Golden Age 99/100)

I come on crazy like some kind of crazy super king
I’m going to tear into that list of dreams like anything
And you’ll know I’m there when you hear the king sound
It’s going to put all you doubters right on the ground
Bow to me I am Super King
You aren’t going to believe all the majesty
I’m going to bring
Give it time don’t judge let it percolate
A hundred isn’t very much I’m sure it’s getting great
It’s going to get so sweet, you’ll pop your skull
Isn’t it something isn’t it crazy isn’t it wonderful
Bow to me I am Super King
You aren’t going to believe all the majesty
I’m going to bring
Bow to me I am Super King
You aren’t going to believe all the majesty
I’m going to bring
Bow to me I am Super King
You aren’t going to believe all the majesty
I am going to bring

what

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

2.1553 : 8/3/09 : Point of Order (The Golden Age 98/100)

He’s praying to be restored
to some long ago state of grace
doubt in his heart
concentration on his face
Bring me back
to the point of order
been far too long
lingering on the border
Longer before that
things were clearer but much worse
Vows to not return too far
Vows to escape the curse
Bring me back
to the point of order
been far too long
lingering on the border
Bring me back
to the point of order
been far too long
lingering on the border
Bring me back
to the point of order
been far too long
lingering on the border

what

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

2.1552 : 8/2/09 : Revolver (The Golden Age 97/100)

A Song a Day Volume 2.10 being titled

Notebook 23

Who would believe the story
the new leaf the fresh new day
decades of consistent mediocrity
could they really have paved the way?
behold the revolver
give the cylinder a spin
hold it gently in your hand
and let a little glory in
a dozen gentlemen in suits fell to earth
and got right down to the appraisal
will it be worth more or less than we hoped
get ready for the hell we’re going to raise all day
behold the revolver
give the cylinder a spin
hold it gently in your hand
and let a little glory in
behold the revolver
give the cylinder a spin
hold it gently in your hand
and let a little glory in
behold the revolver
give the cylinder a spin
hold it gently in your hand
and let a little glory in

what

Monday, August 01, 2016