630 : 12/31/99 : No Attachment to Dust (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 77/101)

There is nothing that will last
there is nothing that I must
No moon in the water
no attachment to dust
There is no one I'm afraid of
There is no one that I trust
I see nothing that's alarming
In a handful if dust
All my treasure has to perish
All will fall to moth and rust
I live without assumptions
or attachments to dust

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

629 : 12/30/99 : Stone Mind (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 76/101)

I have a heavy head
I wish that I
could lighten up
my stone mind
I’m sleeping in the bed
I made for myself
in a past
I left behind
My stone mind causes
me to be
so serious
I’m no fun at all
It never pauses
It’s always
chewing up
time searching for the call
Inside
Outside
forward
or behind
I’m carrying it all in my stone mind

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

628 : 12/29/99 : Temper (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 75/101)

Temper temper
better calm down
we’ve done a lot of damage
already
Speak softly
and carry a multi-warhead
city killing long range ballistic
equalizer
ready, steady
You better cool off mister
you ought not to have said
what you did about
my sister
already a steady rain falls
the earth is getting hotter
there’s a little less clean water
though unready, unsteady
still sane and
no walls
remain,
falls
away

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

627 : 12/28/99 : Reformation (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 74/101)

I get them with my testimonial
I gave it high on nitrous once
I know just how to play the
divine mystic cosmic dunce
when they see my mean estate
and my humble gratitude
Just to be alive
Baby it’s all attitude
They experience true reformation
They finally see
Get down to serious business
So I can get back to the fathomless sea

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

626 : 12/27/99 : Ten Successors (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 73/101)

Ten successors
is there anything at all
to the stories that they
heard a holy call
Was he struck down in anger
or transfixed alive
on the moment of transcendence
next stop dimension five
Did he wield the stick in anger
was his method trial by fire
ten swam back out of the deep end
other ten swam under the wire
Ten successors and
a bodhisattva martyr
poleaxed by a touchy monk
while sniffing after the garter

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

625 : 12/26/99 : Blockhead Lord (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 72/101)

Do not flatter this Blockhead Lord
He may wear fine robes
But he doesn’t know a thing of Zen
and the futures he reads in crystal globes
hey Blockhead!
build me a Temple instead
of this old cleric
rock you to sleep in the bed
you made for me
you may be a Lord
But you know not
what this third crow bought

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

624 : 12/25/99 : Be Silent (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 71/101)

Hush
Silent
Do not say a word
hush
be silent
do not say one word
not even
this
this
this
this
this
this
this
this
this

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

623 : 12/24/99 : The Most Valuable Thing in the World (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 70/101)

Do you want
the most valuable thing
In the world?
Hold out your
hand
and
I’ll give it to you

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

622 : 12/23/99 : Eat the Blame (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 69/101)

The master found
a snake’s head in his soup
I’ve been around
it goes deeper than I’ll stoop
while the world crumbles
everyone’s trying to make a name
give that snake’s head to me
I’ll eat the blame
the snake was born
for crawling in the grass
and every morn
I sigh for what’s come to pass
We’ve taken life and
turned it into a game
If you need a scapegoat
I’ll eat the blame
You know to me it’s all the same
it could be better but I’m glad I came
While the world boils in secret shame
I’ll just grab the snake
and eat the blame

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

621 : 12/22/99 : One Note Zen (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 68/101)

blow my whistle
toot my horn
one note zen
master is born
look how sacred
look how wise
one note master
angel eyes
bodhisattva
straight and long
one note zen
one note song

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

620 : 12/21/99 : Doing Saying (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 67/101)

1,694 : 71 ?


What are you doing
What are you saying
show me one true thing
You found by praying
doing is being
saying is nothing
dying is freeing
living the one thing
In doing be true
in saying be clear
Everything I do
I do without fear
What are you doing
what are you saying
this is the true thing
the curtain is fraying

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

619 : 12/20/99 : Children of His Majesty (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 66/101)

If I was a shareholder
one of the five percent
would I display my sinister bent
or would I be bolder
If I had wealth superabundant
would I tie my mule to a good cause
could my will contain an escape clause
Would I behave just the same, redundant
While I lay wishing for some fancy thing
ten thousand die ten thousand die
the children are starving I wonder why
the children of his majesty the king
he's mumbling he's mad as a hatter
and I am poor as a mouse
no wagon field or house
no crown no silver platter
Yet if I were a shareholder
I could give away everything
To feed the children of his majesty the king
that's what I'd do if I were a little bolder

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

618 : 12/19/99 : Subjugation of a Ghost (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 65/101)

Seven minutes prior to the
witching hour
I lifted up my hammer and my tongs
And set myself to
engaging the higher paradigm
And unleashed the untold
potency of my songs
Seven seconds past the
next long goodbye
As the valet dished up something
like dismay on toast
It was heavily connected
to the function of the evening
namely the subjugation
of a Ghost
And I will stand by and
watch them march
through that door

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

617 : 12/18/99 : Sweat (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 64/101)

I can talk the talk
I talk it in my sleep
I can’t walk the walk though
I’m just another sheep
put me on the stand
then you’ll see me sweat
every drop accuses me
every drop’s a lost bet
Never let them see you sweat
never let them in
that was my whole strategy
but now I’m ready to begin
I will walk away today
all my past regret
will disappear like morning fog
evaporate like sweat

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

616 : 12/17/99 : Killing (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 63/101)

I shouldn’t be allowed
to preach without enlightenment
there oughta be a law
Some license on my gospel tent
What can I do if I’m simply wrong
am I killing Buddha with this song?
I should just write
my own material
this has become
one strange ass serial
I guess I’ve kept it up this long
I guess Buddha can take one more
unenlightened song
He said to kill him
If I met him walking on the path
It sounded dicey
Caught between satori and the grapes of wrath
Maybe I’ve been killing Buddha all along
Maybe I should write another song

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

615 : 12/16/99 : In the Hands of Destiny (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 62/101)

My army is one-tenth the size
my war-chest is one-tenth the worth
We’re in the hands of destiny
my friends
but we stand to inherit the earth
Randomness will choose our fate
Fortunes cast with a trick coin
Young man you can’t get more West
than here
So turn around and join
My mentor’s march one million strong
My teachers follow me to war
In the hands of destiny
we rise
things won’t be the same anymore

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

614 : 12/15/99 : Gudo (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 61/101)

Gudo
I guarantee you
this very mind
is not the Buddha
that’s a one thing
I can assure you
You will not tell me
what will become of me
you say you don’t know
I know there’s more to this story
are you here
to knock me to my senses
I sense there is
more to me than what they call defenses
maybe then I’ll see
What Gudo showed me

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

613 : 12/14/99 : Tunnel (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 60/101)

1,687 : 59 ?


I’m going to dig a tunnel through the earth
tunnel through the earth
tunnel through the earth
I’m gonna dig and show you what I’m worth
and come out on the other side
I’m gonna dig a tunnel through the moon
tunnel through the moon
tunnel through the moon
I’m gonna dig that tunnel real soon
and come out on the other side
I’m gonna dig a tunnel through the sun
tunnel through the sun
tunnel through the sun
I’m gonna dig because I am the one
and come out on the other side
I’m gonna dig a tunnel through the sky
tunnel through the sky
tunnel through the sky
dig my way through space and stars don’t even ask me why
and come out on the other side

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

612 : 12/13/99 : Soldiers (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 59/101)

Soldiers of humanity
Out to save all sentient life
ain’t that something pretty big
ain’t you just the butcher’s knife
Ain’t you just the pruning shears
ain’t you just the cheese
out to save all sentient life
and me too as you please
soldiers of humanity
rooted to the spot
meditate these blues away
while I smoke lots of pot
in your temple far away
and very long ago
you showed them a thing or two
that’s really all I know

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

611 : 12/12/99 : Stone Buddha (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 58/101)

I only have one ambition
I face every day with the same decision
I want people to point and say
he’s a Stone Buddha
he’s superfly he’s astral
he’s a stone Buddha
don’t let his wisdom slip past ya
I wanna step past all the phases
the need for Chi or secret places
I wanna be rock steady
like a stone Buddha
still and ready
like a stone Buddha
one day I’ll just slip away
maybe I’ll petrify some day
and finally achieve my karma
becoming Stone Buddha

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

610 : 12/11/99 : The Gates of Paradise (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 57/101)

Where are the gates of paradise
point me in the way
I’ve had my share of fire and ice
and you won’t have to show me twice
I’ll know it by the rocks and clay
I’ve seen its aspect in my dreams
And visions of it when I pray
or so it seems
at start of day

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

609 12/10/99 The True Path (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 56/101)

No coming
no going
the true path
no slowing
me down now
I’m in it
get on it
begin it

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

608 : 12/9/99 : Tea Master (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 55/101)

Tea master
and assassin
there’s a tale
to keep you laughin’
imagine being
Fooled by tea
and the Tea Master
at the tea Academy
the usual alchemy
raised to the point of artistry
hardly useful
but mark the words
the assassin’s blade
can’t cut all the cords
hey Tea Master
that’s quite a
scenario you spin
The Tea Master
and the assassin

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

607 : 12/8/99 : Will and Testament (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 54/101)

I am nothing
but an insignificant
insect

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

606 : 12/7/99 : The Giver (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 53/101)

1,680 : 52 ?


I just need a couple million
Build the machine and put the wheels on
I’ve got it all locked up inside
I’m ready for the ride
I just need some one to Give Me
What I’m missing to hire my Army
To round up my million men
And get ready to begin
I promise I’ll act like a man of the Tao
And I’ll give it all back but I need cash flow now
the giver should be thankful for me
giving them some reason to be
I’ll give one million a reason to
Stand up and rise on cue
Take control and shout the riddle
I’ll laugh while it burns and play my fiddle

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

605 : 12/6/99 : Your Light May Go Out (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 52/101)

Anyone can speculate
Your light may go out
So be sure to constantly meditate

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

604 : 12/5/99 : Sour Miso (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 51/101)

Don’t cry over sour miso
children are starving in Vietnam
Children are starving in China
Children are even starving in Japan

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

603 : 12/4/99 : Clear Realization (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 50/101)

Realize so clearly
no path but pain
I figured it out once
I guess I have to again
when will I give up on satisfaction
when will I give up on satiation
when that when that day comes
I will have my clear realization

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

602 : 12/3/99 : Black-Nosed Buddha (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 49/101)

Black nosed Buddha
I’m gonna pray on you I’m gonna
pray on you I’m gonna
pray pray pray on you
and your ugly black nose
will tell me what to do
Black nose buddha
I’m burning my incense
just for your black nose
Your golden body mocks me
through a nose as black as coal
Black nosed Buddha
are you enlightened now
will you take me with you
will your black nose point me how

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

601 : 12/2/99 : Proportion (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 48/101)

Don’t try to fool me with
second best
If you put me up to it I’ll
pass the test
And if it seems to you
there is a hint of distortion
In my priorities
Then you lack my
Sense of proportion

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

600 : 12/1/99 : Stingy Artist (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 47/101)

I’m a stingy artist
I always take my pay
I never work for free
and I’m working every day
I painted for the king baby
I painted for his girls
I charge as much as I can get
in diamonds gold and pearls
I’ve got a secret habit
my art is just a tool
I’m not saving for a race car
or to build a swimming pool
I’m not charging just to have more
that’s a path fit for a fool
My art pays to feed the poor
and build a road to heaven’s door
my art will build a temple
please observe my fine example
I’m a stingy artist baby
I’ll charge you through the nose
but it’s all for a good cause
but that’s a truth just heaven knows

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

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

Recalibration of time machine complete

Well damn, I have once more achieved temporal parity with the prior decade. Halloween 1999, I remember it well. A little too well, actually, but that's a whole other story. How long will I manage to maintain the daily-ish posting this time? Try not to let the suspense hurl your sense of order into violent disarray.

569 : 10/31/99 : Not Far (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 16/101)

I’m not far now
It’s not far now
I’m almost there
I’m working on how
It’s not far to go
a future none may know
I’ll find it at my own pace
shuffle through this deck of woe
It’s not far now
to get back to
the start of things
and me and you
I know a guy
who knows just what to do
and it’s not far
he’s not far from
finding what was sought for
answering what was asked
opening to one last knock
revealing what was masked

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

568 : 10/30/99 : Mother (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 15/101)

I don't care if people laugh
and whisper to each other
I don't care what people say
I'm a mama's boy
I'll always love my mother
I love all my family dear
Dad and sister and my brother
I know where I came from
I'm a mama's boy
I'll always love my mother
This life gives you just one chance
you cannot buy another
I know where my heart belongs
I'm a mama's boy
I'll always love my mother

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

567 : 10/29/99 : Muddy Road (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 14/101)

Come on girl
I’ll lift you in my arms
carry you across this muddy road
ignoring all your charms
When we reach the other side
I’ll set you gently down
it’s just the kind of monk I am
the root of my renown

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

566 : 10/28/99 : A Buddha (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 13/101)

If I renounce my vices
give up smokes and practice Zen
If I follow all the precepts
will I be a Buddha then?

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

565 : 10/27/99 : Happy Chinaman (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 12/101)

There are more happy Chinamen
in this world than any other
kind of man, that’s just statistics
that’s nothing special
If I had a sack of special gifts
If I’d just worked harder on the riffs
I might be some kind of
rock and roll santa by now
I can’t do what I want
So I guess I must do what I can
do I make any sense to you
happy Chinaman?

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

564 : 10/26/99 : Shunkai (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 11/101)

When I read the story of Shunkai
I know that I don’t have the right
to claim stories that aren’t my own
to take up someone else’s fight
It seemed to confirm my suspicion
that it’s a sorry lot we’re handed
God is silent God is mute
the rich are rewarded the good reprimanded
how could I compare myself
to the true pilgrims that went before
still Shunkai would have forgiven me
we all knock at the same door

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

563 : 10/25/99 : Last Poem (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 10/101)

I may have fooled you up to now
but you must know I am no master
I cannot predict my last poem
I cannot foresee disaster

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

562 : 10/24/99 : The Moon (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 9/101)

A wolf in a business suit
watch the bastard blow
I’m killing him with kindness
and he doesn’t even know...
the means of production
the source of all wealth
five acres and independence
wolf baby here’s to your health
I wish I could give you the moon
something worth howling at
It used to be yours by right
but you’re a different sort of cat
the will of the people
the truths self-evident
the pursuit of happiness
so many letters that I sent
that said here’s the moon for you
wolf I wanted you to have it
take the clothes off my back
I only wear them out of habit

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

561 : 10/23/99 : Great Waves (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 8/101)

It seems there is a bellows
it’s working all the time
drawing in the chaos
spewing out exquisite rhyme
And I am just the waves
that took me as a child
How can a man so strong
be so meek and mild
All I ever think of are great waves
Once I was bashful
painfully shiy
now all the little honeys
say my oh my
but all I ever think about are great waves
the universe rocks
between one breath and another
And anyone who’s breathing
I am your spirit brother

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

560 : 10/22/99 : Final Announcement (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 7/101)

What can I say but
Wish that I could stay
oh well final announcement
I’m leaving this day

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

559 : 10/21/99 : Ain’t No Lovingkindness (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 6/101)

Ain’t no lovingkindness
in this world we built
gonna hafta burn the whole thing down
gonna hafta burn the whole thing down
Ain’t no light or sense
in this system as it stands
gonna hafta run turn this ship around
before the whole thing goes aground
Ain’t no sense in trying
to fix what’s past repair
We’ve got time to start again
We’ve got time to start again
Maybe we will learn something
or do it all the same
guess we’ll never know till when
our sorry shack’s on fire friend

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

558 : 10/20/99 : If You Love (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 5/101)

If you love you’ll understand
despite my crazy scrawling hand
If you love you’ll see the light
If you don’t love well then goodnight
If you have an open heart
you’ll see that I am not so smart
to hold myself the way I do
to keep myself away from you
In the company of fools
helpless minions placid tools
If they love they’ll see someday
It’s what some try to steal away
What can’t be stolen can’t be bought
or forced by should or must or ought
what can’t be grasped or fastened on
by even virtue’s paragon
If you love be open true
and cast off all the gardyloo
and take this lesson home with you
That if you love you’ll be loved too

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

557 : 10/19/99 : Obedience (Flesh and Bones: An Homage 4/101)

Called by anger called by dismay
called to the left side watch me obey
called by anguish called by pain
called to the right side see what you gain
called to obedience and discipline
called to the carpet ready to begin
called to gentleness meek as a lamb
I guess I'm finding out what kind I am
I don't mind the sleeplessness or the hurt
I'm rising to enlightenment just keep on your shirt
obedience is hard for me I'm trying hard to change
Guess that I'll just have to wait and see what you arrange
Call me to sit and learn I'll curl up at your feet
the vinegar is bitter but the lotus flower's sweet
the simple truth is there's a truth you can't write down
if you trace it in the air you get to wear the Buddha gown

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

Transition Protocol

This brings us to the end of Songs of Days volume 4, Blank Book. We we will proceed forthwith tomorrow with volume 5, which bears the title Untitled (very postmodern, I know. Or perhaps, what's the word? Pretentious). Looking back I'm sort of baffled that I didn't elect to drum up three standalone songs to fill the fourth volume before starting such a long related series as Flesh and Bones: An Homage 1-101, but there it is. I guess I have taken the attitude that the division of the books themselves is essentially arbitrary: start at the beginning, start a new one when the old one is full. In retrospect I do find (or imagine or project) a certain thematic coherence and narrative character in the volumes, but at the time of their writing the content was purely dictated by the flow of the daily writing in the context of whatever blank page happened to be next.

The only book this isn't true of is the final volume of series one, which ends in the middle and so was left half blank because I got to the last song I intended to write. Thinking of that I realize (four years too late) that it would have been more bad ass if, when I started the second series of daily songwriting, I had picked it up on the next blank page of the last book of the first series - instead of starting a new book, which is what I actually did. Though perhaps the decision to establish a concrete break between the two projects was intentional: my memories of starting the second series are surprisingly vague, considering its scope. I remember getting pretty worked up about the idea of returning to daily writing, and about making the huge, 10,000 song commitment, and that I started out with a bunch of complicated extraneous codes and markers that indicated stuff like what time of day the song was written, which were soon abandoned. These days, though, the specific inspiration and trains of thought that led up to these decisions are lost to me. The lesson of this may be no more than that the momentary whims of decision are not as important as we often think: only persistence carries through in the long run.

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

556 : 10/18/99 : Is That So? (Flesh and Bone: An Homage 3/101)

I thought I saw the universe a simple
spiral code
the small reflects the large
vice versa
nothing less nothing more
is that so? Is that so?
I thought I saw or heard
that all would be well
and all would be well
I want to believe that it is so
but it’s a hard sell
Is that so?
Is that so?
Is it mine? Does she know?
Was it hers
Why did she say what she said?
So many things
You seem to want me to know
Why is it all I say
is
is that so?
is that so?

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

555 : 10/17/99 : Diamond In the Road (Flesh and Bone: An Homage 2/101)

Did you find me like a
diamond in a muddy road
You must a known others had owned me
take me on invite me into your abode
I clean up pretty I look real sharp
I cut a fine profile
What a treasure for you to find
along this muddy mile
Diamond in the road
I might be who you were waiting for
If you give me wisdom
I might be the one who sees you through the door
I may be the hardest thing you’ve known
Impossible to penetrate
But trust me I am worth a fortune
Pick me up and don’t hesitate

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

554 : 10/16/99 : Cup of Tea (Flesh and Bone: An Homage 1/101)

It seems so obvious
my mind is spilling out on every side
life's a brief candle
and the river's very wide
my cup of tea is running over
trying to make a point
can't solve this with another retreat
can't solve this with another joint
who is pouring out the wisdom
where does the spilt tea go
I can't see the point in crying
how was I supposed to know
If the pot has finally run dry
if the saucer's spilling too
soaking down into the carpet
maybe I can share some tea with you.

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

553 : 10/15/99 : Slow But Steady

Slowly but surely
I’m getting nowhere
a feeling I can’t bear
I loathe it purely
Faster and faster
the nights come on
I write some song
Song is my master
I’m turning the pages
slow but steady
I’ll start when I’m ready
I’ll get there by stages

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

552 : 10/14/99 : Wicked Bone

I’ve got a wicked bone in my body
It’s vibrating right now
It says baby you can have everything
and only I can show you how
give in to my wicked ways
I’ll show you wicked fun
I’ll show you how to make it yours
I’ll show you how this world is run
I’ve got a slightly tarnished halo
and a brass ring that I snatched
it only turned my finger green
but what a wicked thought it hatched
My wicked bone rests quiet now
concealed in flesh and blood
a little like a lotus flower
it will bloom in mire and mud
I’d like to go for wickedness
but the skeleton’s out of the closet
a man must reap the wages of
the treasure he chooses to deposit

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

551 : 10/13/99 : My Million

When I get high enough
and listen to the cosmos seethe
I can hear my restless million
I can hear my million breathe
when I get low enough
I know I’m all alone
I know that only death waits
this poor construction of flesh and bone
when I get wild enough
I know I’ll live forever and a day
And that’s enough to keep
this desperate longing at bay
when I calm down enough
I’ll marshall all my thoughts
and write them down for my million
in five to the fifth electric shots
when will my million rise
when I am ready to begin
I’m a long way off yet
but that is no sin

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

550 : 10/12/99 : Song of Myself

If I sang the song of myself
what would it sound like
like going down a steep hill
ten years old, on my bike
Is it some thing I should
be hearing right now
is it there and I’m not listening
is it a small or a big sound
song of myself I’m not dancing
but maybe I should be
Maybe I should be crying
for all the things I could be
The song I sing’s the best I’ve got
I guess they’ll have to do
At least there are a lot of them
I wrote them all for you
Maybe in a couple years
we’ll all look back and laugh
At how it all wrapped up so fast
preserved in one last photograph

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

549 : 10/11/99 : The New Leaf

If you’re waiting for salvation
You best not hold your breath
Well the way that you’re behaving
is just like living death
If you want to live forever
You must do more than wish
You’ve got to turn over a new leaf
just like when Jonah got ate by a fish
in the darkness of its belly
he prayed a fervent prayer
said Lord I’ll turn a new leaf
if you’ll just take me there
Nineveh it’s here again
the writing’s on the wall
listen what I say to you
this whole thing has to fall
if you turn a new leaf now
the Lord might spare your life
If you keep on scorning it
You won’t get nothing but strife
The new leaf the next page
get ready for the next big turn
gonna shake what shakes and rock what rolls
and what will burn will burn

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

548 : 10/10/99 : Hypodermic

A needle piercing your skin
is the worst thing you can know
that was how it all got started
oh so many years ago
like a hypodermic needle
physics jogged the memory
of brute matter brought forth
the whim of the sensory
with the introduction of the
looped feedback self-referent
there formed the theory of
an arch encrypted glyph that heaven sent
they sought it in the pyramid
they sought it in the hive
they knew it was in plain sight
and they knew its mark was five
So a little information
is a very unsafe thing
best forgo the hypodermic
and the knowledge it will bring

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

547 : 10/9/99 : Invisible World

1,638 : 10 ?


When we are silent
the stories we tell
As I sit and wait
for the whole thing to gel
to come into focus
the night turned to dawn
the sureness we sought for
uncertainties gone
when the world is silent
its stories unfolds
invisible world
not of silver or gold
not of hammers or highways
it sprouts in the cracks
and nothing can stop it
it can’t be held back
we think we’re important
we are in a way
we all have our moments
we all have our day
we find it in silence
just part of the same
the world that turns ever
all part of the game

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

546 : 10/8/99 : Parthenon

If we’re separated by circumstances
or sudden disaster
Meet me at the Parthenon
I’ll be waiting patiently like some Greek master
I may be holding forth like Aristotle
but I’ll stop if I see you
so if fate comes between us
that’s what you should do
Go to the Parthenon
and in the shadow of ruined symmetry
the golden mean the columns
in the shadow of ancient mystery
I’ll be waiting there
I will wait forever and a day
for you to find me
at the Parthenon so far away

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

545 : 10/7/99 : Sublime (II)

Whatever value is left
In this crust
will sublime away
disappear without a trace
leaving us alone bereft
of even the dust
of an honest day
met with an honest face
It’s amazing how things
can disappear into thin air
vanishing instantly
gone and forgotten
Can you hear how the bell rings
Can’t you feel the way your hair
stands and trembles hesitantly
can’t you feel this world is rotten
And it’s all sublime
It’s all subliming
It’s all in the wrist and the rhyme
It’s all about timing

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

544 : 10/6/99 : 3 Magic Spells

3 Magic Spells
will you work for me
will you make it all okay
will you make me happy
will religion save me
Maybe money is the answer
maybe I should quit my job
become a Latin Dancer
If I don’t believe in my 3 spells
will they work anyway
Guess we’ll see if anything answers
Ain’t that just the way

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

543 : 10/5/99 : Any Old Way

the dies cast
the marks made
why don’t I feel satisfied
why don’t I feel saved
the first stroke
the bold plan
why can’t you explain it to me
then I’d understand
it just keeps going on
any old way
I try to go on strong
but it hasn’t been my day
and if I go along
will I someday say
I understand it now
I’ll leave my mark I guess
Heaven just knows how

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

542 : 10/4/99 : Plank (The Clean Slate 3/3)

Put me down
I’m done I give up
You were right all along
clean the slate
start over with a fresh cup
sounds like some kind of song
clean the slate
but put me down first
let me start it blank
let me start adrift and peaceful
before you force me to walk the plank

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

541 : 10/3/99 : The Clean Slate (The Clean Slate 2/3)

Could I break it all down
And pile the whole thing up again
Build a revolution by pad and pen
And remake this little town
Can we really clean the slate
Make a fresh start any day
Still there’d be a price to pay
From some forgotten date
Some wrongs you still must make good
Some Caesar must pay his due
Somehow I’d still want you
In some way I’ve never understood
Every moment is a clean slate
and we make the marks we must
the clean slate lurks in blood and rust
there’s one underneath your plate
there can be no final counting
all we see must vanish by and by
we can’t grasp it but we try
as we watch the pressure mounting

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

540 : 10/2/99 : Tabula Rasa (The Clean Slate 1/3)

I was tabula rasa
when the Big Sound woke me up
I said Lord I’ve had enough
I’d like to go back to my half full cup
I’d prefer not to go forward
I’d prefer to stay right here
No one down here gets their preference
I can see that much is clear
what’s the use to hear the big sound
if it always has to fade
back into the background music
if the piper must be paid
i will choose to pay my own way
with the coin that I see fit
If there is a price to be paid
I by God will pay for it
If I do not have a nickel
if I do not have a dime
I must be the dumbest boy on earth
tabula rasa all the time

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

539 : 10/1/99 : Floating World

How it all whirls around
when we realize underground
another world is floating

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

538 : 9/30/99 : High Commander

Yeah well dude when the
demon’s at your door
In the morning sometimes he
comes back with more
friends
You don’t know the places I been
And when the lights go out in
the city man
that’ll just prove it was
God’s Great Plan
all along
You don’t know the road I took
to come to sing this song
Yeah well High Commander
let me whip a salute on you
look what a fine job you done
telling’ everyone what to do
down here
you don’t know the meaning
of the word fear

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

537 : 9/29/99 : Iacta Alea Est

Toss the coin up
that’s all we get
see where it takes us
that’s the bet
nobody gets more
roll of the dice
cross the the river we cast it
no one gets to do it twice

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

536 : 9/28/99 : Hardliner

I’m drawing a hard line
with a firm hand
and I’ll work my way backwards from it
back into the promised land
I’ve been fooled
And misled
My God the sands of destiny
The handful we’ve been fed
I will not step back
from my hard line
I will cast away what’s spent
and cleave to what is mine
I will live a hardliner’s life
of austere hedonism
I will be the new American
I will cure this mortal schism

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

535 : 9/27/99 : Scintillation

Oh scintillation
partway illumination
the truth is always winking
at us somewhere out there
Glimmers of hope or reason
wake us up in the cruelest season
everything that happens here
happened before somewhere

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

534 : 9/26/99 : Guidance

Give me guidance
give me direction
give me a clue
what’s looking out from my reflection
Give me purpose
give me a plan
I want to make the whole world right
but I am just one man
give me insight
just enough to pull me through
give me a clear path
between me and you
give me focus
give me strength
give me the endurance
to run the whole length
but right now
all that I desire
is for you to watch my back
while I try to light this fire

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

533 : 9/25/99 : Simple Life

I can see myself
living the simple life with you
I can see myself loving
every day the way I do
Right Now
I can see how I value
each day’s simple feast
and I heard you shouting love
At the heart of my beast
Don’t stop now
It’s simple to reach
out a helping hand
I know we can make it
So strike up the band
Let’s go
It’s simple enough
live in this one day
If I could just learn to
hear what the beast has to say
say it’s so

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

532 : 9/24/99 : Bourgeois Lady

Bourgeois Lady won’t you come out with me tonight
Don’t you know only the revolution
Is going to make you feel all right
We won’t make the same mistake this time
Trying to make what you are a crime
We’re through trying to make it with an iron glove
So we’re going to bring you over with love
Bourgeois Lady wear your pearls and fancy things
Your French perfume and silk and diamond rings
We’re going to kill the capitalist state for good
And you’ll be right beside me
Just like I knew you would

Bourgeois Lady step out and see the town
Can’t you tell this whole machine
Is going to run right down
But we ain’t gonna fuss or fight
We’ll just lay down loving to last all night
We’ll kill it with kindness and just like that
Your proletariat man is up to bat
Bourgeois Lady with your cognac and portfolio
We got the answer to your sad imbroglio
We’re gonna dance it all apart for once and all
Stick by me and see
The rise after the fall

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

531 : 9/23/99 : Brazil Tent’s Spiracle

We came a long damn way for nothin’
In the twenty first century
Bad sex and bad teevee
And if it’s just one thing
Well that’s one brilliant miracle
So what are we doing here
eating chemicals and drinking pisswater beer
the truth is streaming form a Brazil tent’s spiracle

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

530 : 9/22/99 : Brevity

Brevity is a virtue I have not learned
I tried to keep my mouth shut
But the words inside me burned
a hole in my pocket
I’d like to take a rocket
back in time to when this
wurm first turned

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

529 : 9/21/99 : Ship of Woe

If this ship sinks
I’m not gonna swim for it this time
I’m not gonna fight to get on a lifeboat
I’m not gonna waste my time
This beautiful vessel of love
has just become a ship of woe
I’m lashing myself to the wheel
If it goes down so will I go
We sailed past the siren’s rock
we kept out of the reef
who was it knocked a hole in our boat
who was the vandal who was the thief
If this ship sinks
I’m keeping the captains role
I’m heading toward the bottom
nothing else will satisfy my soul

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

528 : 9/20/99 : The Helix and the Caduceus

Now the big machine unrolls the scroll for us
The patterns are revealed in a handful of dust
The serpent and the tree the helix and the caduceus
can you find coincidence in what you see
the fruit is very sweet but the enlightenment is bitter
the ball is small and I’m a very shaky hitter
the lion and the lamb, a God who calls himself I am
after all this time you would expect at least a telegram
Jesus, Buddha, Jim Jones, Vishnu
Koresh,, Yoda, Orpheus too
Zoroaster, Kant and Nietzsche
Every crazy mystic teacher
In the clay or on the moons of Jupiter
And if you don’t believe it you couldn’t be stupider
the templates of life are spinning as we speak
and by all indications they still haven’t hit their peak

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

527 : 9/19/99 : Dog of War

The dog of war
runs in this world
it will not stop: it won’t stand still
It makes the rounds: it never sleeps
it counts the clock: the time it keeps
is
Carthage: Persia: Laos: Troy
Hiroshima: watch out: Big Boy
London: Boston: Kosovo
The dog of war finds someplace to go
What are we seeking to conquer?
What are we seeking to gain?
can anybody still believe
the outcome could erase the stain
of
Dresden: Paris: Rome: Afghanistan
Babylon: Saigon and Pakistan
The dog of war gnaws at its bone
and if it seems a shame to you you’re not alone.

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

526 : 9/18/99 : Brief

Brief pause aside to say
I saw the devil out today
observing all the busy streets
He keeps a close watch on his beats
I said to God who’s been off site
It’s getting harder to believe
This will turn out right
He didn’t say much
Guess he’s busy
Just the concept
makes me dizzy
In brief then
things seem bad
but I’m easy
I’m quite glad
I’ve got an answer to fill your cup
Do not heed them
And don’t give up

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

525 : 9/17/99 : Song for Fun

I’ll give up my bad habits
And howling at the moon
just to get better
just to be with you
I’ll sail across the ocean
To any foreign bay
Just to get beside you baby
I don’t care if that’s cliché
The kind of love I’m feeling
I never felt before
makes me want to live forever
get a peek through every door
But I’m desperately lucky
I got luck I’ll never earn
I don’t have to cross the ocean
or to sail where the river turns
to the mighty delta mouth
and the gulf of Mexico
Out into the mighty blue
And across another sea to go
Just to meet up with you
So let’s go there just for fun instead
and sing this silly song
for fun as we lay late in bed

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

524 : 9/16/99 : Old Dog

Look at this old dog
gon’ haft’ to learn new tricks
seems a little stiff and slow
just the way things sometime go
That truth applies to everyone
doesn’t make it stick less goin’ down
But once the pill is in your mouth
Nowhere left to head but south
One more day ain’t gonna kill me
guess I’ll push for one more try
or maybe fade quite away
old dog waiting for my day

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

523 : 9/15/99 : All Is Vanity

It isn’t fair you should expect this of me
given the condition that I’m in
You just had to show me all is vanity
Isn’t it a shame but it’s time to begin
Isn’t it a shame she went and did that to you
Isn’t it a shame we have to go
isn’t it a shame we got our hopes up
Isn’t it a shame we didn’t know
27 years was not enough for you
so you pile another on the heap
don’t think any phoenix is gonna rise outta that
inferno of the things I couldn’t keep
All in all it’s all just vanity
knowing doesn’t make it any better
There’s no use in thinking of the possibilities
if she wants to go you have to let her
there is nothing in this world to hold on to
nothing’s waiting for your grasping hand
nothing in this world is gonna change things
baby that’s a vanity I cannot stand

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

522 : 9/14/99 : Vanity

I don’t know what you’ve been told
but the whole thing was paid for
with fairy gold
Oh, oh our insanity
And I can’t tell you what is true
I don’t bother trying to
proselytize the likes of you
oh, oh the humanity
It’s just a night like any other night
I can’t sort out wrong from right
they both just seem as strange
And I’m not sure what kind of party
I thought I was trying to arrange
I hung a symbol on the situation
gravely practiced meditation
and went softly to each night
And though I traced a thousand stars
the things in jars
kept blotting out the light
I don’t know it matters much
but I waited seven years for your touch
Oh, just my vanity

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

521 : 9/13/99 : Nothing to See

There’s nothing to see here
So pass on by
I will not endure the
fictionalization of my life
Keep your eyes fixed straight on
Walk on by this accident
there’s nothing to see here
You’ve got your own sins to repent
I took the corners so fast
I didn’t slow down to read the signs
I didn’t think to pack a map
I didn’t stay inside the lines
I should have known I’d come to this
I should have kept my eyes fixed on the road
I should have gotten much more sleep
considering the row I’ve hoed
So grant me in my downfall
some small courtesy and grace
take a picture if you need to remember
the mystified look on my face

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

520 : 9/12/99 : Innocence

The universe is spun around
by innocence
It doesn’t know that down here
we got pollution and outrageous rents
the poor thing doesn’t know
that everything must wind down
and down here that makes
for a lot of Hard Knocks caps and gowns
and as a consequence
A little innocence
flies outta the world forever again
Do you think you’re in control friend
We’re all getting dragged around
the same bend
And down here we all
wind up as nothing in the end
Maybe we go on to something else then
But who knows for sure
And so we cannot help always
Searching for the cure
for the burden of the present tense
and the consequences of lost innocence

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

519 : 9/11/99 Gardyloo

We make everything so complicated
I thought you wanted me I know I wanted you
Why can’t we just collide like two ships in the night
Instead of messing around with the gardyloo
I only know I wish I had you here with me
It just makes me sad you can’t be here, too
Why can’t I just tell you what I mean
I always got tangled in the gardyloo
look into my eyes you cannot lie to me
you have to have to tell me what is true
are you still on my side?
Without you my life’s all just gardyloo
Will you always come back home to me
Will you hold my hand and say I do
All I want is everything with you
As we cruise through all the gardyloo

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

518 : 9/10/99 : The Clean Slate

I’m cleaning the slate
I’m drawing all the accounts down
I just need to roll up one big score
then I’ll blow this town
I stayed underground
I kept my mouth shut drew my pay
I dreamed about my big blue ocean
dreamed about every dog’s day
So much chaos and clutter
a lifetime’s writing on the wall
I’m wiping the tablet blank and clean
this time I won’t hesitate or stall
this time I won’t fumble my lines
this time I won’t have one regret
this time will be different
I’ll end up with what I set out to get
one more time Please Jesus
just give me one more try
I will make it really happen
I’m just that kind of guy

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

517 : 9/9/99 : Myself

1,631 : 3 ?


Me myself myself and I
and I am just one just one guy
here in the real world perfect it’s not
god knows I learn slow but that one I got
I can’t explain myself hot under the collar
going mad from eating crow and chasing the dollar
Just myself to face the music
I was just but now I’m too sick
to recall the lessons I learned
when everything was possible and I just burned
with a light that knew no reason
I was there so don’t step to me son
I myself was there to see
when it turned down into a blind alley
And led us to the state we’re in
I got strong medicine but it can’t cure sin

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

516 : 9/8/99 : In the Event

this is just a test
it’s not the real thing
if this were a real emergency
fifty different kinds of bell would ring
In the event
that the shit hits the fan
chances are the power will fail
You’ll have to figure out your own plan
In the event
that your culture collapses
try to trust the basic instincts
lurking back in your synapses
If it all turns out
to be a house of cards
In that event just roll with it
and get ready to go backwards

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

515 : 9/7/99 : Reason for a Song

Everybody wants to get away
that’s no reason for a song
Everybody wants to turn out right
But half of us go wrong
The other half are fine and mighty
They deserve the song I sing
they’re the ones that deserve everything
My kingdom for a country
My kingdom for a war
My kingdom for a battle
That’s what the horse is for
My kingdom for a horseshoe
My kingdom for a nail
I’d drive it to the center
For the want of a hammer my cause will fail
My kingdom for a reason
My reason for a song
A thousand songs if you can tell me
Why the hell we can’t all get along

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

514 : 9/6/99 : Push Me Pull You

Why do you pull me
Why do you pull me in so many directions
all the time
in a life measured in cigarette butts
and erections
You’ve given me too many words to rhyme
Why do you push me
Why do you push me around so much
everywhere
I’ve spent my life reaching for the touch
of brilliance beyond compare
It’s not my fault
It’s not my fault if I haven’t got a clue
About who to be
That’s something between me
and You
Yeah you up there You talkin’ to me?

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

513 : 9/5/99 : Backlash

There’s always the backlash
equal and opposite even in
human affairs
Halfway down the stairs
she’ll turn on you
Let you listen to your spirits crash
There’s always the anti
and extremes are in a sickening
symbiosis
The psychosis... that is born
of our own division evidently
Well I’m ready this time
I’ll stand and face all
challenges
The melanges
of public opinion and everyones’ hang ups
will reveal their perfect crime

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

Spirit of Song

As you may have noted if you are not at the destination you expected, the Spirit of Salt web domain has been forwarded to this location. The prior weblog et cetera has been permanently suspended due to an interruption in the site's hosting. My current vague plan is to view this as a sign to do something else there at some point in the indefinite future. Drop me a line if you wish to be informed at the time of this recreation.

512 : 9/4/99 : Everything Waves

A while ago they realized
the universe had a split personality
Wave and particle particle and wave
Shuttling between a separate reality
the smallest and the largest
are hidden in dark shadows
the secrets of the ancients
lie exposed where only sand blows
maybe it’s why we fluctuate
maybe it’s why my pendulum swings
I behave well or badly
but I always take what the day brings
Maybe when you wave at the universe
everything waves back at you
maybe that’s the explanation for it all
maybe that’s the basis of all that’s true
Maybe this is all just a grand experiment
Designed to figure out the plan
why everything waves endlessly
and back and forth for every human

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

511 : 9/3/99 : Big Mind

hello big mind
hello again
hello never gone
gone nowhere then
hello big mind
where did you go
until I can’t talk to you
I’ll never know

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

510 : 9/2/99 : Little Mind

Chittering chattering
frittering clattering
Always my little mind
drunken and snowblind
think this
think that
think thoughts
brick bat
through the glass houses
the spirit it rouses
is doomed by the grind
of the little mind
made of a nothingness
it’s what I do best
I do it so badly
I’d give it up gladly
Just for my one day back
Lord scoop my little mind
out of its little rind
end all this clickety clack

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

509 : 9/1/99 : Extremophile

When you told me of the dream you had
When you and Dawson were in the hot tub
And he was telling you about how he
Sometimes liked to just stand around in his boat
and think
That’s when I knew
They had destroyed your mind
And I was gonna have to kill you too
Nothing’s ever easy for us is it
everybody goes that extra mile
We must really like it the hard way
You must just be an extremophile
And a thousand tacos will not kill the hunger
and a thousand coca colas
will not wash the taste from my mouth
There’s nothing left but television
nothing left at all from north to south
So I told you of the dream I had
with Mr. T and Cheryl Ladd
And we just laughed about it
Maybe that’s something but I doubt it

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

508 : 8/31/99 : Too Many Words

I wrote too many words today
I can’t claim that I had that much to say
When did I sow such a bumper crop
Somebody help me I don’t think I can stop

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

507 : 8/30/99 : Ho, Hum, Ho

Ho hum ho
and so it goes and so it goes
ho hum ho
and so it goes
We all grow weak
our minds grow dim
good God! Almighty
that Reaper’s Grim
Ah ho hum ho
and so it goes
My my my
a man is just a born to die
my my my
and all die all die
The truth is not spectacular
get used to the vernacular
My my my
we all gone to die

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

506 : 8/29/99 : Halls of Reason

You talk about crawling through barb wire
Well I just tried to set my heart on fire
aren’t we crazy aren’t we desperate aren’t we doomed?
I heard the song the siren sang to me
I came awake and saw plain my misery
And every time another died the big bell boomed
And there were songs of triumph and dirges
In the halls of reason we hid from the scourges
That we’d set in motion with a cough
The mantles of the ruler were on the floor
the bastards in Congress were already out the door
We were left with a feeling we could not brush off

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

505 : 8/28/99 : Active Sequence

Karma means action nothing more
not quid pro quo or what’s in store
We’ve all got it just the same
just some of us don’t know its name
The same sequence will dissolve us all
So I’ll see you on the far side of the wall

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

504 : 8/27/99 : Make Haste

Make haste o Lord to deliver me
I’m shackled but I must be free
from avarice envy and deceit
make haste to set me back on my feet
Oh Lord open up my lips
and my mouth will launch a thousand ships
against oppression greed and war
We’ll finally find out what life is for
Make haste to help me I need it badly
show me your temple I’ll go there gladly
Away from the crowds and crazy talk
Lord just point my feet to walk
Glory be to the father glory be to the son
Glory be to the three and the two and the one
As it was in the beginning it’s never done
What a place what a waste the race is run

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

503 : 8/26/99 : Let It Go

Someday I’ll be peaceful
Someday I’ll be wise
Someday I will have
a look of knowing in my eyes
Someday I’ll complete this row I hoe
Someday I will learn
to let it go, let it go
Somewhere there’s a job for me
That only I could do
I know that there’s one girl for me
and baby that is you
We’ve seen the rain we’ve seen the snow
Somewhere where we yearned
to let it go, let it go
Somehow out of all of this
wandering
I’m going to build this thing
I’m pondering

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

502 : 8/25/99 : Signs

I’m about to be overwhelmed
I need a chart or some kind of system
There must have been warning signs
I guess I must have missed ‘em
I guess I gotta accept
That I’m just one crazy cat
I try to put a brave face on it
try to pretend I like it like that
I try to pretend I believe in progress
cause staying here is not an option
staying here is gonna kill me slowly
suffocated by the stench of corruption
that’s it I’m dome with sign
and portents in the sky
they never work out anyway
while opportunity passes me by
but I’ve still got a few surprises
I can work just like a dog
watch me build the perfect engine
while I masquerade as just another cog

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

501 : 8/24/99 : Blah Blah Blah

You may view my slack-jawed visage with disdain
but I’ve got an awful lot of clutter in my brain
And whenever I try to hear what it is I’m sayin’
It just goes blah blah blah
After all that I’ve written and all that’s gone on
I got nothin in my head but another man’s song
Have we come all this way to turn out so wrong
and all I can say is la la la
The talking in the brain’s the curse of the sphinx
Cause she’s still pissed off at our little hijinx
But we’ll never figure out what she thinks
Cause we can’t hear nothin’ but blah bla blah
So I just tray to stay very peaceful and calm
Like the way that I read about in a psalm
I got the secret here in my palm
and I whisper to it sha sha sha

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

500 : 8/23/99 : In the Morning

I know I don’t look so stylish now
It seems my old charm is wearing out
but baby you’ll see a change in me
when I get up in the morning
I know I must look quite a mess
It’s worried me I must confess
But you will be amazed to see
me first thing in the morning
I’ll put a bold face on my fear
And testify to every ear
that I woke up a changed man
when I got up in the morning
I’ll be a different person
Won’t I be interesting then
I’ve had a revelation and
I’ll never be the same after this morning

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

499 : 8/22/99 : Everything In Its Place

Lord won’t you please slow it down
won’t you stop this ride a minute
If I could just step back
I think I’d finally get it
I just want to put everything
everything in its place before I go
I just want to make sure everything’s
accounted for before I shut the door
Lord won’t you give me
a few more days just a few
I swear to God that
everything is really just for you
Let me put my house in order
let me kiss my friends goodbye
Oh Lord won’t you let me
finish up before I die
I just want to put everything
everything into its place before I’m gone
I heard there’s a place for everything
Maybe I’ll get mine after I’m done

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

498 : 8/21/99 : Crackpots

Castaneda, Allan Watts
I’ve read all the visionary crackpots
Couldn’t get through Nietzsche, tried three times
guess I’ll have to pay for my crimes
everybody has an answer, everybody has an answer
but me
read Suzuki, Thomas Merton
I’ll work it out just keep your shirt on
Adam Smith, also McKenna
Every theory that twitches my antenna
Plato Jesus Descartes Berkley
Does anyone here know how to work me
All the crackpots all the saints
a slow transformation like watching paint
everybody has an answer everybody has
an answer but me
Guess I’ll have to find my own way
Books are nice but it’s not about what words say
We all just try and take our shots
keep looking for the light through
the cracks in the pots
Everybody has an answer, everybody has an
answer but me

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

497 : 8/20/99 : If

If I started meditating
read the Bible every day
If I started doing pushups
If I threw my smokes away
If I started saving pennies
If I started eating bran
If I wrote a song a day
And got to where it all began
If I had a mighty army
If I had a mighty heart
If I had a million dollars
could I finish what I start
If I never make it all the way
If I never make it through
Remember me to whoever’s left
I loved every minute I spent with you
If this finds your ears somehow
Think of me a little while
Think of me if you desire
if the thinking makes you smile

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

496 : 8/19/99 : Set Me Free

When the moment comes upon
some eerie futuristic dawn
creeping through the open windows
stretching out across the lawn
When the reaper comes for me
baby will you set me free
will you will you will you set me free
When I’m chained across the wheel
when the sirens sing their song
And the rocks are straight ahead
And the storm is near and strong
baby when the lightning strikes the sea
will you will you set me free
will you will you will you set me free
Walk along the garden path
see the sights the main attraction
find our own great garden
to initiate the chain reaction
When our movement sprouts a might tree
baby will you be with me
will you go free with me

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

495 : 8/18/99 : Inattention

Inattention
Impatience
Failure
Why can’t I
ever tell my
tale pure
and simple
straightforward
To the point
I always blunt my
edge hammering
at the joint
words in my mind
nothing left but
ideas and notions
but I’ll work my way back
I’ll see myself
across wider oceans

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

494 : 8/17/99 : Grave Self-Doubt

Well we’ve let the cat out of the bag
and the writing’s on the wall
And the truth was grave self-doubt
was troubling us all
We tried to act like we were managing
We tried to act like we’d get through
But those of us who paid attention
Could not dodge the things we knew
And all through our little town
You heard people freaking out
I knew that day we had a
bad case of Grave Self-Doubt
nineteen hundred ninety nine
Just starting to get hot
I thought that it might be the big one
I saw that it was not
So if I cannot hear the big sound
if my ears are stuffed with sand
If I keep my head well-buried
If I’ve nothing in my hand
If I come to you all empty
naked blinded painted gold
will you kindly take me up
Because my ass is in peril of being sold

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

493 : 8/16/99 : Envelope

The envelope tears when I try
to push all I feel inside
why am I drawn to broad gestures
Why do I always get drawn aside
The luminary principle
I thought I’d founded myself on
I got distracted by the hype
and when I looked for it it was gone
Time to wake up time to get up
time to face another day
comes as no surprise I’m dreaming
When I should be kneeling to pray
I need a hand up
I fell through my envelope
I pushed it one day too far
help me up this slippery slope

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

492 : 8/15/99 : Shorn

1,624 : 0 ?


The things I’ve seen
you’d have to call it porn
the way they line the children
up to get shorn
Well set them all up in vests
It’s the next big thing
separate the fools
from the money that they earn
That story’s old hat by now
they’re still running that old burn
You got to be with the times if you
wanna take a pass at that golden ring
The things that I watch
As you fall into the ranks
And it’s ten long years
since that kid faced the tanks
And God only knows where he is now
probably sitting in jail
we treat all the pictures
and images the same
we like to talk big but we
all play the game
all afraid to look too hard
at what we chose on the holy grail

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

491 : 8/14/99 : Everything (2)

Ants and bees and all the hives
Our highrise condominiums their faceted eyes
telescope lenses and parabolic mirrors
all the shells and bottles that wash up on clear shores
dogs and doorways mushrooms and dirt
a blue satin dress and a pressed white shirt
How the hell am I supposed to make sense of
everything
submarines and submachine guns
black lights and books on punctuation
staple pullers and giant pinecones
toothpicks, ballpoints, slugs and smooth stones
telephones and plastic statues
eggplants rugs and high heeled shoes
How the hell am I supposed to make sense of
everything
thumbtacks plywood jellyfish
canned ham on a dented steel dish
screws, gnats, books, bats, satellites
My God how we spin in this endless night
roosters cigarettes and folders
tiny rocks and massive boulders
how the hell am I supposed to figure out everything

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