2.69 : 7/11/05 : Serious

2,160 : 18 ?


Let’s destroy the serious
What’s it ever gotten us?
What’s it ever done for us?
Taking everything so serious
Let’s destroy the obvious
The ashes and the ashes and the dust and the dust
First will be last and last will be first
But from first to last consumed with thirst
Let’s delete the old clichés
the status quo, the everydays
Start a new pattern from whole cloth
no more to embrace the old flames and moth
It starts with a single word
that you’d read but never heard
it ends with another night
of innocence and sweet delight
thus and how you know the one
whose brave approach has just begun
scorning ladder path or door
scorn all but excelsior
and if a few miles down the road
it seems in fact a heavier load
discarding makes the burden light
the easy yoke will lead you right

What is the song of the day?

2.68 : 7/10/05 : Chance Dance

Everything spins everything in the world spins
everything waves every tiny bit
Nothing’s got a sign where it ends or begins
Nothing goes away not a bit of it
And back behind the final veil
We have no choice but to call it chance
beyond the grave beyond the pale
It does a silly little dance
All things move about a center everything’s a wheel
Everything is incidental to how the great turtles feel
Everything jumps, everything bumps
to the chance dance like a little clown
Everything gathers everything clumps
Into turtles turtles all the way down

What is the song of the day?

2.67 : 7/9/05 : The Chart Part Two

Next thing is the chart
part two rhymed it’s true this time
I’m raising hell and shaking every paradigm
this time this is real
I feel that I have just begun
I meant it every time but one
run with me if you want to
I’ll get there same as you do
we’re all born with a
chart inside
the secret that the cell within our cells doth hide
the secret now revealed
symbols and code
Yet still we lack the will to tap the motherlode
I’ll make do with my books
the treasures that I tuck into the crannies and nooks
If looks could kill like an act of will
I guarantee you that I would be looking still

What is the song of the day?

2.66 : 7/8/05 : Step

While they lingered, while they slept
I carried the thing forward another step
while they reveled, while they sang
I stacked the balance of loss and gain
while they mumbled and averred
I reaped the shrunken carcass of a dream deferred
plans keep changing, boundaries cross
I keep keeping on in face of doom and loss
while you waited, patiently
as I seemed to drift along complacently
I was working, every day
writing my invisible soliloquy
while we all pursue the ring
of brass in the nose of the golden king
we must wonder, we must fear
nobody has ever gotten out of here
Nobody has ever gotten out alive
There’s nothing less permanent than to survive
There’s nothing more transient than this flower’s bloom
born to fade forever in the waiting room
while they danced their nights away
I went to a lonely lonely place to pray
without water, without food
without a map, a compass or an anodyne to fix my mood
And it was perfect, full, complete
I saw the devil place the world beneath my feet
And invite me to cast myself from on high
I said I hate to tell you Scratch, but you grabbed the wrong guy

What is the song of the day?

2.65 : 7/7/05 : Song of Triumph

My triumph is crawling across the floor
My triumph appeared the third time I walked through the door
My triumph is an ascending shining star
Bound to fall but first that fucker will fly far
Song of triumph trumpets from the heights
dating from the day I finally sought by my own lights
roaring like a rocket ship singing like a lark
born at the very moment I first fanned that single spark
The world is corrupted; it’s ruled by sudden death
every day might be the last I’m privileged to draw breath
all I love will be lost to me I know by and by
in the fracture of my consciousness, the fading of my eye
so just where do I find the stones to sign a triumph song
in the breaking of the endless night I waited out so long
in the Naming of eternal day the moment never ending
that I saw the moment I know it was my attention I was spending
so the last verse must be writ though song it never stops
just wait another minute till the next beat drops
my triumph is inviolable forged in perfect flame
reveals the perfect white stone with my perfect secret name

What is the song of the day?

2.64 : 7/6/05 : Didn’t We Tell You So

Started without
knowing how or why
just an ordinary guy
despite the thousand times before
didn’t expect another to be such a bore
a new design is desperately needed
the words of warning were left unheeded
so why did you let it go
well didn’t we tell you so?
started again hell and gone behind
expecting something different but
no one know why
Nevertheless set a goal and meet it
or do your best
get hammer’d to the ground and beat it
I’ll be back MacArthur style
I’ve dogged this bullshit train
so many a mile
now I’ve got it in me so I’ve got to go
Oh didn’t we tell you so?

What is the song of the day?

2.63 : 7/5/05 : Horn of Plenty

2,153 : 11 ?


It sits on a dusty shelf
behind glass too precious to keep to yourself
we revere it
symbol of our industry
we fear it
such a godawful mystery
in the museum back against the wall
the solution it is said
for an order much too tall
smash the glass
and sound a blast
upon the horn of plenty
How stupid that we all forgot
about it for twenty
years seven fat and seven lean
seven more now this is the one
it seems
smash the glass
and sound a blast
upon the horn of plenty
Give it a sounding
give it a shout
put some back into it
and see what comes out

What is the song of the day?

2.62 : 7/4/05 : Catch the Wind

Run with me my boy to be
we will chase the wind
We’ll throw our arms out run into it
laugh and gasp and spin
what better way to waste an afternoon
make up silly songs and crackpot tunes
chasing the wind trying to find its home
trying wherever it may roam

What is the song of the day?

2.61 : 7/3/05 : King of the Plaid Delta

King of the plaid delta
his post modern blues will belt ya
into next week, one down ten to go
and when he rolls in this town will blow
such a tragic sense of fashion
A rude reminder to the feel good faction
His sombrero ringed with human teeth
blood of a badger his aperitif
Riding a hog that runs on neon
Charged with an ozone-killing blast of freon
how could he turn his back on all we know
feel that cold air blast you by he goes
the banjo cross his back is strung with gut
his bandoliers are loaded watch him strut
his draw’s fastest but he never kills
he’s only concerned with acts of wills
anarchy is the state of man
try to tack an -ist on and I’ll tip the pan
and dump your ass right back into the fire
I didn’t make this shit up I didn’t string that wire
I just waited on that clapboard porch
my God I sweated in the rude sun scorch
waiting for the Delta King the Blue crossed Plaid
he ain’t no villain but the shit is bad

What is the song of the day?

2.60 : 7/2/05 : Yet Another New Day

Yet another new day dawns
dawnless black eight past midnight
The tale unreels
Must not must not forget the fight
Must not
let these bright notes fade and die
resolve is just a bit of fuel
it’s no use if the sparks don’t fly
today they fly I’m here
still fighting still alive
shake off the forgotten song
this not near so fine just one of five
One for the one
the only the first last ever
two for the rival
and the bonds they sever
three for the little lads
clad white made of light
four for the gospel kings
the tale carried through endless nights
five symbols these are mine
the vow I took and drank the wine
oh for scotch neat and sour
a little liquid courage to face this hour
nonetheless the story new started
I’ll not leave this brokenhearted
rather with a song on my lips
of wax, and lathe, and sailing ships

What is the song of the day?

2.59 : 7/1/05 : Has the New Leaf Already Withered

Has the new leaf already withered on the vine?
How we smoked and argued
How we drank that wine
if the new leaf falls winter will be so long
And we’ll have to be content with the old song
The tides circle the planet
the jet stream stirs the air
and the answer to the summons
Could be hidden anywhere
The wind rattles the branches
And you rattle my cage
mocking me for declaring a brand new age
Are the dog days going to wither every leaf
time creeps like a mantis
steals past like a thief
If the new age dawns and passes without note
we’ll be reduced to verse we learned by rote
The dogs bark as we pass the court
the cats howl every night
the rooster crows all morning for the coming of the light
the new age isn’t living up
it’s just the same old thing
we may just have to wait and see
what the next age and leaf might bring

What is the song of the day?

2.58 : 6/30/05 : Vertigo

Model for the hanged man
straight into the fire out of the pan
strung over the great abyss
vertigo and spinning bliss
hung upside down and left for dead
the blood is rushing to his head
a symbol of the twisted path
and if it snaps he takes a bath
but if the card’s dealt upside down
and pale blue sky becomes the ground
his ill fortune will be reversed
and blessed will be what was once cursed

What is the song of the day?

2.57 : 6/29/05 : Noir

The merciless dark divides in two
the distance between herself and you
The shadow cast by the moon
arrives a minute too soon
And waits outside the door
Armed with crushing entropy
The closeness between you and me
the last long glimmer of the light
fades into endless night
and none know what it’s for
A ghost named noir evoked the verse
the plan felt like an ancient curse
the rooster crowed three times
I just kept smashing paradigms
And courted chaos’ paramour

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

2.56 : 6/28/05 : A Box

We put it all in a box
and wrapped it all in twine
and stuck it on a shelf to rot
and drowned ourselves in wine
The next day it was all in stitches
the next day it was mired in mud
we had to flee the house without it
one step ahead of the flood
so who knows where it ended up
who can remember how it looked
who can remember where it all was
probably our goose is cooked

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

2.55 : 6/27/05 : Press the Button

2,145 : 3 ?


Press the button press the button
nobody knows what it does
or where it came from we saw who brought it
but nobody knew who he was
press the button mash your thumb down
show them all what you’re made of
take the chance it might be brilliant
It might fit you like a glove
it’s so shiny it’s so perfect
it’s so red and it’s so bright
it might bring a revolution
or usher in an endless night
just press it don’t think consequences
don’t consider anything
it’s waiting there it’s mocking you
just think of what you might attain
and if perchance it’s not connected
press it another day
the button it will wait for you
until then you’ll just have to pay

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

2.54 : 6/26/05 : These Messages

We interrupt your regularly scheduled day
for these messages of hope
and promises of a better way
and the easing of the slope
that you must push that big rock up
each day a thousand fold
dreaming of a half a cup
toiling in the rain and cold
Days will pass and days will pass
the time slips by like rain
still listen to the hours amass
and stew right in your brain
and if it seems that nothing’s changed
the next day just the same
behind the scenes all rearranged
we’ve started something none can tame

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

2.53 : 6/25/05 : Reset

What was set must be reset
the paradigm the chancy bet
the firefly in the green glass jar
will lead us very far
the counter’s either black or white
the grid must be the symbol of right
the rules that we follow
the beaten paths
the physics the protocols
the dividend the maths
I’ve had enough of counting hours
awaiting revelation and magic powers
the only power I have is to wield my pen
and since nothing on this earth can stop me
here I go again

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

2.52 : 6/24/05 : Recollection Virus

Memory is the real virus
language is the fire inside us
thoughts are a metaphor
composed of words
tied to the ankles of
a bunch of extinct birds
to give it all meaning
at the start of the game
the recollection virus
was given its name
mistaking it for happening
we got lost in the flow
of every illusion
of what we thought we ought to know
but those who found their backs
up against that wall
chose to lose their inhibitions
at the center of it all
chose to forsake recollection
for the precious present moment
leaving nothing else recorded
and just me to write the lament

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

2.51 : 6/23/05 : So Far

So far yet to go
so much so much left to know
without a map or guide at hand
without a promise of a promised land
the ancient stories the old traditions
all the cases all the missions
too many memories not enough spark
too little bite far too much bark
let me thank God for the single step
that continued the voyage while I yet slept
thank God for the heart that has not yet quit
for the small small favor
for the difference split
I’ll steel myself for the thousandth time
I’ll try try again
with the same old rhyme
I’m not the average monkey
and my keyboard is hot
and I’m not about to stay stalled
just for everything
I’m not

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

2.50 : 6/22/05 : Half Century

I suspect that I may not see
the way to the next half of this century
It’s far from impossible it’s only a hunch
and truthfully it doesn’t bother me a bunch
I only bring it up to underscore the point
that there ain’t no guarantees passed out in this joint
So if you’ve got a plan to gang some great aft agley
you better focus on doing your thing today

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

2.49 : 6/21/05 : Predictable

There’s a theory that everything’s predictable
I’ve studied the data I know it well
the thing of it is it cannot be proved
so until something changes I won’t be moved
It’s hard to deny that compulsion’s suspicious
the moral is depressing but the irony’s delicious
No matter what you do you can’t prove you’re free
but you never had to prove a thing to me
what’s the point of trying to understand
what happens when you hold up your hand
if you don’t know baby no one does
I only know whatever will have been was

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

2.48 : 6/20/05 : Wondrous Moment

2,138 : 15 ?


Shut your eyes and realize
the only wondrous moment is now
see it all unfold before your eyes
it’s another lovely day behind the plow
We all get fooled by the great big picture
we all think this can’t be where it’s at
we all impose such absurd strictures
to keep ourselves from coming up to bat
I’m pretty sure this is where I came in
I’m pretty sure this isn’t only déjà vu
It might be an amazing moment that I’m in
I wish to hell somehow I could share it with you

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

2.47 : 6/19/05 : Dog Meet Vomit

Return return return again
it looks so tasty lying there
I’ve never seen such a lovely pile
Dog meet vomit try not to stare
God a’mighty where to start
Heaven help us save us from this trip
Put the pen down admit defeat
write yourself another pink slip
not a bit of it sir I defy
augury can go and whistle pal
I’ll push it all the way up today
thank god I’ve got a real swell gal
I’m gonna hang up this confessional trash
try some other approach to getting home
not quite a lyric not quite a story
not quite a revelation not quite a poem

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

2.46 : 6/18/05 : Mission Impossible

Mission impossible make a change
everything that isn’t working rearrange
everything that’s work turn the volume full
push until you can’t push anymore then pull
Mission improbable make it stick
Isn’t this humanity thing a kick
isn’t it impossible to change these spots
fitting square pegs into all the round slots
All the distractions make thinking impossible
all the inaction makes things simply awful
There you are doing the same old shit
It doesn’t make a difference doesn’t matter a bit
Even this is ridiculously the same
Laugh about it might as well make it a game
a tasteless denouement to a bad idea
I’m on a declaration trip but I could sure feel freer

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

2.45 : 6/17/05 : Dug Out

I found I’d been at a frenetic pace
running around in circles doing nothing
work equals zero: such a stupid look on my face
but here’s something
I dug out again at half past ten
I created my own terza rima
why not I’ve got my own inferno don’t I, then?
My own version of an extreme, a
portentious dividend
At the four two six I saw the tricks
those subliminal riddles could get you
Reeling every dial up in the mix
Raising every dime they let you
Get by with for a little while yet
They got your reel firm in hand
The means the method it’s a safe bet
It’s been a long time they had this sad estate planned

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

2.44 : 6/16/05 : The Cave-In

As much as I would like to blame
the time of month, this filthy game
the powers that be, the stench of gin
I alone am responsible for the cave-in
the weight of the earth, the smell of smoke
the consequences are no joke
the air is getting foul in here
the end of it all seems quite clear
I’m hoping it is just a small one
but history says this attempt’s done
I try to come up with the rules
the way to beat the odds the tools
to dig my way back out of it
out of this darkness up from this pit
but tomorrow’s tale is hidden
I must go where I am bidden
I must go and keep my silence
hope the thing won’t end in violence

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

2.43 : 6/15/05 : Another Leaf

2,134 : 11 ?


Another movie ‘bout those sexy sexy guns
another day also rises the sun
Another half formed notion flees my head
another leaf falls dead
Another night crosses the wishing hour line
Another chance to lie and say I’m feeling fine
Another struggle with temptation’s lure
Hello new leaf charmed I’m sure
I’d like to lose it, just succumb
I’d like to give up ‘cause I feel so dumb
another meditation on regret
Seems I haven’t turned that new leaf over yet
Another simple fantasy another hour
And I can only wish I had the power
to cast a spell of such delight on you
as things are now I barely can get through
Only the almighty can turn the great page
Only God can rock the cradle of an age
I need the day to see and night for relief
they say that God counts every fallen leaf

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

2.42 : 6/14/05 : New Precedent

The new precedent I’ve set
would you believe it’s worse than ever
failing rules to hold the line
less a fulcrum for the lever
less a place remote to stand
and ten mile arms to pull the fucker
the world shall not be moved by me
and really only I’m the sucker
who believed in spectral fortune
some fantastic charming fate
dollars in my unstained hands
ambrosia on my dinner plate
I’ll ignore the precedent
I’ll act just like it’s all on track
I’ll call tomorrow a new day
Start from zero flat on my back

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

2.41 : 6/13/05 : Jetlag

Almost caught up with myself
hope I don’t get so far behind
hope I keep up with my jetlag
hope I can keep up with my mind
The quality does not impress
the purpose got tarnished true
the reason for the days of toil
the lag has left me down so blue
Maybe all I need is a long sleep
Say my prayers and drift away
wake up to another time zone
wake up in another day
catch up with myself at last
and then just stay put
stay at home avoid the jet lag
only roam on foot

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

2.40 : 6/12/04 Lowest Common Denominator

Lowest common denominator
pleased to meet you see you later
bring me down to your level
straighten weaken and dishevel
under the bell curve’s big top
backstroke content through the slop
tuck in with the other hogs
let the game to the dogs
figured what it’s all about
my only plan is selling out
if only I could find a buyer
some kind of half baked high flyer

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

2.39 : 6/11/05 : The Gold Rush

Poison Water Sagebrush Ridge
Satan’s Ally Devils Ledge
I can remember the gold rush
I can remember my fated brush
with good fortune with great mammon
swimming upstream like a salmon
tell myself that I was lucky
but the rush it aged me so fast
drove my salad days back far past
never hit my mother lode
never found my stash of gold
All that’s left is ghost town living
and long overdue misgivings
secretly guess I’m still panning
secretly my fortune planning

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

2.38 : 6/10/05 : Rip the Lid Off

Rip the lid off this crib
and bump bump
Meet the emcee most glib
and bump bump
from the dusk to the light
this joint will jump
get you high as a kite
and bump bump
there is glory within
So bump bump
be prepared to begin
and bump bump
till the clock runs down
till fails the pump
till we burn this town
gonna bump bump

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

2.37 : 6/9/05 : Crave

I’ve got a vicious crave on
there’s nothing at all to make it right
there’s nothing around to help me out
there’s nothing to stop this pathetic rout
try to figure out what drives me on
why I’ve kept on pushing so long
why don’t I just put this shit away
call it a wash call it quits call it a day
maybe it’s the craving that drives me on
maybe maybes will keep me up till dawn
maybe this has been the only truth
ignorant unenlightened and uncouth

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

2.36 : 6/8/05 : Wished I Was a Superhero

Wished I was a superhero
what I always wanted to be
when Mom told me there was no such thing
I thought the field’s wide open to me
thought I’d make up my own powers
do it all with science
what the radiation couldn’t do
I’d do with an appliance
Oh reality is so dull
kids they just don’t know it
years they pile up just like blocks
grown ups we always blow it
went and studied chemistry
I forgot just why
No surprise it all went nowhere
No surprise it passed me by
now I’m fat and far from super
no illusions where the years went
don’t think bout my superpowers
think about making the rent
now I’ve got a boy of my own
guess some day he’ll think about
if he asks me if he can be
a real hero I’ll say no doubt

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

official

Finally got the certificate (four months later, which actually isn't bad) in the mail yesterday, the first project of A Song A Day is now officially protected under U.S. Copyright. And presumably there is a copy of the PDF occupying a dozen K or so on the Library of Congress' servers.

Let's see Britney Spears' handlers try to rip off Scum and Hate now.

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

2.35 : 6/7/05 : Everything On the Internet is a Goddamn Waste of Time

Everything on the internet is a goddamn waste of time
everything on the internet is a goddamn waste of time
if time were a person and killing it a crime
Al Gore would be in prison because
everything on the internet is a goddamn waste of time
videos of stupid shit are a goddamn waste of time
music you don’t pay for is a goddamn waste of time
none of it is worth a nickel, nothing’s worth a dime
every byte and every pixel is a goddamn waste of time

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

2.34 : 6/6/05 : One More One More

2,124 : 1 ?


One more one more minute
Rushing’s such a dull bore innit
two became three very fast
when three becomes four
the moment’s passed
I act like I’m gonna change
something I claim I’ll arrange
but I’ve never time enough
it seems the moment’s passed
well that’s just tough

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

2.33 : 6/5/05 : Seconds

There are only seconds left
that may be tautology
it may all be an artifact
of my unique psychology
I’m going to make this quick
no time to figure or multiply
60 times ten oh wait that’s easy
skimmed under the number of the beast oh my
I’m off for some next last last thing
I think I wrote a song about it
I’m gonna keep it to myself
but someday I will jump and shout it
we’re on a track that’s slightly twisted
but it’s what is too true
I’m still rhyming my way along
I’m still writing every song for you

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

2.32 : 6/4/05 : Cut the Strings

Cut the strings on the puppet man
Let it loose and let it go
If anyone can do it you can
Cut the strings man make it so
let the thing get animated
do the magic watch it rise
send it forth with one law stated
Entertain, sustain, but always surprise
Cut the strings on machine knowing
All over the world they’re hacking
the big machine to solve where we’re going
the big computer to supply what we’re lacking
cut the strings of me dear father
give me will and give me drive
I’ll prove I was worth the bother
You will see when I arrive
I’m tangled in a mass of cut strings
guess I didn’t figure the aftermath
I’m tangled up in cast off things
but by and by I’ll find my path

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

2.31 : 6/3/05 : A Pitiless Dissection

A Pitiless dissection of dynamic verse
The last will show up somewhere but the first stays first
written over years of stress and woe
Who will buy it where will it go
I’m so glad the thing is finished
sadly reckoned much diminished
But I think what’s left is slightly better
brought to you by the smallest letter
Laid out sideways two by two
specially scribed from me to you
read it read it read it always
save it for terrible moments and fine days
34 pages from end to end
designed to make me my millionth friend
that’s ridiculous I’ll just be thrilled
if a hundred read it before it got killed
but hey so be it the thing is over
I’m headed out for my field of clover
in the home I lost half a decade ago
still anytime there in my mind I can go

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

2.30 : 6/2/05 : Innards

Isn’t it the root of horror
all the red pipe stacked within
listen to my innards’ anthem
dance on the head of a pin
such a fuss we’ve made over skin
still we can’t deny we need it
got to keep the innards in
nice distinction mind you heed it
feeling like a gutless coward
feel I’m near to spilling badly
I don’t have the stomach for it
I’ll trade all my clichés gladly
just to know my gut reaction
just to hear my innards clearly
how I’d love to get in touch
yes you know I’d love it dearly

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

2.29 : 6/1/05 : First Next Last One

Strain to remember
the first next last one
loaded somehow in the
first last like a gun
must have been destined
easy to prove it
knew it the first time
I wanted to move it
held out a long day
maybe it was three
don’t quite remember
when that first next last one
came to be
I only know for sure
there were a whole hella lot more
to come
the next one
and the next one
until I gotta laugh at
another next last one
Yet it all went on again
yesterday

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

2.28 : 5/31/05 : Burn

2,118 : 13 ?


All the dirty sonsabitches gonna hafta burn
All the violent sonsabitches gonna hafta burn
all the vile sonsabitches gonna hafta burn
any body hurt a child gonna hafta burn
any bastard rape a body gonna hafta burn
any man who kill his fellow gonna hafta burn
all the people looked away from it they hafta burn
anyone forsake their children gonna hafta burn
any leader cheats his people gonna hafta burn
any teacher harms his charges gonna hafta burn
any priest who leads his flock astray he hafta burn
any warden kills his prisoner he hafta burn
all the prophets called for genocide they had to burn
all the kings who sought their own glory they had to burn
every commoner who went along they had to burn
every bureaucrat behind the scenes they had to burn
every general who let them die they had to burn
every father mother let them go they had to burn
every fool like me who knows the score
we have to burn
and if you get left still wanting more
you have to burn

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

2.27 : 5/30/05 : Slash

Hack slash
dash another throwaway
didn’t want it anyway
thoughtless
half assed
song is not
the cause of
loss of innocence
or the thing that’s gonna show the way
in the halls of
consequences
hey anyway
just gonna
slash slash slash
my way
through all the
detail I bury
and’ll have to exhume some day
when it’s gone
slash through this
jungle till I get to say
So I presume
Dr. Livingstone?

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

2.26 : 5/29/05 : Adrenaline

Adrenaline high smashed through the
membrane between blood and brain
fusing thought and action into
an inexorable inclined plane
Triggered by the main attraction
brought on by the need that came
around the time that evolution
came up with our family name
Throw me into the big empty
whip me ‘round the center hard
Jump out from the dark right at me
deal me the devil card
Never more to hunt for dinner
never more to travel into
somewhere no one’s been not ever
everywhere you go they’ve pinned you
so we build the rides up higher
and we keep the fake blood flowing
through the whole thing up the volume
yet we can’t quite keep from knowing
that the real danger’s always
waiting patient in the wings
and the sad illusions that we
conjure don’t mean anything
we need a shot to keep us steady
I need a shot of adrenaline
to keep me ready for the main attraction
keep me sharp keep the motor clean

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

2.25 : 5/28/05 : Spirit

The spirit is silent tonight
I have to invent my own light
I have to present my own tale
the bailiff, the awl and the whale
it’d be better if I was higher
I need a more strong amplifier
I’ll write every verse upside down
I’ll live in my little home town
I’ll make every moment count double
I’ll use seven words to spell trouble
I’ll throw in with gnomes elves and dwarves
The sum of the chi he absorbs
the forest will rattle with life
he’ll pay no attention and move like a knife
that separates marrow and bone
that chops out the vein and leaves muscle alone
free to act but not to think
a farce with all saints but the great kitchen sink
is this what I came back here for
was that you passed out on the floor
no matter the testing ground held
The experiment proved successful as hell

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

2.24 : 5/27/05 : First Precedent

First precedent of the fifth principle
a package wrapped in celt knot and tulle
A song wrapped up in a pleasant riddle
written for the sackbut, mouth harp and fiddle
An awesome expanse of transcendent verse
I passed from the good to the bad to the worst
maybe I’ll drive a little lower yet
but this is nowhere near as bad as it can get
I’ve set a precedent of deeper intention
don’t claim to be original but give me a mention
as one who faced a lot of false roads down
forsook my paycheck and my golden crown
If I fill the page with successive verse
if I present a case logical taut and terse
but stretch it out into a full bore page
is my attention meant for another age
I’ll fool ‘em all and wrap them up quicker
free from smoke or smoke or beer or liquor
I’ll end it all on a balanced tip
with a thousand options for my final quip

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

2.23 : 5/26/05 : Two

Two more days of suffering
the numbers just don’t mean a thing
two lads clad in green delight
one last reference to endless night
the one of course is simply me
the other called just what might be
but I get trapped in might have beens
but for habits, but for sins
what if I’d not played the martyr
What if I had studied harder
Always losing sight of this
the reverie the Judas kiss
that knocks the other day around
and kicks it when it’s on the ground
at least I’m feeling free to do
without the need to justify to You

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

2.22 : 5/25/05 : Three

Three, three the rivals
departures and sudden arrivals
rivals for my affection
demons suggesting defection
my love for you dear has no rival
when put to the test of survival
when put to the test of obedience
they couldn’t keep me settled on the fence
still yet there is one rival left
the one that leaves each one bereft
still I’ll fight that battle in its day
On that subject I’ve nothing more to say

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

2.21 : 5/24/05 : Four

Four for the gospel makers
and how many left out then
gnostic coptic celtic even
Four for all the movers shakers
Who’s to say we got it all now
scripture is a funny concept
something slipped between our precepts
text an unlikely sacred cow
Matthew, Mark, Luke and me
bootstrap gospel, that’s my action
turned through my special refraction
so let written, so let be
I’ll stick with my four main fictions
Not to think I don’t think it’s true
Still it’s just a book to you
And I’ll live with the old restrictions

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

2.20 : 5/23/05 : Five

2,111 : 6 ?


Five symbols at my door
First that says please just one more
Second says I’ll do it later
Third says please don’t be a hater
Fourth the sign of silence coming
Fifth says wait I’m only slumming

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

2.19 : 5/22/05 : Chance

Take a chance and let the day go
without trying to defy
all the precedents that mounted
all the chances that passed by
If you chanced to be engaged
when Mr. O knocked at your door
recall you can go knock on
his a thousand times or more
Take a chance and leave it there
don’t try to get a day ahead
take a chance on just believing
in the future in your bed
coming sixty beats a minute
whether you are great or small
take a chance on just believing
you needn’t force it at all

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

2.18 : 5/21/05 : Cluster

Cluster of failure of the social meme
the failure of the poet to enforce a common theme
the symbol of the age appears as skull and bones
and the one after the next one
will be fought with sticks and stones
It seems our favorite riddles get writ down in blood
it seems the name of names is getting dragged
right through the mud
they dragged it through the streets
into Ophelia’s tomb
but in that muddy pool I saw a lotus bloom
I tried to build a cluster bomb of sharpened thought
I put it on the carousel but so few bought
that pitiless dissection of a thousand nights
and I could not deny that they were
well within their rights

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

2.17 : 5/20/05 : Tapestry

The tapestry that he described to me
this living thing, this mystic sea
But nothing that I’ve ever known
It seems that I could not be shown
So tell me this yea he who treads
of what strange matter’s made the threads
that undulate and bind the mask
this holographic living task
And could the thing be memory?
And is it bound by destiny?
And if I followed every rule
Would that great swath appear to me?
The center that we forged wouldn’t hold
the thing got stale or slow or old
looks like we’re on our own again
So tell me of this tapestry
is it still something you can see?
and is our little part we played
somewhere upon that film displayed
They say all time exists at once
obscure to little fortune’s dunce
but if it’s true then I suppose
by any other name this rose
that seems so long past dry and dead
may one day yet retrieve our thread

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

2.16 : 5/19/05 : Threads

Pick a thread to follow
pick a thread to pull
watch the thing unravel
fall apart so beautiful
It doesn’t seem like virtue
it doesn’t seem like vice
it just seems like a thing I do
I don’t seem very nice
the thing seems somehow incomplete
somewhere a stitch got dropped
the warp and weft got mixed around
but I just won’t be stopped
I said that I refused to quit
no matter what came next
I said I’d push this seed along
no matter how perplexed
I’m satisfied to leave it there
I’m satisfied the thing's begun
I’m sad I haven’t gotten there
I’m sad it’s not more fun
I guess I’ll never know for sure
and never feel complete
I’m guessing even at the top
I’d still shift in my seat
I’ve still got a dozen days
To meet the old deadline
and whether I feel I’ve arrived
I’ll stick to my incline

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

2.15 : 5/18/05 : The Lost Thread Pt 2

The secret of the game is to try to forget
If you don’t know what I’m talking about
you haven’t lost yet
Briefing for a descent into hell
you better pick up this thread
and remember it well
Under the spell of a tripart vapor
a truth that I could not get writ down on paper
I saw it so clear I came close to death
Till I remembered the game
was to just take a breath
and rock the whole cradle
across the abyss
I clutched just enough dust to know
in my fist
I said I’ll fear nothing
but to lose it again
took the thread in my hand
and said now I begin

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

2.14 : 5/17/05 : The Lost Thread Pt 1

Send it by messenger
Send it by post
sent from the list
sent to Most
Whatever the message
I choose to send
In seven minutes
the lost thread shall end
sickness and grief made me forget
if you’re looking for transcendence
it’s a dodgy bet
the whole thing always gets
turned on its head
and I’ve only got time to find one end
of the thread

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

2.13 : 5/16/05 : Back on the Horse

2,103 : 3 ?


Get back on the horse
try try again
and if you still don’t succeed
chuck it to the bin
tear it into tiny pieces
chew it to a pulp
mix it with a dram or jigger
down it in one gulp
then get back on the horse
slow and steady wins the race
or so say slow and steady ones
before we get right in your face
to shout we’ve got no horses
to shout we’ve got a plan
to unhorse all the first time winners
down to the last man

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

2.12 : 5/15/05 : The Inevitable

The inevitable
rules of exception
no rules no stakes
or is this self deception
it’s no matter
I just keep pushing on
easier to sink than rise
drop below the crushing throng
if the rules are just inventions
if its all just acts of will
then I will follow my light
and I’m following it still

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

2.11 : 5/14/05 : On Demand

Can you kick this beat out on demand
will you scream and shout until they understand?
can you make your point the sharpest
outplay the celestial harpist?
If you’re serious I’ll surely lend a hand
Can you get down to the lowest denominator
can you groove the slowest sort of see you later?
If you’re shaking with the spirit
when the trumpet wails you’ll hear it
so then step up to the cosmic escalator
Will you write this one down in your heart
will you tear it up really tear it apart?
If you’re a bright enough cat
If you can swing a tough bat
The whole ascent will be apparent from the start
Is the answer to the riddle written on the back of your eyelids?
If you’re paid to play the fiddle for the King of the High Kids
Not a piper nor a devil
Still you’re featured in the revel
Representing all us mythic archetype hybrids
But if you can play it straight up on demand
And you stand up for the photo with the band
we’ve a place right center stage
we’ll make the ripple raise a rage
And tear the stops out from here to the promised land

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

Apparently

It's going to take a little more practice to get into the swing of posting every single day again.

2.10 : 5/13/05 : For the Band

For the band force your hand
forge forth and anyone
who does not understand
Leave them behind
For the friends from past the first few
bitter ends
Keep calling we’ll keep it tight
around a few more bends
unlash a few more binds
for the night for what feels right
make a mark stake a place
don’t ever think you’re
past the need to fight
but don’t fight without need
Instead for today
read talk sing laugh play
It’s good its better than the
old sound anyway
So for the band, expand, Godspeed

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

2.9 : 5/12/05 : Already Rushing

Already rushing to fit one in

No matter how you start every day
You got to start again
Don’t look up don’t lift your chin
Nose to the grindstone one last
turn of the spin
Already surging to evolve divide
fork what works
let the rest of it slide
metasocial suicide
patriarchal patricide
Don’t have to switch it up in midstream
but it’s a little past the limit of
the perfect dream
but if I squeeze my eyes shut
don’t look up till I cream
I might choke it hard enough
to build up enough steam

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

2.8 : 5/11/05 : Mark the Last

A fix a metaphysic tag
Mark the last long goodbye
there’s no good way to make it last
one hundred days must pass and die

One hundred nights must strike the clock
one hundred songs if I stay true
More honest forthright mindful clear
One day I’ll tell it all for you

One day today though marred halfway
a half truth moment opportune
Another day will bring another
moment playing the same piper’s tune

There’s nothing left to learn about it
nothing really left to say
I mark the last knowing all this clench
of will expires in just one day

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

2.7 : 5/10/05 : Ooncie

The oonciest toonciest song
was only a couple lines long
it stuttered along then just stopped
before it sparked, fizzled or popped

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

2.6 : 5/9/05 : Book of Hours

2,097 : 14 ?


Day’s break break fast
think of firsts, think of last
think of this: thinking won’t
lift one finger: if you don’t
move your body: get down
clean up kid clown
write a word or seventeen
say just what you mean
clear the plate, listen well
talk back, tales to tell
make the rounds, clear the decks
mind the small stuff mind the specks
days midst fuel up
fill half full cups
settle in with company
write a one or two or three
cut the chops fry the bread
cut the veggies keep a clear head
lay a table gather all
it’s a picture on the wall
pass the evening below as above
watching over making love
gathered shadows coalesce
all the world’s a wilderness
pull the covers up and snug
all three sweet and sleeping bugs

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

2.5 : 5/8/05 : Mothers All

Mothers all around the world
gather children all around
gather them and take them home
and lay them gently down
The world gets bigger every day
Expands to match our sight
Expands to stay forever past reach
So as your patch turns past the light
Dear mothers all your children gathered
put them all to peaceful bed
draw the shades around their little world
lay a cool hand on their heads
Inside their minds are like the universe
growing boundless past the known
We know we’ll never be prepared
for how fast they have grown
And spring is tilting toward the summer
Summer will give way to fall
Winter marks another year
Watched over by mothers all

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

2.4 : 5/7/05 : Shock and Awe

rain of blood
then rain of fire
the rain of cement
will short circuit your wire
ground all exploding
buildings collapsing
fires all starting
fires all synapsing
shock the masses
awe the asses
force the freedom
down through all classes
rock the shock we
saw the awe
make no mistake
this is no Panama
a block of dope
a pound of nails
the radii
the flesh impales
the shell’s not spared
the carrier
the seed that slips
each barrier
for all the shock and awe you dealt
I’ve written one more verse
God help you all I sealed each one
with an irresistible curse

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

2.3 : 5/6/05 : Watch This Space

Watch this space for the coming attraction
Watch this space for the main satisfaction
of the twenty first century plugged in mainline
on-demand downlink of the hour's best ultra-sublime

Half priced half baked going out of business
We’ll ship it all across the continent at your behest
We’ll ship you here instead our place is your place
And we’re only here to serve it up watch this space, watch this space

Open wide and say ah ah all aboard
this trip is gonna drop your drawers and pop your gourd
because the big sound workaround finally dropped
And when we plugged it in then the noise finally stopped

We heard still in the silence a small voice clear
say hey man what you’re looking for come over here
Pretty soon your man is gonna come to state his case
You know you always gotta wait but watch this space

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

2.2 : 5/5/05 : First Early Riser

On the dawn of the last day
The first early riser
may be heard to say
It all looks the same as what I left behind
except the traces of that hour
is just fleeting
cascades in my mind
One will rise first
One will rise last
the paradigm of the individual
will transcend at last
only to be subsumed
In some sublime cosmic slop
stop the presses
hold the phone
Someone get a cop

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

2.1 : 5/4/05 : First Song

I’ll write you the first song
might not be the worst song
yet: but you can bet
I’ll write you a lesson
make sure it can guess one
Story that you’ve never told
Be you ever so bold
as
to
Write the first song
Strike the first stroke
Would you sing along
Join the cosmic joke
Lay it down line by line
It’s poetry, I say, I’m feeling
fine.

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

this seed's in flight

All right then, that's that for The Interim. I've updated its explanatory essay with a helpful guide to its various phases. I've also updated, I sincerely hope for the last time in a good long while (27 years? One can hope) the general explanation of this website and the lyrics it contains, in anticipation of embarking on the posting of the Songs of Days, Project 2. See you on the flip side, babies.

The Lepton Lyrics 13: Wings and Seeds and Flight

Look up, look up now
Define silence this moment
winged seeds in flight

a craft set sailing
on the old tide of the wind
with wings fixed for flight

silent breeze trailing
from there where all things begin
this seed set alight

look up, look up then
and ask after this riddle
ask of they that fly

who writes the message
that you carry on the wind
from what book what page

oldest messenger
tree sings its ancient refrain
runes read in the earth

stark shadow on white
fleeting in a cold fall sky
moment out of time

see only traces
no one can read its message
only dancing light

a crystal spiral
ever decreasing circle
seed flies only once

this brilliant cycle
authored by the lonely wind
the old song plays on

Ask the seed ask why
it knows not what it falls, falls
follows destiny

Ask where the seed goes
it only holds the message
follows gravity

are you searching, child
for some eternal answer
in a seed in flight

why, yes you ask why
you see there is no answer
that the mind can find

only what will come
when the mind is silent, calm
an unspoken truth

the seed is just seed
there is no special meaning
things are what they seem

so each seed must fall
fall and perish in the ground
fall and rise again

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

The Lepton Lyrics 12: Finest Messenger

Walk in these empty streets
Walk in the monolith maze of stone
Life has gone underground
Walk on the skin that the golem’s grown

Number one, a work’s day to be done

Whisper through pores of steel
Spore of a world, blown in from out
Coat flows, floats behind
casts round a corner and swirls about

Here among where a work’s day to be done

I am the finest messenger
I bring what you cannot spare
cannot be seen in light in lightning
I am the one thing out there

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

The Lepton Lyrics 11: Push On Andromachene

Under the curve the unearthly void
under the stars that shone
Under the haze of water and airs
the earth spins like a magic stone

You don’t fool me andromachene
you make it seem so peaceful and serene
But if your expectations leave you hanging...

Push On
Push On
Push On

Under the fragile green tapestry
under cathedrals of stone
Dances a seed of bright mercury
with currents and continents all its own

You don’t fool me andromachene
you make it seem so peaceful and serene
But if your higher purposes are foundered....

Push On
Push On
Push On

Under the time weathered map of skin
Under the pillars of bone
a single flash a brilliant spark
burns spins and shines in everyone

You don’t fool me andromachene
you make it feel so regal and serene
but if you make a hollow curse of failing...

Push On
Push On
Push On

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

The Lepton Lyrics 10: Kaligula

Bring me the moon
bring me the moon
hook it up, pull it down
make it soon

Bring me the moon
bring me the moon
hook it up, pull it down
make it soon

Hey, Kaligula
does it have to be so much?
Maybe the Buddha could
Ah get you off that desire crutch

Bring me the moon
bring me the moon
meantime bring my sister
to my room

Hey, Kaligula
does it have to be so by the book
all suffering’s desire
climb down off that existential hook

I’ll wade in blood
I’ll nail your wife
here comes the golden platter
help yourself to a knife

It’s necessary
I’ve measured twice
I’ve checked out all my options
this can’t be nice

do what you have to
that path’s not mine
I’ve got to call ‘em like I see ‘em that vinegar
does not taste like wine

I have such good friends
but watch me dive
good friends is it working
I still seem to be alive

Bring me the moon

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

The Lepton Lyrics 9: Show

How’d I end so far from my home
in fields of verdant green
and missing all the friends who died
before I made this scene?

How’d I end so far below
the shelter of blue sky
and missing all the loves who will
appear after I die?

Show me how to hold you
show me what to do
missed so much I cannot stand the thought
the thought of missing
you

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

The Lepton Lyrics 8: Simple Song

And when it’s all said and done
we’ll have left no traces lying on the ground
We’re going to where we always knew we’d be
I only ever asked you come along with me

A simple song won’t make it all okay
there’s still all of the things that went away
and I can’t truly say if anything gets saved
still I cannot deny that I would never trade
Anything for what I’ve had and lost

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

The Lepton Lyrics 7: Three

What could make a man of me?
Listen, Lovely, one, two, three
You and I and what’s to be
You and I and what’s to be

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

The Lepton Lyrics 6: America

Isn’t it something that we can still
bury our heads in the sand so far?
Isn’t it something that we can still
claim that we really know where we are?

Isn’t it something that we can still
bury our heads in the sand so far?
Isn’t it something that we can still
claim that we really know where we are?

And I know...what I don’t know
Hey that’s a lot further than the
than the people who run things will go

And I know...ten white horses in a row
don’t make a thing that isn’t so
don’t make a thing that isn’t so

Passing the scene in America
are we an empire that’s seen her day?
watching the screen in America
maybe high time that we slipaway

Passing the scene in America
are we an empire that’s seen her day?
watching the screen in America
maybe high time that we slipaway

And I know...it’s all a stupid game
pass the buck and shaft the masses
change the channel free from shame
And I know, I know I’m not to blame
alla this was going on
long before I knew my own name

Watching the sun...Set on America

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

The Lepton Lyrics 5: Dr. Jesus

Not content but I played a part
I never finished the things I’d start
I stood and turned my head, I would not
look to watch which way the wind blows

I honed my expectations too fine
I took my stand on a razor’s line
does it surprise me it took so little
to turn me upside down? Oh, no

Fair is foul
and bitter, sweet
an absinthe idol
with clay feet
passed it by...
A little here, a little there

So here’s a riddle a children’s rhyme
can there be a thing out of time
past the point of no return
can a dream be heard receding

Dr. Jesus would only laugh
at all the hairs that I split in half
I’ve done my time but in the end
we’ll see who’s done the bleeding

Life is long
and art is hard
and I can only
turn the cards
Over and over...
See there’s nothing in my hands

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

The Lepton Lyrics 4: Scapegoat

Tears drop from end of a steel rail
fierce chop and chasing the tiger’s tail
golden disks over silver eyes
old tin roofs under chromic skies

world...
of...
tomorrow...
today

Raindrops leak around golden disks
rain stops leaving a pale mist
past tense and a future perfect come
nonsense words slipping past my tongue

world...
of...
tomorrow...
today

Who ya gonna blame for your sins?
Who ya gonna make your scapegoat?
Who ya gonna blame for your sins?
Who ya gonna make your scapegoat?

blame it on...
blame it on...
blame it on the world
of tomorrow, today

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

The Lepton Lyrics 3: Prairie Schooner

I was walking in the fields today
Idle hours spent in a summer haze
pass the time to trace the rhyme of me
pass the time to trace the rhyme of me

purest gems of oceans chasms deep
hours I spend away in peaceful sleep
trace the rhyme a notion’s chime clear calling
trace the rhyme a notion’s chime clear calling

flower of the day enchanting and
whispering a breath of sea and sand
notion’s bell of truth’s clear spell in dreaming
notion’s bell of truth’s clear spell in dreaming

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

The Lepton Lyrics 2: Cypress

I am plotting a geometry
the vectors trace eternity
and I am not the man you thought I was

I am kinder than I used to be
and stronger than a cypress tree
I’m breathing fourteen different shades of love

A slim spike slips through December’s frost
I dream of being not so lost
a time before the time after I fell

And I dreamed I found the path again
the labyrinth come to its end
I dreamed that I was staring in the well

Dawn comes and still deep inside
the carnal crimson depths of dreamstide
wrapped in sleep away from cold December

And I woke to mirrored in grey skies
A deadness I felt in my eyes
did you dream? she said I said I don’t remember

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

The Lepton Lyrics 1: Falling Toward Apotheosis

2,082 : 5 ?



And was I like an etherized patient on the slab?
And was it a poem or a dream?
When I felt myself falling toward apotheosis...

That was when I knew they had injected something into me
to transform me into something I was never meant to be
I am not a deity - just a little man you see
humble plain no pride in me
only ever wanted to be
only what I am you see
strange it seems, a mystery
I was happy just as me

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

Interim, last leg: enigma of the Tao Lepton

So much for the Two Track Mind Era, and I'm a little bit surprised to discover that the interim is nearly at its end.

In fact I can see now that I won't be getting through even a third of the final installment of my off-project writings, the lyrics I wrote primarily for the long-defunct Tao Lepton, a...

Well, what was the Tao Lepton? I'm at odds with myself, to be honest, over how much I want to try to explain it. A collaboration, a band, a series of recordings, a years-long attenuated jam session. At times an aspiration. It seems long ago and far away to me now. It meant something, at the time, but I have found it difficult to fit what that might have been into my here and now. If you come over some time I'll play you a tape, you can hear for yourself. Anyway you'll get a taste of the lyrics for the next week and a half before we return to our usual schedule of a song of the day, every day.

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

The Two Track Mind Era 27: Poison

Picture a trash can or fireplace in your mind
wrap up the rotten evil things and throw them all inside
feel better for a moment free of what you left behind
but don’t forget that all of it is all just in your mind
Poison
Poison
Skull and bones
don’t touch that
don’t taste that
leave the poison pill alone
was there really a time
when I got to decide?
I’ve already swallowed it
It’s already inside
Picture a good place
far away far
picture yourself
in a fast-moving car
Look up at the night sky
and wish on a star
The star, the good place in your mind
still where you really are
Poison
Poison
Skull and bones
don’t touch that
don’t taste that
leave the poison pill alone
was there really a time
when I got to decide?
I’ve already swallowed it
It’s already inside
Inside along with star and car
the good place and the trash
There is the deepest darkest pit
a cataclysmic gash
One day not so long ago
when I was feeling rash
I threw the pill into it
I’m still waiting for the splash
Poison
Poison
Skull and bones
don’t touch that
don’t taste that
leave the poison pill alone
was there really a time
when I got to decide?
I’ve already swallowed it
It’s already inside

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

The Two Track Mind Era 26: Bitter Song

A letter a postcard
a voice on my machine
you said that you still love me
but I don’t know what that means
you treat me like some distant friend
don’t think that I’ve forgotten our
bitter, bitter end
Bitter song
bitter song
this time the bitterness
it lasts too long
I don’t seem to be recovering
I don’t want you back
but I’d still like to see you suffering
Bitter song
bitter song
this time the bitterness
it lasts too long
I don’t seem to be recovering
I don’t want you back
but I’d still like to see you suffering
Maybe you don’t remember
telling me
that the way I see the world
makes me unfit for your company
but I’ve forgotten nothing
I’ve got every word you said
on a tape that runs a stupid loop
around my spinning head
Bitter song
bitter song
this time the bitterness
it lasts too long
I don’t seem to be recovering
I don’t want you back
but I’d still like to see you suffering
Bitter song
bitter song
this time the bitterness
it lasts too long
I don’t seem to be recovering
I don’t want you back
but I’d still like to see you suffering

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

The Two Track Mind Era 25: Tracemaker

Tracemaker,
tracemaker,
escalator to the stars
it’s all done with mirrors and magnets
these days
And all your fame
is just a trace
a fine white track across
the cloud chamber

Outside the planetarium
he’s still out there somewhere
a trace and transformation
on a twist of cellophane and
rusted silver

Tracemaker
escalator
make me a trace

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

The Two Track Mind Era 24: Your New Friends

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I dreamed you made a fool of me the other night
and showed me up in front of all your new friends
And though I’d never tell you how you ought to live your life
I won’t pretend that I can stand the new crowd that you’ve fallen in

But though you look so handsome in your darkest shade of blue
I will not be surprised at all to see them walk all over you
They might question what you most believe
They might pluck that bleeding heart right off your sleeve
they might just hit you, and leave
they might just hit you and leave

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

The Two Track Mind Era 23: Philosopher’s Stone

Make me
Coarse to fine
make me
water into wine
make me
base lead to gold
make me
shining new from old

A flash of jet in royal water
make me stone
make me stone’s father

Put me
time back into joint
push me
past a further point
trust me
make my motives clear
true stone
makes itself appear

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

The Two Track Mind Era 22: Will O’ the Wisp

My heart’s will
My heart’s whim
Will o’ the wisp done led me astray again
My blood’s ebb
My blood’s flow
Follow my light to an end that I may know
I don’t judge
I don’t fear
Content to know that things are not what they appear
Learned patience
Learned pain
I learned my lesson, that’s just the kind of man I am

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

The Two Track Mind Era 21: Pure Hokum

You said that you had gotten
a new brooch
but I knew better than that
I knew better than that
I said that’s no brooch
That’s a small indigenous chameleon
A small indigenous chameleon

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

The Two Track Mind Era 20: Video Mail!

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Video mail, video mail
why did you send me the video mail?

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

The Two Track Mind Era 19: Time is Just Another Word for Nowhere

In the middle of nowhere
In the middle of time
Time is just another word for nowhere

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

The Two Track Mind Era 18: Need

You
You need
Do you need to
Do you need too
To need you need to need to
to need
To you need to need
to need too
I need you
I need to
I need to need too
I need to need too
I need to need to need too
I need you to need too
I need to I need to
You need to need to need too
To need you need
to
To need you need to need too

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

The Two Track Mind Era 17: Samson

This song contains uncouth and profane lyrics



Hey Samson, what you doing ‘round
Growing out my hair I’m gonna pull the fucking temple down
Hey Samson, what you doing ‘round
Growing out my hair I’m gonna pull the fucking temple down
Hey Samson, what you doing ‘round
Pulling out my hair I’m gonna pull that fucking temple down
Hey Samson, what you doing ‘round
I’m growing out my hair I’m gonna pull the fucking temple down
This world you made
is not worth shit
And I don’t care
If I go down with it

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

The Two Track Mind Era 16: The Thing In the Jar

The memories shift uneasily sometimes
in their jar of chloroform where I tried to preserve them
tried to kill their potency their ability to poison my thoughts
without putting myself to sleep in the process
The dreams I pulverized in a pestle
with sweet spirits of nitre tears and some blood
but the potion didn’t take
and when I drank it it made my throat hurt
What I really need is some Waters of Nepenthe
but I ran out last Thursday
and the chemist told me that the plant was struck by lightning
go figure
I went to try the drugstore on Division Street
But it had been taken over by holistic nutritionists
they told me they didn’t believe in Nepenthe
and I should quit smoking and start homeopathic therapy
they wanted to analyze my hair and fingernail parings
but by then I was fed up
and told them both my hair and fingernails would grow after I was dead
and they could have some then
I didn’t light up until I left the store
I had been rude enough
and I guess they meant well
Sometimes I think I catch what’s in the jar moving
but when I look it’s always just
turning harmlessly in the fluid
which has inexplicably darkened to near opacity
Maybe that’s what disturbs me
Even if I hold it up to the strongest light
I can’t see what’s in the jar anymore
Usually when I do this it becomes even more indistinct
the fluid has acquired some rather odd refractory properties
I seem to remember it as being clear
Sometimes when I catch it out of the corner of my eye
in a flash it seems grotesque and horrible
but it always looks the same when I examine it
I seem to remember it as being very pretty
At least I thought it was pretty
I wish I had drawn a picture of it
when it was more clear
but I thought that it would last forever
then

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

The Two Track Mind Era 15: I Will Always Love You

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And I love to listen to music with you
And I love to walk by the lake with you
I’d love to dance by candlelight with you
And I love those moonlight strolls with you

And I will always love you
And you will always love me
And we will always love each other

And I love the fairy tales with you
And I love romantic dinners with you
And I love those shooting stars with you
And I love traveling with you

And I will always love you
And you will always love me

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

The Two Track Mind Era 14: Cool

You're so cool

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