2.376 : 5/14/06 : False Dawn

2,567 : 10 ?


Another
false dawn
another
false sun rising
the excuses at this point
no longer strike me
as surprising
but the
demolition orders
are unambiguous
there’s no room to equivocate
or try to act inconspicuous
I thought I’d left behind
this counting game
I found something behind it
they never gave a name
so breathe out
blow the false dawn away
recall the best laid plans
of we little mice
gang aft agley
close your eyes
suppress the urge to yawn
and open wide your arms
to the false dawn

what

2.375 : 5/13/06 : Revelations

The revelation is not what you think
it wasn’t really what he
put in the drink
if today it is not today
count on that anyway
the only real way
to push push on
another day dollar or
sure another song
When I add it all up
I’m still ahead
still not quiet
still not dead
still quick and nimble
rash and strong
and hey today
another and another song
early riser or
good old night owl
you won’t catch me
throwing in the towel
as long as the breath burns revelation
the revelator will
remain at his station

what

2.374 : 5/12/06 : Finality

I seek finality
it’s plain as punch you see
when granted parity
I hold my own with the best and the most free
I thought I’d write about it briefly
try to skirt its complexity
dance around like a bumblebee
watch my ass shake the dictionary
wrap it up just like an eschatology
I’m laying words down like a spelling bee
and when the last line strikes you mentally
you’ll understand I’m the original fat J.C.

what

2.373 : 5/11/06 : Forge

I’m building a forge
that cranks out song
will you come with me
will you come along
yeah nothing looked real
it all sounded like plastic
I came along with my
elastomer mind
and invented elastic
watch the fire burn
watch it crank out rhyme
watch me create anything
just give me enough time?
will I make it through?
blow it out the top?
will I find
the final rhyme
and still refuse to stop?

what

2.372 : 5/10/06 : Mirror Mask

Mirror mask
look within
the reflection of
a perfect place to begin
it’s never enough
he spat as he smoked
I’ll have the last laugh
guess that means
you’ll tell the last joke
it all comes to
the same thing in the end
the same apostrophe
the same around
the same bend

what

2.371 : 5/9/06 : Consciously Unconscious

Can you forget that
you’re remembering
when the ghosts of the past
you’re disassembling
Cause in dimension N
everything lives again
You can touch the sad sad memories
that you’re dismembering
it doesn’t come easy
it doesn’t come fast
a dozen complications
but it comes at last
when Jon the revelator
lays a beat on this:
the feeling of the clinging
to the precipice

what

2.370 : 5/8/06 : Scrape Down the Side

Scrape down the side
of the bowl of
batter
Get every drop of it
cause one day it might matter
One will call the spot an end
another a beginning
observe them well
and it becomes
a compass of who’s winning
but frugal lads like me
don’t care about those contests
Go no time worrying
about the man and all his second bests
I just keep scraping down
amazing look another serving
something to think on
when your
ship of fools gets swerving

what

2.369 : 5/7/06 : Ends the Story

2,560 : 3 ?


Hey so ends that story
stupid story that I told
trying to tell the future
trying to tempt fate oh so bold
I sure don’t know what will come next
I sure don’t like to guess
Though it’s not far out on a limb
to say it’ll be
some kind of mess
Did you read the hundred false endings
did I fool you in the second act
I’ve really got a winning way
lack only discipline and tact
it’s just another story I guess
the story about how it ends
I guess I ought to worry ‘bout
the message that it sends

what

2.368 : 5/6/06 : Leaves

Leaves do not turn singly
but by thousands
millions
billions
trillions
who really knows, though
I’m sure someone would take a
grant to figure it out
I called a day my new leaf
foolish
foolish
vanity of vanities
a thousand and a thousand more
days maybe I’ll figure
a tiny bit more
I doubt
that a thousand lines
of text or something like it
could be worth the
picture in my head
so quick print that mother out
then spike it

what

2.367 : 5/5/06 : Stretch

Winds gusting dusting off
moment that I cough I feel the
serious mistake I made
and the long ago sentience
who my attention bade
I stretch and retch for a recollection
another storybook to add to
the collection
the insurrection
can’t help but be televised
in the corridors of so-called justice
the plan by necessity revised

what

2.366 : 5/4/06 : Pumpkin Shines

Fun times and pumpkin shines
and rainbow unicorns
and twiddle bats who wear red hats
and play enchanted doodlehorns
the little stream that runs all through
is filled with twinkleberry juice
in the magic land ruled by
the purple king goose
Bouncing balls and upside-down falls
and dancing fuzzy bearlets
you can dance with them
and prance with them
and wander anywherelets
arrive by underwater train
and leave by space balloon
and all the happy friends you find
hope that you’ll come back soon

what

2.365 : 5/3/06 : Purge

Don’t be afraid to
purge
fear not
don’t fight the urge
the factor left
until now
unreported
the Magdelene
and the
reaction she sported
nobody ever told
if she touched
just that she was
told not to
I suspect a purge
must have
followed wherever
she got to

what

2.364 : 5/2/06 : Exhaustion

Exhaustion
I’m beating out
it’s Faustian
how it all keeps coming about
have another bone
find out how bad it is
I’m here regardless
this is my business
it’s got a go somewhere
some days you run
some days you don’t
some will
some absolutely won’t
when I feel exhaustion
time for another pill
stolen from the ones
who went before
they’re paying for it
still

what

2.363 : 5/1/06 : A Prayer

I only
vested one
prayer today
I didn’t think about
her sister
so what do you want
me to say
this ain’t about me
this is about
something bigger
it should be
enough that I prayed
don’t you
figure?

what

2.362 : 4/30/06 : Take Care

2,553 : 1 ?


Take care or
take for granted
but don’t you come crying
if it comes back slanted
there’s always more
than one involved
in every decision
a minute’s revision
that will unwind
the seaweed twined
did you turn me
into the enemy
I took care and took care
it seems you didn’t see
so don’t act shocked
when what care you
took for granted
ends up coming back
just like a plant
you planted

what

Free as in freakshow

And before I get on getting on with it... It's free music week in the Media Empire.  Send me an email at jonathan.hamlow@gmail.com and I'll send you a Bandcamp download code for one of the following albums (feel free to specify which one you'd like; if you don't I'll pick one for you).  Good through May 5, 2012.

Go By Train

The Bootstrap Gospel

Only the Very Greatest Hits

what

2.361 : 4/29/06 : Say Nothing

Say nothing
just let those words burn
when I touch the stone
it’s going to turn
when I pray
it’s going to come true
I’m not sorry
but I shouldn’t have said it
to you
I’m well trained
I keep it shut tight
if I can keep the lid on
maybe I’ll get
lucky tonight
I’ll transcribe all
the latest revelation
Jon the revelator
just popped up on your station
Say nothing
not even a word
I chuckled
I had to say it’s funny
I never ever
traded it for
money

what

And that wraps up A Song a Day volume 2.2, The Catch Up.

And so we proceed to volume 2.3: Persist

Which does not feature the following song, but it's a relevant sentiment nonetheless:

2.360 : 4/28/06 : Revolution N

As chance would have it
when I added it all up
the choice came to the almost empty
versus the little bit left cup
the metaphor was clumsy
Turning 360 is just standing still
as long as revolutions keep on turning
nothing’s changed and nothing ever will
When I did the math
well glory be it turned out to be today
wonder what the odds are
it’s just the time each time I pray
and if this is number three six oh
If Revolution N’s at hand
tell me all about the milk and honey
the grapes and giants of
the promised land

what

2.359 : 4/27/06 : Today In a Sense

I miscalculated
didn’t I?
Thought that I was clever
about hiding the beam in my eye
in retrospect nobody
can hear you miss your mark
So I guess as long as I keep hacking
I can stay here in dream park
will the real today please stand up
this is intense but it’s passing
whether waking thinking sleeping
there’s no division and the pressure keeps massing

what

2.358 : 4/26/06 : Roll Hardcore

I roll hardcore
when I have to when I have to
a window a door
all I asked you all I asked you
always only gave me
mirror mirror on a wall
always hinted at a passage
so I walked and walked each hall
but this time I’ve really had it
breaking out the hardcore bat
smashing through whatever gets
in my way as I storm your hat
it’s so damn big and pointy
and it makes you look so boss
I just have to roll my pitch for you
and if you blow me off your loss


what

2.357 : 4/25/06 : Back to Back

Back to back I just keep
knocking them down
during these words from our sponsors
while the lady paints the town
It’s getting late already
It’s much later than you think
when every little thing
can all turn over in a blink
though it’s a thought that almost
stops me in my tracks
before I take a breath
I’ll throw one more upon the stacks


what

2.356 : 4/24/06 : Face to Face

Face to face with fear
face to face with doubt
get down for one minute
let it all hang out
Face the screaming void within
face up to desire
realize it's always now
and step into the fire

what

2.355 : 4/23/06 : I’ve Been Thinking

2,546 : 5 ?


I’ve been thinking
about when I met Frankie
bout when
when there wasn’t any
hankie pankie
I’ve been thinking ‘bout the flu
and that time I saw
the whole structure
that boiled out of the blue
I’ve been thinking
about security
in the land of the brave
in a land of the free
thinking about Eleanor
thinking about joy
thinking about context
and the perfect learning toy
I’ve been thinking about silver
and just how I’ll fill the tank
and how much that
damn cathedral
looks just like a fucking bank

what

2.354 : 4/22/06 : I Need to Come

I need to come
first in someone’s life
be number one
she said
there’s another
first in line
don’t know whether
to shit
or go blind
let me tell you
and you do the math
is this shit a
situation?
or is it a
path?

what

2.353 : 4/21/06 : 100%

Half of all
is none
get some
get some
All was
then some
something
that’s dumb
and so
and so
it goes
so it
blows
Why don’t
you call
someone
that sounds
that sounds
so fun
before I struck
with the
back of my hand
I say I
could say
100% I
understand

what

2.352 : 4/20/06 : I’m Not Fucking Anybody

I’m not fucking anybody
at this moment
Who could ever tell
what the moment would foment
guilty until proven guilty
You said need this
and I built three

what

2.351 : 4/19/06 : History

First this:
too early
got confused
wrong bus, see
a year’s break
off working like a man
somebody’s judgment
somebody’s plan
second this:
move from where you started
lost my best friend;
brokenhearted
third this:
new place new place
saw a new way
saw a new face
flash forward
twenty seven years
the ring is closed now
it appears

what

2.350 : 4/18/06 : Century

We had our millennium
whatever that means
and we screwed it all up
didn’t we we had
a big old fucking party
got drunk
got hung over for
New Year’s Day
is it zero or one or
who can say?
I say:
This is my century
motherfucker
why don’t you just
die anyway?
This one’s mine
this is about me
this is
this is
my century

what

2.349 : 4/17/06 : Arrgh

Arrgh, arrgh,
that’s how it feels
when you realize
the whole thing
is just right back
where it started
arrgh
arrgh
arrgh

what

2.348 : 4/16/06 : Something In Between

2.539 : 22 ?


I wrote so many endings
and beginnings
and every fit of punctuation
went right into extra innings
there isn’t any play left
that won’t make me look dumb
at this point I do not even know
where the next page is coming from
I know this is not the end
neither the start
did I waste all of those days
I sought a path with heart?
It’s all something in between
guess I must deal with it
Even when I cannot count
how many times I made a meal with it

what

2.347 : 4/15/06 : Tip Scale

Tip scale with a little
gold and silver
scrimp and save
sometimes pilfer
been holding the slide
by half a notion
Still half a mile
below the level of the ocean
and I feel like
the scale is near to balance
if I can nudge the right electron
up into the perfect valence
after a long long time of sliding
tip it back into my favor
one day the scales I’ll empty
till then this tip is my flavor

what

fairly secret project

project Parliament and Empire

is announced.

this is the before picture:

2.346 : 4/14/06 : Cruise Control

I just gotta keep on
keep the cruise control on
you know I’m gonna tie it up
hardcore and just roll on
how many thousand miles
just out there waiting to be run down
before I finally lift off
until I’m finally run to ground
but for an hour
two hours seven
I can coast on cruise control
stereo to eleven
this solitude is soon to break
soon to erode and shatter
I’ve still got a few days left
to prove it doesn’t really matter

what

2.345 : 4/13/06 : Self, Indulged

The self, indulged
apparently
so why is it not
satisfied?
Don’t ask me
how would I know
it’s just the self
I’m not that guy

what

2.344 : 4/12/06 : Little Man

Is it really necessary
my little man?
Do you really have to tear it up
just any way you can?
Is it really necessary?
Is it just required
Are you the kind of rebel
rabble-rousing son I’ve sired

what

2.343 : 4/11/06 : Means to an End

This day will never come again
And you are going to die
As long as there’s a scrap
at hand
a shred of linen
a splintered pen
Here’s a means to an end:
unchained
uninterrupted
incandescent
uncorrupted
take what you will from it
that the darkness could not
overcome it

what

2.342 : 4/10/06 : Red Coat

Two suns
three guns
such an awesome
long red coat
Such as were
some fantasy
of youth
long
so long gone
What’s
the use of
making up a song
It’s getting turned off now
something else
some other gospel plow

what

2.341 : 4/9/06 : The Final Problem

2,533 : 16 ?



The final problem
was not final at all
there’s always some
sleight of hand
disguising the true nature
of the aftermath
of the fall
finality is obscured
by uncertainty
or distant time
it seems it all must
end at last
but who can guess
the next paradigm
And so just who can say
When sleep unending comes
who knows what occupation I might
find past twiddling eternal thumbs

what

2.340 : 4/8/06 : The Price of Freedom

If you would be free
Then you must regret
it’s not much of a deal but
it’s the best you’re gonna get
we don’t live in a world of
either and or
but of and and and and
there’s always more
of best of all possibles
and worst case scenarios
so lend me your ears
and your minds
and your stereos
While I say:
the price of freedom is regret
so sin bold and don’t look back
the price is hard but worth it
is how I chose to close that track

what

2.339 : 4/7/06 : Pitiful

Another pitiful assertion
it doesn’t amount to desertion
that I’m not doing what I said again
at least I am not drinking gin
it’s just a setback I say in advance
five years ten years how long have I done this dance?
Another this last, say goodbye
And when it’s settled at last
Nothing will matter that’s already past

what

2.338 : 4/6/06 : The Capitalist

Caesar sent me a barrel of red ink
he said write down what is mine
and tell me what you think
the decisions I made
may well have been ungodly
And now it seems to get it back
on the straight path I must behave oddly
I must become a capitalist
No more creativity
all that mirrors and mist
I must be devoted to
the bottom line above all else
So I said as I wrote
one more of these
songs not one of which
ever sells

what

2.337 : 4/5/06 : Rationalize

Rationalize your approach to goodbyes
Avoid duration;
contact with the eyes
self-sufficient’s got a nice ring true
I don’t miss you
I say it’s always been this way
when your eyes close
then you’re alone each day
and when they close never to open again
will you be lonely then?

what

2.336 : 4/4/06 : How Many

How many
did I allow to pass me by?
And every one will die
And every one will die
I could never bring myself
to try to block the door
and will they leave here wanting more?
And will they leave here wanting more
Who has the room for sympathy
for the slave
dead a thousand years?
Likewise I do not expect
to justify any
twenty second century tears
but one thing remains common
all must say and say goodbye
and one thing more
every one will die
and every one will die

what

2.335 : 4/3/06 : Short Term Memory

How long
can I hold on
to these seven
unspoken
pillars of song
short term
memory is full
watch and see
what outta this hat I’ll pull
the grasping hand
the folded arms
the smile false
the occult charms
and finally
at last acceptance
then next nostalgia
then next pure chance

what

2.334 : 4/2/06 : Interlude on a Variation

2,526 : 9 ?


Skipped the canonical
April Fool
wrote it days later
when the pie was fully cool
I was writing about goodbyes
about women
about time
I only demand
it sort of make sense
and it rhymes
interlude
on a variation
just a pause to relate
between station and station
that the trick that was played
was a week too late
and left me with
a meal of crow on my plate

what

2.333 : 4/1/06 : Fool

We’re all fools to get attached
dust to dust, put to the match
forced always to say goodbye
and somehow don’t completely die
nothing constant but constant change
the push to move to rearrange
though the whole world may push back
we’re mad to transgress every track
mad for love and mad for play
get mad go mad still today
Stop rest a minute get attached
Set up for another rug to get snatched
out from under head over heels
A history of solo meals
A history of bitter nights
counting every failing point of light

what

2.332 : 3/31/06 : Truly

As if I’ll never
really die
I refuse to truly
say goodbye

what

2.331 : 3/30/06 : Seven Ways to Say Goodbye

I wouldn’t sit down
or take off my sunglasses
I wouldn’t give you
advice about your nursing classes
I wouldn’t speak to you
Speak to you at all
I gave you a hug
but said I probably wouldn’t call
and I didn’t
I knew it when I left
and you stayed behind
I knew it when I finally told you
what was really on my mind
But you my dear
though there are seven ways to say goodbye
I find that I still stand await
the Pleasure of each reply

what

2.330 : 3/29/06 : Hygiene

The clean sweep
the clean slate
has already begun
I’m so glad
I’m so proud
that you are here to see it son
when my millions
open up their mail
and find their piece of soap
they will know
at long last
I have finally twisted
myself enough rope

what

2.329 : 3/28/06 : Gatefold (2)

What does double mean these days
of megabytes and pods
is the digital gatefold
infinitely folding out
the holy names of God?
What does album mean these days
that paradigm is cashed
believe me you’ll remember
where you were
the day that market crashed
the gatefold’s just a memory
retro package for hipster fools
media may all be born new
but this double album rules

what

2.328 : 3/27/06 : Gatefold (1)

Photo of the famous bridge
photo of the band
photo of the unlit stage
on the gatefold’s left hand
legend of the stellar show
legend of the rift
is there magic in our fractures?
is mortality a gift?
when I look at stones and eagles
at lead balloons and kinks
I see our ends are part of us
no matter what the optimist thinks
the moment’s where it’s always at
a few snapshots remain
to be scattered ‘cross the gatefold
to commemorate the train

what

2.327 : 3/26/06 : Pass

2,519 : 2 ?


I should remember better
supposed to be the worst of it
but I remember too well
all the other supposed to have beens
can’t I get a pass
of about a year
and a half
make my choice
and run
and run
and run
seems that all I have is this
I think I never had anything else
and yet I feel like I miss
seeing what
was and
could never be made ever
it’s such fun
it’s such fun
it’s such fun

what

2.326 : 3/25/06 : The Real Test

Maybe the day after next
is the real test
am I the lowest of the low
or the best of the best
am I so fucked up
so near yet so far
Could I make it by ship
could I make it by car
by train or by airship
surely not by the book
just what difference is there
between hook and crook
Don’t recall day two no
or indeed the one after
I wrote my three mark to
paid no heed to cruel laughter
we do the work me must
whatever time we get
it don’t work on paper
how it does work’s a secret

what

2.325 : 3/24/06 : Destination, Departure

I’m about fed up with
following the rules
yet here I am
back again on time
with nothing
still I try to please you fools
a little story time
a little ditty sure
a little dream sublime
I guess it’s pretty pure
and at the end of day
left with a hollow ache
the hole is back again
the whole thing may have been a mistake
here’s your destination
departure started
right after nothing
and for all the broken hearted
it’s just an interlude
pulling out of the station
no matter good or bad
no maker just sustained creation

what

2.324 : 3/23/06 : Pretty In Between

Avoid the grim thought
avoid the dim thought
There’s a pretty in between little
pick and grin thought
There’s nothing wrong at all
with feeling sentimental time to time
call this a triumphant launch
And tear right into the haunch
feast it up because
tomorrow we might
trade it all for another crack at
the big pantomime
And I’ll keep telling stories
as long as they keep it
pretty in the in betweens
when we’re busy living
or getting busy dying
whatever you think that means

what

2.322 : 3/21/06 : Stoic

My day will come
probably not long
the purpose of the stoic
I’ve been listening to the whining
of the elected classes
don’t think of it as heroic
it’s time to yank their passes
but you won’t

what

2.321 : 3/20/06 : The Monk

The purpose of the cowl
is to obscure intent
the purpose of the surplice
is to get you entry to the tent
the purpose of the monk
is to dwell on God
and the purpose of this madhouse life
is a topic that’s too broad
if that’s not too much a copout
For some stupid daily song
Sometimes they get away from you
and this day has been hellish long
consider only
the image before you
Widow’s peak cowl
black arches hide the eyes
the hands are in their sleeves
or are they?
What’s that creeping up behind?

what

2.320 : 3/19/06 : Sad Sad Song

2,512 : 1 ?


When you musta known the end was coming
not abstract but like a cancer on a slide
You wrote such a sad sad song to remember
it by back in the day so wide
You said that it was like a jewel
it shone so brief and brightly
but from where I sit on my stupid seat
the thing just didn’t seem to end rightly
and you wrote such a sad sad song
just to say once more so long,
And after even the memory
of the thrill was gone
still sometimes you’ll catch yourself
humming along

what

2.319 : 3/18/06 : Chaos

I think I’m spinning
order out of chaos
but it’s all local
temporary
I thought I’d pinned down
all the sidetracks that betray us
but I’m just as blind as any
when the bogeyman gets scary
the little twist of order
that defines my rootless matter
is just a moment’s mirage
an anomaly
and long after the me is gone
each particle will scatter
I guess that’s all there’s to it
guess that’s all of my homily

what

2.318 : 3/17/06 : Seven Days

Day one light and dark
solid the opposite of chaos
the opposite of static, spark
day two continents and sea
I’ll seize the high ground
if you’ll just create it for me
Day three
all stars in the sky
something for to look up longing
always ever passing us by
day four every growing thing
who’d guess some would cause such problems
who knows maybe they started the whole thing
day five, creatures of land sea and air
probably should have stopped
it would be so peaceful out there
day six boom we make the scene
some say chicken some say egg
I say the division’s clean
day seven every work must cease
crashed exhausted maybe
the closest thing we ever got to peace

what

2.317 : 3/16/06 : Politics

Politics
it’s not a coincidence
that it follows on the heels
of insanity
I can’t resist
pointing out the inanity
this is all there is to it
power hungry fools
drive the lever of
contentiousness
to pry up dupes
to make them tools
and if you want to
fight with me
you will be disappointed
that’s absolutely
all I have to say
I guess it’s always
been disjointed

what

2.316 : 3/15/06 : Insanity

The definition of insanity
is
doing the same thing
over and over
and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over
and expecting
different results
every time
everybody’s got a little
everybody’s had their spell
of drifting in the buzzing clover
haven’t they haven’t they
haven’t they haven’t they
haven’t they haven’t they
I miss those days I do
I surely do
they were sublime

what

2.315 : 3/14/06 : Job

The depth of misfortune
we must bow that it exists
It lurks in inventories
deadly dull lists
the stories told by family roles
and dim remnants of scarcity
the past erases all regrets
and casts the human tragedy
in dead exquisite reels of yarns
set to an aching hymn of joy
fit to set us back to dance
and all illusions lost destroy

what

2.314 : 3/13/06 : Three (2)

Listen, lovely
just you give me
three more chances
and I’ll get it right
three more chances
yet tonight
the rest will be flawless
according to plan
and I’ll tell you all about it
when I can
the first is just a thought I once had
the words were loaded still I managed to feel glad
about the second
I knew somehow would come
all I had to do was
ask for some
and the third will pass
unnoticed and sly
leaving just a feeling
that a greatness passed you by

what

2.313 : 3/12/06 : Sea Boil Up

2,503 : 0 ?


Now atlantis time come poised
balanced on a pin point
I’m gonna play this pipe like a bad mofo
and rock up the everloving joint
Looks like I got some time of my own
to tell it like I see it a
privilege
I pull my load and I hitched my wagon
and I’m planting it right on the edge
I’m going to sit and watch
the sea boil up below the cliffs
I spent the whole week dropping beats
and rolling monster spliffs
And when I hear that roar that
slither shimmer skank
Listen who I memorialize
listen who I thank

what

2.312 : 3/11/06 : Worse Than Thought

Get it through your head
it’s worse than you thought
what you let pass unheeded
what you sleepwalk shopping bought
and we’re all gonna hafta
work so fucking hard to not
get caught
up in the wave that’s
gonna sweep in
hard upon the east

what

2.311 : 3/10/06 : Mr. Sunshine

I’m always smiling and my grin is stretching ear to ear
I always get to where I’m going
and I’m glad to be here
I never wanted anything wasn’t already mine
the natives call me angel eyes but
my friends call me Mr. Sunshine
I may be something like a week behind
but I’m not stressed at all
how can I worry ‘bout the schedule
when I’m having such a ball
I’ll keep it short ‘cause I’ve got
miles to go before I sleep
I’m getting all I ever wanted and
each thing I get I’ll keep

what

2.310 : 3/9/06 : Stupid Fly

The spider seems hardly
interested in the fly
as it flits and buzzes
and passes by
when it hits the web
like an electric shock
when the struggle starts
watch that grave cradle rock
watch me spring
right into action friend
once I see my idea
drive it right to the end
So if I seem to let
a lot pass me by
I’m just waiting patient
for the next stupid fly

what

2.309 : 3/8/06 : Five Times Three

Five times three
since the last free choice
of work at least
guess at least my voice
is sort of free
is sort of mine
but it’s more than for
free speech I pine
the right to be silent
may be all I’ve got
If this storm turns violent
If I’m rooted to the spot
If I lose my thread
my thread again
just need my daily bread
and once more begin

what

6 years, 10 months, 4 days

Which brought me today to the composition of song number 2.2500, marking one quarter of the way along to my goal of 10,000 consecutive lyrics written in as many days.



what

2.308 : 3/7/06 : Sort

Sort by size
priority
sort from first to last
from you to me
sort by date or color or weight
sort by magnetic field strength
can you relate?
Sort by index of refraction
sort by order
in the chain reaction
sort by relative
proximity
starting with absolute zero
and so on to infinity

what

2.307 : 3/6/06 : Yell at the Television

The vessels burst
and now the worst
is past
And why should I
regret the guy
has passed
Only for my youth I weep
I learned a lot but the price was steep
but I’ll not collapse in a heap
before my line I’ve cast
a distraction
from reaction
that’s all
current events
and circus tents
next fall
I guess I’ll watch the circus all right
yell at the television up all night
just to be sure we lost the good fight
I hope I’m wrong but that’s my call

what

2.306 : 3/5/06 : Precede

2,497 : 36 ?


Each soiled card
soft edges torn
that has been lain
to precede this morn
Spelled a riddle
a game of chance
disguised as plans
shook by circumstance
it’s always new
it’s always now
I’ll do a Captain Willard
on your sacred cow
You can’t help what precedes
affecting what shall follow
but if you’re resigned to fate
your anthem must ring hollow
Who allows it fate leads
everyone else she drags
I try to keep one step ahead
and don’t unpack my bags

what

2.305 : 3/4/06 : Deep

Locked in depths of deepest night
the backtrack sideline no respite
It seems at best a day or two
and all the bold pronouncements true
are put on hold and filed again
until next I take up the pen
But though I see the deeps afar
and wonder wonder where you are
till human voices wake this sleep
I will remain transformed so deep
can’t help the chasm that’s inside
and all I shunned or try to hide
but I’ll not glorify the beast
I’ll last another day at least

what

2.304 : 3/3/06 : Roll

Everything that gets around
must roll
Everything that separates
must pay the groundling’s toll
because it goes both ways
and what will not converge
will never rise
Everything half-round must rock
It’s not about style or pretty talk
maybe the world is flat on one side
why don’t you all move
to that flat high rise
And let us roll
the rest of us roll
Lost will be found
and the gaps made whole
so step back
or put your back
into this roll

what

2.303 : 3/2/06 : Perfect Moment

This perfect moment
mine or his or both
is brought to you by Giant Shoulders
the truth to which I pledged my troth
the music playing that I never heard
music is Savior
the player said
he’s eating quiet noodles
while I spin a couple off my head
not in that sense
I’m stone cold sober
High on this perfect moment
casting every old day over

what

2.302 : 3/1/06 : Next March

I’ve become
or have I always been
obsessed with transformation
the exact moment to begin
I know it’s corrosive
eat your stomach right away
What I began for tomorrow
was behind by yesterday
But on my next march
there’ll be no compromise
on my next march
they’ll call me angel eyes
I’m going all the way
all the way up to the top this time
No ghosts are left now
left to judge or stop my climb

what

2.301 : 2/28/06 : 3 Postludes

3 postludes evening prayer
matin service like we had there
justify the longer goodbye
wanting to be done and
done at last but still caught
sifting all the past
I write the first write off the top
I started this thing rolling
now I fear I cannot stop
So every lapse
and foolish gesture
must be tallied
with all grave investure

what

2.300 : 2/27/06 : Third Day Rise

2,491 : 30 ?


Third day rise again
and
start shredding start shredding
with a back beat and
a cheap click pen
I know exactly where
this is heading
So I tell myself
inoculation
against disappointment
in the new sensation
but what if I am
wrong this time
third day riser
maybe I’m wiser
maybe now I’m in my prime

what

2.299 : 2/26/06 : First Becomes Last

The last of three
became the first of three
with a backtrack in the middle
with a partridge in a tree
it was that sort of pattern
the list built in repeating arcs
once more to all the long goodbye
once more th’ alleged eternal sparks
once more the ghost of kingdom come
one more I love you under breath
one passage from the secret world
emerge to life from certain death

what

2.298 : 2/25/06 : Long Goodbye to the Secret World: An incantation in 3 Parts Part 3: Goodbye

I gotta meditate unmediated for a while
consider every line so carefully
for form and style
To drive one nail home
this ain’t about kingdom come:
goodbye
goodbye my old friend
So many days and nights
a promise to set all to rights
a promise of a year oh years
and years ago
I know that when I reach that height
I’ll see the promised land in sight
and push on through the sweet
good night
past all the vales of all the tears
those veils will be torn as well;
in the end it’s true
Nothing ever can be taken from you
So if you happen back someday
to wonder at the mark
remember instead this glimpse
of the eternal spark

what

2.297 : 2/24/06 : Long Goodbye to the Secret World: An incantation in 3 Parts Part 2: Halfway Point of the Beginning of the End

Remember again nothing else matters
make the most of the moment
Soon enough gone; it comes another one
Halfway point of the beginning of the end
will I say all the same old things
the same old way again?
I remember this feeling
It aint’ good but it’s like an old friend
I won’t go down this path again though
Now I stand the last I’ll defend your
vagrant part time secret dealings
Now, here time for the healing
The team all around the word is joining
And a brand new currency we’re coining
A last nostalgia
raise your glass
Say goodbye
to business class

what

2.296 : 2/23/06 : Long Goodbye to the Secret World: An incantation in 3 Parts Part 1: Intent

The plan’s already gotten wobbly
I’ll still pull something out of it probably
sure enough it would be an anomaly
trouble fucking up the secret world
reminding me that nothing’s sacred
reminding me that nothing’s perfect
And still and yet I feel I’ll make it
and still and yet I feel I’ll work it
hush hush little one it’s okay
rest and rise another day
nothing but to laugh and play
I’ll say it three times love you love you
so I’ll negotiate a firm intent
Tomorrow I’ll blow my last present
of fealty to the secret world
while you quite calm are curled

what

2.295 : 2/22/06 : Work Equals Zero

Parse the layers of experience
Push past meaning push past sense
deciding what now seems so small
but it’s all we have at all
it’s hard to see how action coalesces
amidst illusion’s false paths and stresses
yet the whole damn human circus
is just the sum of our little monkeys jerk us
around around I go with desire
passion discord depression and fire
feeling like work must equal zero
confessing I’m not such a hero
accepting I’ve still some role to play
and trying to start again again today

what

2.294 : 2/21/06 : Rhythm

Even this fractured
rotten symmetry
inconsistent mission
has a certain rhythm you can see
beat on a bongo
a plastic letter
it’s hard to tell
whether I’ve gotten better
Have I gotten more consistent
or simply more obtuse
could I do it if I had the money
does it all coil down to juice
maybe if I ignored the rest
just focused on the rhythm
Some bridge of sorts would appear
as by magic cross the schism

what

2.293 : 2/20/06 : Renew

2,483 : 22 ?


Renew my subscription to the big idea
That if nothing else the truth at least will free ya
Work will make you free if the truth should fail
abandon all hope you are beyond the pale
I sought renewal in the info stream
I sought release in the primal scream
I searched so high and low but came to this
There is no shortcut to the chrysalis
the decade’s over; the new well begun
the only thing I’m sure of is this ain’t the one
look behind look back the moment’s gone
There’s no renewing and so, so long

what

2.292 : 2/19/06 : Interference

Signals barely can be heard
I waited waited for the afterword
to rise to rise above the noise
I was ready I was poised
I was ready to begin
I’d foregone every cardinal sin
but would I hear the call to arms
the interference has its charms
but in the end stands in my way
but how to make it fade away
to make the signal signal clear
I wait for it to reappear

what

2.291 : 2/18/06 : The Theme that will not Cease to Rise

Attempt and relapse
inflation and collapse
the mist that clouds the eyes
the theme that will not cease to rise
the subject and the object
the archetype and the architect
the now obscures the then
the theme rises again
I’m always lagging
catching up then flagging
the theme dictates my cycles
Gabriel Lucifer and Michael

what

2.290 : 2/17/06 : Reality

Am I a brain in a vat? Is this reality?
Will I get sent up or off on a technicality?
No matter how I slice it there’s no way to tell
Is this the pass to paradise or the prelude to hell?
the mind can make a palace a prison it’s said
No amount of thinking will replace your daily bread
I guess I expected you to be more shiny
I guess I thought my slice would be less tiny
What would you guess would be the outcome of this tale
no matter how bad you might think
my dreams go far beyond the pale

what

2.289 : 2/16/06 : Protest

Such a protest
from the peanut choir
little distraction
from some genteel liar
and so we push one more
shipment through
special delivery
me to you
but distraction never
lasts for long
protest resumes
when the thrill is gone
another demand on
my attention
My occupation so suspect
I blush to mention
but if I don’t carry
the experiment through
check every box I can
then how should you
know what to protest at the long day’s end
the only message that I’ve got to send

what

2.288 : 2/15/06 : New Leaves

So many new leaves
to turn over and over
the stagnant pond
must be stirred up
must seek that four leaf clover
don’t abandon
this new voyage
though the seas
are stormy now
must believe
in that true purpose
mark the goal
and find out how
even if impossible
it’s good to have a challenge
maybe that is all
that’s behind the pyramids and Stonehenge
count the clock
tick tock tick tock
best wrap this one
it’s time to rock

what

2.287 : 2/14/06 : Moment

2,477 : 16 ?


I’ve been waiting for this very moment to come
to finally see myself complete naked and dumb
the end of illusion and artifice
and if you ask me what now there’s just this
instead of recreation and a real good time
we succumbed to distraction and the anodyne
and when the tortoise predictably caught up
I played the only card I had left and got up
grab the bootstraps give a mighty pull
discover real life ain’t no parable
sore arms and wrenched back for your trouble
find a better sticking point and heave back double
and I just keep seek seek seeking an edge
sometimes a gimmick mostly just leverage
there’s still a fair distance between me and the pit
I’ve still a faint and lovely dream
of leaping over it

what

2.286 : 2/13/06 : Lazy Haiku

Lazy haiku man
loves his bed but hates a plan
boy what a loser

what

2.285 : 2/12/06 : Maybe Not

Maybe not who can take the chance
if I’m just a particle
it’s still my job to dance
and if I get the chance
maybe make a little sweet romance
that’s what makes
the world go round after all
and if you don’t believe me
there’s a number you should call
Maybe I’ll get better
Maybe not
Maybe I’ll quit early
in practice such persistence
is a long shot
Today all I can say about it
is that I’m here from now
and if it seems to make no
difference
to the vision grand I’ll
make afresh my vow

what

2.284 : 2/11/06 : Winds of Change

The congregation of all clichés
says lord in your mercy hear us pray
requested change and change came
after the wind nothing’s ever the same
The winds of change the winds of fate
a wind named amnesia made me hesitate
What if everything was really an invention
based on ancient lies and meaningless conventions
what if everything is really based on chance
and all that really means is the particle dance
and energy is really just a euphemistic notion
and all there is anywhere is mass and motion
the wind of whatever might not mean a thing
no matter what good or ill it might bring
maybe the toxic fortune in the poison pill
is that everything will founder
and there’s no such thing as will



what

2.283 : 2/10/06 : Disintegration

The world will be
destroyed by disintegration
it started with the family name
it started with the nation
it started with the city state
the integration failed
and led direct to babel
as the wholly writ detailed
Physical or metaphysical
which is worst do you think
The crash at least would be quick
we might reel for such a long time on the brink
But in the end no matter what
it’s how the future will unfold
all things fall apart together
as the second law foretold

what

2.282 : 2/9/06 : Holes

We’re all composed
of microfoam
strange loops defining
vacuum holes
not vacuums
but the true void
this is the technique
our trickster god employed
Taoists say the empty spaces
make the world go round
scientists say someday
the whole thing might just rebound
And none of the holes
black or white or worm
will be big enough
or near enough
to escape on
our own terms

what

2.281 : 2/8/06 : Smash the Window

B had a whiskey bottle
ran his own two minute hate
look at all the fractured pages
his disgusting dinner plate
I said smash the window buddy
let the rage flow out
maybe if you’d done it
you’d know what you really were about
M was a displaced person
student in another life
tried to steal my only guitar
claimed but couldn’t produce a wife
I said smash the window stranger
with your begging hand
Live on other strangers’ kindness
Ain’t this just the promised land
J was just a baby
still he had to rock
drove me to distraction when
that knob started to knock
I said smash the window my son
Always get another
learn the prime engagement
everything falls apart brother

what

2.280 : 2/7/06 : Drive Sideways

I’m gonna drive sideways
take the elevator to the mall
drop acid in my asterisk
and watch it fall and fall and fall
I’m gonna cough backwards
inhume my inner pharaohs
count every hair on my head
to check God’s math regarding sparrows
if I have to mend the dawn with tape
and crash your funeral with a jape
I will do it cause I’m just that kind of guy
If I have to devolve my advance
and spend my time on tawdry chance
you’ll never see me flinch just cause the cause is blue sky
I’m goin to jump right up and die
and fall right up into the wall
You’ve seen me charming just you
wait until you see when I appall

what