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The Ballad of Johnny Lo
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Johnny Lo, he was an Anchorage Joe, and he'd been going out to school in L.A.
Peggy Sue, she was a college kid too, and she had driven out from Chesapeake Bay
And they were young in love, they fell the day they met
And things with them were as good as things get
Johnny Lo, he had some money he owed, and dodging creditors is always a bitch
Johnny knew that what he needed to do was suck it up and go back home for the fish
So Johnny took a plane and got back on that boat
And all the way the lump was in his throat
Peggy Sue was pretty broken up too, she spent the weekend watching movies in bed
She would cry at unpredictable times and either miss her man or wish he was dead
But she would never stray, she wanted it that way
At least that's what she told herself that day
Adam Tan, he was a triangle man who didn't know what he was getting into
Peggy Sue had nothing better to do than get some tanning done and work at the zoo
There wasn't any plan, but then there never is
She had her own world and he had his
Billie Jean, she was a fisherman's dream as she was shouting orders down at her men
Johnny Lo, he had a season to go before he'd get to see his lover again
And Billie had a thing for quiet men like John
She hoped the way she smiled would turn him on
Adam Tan, he drove a purple sedan and liked to take it out whenever he could
Peggy Sue, she drove a purple car too and liked to drive it out in West Hollywood
And so it came to be that one day they should meet
And share a cigarette out in the street
Billie Jean had found the man of her dreams and she was trying to line him up in her sights
Johnny Lo knew she was ready to go but not with Peggy Sue, it didn't feel right
And so he'd look away and try to act polite
And hate himself for wanting her at night
Peggy Sue, she didn't know what to do, except that standing by her man would be tough
Adam Tan was never part of the plan, but Johnny's photograph was never enough
And isn't that the way that these things always start
People fall in fast and plans fall apart
Johnny woke and felt the cigarette smoke like it was oozing out of every pore
Billie Jean, yeah she was deep in a dream as Johnny dressed and made his way to the door
The cold Alaskan air, it cleared his guilty head
And told him he and Peggy would be wed
Peggy Sue, yeah she was waking up too inside a tent next to a purple sedan
She felt good but didn't know if she should as Adam stirred against the palm of her hand
And isn't that the way that these things always end
She hoped that she and John could still be friends
Echolocation
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F#min - 2x0230
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New town, your feet hit the ground and you're running
Look down, there's light all around and it's humming
And all of your gear, it still isn't here but it's coming
And 'til it gets here you've got one thing on your mind
And that's all right when you're alone
It's something you can't find when you're at home
When all of your friends have been thrown to the ends
Of the earth and you're still here
And all the old ties have run dry like the skies
And your daylight disappears
Think of your songs and pretend to be strong
'Cause you can't get it wrong if you just sing along
And these are the ways that you waste away your days down here
Just when you got settled in, it's uncertain
But new friends have tied off the loose ends that're hurting
She tells jokes, she's great with your folks and she's stunning
You wish they could see but they're coming in the spring
They think, or maybe in the fall
As long as someone makes it out at all
When all of your friends have been thrown to the ends
Of the earth and you're still here
And all the old ties have run dry like the skies
And your daylight disappears
Think of your songs and pretend to be strong
'Cause you can't get it wrong if you just sing along
And these are the ways that you waste away your days down here
French Song
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Je crois que j'ai grand besoin de je ne sais quoi
Avant que je me souviens de tou'ce que j'ai pas
J'ai dit que j'ai grand besoin de je ne sais quoi
Avant que je me souviens de tou'ce que j'ai pas
Et aujourd'hui il me semble que tout le monde doit apprendre
Qu'il y a des choses plus grandes, les douleurs plus profondes dans ce monde
L'imagination doit pas etre feconde a comprendre et confondre ce monde
Avec les plafonds de l'enfer
Et tout le monde se demande qu'est-ce qu'il doit faire
Quand il se trouve en pleine guerre pour les marques sur le terre
Malgre les cris de nos meres, on va tirer sur nos freres
Sur nos peres, jusqu'a ce que notre sang arrougit les mers
Et j'en ai marre de ce mal, je veux la vie provencale
J'aurai du quitter centreville et m'installer in Italia
Mais j'ai rate les appels, je ne m'etais pas fidele
Et donc maintenant j'attends qu'une ange me sauvrait grace a ses ailes
Et j'attends, et j'attends, et j'attends, et j'attends
Mais le temps se suspend, les secondes comme les ans
Je sais qu'il faut que je quitte ce corps sale ou j'habite
Les poumons noirs du schite, les morsures sur la bitte, vas y vite
Je me dis, tous les temps, mais je suis trop maudit
Pour reussir a echapper'ce que je fuis
Je crois que j'ai grand besoin de je ne sais quoi
Avant que je me souviens de tou'ce que j'ai pas
J'ai dit que j'ai grand besoin de je ne sais quoi
Avant que je me souviens de tou'ce que j'ai pas
Et je me demande tous les jours pourquoi j'ai quitte l'ecole
Pour attrapper les faux amours dans mes filets de paroles
Tout ca ne vaut que rien, parce que je mourrai tout seul
De cancer, de SIDA, de shrapnel en ma gueule
Harmony
guitar tuned to open D:
D.A.D.F#.A.D.
Last night as I lay, asleep in bed
A fairytale came to my head
About a boy, whose soul was under-fed
And in the morn as I rose, frail and dazed
And the sun crept through my half-drawn shades, I
Rubbed my eyes, still amazed from dreaming
That I’d lived a life and made mistakes, and
Tumbled through mundane heartaches
And met a girl, who’d changed the stakes completely
And I’d traversed far through foreign lands, and
Held the truth right in my hands
And watched it slip, like castles made of sand
Well I met a girl, not long ago, she
Told me that my life could be so
Filled with passion, that I might overflow
She told me that thought was my crutch
And I was missing, oh so much
Then no more words, only gentle touch
And she taught me that life was not rehearsed
And dreams of better only lead to worse
And her boy e e, he spoke of thirst
And how we should take feelings first
Well I met a man, he said to me
That I should lead life cautiously,
Well I took his words down to the sea, and drowned them
Then with my life I set afloat
With a girl in mind on which to dote
Then deconstructed my own motes and drifted
And as my barriers came tumbling down
In the distance I saw the crown
Of enlightened living, no more ups or downs
But without my mind to lead the way
My course and soul, did drift astray
And I was borne, unheeded, against the waves
Well this girl she held me, tight and near
And told me I had much to fear
And for a moment, the world was clear, for a moment
She told that Truth was not trite
And held me up unto the light
But I can’t get this story right, I’m trying
Cause the land I speak of is a land afar
And memories fade like shooting stars
And this song’s my last lingering scar, and it’s healing
And forever as I lay, asleep in bed
These thoughts will drift on through my head
Of this fairytale, this fairytale, I never wholly read
Maestro's Rocketship
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And have you ever seen a maestro, furiously, plucking at his strings
As to the woman of his dreams, he sings
Or have you rather seen the lights aglow, with his head bent low and his song real slow
As he sings of his affliction, from Cupid’s bow
And so you ask why I play my love song, so fast
Is it because I think my love’s not fit to last
And why do I strum these chords with unduly haste
Because in this life, we don’t have no time to waste
And have you ever read Petrarch’s eternal words, indelibly on the page
He immortalized his love, in a cage
Or have you ever seen the Mona Lisa, sitting in the Louvre
Oh she’s beautiful alright yeah, but can she groove
And so you ask why I play my love song, so fast
Is it because I think my love’s not fit to last
And why do I strum these chords with unduly haste
Because in this life, we don’t have no time to waste
And so often I’ve seen a man, thinking he’s sacrificing for his wife
Working hard, working so long for the promise of a better life
And for happiness now, seems like people are looking around, thinking
that it can be found if their salaries will allow, just one more item,
but what about happiness now
And now you know why I play my love song so fast
Cause I don’t give a damn if my love’s not fit to last
And I will play my chords with unduly haste
So my love can’t be traced and of life I’ll get a taste
So I’ll put down my guitar now, let’s not let this night go to waste
Midlife Crisis
I can still remember, when I was a boy, how I wanted to be a man
Well I’d hold on tight to the hem of mother’s dress, but I wouldn’t hold mother’s hand
Yes when I was a boy how I wanted to be a man
Just eighteen, oh my life went by so fast and I’m already in the wrong tense
I have logs and charts of the world’s remarks, but at my own expense
Just eighteen and already in the wrong tense
But then we walked across the shadows, and our heads were hanging high
And we went boldly to set memories aside
So give me strings, or give me a heart, and you know that I’ll choose the first
Cause I can play the chords I say but hearts can’t be rehearsed
So give me strings, the heart is just a curse
And then we walked across the shadows, and our throats they ached with pride
And we went boldly to set memories aside
I can still remember, when I was a boy, how I wanted to be a man
Well I’d hold on tight to the hem of mother’s dress, but I wouldn’t hold mother’s hand
Yes when I was a boy how I wanted to be a man
Neo
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Lachrymosal crying, they say my soul it is undying, but my spirit is unflying as I’m trying to divine, what in my mind is pining and causing all this sighing and causing me to search, for more time more time, spitting out rhyme after rhyme, trying to solve this crime, it’s perpetrated against humanity by this deity, this supernatural entity that supposedly resides inside of me
And what is inside of you, I don’t know, and I’ll ponder this question till the world implodes or explodes, whatever it may be, it’s a problem you’ll agree, that my destiny puts into jeopardy the concept of free and what it left of me and how bereft are we and deft are we to live our lives, happily
And what is inside of you, I said, I don’t know
And I am pondering this question, cause that’s the way it’s supposed to go
And I would relinquish my will, if the time would stand still and I could hold you until these strings break
Intrinsic reflections on my life and its sections and its fretted, like the middle age man with his faked healthy tan in his luxury sedan driving home to suburbian lands, with his uncalloused hands but my calloused hands they search these strings to find something that finally clings that finely stings that faintly rings true, which is all I ever wanted from you
And what is inside of you, I said, I don’t know
And I am pondering this question, cause that’s the way it’s supposed to go
And I would relinquish my will, if the time would stand still and I could hold you until these strings break
Photo 14
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Waking early, the world around me seems newly made
You lie right next to me, your neck’s a memory that won’t soon fade
The light it seeps through, illuminates you, I draw the shade
The outside world will have to wait
And the way you lingered in my heart
Like a photograph into the dark
I’ve rubbed my eyes for months and months it seems
I would run for you, I would follow you, wherever it may lead
I would hold you and, I would tell you just, how much you mean to me
I would cry the tears prescribed
Just for loving you, and for loving you, and for loving you
But shades like shadows, only last a matter of space and time
The world enforces unfair divorces of your soul and mine
With failed devotion I hold emotions but they unwind
The wraps have slowly come undone
But I still can see you gaze at me
Your eyes defy this entropy
I’m floored like I have seen the face of God
I would run for you, I would follow you, wherever it may lead
I would hold you and, I would tell you just, how much you mean to me
I would cry the tears prescribed
Just for loving you, and for loving you, and for loving you
We’re born to suffer and we put up buffers and hope for the best
We’re borne downriver, hope to be delivered, from ocean death
I’ve heard of islands let’s try to find one, it’s my last request
This life is easier than it seems
And you’re still asleep beside me now
With dreams I’ll never figure out
And hope is worth much more than Truth for now
I would run for you, I would follow you, wherever it may lead
I would hold you and, I would tell you just, how much you mean to me
I would cry the tears prescribed
Just for loving you, and for loving you, and for loving you
Sweet Verity
When I woke up I was still in a dream
The rain was clear dividing what was true in the scene
And she walked out of a place in the shade
The rain was slightly beaded, on her hair as it receded, from a soul that clearly needed a place in my heart, at least that’s what I thought at the start
Well I called her Sweet Ms. Verity Lou
She smiled just like a mystic land I’d never been too
And she was Beauty indeed
Her flaws beyond detection, oh she’d never faced rejection, oh I think she was perfection but I think too quickly and now I see
That she was
The one and only cause
Of misery
Sweet Verity
Well I courted her for all of my life
She shimmered from a distance when the lighting was right
But she must have planted a million seeds
Of wavering devotions, and of volatile emotions, oh she killed off Newton’s motion, and I know she’s a tease, I’m begging please, listen to me
That she is
The cause of all of this
Misery
Sweet Verity
So forget all of your philosophies
Forget about Plato and forget Socrates
Cause they died, and so will we
But instead of being haunted, by the things you always wanted, oh you could have just responded by closing your eyes and opening up wide
And she’ll be
The plague of all humanity
Sweet Verity
And she’s a dream
Sweet Verity
And she’s a dream
Wayback
The apple of another man's eye
You and I were getting high
In the middle of a broken down downtown
Nobody else around to interrupt us
I'd ask you if you want to get corrupt as the time allows
But I don't see how
We could ever walk the high road in this town
So I look at you and burn as the summer setting sun goes down
And it's a story I imagine's been told
Since the apple crop of old got sold
To a brown-eyed girl named Eve
And the price of paradise became too much for me
So I cover up my nakedness before you and stand
Half a shadow of a broken and dilapidated man
Caught hanging 'round the stairwell
Staring at the slippers that you're wearing
Like a ruby pair of high-heeled shoes
And if there's nothing left to lose, why do I hesitate so?
Yeah, it's going to bruise, but the pain's not so great
So anyone could tell you, it doesn't hurt a goddamned soul
Or take up too much time
But something tells me I should go
Grab my things and hit the road
Sing my things you'll never know
And walk too slowly
On the way back home
I find it easier to breathe
And tell myself what to believe
Another night falls and nobody calls
It's got you staring at the walls
As the thoughts of all that crawls get the best of you
'Cause there's a million ways to die, but it just takes one
For everything you're working on to come undone
Luck favors not the rich, middle, poor nor prepared man
And going anywhere can result in getting scared out your chair
So take this paranoia from my shaking hands
And be there when this jet plane lands
To put me back together
In the shape of a man that can hold you tight
And I will bury you in tales of a land
Where everything is always going just like we planned
Much better than the shit that we're in
But you're drifting again
I can't seem to make it through to you
But that's the way it always goes
And I should probably find my clothes
I'll sing my things you'll never know
And walk too slowly
On the way back home
I find it easier to breathe
And tell myself what to believe
What You Came For
I was in the news today
Saying things I never say
Taking stands on all the issues of the day
Until they all just walked away
But things have changed since we were kids
Look at all the things we did
We wanted it so bad, I think we underbid
Slippery slope before us and we slid
If this is what you came for we'll play it with a smile
It bores the band to tears but it makes us worth your while
Be careful what you wish for, 'cause it might all come true
As everything descends on you
Woke up westbound on the ten
Tried to sell myself again
The trees grow taller there when everyone's your friend
It's hard to know where to begin
So bite the hand that cuts the checks
And act suprised to what comes next
As you come crawling back to beg for their respect
And put their chains back on your neck
If this is what you came for we'll play it with a smile
It bores the band to tears but it makes us worth your while
Be careful what you wish for, 'cause it might all come true
As everything descends on you
Do you like what you see?
Do you see what you like?
Do you want to believe in the King of the Open Mic?
We tell ourselves that there's eloquence in this
There's plenty of businesses like show business
Worksong
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Emin - 022030
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I've seen you around
You're the shadow of the man who ruled the world
You're a big name in this town
On the lips of every boy and every girl
When you're in Vegas with the clock stopped
Drunk off the body shots
And trying to get the top off a beautiful girl
You'll be rocking like a copper top
Your pocket full of top stocks
Every indication you're the king of the world
But the dawn comes calling and the chick hits the road
She's taken from your wallet what she felt she was owed
Your head keeps screaming that it doesn't feel right
'Cause you're older in the morning than you were last night
Things have started breaking down
You're no longer in control of all you see
And you can't seem to leave this town
And you can't even make the sun go down
No, you can't even make the sun go down
Another day breaks over your face like a
Cold wet hand cuffed to a new briefcase
The hot water never seems to make it to the tap
The hot coffee always seems to make it to your lap
You clock in and it's the same every day
Living in the future doesn't make it go away
You smile at the women but there's nothing you can say
When everybody's only passing you by
And you'll be sitting in the corner though you ache for the stage
Sick of taking orders from a punk half your age
Dreaming every night that you're a snake in a cage
And everybody's trying to get a look at your blood
But the clock starts buzzing and it's back to your cell
Another 10 hours in your workaday hell
You think you're gonna lose it but you never can tell
When everybody's looking at you, boy
And things have started breaking down
You're no longer in control of all you see
And you can't seem to leave this town
And you can't even make the sun go down
No, you can't even make the sun go down
Every city's got its own sad song
Every city's got its own way of speaking
But you're the one who's been here all day long
And you don't want to have to live for the weekend
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