1. |
Boxcars
04:10
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You could sit back
and relax along the way
Didn't have to pull over
and stop the car
But you had to sit across
the aisle from someone else
You couldn't adjust the temperature
or rifle through the radio stations
that fade along the way
as you try to climb the Rockies
at a hundred miles a tank
It meant you didn't have control
You had to read
or play some poker or charades
it was a bore, 'cause it's a chore
to entertain yourself after all
The interstate was justified
by the tanks
it made it out of style to take
to tracks and rails and boxcars
and views along the ridge
The monitor glow is radiant
colors in every gradient
The chugging hum will soon
become the soundtrack of my skull
The infotainment feed
is cheaper than the weed
Pacifiers made of wires
and cathode ray treats
wading in a pool of digits
ads for porn and useless widgets
The chugging hum can make me come
It's my favorite lullaby
Eventually we all will see
A sixty-hour work week
The selling point is so seductive
Makes me feel much more productive
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2. |
Conspicuous Consumption
03:00
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CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION
What was the number you got on your bid?
One for the mother and two for the kid?
You should be flattered she even did
It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter at all
Open the registers, empty the tills
He wants the money in unmarked bills
And if he doesn't there's someone who will
Cry for the cash cow before the milk starts to spill
He doesn't think he's been given a lucky break
He'll fill his pockets with as much as he can take
And then he realized that he was over
Then he realized that he was gone
My hands are soft because I did well on tests
Fill in the bubbles, show up for the rest
He never thinks he'd be second-guessed
It shouldn't matter, it shouldn't matter at all
On the floor of the ocean
It was the best thing he ever had
On the way to the floor of the ocean
If was the best thing he ever had
He'll do it again
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3. |
Responsible
01:59
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RESPONSIBLE
When all the wine turns to vinegar
And all the lines on the table disintegrate
I will be there with the aspirin
Glasses of water and teaspoons of medicine
Baby, I'll take care of everything
I'll be the one who's responsible
I'll keep the peace with your friends
When you try to start arguments with them
I look like a student who squandered his savings on alcohol
They say revolution is almost affordable
I don't buy that
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4. |
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AIN'T IT GOOD TO BE ALIVE?
She took a weekend lover
And it turned her other's heart to stone
And though she tried to keep it down and low
She couldn't leave the man alone
She planted seeds in the dirt and the weeds
But she couldn't handle how it's grown
Now break it down, turn it around
And you can see that I'll be gone
Ain't it good to be alive?
Put a little P.T. Barnum in it, baby
Ain't it good to be alive
There's a sucker born every single minute, baby
With the camera at arm's length
He took a picture of her face
She had the look of ecstasy
That reaches into outer space
From where you are in the back of the car
I can see that you're not in L.A.
But gin, vermouth and the truth
Just saved my life today
Ain't it good to be alive
You're acting like a man but you're still my lady
Ain't it good to be alive
Go on and tell it like it is already
Every time it gets back to me
I just don't know what to say but "poor thing"
Aunt Jemima and the Honey Bear
Are trying not to lose their grip
Jimmy Pringle's smiling
'Cause he's the most consistent chip
Me, I'm sitting in the bathtub
With a smoking bowl and quiver-lip
Singing life is short, I'm glad to report
And I'm trying not to trip
Ain't it good to be alive
If you spit on the meat then it gets in the gravy
So pass the peas if you don't want none, baby
When you brush your teeth in the dead of night
Are you looking for the spots that don't taste right?
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5. |
LossForWords
05:12
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LOSS FOR WORDS
If you're not scared, you're an idiot
True love is just survival
We make conversatino with our lips
But we don't even make a sound
'Cause sometimes words can only complicate
You change the subject just in time
So articulate
I'm at a loss for words 'cause
Each time I clutch at some romantic expression
It always comes out so contrived
This is my feeble attempt at humble confession
That you're the reason I survived
No split infinitives, no no
No double negatives
And every clause is insubordinate
You change the subject just in time
So articulate
Looks like it's time to debate
I don't speak Russian or Mandarian
But we've got our Esperanto
And there's no need to ever translate
We could be speaking in tongues so get a blanket
I'm at a loss for words
I always tell myself it just doesn't matter
It's okay to use the old cliche
I'll never do justice to it
You'll just have to trust us to the rest
So sad that you're going insane
It's a sign of a healthy brain
A tall glass of water
And the neighbor's daughter
Will help you through the rain
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6. |
Berle
01:45
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BERLE
Teef
Theet
Girf
Burg
Pig
Gizz
Prank
Pets
Berle
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7. |
Omnivorous
03:32
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OMNIVOROUS
She used to be omnivorous
When she was in college
Every now and then it catches her eye
When a girl walks by in a diaphanous sundress
She used to tutor calculus and take karate
She doesn't like to take the bus
'Cause the germs on the seats
Give her difficulty breathing
Smooth like she's been sanded down to contour
Little hairs that look like scribbled Japanese shorthand
She smells like fabric softener and that's a good thing
She hangs out in a Bagtown loft
With a basketball hoop and a scoop-shell ceiling
Smooth, smooth friction and delay
Curves of parabolic shape
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8. |
Jake's Wake
04:12
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JAKE'S WAKE
Many years ago he held this city in his fits
The ladies always places him at the top of every list
With the way he danced and the imperial way he walked
The way the room fell silent each time he'd start to talk
Pick up your glass and raise a toast
Because he's too damn modest to boast
To the king of the whole Atlantic coast
He's the master, he's the most
With just a nod he had his troops at his command
They were all dispatched with just a signal of his hand
So no one ever spoke behind his back or to his face
He had spies in stations who reported back to the base
Jake made a mistake
He was dragged from the lake
He died unsuspecting
For pride, the men by his side
All laughed when he died
They stopped protecting him
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9. |
I'll Keep an Eye
01:46
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I'LL KEEP AN EYE
Prioritizing your laundry list
Making noise when you're scared and pissed off
The best part of being American
Is talking to yourself
I'll keep an eye when I'm lighting incense in the room
I'll keep an eye when the drummer plays a different tune
I'll keep an eye when you need to leave the kids alone
And you really need an ice cream cone
I'll keep an eye no matter what you do
I'll keep an eye on you
I'll keep an eye when the baby's born and all is crazy
I'll keep an eye when you're feeling stupid, fat and lazy
I'll keep an eye when the plants need water
Fish need feeding, and you're nearly almost dead and bleeding
I'll keep an eye no matter what you do
I'll keep an eye on you
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10. |
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RED PAINT ON THE PALACE GATES
Red paint on the palace gates
Makes invisible any unfortunate errors of judgement
But paint on the palace gates
Won't wash off and seep into the ground below
I can see red skies and smiling eyes and justifications
And I can see anything's possible
Where is the 20, the 30 or the 4500
Nothing is, nothing's invincible
And every time it rains you can see it run
You can't keep weeds from popping up especially since
Every time it rains the soil gets fed
The air gets clear and kind of quiet
The next time they come marching up
Demanding your signature
Was it that you let it be or was it that you voted for it?
They knew about the planes
Both of us laughing
Both of us sinking in the sand
Both of us lost our way
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11. |
Mutiny
04:31
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MUTINY
He stole control of this boat
We did his bidding, and look where we are now
The captain suffers from delusions
He promoted his parrot to lieutenant
He's seeing visions of a war without end
If we don't put a stop to it now
He'll cut the rigging and bury us at sea
You'll see
The ocean's gone to his head
If we don't put a stop to it now
We'll be dead in the water
All mutiny's justified
When the captain has lost his mind
Before this ship runs aground, stand down
If we don't put a stop it now
We'll never see dry land again
If we don't put a stop to him now
We'll be dead in the water
It's into the drink with him
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12. |
Pride of Lions
04:20
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PRIDE OF LIONS
Just an empty bottle alone with empty glasses
It's good and forgotten
You've got the pride of lions
You've got what you need
It's the smoky moonlight that gives you all the answers
You needed to make it, make it to the hayride
Abide with a smile
Tend to your own garden and then in a while
You'll find you're bleeding
You'll find you're bleeding
Fall to your knees
Just a neutral party
Alone without transgressions
The floodgates spring open
The charming little bastard you were as a child
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Griddle Oakland, California
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