A Thousand Pictures

in hope there lies the larger truth     belief that has no need for proof 
 no fear for what i cannot do 
 with no more than a word from you                                                            
 a word that paints a thousand pictures 
in my soul of a loving future  
in my soul there's a thousand pictures
 beautiful pictures of you
                                                
 in truth and work a greener pasture   
a new world alights from the smallest gesture
  and mercy shines on the chosen few   
 no fear for what we cannot do            
  a word that paints a thousand pictures . . .

Yr So Next

It just might be what I'm made of that I'm afraid of
It just might be what I am that has me damned
And if that's the case, I guess that's OK
What else ya gonna do under the sun there's nothing new
Yr not the only one that's shaking
What are you trying to prove under the gun there is no truth
You won't wind up forsaking
But don't feel bad, kid,
It's nothing worse than what St Peter did
Over and over say it ain't so
I'm sorry little man butsometimes that's the way things go
Over and over we can't be thatbad
Oh yeah, we can be that bad
And we have been that bad
And this blood on our hands
Appears tonight by popular demand
That's right, I said popular demand
It just might be all conviction is science fiction
It just might be every question's a good suggestion
And if that's the case then say goodbye to faith
I'm thinking literall of what you cling to so bitterly
And sing of yr submission
To someone else's song that, like this one might have it wrong
Inthe best human tradition
And if that's the case I guess that's OK
Over and over say it ain't so
I'm sorry little man butsometimes that's the way things go
Over and over we can't be thatbad
Oh yeah, we can be that bad
And we have been that bad
And this blood on our hands
Appears tonight by popular demand
That's right, I said popular demand
It just might be what I'mmade of that I'm afraid of . . .
(from the CD "The Panicking of Animals")

Mauser

A son needs his father, a father loves his son
But nothing lasts forever and when the darkness comes
The sorrow doesn't kill you, you only hope it does
There is no tomorrow for some of us tonight
All blessed in his sight, but that don't make it right
There is no tomorrow for some of us tonight
Step into the light and paint the sky white
Parachutes and ladders, certainty and doubt
Money, drugs or true love, find yr own way out
The sorrow starts in whispers that turn into a shout
There is no tomorrow for some of us tonight
All blessed in his sight, but that don't make it right
There is no tomorrow for some of us tonight
Step into the light and paint the sky white
And every once in a while you make and lose the friend
That makes it all worthwhile in a world w/out end
That makes you believe in
A world w/out end
There is no tomorrow for some of us tonight
All blessed in his sight, but that don't make it right
There is no tomorrow for some of us tonight
Step into the light and paint the sky white

(from the CD"The Panicking of Animals")

I Hate to Be Judgemental

I hate to be judgemental but some people make me sick
They way they smile and call you 'honey chile' then turn on you so quick
Social climbing butterflies on their way to the next big clique
I hate to be judgemental but some people make me sick
I hate to be judgemental but some people crack me up
Acting like they the hands of god, think that they so tough
Rationalizing their motives but it's never good enough
I hate to be judgemental but some people crack me up
Yes I hate to be judgemental
But is that what yr gonna wear?
Everybody's judging me, especially that guy over there
I hate to be judgemental
But there's nothing else to do
Everybody's judging me, why shouldn't I judge you?
I hate to be judgemental but how else you gonna choose
Between the things you want to keep and those you'd rather lose?
How can you hold values? how can you form views?
I hate to be judgemental but how else you gonna choose?
I hate to be judgemental, oh, baby that's a lie
I love being all judgemental, 'cause who knows better than I?
I wouldn't think the way I do it if it wasn't so damn wise
I hate to be judgemental, oh, baby that's a lie
cho
(from  the CD "The Panicking of Animals")

I'm Building a Cathedral

It starts w/heart and smarts, the soul charts the hard parts
The mind finds the blind spots, the mouth sells the black arts
The blood is the bass drum, the snare drum that spares none
The blood is a whack, flat black jetpack guitar run
Under the radar we play fair and stay there
Under the bushel our lights shine like prayer
Under the influence   of all that we know
Under the spell of the go, cat, go
Under the spell of a transistor radio
Under the threat or impression of threat
That we haven't seen the best bet yet.
I'm building a cathedral
To the cerebral
In honor of the little thoughts I think I am
It all seems so procedural
In the confessional
A quick humiliation, then the promised land
Under the Boardwalk, Up on the Roof,
Little Richard banging out the gospel truth
And this suddenly an army of mispent youth
All out looking for some small shred of proof
That this whole shooting match ain't a goof
I'm building a cathedral
To the cerebral
In honor of the little thoughts I think I am
It all seems so procedural
In the confessional
A quick humiliation, then the promised land
It ends w/flash and cash, the soul smash, the car crash
The mind finds the kind cut, the mouth fills w/ash
The blood it is a river of no known return
That once was set on fire only to watch it burn
And it fades as we fade as we all fade someday
And nothin's real that fades away
And nothin's real that fades away
And nothin's real that fades away


(from  the CD "The Panicking of Animals")

Now Now

What's gone is well behind her
And the future's trying to find her
Leastways she's still blind to it anyhow
She will waste no sorrow thinking about tomorrow
Because baby all she's got is right now
And it's now now.
The clock is ticking it's ticking tone
And she's alone
Thinking 'bout home
Something tapped her on the shoulder
Leaned in real close and told her
"Now go tell everybody how much you've grown"
What's gone is twisted history
Lovesongs from a murder mystery
What comes she can't can't imagine anyhow
She will waste no sorrow thinking about tomorrow
Because baby all she's got is right now
And it's now now
It's been a long time since they called you young
Would you rather be shot or hung?
When did you stop beating yr wife?
What do you really think of yr life?
What's gone is all around her
And the future will astound her
Cause she knows it's gonna work out fine somehow
She will waste no sorrow thinking about tomorrow
Because baby all she's got is right now
And it's now now

(from the CD "The Panicking of Animals")

Radio Death

When a loud guitar hits hard, like a broken heart
Beating the sound of things falling apart
Beating the language that makes you feel smart
Beating you, making you think that it's art
It's power in the hands of fools now, baby
Radio Death and that's rock and roll
Oh, and I'll be a fool for you now, baby
Radio Death and that's rock and roll
And when a costume fits like this, you can't shake it off
It's all on yr sleeve and it's never enough
It's only belief and it calls itself love
It's only belief and what you do w/it  now
It's power in the hands of fools now' baby
Radio Death and that's rock and roll
But everybody's somebody's fool now, baby
Radio Death and that's rock and roll
Yr thinking too much
Yr thinking too much
Yr thinking too much again. (3x)
Power in the hands of fools now, baby
Radio Death and that's rock and roll
Oh let me be yr little fool now, baby
Radio Death and that's rock and roll

(from  the CD "The Panicking of Animals")

Long Stemmed American Beauty Rose

She wears her loveliness lightly,
Unnoticed, 'cause she's looking out,
Looking on and looking forward, pushing through
That nagging sense of doubt, you know
All those thoughts that suggest we might all be frauds
And confuses our suffering w/just rewards.
But she knows you've got to work yr way
Through all that comes through in a given day
I say know yrself and know no shame
And shed yr sadness until yr true self shows,
My long stemmed American Beauty rose.
The world is just memories and patterns of ghosts
The past is just houses they've haunted,
And if I could I would make this world disappear
And replace it w/whatever she wanted.
She wears her loveliness lightly,
She doesn't know what she's done to the boy
She doesn't know that her smile shatters shadows
She doesn't know that her voice sounds like joy
She brings thoughts that suggest that the dream is real and
That there is no damage that cannot be healed
But she knows you've got to work yr way
Through all that comes through in a given day
I say know yrself and know no shame
And shed yr sadness until yr true self shows
My long stemmed American Beauty rose.

(from  the CD "The Panicking of Animals")

Miss America

She lay dying in an upstairs bedroom, w/the look of a child in her eyes
And a rattle of valium and 12 yr old scotch as a consolation prize
And the mirrors were covered w/yesterday's papers as she becomes old news
W/her henchmen and handmaidens left w/little else to choose
Than the panicking of animals, the reflex of the riot
The more time spent commiting crime, the less time to deny it
W/a handgun and a half understanding of the republic for which it stands
She's running out the doomsday clock w/not enough time on her hands
And she's left her children w/a ransom note and a list of her demands
Call in the forensic accountants to quantify the fires
That burn in the hearts of the patriots and the priests and the poets and liars
That burn in the words of the faithful that echo the mistakes of the past
That burn in the minds of a generation forced to grow up too fast
Left stranded by their history and washed up on the beach
Washed up by the wave of the future that's still just this far out of reach
And who carried the water for sick old men w/empire in their veins
Who dreamed of a brand new Eden, who dreamed like Jesse James
Of a murderous justice built on the cult of the outlaw and human remains
Sack all the heathen cathedrals they said, tear down the protestant walls
Rewire their enemy hearts and minds w/fixed elections and robocalls
Take all the good out of what we might do, betray what we could have become
Were it not for the glare of the idiot mind that killed all her daughters and sons
Were it not for the abandonment of what was a fine idea at the time
That shining city upon a hill that turned out to be too steep to climb
And now we'll miss America who, much to her surprise
Lay dying in an upstairs bedroom w/the look of a child in her eyes.

(from the forthcoming CD "The Panicking of Animals")

Twisted Scripture

Somebody's shooting up the high school
Somebody's shooting up the mall
Somebody's shooting up heroin
Cause the life that they made was too small
Oh somebody's twisted scripture
Now they're determined to kill us all
Mazel tov, salaam aliykum
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
Somebody's starving in the valley
In the valley of the shadow of death
And there ain't no shepherd 'cause there ain't no sheep
There's just the cold wind of wasted breath
Oh somebody's twisted scripture
Sinking down to a deeper depth
Mazel tov, salaam aliykum
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
So many stories and so little time
You shoot yrs and I'll shoot mine
Mazel tov, salaam aliykum
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
Hey somebody's shooting up our history
Somebody's shooting up our faith
Somebody's shooting up what we might be
If we didn't make so many mistakes
Oh somebody's twisted scripture
Lord I wish someone would hit the brakes
Mazel tov, salaam aliykum
Smoke 'em if you got 'em

(from the CD "My Bloody Hootenanny")

Pretty Big Deal

She's pretty as a picture, she'll take away yr breath
She's pretty as a picture ad got about as much depth
And all her life they told her: "Yr such a pretty girl."
And now she's sitting pretty in the cold, cruel world
So what yr pretty? Big deal
Now it's time to get real
She doesn't read the paper, she doesn't watch tv
She don't know much about nothing, she's just like you and me
And all her life they told her: "Honey, you can be anything you want"
Nobody ever told her: "Sometimes you can't"
So what yr pretty? Big deal
Now it's time to get real
Sometimes angels come down .............. and hit the ground
So what yr pretty? Big deal
Now it's time to get real

(from the CD "My Bloody Hootenanny")

Good and Evil Rockin" Tonight

The Garden of Good and Evil's rockin' tonight
The angels are shining their little lights
All upon the silent and the silence
All upon the mindless and the violent
And some would call it courage, some would call it courage
Somebody mocked the devil just to make him flee
Who'd expect that he'd come runnin' to me
So I gave him some water 'cause he looked like hell
And I showed him the door and I wished him well
I mean, who am I to judge, who am I to judge
Have you heard the news, there's good and evil rockin' tonight
Maybe Jesus came to me disguised as my friends
I'm still not sure where one starts and ends
But I always get angry and I always feel played
And maybe I'm not saved, baby, but I'm not afraid
Oh, believe me when I say there are reasons I've evolved this way
Y'see I was brought up the way they used to call right
Back when black was black and thank Christ I'm white
But little by little I threw off those coats
And strangled those metaphors by their meta-throats
And whatever I didn't keep I threw on the fire
And I looked to the sky and I called god a liar
And nobody's answered, at least not yet
And I'm not one to hedge my bet
I said "Look at me" (no, no I mean it: "Look at me")
God and the devil walk hand in hand in every woman and every man
Just like good and evil walk hand in hand in every woman and every man
How can I know that? How can I say that?
Have you heard the news, there's good and evil rockin' tonight

(from the CD "My Bloody Hootenanny")

Let's Twist Again

I heard the tower bells from old Saint Anthony's this morning
Though I was half asleep I could swear that they were playing "Stormy Weather"
Over and over in my head
I turned over and over in my bed
Lorelei and I could stare across the room and see each other
In each other's eyes, soul sister to my brother
The band in the corner played an old song
And we'd hold hands and raise our voices and sing along
Hey, let's twist again like we did last summer
Why don't you twist the knife again
The way you did in that quiet, cold November?
Oh it seems so long since I could raise a smile and really mean it
Or find a place in time where I could stay and never leave it
I feel like it's all behind me now
I'm somewhere where you can't find me now
I heard the tower bells from old St. Anthony's the day she left me
Was it "Silver Bells", hell some Christmas song who's name escapes me
Over and over or so they say
Over and over and over and over the transistor radio plays
Hey, let's twist again like we did last summer
Why don't you twist the knife again
The way you did in that quiet, cold November?
An eye for an eye, my sweet Lorelei
I can't see why in my wildest imagination

(from the CD "My Bloody Hootenanny")

All This

Cool it down or heads will roll
Shut yr mouth and shut yr mind to save yr soul
You got it good, you just don't know
At least you tell yrself that's so
In darkened rooms, on bended knees
Yr praising god and making enemies
And all our lives evaporate like rain
And all our lies come rushing up again
And we all try to laugh away the pain
But all this isn't funny anymore
And we all do the best we can
But the hammer falls, the hammer falls on random man
And every resident, every president and every little king
Believes they're doing the righ thing
Still there's no justice and there's no peace
Well, that tells me something about belief
And all our lives evaporate like rain
And all our lies come rushing up again
And we all try to laugh away the pain
But all this isn't funny anymore
Yeah, we're all doomed and the end is nigh
So let's go out back and all get high
Let's have babies and let's drive drunk
Stash the bodies in the trunk
Let's write movies and let's write songs
We've all got rights to commit these wrongs
And all our lives evaporate like rain
And all our lies come rushing up again
And we all try to laugh away the pain
But all this isn't funny anymore
(from the CD "My Bloody Hootenanny")

That's My Jesus

Got yr 12 guys drinking in an upstairs room
At a going away party for a friend
The guest of honor gets all drunk and depressed
Tells his brothers "You will betray me in the end"
Calls his little brother Peter something like a punk ass slut
Says "You will deny me just to save yr own ass."
Staggers out all tight into history and the night
Cursing god forr letting it all come to pass

That's my Jesus, that right there
Just because he had todo it doesn't mean he had to care
He'd be a little bit angry, a little afraid
And a little suspicious that he was being played
That's my Jesus, that's my Jesus
That right there.

11 guys scatter when the cops roll up
W/that brother who apparently was a rat
It all went down as planned, as if by some unseen hand
There was nothing we could do abt that
The guest of honor had a breakdown and he screamed @ his dad
In the dark of some old lady's backyard
He shivered in the silence, resigned to the violence
That was coming down the hall and coming way too hard

That's my Jesus, that's my boy
Like the man once said "Redeemed by pain and not by joy"
A little masochistic, a little extreme
Got yr bloodsoaked backdrop to an impossible dream
That's my Jesus, that's my Jesus
That's my boy

Ever get the feeling that you were being watched?
Ever get the feeling that you've been sold out by folks that don't know
What they're talking abt?

That's my Jesus, yesiree! As much a victim of the world as you and me
Got his heart in the right place, a little confused
Despite all his best intentions winds up tragically misused
That's my Jesus, that's my Jesus, yesiree!

That's my Jesus, that's my boy
Like the man once said "Redeemed by pain and not by joy"
A little masochistic,a little insane
I will sing this song in his name
That's my Jesus, that's my Jesus
That's my boy
That's my Jesus, we're him and he's us (think abt it)
And that's my boy......

(from the CD "My Bloody Hootenanny")

Staring Down the Barrel (of the prettiest girl in town)

It'll be different this time, you'll play yr role
I won't play mine
It'll be fine
I swear that it'll be different this time
Baby I'm not out, I was just down
And now I think I'm ready to go a couple of rounds
Staring down the barrel of the prettiest girl in town
My life's been bad lighting
In-house fighting and false assumptions
The thought hits like lightning
I'm writing when I ought to say something
Baby I'm not out, I was just down
And now I think I'm ready to go a couple of rounds
Staring down the barrel of the prettiest girl in town
I will be cooler this time, of course I won't
But I hope you don't mind
It'll be fine
I swear that I'll be cooler this time
Baby I'm not out, I was just down
And now I think I'm ready to go a couple of rounds
Staring down the barrel of
Staring down the barrel of
Staring right in front of
 the prettiest girl in town

(from the CD "My Bloody Hootenenanny")

Hate is the New Love

Looking back, over my shoulder
Thinkin' 'Damn, that's a long ass road'
And it's littered w/some small triumphs, sure
And what looked like victory would usually explode in my face
And if I were to trace every tragic mistake this old man ever made or will make
It'd look like 'The Pocket History of the Human Race'
And if you think that makes me happy yr wrong.
Now sing w/me this funeral song
Hate is the new love. We are what we're not.
Hate is the new love 'cause that's all we got
Looking out an third floor window
Thinkin' 'Damn, when did this get here?'
The cars have no specific color now,
And the air feels like it's been shrinkwrapped and made out of fear
And year after year in this worldly career we trample on everything someone holds dear
And offer the carnage as proof that our collective conscience is clear.
And if you think that makes me happy yr wrong.
Cause this is a protest song
Hate is the new love......
And I ain't got no invisible man
To hold me in his invisible hands
And carry me to safety, away from what I am
I will not rest in an invisible land
Or burn by an invisible command
But, if I'm damned, I'll be damned if we're not all damned.
Hate is the new love...............
Looking back, over my shoulder
Thinkin' 'Damn, that's a long ass road.'

(from the CD "My Bloody Hootenanny")

Soul of a Man

Somebody asked me just the other day
What kind of music do you play
And I admit I had to think for a minute
Cause it ain't easy to state the shape of the swamp
When yr drowning in it
Maybe we can solve this odd equation
By process of elimination
I ain't top 40 'cause I ain't pretty
And I'm no street poet from New York City
I ain't classical, I ain't soul
I ain't the theme song from Rat Patrol
I ain't country, I ain't western
But I'm open to suggestion
I'll sing a kill yr mother song
And then I'll tell a few jokes
I will coax from my throught, child, the ghost of Phil Ochs
Make you remember what made you decide
Not to commit that suicide
Make you remember all those good times you had
And never let you forget that you bad!
Maybe that's opera, maybe that's punk
Maybe we spend too much time on that junk
I ain't top 40 'cause I ain't pretty
And I'm no street poet from New York City
I ain't classical, I ain't soul
I ain't Britney or Snow Patrol
I ain't country, I ain't western
But I'm open to suggestion
I got no genre, I want no niche
I'm a marketing nightmare and, as such, pleased
What is this music that comes out of me?
It's the soul of a man in the key of G
Cause I ain't pretty, no, no
And I can't really sing
And I don't care if you love me
Well, that's a lie
(from the CD "My Bloody Hootenanny")

Buster's a Good Boy

He wants to have sex w/everything he sees
But Buster's a good boy, he won't do that
And you know he only wants to do just what he please
But Buster's a good boy, he won't do that
He wants to run all night and howl
When he sees you comin' he wants to growl
But Buster's a good boy, he won't do that
But Buster's a good boy, he won't do that
He wants to eat up everybody's food
But Buster's a good boy, he won't do that
And you know he wants to be the king of the neighborhood
But Buster's a good boy, he won't do that
He doesn't want to sit up and beg no, no, no
He wants to bite you in the leg
But Buster's a good boy, he won't do that
But Buster's a good boy, he won't do that
No he won't do that and I don't know why
And it makes less sense as time goes by
I guess this far it's just been easier to go along
But whoever named me man's best friend was wrong
Yes whoever named me man's best friend was wrong
He wants to have sex w/everything he sees .....
(from the CD "Boy Genius Alert")

Go Ahead, You Know You Want To

So round, so firm, so fully packed
Lawd, I loves the way you stacked
I am the ghost of unrequited love
And honey I'm here to haunt you
Oh, go ahead, you know you want to
So long, so tall, so lost in this world
I got a good woman
What I need's a bad girl
I am the ghost of sexual repression, baby
And honey I'm here to haunt you
Oh, go ahead, should it strike me dead
Oh, go ahead, you know you want to
Oh I've seen some things
In this sad life
But I think I just met
My next ex-wife
So long, so tall, so lost in this world
I got a good woman
What I need's a bad girl
I am the ghost of oh yeah, look out baby
And honey I'm here to haunt you
Oh, go ahead, you know you want to
Go cat go
So round, so firm, so fully packed
It's disgraceful how you make me act
I am the ghost of the man I used to be
And honey I'm here to haunt you
Oh, go ahead, should it strike me dead
Oh, go ahead, you know you want to
Go cat again......
(from the CD "Boy Genius Alert")

My Hand to God's Mouth

In the beginning it was written there was the heaven and the earth
But there was nobody there to see it
Now w/that fatal a flaw in the very first line
Why should I believe it?
Everyone you meet has a murderer in their heart
Most may never use it but it's been there from the start
And even in the folk tale w/only 4 people in the world
One son kills the other over mom 'cause she's a girl
My hand to god's mouth
I'm gonna shut her up
I'm gonna shut her out
For goodness' sake they tell you all the time it's for goodness' sake
Till they got you where they want you and it's amazing how fast  we can break
Well look me in the eye after you've thought about it man
Is there anything out there you can see looks like it's part of any plan?
My hand to god's mouth
I'm gonna shut her up
I'm gonna shut her out
Tie my hands w/piety, crush the animal w/guilt
Disguise it as salvation as you have the infidels killed
Take our children's innocence and put it on the rack
And tell me, baby, one more time, about that guy who"s coming back
My hand to god's mouth
I'm gonna shut her up
I'm gonna shut her out
I'm a finely tuned tornado twisting words and just like you
I have no idea what I'm talking about and I don't know what to do
But I know what I'm not gonna listen to 'cause I've heard it all before
Neither serve in heaven  or rule in hell I'm deserting from yr holy war
My hand to god's mouth
I'm gonna shut her up
I'm gonna shut her out
In the beginning it was written there was the heaven and the earth
But there was nobody there to see it
Now w/that fatal a flaw in the very first line
Why should I believe it?
(from the CD "Boy Genius Alert")

Innocent Bystander High School

Hey, baby
How's that magic you've been making?
And, baby, where's the next place it's going to take me?
Make no mistake, I have no illusions,
Beyond the strength of my own delusions
That I'm approaching anything like good for you.
But the heart wants what the heart wants
And it does what it will do.

                    I'm back in Innocent Bystander High School again
                    Passing notes across class to a beautiful friend
                    In my defense, I fell in love before I knew I wasn't supposed to
                    But the heart wants what the heart wants
                    And it does what it will do.

Hey, baby
Here's the music you've been missing.
Consider it the soundtrack of my resisting.
Make no mistake, I know the shapes
That fate can take when we forget our place,
And sometimes it's the best dreams that don't come true.
Still the heart wants what the heart wants
And it does what it will do
And there is no incorrect response
To the way I feel for you

(from the CD "my Bloody Hootenanny")

You Woke Me Up

I was looking through a window I was just about ready to
Jump out of
When I saw you, my love
Oh, you woke me up
I was circling a drain that had my name on it
I was going down
And then you came around
Oh, you woke me up
I was a sleepwalkin', slow talkin', going nowhere, I ain't joking
Puppy 'till you woke me up.
You woke me up

And if I could have three wishes
You and me'd go out and drink like fishes
And dance like dervishes on spinnin' tops
And have so much fun they'd have to call the cops
And before our time was through
I'd spend the rest of my life in one night, in those eyes, w/you .........
Oh you woke me up

I was going through the motions, I was spinning my wheels
Yeah I was stuck in third, until you said the word
You woke me up.
I was shuttered shut and shattered
It was just like nothing mattered, yeah I had had enough
Until you showed me love
You woke me up

(from the CD "Boy Genius Alert")

Goodbye is No Surprise

sometimes you gotta break inside because the times demand it, but that's ok, you see
you can be broken more times than the 9th commandment, and still walk away
humiliation only comes when you got no humility
treating sleeping beauty like some kind of utility
leaving lost love standing drenched in futility
from a raindance that he did
back when he was just a little kid
mapped the tracks of all his days
you can't be surprised that it ended this way

because goodbye is no surprise
like how sometimes where yr true heart lies is
life is full of fine surprises but
goodbye is no surprise

sometimes you gotta make yr mind up in the worst conditions, but that's ok, you see
you'll  rarely go wrong going along w/yr worst suspicions, 'cause sometimes crime pays
the cost controlled by just how much you want
and just how many houses yr willing to haunt
as the old hand takes on the debutante
w/a raindance for an excuse
to hang his dreams from a stranger's noose
mapping  the tracks of the facts of these days
you can't be surprised that it ended this way    

because goodbye is no surprise
like how sometimes where yr true heart lies is
life is full of fine surprises but
goodbye is no surprise



dig if you can, a tunnel to connect yr conflicting drives
you can't be yrself when you're like someone else and this is what it sounds like when love dies ................         

(from the CD "Boy Genius Alert")
    

Paint Your Lipstick Red

 
i was born at the crack of midnight, baby, in the middle of a fever dream
i'm part vampire on my mother's side and i'll suck things out of you like you've never seen
i can crawl right through those contact lenses, settle in yr head
help you walk w/yr head held high and paint yr lipstick red
paint yr lipstick red, baby, paint yr lipstick red
help you walk w/yr head held high and paint yr lipstick red
i'm a radio controlled rock and roll stone soldier and i'm a-coming to wake you up
i take my orders from the mothership, baby, and i'm a-coming to shake you up
bring you back to the days way back in the day when you did what you said
help you walk w/yr head held high and paint yr lipstick red
paint yr lipstick red, baby, paint yr lipstick red
help you walk w/yr head held high and paint yr lipstick red
has it been too long since you felt something so strong
that there was no right and there was no wrong
when did you stop dancing to life's sweet song and just went along instead?
let me help you walk w/yr head held high and paint yr lipstick red
paint yr lipstick red, baby, paint yr lipstick red
help you walk w/yr head held high and paint yr lipstick red
i was raised by the light of the television, baby, had the fiction crammed down my throat
but when something this real comes and sits me right down, i don't even get a vote
it's my immaculate suggestion that we put all of this to bed
help you walk w/yr head held high and paint yr lipstick red
paint yr lipstick red, baby, paint yr lipstick red
help you walk w/yr head held high and paint yr lipstick red
has it been too long..........

(from the CD "Boy Genius Alert")

If I Could Sing Like Brandon Flowers

If I could sing like Brandon Flowers man, I'd sing for hours and hours
I'd sing about worry, I'd sing about want
Hell, I'd sing my orders to the waitress at the restaurant
I'd sing 'Norwegian Wood' and 'Norwegian Wouldn't'
I'd sing in places where they told me I couldn't
If I could sing like Brandon Flowers, man, it'd be like having super powers.

I'd hit all those high notes I always missed before
And get all those pretty girls on the dance floor
Dancing w/their daddies but looking at me
'cause I just nailed an F sharp above High C
If I could sing like Brandon Flowers what a great life this would be.

If I could sing like Brandon Flowers I'd sing a love song just for you
'cause I love you w/all my heart, now baby
It's just what you make me do

And should we meet again in love land
As I dearly hope we will
I will sing it like Brandon Flowers, baby and and time itself
Would just stand still
And I'll cast my eyes cross that dancefloor, darlin'
And there you"ll be
Dancing alone and looking at me.
Yeah smiling at me
If I could sing like Brandon Flowers, what
A great life this would be

(from the CD "Boy Genius Alert")

The Chair Recognizes the Gentleman From the Ghetto

Oh, you got to have faith......

W/all due respect, Great White Father
I don't know why you bother
W/the pretense that all men are created equal
Yeah, maybe we all start out that way
But pretty soon there gonna come a day
When the world seperates the strong willed from the weak willed

And you can throw all yr love down a rabbit hole, baby
For all the good it does
When yr up against the kind of power that time and money buys
Armed w/nothing but a worthy cause
And you can throw all yr love into a buzzsaw baby
You can nail all yr love to a tree
When yr up against history and the way things get done
And the way some things aren't meant to be

And I'll keep all my love in that quiet place
Where the spirits have lately retreated
Keep all my love in that quiet place
Just in case
Just in case I ever need it.

You can fold all yr love into one perfect point
And send it sailing in shimmering waves
But it can't save the day and it can't change the way
A single person behaves
You can throw all yr love out like it's bulletproof, baby
But when those shots ring out yr gonna fall
No you can't save the day and
If you don't change yr ways then
You can't save anything at all.

And I'll keep all my love in that quiet place
Where the spirits have lately retreated
Keep all my love in that quiet place
Just in case 
Just in case I ever need it.



(from the CD "Boy Genius Alert")

Good Morning, Beautiful

I'm thinking abt you 'cause I've opened my eyes
To the sunrise streaming in thru the blinds
Three little words they come to my mind
Good morning, beautiful.

I'm thinking abt you as I move to the kitchen
Cats and dogs w/tails all a'twitchin'
Itching in places that really need itching
Good morning, beautiful.

What a way to start the day, to speak yr name and see yr face
What a way to get up and around
To speak yr name 'cause I love the sound.

I'm thinking abt you over my coffee cup
Smiling as I'm waking up
Smiling because I know our love is more than enough
Good morning, beautiful.

I'm thinking abt you 'cause I've opened my eyes

(from the CD "Boy Genius Alert")