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")