1. |
Writing's on the Wall
03:22
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It's not open to interpretation
Her words are never minced
She let me know what was on her mind
Don't remember when I felt so maligned
And things haven't been quite the same since
She wrote I hate you in marker in the bedroom
You're no good for me in pencil in the hall
I'd be better off on my own
In crayon by the telephone
I guess you could say
The writing's on the wall...
I'm starting to think it's time to end this
Her poetry of insults of knows no bounds
Give me broken glass or mustard gas
Her repertoire is growing fast
And somehow it reads even worse than it sounds
She wrote you're worthless in ballpoint in the kitchen
You can't satisfy in the bathroom stall
I have had my fill with ink and quill
Just below the window sill
I guess you could say the writing's on the wall
She's the Michelangelo of hurting feelings
"You're dead to me" in lipstick all across the ceiling...
When it's over, i know I'll miss her
she's a beauty, she's an artist and my world
Yeah, I know she lives to torture me
From the nailpolish ont he TV
But it just won't be the same without my girl
She's the Henri Mattisse of breaking spirits
"You're a waste of space" in watercolor above the chandelier
And it's starting to get to me, when I read...
I hate you in marker in the bedroom
You're no good for me in pencil in the hall
I'd be better off on my own
In crayon by the telephone
I guess you could say
The writing's on the wall...
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2. |
She Gave Me a Pen
03:50
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I don't wanna sell anything
Buy anything
Or process anything
As a career
I dont want to sell anything
Bought or processed
Or buy anything
Sold or processed
Or process anything
Sold, bought or processed...
Or repair anything
Sold, bought or processed
you know...as a career
I don't want to do that
I don't want to do that
I don't want to do that
My father's in the army
He wants me to join
But I can't work
For that corporation
So what I've been
Doing lately
Is kick boxing
Which is a new sport
As far as career longevity...
As far as career longevity...
As far as career longevity...
I don't really know
I don't really know
I can't
Figure it all out tonight, so
Figure it all out tonight, so
Figure it all out tonight, so
I'm just gonna hang.......
With your daughter
Uh huh
Someone told me the world's full of guys
Someone told me no, you're not a guy
Someone told me don't be a guy
Be man
So, I gave her my heart
I gave her my heart
I gave her my heart
And she gave me a pen
She gave me a pen
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3. |
Never Been Cool
04:39
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She was childlike in her aspirations
In a way, she wanted to save the world
She saw no reason she couldn't have it all
And you can't reason with little girls
I guess she needed to find someone
Who allowed her to believe
That there's no difference, there is no distinction
Between what you want and what you need
I can almost understand
Why she'd be drawn to such a fool
But you don't know what it means to be a man
And I've never been cool
I tried cast off all my worries
Throw my troubles to the wind
Roam the countryside in search of my own happiness
But that's not who I am
I can almost understand
The draw of breaking all the rules
But you don't know what it means to be a man
And I've never been cool
I had hoped my struggle wouldn't go unnoticed
My efforts not be put to waste
Only to find that I had shouldered the wrong burden
All of my energies misplaced
I never held a winning hand
Came up short a time or two
I've taken what I've had
And I've done the best I can
But I've never been cool
You'll never know what it means to be a man
And I'll never be cool
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4. |
Force x Distance
03:36
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I've been in something of a rut for as long as I can recall
I have analyzed my actions and the outcome of them all
Seems like no matter what tack I take to get over that hill
I'm either going back and forth or completely standing still
I've applied the scientific method to my situation
I've recorded no velocity nor observed acceleration
I've measured angles of incidence and angles of reflection
Yet I always end up headed in the wrong direction
And every time I think that I've figured something out
Seems that my approach was faulty or my methods were unsound
Guess all I know
Is that's the way it goes
They say work equals force times distance
That seems reasonable
That seems fair
But I guess I must not be working hard enough
Cause I been pushing my whole life
Without going anywhere
If matter can be neither created nor destroyed
When I ask you what's the matter, why do you seem so annoyed?
Your reaction's surely opposite, but seems twice as severe
Leading me to think the laws of nature do not apply here
I'm almost certainly not feline, though, in some ways I'm the same
For I'm both living and dying at the mention of your name
PV=nRT, but I don't want to pressure you
Besides I end up with a chill, no matter what I say or do
And every time I figure I've figured you out
You introduce another variable and mix me up somehow
I'm so confused
Aww what's the use?
If work equals force times distance
Seems like everything I do
Should move me closer to you
But when push comes to shove, I guess it's not enough
Cause I'm on the boulevard
And you're down the avenue
And so, I've written off everything that I have ever read
About the universe and how it works all that's in my head
Has only brought defeat, the numbers don't add up for me
You can take all of your proof and theories, bury them at sea
Cause every time that I apply the lessons that I've learned
Turns out I haven't moved a meter, only the world has turned
Or revolved around the sun
and here I sit back at square one
If work equals force times distance
How come every move I make
Puts one more hammer to the stake
I can pull I can push, doesn't seem to matter much
At the end of the day
I'm still sitting in the same place
Sinking in the same quicksand
And no matter how many of my steps that I retrace
They only lead me back to where I am
So maybe work equals force times distance
But I don't give a damn
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5. |
Starting to Believe
03:38
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Hey, I know
You don't mean the things you say
No more
At least not the way
I think you do
At least not the way
They're coming through
But then I know that I have shown
A way of catching on so slow
By the time I catch the things you throw
You've already moved along
And I try to grab ahold.
I'll scribble down some sweetness
Convince you to come back
For 6 months down the same road
6 months riding the same track
And I'm starting to believe
You were on the right track
When you stopped believing in me
There's a part
Of me that wants to break your heart
Maybe beat you to the quick
Maybe but I'm mired in the thick
And there's so much that we could do
And it's so easy to find an excuse
So I always pedal back
What good are the facts?
Through some lethal combination
of tequila and moonlight
Somehow even the worst ideas
Survive the failing night
But I'm starting to believe
You had the right idea
When you stopped believing in me
You can sing a new song
Until you've lost your voice
But everything you do suggests
You felt you had not choice
And I'm starting to believe
You made the right decision
When you stopped believing in me
Yes I'm starting to believe
That you were onto something
When you stopped believing in me
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6. |
Cut Her Loose
03:21
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Somewhere between the sunset
And the glowing of the stars
There's a darkness you can't hide from
And there's a depth within the dark
When you're caught within that moment
Everything you do and feel
Disappears into the ether
Makes you wonder what was real
The sun was shining through the window
When she gave me the news
I sharpened my blade
And I cut her loose
When hearts are for the taking
There are those that will oblige
There is water under foot
Stepping stones in short supply
But the thing about pursuing
Only that which which glimmers most
You end up traveling in circles
Or walking up and down the coast
The albatross has flown
Availed himself of the abuse
I sharpened my blade
I cut her loose
I have loved her endlessly
I have done all that I could
I have been more man than monster
I have been less bad than good
I have sold all my possessions
Just to try and buy the truth
But I was swindled and was taken
Left with nothing to lose
You can't ride the fence forever
There comes a time you have to choose
So I sharpened my blade
And I cut her loose
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7. |
Bats in the Belfry
02:51
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There are bats in the belfry and the bell is cracked
It rang once for my love, but she never came back
I'm still waiting on her letter, but the facts is facts
She went crazy...
I met her one time coming through a toll booth
She had 3 buttons down and a lipstick tooth
She seemed pretty open to making change
So I got her phone number, gave her a ring
She asked me to meet her at the coffee shop
She said she hates coffee, but that's her spot
If you don't like coffee, I said, why bother?
She said goddamn, they have the best hot water
There are bats in the belfry and the bell is cracked
It rang once for my love, but she never came back
I'm still waiting on her letter, but the facts is facts
She went crazy...nearly gave me...
A heart attack
I went to see her at the institute
An orderly escorted me to her room
The window was open, and the wind blew through
Nothing left but the smell of perfume
Doctor says I'd be better off to let her go
But I know a thing or two the doctor don't
Doctor says she don't act like a good woman should
Say, but I never seen a straighjacket look so good
There are bats in the belfry and the bell is cracked
It rang once for my love, but she never came back
I'm still waiting on her letter, but the facts is facts
She went crazy...nearly gave me...
A heart attack
In one single moment, she fulfilled all my wishes
Then she turned around and broke all my dishes
There is no denying that she's got a few screws loose
But nutty girls need love too
There are bats in the belfry and the bell is cracked
It rang once for my love, but she never came back
I'm still waiting on her letter, but the facts is facts
She went crazy...nearly gave me...
A heart attack
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8. |
Pink Slip
03:38
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When it started out
You know, I had the best intentions
All I ever wanted to do
Is take care of you
By the time I hit the ceiling
I had got a sinking feeling
That it wasn't good enough
Just to make it through
You got my love and my money
One lasts forever. The other, well, who knows?
When rainy days are upon us
Where's your devotion?
Where does your dedication go?
What happens when the pink slip drops
What happens when the paychecks stop
What happens then
What happens when you gotta getta job
What happens when the seeds you've sown
Disappear into the ground below
What happens then
What happens when you hear the rooster crow
Fast forward 20 years
I gotta house full a kids
I gotta drawer full of bills
I gotta head full of tension
You never seem to say much
But you know the buttons to push
You always knew
How to get my attention
I hear the clock it is ticking
I've seen that expression before
You got a bun in the oven
You got one hand in my pocket
And one eye on the door
What happens when the pink slip drops
What happens when the paychecks stop
What happens then
What happens when you gotta getta job
What happens when the seeds you've sown
Disappear into the ground below
What happens then
What happens when you hear the rooster crow
What happened to the girl I knew
What happened to a heart so true
That sailed away upon the day
The slightest wind blows through
Now what happens when sun hangs low
What happens when the darkness grows
What happens then
What happens when the light don't shine on you
What happens when the pink slip drops
What happens when the paychecks stop
What happens then
What happens when you gotta getta job
What happens when the seeds you've sown
Disappear into the ground below
What happens then
What happens when you hear the rooster crow
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9. |
Like a Thief
03:47
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There was something in the way you used to look at me
I could feel at as I stared down at the floor
Something in the physics and the chemistry
That had me thinking I'd always be yours
There were satellites that carried me your signal
Waves of you were moving through the air
And any time I that I detected interference
I wouldn't say it. I wouldn't even dare.
But every time I thought I'd had the handle
Turns out my grip was never quite so strong
You came like a thief
And you made me believe
That everything I owned
Was yours to take as you pleased
So you took what you wanted
And you left me feeling haunted
By the vision of you walking out the door
You always overdo it when I'm driving
That's why I'm always handing you the keys
Cause somewhere between the pickled haze
And the attention
You find new ways to bring me to my knees
And even though I know how the night ends
I hold out hope that for once I am wrong
You came like a thief
And you made me believe
That everything I owned
Was yours to take as you pleased
So you took what you wanted
And you left me feeling haunted
By the vision of you walking out the door
Some things you can't take back once they've been spoken
Once it's been witnessed, you can't say it wasn't there
I am broken in a way that can't be put back together
There are pieces of me scattered everywhere
And everyone who never thought to tell me
Will now tell me that they knew it all along
You came like a thief
And you made me believe
That everything I owned
Was yours to take as you pleased
So you took what you wanted
And you left me feeling haunted
By the vision of you walking out the door
I can still see you as you're walking out the door
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10. |
Two Time Loser
04:33
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I didn't want to get out of bed this morning
Come to think of it that's how I felt yesterday and the day before
But there working on the street outside my window
It's like they were jackhammering sunlight in my face, I dunno
I had to turn my head away...and there you were
Oblivious, fast asleep I remember now
That was my last good memory
'Least I think so. They've all faded somehow.
Every time that I start thinking
That things are different
I remember - I'm just a two time loser
And I'm desperate for a win
Now it's not like things are falling apart or caving in
It's not like the house is burning
But the weather's changing, clouds are rolling overhead
It's not just the temperature - the seasons are turning
And as I go over in my head
Everything that I've done wrong
I realize I'm just a broken record
And I'm desperate for a song
Na Na Na Na Hey Hey
Heaven help the ones who love me
Sometimes it seems like I was born to let them down
Heaven help the ones who hate me
They're just wasting time
Can't they see that I'm too low to be brought down
And everytime that i start thinking
Maybe things could be different
You remind me: I'm just a two time loser
And I'm desperate for a win
Na Na Na Na Hey Hey
I'm just a two time loser...
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11. |
Valley of Hearts
04:59
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There's nothing left between us Marianne
I've put on a good face. I've done the best that I can
I've heard your whole life story but that's not why I came
You've taken up my evening and my mother's name
And the crowd that you've got waiting in the wings
Only serves to remind me that love stinks
I know when something's rotten
How the hell had I forgotten
What was I thinking
You give me love
But, but I've had for miles
I need appreciation, need appreciation
I've been driving all night
Through the valley of hearts
Now I need, I need a destination
Alright
Come November, there's nothing left for us
I can't even remember what there ever was...
I've used up all my money, and I've seen all your moves
But I've got one more dance in me, if you've got one in you
Through the evening breeze my vision starts to clear
Makes me wonder how either of us ended up here
On roads paved with good intentions
Days and nights too long to mention
For so many years
You give me love
But, but I've had for miles
I need appreciation, need appreciation
I've been driving all night
Through the valley of hearts
Now I need, I need a destination
And if don't know what that means
Then I don't know what to say
It's just another breakdown
On the shoulder of the interstate
I wrote a song about a girl named Candy
But I'm not sure I can pull it off
I'm not much of the poet
And even when I'm angry my voice is still soft
So I'll drink a prayer to comfort
And hope that comfort comes
If I can't be satisfied
I can sure as hell be numb
What hope I've got is starting to erode
And I gave up on beauty so long ago
There's nothing left to say
And there's nothing left to save
Bless my soul
You give me love
But, but I've had for miles
I need appreciation, need appreciation
I've been driving all night
Through the valley of hearts
Now I need, I need a destination
And if don't know what that means
Then I don't know what to say
It's just another takedown
It's just another shakedown
It's just another breakdown
On the shoulder of the interstate
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12. |
Gravedigger's Blues
03:54
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Gonna put a bullet in you
Give myself something to do
Times are hard out in the yard
Gonna put a bullet in you
Then I'll pray for forgiveness
I will try to make my peace
And I won't get no sleep tonight
But I got mouths to feed
My hands used to be calloused
My back was twisted and sore
They used to bring them by the truckload
Before they discovered the cure
I have gathered all my pennies
From the wedding ring I hawked
The best way to multiply them
Is to put them in a sock
I've got nothing left worth saving
All I've found I soon have lost
For me walking straight and narrow
Is like trying to dig through the frost
There's an angel lies beside me
Asking me to change my ways
I don't like to disappoint her
But I got bills to pay
Gonna put a bullet in you
Give myself something to do
Times are hard out in the yard
Gonna put a bullet in you
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13. |
Under the Microscope
01:54
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I've been living in a petrie dish
Inspected and magnified
Trapped inside the glass
My moon is your cold blue eye
Nothing looks the same
When you get in close
Nothing's quite as pretty
Once it's been exposed
But that's the way it goes
Under the microscope
You have lost all desire
To see things on a broader scale
You isolate my weaknesses
And through the lens, you see me fail
Nothing looks the same
When you get in close
Nothing's quite as pretty
Once it's been exposed
But that's the way it goes
Under the microscope
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