1. |
This Is the Present
03:29
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Kill me now, I beg you God
I can’t stand the seventh grade
The kids don’t think I’m special
They call me by my last name
This music is the only thing
Preserving my sanity
I put my Kenwood headphones on
And the voices beckon me, they sing:
This is the present that we promised you
A holiday every day
Fiddlers fiddling out of phase with the Fender
Aleatoric mistakes aren’t random
Rabid dogs and Englishmen
That I saw in Life Magazine
They scare my parents half to death
But I know just what they mean
Revolution in the head
Might change your mind, you see
I’m not too young, I’m not too old
I’m right where I should be
This is the present that they promised me
The future will have to wait
Moment by moment, and measure by measure
The melody bows to the discord progression
And when the music was over I went to school
Came straight home so I could be on my own
And that was cool
Through monaural fog
It’s hard to hear it now
I dream in analog
And I compose it anyhow
This is the present that I promised you
A harmony every day
Measure by measure, and minute by minute
You’re never too old, and the sky’s not the limit
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2. |
Medium Cool
04:25
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You think it stops here
But the brink was back there
We’re confidently flying off the precipice
You crawl through the door
And they’re asking for more
You just might be the one who makes the difference
Learn a new dance, turn a new page
Peace and mercy take center stage
It’s a new thing, it’s really moving
But don’t you be a lukewarm fool
We won’t settle for medium cool
Medium cool, medium cool
You talk about love
How it’s never enough
But we know love is lavish, and infallible
You feel so alone
In the liminal zone
But all we ever wanted was to welcome you
Learn a new dance, turn a new page
Joy and freedom are all the rage
It’s a new thing, it’s really moving
But don’t you break just some of the rules
We won’t settle for medium cool
Medium cool, medium cool
A message from the future
Tell me what will happen
Illuminated in the stars
Or scribbled on a napkin
Will we all live to regret it
Just show me a sign
Eliminated from the charts
Deleted from the timeline
You’re coming in late
But becoming can’t wait
The coast is clear and we’ve got lots of work to do
You talk about love
Is it ever enough
But love is hot like sunlight on the mercury
Do a new dance, turn a new page
Love and goodness take center stage
It’s a new thing, it’s really moving
But don’t you be a halfway fool
We won’t settle for medium cool
Medium cool, medium cool
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3. |
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I came back from the realm of God
I came back from the land of the dead
You were there to welcome me, you gave me your apology
But I told you it was fine
Nothing like that matters anymore
I came back from the realm of God
Back from the place where it all began
Back to the start – do it all again
I came back from the realm of God
I came back, or was it all in my head
Everything looks different now, a lifeboat on a paper cloud
But I told you I’m doing fine
Nothing like me matters anymore
I came back from the realm of God
Yeah I came back from the realm of God
Back from the place where it all began
Back to the start – do it all again
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4. |
Johnny Wide-Awake
04:56
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Johnny prowled the streets at midnight scoffing at every law
He didn’t like the odors, he didn’t like what he saw
Some said Johnny was a disaster in the offing
He couldn’t sleep so he took to living in a coffin
That’s a bad bad bad mistake
For Johnny Wide-Awake
The night it all came tumbling down, he’d been up for ninety hours
Practicing the Creole tongue and on the lookout for higher powers
He saw his opportunity with the Haitian Voudoun queen
“Alors, ’ti bébé” was all he said before she turned mean
That’s a big big big headache
For Johnny Wide-Awake
Big headache for Johnny Wide-Awake
Cos now he’s got forensics just dripping everywhere
A genuine policeman’s ball and chain would surely soon be there
Johnny wants to stagger home and just go to bed
But he has to stay awake until he wakes up dead
That’s a real real real tough break
For Johnny Wide-Awake
Oh no you can’t do without your dreams
Without dreams the world is only as it seems
Now many brothers fell asleep
But this was a vigil Johnny would keep
Lost to memory, lost to love
These are the temptations he rose above
20 out of 24, I stood my watch, he said
As I leaned over him that night, handcuffed to his hospital bed
Oh yes, he told me, my eyes are wide, you’ll never blind me now
I’m going all the way, although they’ll hate me anyhow
He’s aware of every unconscious process
When his head hits the pillow he tosses and tosses
And turns and turns – the pilot light burns
He’ll never dream again
That’s a bad mistake
For Johnny Wide-Awake
Big headache
Johnny Wide-Awake
Real tough break
Johnny Wide-Awake
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5. |
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Now listen up – it’s common knowledge
We all like to get high
I go to war, you go to college
The flag is waving goodbye
You get your diploma
You throw up on your Persian rugs
I need Narcan, I’m in a coma
Cos I fought your war on drugs
On drugs, on drugs, I fought the war on drugs
Get high as I can and come back with a habit
A spooked jackrabbit full of shudders and shrugs
Yeah I fought your war on drugs
How do I plead? Not very guilty
But you’re getting out on bail
You check in to your Rehab Hilton
And I’m going straight to jail
You get evaluation
I get the rats and the ugly bugs
You get the medication
I got the war on drugs
On drugs, on drugs, I got the war on drugs
Done enough damage to the wreckage of my life
My ex-wife sends me kisses and hugs
Yeah I fought your war on drugs
I like the path of least resistance
I’ve seen too much resistance, no more, please
I go to hell, you go the distance
But we got the same disease
I get the thanks of a grateful nation
I got the war on drugs
Go on and thank me for my service
Cos I fought your war on drugs
You get the opioid crisis
I get the war on drugs
You had too much fun
I fought the war and the war won
On drugs, on drugs, I got the war on drugs
Get loaded as a cannon and come back with a habit
A spooked jackrabbit full of shudders and shrugs
Yeah I fought your war on drugs
Walking the plank, walking the plank
On drugs, on drugs, I got the war on drugs
Done enough damage to the wreckage of my life
Jesus Christ sends me kisses and hugs
Yeah I fought your war on drugs
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6. |
Forevermore
04:08
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You go in to shop in the only shop open for business
And now you’re alone, you’re the only one home
On the day after Christmas
The presents are out of the boxes
The boxes are out in the bin
Forevermore came early this year
Forevermore is already here
She wanted to stay, you had nothing to say that could keep her
A vow and a ring, well they don’t mean a thing
When your silence is deeper
An icicle melts from the window
The window’s a phantom of frost
Forevermore came early this year
Forevermore is already here
Furthermore, and moreover
We can’t get off this bus (in London)
My father watched the Mystery Tour
He thought it was funny, lying in bed with the flu
The hotel doctor gave him a shot, then we all flew home (BOAC)
She wanted to stay, you had nothing to say that could keep her
A crackerjack ring doesn’t mean anything
But the diamond was cheaper
You still couldn’t keep her
The present is out of the boxes
The future is out in the bin
Forevermore came early this year
Forevermore is already here
Forevermore, it’s never too late
Forevermore, you just have to wait
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7. |
The Yugoslavian Painter
00:58
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The Yugoslavian painter
Loved a girl from the Falklands
But she married a Greek
And he went back to the Balkans
The Yugoslavian painter
Threw the paint on the canvas
And when his labor was done
He threw the work in the furnace
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8. |
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Now it begins – the battle of the shirts and skins
Here is the plan, what we’ll do to the skins
Feet to the fire, make em pay for their sins
Here is the vision, what we’ll do to the shirts
Grab their equipment and squeeze till it hurts
Who stuffed the shirts
Who stiffed the skins
Why must all this fighting begin
Now it all goes wrong
Why do we never sing the same song
Walk the walk, laugh the laugh, rap the rap
Slam everybody in the same bloody trap
A message from the future – I’ll tell you what will happen
The crying nazi, the dancing grannies
Chrysanthemums waving like a thousand Orphan Annies
The dancing nazi, the crying grannies
Nation of racists turning into vigilantes
Felons and fireflies
Hung like a necklace in the night sky
Second verse, same only worse, the just deserts
Jam up the airwaves, the same MAGA hertz
Big mistake for Johnny Wide-Awake
Shirts come creeping up the rough side
Skins have it coming, taking off their hides
Play till the sun goes down
The owl of Minerva flies at twilight
Who burned the shirts
Who flayed the skins
(you think they’re so dumb, you think they’re so funny)
Who’s gonna lead the cheers?
The failing light, the high tide, the friendly skies
One last look before the magic dies
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9. |
Walking the Plank
02:09
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I’ve got you to thank
I’m walking the plank
Professor Plum’s new Rx
He injects you in the neck, you will
Become a heterosexual
The doses with the mostest
Let’s induce a new psychosis
Oh Professor, yessir
A clinician with a mission
Now it isn’t your decision
Oh Professor, yessir
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10. |
What Happened to Phoebe
02:34
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We’ll find out what happened to Phoebe
We’ll find out and then we’ll go home
Her mother and father, they won’t tell us
Destination unknown
We never wanted to hurt her
We liked her and tried to be friendly and kind
But someone was nasty, someone scared her
Or was it all in her mind?
Phoebe, show me the way
The dulcimer jingle of strings that you taught me to play
Phoebe, show me the way
The hide and go seeking is over and done for today
Nothing came easy for Phoebe
She couldn’t be happy so she had to pretend
She made us a day-glo cootie catcher
Telling our fortunes again and again
We’ll find out what happened to Phoebe
We’ll find out and then we’ll go home
Maybe it’s better we don’t follow
Destination unknown
Phoebe, show me the way
The dulcimer jingle of strings that you taught me to play
Phoebe, show me the way
The hide and go seeking is over and done for today
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11. |
Plotline
02:28
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We’ll go down to our local, the Aspirin and Plunger
Time for a quick one, while down in the dungeon
The prisoners held for petty crimes
Are crying out for better times
Down at the Asp and Plunge
Down at the Asp and Plunge
Troubled people in a novel
You can read about their problems
Worried people trying to solve them
They don’t know the story’s wrapping up
Without them
We all know the plotline
The hero was a bad man
Who made himself a new man
And when the story opens
He’s living like a good man
He’s put aside forever
The violence in his nature
But circumstances alter
His life and loves are threatened
He has to be the old man
And now he finds his ancient enemy
Just became his best friend
See him through right to the end
Put the gun back in his hand
Help him to defend his land
Our hero making choices
Or so it seems in his eyes
As events come to a crisis
We all know the plotline
The hero was a bad man
But now he has a deadline
Or else he’ll be a dead man
Dead man good man
Dead man good man
The old man was a bad man
And we all know that someone has to die.
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12. |
Anthony's Nightmare
03:37
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A dark and stormy night
The day was no better
I’m holed up in this mansion
With six versions of myself
I arrange the cards and roll the dice
And all my opponents
Make their accusations as the envelope opens
Colonel Mustard’s in the kitchen with the wrench
He did her in the jakes but he was flustered by the stench
Nobody must ever know, so Mister Boddy has to go
And that’s a game that no one ever wins
Before we even knew
A crime was committed
We’re called in one by one by one
And asked to explain
My fingerprints are scrutinized
And my whereabouts questioned
I don’t know whodunit
But I’ve got a suggestion
Mrs. Peacock’s in the study with the knife
She’s taken your remarks to heart and now she’ll take your life
You thought it was all for laughs, but Peacock is a psychopath
And that’s a joke that no one ever gets
Someone must be innocent
A person we just haven’t met yet
Somewhere there’s a lovely room
That doesn’t spell doom
For the resident
Someone must be innocent
A person who just isn’t a threat
Someone brings a lovely gift
That doesn’t bring death
To the recipient
A dark and stormy night
But life is no better
It’s hard to see the light, or hear
A comforting word
With all these dodgy characters
Chattering inside me
Proving their deductions
But the logic is lying
Professor Plum is in the ballroom with the rope
He planned a simple murder but now he’s given up
He’s hanging from the chandelier, oh Mrs. White please be a dear
And cut him down so Mr. Green can say the words he doesn’t mean
Oh he’s dangling from the chandelier
Clever Miss Scarlet sheds a tear
Shut the gate and change the locks
It’s time to put the board back in the box
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13. |
Ophelia
00:31
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Soft you now, the fair Ophelia, on her app again
She’s given all his tokens back but he’s lying in her lap again
It’s a hard day’s night at the castle
The Danish royal family, they’re losing it for love
You’re sorry, but it’s not the worth the hassle
To explain to you who they remind me of
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14. |
Brandi Levy
03:21
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Bless my child and keep her warm
She won’t be quiet, won’t conform
Pray for girls who keep on screaming
And God save Brandi Levy
God save Brandi Levy
Who’s gonna lead the cheers?
It’s a cheerless night in Brandi-land
She’s stranded on the JV squad
Brandi curses school
A finger for the varsity
Not exactly poetry
But in her insta-intimacy
She snaps, she snaps, she snaps
She chats, she chats, she chats
And now she gets corrected
Brandi’s speech is not protected
Bless my child and keep her warm
She won’t be quiet, won’t conform
Pray for girls who keep on screaming
And God save Brandi Levy
God save Brandi Levy
She made our school look bad
Give her smack-ademic discipline
Bring your case, you’ll never win
But eight to one, they’re on her side
Brandi, yo, your speech is free
Making legal history
Well fuck you simultaneously
She snaps, she snaps, she snaps
She chats, she chats, she chats
She is vindicated
Brandi’s rants are emancipated
So bless my child, she’s in your care
She won’t be gracious, won’t be fair
Pray for girls who keep on screaming
And God save Brandi Levy
God save Brandi Levy
You don’t have to make a federal case out of this (yes I do)
You don’t have to take up any more space over this (yes I do, yes I do)
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15. |
Kerala Rain
04:34
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Comet ferries alien cargo
Major allegro leaping out of a largo
God’s a conductor, now don’t interrupt her
As evolution plays
Lose the tune, you bright baboon
You’ll ruin love eleven thousand ways
Now we’re growing that Kerala flower (burst of light and sound)
Washing our bodies in a meteor shower (red rain falling down)
Nobody noticed when the traveling protist
Enhanced our DNA
So don’t be cruel, you fancy fool
Or you will be the first to fade away
Kerala rain, Kerala rain
Nothing is permanent, you’re preaching a sermon and
The gospel’s moving on
Change your mind and you will find
The shining rain was falling all along
Kerala rain, Kerala rain
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16. |
Escape Committee
02:55
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I joined the Escape Committee
Many years ago
Working hard and sharing what we know
But the going is slow
Some contact with the outside world
Maps and sympathy
The populace will hide us, probably
If we do break free
I know it seems the wildest of dreams
Here we are and here we stay
But keep digging, keep going,
Keep the wheelbarrows rolling
We’ll tunnel out one day
Morale can be a problem
When successes are so few
We performed Act Five of Hamlet in the nude
That was well reviewed
And every day we scan the dial
For freedom’s frequency
We’re finding only static and mystery
In the key of G
I know it seems the wildest of dreams
Here we are and here we stay
But keep digging, keep going,
Keep the wheelbarrows rolling
We’ll tunnel out one day
Tunnel out one day
Tunnel out one day
Tunnel out one day
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