1. |
be ruthless
02:09
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i know of the mess that i'm in
and what a wreck i've wrought
but i've turned a canvas to wind and absconded
i know what i'm missing
i know what i'm missing this time
avail the spinnaker sail
and helm the ship to port, there's a tempest upon me
so farewell my traveling light
when i have packed the weight of the world
and it's all too dark come night
nothing is freer than freedom
nothing more reasonable than reason
directions we don't even need 'em
be ruthless as the sea
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2. |
they don't matter at all
03:08
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on old worries do not dwell
a past laid rest when we sleep
i hope this summer finds you well
and the dreams you still keep
why pursue what makes you sad?
heed heart's clarion call
for what you want and what you've had
they don't matter at all
it's strange
but maybe you won't truly change
and time instead will rearrange you
they say pain will make you strong
but no good should feel this wrong
the contrition of yesteryear
oh is where it belongs
mm
why pursue what makes you sad?
heed heart's clarion call
for what you want and what you've had
they don't matter at all
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3. |
too happy for words
01:57
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by my count
it's been a month of drought
oh since i last put pen to paper
all my time
like dominoes in a line
one minute wasted is an hour gone
when will the bright spark come my way
what have i done since yesterday
no one knows
just how the next song goes
and it's such a fine line between inert and artist
but there's no fuse
i'm writing without a muse
if only i had you, i don't have anyone
each turn of phrase, a bad cliché
what will my bandmates have to say???
"get off your ass and write something for us
with a catchy chorus!!!"
oh you know me (yeah you know me)
i'm not the wordy kind - all my ideas find
they're all stuck in the grind
that's feeding on all the good ones
a greedy sieve in my mind
all that comes out is the rind
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4. |
slip of the mind
02:05
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love - i'll never love
i'll never feel at home
take it gratis and go
learn - i cannot learn
i can not be the one you need right now
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5. |
la morenita miope
02:12
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you're a waste of time
a riddle i'm not inclined
to dwell on - i have spent too long
now i'm feeling who gives a shit
i don't care about it anymore
yeah i know this game
the rules are always the same:
you pin me up against the wall
i don't even know why i'm here, still on call
you only ever want to bring the bat, not the ball
but i don't want to play winner takes all
don't you read old texts
they're only filled with regrets
and heartache
i don't know about you, but i could do without
while you reconcile
the pettiness and the bile
as righteous, you'll feel right at home
when the only thing you're left is alone
it's a shortsighted world
we've always seen what we want to see
and believe me girl
it's not as simple as you need it to be
and oh, if you knew
all those sins you'd predict of me
watch as they come true
the only thing you've been blind to is you
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6. |
down the backroads
02:01
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going down the backroads
~
i feel our time is running low
every thought, an incline
no way to get a grip on yourself
these are the plans we made
all came to nothing on a quiet street
where all the one way roads meet
and there are no headlights to greet us
the sun might wake up tomorrow and the wind may blow
the less we know
but if it turns to you to forgive me
don't forgive me girl
don't be sorry
just be
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7. |
love song for night
02:53
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i've just hatched a new scheme of mice and men
the world's got me trying to fit in again
we've got it all, we've got it all worked out
is it wrong to long for a gilded throne
with no surplus wit spared for the staircase home
we've got it all, we've got it all worked out
the night instead is like a gun to the head
dark and scary and cold
and so never let it be said our patience got us somewhere
we're dancing over quicksand, falling up the hill
we've got it all, we've got it all worked out
the night instead - it's like a gun to the head
dark and scary and cold
and it's like all these other people seem to know how to lie
and stay afloat forever - heaven knows i've tried
and i'm not sure i ever knew what it meant
to sleep so soundly and free
and so never let it be said our patience got us somewhere
unless it's nowhere permanently
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8. |
foot of our beds
01:10
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one night we'll end up at the foot of our beds
wondering how we lived
i don't know how we got off like we did
could've sworn there was a reason
oh oh
how terrible to love when it's you
it might be there's a way
but the things i adored yesterday
probably won't be there now
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9. |
somewhat young and free
02:19
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if there's no better place then where will i reside
i screwed up every chance to live an easy life
but you try more than i do
and you work harder still to
believe in this, we must persevere
to make this happen
ours were the empty peak hour trains, no raincoats in the rain
port phillip cast in light of the waterfront in flames, again
but we don't notice do we
we're somewhat young and we're free
our cares, they're paper boats out to sea -
the current brings them back
there's always a promise unkept
a roving heart left unchecked
a rug pulled deftly out from beneath
the callow naive
and whatever mess we become
you don't stop beating that drum
a slow fade-out you keep turning up
in hope it's never done
and i'm not a delicate host
but you tried harder than most
to believe in this and put in the years
to make this happen
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10. |
we keep going down
01:40
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head still strong, heart still beating
but the food's still shit and it bears repeating
though you thought the charity insufferable
doctor said to make sure that you're comfortable
there's no need, you still feel strangely at ease with this
despite all my worry
while your parents trust in their god's providence
heathen minds revel in wantonness
we let both your fathers down
when you kissed me out on the roof in your johnny gown
and i'm not scared, i just feel strangely at odds with this
despite all my hopes
we keep going down
we keep going down and down
down so far no good soul could stay
you left me on a sunny day
as was always your way
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11. |
manhattan
01:50
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vain sanguinity
libraries girls and berklee
all of the dreams that eluded me
unfortunately
i have tried too long to be
someone i could not possibly
i hope i never find them
things i lost on a bus to manhattan
don't think i'm ready for you yet
there are things i'm unwilling to forget
cause on that greyhound i found something more
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12. |
i know better
02:13
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when you look directly in my eyes it doesn't mean you know me why on earth should i apologise
yeah we may have spent some time in bed but every single word i've said has flown directly overhead
and then you say it's just a memory of sorrow
so much ventured, little gained
you know it does no good to dwell upon the past
well i know better, i know better
and when i wake under a different roof tomorrow
feeling nothing but ashamed
trying to recreate something that couldn't last
well i'm no better, i'm no better
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13. |
oh flame
02:12
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oh flame
i know your grace
but when you're standing on the stage everyone thinks you know it too
and i can see their eyes shining in the dark
but you don't notice when the lights are on you
go on
lead the way
you're a shepherd to a flock and whether you like it or not
they're in the parquet
now i can see eyes shining in the dark
but you don't notice when the lights are on you
nothing more than shadows betide who
dare to stand beside you
do you do it for yourself or the stern rebuff
of intentions that are good but that ask too much
and i don't often understand but you said enough
when you said "i used to be in love, but then i grew up"
oh flame
i know your grace
they will squeeze from you your pathos til the next one comes around
they want to fix their buckets to the back of your cloud
they want to fix their buckets to the back of your cloud
i want to fix my bucket to the back of your cloud
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14. |
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i love you better
than anyone who will come later
there'll be many who will try but none who are greater
i'm the trend setter
loving you is in vogue
now i'm not the only one who wants what you cater
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15. |
the wait
01:17
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the wait
goes on
patient
for so long
same chords
same songs
all i do is wait
aren't good things supposed to come
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16. |
shooting star
01:37
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baby i'm a sinking stone
idle as a broken down motorhome
i'd ever trade the wanderlust that's in my bones
for another day in bed staring at my phone
baby i'm a shooting star
i've got no house and i've got no car
you cannot build a life around a cheap guitar
it's a wonder that i ever even got this far
baby i'm an open door
if ever you're in need of an easy score
but i cannot be your heart's guarantor
i've got few ties and i don't need more
baby do i pass your test
i know i'm not classy but i try my best
it's hard to be concerned with the way i dress, much less
that the world's on fire when my life's a mess
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17. |
deracine
02:54
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memory
won't last as long as it used to
the things consigned
are few and further between
keep your eyes closed
hope against hope but you know you can't win
can't even begin to explain where you've been
the minutes you're not sure you've spent
these days
it seems like the world is a miserable place
a fucking disgrace we endure just in case
something good happens once in awhile
and we fall so hard for a smile
are you lost
a stranger still in your hometown
well chin up
nobody cares if you're sad
and this climate, i feel like i'm going to scream
thought i was the only one
who had enough sense to get out
but given every chance to run
i never could abate these old doubts
feels like
running your heart on a bottle of gin
trying to get out when you're already in
start laying it thick that you're only joking
but the fact is
those occupied still with tilling the dirt
stay unalert to the people they hurt
and whatever grief that entails
it's just soil under some nails
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18. |
sumina
02:04
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girl i feel
you've been taking the mickey out of me
and i should know
courtesy comes with a price
been through the wringer once or twice
and all the signs
they won't convene in your small reality
don't act confused, you must have known
come that time
what are you going to do
i knew you never had it in you
you seem it but you never really mean it
you dream it but you've run out of hands to play
you talk it but i've never seen you walk it
still that same old gait, yeah
oh
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19. |
i must be stopped
01:51
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20. |
cold hands
03:22
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cold hands
when they reach for your man
they betray your concern that there's no one who can
complete you
and the life you preclude
when you want what you don't have and hate what you do
the solace you find in empty embraces
won't pacify the shadow one chases
their whole life
soft hands
demoiselle in demand
but the years erode and every line reminds you
nothing really went to plan
now comfort's cruel
but it means more than truth
just to hold back the tears when you dream of your youth
where will it lead, this road of contrition???
no one has the right to judge your conviction!!!
two hands
are too fewer hands
to juggle the world and all its tireless demands
and then turn around and insist you don't mind
well you know what i'll say and it's not what you like
but i'd tell you plain
the solace we find in empty embraces
-- and i've had my share of those--
won't pacify the shadows we've chased down
our whole lives
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21. |
hymn and her
02:30
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when you speak your mind
will you find the time
to let me know
you're as fickle as weather
too spry to tether
and swift to go
there's no want for redemption, no point in return
when you've never cared much for being burned
and they'd tell you themselves that they miss you at home
but your answerphone is a dial tone
don't you think it's time for a breather
maybe catch your breath before up and leaving
well we couldn't die young, but i've always told ya
you need a real good reason for getting older
maybe when you feel it, let it out
don't just leave us hanging in self doubt
maybe when you feel it, let it out
don't just leave me hanging in self doubt
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22. |
tarsier
01:52
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23. |
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you can walk your dog
down any old street
you can shuffle your feet and casually ignore anyone you meet
you can fall in love
oh isn't that sweet
you can make believe you're living a life you've always dreamed
but oh that life means nothing in the greater scheme
all our lives mean nothing in the greater scheme
all the things
that you did this year
all the people you know
all the virtues that you hold dear
pretend to learn
and pretend to care
things will work out fine, but don't pretend
you think you'll be staying here
when it's made clear our lives mean nothing in the greater scheme
all our lives mean nothing in the greater scheme
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24. |
growing up stupid
00:39
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we break too easy and end too fast
why even begin when we know it won't last
the morning after begins tomorrow
happiness just engenders sorrow eventually
growing up stupid but keenly aware
of the artifice of love but i never really cared
'cause all i want is just to be with you
but when you're gone i won't even miss you
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25. |
sleep
02:25
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you waste so much time when you sleep
do you ever think what you could be doing
with that time - with that time
with that time - with that time
do you ever think what you could be doing with that time
you waste so much time when you sleep
there are six to eight hours you could be using
of that time. of that time
of that time. of that time
do you ever think what you could be doing with that time
and maybe one day when you look back
at all the things that you could've done years ago
with that time, don't feel resigned
to submit or to toe the line
and keep on walking the circadian wheel of a short life
the world looks different in shades of groggy haze
when there's no difference of night and day
don't spare an inch for those who'll tell you hey, man - why you looking so wired?
these waking dreams are inspired
maybe you could've been someone if you weren't always tired
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26. |
when the walls come down
02:39
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who
who, at the close of day
who would even know my name
who would even look my way
oh even when the walls come down
who would even cross that mound
who would take a risk on me
started from the bottom and ended in obscurity
who would take a risk on me
plain
the hours simply have no end
when fingertips are on the mend
and sadness is your only friend
no
it's not a conscious thing
but when it lets the demons in
they drag you down, oh so far down
and hard-won is the way back up
bitter is the wine and you're drinking from the largest cup
who would stake their name on me
a sordid mess of dead ends and wasted opportunities
who
would take a risk on me
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27. |
standing room
02:49
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so
you may be the only brick left of this wall
suspended in air and not ready to fall just yet
by now you must have realised you have plenty more room where you lie
and ironic the solace sought is solace estranged
not wholly unique to say this time's the time you'll change
there really isn't much more to be said, but you won't stand to agree
but to say your piece and with talk so cheap it might as well be free
you've got some nerve if you think your first-draft rhymes
will redeem you. your cute but empty songs you daydream to
won't satisfy
and while you meander in the meaningless
the whole world has got your number
true,
it may not be courteous, careful or clean
like thieves in the night it's made short work of keener men
you'll just have to do better, need to do better alone
tell me how you lost something that you never even had for your own
and now your high horse spurns your command
you must've realised you have rather less room where you stand
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28. |
concord
02:24
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went out on a winter's may
nothing on the line and i'm holding your hand
down main street, and it's cold
but boy do i feel warm
went out west, the whitest park i know
driving all around on the wrong side of the road
singing, "where did I end and let us begin?"
oh no
what a man i must have been
and though i lost my way i feel the same but now it's not like it matters
oh dear me
well perhaps i'll learn a lesson when you find one
i'll listen when you do
and there, under the stairs
i told you everything and for once somebody cared
and you kissed me
and i cried
i don't know what it meant but it meant the world to me
and so,
when the bus came in it brought the dusk and downpour with it
hand in hand, like someone planned it, understand
i couldn't breathe as i just watched you leave
katie
how it fills my heart with sorrow, sorrow so
the things i threw away
when i think about that time that we
sat out once on a peaceful day
on the state house wall, then i'm holding your hand
down main street, and it's cold
but boy did i feel warm
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29. |
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30. |
hatred down the line
01:50
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blessed time is still a mystery -
the wounds it just won't heal and where it goes
in the struggle to outrun what's catching up
it's not the only thing in life you'll never know
and we're just staring down infinity
thinking nothing's going to change so why should i
and it don't matter who you are or what you've done
there's only so much you can learn before you die
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31. |
prestasie
02:23
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oh my god do you ever give up
you're obsessed, let it rest and we'll pick up on it later
we've still got time
it's still 9 in the morning
and we've most of our lives left to worry
oh i know you don't approve of my days
spent enslaved til my grave while i'm wasting away
~but eric you are so naive~
but if nothing else i am still alive
though there are times when i struggle to show it
and i only wish i knew
who'd been in and out of you
would it be so bad to let me in too
if i asked nicely
we do just as we like, and then we throw it away
we act like we're so young but we've only today
this feeling of latency lingers in me
~well you're no better than me now~
there's so much i can't do, there's so much i won't say
still i feel a rebel when i'm playing it safe
and if i look at you sideways, you are just the same
but oh my god you will never give up
you're obsessed, let it rest and we'll pick up on it later
we've still got time
it's still 9 in the morning
and we've most of our lives left to worry
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32. |
not easily impressed
01:38
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my o my old love
not easily impressed with anyone or anything
god only knows why
my o my old love
when you'll find the urge to breathe
god only knows
& sometimes i wake up
i feel a little strange : another day, a simple way
god only knows why
my o my old heart
when you'll find the urge to beat
god only knows
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33. |
maybe this
02:14
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the cusp of the spring
what a terrible state we're in
and while it only gets worse, much worse in time
it's still mine & yours
but what a path we paved
from aim to mcauliffe's grave and further
it's never too far to fall
now i'll remember you
your coke and noisy shoes amused me
you think there's a way
there is no way
nothing feels worse than the end of a day
so devoid of the right words to say
and then you ponder what it meant and get drunk on caffeine
on the sad and wrong side of 18
oh
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34. |
butterfly knives
02:12
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well oh what a folly a love will bring
not just anything
but blood
and you said to me
that this will heal someday
"for you are the one thing thing i can't deny
and empty skies and rain
will all wash away
now i can stand with you"
butterfly knives are never so nice as this evening
to take you away immersed in the lines you have sown
you know how i feel - you know how i chase your every meaning
it has to mean something
i don't know, i don't know
butterfly knives, will that my eyes don't deceive me
impetuous seams make ghastly a dream they've said
and don't you look twice, or be that you might not believe me
you gotta look sharp
you gotta look straight ahead
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35. |
||||
|
so my cuffs smell like wine
i've blood on my mind
pretensions that i might have stayed, if i'd the time
when there's nowhere to go
to leave's all i know
you can bandy all the words you own, but none of mine
and maybe this way
i'll learn something someday
it won't work on me, i forget so quickly
what a disgrace
that morning i woke
to two packs of smokes
a headache and a fruitless plan, never invoked
you had it right!
a flagrant oversight
now i'm worse for wear but don't i wear it well
well i know what i'm not, conceded my lot
wandered into an impasse that i begot
& there bartered my mirth and far more than it's worth
for something poignant and profound i then forgot
and maybe this way
i'll learn something someday
it won't work on me, i forget so quickly
what a disgrace
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36. |
sisyphean shanty
01:46
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37. |
||||
|
i've got a wretched greed
restless and sun harried
to draw you from your vocations
not to leave your life in peace
and we made a game of tyrannical distance-
but for trammels round my wrists
i'd be fancy free
these words won't make a sound
headlong to solid ground
when everyone thinks i'm crazy
and they'll never come around
ain't it worth it to have words that you stick by
compacts to abide
well at least they'll give you something to do
after the rain all came down i got to thinking
and nothing good ever comes of that
and then someday, in some way
we'll even have money
to move where it's sunny
and abide our lives but not for too long
after the rain all came down i got to thinking
and nothing good ever comes of that
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38. |
born on the moon
01:36
|
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|
it's a big relief you don't care about love at all
thought i was the only one who never understood how it worked
i don't really have the knack anyway
it's something i never picked up
maybe i'm not from here
you know it's starting to become clear
that judging by my mind i was
born up on the moon, out where it's cold and desolate
|
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39. |
||||
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