VicVerse

Waiting On The World To Change

2007-05-11T03:01:00.000-07:00

John Mayer, from the album Continuum

Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could
Now we see everything is going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it

So we keep waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
It’s hard to beat the system
When we're standing at a distance
So we keep waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change

Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door
When you trust your television
What you get is what you got
‘Cuz’ when they own the information ooohhh,
They can bend it all they want

So while we're waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
It's not that we don't care
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change

(Guitar solo)

We're still waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population

So we keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
Know we keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change

Mayer
Mayer's songwriting in this song speaks for a generation lost. His collobarations with Stanley Jordan, Pino Palladino, and Ben Harper make his 2006 album the best he's done yet.

Life Wasted

2006-05-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Pearl Jam, from the album Pearl Jam

You're always saying that there's something wrong.
I'm starting to believe it's you're plan all along.
Death came around, forced to hear it's song
And know tomorrow can't be depended on

Seen the home inside your head.
All locked doors and unmade beds

Open sores unattended
Let me say just once that

i have faced it, a life wasted.
I'm never going back again.
i escaped it,a life wasted.
I'm never going back again.
having tasted, alife wasted.
I'm never going back again.

the world awaits just up the stairs
leave the pain for someone else
nothing back there for you to find
or was it you you left behind?

You're always saying you're too weak to be strong.
You're harder on yourself than just about anyone

why swim the channel just to get this far?
halfway there, why would you turn around?

darkness comes in waves...tell me,
why invite it to stay?

You're one with negativity
yes, comfort is an energy
but why let the sad song play?? ???

i have faced it, a life wasted
i'm never going back again

oh i escaped it, a life wasted
I'm never going back again

having tasted, a life wasted
i'm never going back again

oh i erased it, a life wasted
i'm never going back again
(Pearl jam)
This first track, first heard, with lyrics before me....I knew the album would be special.

Throw Away Your Television

2005-08-16T00:18:00.000-07:00

Red Hot Chili Peppers, from the album By The Way

Throw away your television
Time to make this clean decision
Master waits for it’s collision now
It’s a repeat of a story told
It’s a repeat and it’s getting old

Throw away your television
Make a break big intermission
Recreate your super vision now
It’s a repeat of a story told
It’s a repeat and it’s getting old

[chorus:]
Renegades with fancy gauges
Slay the plague for it’s contagious
Pull the plug and take the stages
Throw away your television now

Throw away your television
Take the noose off your ambition
Reinvent your intuition now
It’s a repeat of a story told
It’s a repeat and it’s getting old

[chorus]

Throw away your television
Salivate to repetition
Levitate this ill condition now
It’s a repeat
(Flea/John Frusciante/Anthony Kiedis/Chad Smith)
I just ended up buying a new one. Someone save me!

Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)

2004-09-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Jim Croce, from the album You Don't Mess Around With Jim
Yeah Roy so cool, that racin' fool he don't know what fear's about
He do a hundred thirty mile an hour smilin' at the camera with a toothpick in his mouth
He got a girl back home name of Dixie Dawn, but he got honeys all along the way
And you oughta hear 'em screamin' for that dirt track demon in a '57 Chevrolet
(CROCE)

I don't think Croce ever wrote a bad lyric. I mean every word just fits perfectly in all of his songs. His story up-beat songs make me smile and fill my mind with pure crisp images.

Frontwards

2004-08-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Pavement, from the album Watery, Domestic

I am the only one,
Searching for you,
And if I get caught,
Then the search is through
And the stories you hear,
You know they never add up
I hear the natives fussin'
At the data chart,
Be quiet
The weather's on the night news...

Antique homes,
Plastic cones,
Stolen rims
Are they alloy or chrome?
Well I've got style,
Miles and miles,
So much style
That it's wasted,
So much style
That it's wasted
So much style
That its waste---------ed
She's the only one,
Who always inhales
Paris is stale
And it's war if we fail

And in the migrant hotels,
They never sleep,
They never will
Their souls are crumbling
Like a dirt clod
Hold, your cigarette cuts
To the inside

Antique homes,
Plastic cones,
Stolen rims,
Are they alloy or chrome?
Well I've got style,
Miles and miles
So much style
That it's leavin'
It's pattern's torn
And we're weavin'
This battle's torn
And we're weavin'

(Stephen Malkmus)
This ain't poetry but it hits me in the right place. Takes me back to a mixtape Jerry made me in 1994.

Gun

2004-08-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Uncle Tupelo, from the album Still Feel Gone

falling out the window
tripping on a wrinkle in the rugfalling out of love, dear
it hurt much worse when you gave up

just don't tell me which way I oughta run
or what good I could do anyone
'cause my heart it was a gun
but it's unloaded now
so don't bother

climbing up the ladder
breaking my shin on the very first rung
waking up the neighbors
it's all right,they understand they're just as dumb

and they don't tell me which way I oughta run
or what good I could do anyone
'cause my heart it was a gun
but it's unloaded now
so don't bother me now
don't bother

crawling back to you now
I sold my guitar to the girl next door
she asked me if I knew how
I told her I don't think so anymore

don't tell me which way I oughta run
what good could I do anyone
'cause my heart it was a gun
but it's unloaded now
so don't bother

(J. Farrar, J. Tweedy, M. Heidorn)
I've been reading the new Wilco book, Learning How To Die, for the last several days and loving it. I got this album from Jerry when I was in California and this song is rocking my world right now. I couldn't understand the lyrics so i just looked them up. I approve.

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

2004-07-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

Richard & Linda Thompson, from the album I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Dirty people take what's mine
I can leave them all behind
They can never cross that line
When I get to the border
Sawbones standing at the door
Waiting 'till I hit the floor
He won't find me anymore
When I get to the border

Monday morning, monday morning
Closing in on me
I'm packing up and I'm running away
To where nobody picks on me

If you see a box of pine
With a name that looks like mine.
Just say I drowned in a barrel of wine.
When I got to the border
When I got to the border

A one way ticket's in my hand
Heading for the chosen land
My troubles will all turn to sand
When I get to the border

Salty girl with yellow hair
Waiting in that rocking chair
And if I'm weary I won't care
When I get to the border

Monday morning, monday morning
Closing in on me
I'm packing up and I'm running away
To where nobody picks on me

The dusty road will smell so sweet
Paved with gold beneath my feet
And I'll be dancing down the street
When I get to the border
When I get to the border

(Richard Thompson)
Sometimes I couldn't agree more.

I Can't Make Me

2004-07-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

Butterfly Boucher, from the album Flutterby

All the things I wanna say but I can't
All the things I wanna do but I won't
Hold me tight
But not too tight
And I'm relaxed but you tell me I'm posed
I feel pretty, I know that you care
You're so sweet
You're so, so sweet

It's not a hurry that we're in
It's the pollen, it's the spring

But I can't make me love you
And you can't make me either
Patience, boy, I need it
I can't make me love you

Oh oh oh

Paper, pen and a piece of your heart
I can't read it, but where do I start?
What to do?
What do I do?
And I am going but I'm gonna come back
And maybe then, maybe this, maybe that
Hold me tight
But not too tight

It's not a hurry that we're in
There's no problem, that's the thing

But I can't make me love you
And you can't make me either
Patience, boy, I need it
I can't make me love you

Oh...

Everyday there's something new to hold onto
A little more of you

But I can't make me love you
And you can't make me either
Patience, boy, I need it
I can't make me love you

Patience, boy, on strange days
I can't make me love you

Oh oh oh

It's not a hurry that we're in
It's the pollen, it's the spring
It's not a hurry that we're in
It's the pollen, it's the spring
It's not a hurry...
Butterfly Boucher
This song is from my absolute favorite album of the last year. She's Australian, she lives in Nashville, she writes cool songs, and she plays all of the instruments. I'm all about relationship songs right now.

Political Science

2004-07-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

Randy Newman, from the album Sail Away

No one likes us;
I don't know why.
We may not be perfect,
But heaven knows we try.
But all around, even our old friends put us down.
Let's drop the big one and see what happens.

We give them money,
But are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful
And they're hateful.
They don't respect us, so let's surprise them;
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them.

Now, Asia's crowded,
And Europe's too old.
Africa's far too hot,
And Canada's too cold.
And South America stole our name.
Let's drop the big one; there'll be no one left to blame us.

We'll save Australia;
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo.
We'll build an all-American amusement park there;
They've got surfing, too.

Well, boom goes London,
And boom Paris.
More room for you
And more room for me.
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town.
Oh, how peaceful it'll be;
We'll set everybody free;
You'll have Japanese kimonos, baby,
There'll be Italian shoes for me.
They all hate us anyhow,
So let's drop the big one now.
Let's drop the big one now.
(Newman)
Released in 1972, the song appears during the credits of Blast From The Past, starring Brendan Fraser and Christopher Walken. Everyday as I surf through the major newscable stations and internet sites, I'm reminded of this "always relevant" song. Humor, sarcasm, and irony.

You're So Vain

2004-07-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Carly Simon, from the album No Secrets

Well I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won
Then you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun
Well, you're where you should be all of the time
And when you're not you're with
Some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend, and....

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you.....
(Simon)
I pay attention to this verse everytime I hear the song. So provocative and biting.

The Man Comes Around

2004-07-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

Johnny Cash, from the album American IV

And I heard as it were the noise of thunder
One of the four beasts saying "Come and See", and I saw
And behold a white horse

There's a Man going around taking names
And he decides who to free and who to blame
Every body won't be treated all the same
There will be a golden ladder reaching down
When the Man comes around

The hairs on your arm will stand up
At the terror in each sip and each sup
Will you partake of that last offered cup?
Or disappear into the potter's ground
When the Man comes around

Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers, one hundred million angels singing
Multitudes are marching to the big kettledrum
Voices calling and voices crying
Some are born and some are dying
Its alpha and omega's kingdom come
...And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree

The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn tree
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks

Till Armageddon no shalam no shalom
Then the father hen will call his chickens home
The wise man will bow down before the throne
And at his feet they'll cast the golden crowns
When the man comes around

Whoever is unjust, let him be unjust still
Whoever is righteou,s let him be righteous still
Whoever is filthy, let him be filthy still
Listen to the words long written down
When the Man comes around

Hear the trumpets hear the pipers, one hundred million angels singing
Multitudes are marching to the big kettledrum
Voices calling, voices crying
Some are born and some are dying
Its Alpha and Omega's kingdom come
And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn tree
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks

In measured hundred weight and penny pound
When the man comes around

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts
And I looked and behold, a pale horse
And it's name it said on him was Death
And Hell followed with him.
(John R. Cash)
Zach Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead is my favorite film this year, due partly to the use of this song in the film's opening act...I've not heard Cash used better, ever, in film. The spoken word intro and closing, send chills down my spine...a great way to open his American IV album.

Pretty (Ugly Before) Single

2004-07-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

Elliott Smith, from the album Pretty (Ugly Before)

sunshine, been keeping me up for days
there is no night time, it's only a passing phase
and i feel pretty, pretty enough for you
i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do

sometimes is all i feel up to now
but it's not worth it to you
cos you gotta get out somehow
it's the destruction that you require to feel
like somebody wants you, someone that's more for real

sunshine, been keeping me up for days
there is no night time, only a passing phase
and i'll feel pretty, another hour or two

i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do
i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do
i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do
ugly before
(-Elliott Smith-)
This song was released just before Elliott's death. Most of his material is somber but this one really gets me. Probably because it's the song most associated with his death for me. I've been listening to him at work today and keep going back to this one. Once again, I've linked to the full MP3.

Some Rainy Sunday

2004-07-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Juliana Hatfield, from the album In Exile Deo

A whippoorwill sings
And the morning brings
Sunshine and freedom
A beautiful day
I just couldn't stay
Inside love's prison

But some rainy Sunday
I'll wake from a dream
And wonder if you miss me
Some rainy Sunday
I'll see things your way
And wish that you were with me

Telephone calls
Just hit the wall
And you can't see my side
Tied up with you
In a manic mood
I just scream good-bye

Some rainy Sunday
I'll wake form a dream
And wonder if you miss me
Some rainy Sunday
I'll see my mistake
And wish that you were with me
(-Juliana Hatfield-)
Another current-status song for me. This new album has helped me a lot lately. She's honestly one of my biggest influences and favorite artists. Just don't tell anyone.

Rapture

2004-07-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

Pedro The Lion, from the album Control

This is how we multiply
Pity that its not my wife
The friction of skin
The trembling sigh

This is how the bodies move
With everything that we could lose
Pushing us deeper still
The sheets and the sweat
The seed and the spill
The bitter pill yet undiscovered

Gideon is in the drawer
Clothes scattered on the floor
Shes arching her back
She screams for more

Oh my sweet rapture
I hear Jesus calling me home

Finally the chance to breath
Reaching for the fallen sheets
Collapsing in a glowing heap
We've gone too far
We've done too much
We have to quit it
Just one more kiss
Just one more touch
Please 10 more minutes

This feels so good. . .
Just barely moving. . .
The tension building. . .
Our bodies working. . .
To Reach their goal. . .

Oh my sweet rapture
I hear Jesus and the angels singing
Hallelujah
Calling me to enter the promise land.
(--David Bazan-)
I'd always heard of this band but I'd never *heard* them. I finally bought an album (Achilles Heel) last month and now I'm sorta obsessed. The singer/songwriter seems to place a strong importance on his faith in a lot of their material. This song is no expection, even if it's an uncoventional spin. I don't own this album but these lyrics knock me out. So sexy. I linked to the full MP3 so you can add this song to your iTunes jukebox like me!

Gone

2004-07-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ben Folds, from the album Rockin' The Suburbs

I thought I'd write, I thought I'd let you know
In the year since you've been gone I've finally let you go
And I hope you find some time to drop a note
But if you won't,
Then you won't
And I will consider you gone

I know that you went straight to someone else
While I worked through all this sh*t here by myself
And I think that you should spend some time alone
But if you won't
Then you won't
And I will consider you gone

I wake up in the night
All alone and it's alright
The chemicals are wearing off
Since you've gone

The days go on, the lights go off and on
And nothing really matters when you're gone
If you think that you feel nothing at all
If you don't (If you don't)
Then you don't (No, you won't)
If you won't
Then you won't
And I will
Then I will
Yeah, and I will consider you gone
(Folds)
this is one of those songs, you think, someone might have written specifically for you.

Senorita With A Necklace Of Tears

2004-07-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

Paul Simon, from the album You're The One

I have a wisdom tooth
Inside my crowded face
I have a friend who is a born-again
Found his savior’s grace
I was born before my father
And my children before me
We are born and born again
Like the waves of the sea
That’s the way it’s always been
And that’s how I want it to be

Nothing but good news
There is a frog in south america
Whose venom is a cure
For all the suffering that mankind
Must endure
More powerful than morphine
And soothing as the rain
A frog in south america
Has the antidote for pain
That’s the way it’s always been
And that’s the way I like it

Some people never say no
Some people never complain
Some folks have no idea
And others will never explain
That’s the way it’s always been
That’s the way I like it
And that’s how I want it to be
That’s the way it’s always been
That’s the way I like it
And that’s how I want it to be

If I could play all the memories
In the neck of my guitar
I’d write a song called
“Senorita with a necklace of tears”
and every tear a sin I’d committed
oh these many years
That’s who I was
That’s the way it’s always been

Some people always want more
Some people are what they lack
Some folks open a door
Walk away and never look back
I don’t want to be a judge
And I don’t want to be a jury
I know who I am
Lord knows who I will be
That’s the way it’s always been
That’s the way I like it
And that’s how I want it to be
That’s the way it’s always been
That’s the way I like it
And that’s how I want it to be
(Paul Simon)

Everyday I Write The Book

2004-07-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Elvis Costello, from the album Punch The Clock

Don't tell me you don't know what love is
When you're old enough to know better
When you find strange hands in your sweater
When your dreamboat turns out to be a footnote
I'm a man with a mission in two or three editions

And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book

Chapter One we didn't really get along
Chapter Two I think I fell in love with you
You said you'd stand by me in the middle of Chapter Three
But you were up to your old tricks in Chapters Four, Five and Six

And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book

The way you walk
The way you talk, and try to kiss me, and laugh
In four or five paragraphs
All your compliments and your cutting remarks
Are captured here in my quotation marks

And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book

Don't tell me you don't know the difference
Between a lover and a fighter
With my pen and my electric typewriter
Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal
I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel

And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book
(Costello)

Motorcycle Drive By

2004-07-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Third Eye Blind, from the album Third Eye Blind

Summer time and the wind is blowing outside in lower Chelsea.
And I don't know what I'm doing in this city,
The sun is always in my eyes.
It crashes through the windows, And I'm sleeping on the couch,
When I came to visit you,
That's when I knew, I could never have you,
I knew that before you did,
Still I'm the one that's stupid,
And there's this burning, Like there's always been,
I've never been so alone, And I've never been so alive.
Visions of you on a motorcycle drive by,
Cigarette ash flies in your eyes, And you don't mind, And you smile,
And say the world doesn't fit with you.
I don't believe you, You're so serene.
Careening through the universe, Your axis on a tilt, Guiltless and free,
I hope you take a piece of me with you,
And there's things I'd like to do that you don't believe in,
I would like to build something, You know it's never going to happen,
And there's this burning, Like there's always been,
I've never been so alone, And I've never been so alive,
And there's this burning, There is this burning.
Where's the soul? I want to know, New York City is evil.
The surface is everything, but I could never do that,
Someone would see through that.
And this will be the last time, We'll be friends again.
I'll get over you and you'll wonder, Where I am.
And there's this burning, Like there's always been,
I've never been so alone, And I've never been so alive.

I go home to the coast. It starts to rain, I paddle out, On the water, Alone.
Taste the salt and taste the pain. I'm not thinking of you again,
Summer dies and swells rise, The sun goes down in my eyes, See this rolling wave, Darkly coming to take me, Home.
And I never been so alone, And I've never been so alive.
(Jenkins)

Flagpole Sitta

2004-07-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

Harvey Danger, from the album Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?

Been around the world and found that only stupid people are breeding,
The cretins, cloning and feeding, and I don't even own a TV.

Blinded By The Light

2004-07-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Bruce Springsteen, from the album Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder feelin' kinda older I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing the calliope crashed to the ground
Some all-hot half-shot was headin' for the hot spot snappin' his fingers clappin' his hands
And some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover's knot with a whatnot in her hand
And now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-me-not whispers daddy's within earshot save the buckshot turn up the band

And she was blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tight, but she'll make it alright

Some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
He says: "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that's where they expect it least"
And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner all alone watchin' the young girls dance
And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance

Yeah he was blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
He got down but she never got tight, but he's gonna make it tonight

Some silicone sister with her manager's mister told me I got what it takes
She said I'll turn you on sonny, to something strong if you play that song with the funky break,
And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside
And little Early-Pearly came in by her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride,
Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer playin' backyard bombardier
Yes and Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent a dude with a calling card,
he said, do what you like, but don't do it here
Well I jumped up, turnedaround, spit in the air, fell on the ground
Asked him which was the way back home
He said take a right at the light, keep goin' straight until night, and then boy, you're on your own

And now in Zanzibar a shootin' star was ridin' in a side car hummin' a lunar tune
Yes, and the avatar said blow the bar but first remove the cookie jar we're gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon

And some kidnapped handicap was complainin' that he caught the clap from some mousetrap he bought last night,
Well I unsnapped his skull cap and between his ears I saw a gap but figured he'd be all right

Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh but mama that's where the fun is
(Springsteen)

I Radio Heaven

2004-07-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Over The Rhine, from the album Films For Radio

i radio heaven
i get mixed signals
i move the antenna
i switch the channels
i lie in this bed
my satellite dish
is there room in the universe
for one last wish(i say)

do you read me
over
you wanna come
over

i guess i never told you
'bout this life i'm livin'
it's heaven versus hell
in a split decision
this secret religion is
the best that i've found
i radio heaven
when no one's around(i say)

do you need me
over
you wanna come
over

this song is grinning
go on and undress it
it's just the beginning
go on and possess it
you're no longer a child now
don't let them molest it
the wound is deep
i'm just trying to confess it

the truth is i bleed you
when these frequencies cut me
i'm a slut with a mission
a singular vision
i radio heaven
i get mixed signals
i move the antenna
i switch the channels

i radio heaven
i get mixed signals
i move the antenna
i switch the channels
i lie in this bed
my satellite dish
is there room in the universe
for one last wish
(Detweiler)

Sand in My Shoes

2004-07-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Dido, from the album Life for Rent

two weeks away feels like the whole world should have changed
but I'm home now, and things still look the same
I think I'll leave it till tomorrow to unpack, try to forget for one more night
that I'm back in my flat
on the road where the cars never stop going through the night
to a life where i can't watch the sun set, I don't have time, I don't have time

I've still got sand in my shoes and I can't shake the thought of you
I should get on, forget you but why would I want to
I know we said goodbye, anything else would have been confused
but I want to see you again

tomorrow's back to work and down to sanity
should run a bath and then clear up the mess I made before I left here
try to remind myself that I was happy here before I knew that I could get
on a plane and fly away
from the road where the cars never stop going through the night
to a life where I can watch the sun set and take my time, take all our time

I've still got sand in my shoes and I can't shake the thought of you
I should get on, forget you but why would I want to
I know we said goodbye, anything else would have been confused
but I want to see you again

two weeks away, all it takes, to change and turn me around I've fallen
I walked away, and never said, that i wanted to see you again

I've still got sand in my shoes and I can't shake the thought of you
I should get on, forget you but why would I want to
I know we said goodbye, anything else would have been confused
but I want to see you again
(Armstrong/Nowles)

John Walker's Blues

2004-07-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

Steve Earle, from the album Jerusalem

I'm just an American boy raised on MTV
And I've seen all those kids in the soda pop ads
But none of 'em looked like me
So I started lookin' around for a light out of the dim
And the first thing I heard that made sense was the word
Of Mohammed, peace be upon him

A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
There is no God but God

If my daddy could see me now, chains around my feet
He don't understand that sometimes a man
Has to fight for what he believes
And I believe God is great all praise due to him
And if I should die I'll rise up to the sky
Just like Jesus, peace be upon him
We came to fight the Jihad and our hearts were pure and strong
As death filled the air we all offered up prayers
And prepared for our martyrdom
But Allah had some other plan some secret not revealed
Now they're draggin' me back with my head in a sack
To the land of the infidel
(Earle)

Subdivison

2004-07-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Ani DiFranco, from the album Reckoning

white people are so scared of black people
they bulldoze out to the country
and put up houses on little loop-dee-loop streets
and while america gets its heart cut right out of its chest
the berlin wall still runs down main street
separating east side from west
and nothing is stirring, not even a mouse
in the boarded-up stores and the broken-down houses
so they hang colorful banners off all the street lamps
just to prove they got no manners
no mercy and no sense

and i'm wondering what it will take
for my city to rise
first we admit our mistakes
then we open our eyes
the ghosts of old buildings are haunting parking lots
in the city of good neighbors that history forgot

i remember the first time i saw someone
lying on the cold street
i thought: i can't just walk past here
this can't just be true
but i learned by example
to just keep moving my feet
it's amazing the things that we all learn to do

so we're led by denial like lambs to the slaughter
serving empires of style and carbonated sugar water
and the old farm road's a four-lane that leads to the mall
and our dreams are all guillotines waiting to fall

i'm wondering what it will take
for my country to rise
first we admit our mistakes
and then we open our eyes
or nature succumbs to one last dumb decision
and america the beautiful
is just one big subdivision
(DiFranco)

Slow Motion

2004-07-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Third Eye Blind, from the album Blue

Miss Jones taught me English
But I think I just shot her son
'Cause he owed me money
With a bullet in the chest you cannot run
Now he's bleeding in a vacant lot
The one in the summer where we used to smoke pot
I guess I didn't mean it
But man, you shoulda seen it
His flesh explode

Slow motion see me let go
We tend to die young
Slow motion see me let go
What a brother knows
Slow motion see me let go

Now the cops will get me
But girl, if you would let me
I'll take your pants off
I got a little bit of blow we could both get off
Later bathing in the afterglow
Two lines of coke I cut with Drano
And her nose starts to bleed
A most beautiful ruby red

Slow motion see me let go
We'll remember these days
Slow motion see me let go
Urban life decays
Slow motion see me let go
And at home

My sister's eating paint chips again
Maybe that's why she's insane
I shut the door to her moaning
And I shoot smack in my veins
Wouldn't you?
See my neighbor's beating his wife
Because he hates his life
There's a knock to his fist as he swings
Oh man, what a beautiful thing
And death slides close to me
Won't grow old to be
A junkie wino creep
Hollywood glamorized my wrath
I'm a young urban psychopath
I incite murder for your entertainment
'Cause I needed the money
What's your excuse?
The joke's on you

Slow motion see me let go
(Jenkins)

Born In The U.S.A.

2004-07-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

Bruce Springsteen, from the album Born In The U.S.A

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up

Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "Son, don't you understand"

I had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone

He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go

Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.

Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)

2004-07-04T03:26:00.000-07:00

Toby Keith, from the album Unleashed

American girls and American guys
Will always stand up and salute
We'll always recognize
When we see old glory flying
There's a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our head

My daddy served in the army
Where he lost his right eye
But he few a flag out in our yard till the day that he did
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy in the land of the free
Now this nation that I love has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flying in from somewhere in the back
Soon as we can see clearly through our big black eye,
Man we lit up your world like the forth of July

Hey Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list
And the statue of liberty started shaking her fists
And the eagle will fly
And its gonna be hell
When you hear mother freedom start ringing her bell
And it will feel like the whole wide word is raining down on you
Brought to you courtesy of the red, white and blue

Justice will be served
And the battle will rate
This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage
You'll be sorry you that you messed with the US of A
Cuz will put a boot in your ass
It's the American way.
(Keith)

This Song

2004-07-03T02:09:00.000-07:00

Ron Sexsmith, from the album Blue Boy

I brought a song into this world
Just a melody with words
It trembles here before my eyes
How can this song survive?

I brought it to the tower of gold
In my coat of many holes
I came unarmed, they've got knives
How can this song survive

Oh now, I can't help wondering how it is
How someone like you exists
When all around you bullets fly
You don't seem to notice them go by
How can this song survive

Oh now, I see the game I'm up against
No wonder I feel so afraid
For every song you ever heard
How many more have died at birth
Oh how, how can this song survive

I wonder how, I wonder why?
(Sexsmith)

Come Undone

2004-07-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

Robbie Williams, from the album Escapology

So unimpressed, but so in awe
Such a saint, but such a whore
So self aware, so full of shit
So indecisive, so adamant

I'm contemplating thinking about thinking
It's overrated just get another drink and
Watch me come undone

They're selling razor blades and mirrors in the street
I pray that when I'm coming down you'll be asleep
If I ever hurt you your revenge will be so sweet
Because I'm scum, and I'm your son,
I come undone

So rock and roll, so corporate suit
So damn ugly, so damn cute
So well-trained, so animal
So need your love, so fuck you all

I'm not scared of dying
I just don't want to
If I stop lying I'd just disappoint you
I come undone

So write another ballad
Mix it on a Wednesday
Sell it on a Thursday
Buy a yacht by Sunday
It's a love song
A love song

Do another interview
Sing a bunch of lies
Tell about celebrities that I despise
And sing love songs
We sing love songs
So sincere
(Hamilton/Ottestad/Pierre/Williams)

25 Minutes To Go

2004-07-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Johnny Cash, from the album At Folsom Prison

They're buildin' the gallows outside my cell.
I got 25 minutes to go.
And in 25 minutes I'll be in Hell.
I got 24 minutes to go.
Well, they give me some beans for my last meal.
23 minutes to go.
And you know... Nobody asked me how I feel.
I got 22 minutes to go.
So, I wrote to the Gov'nor... the whole damned bunch.
Ahhh... 21 minutes to go.
And I call up the Mayor, and he's out to lunch.
I got 20 more minutes to go.
Well, the Sheriff says, "Boy, I wanna watch you die".
19 minutes to go.
I laugh in his face... and I spit in his eye.
I got 18 minutes to go.
Well...I call out to the Warden to hear my plea.
17 minute to go.
He says, "Call me back in a week or three.
You've got 16 minutes to go."
Well, my lawyer says he's sorry he missed my case.
Mmmm....15 minutes to go.
Yeah, well if you're so sorry, come up and take my place.
I got 14 minutes to go.
Well, now here comes the padre to save my soul
With 13 minutes to go.
And he's talkin' about burnin', but I'm so damned cold.
I got 12 more minutes to go.
Now they're testin' the trap. It chills my spine.
I got 11 minutes to go.
'Cuz the goddamned thing it works just fine.
I got 10 more minutes to go.
I'm waitin' for the pardon... gonna set me free
With 9 more minutes to go.
But this ain't the movies, so to hell with me.
I got 8 more minutes to go.
And now I'm climbin up the ladder with a scaffold peg
With 7 more minutes to go.
I've betta' watch my step or else I'll break my leg.
I got 6 more minutes to go.
Yeah... with my feet on the trap and my head in the noose...
5 more minutes to go.
Well, c'mon somethin' and cut me loose.
I got 4 more minutes to go.
I can see the mountains. I see the sky.
3 more minutes to go.
And it's too damned pretty for a man to die.
I got 2 more minutes to go
I can hear the buzzards... hear the crows.
1 more minute to go.
And now I'm swingin' and here I gooooooooo....
(Silverstein)

All Falls Down

2004-06-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Kanye West ft. Syleena Johnson, from the album College Drop Out

Man I promise, she's so self conscious
She has no idea what she's doing in college
That major that she majored in don't make no money
But she won't drop out, her parents will look at her funny
Now, tell me that ain't insecurrre
The concept of school seems so securrre
Sophmore three yearrrs aint picked a careerrr
She like fuck it, I'll just stay down herre and do hair
Cause that's enough money to buy her a few pairs of new Airs
Cause her baby daddy don't really care
She's so precious with the peer pressure
Couldn't afford a car so she named her daughter Alexus
She had hair so long that it looked like weave
Then she cut it all off now she look like Eve
And she be dealing with some issues that you can't believe
Single black female addicted to retail and well

Man I promise, I'm so self conscious
That's why you always see me with at least one of my watches
Rollies and Pasha's done drove me crazy
I can't even pronounce nothing, pass that versace!
Then I spent 400 bucks on this
Just to be like nigga you ain't up on this!
And I can't even go to the grocery store
Without some ones thats clean and a shirt with a team
It seems we living the american dream
But the people highest up got the lowest self esteem
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings
We shine because they hate us, floss cause they degrade us
We trying to buy back our 40 acres
And for that paper, look how low we a'stoop
Even if you in a Benz, you still a nigga in a coop/coupe

I say fuck the police, thats how I treat em
We buy our way out of jail, but we can't buy freedom
We'll buy a lot of clothes when we don't really need em
Things we buy to cover up what's inside
Cause they make us hate ourself and love they wealth
That's why shortys hollering "where the ballas' at?"
Drug dealer buy Jordans, crackhead buy crack
And a white man get paid off of all of that
But I ain't even gon act holier than thou
Cause fuck it, I went to Jacob with 25 thou
Before I had a house and I'd do it again
Cause I wanna be on 106 and Park pushing a Benz
I wanna act ballerific like it's all terrific
I got a couple past due bills, I won't get specific
I got a problem with spending before I get it
We all self conscious I'm just the first to admit it

Oh when it all, it all falls down
I'm telling you ohh, it all falls down
When it falls down, who you gonna call now.
(Hill/West)

The Search Is Over

2004-06-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

Survivor, from the album Vital Signs

How can I convince you what you see is real
Who am I to blame you for doubting what you feel
I was always reachin', you were just a girl I knew
I took for granted the friend I have in you

I was living for a dream,
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world,
That was just my style
Now I look into your eyes
I can see forever,
The search is over
You were with me all the while

Can we last forever, will we fall apart
At times it's so confusing, these questions of the heart
You followed me through changes, and patiently you'd wait
Till I came to my senses, through some miracle of fate

Now the miles stretch out behind me loves that I have lost
Broken hearts lie victims of the game
Then good luck it finally stuck like lightning from the blue
Every highway leading me back to you
Now at last I hold you, now all is said and done
The search has come full circle, our destinies are one
So if you ever loved me show me that you give a damn
You'll know for certain the man I really am

I was living for a dream,
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world,
That was just my style
Then I touched your hand,
I could hear you whisper,
The search is over,
Love was right before my eyes.
(Peterik/Sullivan)

Mexican-American

2004-06-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

Cheech & Chong, from the film Up In Smoke

Mexican Americans don't like to just get into gang fights,
they like flowers and music and white girls named Debbie too.

Mexican Americans are named Chata and Chella and Chima
and have a son in law named Jeff.

Mexican Americans don't like to get up early in the morning
but they have to so they do it real slow.

Mexican Americans love education so they go to night school
and they take spanish and get a B.

Mexican Americans love their Nana's and their Nono's and their
Nena's and their Neno's........ Nano Nano Nena Nono!

Mexican Americans don't like to go to the movies where the
dude has to wear contact lenses to make his blue eyes brown
cause don't it make my brown eyes blue.....

"And thats all i got, how do ya like it?"

Bu$hleaguer

2004-06-29T03:11:00.000-07:00

Pearl Jam, from the album Riot Act

Swinging for the fence, got lucky with a strike

Drilling for fear, makes the job simple
Born on third, thinks he got a triple
(Gossard/Vedder)

Everyone Knows It But You

2004-06-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

David Mead, from the album The Luxury of Time

by the twist of your mouth
and a tear you've allowed
there's a rumor believed to be true
in an ignorant bliss
there's a secret you missed
and everyone knows it but you

you're tipping the balance
as life slips away
a curious talent
to sparkle and fade
but you're a bird over sea
and a flower in bloom
everyone knows it but you

there's a stain on your dress
and a mark on your neck
and a mantra you stole from a song
and though you feel you're exiled
like a red headed child
everyone knows you belong

a crystalline vision
alive in your eyes
a fragile religion
of truth in disguise
you're a gift more than good
in a season renewed
everyone knows it but you

yeah you're tipping the balance
as life slips away
a curious talent
to sparkle and fade
but you're a bird over sea
and a flower in bloom
and when you're down on your knees
you'll inherit the truth
everyone knows
everyone knows
everyone knows it but you...

Ghost Train to Nowhere

2004-06-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Lost Dogs, from the album Gift Horse

It's a sinners dream when the whistle screams
Calling "All aboard you fools and hard-hearted"
Ever circling back on a one way track
They pull into the station where they started
Some arriving when they think they've just departed
But they're not going anywhere
Lost souls when they've landed there choose to stay like prisoners unguarded
All hope is abandoned here 'cause they know the engineer
Ghost Train to Nowhere

They pass a thousand concrete pillars and never see a single tree
Grey sky eyes begging for a little sleep
Down the same dark tunnels past the same empty streets
The cigarette smoke chokes, the coffee's weak
And they cry "oh..."

It's a funeral pyre belching smoke and fire
All luxeries, amenities discarded
It circles back on a one way track
Pulling into the station where where it started
Ghost Train to Nowhere...

They search eternal winter landscapes
For images of loved ones and home
Though every seat and aisle is crowded
They have never felt so all alone
While suffering is assured and silence is preferred
Most everybody weeps though they don't speak a word
They just cry "oh..."
They sigh..."o-o-h-h..."
(Taylor)

Woman In Chains

2004-06-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

Tears For Fears, from the album Seeds of Love

It's under my skin but out of my hands.

I'll tear it apart but I won't understand.
I will not accept the greatness of man.
(Orzabal)

Renagade

2004-06-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Jay-Z/Eminem, from the album The BluePrint

[Eminem]
Since I'm in a position to talk to these kids and they listen
I ain't no politician but I'll kick it with 'em a minute
Cause see they call me a menace; and if the shoe fits I'll wear it
But if it don't, then y'all'll swallow the truth grin and bear it
Now who's these king of these rude ludicrous lucrative lyrics
Who could inherit the title, put the youth in hysterics
Usin his music to steer it, sharin his views and his merits
But there's a huge interference - they're sayin you shouldn't hear it
Maybe it's hatred I spew, maybe it's food for the spirit
Maybe it's beautiful music I made for you to just cherish
But I'm debated disputed hated and viewed in America
as a motherfuckin drug addict - like you didn't experiment?
Now now, that's when you start to stare at who's in the mirror
and see yourself as a kid again, and you get embarrased
And I got nothin to do but make you look stupid as parents
You fuckin do-gooders - too bad you couldn't do good at marriage!
(Ha ha!) And do you have any clue what I had to do to get here I don't
think you do so stay tuned and keep your ears glued to the stereo
Cause here we go - he's {*Jigga joint Jigga-chk-Jigga*}
And I'm the sinister, Mr. Kiss-My-Ass it's just the....
Renagade....

Irish Blood, English Heart

2004-06-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Morrissey, from the album You Are The Quarry

Irish blood, English heart
This I'm made of
There is no one on earth
I'm afraid of
And no regime
Can buy or sell me
I've been dreaming of a time when
To be English
Is not to be baneful
To be standing by the flag not feeling
Shameful, racist or partial
Irish Blood, English heart
This I'm made of
There is no one on earth
I'm afraid of
And I will die
With both my hands untied
I've been dreaming of a time when
The English are sick to death of labour
and Tories
and spit upon the name of Oliver Cromwell
and denounce this royal line that still
Salute him / and will salute him forever
(Morrissey/Whyte)

VicVerse

2004-06-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

The tagline of this blog doesn't really capture it's intended message.
I now submit, this blog about lyrics...good ones, bad ones...to the World Wide Weblog.
Simply posting them with no commentary, their only qualification,..... to make me stop singing and listen. I always sing along with the songs I love (and sometimes hate,... getting the jingle "Wanna Fanta?" stuck in my head, is what has inspired this site.....)
.....but when its really worth the time to listen, is when I'm moved. So, occasionally, I'll post here, with a lyric or two, that really catches my ear.

Hopefully, jingle-free.
Enjoy.

With strong effort and wasted resources, I may even get a real domain with a dedicated server, and really see how this takes off.....or "dot com" crashes.

Respond if you'd like, clarify and lend your interpretations, laugh and ridicule the horrid submissions, as well.....Just read and listen.