1. |
Man Alive!
03:35
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I am spending literally every moment
Shaking and swearing and sweating
Browbeating my psyche, its tenacity wearing
I’m flaring up the way a dragon warns
Against its metaphysical forms
Smoke rising from the horns
To arms, it’s time to start a war
Listen, battle to battle stations set in the realization
This is not what I signed up for
When I planned a vacation
I’m living in a house with walls unstable
Able to cut the cable, it’s less than a fable
Having supper huddled under the table
There’s so much to digest
That no matter how good you are
You’ll never be the best
So I’m not going to stress the vibe
If I’m not six feet under, I’m the luckiest man alive
Now I’m flying off the handle
Oversupplying demand’ll light a fire under your ass
Until you can’t hold a candle
To the hordes of whores enforcing stores
On corners and borders
They’re lapping up the killing floor
Just like an eating disorder
We should not be allowed to be withheld
Forgot how to yell like a mind-meld
If you’re thinking what I’m thinking
Then we’re thinking: what the hell?
We’ve gone out of control
Slipping ever further from the goal
Who knows where the fuck you’ll end up
If you started in the hole?
Last time I tried this shit I said I’m not afraid of dying
And in retrospect that’s half-correct
But also kind of lying
I’m afraid of getting dragged down
With the lifeless hags and garbage bags
But if we survive our lives will drive
From rags to rags to rags to rags
To ragging on the people in power even for an hour
Won’t put food inside your mouth
Or give your kids a place to shower
You can glower and scowl and you can let out a howl
But you’re still one in a million wolves
Who doesn’t know where to prowl now
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2. |
Here Come Ol' Flat Top
03:02
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By the time you hear this, I will already be gone
With a cloud of perseverance
Drifting downward to the lawn
If I hold my up too high everybody’s gonna scoff
But I’ve got my bullshit meter and that fucker’s going off
You can try another sly move
Eyes up, angled to the sky
All the filler in your villa willing out another lie
Get a record of effect, overcorrect and then you crash
Rebuild the wreck into a second wreck
A flaming pile of cash
Here come ol’ flat top, here
Here come ol’ flat top, flat top
Here come ol’ flat top, he come
Maybe there’s a soul in there that’s trying to escape
But I’d make a bet it came and went
And left your mouth agape
Every time you take the stand
And you unhinge your jaw to speak
All the junk that clunks the podium comes crashing over me
I don’t understand the mental image of your obelisk
If your monument to arrogance comes with an asterisk
You will never be clever, forever weathering lies
Until your final endeavor forever severs your ties
Now, in the words of one of the greats
What we all love about you is you’re easy to hate
You’ll be left as a monarch in a kingdom of rust
As your legacy quickly blows away with the dust
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3. |
Stir Crazy
03:12
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I’ve got a whole lot of time on my hands
There’s nothing like an afternoon on the countryside
But I wouldn’t know because it’s not safe for me to drive
I’m stress-eating, completing puzzles, stacking building blocks
That ate up three minutes, now it’s time to tug my
I flip the pages of the calendar up on my wall
The time was flying ‘til it spun into a crawl
I used to clamor over the American dream
First and last on my list, now I’ll take any dream
As long as I don’t wake up to more of this
I’m going stir crazy
I’m not the biggest fan of going to the grocery store
Even that beats staying in and making up a list of chores
But I’d be insane to hop a train or hitch a ride
There’s no way in whatever hell we’re in
That you would even catch me outside
I pet my dog, then I circle back and pet my dog again
Between making calls and figuring out how I might pay my rent
‘Cause suddenly everybody’s got a license to ill
But I mean actually ill, so I guess I’d better chill, huh?
I’ve got a whole lot of time to put together music
I’ve got this mic and this computer, I should prob’ly use it
I’ll write more songs, make more albums than I’ll ever need
Slapping the bass and playing guitar until my fingers bleed
Maybe all this isn’t a curse
Maybe it’s all some kind of blessing
Maybe I should write instead of stressing, overly obsessing
Guessing if my actions are the ones to be forbidden
I can conquer this mountain
No, I’m totally kidding, because
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4. |
Drowning Together
03:57
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I’m a little bit lost today
But I guess that’s nothing new
If I’m tethered to someone else
I could do a lot worse than you
I threw the anchor overboard
Or I might have let it slip
Because I found me a cinderblock
That I can curl up in my grip
Right now we’re stowing away in each other’s arms
Somehow we’re weathering all of the constant storms
Too late to pull us apart with a meek regret
Our fate was sealed on the afternoon we met
We’re drowning together, drowning
We’re drowning together, together
You’re a little bit lost today
And you’re looking for some help
The dial lands upon my hands
To come and save you from yourself
I see you found a brand new job
Then you blinked and it was gone
Now you’re at the end of the rope
You use to pull yourself along
I can’t imagine what it’s like inside your head
Distant unless you’re codependent instead
I fail to stop myself drilling a hole in the boat
So bail just enough water to keep us afloat
I thought a message in a bottle
Was delivered to me, oh yeah
Except the bottle only held the pills
That help me to sleep, oh yeah
I fear the moment we both get overwhelmed
Can’t steer, we don’t have a captain at the helm
Grab on and whatever you do, please don’t let go
We’re gone, caught in each other’s undertow
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5. |
Gobsmacked
02:56
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Gobsmacked like an old hat rucksack
Kick back in a green Adirondack
Staring down at the creaking hands
Too late to negate them best laid plans
Follow through as the times get rough
The quip flows zip when you’ve done enough
Time to count blessings, one, two, three
Then they all fall down eventually
Clever, clover, drink until it’s over
‘Cause the light in sky makes everyone sober
Monkeying around with the iron fist
Who’ll pat you on the back ‘til you slip a disc
Up on the docket is a meaningless task
Time to rally and fling on a hunting mask
I know you’re savvier than me
I saw your ad on my TV
I know I’m living in a dream within a dream
But I don’t care how the time is not random
And I’m gonna run a marathon now
Air out the difference of feeling
And halt the agenda when we hit the ground
Oh, now you’re spinning, spinning
Spinning all around
Band together through the fog of ether
Stand out, shun the nonbelievers
Take turns sifting ill-gotten funds
And hitting each other with finger guns
The stakes lower than they’ve ever been
Until we heighten them up again
Cling to the feeling like an heirloom
Or a sad child swiping at a loose balloon
Hunkering down with the temporary
Feeling that’ll fade when we learn it’s scary
The time is nigh to make it die
Fire before you see the white of its eye
Clamoring around, that’s all she wrote
And if that’s the case, she’s got my vote
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6. |
Helpless And Stupefied
03:12
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Waking up in the middle of a monsoon
Laid flat, splayed and lifeless like a pontoon
Hide the scratches you acquired in the alley
How the hell you gonna get back to the valley?
You almost exploded, and once you get decoded
It’ll take a time bomb for your mom not to notice
You got half a mile to go, you might as well do it slow
And if they ask you where you been, say “I don’t know”
You can do this, you’ll get through this
Even though you’re feeling helpless and stupefied
When it’s blurry, not to worry
‘Cause we’re all feeling helpless and stupefied
Look around, almost like you’ve been forgotten
It’s like an alternate reality you’re not in
Reaching out to sink your claws into the family
But they turn stark white like they ran into a banshee
You got some explaining to do, mentally draining
You can practically hear all the fear when it’s waning
You let out the demons you chugged
You swept them under the rug
It’s too bad it’s too late to go in for a hug
There are people all around you
But they’re walking through you
They’re walking through you
All the waterworks could drown you
‘Cause you thought they knew you
They thought they did too
Time out, you’re half bloody and you’re all dirt
Nobody’s even asking if the fall hurt
Suddenly, everything begins to make sense
Surely as the day begins, you know the day ends
You, not one of them anymore, got something new to explore
For one last time, you slide through the door
And you fly into space as if you’re in a race
Hoping everybody down below can see the look on your face
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7. |
Standing O
02:56
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They said, “Don’t bother trying to cobble
A bunch of music that makes you sound horrible
You’re a white guy from the suburbs
Shouldn’t you be hosting a cookout
And quoting from Proverbs?”
I wasn’t brought up with skills by my side
‘Cause my mommy got sick and my dad, he just died
I never balanced a checkbook
Changed a tire or learned to tie a tie
I’m tired of trying to get it across
It’s harder to win when you start at a loss
Because nobody wants to bereave
And I did it so much that my family tree is a leaf
You go hard in the paint so you’re better than me?
I’ve been doing the same but without the T
But I’m coming back with a vengeance
All of you sad motherfuckers, you better remember this
I’ve got a plan, a plan so perfect
That it won’t need planning, no
So understand that when it’s done
You’ll all give me a standing O
I’m finally doing great, I’ve been holding it down
Independent of you and your hate
Your ilk coming out of the gate way too late
You’re so mush-mouthed, but I can enunciate
Out of eight times I keep it victorious
Running amok like a warrior
You only run to your keyboard to spew your vitriol
Hashtag: You’re a total asshole
You must be joking, but it’s not your fault
You can’t help that you’re choking on all of that salt
Insulting me, it won’t do a thing
Cut me down like a tree and count all of my rings
If I’m over the hill than the hill must be you
And I hate what you do and I hate your whole crew
So please don’t stay in touch
I feel like a record that’s broken in half
While you rally and cry and I stifle a laugh
‘Cause you’re staring as if I’ve got multiple heads
While I’m staring at you ‘cause you’ve gone off your meds
The crowd that you draw can’t believe what you’re saying
And you’re playing dumb, but you’re not really playing
But I’m hyperbolic, I’ll say it aloud
I didn’t mean when I said that you could draw a crowd
Your comedy is nothing short of a tragedy
You can’t retort it’s a masterpiece
You’re a casualty, you’re thwarted by the menagerie
You have to be unraveling from the sport of aimless traveling
The scoreboard is a tapestry
Of you falling short compared to me
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8. |
Nobody's Favorite Song
03:00
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This is nobody’s favorite song
Nobody sings it all day or starts humming along
Nobody finds it inspiring to help them be strong
Because this is nobody’s favorite song
Nobody likes to crank the volume when the beat is dropping
Nobody dances on the floor to get the party popping
Nobody calls around their friends
To bring some forties, roll a spliff
And kick a tune or two to make it through the weekend
Nobody switches down the dial, driving in their car
Nobody sings at karaoke at their local bar
Nobody wants to escape
Fire up a jam and light a vape
Nobody’s lining up to put it on their mixtape
Nobody blasts the stereo for when they hit the scene
Nobody needs to hear the sound to fuel their dopamine
Nobody liked it when they heard it
For the first time and their blood essentially stirred
Thump-thump-thumping to every word
Nobody plays it day and night ‘cause they can’t get enough
Nobody uses it to motivate when shit gets rough
Nobody’s falling in love with someone new
And hoping that against all odds
That someone’s falling for this song too
Nobody’s always gonna have the memories
Attached to every little experience
They went through when they heard this song
Nobody’s gonna look back on their whole entire life
And think of the failures and the triumphs
And reflect on where it all went wrong
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9. |
Under Your Skin
03:14
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Sliding down the hill into purgatory
Reflecting on how you’re gonna tell them your story
Lackluster belly dancers opt to show you their moves
Amidst the far-off clopping of cloven hooves
You like it, you like it so hard
You open up your wallet and you offer your card
There’s a man in a suit talking what sounds like backwards
Gesturing in the direction of the heart attackers, he says
Give me one chance to get under your skin
Anthropomorphic beings from the furthest of reaches
File into the pit in as Beelzebub teaches
You try to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes
Contesting the significance of little white lies
You like it, you like it so hard
They play into your hands because their own are too charred
You’re the king of the castle
You’re the prince of disaster
Then Satan taps you on the shoulder
Telling you to work faster, he says
Does it count as an Occam’s Razor
If the bodies stack up through no fault of your own?
Does it count as an Occam’s Razor
If you barter with the damned to leave you alone?
You like it, you like it so hard
But you’re in over your head and they caught you off guard
The devil warns tomorrow’ll be another scorcher
As he scans the perimeter for somebody to torture, he says
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10. |
This Time Next Year
03:08
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At this exact moment there’s no light
At this exact moment we’re not right
We know the steps toward the precipice
Hovering over what puts an end to this
But we’re still too afraid of falling
Though the voice down below is calling
It’s a miracle we’ve even come this far
Despite never knowing exactly where we are
I don’t want to run in circles again
The pressure keeps piling on
Though we’ve already said “when”
Live by example, live unshrouded by fear
Thinking where do you want to be
This time next year?
Amidst all the violence and hatred
There’s something shining and sacred
We need to sift through the debris left by the past
So that tomorrow won’t kick our ass
Our health might be depleted
We could even end up defeated
But we have to move in for the kill
Even if we run the entire race uphill
I can’t imagine anybody
Wanting to watch the world fall to pieces
But the type of shit I see from our leaders
Makes me want to pray to Jesus
‘Cause I can hardly believe this
We need to abandon the life rafts we’ve been seekin’
And start to paddle to reason
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