1. |
So So Close
02:55
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How unexpected
And sweet
And cool
To get a smile and a day with you
But it was nothing
It was nothing
I had to play everything just right
I was an island when you stayed the night
But it was nothing
It was nothing
And I will hold out my desperate hand
And I won't understand:
This was never close.
Hold out the rest of my days
I will go to my grave thinking:
So so close.
You said some nice shit about my eyes
While your hand brushed against my thigh
But it was nothing
It was nothing
And I will hold out my desperate hand
And I won't understand:
This was never close.
Hold out the rest of my days
I will go to my grave thinking:
So so close.
I let you go
And I begged you back
Then I let you go again
And I begged you back
Then I let you go again
And I begged you back
Then I let you go again
And you never came back.
And I will hold out my desperate hand
And I won't understand:
This was never close.
Hold out the rest of my days
I will go to my grave thinking:
So so close.
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2. |
First Flight
02:24
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In his seat, the anxious little boy
Fumbles with his tiny windowshade
There's a world too big to recognize
There's a first time for everything
And the sky's so blue up here
On the limb, the anxious little bird
Fumbles with his tiny, awkward wings
There's a world too big to recognize
There's a first time for everything
And the sky's so blue up here
Mom and dad are proud of what they made
As the boy pulls down his windowshade
And the bird folds up his wings, but then
As their children sleep, they toss and turn
Thinking, "Wasn't that just me?"
In his seat, the anxious little boy
Annexes lands of whipped-cream cloud
And conquers puzzle-piece terrain
And his mom tries to give him a word
But he pulls away to get his own
On the limb, the anxious little bird
Comes to understand the way of things
Realizing self-sufficiency
And his mom tries to give him a worm
But he pulls away to get his own
Mom and dad are proud of what they made
As the boy pulls down his windowshade
And the bird folds up his wings, but then
As their children sleep, they toss and turn
With the first prod of memory
First tugging of mortality
'Cause to say your hellos is to be your goodbyes
And the end is all that the start implies
That first flight the start of a flight out the door
But without that first, there can't be more.
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3. |
I Miss Her Too
03:42
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I don’t know how it could be a year since she
Neatened her desk and straightened her chair and she
Gave me a hug like there was nothing wrong and she
Left for work and did not come home
Empty chair in the corner by the old bay window
Count the months since she curled up in you
This is how it is now
I know you miss her
I miss her too
Search the closets but I cannot find
The velvet veil that she died behind
So I wallow in our ten-year mess
Reading cool regards from her new address
Lonely doll on the bookshelf by the old bay window
Count the months since she smiled up at you
This is how it is now
I know you miss her
I miss her too
Hate is
Hate is
Hate is
Love fucked over
Bitterness is
Bitterness is
Something sweet
Rotting in your teeth
I guess you better ditch me
I guess you better cut me off right now
Winter came and she rang our bell
Back to claim those she loved so well
She took the desk and she took the chair and she
Took the doll
And she left me here
Empty heart in the bosom of the cold grey woman
Who replaced the sweet dark girl I knew
This is how it is now
And if there’s so much as a ghost of a dream of a whisper of a prayer of her in there somewhere
Please let her know I miss her too
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4. |
Northside
05:04
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You come on softly as a spring night
Into honeysuckle silence, blue-white moonlight
And the paper lanterns dim behind us
Strolling down the driveway 'round the block you guide us
Past the Northside gates, the playground swings
Fence cut down so we slip in
Tudor neighborhood
I don't belong here
But I can't help following
Your windswept hair and oversized jeans
Your laughter at the stuff nobody else found funny
And our hands so close they could be touching
Yeah, but I've already done enough trespassing
This may be the one and only time
Watch you like I'm going blind
Padding barefoot on the pebbled pavement
Like it's cool sea foam or silky sand
Ten years nigh
Standing by
Catch my eye
You'll see why
There's a hole in my life where you should be
Some asshole by your side where I should be
Don't waste your time on a dream
Of some boy who's never seen
You barefoot on the Northside playground
Ten years nigh
Standing by
Catch my eye
You'll see why
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5. |
City Of My Dreams
03:26
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Here I sit, broken-hearted
Mourning a life that never even got started
I bought the line
I sold my car
I crawled through tunnels
And I wept in bars
Now I'm gagging on fumes in a cold white cell
And I can't just pretend to enjoy the smell
I'm a ghost, motherfuckers
I'm sick of only seeing the seams
And I want New York City
To go back to being the city of my dreams
Here I sit, broken-hearted
Caged like a hamster in my apartment
Wanna get out, I gotta pay a toll
To the stinkin-ass drunk on the stoop below
But I got nothing for him, I blew it all
On a studio the size of a toilet stall
I'm a ghost, motherfuckers
I'm sick of only seeing the seams
And I want New York City
To go back to being the city of my dreams
I'm a ghost, motherfuckers
Let be be finale of seem
Now I want New York City
To go back to being the city of
The city of my dreams
Iridescent in the morning
Incandescent in the evening
Fill the sky with silver towers rising
If you zoom way out it starts to look just like the smile of a friend
Iridescent in the morning
Incandescent in the evening
So majestic, mighty and magnetic
And I never ever ever want to see it again.
I'm a ghost, motherfuckers
I'm sick of only seeing the seams
And I want New York City
To go back to being the city of
The city of my dreams
Here I sit, broken-hearted
Thinking it's high time that I departed
I breathed your smog
I ate your crumbs
I suffered your fools
And I fed your bums
Now let it be written on the bathroom wall:
I'M GETTING OUT OF THIS SHITHOLE
FUCK YOU ALL
I'm a ghost, motherfuckers
I'm sick of only seeing the seams
And I want New York City
To go back to being the city of my dreams
I'm a ghost, motherfuckers
Let be be finale of seem
Now I want New York City
To go back to being the city of
The city of my dreams.
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6. |
Line In The Dirt
03:14
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There's a bottle on the ocean
There's a pattern in the sand
There's a clock striking twelve and
There's a letter in my hand
There's a line in the dirt
And we all get hurt
In the end
There is gold in the sunset
There is fire in the dawn
There's a hasty ultimatum
And then one of us is gone
There's a queen on my right
Will I prove a knight
Or a pawn?
Don't hold it back
'Cause I won't hold it back
The time is right
Sign
Go on, take my pen and sign
It's all you wanted all your life
Don't hold it back
'Cause I won't hold it back
The time is right
Cry
'Cause I want to hear you cry
In the middle of the night
There's a bottle on the ocean
There's a pattern in the sand
There's a clock striking twelve and
There's a contract in my hand
There's a line in the dirt
And we all get hurt
In the end
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7. |
CROATOAN
02:27
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8. |
Postman
03:59
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I saw mister postman walkin' down the street
I said, "Hey, mister postman, get some posts for me
I got some signs that need a postin'
For a party I'm a hostin'
And my fence, it needs a holdin'
And some posts to keep from foldin'"
And he said, "Hey kid - who do you think I am?
I can't get you no posts, I'm just the postman."
I saw mister undertaker walkin' down the street
I said, "Hey undertaker, undertake a task or two for me
I got a lawn that needs a mowin'
And a row that needs a hoeing
And my yard, it needs a raking
Yeah, it's quite an undertaking."
And he said, "Hey kid - you seem a real nice guy
But you've got it all wrong, and I'm'a try to clarify
You see, the butcher doesn't butch
The mobster doesn't mob
The worker's name is not always the name of the job
Like the pharmacist, the waiter
The cop, the operator
And I know it's not amusing and can be a bit confusing
But a lawyer doesn't law, a cowboy doesn't cow
And if operators operated, we'd all be dead by now
But see, making sure you're taken care of
When you meet your maker
That's the job that's undertaken
When you call the undertaker."
"The undertaker takes you under when you die, it's true," I said, "but if you undertake my tasks, there's cake in it for you, c'mon."
I saw mister milkman walkin' down the street
I said, "Hey, milkman, what can you get for me?"
He said, "Well, milk is my game
Why can't you tell from my name?
I bet you're feeling pretty sorry
'Cause it's self-explanatory
But I see you've been misled, so I'm gonna make concessions
Now it's time to talk to you about the name of some professions
See the doctor, he doctors
The fisherman, he fishes
And the dishwasher, he, of course, 'a washes all the dishes
And every single Sunday, like that old book teach
We're gonna go down to the preacher and hear him preach
So here's the point that I'm 'a pointin' at
To set it straight for you:
What the worker's name say
Is what the named worker do."
Varsity letterman walkin' down the street
I said, "Hey, letterman, got some letters for me?
There's some mail I've been expecting
And some bills that need reflecting
On the payments that they're needing
And some letters to be reading."
And he said, "Hey kid - who do you think I am?
I can't get you no letters
Go ask the postman."
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9. |
Congratulations
04:38
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Congratulations
You almost made it
You asked for nothing
You got me now
Don't go
It's too wet and cold
Now it's getting late
And it looks like snow
I could play it straight
I could be a man
I could set it straight
Yes I know I can
Oh God, I have broken my staunch code of honor
You're free to move on, so walk out if you wanna
But if you stick with me, I swear I won't do this again
Congratulations
You almost made it
You asked for nothing
You got me now
Don't go
In this bitter storm
Home may not be sweet
But it's dry and warm
You've long since forgotten what it was about me
So pack and unpack but if you can't get out
When your life is a shambles, you'll never be ready to go
Congratulations
You almost made it
You asked for nothing
You got me now
Don't go
Don't go
It's too wet and cold
Now it's getting late
And it looks like snow
I could be a man
I could play it straight
Not on a red-eye flight
Gone without a trace
No ribbon, no rose, no tuxedoed presenters
When you win the contest that no one else enters
So don't play the victim
You're here 'cause you want me to break you
Like my bullshit code of honor
Congratulations
You almost made it
You asked for nothing
You got me now
Don't go.
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10. |
Yuppie Exodus From Dumbo
05:06
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Behold the bitter exodus
From down beneath the bridge
As the yuppies and the hipsters
Quit their lofts and move away
Snap an auto-focused black-and-white
Of this heartbreaking scene
A heartbreaking scene of staggering genius -
If I may.
And they sing:
Nevermore shall a bridge darken my door
We're on craigslist searching for
Someplace new to gentrify
Till then, we can only hope
They've still got room down in the Slope
For the strollers we'll be pushing by and by
Now my girlfriend's typed her last
Paragraph for Conde Nast.
Who will pay her by the word
To holiday in Mexico?
And my next door neighbor cried
On the night his hedge fund died.
Anybody want a Ridgeback
Or a share in J Condo?
And we sing:
Nevermore shall a bridge darken my door
We're on craigslist searching for
Someplace new to gentrify
Till then, we can only hope
They've still got room down in the Slope
For the strollers we'll be pushing by and by
Oh Dumbo beach, we've run aground
No IT work to be found
No one buys my shit on Etsy
And my gal's name still ain't Plath
So we're hopping on our Vespas
Loading up and hauling out
In our precious shawls and hats
We look totally Grapes of Wrath
YAY!
Nevermore shall a bridge darken my door
We're on craigslist searching for
Someplace new to gentrify
Till then, we can only hope
They've still got room down in the Slope
For the strollers we'll be pushing by and by
Goodbye McSweeney's
Goodbye Grizzly Bear
Actually, we were just pretending
To like Grizzly Bear
But I'll sure miss being an artist
I'll sure miss being free
And I sure will miss my trust fund
And production company
Stroll the cobblestones reflecting
On these precious months we've spent
Down here at the intersection of This American Life and Rent
One day I will come back as a tourist
Take clever photos of the skyline
Juxtaposed with garbage trucks
I'll line up for Brooklyn Ice Cream in the winter
And wait two hours in the rain
For a pizza pie that sucks
Then I'll sing:
Nevermore shall a bridge darken my door
We're on craigslist searching for
Someplace new to gentrify
Till then, we can only hope
They've still got room down in the Slope
For the strollers we'll be pushing by and by
For the strollers we'll be pushing by and by
For the strollers we'll be pushing, bye-bye
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Jed Davis Syracuse, New York
Song designer; founding member of The Hanslick Rebellion, Skyscape, Collider; oblivious to genre, trends and the passage of time.
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