Stained Glass Scars
The Void
A few minutes inside the skulls of some of our scarier friends
Well, the mercury’s rising in town
And I’m gonna be driving around
Cause the faster I go, then the more I can slow things down.
See, I don’t even know where I stand
Cause I blew all the final exams
And it’s not like I’m following through
on any well-laid plans
Go home, little sister, don’t be paranoid
We’re not suicidal, we’re just toying with the void
All this endless summer, young and unemployed
Is it any wonder, we’re out toying with the void,
The Void…
I was out on my own for a while
Had an apron, a badge, and a smile
But I happened to part with Economy-Mart on style
Now I’m back on the couch in the den
With the parents, the dog, and the friends
And I know what it’s like to be spiraling down again
Go home, little sister, don’t be paranoid
Nothing’s gonna happen,
we’re just toying with the void
All this aggravation, everyone’s annoyed
Have a nice vacation,
we’ll be toying with the void …
I know what you saw, down at the mall
Don’t let it prey on your mind
I’m in control, don’t tell a soul
Everything’s gonna be fine
Well, the mercury’s rising in town
And I’m gonna keep driving around
And you might want to check out the news when it all goes down…
Go home, little sister, don’t be paranoid
Johnny’s only joking,
we’re just toying with the void
The Void…
The Song: Angels
I think it may be the Buddhists who believe that the souls of the unborn hover around a couple making love in hopes of thumbing a quick ride into this existence. While I don’t necessarily buy that, it does make for an arresting image to buiA few minutes inside the skulls of some of our scarier friendsld a song around.
Autumn falls on a year of many changes
Thought I’d drop you a line
I’ve been strung out; kicked it, and forcibly evicted
Still biding my time
Hey, I got myself a new apartment
Same old video games
And a girl I know from a half an hour ago
But I won’t name any names
Talking to the night
Tell it to the shadows down the hall
Talking to the night
Every time the sky’s about to fall
Funny how it’s like
I can see the angels circle ‘round
Tell it to the night
Send another cry of love on down
Dave is doomed to a half-a-dozen roomies
Down on Socastee Way
And they tell me Anne is the singer in a band
But no one knows how to play
How did Paul’s dad get fired from the lab?
The monkeys all want to know
And Kanderra’s fling has a waitress with a ring
And there I won’t even go
Talking to the night …
Send another cry of love on down
(It’s like they follow me around)
Autumn falls on a year of many changes
Thought I’d drop you a line
And if I don’t know how the future’s gonna go
I still have faith in the signs
Sometimes I shout it to the skies
“I’m ready, take me away!”
But as long as you got life to muddle through
You’ll still have something to say
Talking to the night …
The Song: Lemons
I always liked “Through the Looking Glass’ when I was a kid; where all the inanimate objects are alive on the far side of the mirror. Everything in this song is real, just not quite this real
Lyrics:
I’ve got the lemons for your tea,
down at my tree house by the sea
I’m thinking Sunday when it’s dry,
maybe you could come on by
There’ll be a flight of stairs to climb
(I live up here among the vines)
You’ll have the lizards for your guides
And there’s something more besides …
I have a ceiling fan that drives
A big propeller through the sky
And when I turn the motors high
Across the waves we’ll fly
I have a polar bear who talks
In my refrigerator box
And when the market’s in despair
I hear him celebrate in there
About the jungle in my den
The local leopard is my friend
And though she only wants to play
I get nervous anyway
I have a ceiling fan that drives
A big propeller through the sky
And when I turn the motors high
Across the waves we’ll fly
Check out the dolphins in my bath
I don’t do anything by half
I got a homing pigeon phone
Like I’m ever even home
I’ve got the lemons for your tea,
down at my tree house by the sea
And maybe Sunday if you’re free,
you can keep me company …
The Song: Sleeping in My Clothes
Back in the day, I was a receiving manger on a loading dock; I used to dump myself in the doorway after playing all night and catch an hour or two of sleep ‘til the office girls would nudge me awake and unlock the door. Then I’d work, go home, catch another two or three hours and go out and play again. Zombie!
Isn’t that our parking lot,
wasn’t that our van?
Now it’s almost five AM,
drive home if you can
Beneath a purple morning sky
I’m backing out again
Hot cup of coffee and good-bye
Another day begins
I suppose, I’m sleeping in my clothes,
and I suppose, that it shows
I suppose, that everybody knows,
and that’s the way it goes
Down at the day job, they all say
“There’s something on your mind
Whatever’s buggin’ you today
You’re dreaming on our dime”
I suppose, I’m sleeping in my clothes,
and I suppose, that it shows
I suppose, I’m smelling like a rose,
a
nd that’s the way it goes
Now I’m hearing all these voices in my head,
(in my head, in my head)
“There’ll be time enough to sleep
when you are dead”
Only now, when I dream,
all I dream about is a nice warm bed, and,
Outside the sun is sinking low
I’m bleeding from both eyes
Tell Dr Jekyll, when I go
I’m checking out as Hyde
I suppose, I’m sleeping in my clothes,
and I suppose, that it shows
I suppose, I’m living like I chose,
and that’s the way it goes
The Song: Beauty
Physical beauty is like some eternally receding mirage, it’s utterly nuts to pursue it. (But then, we’re all a little nuts, aren’t we?)
My love’s been good,
my love’s been bad
The best and worst of times I’ve had
Were all a question of success
With women and their womanliness
And everything I’ve been and done
And all the songs I’ve wrote and sung
I always hoped I might impress
Some woman and her womanliness
Beauty rolls around the world
From girl, to girl, to girl, to girl
Today your light came shining through
Tonight belongs to you
I’ve been the hunter, been the prey
I’ve been a fool, what can I say?
It’s all a mystery, I’ll confess
A woman and her womanliness
Beauty rolls around the world
From girl, to girl, to girl, to girl
Today your light came shining through
Tonight belongs to you
Beauty rolls around the world
From girl, to girl, to girl, to girl
I took my time,
but now I’m through
Tonight belongs to you
Tonight belongs to you
The Song: Cell Phone
The Brits have a term for any annoying little tune that runs endlessly around inside your head. They call it an “earworm”. Now I’ve actually written the darned thing down it’s not my problem anymore.
Well, I thought we had some promise
when our zodiacs aligned
And our DNA analysis showed everything was fine
But we will never get together,
and our love is just a dream
Cause your cell phone hates
my answering machine
Your cell phone hates my answering machine
I see you left a message at oh-seven seventeen
But I don’t even understand it,
and I don’t know what you mean
Because your cell phone hates my
answering machine
Well, our doctors and our lawyers
and our parents all agreed
Even Becky-Sue from college said
success was guaranteed
So we checked Visa card and
Master card and every light was green
But your cell phone hates my answering machine
Your cell phone hates my answering machine
I see you left a message at oh-seven seventeen
But I don’t even understand it
and I don’t know what you mean
Because your cell phone hates my
answering machine
Well, your kitty and my doggie
are now happily entwined
And even our computers are compatibly combined
But you will never send our picture
into Bridal Magazine
Because your cell phone hates my answering machine
Your cell phone hates my answering machine
I see you left a message at oh-seven seventeen
But I don’t even understand you
and I don’t know what you mean
Because your cell phone hates my
answering machine
The Song: Real Life
Theme song for an imaginary sit-com. This is about that moment in a brand new relationship, when suddenly, out of the blue, she asks if you’d like to go meet the family next weekend
We jotted our names and our numbers down
I called, you held out, but you came around
Two drinks and a show
Still rolling your eyes, I know
But, somehow
We’re talkin’ Real Life now
Have we come so far in so short a time?
Could this be my piece of the grand design?
We’re painting the town
Still chasing the night on down
But, somehow
We’re talkin’ Real Life now
Here’s hoping we’ve all come clean
Nobody is all we seem
In a dream
But how I’ve contrived, I will never know
To find me a soul so simpatico
I pray you’re the one
I’ve never had so much fun
And somehow
We’re talkin’ Real Life now
The Song: Designated Driver
As the worm turns; sometimes the whole co-dependant drama hangs by a single thread. (Snap!)
You’re all psycho games and drama,
you’ve had trauma in your youth
You make crazy accusations,
you’ll proclaim a hurtful truth
Always on the verge of leaving,
from the moment you arrive …
You’re counting on me to drive,
you’re counting on me to drive
You’re counting on me:
Cause I’m your Designated Driver
Your suicidal friend
I’m the one who’ll always be there
Even ‘til the bitter end
I’m your latest coat of armor
Your shelter from the rain
I’m your Designated Driver
And you’re driving me insane
There’s been nothing I can’t handle,
I’ve gone mental for your sake
I’ve had endless hours of patience,
just to kiss you when you wake
Every time you raise a scandal,
just to show that you’re alive …
You’re counting on me to drive …
Tired of being your brain
Tired of keeping your name blameless …
When somebody is the doer,
someone’s always being done
Then somebody has to clean up,
w
hile the other’s having fun
So tonight we’ll spin the bottle,
only one of us survives …
You’re counting on me to drive,
you’re counting on me to drive
You’re counting on me:
Cause I’m your Designated Driver,
Your suicidal friend
I’m the one who’ll always be there
Even ‘til the bitter end
I’m your captain. I’m your servant,
The easer of your pain
I’m your Designated Driver
And you’re driving me insane
The Song: Wicked Gift
I fell hard on the rebound for a girl in Columbia, SC, some of my best songs came out of that. This is the final one; the end of the whole “hearts and flowers” romance thing. Not disillusioned, but de-illusioned
I hit the wall and came on down
A northern boy, a southern town
And wasn’t my surrender swift
To your wicked gift, your wicked gift?
And it became my daily goal
To mesmerize you, heart and soul
And every night my thoughts would drift
To your wicked gift, your wicked gift
All those eager dreams I used to
dance before your eyes
I might have known you’d be the one
I’d never realize
Cause empty-handed I remained
With every pretext I could frame
To walk across that chasm rift
To your wicked gift, your wicked gift
All those eager dreams I used to
dance before your eyes
I might have known you’d be the one
I’d never realize
And now the crisis time has passed
I’m coming to myself at last
The veils are gone, the curtains lift
On your wicked gift, your wicked gift
Your wicked gift
The Song: Snake Eyes
The second meaning behind “Angels”, (every song has at least two), is that post-9/11 we may all be subconsciously scanning the skies for reassurance that we still enjoy the divine favor of our forefathers. Here are some reasons we might have to wonder.
We’re only going through the motions
We’re auto-piloting along
We’re only guessing at what love was, and,
Don’t even know it when it’s gone
Wasn’t we shivering inside, tell me,
Wasn’t we dying to belong?
Like we was trying to be right, baby,
As if we wasn’t even wrong
Voices of Adam, make my Eve so blue
And now they’ve got her dressed up so nice with
Snake eyes on her shoes, what am I gonna do?
You say I’m only skin and bones, sugar
Well, I’m an ally kind of cat
If you don’t like the way the Lord made us
You’ll have to beat Him up for that
See, we’re US. Issue all the way, honey,
Until we find another war
The things we try and make around here just
Don’t count for nuthin’ anymore
Voices of Adam…
She’s blowing away so free
Blowing away, and where do you suppose
She’s going when she goes?
Just beats the daylights right out of me
We’re only going through the motions
We’re auto-piloting along
Applying everything we know, sugar
But everything we know is wrong, wrong
Aren’t we enlightened kind of people, and
Aren’t we the keepers of the spark?
If we’re so cotton-pickin bright, tell me,
How come we’re shooting in the dark?
Afterword
This song is not too short!
Not often easy, but I try so hard
Not to let my bitter side get to me
Some people say my life is empty, ah,
Well, I prefer to think of it as roomy
And lately as I lay me down to sleep
Stuck between the here and the hereafter
I’d say it’s not as if I don’t know the joke’s on me
Doesn’t mean I can’t join in the laughter
Doesn’t mean I can’t join in the laughter
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