Ben Lee

You throw me in a pan
You cook me in a can
You stretch me with your hands

You love to watch me bake
You serve me up with cake
And that's your big mistake

Your guest comes in dressed smart
You offer a la carte
You didn't have the heart

And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off your boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam to feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong

You left me burned and seared
You left me ripped and teared
And older than my years

I should have know at first
That you would leave me hurt
You had to try dessert

No way to let off steam
Don't bother milk or cream
No way to let off steam

And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off this boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam to feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong

It must feel good to stand above me
While I make you so proud of me
It must feel good that I'm now gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong

I'm ten feet tall today
I'm higher than a kite
I sidle up beside
Awake for five days and five nights

I've got a glow today
For everyone I know
It hurts to watch me glow
I'm blind so watch me grow

I hit the ground and I'm downtown
The street's alive there's people 'round
Wonder how I did it all before
You know, I've walked away from more...

I'm ten feet tall today
And no one can explain
And no one can obtain
And I will buckle under strain

I hit the ground and I'm downtown
The street's alive there's people 'round
Wonderin' how I did it all before
You know, I've walked away from more than this
I've walked away from more than this
Away from more

I'm ten feet tall today
I'm higher than a kite

Hey there I said it
I'm in love
With you

There's an ocean between us
Just like me
Deep and Blue

And I, at times have had nothing
But tonight I want nothing but you
You're the only thing I want
The only thing I want
The only thing on my mind
All the time

Staying up 'til dawn won't take its toll
'Til we get old
And drinking is just the way
We keep away the cold
And you, you know what it means
To be true and searching like me

You're the only thing I need
The only thing I need
The only thing on my mind
All the time

And you gave me a reason
To give you my soul
I'll give you it all

You're the only one I want
The only one I need
The only one on my mind
All the time
All the time
All the time
All the time

You called me early one morning
And said you were glad I was home
You were lying there flat on your back
Getting drunk playing guitar alone

Did she say
She was leaving the very next day
Did you beg her to stay
Did you beg her to stay

You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine

It doesn't get easy get empty get older
And realize we actually die
Filled up with fear and the question persists
That you just might be living a lie

And I saw, as you beat your tired fists on the wall
Are you asking for more
Are you asking for more

You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine

I'm keepin' it together
Just keep it together at best
Somewhere inside of me
I know that this is a test

You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine
You got to burn to shine

You throw me in a pan
You cook me in a can
You stretch me with your hands

You love to watch me bake
You serve me up with cake
And that's your big mistake

Your guest comes in dressed smart
You offer a la carte
You didn't have the heart

And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off your boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam to feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong

You left me burned and seared
You left me ripped and teared
And older than my years

I should have know at first
That you would leave me hurt
You had to try dessert

No way to let off steam
Don't bother milk or cream
No way to let off steam

And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off this boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam to feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong

It must feel good to stand above me
While I make you so proud of me
It must feel good that I'm now gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong

Today a boy outgrew his town
They say his sadness was his sign
It used to happen every day or so they say
He's gonna take it all this time

And everybody feels it
And everybody knows
There are those that have the flame
And then there's those that just want to get close

Today a boy became a man
'Cause he prepared himself to fail
He escaped one night
Just trying to save his life
I am the hero of this tale

And everybody has seen it
And everybody knows
There are those that have the flame
And then there's those that just want to get close

Please take off your clothes
Give me your hand
Please sleep in my bed
Please understand
I'm gonna lay down the law

'Cause everybody feels it
And everybody knows
There are those that have the flame
And then there's those that just want to get close

Closer to God
Closer for sure
Close your eyes
And watch me become more
Become more
Become more
Watch me become more

This tender body
Just wouldn't have a clue
What it could be in for
So come on get your shoes on
I'll get you what you go through

And all the people
Around here every day
They go home in the nighttime
So come on do your make-up
And get me what I'll go through

I'm worth my weight in gold
Watching the crowds unfold
Late-start velocity
Nighttime's making a mess of me

And you hear music
Everywhere you go
Music's better in the nighttime
So come on play a record
It'll get you what you go through

I'm worth my weight in gold
Watching the crowds unfold
Late-start velocity
Nighttime's making a mess of me

I'm worth my weight in gold
Watching the crowds unfold
Late-start velocity
Nighttime's making a mess of me
Nighttime's making a mess of me
Nighttime's making a mess of me
Nighttime's making a mess
So come on get your shoes on
Nighttime's making a mess of me
Nighttime's making a mess
Nighttime's making a mess
Go on get your shoes on
Go on get your shoes on

It's sad and spent
Feel the motion again
Stop and pause
Then move some more

Still surprise you when it shatters
But nothing matters
Still surprise you when it shatters
Don't you know that nothing happens
But a lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens
A lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens

Choose a town
Find a girl to follow around
Stay on track
And just sit back

Still surprise you when it shatters
But nothing matters
Still surprise you when it shattered
Don't you know that nothing happens
But a lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens
A lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens
A lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens
A lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens
But a lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens
A lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens
A lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens
A lot goes on
A lot goes on
But nothing happens

I've been looking for some kick
Looking for one trick
To get through the day

I've tried watching the time pass
Watching the hourglass
Do you ever get the feeling that you just don't want to play?

I'm finding it strange such
That people don't change much
'Til they're torn apart

Keep one eye on the object
And don't change the subject
Do you ever get the feeling that this is just the start?

Sandpaperback inside me
Sandpaperback inside me
Sandpaperback inside me
I've been saved by
I've been saved by you

It's just another thing that I'm wanting
Time that I'm wondering
If I could bend

And I don't believe that things just repeat
Do you ever get the feeling that history must end?

Sandpaperback inside me
Sandpaperback inside me
Sandpaperback inside me
I've been saved by
I've been saved by you

And dearly departed
You leave a city broken-hearted
Or you were never never really there
And dearly departed
You leave a city broken-hearted
Or you were never never really there

Sandpaperback inside me
Sandpaperback inside me
Sandpaperback inside me
Sandpaperback inside me
Sandpaperback inside me
I've been saved by
I've been saved by you

Coming out of Sydney
Country music playing
Cursing all of them who stayed

In the city
I own this city
Get drunker than a poet who just got paid

And I'm finally hoping
That I'll be torn open
So that every word I say is true

The words I'm shouting
While I work it out
In case trouble takes me and I don't make it through

You have to ship my body home
Ship my body home
All I ever wanted was to finish what I started
But there's no way I could do it on my own
You have to ship my body home

Driving through the mountains
Cutting through the night time
Stopping now and then to wonder why

I left the city
The quiet city
I killed its memory just to watch it die

And I'm finally hoping
That I'll be torn open
So that every word I say is true

The words you're hearing
While I make it clear
In case trouble takes me and I don't make it through

You have to ship my body home
Ship my body home
All I ever wanted was to finish what I started
But there's no way I could do it on my own
You have to ship my body
Ship my body
Ship my body
All I ever wanted was to finish what I started
So ship my body
All I ever wanted was to finish what I started
So ship my body
All I ever wanted was
All I ever wanted was
All I ever wanted once I finished what I started
Was to ship my body home

So glad you're coming
I've nothing on my mind
If I could only visit
The places that you hide

It's blurred against the background
It vanishes as soon as you tell
I know this feeling
I know this feeling well

Despite these complications
There's nothing on my mind
Turn and face it properly
If you have to look behind

It's buried in the chaos
It vanishes as soon as you tell
I know this feeling
I know this feeling well

You're broken and I want it
You're broken and I want it
Asleep
Asleep

Teach me to sleepwalk
There's nothing I want more
Teach me to sleepwalk
There's nothing I want more
Teach me to sleepwalk
There's nothing I want more
I know this feeling
I know this feeling well

I walk the streets with some friends of mine
Just like every time
Sit here letting time line my face
Fill this empty space
I was tired
I was unsatisfied
I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong

I asked you if I could come inside
When I need to hide
Wait for your love to swallow me
Please don't try to follow me
I was tired
I was uninspired
I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong

I walk the streets with some friends of mine
Just like every time
Sit here letting time line my face
Fill this empty space
I was tired
I was unsatisfied
I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong

No time like the present this
Emptiness kiss and a physical sickness
I'm falling in fear again
I know I'll never be here again
No time like the present this
Emptiness kiss and a physical sickness
I'm falling in fear again
I know I'll never be here again
I know I'll never be here again
I know I'll never be here again
I know I'll never be here again
I know I'll never be here again
I know I'll never be here again

I'm feeling tornados
Blood drips off the town now
Blood drips off the town now

I'm watching the wind change
Blood drips off the town now
Blood drips off the town now

My mouth is dry
I've had better luck
My eyes are blind
But soon I'll straighten up
Soon I'll straighten up

I left for a while
Blood drips on the floor now
Blood drips on the floor now

I'm looking for ghosts here
Blood drips on the floor now
Blood drips on the floor now

My mouth is dry
My joints are stuck
My eyes are blind
But soon I'll straighten up
Soon I'll straighten up
But soon I'll straighten up

My mouth is dry
I've had better luck
My eyes are blind
But soon I'll straighten up
Soon I'll straighten up

And I feel it ending
Blood drains from my face now
Blood drains from my face now
And you keep my heart pure
You keep my heart pure
You keep my heart pure

I'll cross your path
You won't let me forget it
You can change your name
And make me remember it

And they think that you're too much for words
But they don't know how to show it
They've labeled you most likely to succeed
Though you don't know how they'd know it

I don't want your stories anymore
They were fun when I was four
I'd do away with the Pixies
If you could give me something more
She's away with the Pixies

We'll work it out
We'll make it worthwhile
Cause you can't always change your name
Like your clothes go out of style

And they're jealous cause you know so much
They can't quite get a grip
You're everything they wish they were
You never miss a trick

I don't want your stories anymore
They were fun when I was four
I'd do away with the Pixies
If you could give me something more
She's away with the Pixies

Well she talks like a bullet
And she looks like a goddess
Says she's a traveler
And she knows where she's going

Dresses like a model
Talks like a liar
She sounds like a bimbo
But she thinks like a scholar

She's got me she's lost me
She's got me on my knees in awe
She took me she shook me
And now I want her all the more

Well I'm talking straight to her
And I know she's not listening
Why the hell do I find her
So damn impressive

She has a bad temper
She likes to have control
The fact I don't understand her
Fascinates me all the more

She's got me she's lost me
She's got me on my knees in awe
She took me she shook me
And now I want her all the more

She's got me she's lost me
She's got me on my knees in awe
She took me she shook me
And now I want her all the more

Would you resent me
If I said that I'd miss you
And would you hate me
If I wanted to kiss you
And would you love me
If I was stoic
And if I told you
Would you already know it

Well I'm coping better than before
But it's still hard to watch you leave
So don't leave me please

You're like a childhood fear
You're not changing
If I gave you a present
Would you try to exchange it
If I tried to please you
Would you make me feel awkward
If I went away
Would you make me move forward

Well if you decide to go
I'll wait For a year, a month, a week
So don't leave me please

And I'm coping better than before
But it's still hard to watch you leave
So don't leave me please

You know you never change your ways
And I don't mean the way you brush your hair
You know you never change your ways
And I don't mean the clothes you wear

And I don't want you to lose your inhibitions
Just be a bit more flexible
By dictionary definition
Be a bit more ductile like me

You know you never change your ways
And I don't mean the life you lead
You know you never change your ways
And I don't know what you need

And I don't want you to lose your inhibitions
Just be a bit more flexible
By dictionary definition
Be a bit more ductile like me

I'm hoping you'll be
A bit more ductile like me
I'm hoping you'll be
A bit more ductile like me
Here's hoping you'll be
A bit more ductile like me

From such a tender age
I let you in
To mess with my insides
I don't regret a thing

And I don't care if you're confused
Please hold my hand
Grip the railing
I still don't understand

Twenty metres above the ground, took off my disguise
I never thought of kissing you is that such a surprise
I think you've heard my song before
Won't make you hear it again

Don't wanna hear about your girl
Got my own best friend
And if you wanna hear a tune we'll grab a bite
Take your quotation marks away
I got my pride
I got my pride

I ate my mushroom goop
You were laid-back
We tried to reinvent ourselves
We're getting off the track

And I don't care if you're confused
Please hold my hand
Grip the railing
I still don't understand
I think you've heard my song before
Won't make you hear it again

Don't wanna hear about your girl
I've got my friend
And if you wanna hear a tune we'll grab a bite
Take your quotation marks away

I got my pride
I got my pride
I got my pride
I got my pride
I got my pride
I got my pride
I got my pride
I got my pride
I got my pride
I got my pride
I got my pride

I swear I've never been speechless
Till today, no way
I never thought you weren't pretty
Had to say, had to say

And if you need some kind of reassurance
I'll cry and send my tears
But if you don't know I'm sorry
Then my green hearts won't mean anything

I draw a picture of red hearts
On a plate, just to state
I don't need love, just a letter
In my way, on my tray

And if you hate me cause I'm selfish
I'll begin to understand
But if you don't know I'm sorry
Then my g2een hearts won't mean anything

Yeah my green hearts won't mean anything
Yeah my green hearts won't mean anything
Yeah my green hearts won't mean anything
Yeah my green hearts won't mean anything
Yeah my green hearts won't mean anything
Yeah my green hearts won't mean anything
Yeah my green hearts won't mean anything
Yeah my green hearts won't mean anything

Well I saw you on the catwalk
Not a corny supermodel song
I tried to cheer, but the cat had my tongue
You came out of the dressing room
In a t-shirt with a red front
I'll be your hanger-onner
If that's what you want

Cause I'm with the star
Cause that's what you are
A beautiful star
I'm with the star
Am I speaking too soon if I say I'm in love
I'm with the star
Cause that's what you are
A beautiful star
You're wasting your pretty face
Hiding behind that mask
The mask of a beautiful star

I tried to think
Maybe I could drop a hint
I'm really awful
At this kind of thing
You came out of the dressing room
In a t-shirt with a red front
I'll be your groupie-supermodel-hanger-onner
If that's what you want

Yeah I'm with the star
'Cause that's what you are
A beautiful star
I'm with the star
Am I speaking too soon if I say I'm in love
Yeah I'm with the star
Cause that's what you are
A beautiful star
Wish I could drive you round
Around in your car
The car of a beautiful star
'Cause that's what you are
A beautiful star

Yeah I'm with the star
Am I speaking too soon if I say I'm in love
Yeah I'm with the star
Cause that's what you are
A beautiful star
Wish I could drive you round
Around in your car
The car of a beautiful star

Can't get away from a fun song
A pop song, I'm gonna write my swan song
Can't get it happening to write a love song
Always bring in rock 'n' roll
Always bring in dumb stuff

It's not about your jokes
It's not about your name
It's not about the way you hurt me
Every single day

Every boy in the world
Writes a song for a girl
For every girl in the world
I'll write a cool song, a new song, a pop song
I'll write a love song
I'll write a cool song, a new song, a fun song
I'll write a love song
I'll write a love song

Well I know it's real uncool to say
You don't need an amp to blow me away
Don't need to turn up, plug in, or go very far
Just strum a chord on my guitar

Well my guitar is love
And my guitar's all I need
And my guitar's so special
Cause it plays the songs - not me

Well I can take my guitar to the beach
And strum out a pop masterpiece
I work out my favourite songs
I can do it myself or play along

Well my guitar is love
And my guitar's all I need
And my guitar's so special
Cause it plays the songs - not me

And I don't know what would happen
If I lost my guitar
I'd never find another one
Like the last one I adored
It's my guitar

And I guess that when shove comes to push
An acoustic guitar doesn't mean you're a wuss
And when I'm sick of hearing noise
I sit right down with one 'my favorite toys

Well my guitar is love
And my guitar's all I need
And my guitar's so special
Cause it plays the songs - not me
It's my guitar

Things seemed so nice for the first few weeks
Didn't care - she didn't notice me
Then I asked her does she wanna hang out
Get something to eat

She said I'm just another guy with high hopes
A real sorry sight
I'm also half her height
I'm just another guy in the crowd
She laughed at me
I died

I wrote her a song, took me a real long time
To get everything to rhyme
Read in a magazine girls like it best
When you're honest with them

She said the song sucked big time
I'm a talentless clown
She doesn't want me around
She said the final goodbye
A punch in my eye
I died, I died

Well you're real pretty
And you act like a cross between you know what I mean
It's a real pity
Cause you try to be mean, but you just can't fake it with me
You love the Pixies
You're the ultimate Pop Queen you know what I mean
Yeah my girl is a true dream
And I'm not gonna hate you if you're not gonna hate me

You're my Pop Queen

Well, you're not that lazy
And you know how to act when you're with the upper class
My dreams of you are hazy
As we lie on the grass and we talk about daydreams
You're so unconceited
Yeah you couldn't be slack if I paid you the shirt off my back

You're my Pop Queen

Shoulda seen that girl on the radio
Made me think of the time
I tried to rhyme
And failed miserably that time
On the radio
Passed the time

Shoulda seen me trying to talk to you
So you'd think I was cool
But I'm not
And I guess you found that out
On the radio
Passed the time

Said I'd tell you everything
Or every but that one thing
I tried to weasel my way out
You shouldn't have found out that way
I shoulda sat you down and explained
I thought that there would be no way
You'd find out on the radio

Shoulda seen me sink not swim
Made me think of a rat
That's trying to climb
Even though it know it's doomed
On the radio
Passed the time

Shoulda heard me - what a fool
Made me think of the time
I tried to rhyme
And failed miserably that time
On the radio
Passed the time

Said I'd tell you everything
Or every but that one thing
I tried to weasel my way out
You shouldn't have found out that way
I shoulda sat you down and explained
I thought that there would be no way
You'd find out on the radio

I'll buy a pair of jeans
A stylish means
A groovy masterpiece
I'll cover them with paper men
And books on zen

Records shot with darts
Talk your way out of this one - blah, blah, blah...

I wrote a song for you
I wrote a song for you

I'll sleep till after three
I'll brush my teeth
I'll wash my feet
I don't feel well
You couldn't tell
I look like hell

Records shot with darts
Talk your way out of this one - blah, blah, blah...

I wrote a song for you
I wrote a song for you
I wrote a song for you
I wrote a song for you
I wrote a song for you
I wrote a song for you
I wrote a song for you
I wrote a song for you

I pretend I'm mellow
So you don't think I'm hurt
I'm just a real sad fellow
Pretends he's so down to earth

And I might get a kiss
If I play my cards right
Don't care if I've missed
The whole goddamn point
Just pull myself together in the way
That you'd want me to

You're so mellow
You can't see I'm in pain
My knees turn to jello
And my eyes start to rain

And I might not get dissed
If I play my cards right
Don't care if I've missed
The whole goddamn point
Try to be nice in the way
That you'd want me to

And I wear my shirt like I'm not affected
I'll eat my lunch like I still haven't checked yet
I'll try to be cool and if that doesn't work at all
I'll try to sprawl

I'm out on a limb
I'm trying to climb
I'm feeling unsure
Every little thing
If you give it time
Is destined to change you

Why can't I take back my past if I wanna
Why can't I lose half my life if I wanna

She'll do anything
She'll hurt anyone
That gets in her way
She'll do anything
She'll hurt anyone
That gets in her way

The slippery tongue
I wrap 'round the words
The web that I've spun
Put a stumbling block
In front of the blind
I made you feel dumb

Who says this fruit's gonna last forever
Who says I'm wearing these shoes forever

She'll do anything
She'll hurt anyone
That gets in her way
She'll do anything
She'll hurt anyone
That gets in her way

Locker room dialogue boils the fat
To forget you're a kid feels much better than that
Locker room dialogue boils the fat
To forget you're a kid feels much better than that

Piggy's on the floor, getting some sun
The axe on the wall, isn't the only one
The case in the hall, show to everyone
The lock on the door

If you wanna, if you oughtta
If you kinda, shoulda, sorta
If you'd like some, if you'd try some
So you're sure before you buy some

Gotta come to terms with what I've found

The train will pass the loft each night at ten
Phone echoes round the loft at six am
People come and leave the loft every now and then
I love the loft

Gotta come to terms with what I've found
Gotta come to terms with what I've found
Gotta come to terms with what I've found
Gotta come to terms with what I've found
Gotta come to terms with what I've found
Gotta come to terms with what I've found
Gotta come to terms with what I've found
Gotta come to terms with what I've found
Gotta come to terms with what I've found

I'll be around
I'll be around
I'll be around
I'll be around

Copping the sound, the sound cops me
I've got nothing to lose
My hair's in the breeze
I don't hate you, just your jealousy
So if you're ready to procrastinate
I'll be your friend, you'll eat me up
We boast the widest range in town
I'll be your friend, you'll show me how

Alarm clock is off, I'm trying to sleep
Smelling of Bondi beach
And the street, filthy as it may be
Is still my street, so don't challenge me
Some things don't change, for instance me
I'll sail your third defeat today
In every way, you'll lose again

But I don't care, I don't care
The wind's in my hair, the hair's in my breeze
I'm waiting to sneeze, I'm waiting to sneeze
The hair's in my breeze

Well I don't care, I don't care
The wind's in my hair, the hair's in my breeze
I'm waiting to sneeze, I'm trying to sneeze
The hair's in my breeze

On the TV there's a picture frame with two separate photos in it
My two sisters that's just about the closest they've been
My folks will tell you they've been that way forever
I can't remember the last time they were in the same room together

You'll hear stories about how they used to fight
Screaming slamming doors keep the neighbors up at night
And me their evil baby child brother
Just about the last thing they have in common with each other

Two sisters everything is awkward, tense
Don't know each other and it doesn't make sense at all
Two sisters both led lives extreme
Tried to erase any similarities

Married, single, secure, a floating balloon
Tried to forget the fact that they both came from the same womb
Two sisters a deadly combination
Avoid it at all costs it's not worth the frustration

Maybe a brother and a sister would be best for all
Two sisters had so much in common
Now they don't know each other at all
You thought that they'd grow closer with age
You were mistaken, they'll go to their graves apart
Not regretting what they didn't do
Never missing the sister that they never knew

Maybe the friendly sibling myth is a scam
I don't know any siblings that walk around holding hands
Maybe we all expect too much of them
Not only to be sisters but also to be friends

Maybe two sisters need to fight scream and weep
Maybe if two sisters don't fight
Then two sisters will never speak
Keep your theories and parent psychology
It doesn't hold with me

A frame with two separate photos in it
Is the closest that my two sisters have been
A frame with two separate photos in it
Is the closest that my two sisters have been
A frame with two separate photos in it
A frame with two separate photos in it

Just 18 I've seen the world
Done more than some their whole lives unfold
Still at school just saving face
But a month today I'll be leaving this place

I've lived a million lives so far
But I'm still naive and a broken heart
I feel like I've heard it all before
With a whole life ahead to hear a whole lot more

You wouldn't believe half the things I've seen
Way too much for just 18
I've written songs about them all so far
And played them all on an acoustic guitar

Life is good, it's been alright to me
I've recorded my heart on a couple LPs
It all comes down to the same old thing
Trying to find someone to share it with

I'm lost, I know that the world is weird
I'm swimming in waters that I used to fear
Crazy things have made me kind of tough
Sometimes I think that I've seen too much

Just 18 I've seen the world
Done more than some their whole lives unfold
Still at school just saving face
But a month today I'll be leaving this place
But a month today I'll be leaving this place

When I was a kid I was best at whatever I did
When I was a kid I was smart, at the top of the class
When I was a lad I was sure I had the world in my hands
I was my own teacher I had my own plan

I could have been an athlete could have trained all the time
Been just like the others could have left them behind
But I was too lazy I could not see ahead
All I thought of was music that was filling my head

I could have been a painter painting life in a rush
All I saw in a day on canvas with my brush
But I was just painting my life in a song
Getting all the chords right getting all the words wrong

I could have been a writer with a back catalogue
Full of stories of crimes, sex and beer, girls and drugs
But instead I was writing my first song so bad
On the cheapest guitar that the music store had

'Cos instead I strummed on guitars
Instead I wasted my time
And I strummed on guitars

I could have been a lawyer defending some guy
With a paycheck so big for my heart paid to lie
But instead I was keeping the truth to myself
In the records I placed one by one on my shelf

I could have been a champion, man of the year
Wave to the crowd as they scream and cheer
But here I am playing to people sat down
Nursing their beers while I play the clown

And instead I strummed on guitars
Instead I wasted my time
And I strummed on guitars

I could have been a racing car driver speed mad
Seeking the thrills that my youth never had
But instead I was busy enjoying my age
With teen punk rock anthems and hearts paid to rage

I could have been a scientist, doctor or man
With a stethoscope diagnosing ladies' old hands
But instead I built fret-callous fingertip scars
On my ten year old hands meant for toy ships and cars

And instead I strummed on guitars
Instead I wasted my time
Strummed on guitars

I could have been so much
But I wasted my time on useless guitars
I could have been so much
But I'm not
And I'm glad
And I'm glad
'Cos when I was a kid I was best at whatever I did

I didn't see it coming
I just thought that you were friendly
But here we are passionately embraced
I suppose it's kind of funny
But it's also kind of scary
That your kiss brought back a feeling I'd erased

When you said that you were lonely
And I said I thought you would be
Then you took me to a darker holy place
Then I said I liked to kiss you
And you said you loved to kiss me
Then kissed the sweetest kiss I'll ever taste

'Cos I've known you for an hour
But you're growing like a flower In me
I've known you for a lifetime
Or we're soul mates from a past life
Daisy

It's all mixed with indecision
And a painful soulful spilling
Of everything I've ever felt or known
And you know that they're all looking
So you kiss me even harder
Then hold me and I just feel right at home

Your touch is soft and tender
So I raise my flag surrender
Then say "I feel you staring at my soul"
And it makes them all feel awkward
But our time here's more important
So we sink into our closed eyed painful hole

I'm scared of what will happen
So I kiss you, say I'll call you
Then I tell you so much I don't understand
Then you kiss me with an answer
And my question seems invalid
And I go to bed with daisies in my hand

I call you there's no answer
But I know I have to see you
So I call and call and call and call again
But you never get my message
Or you choose not to return it
Because you shouldn't, needn't, wouldn't or just can't

I'm lonely and I love you
For the moment that is what's true In me
I've known you now forever
Joined at the soul together
Daisy

There'll be no way to avoid you
When I see you in the movies
And I realize right now you're not here with me
If I'll see you in my lifetime
If again I'll feel you kiss me
I suppose that I'll just have to wait and see

But for now I'll just be grateful
To be touched by such an angel
And put it down as life experience
That my muse is just a daisy
With the most beautiful nature
Will one day fall back in my flower bed

And I know you said you love me
And that's the only memory left For me
'Cos I need you more than ever
Joined at the soul together
Daisy

If you were here I'd slap you senseless
Then I'd ask you where you've been
I'd tell you don't you know I worry
Sitting up each night in fear
And then I'd tell you that I'm angry
And I'd say you did me wrong
And that I hate you 'cos you sneak into
My every single song

If you were here you'd see the damage done
And then you'd feel the shame
I'd make you understand my pain

If you were 'round I'd show you wounds and scars
The proof that you were here
And then I'd make you cry like I did
If my point still was not clear
If you were here I'd scream and
Maybe trash the room if I had time
And then one single word would break your spirit
Just the same as you broke mine

If you were here you'd realize what you did
Stay for a million years
I'd make you cry my tears

But you're not here
And I'm not strong
And this whole thing has gone on too long
I need to leave this on my shelf
But instead I say it to myself

If you were here I'd slap you senseless
If only you were here

Eight years old
I was in love with a girl
Eight years old
My only love meant the world
We'd hang out
Play catch and kiss at lunch time
I was young she was something to call mine
I'd be lying if I said I was not
Devastated and broken when she
Opened my hand slid hers in
Then walked away

It was bad
The only eight year old kid suicidal
In the school
Convinced I was down to survival
Melodramatic in my usual way
I was sure that the whole world would end
When the girl left that day
And it did

Seventeen years old
Riding home on the bus
Seventeen
Looking for someone to trust
The seat next to me
Sits down a girl I once loved
She looks at me
And then I remember her touch
She smiles
Then touches my knee
All of the sudden I'm eight years old not seventeen
Again

Here's this girl
I was in love, I was eight
Almost a decade later
A decade too late
So she smiles
Asks me "so how you been?"
Then gives me her number to go out sometime this weekend
My head is spinning it's all too surreal
Deja vu doesn't begin to describe how I feel
So I laugh
There's nothing to say
Maybe everything in my life's gonna end up this way

On the last day of the world
On the last day of history
I'm gonna live like I always wanted
I'm gonna live like I really was free
And when it finally happens
When they say it on TV
You can bet your life that I'll be the first one
Dancing in the street

You'll have your scientist expert nuclear physicist
Saying that he can't explain
Maybe it's a meteor nuclear bomb missile launch
A final plague acid rain
Then he'll tell you it's the last day of your life
And you must not leave your home
There'll be millions of people all around the world
Praying to the CNN god alone

But I'm gonna dance And I'm gonna sing
When I hear those words said
I'm gonna smash my favorite guitar
Burn every book I've ever read
Then I'm gonna gather all my friends together
We'll get drunk and we'll get high
And then we'll chain smoke cigarettes
It doesn't matter 'cos we're all gonna die

I'm gonna tear down the main city street
In a stolen police car
Record the world's trashiest song
And make myself a star
Then I'm gonna come back home and sit and think
About every word I've said
Take a photo of myself as a souvenir
'Cos by the end of the day I'll be dead

And then I'll come round to your place
With a flower and a song
I'm gonna rest my tired head in your lap
And cry about all the things I've done wrong
Then I'm gonna look at you just one last time
And smile at the life I chose
Then let one final tear past my eye
Before the world explodes

It's 3 AM in New York
Sometime in 1995
The other half of the world
The other side

It might have been warm outside, maybe cold
Who could tell?
Three of us stumbled into room 421
At the Grammercy Park Hotel

It's 3 AM in New York
We sat for a while
We started to talk
We started to smile

Then he played a song I knew very well
3 AM in New York
At the Grammercy Park Hotel

He passed the guitar around
Over and over and over again
Till one of us broke a string
It was probably him

But the songs came out strong
They were loud, they were long
There were songs about girls, about boys
Sung a lot, screamed a lot
We made lots of noise

It's 3 AM in New York
It's the time of my life
Minstrels and maidens and heartbroken songs
Made me cry

And we were anonymous, androgynous
Bearers of truth
And the indie rock columnists would have freaked out
If they knew

It's 3 AM in New York
And I knew we were right
We were young, not so young
And in love with our lives

3 AM in New York
I went back to bed
Three lone true prophets
With songs in our heads

It's 3 AM in New York
And I just felt God
Lying awake in the dark
I was in awe

And I know in reality
It might not be true
But for three of us here in New York
It's all we could do

I know it's just songs, played on guitars
It's not rocket science, flying to Mars
And I know it's not much, but it's all that I have
To be sure that I'm real
Again and again

And If there comes a day
When my fingers don't work
Or my voice loses sound
Gives me grief, gives me hurt
Well, I swear on that day
When I lose what's worthwhile
From that day forth I never shall smile

It's 3 AM in New York
I feel fine, I feel well
Sound asleep
At the Grammercy Park Hotel

Michael J. Fox was a household name
In 1985
And what about young Mallory
And all of the Family Ties?
I hear they all robbed liquor stores
And are in jail now for life

Kirk Cameron had Growing Pains
Sex symbol of the year
Problem solved so squeaky clean
In half an hour clear
I hear he's been washing dishes
For the last couple of years

Laughter tracks and '80s stars
Predictable jokes
I don't have to tell you what happened
To the kids from Diff'rent Strokes

Punky Brewster's 15 minutes
Lasted for years before it got old
You're never quite so cute
And I should know
Once puberty takes its toll

And no one knows their whereabouts
What they do or what they did
Chew 'em up and spit 'em out
Like all of the Cosby kids

It's the toughest game and the hardest time
It's the longest walk on the thinnest line
Its sad and true that they love then kill
Where do they go when they die?
To the big '80s sitcom in the sky
Michael J Fox was a household name
In 1985

I should let this go but I just can't
And now it's just a lesson I can't grasp
So what's really the best that I could do
To hope to see you every year or two

And the things you said
Do they still make sense
Could you mean them now
Did you even mean them then
I could torture myself Insane and tense
But I don't have the strength

I'm crushed in pain you drifted through my life
But even looking back I know it's right
I gave you my heart scared complete and whole
When all you ever asked for was my soul

And there's nothing left
But a song or two
That mean not a thing
If I can't play them for you
If I could hear your voice just one more time
Maybe I'd be fine

But I guess I won't
'Cos it's too late now
And I guess you're gone
'Cos it's too late now
And the pain I feel
Is all I can take
Maybe this turn of karma
Is too late
Maybe I was wrong
Maybe I was caught In a net of passion
Maybe I was caught
Maybe I should take it all with salt
And soon I'll believe that it's not my fault
And it's not my fault
And it's not my fault
And it's not my fault
And it's not my fault
And it's not my fault
And it's not my fault
If I say it enough
I'll believe that It's not my fault

Today I got my call from Ketchum Idaho
From Hemingway and railways and whiskey wine and snow
But if you've never been in pain before then I guess you wouldn't know

I'm leaving in a while now for Ketchum's icy sting
To walk and fish and write some songs, to stay up late and drink
And if I stay there long enough then I'll never feel a thing

And Ketchum will be good to you if are strong and brave
She caters to the melancholy every single day
And babbles like a drunk old man unloading all his pain

I'll lock myself in Ketchum's stare I'll make her my whole world
I'm gonna roam the Ketchum streets to find a Ketchum girl
And then I'll let her break my heart 'cos that's all that I do well

The valley will become my home her hills will keep me safe
I'll give her songs about my soul when there's no soul left to take
And I'll forget I ever lived in any other place

And it may seem inevitable I would love this fate
So beautiful and tragic and her heroes can't escape
And Hemingway he shot himself one July evening late

But me I couldn't bring myself to bloody Ketchum's name
Underneath her passion boils, never spoils surface tame
I'll slowly let her kill me with her lonely wind and rain
Her lonely tears and pain

I pass a town without a name
Seen through the window of a train
A boy and girl stand side by side
The train arrives, she kisses him goodbye

She turns away then steps on board
He thought he'd die but now he's sure
But as he thinks of one last thing to say
The train just rolls away

I pass a station with no sign
An old man gets on the train just in time
He used to love this town despite the rain
But since his wife died it's not been the same

He curses himself, he was weak
At his wife's grave he could not speak
But as he thinks that maybe he should stay
The train just rolls away

The driver likes his coffee strong and hot
The train he drives is everything he's not
He watches the sad people board the train
Then laughs as he pulls out and rolls away

Hits a hundred, no holding back
Then his dear train comes off the track
The news report said instant death, no pain
But who's really to say?
But who's really to say?
The train just rolled away
The train just rolls away

We used to be the best of friends
I wrote a song for you
You'd call me for no reason
Talk about TV and food

We used to be the best of friends
You read my horoscope
You said I wasn't anal enough to be a Virgo
I said that's what I hoped

I admitted I was scared to you
I said I couldn't sleep
I told my jokes and they were bad
You laughed to humour me

We used to be the best of friends
We flirted but no more
Sometimes we'd drop each other hints
That we would both ignore

But now we're not the best of friends
We said we'd always be
There was a night I should've kissed you
That blame belongs to me

'Cos you got a boyfriend, got a life
I guess he took my place
I started speaking to you less and less
Till you were just another face

But sometimes our eyes meet
Sometimes we look around
Then one of us will look away
I usually look down

The other night I was hanging out
Red eyes, wet hair
I looked across the circle
And you were sitting there

The moment lasted forever
The reefer round this time
I took the hit and passed it on
Inside I nearly cried

When I think about the friends I've had
Forgotten faces in a crowd
The many times I've bared my soul
I've grown this old, I've cried out loud

I looked at you, you sat in shock
I looked at you, you sat in shock
My drifting nature has got to stop
My drifting nature's got to stop

My heart it is eternal
And my soul it often flies
You can see it in the evenings soaring through the skies
And it takes me close to madness
Though it never really tries

I've crossed a million rivers
And I've walked a million miles
I've kissed a holy angel and I've tried to show some style
I never even questioned
How I know it's all worthwhile

But I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
I will fall

My legs they get so tired
And my head it often screams
You can hear the thoughts all turning overload of fears and dreams
I don't mind the sting of feeling
But it burns when I'm empty

I'll ride the road I've chosen
And at times I know I'll fall
I have nothing to lose now so I want to taste it all
Wintertime in Glendale
Till the next location calls

But I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
I will fall

I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
I will fall

I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
I will fall

Well there's no one left but you now babe
Got to say that it's your call

I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
And I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna do it all
I will fall