Blues Traveler

The sun is warm as the day is long
I just got the feeling I can do no wrong
I've got a long way to walk
Can't afford my next meal
I tell a few lies but my hunger is real

And it won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years

Mademoiselle tell me do you play
Well, if she shakes her head, well then that's okay
I watch her walk away in haste
There's just no accounting for some people's taste

And it won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years

Big angry man in the doorway there
Just keep on walking like I don't care
Why you giving such and evil eye
Could it be you were ignored by every passerby

And it won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years

Play in the park for tobacco and food
Then I excuse myself but they think I'm rude
Tourist don't want me to end his show
But this colorful attraction got places to go

And it won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years

Sit at the pier watch the sun go down
Another lost little boy in a big old town
I want to laugh I want to cry
But no matter how hard I try

It won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years (2x)

The sun is warm as the day is long
I just got the feeling I can do no wrong
I've got a long way to walk
Can't afford my next meal
I tell a few lies but my hunger is real

And it won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years

Mademoiselle tell me do you play
Well, if she shakes her head, well then that's okay
I watch her walk away in haste
There's just no accounting for some people's taste

And it won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years

Big angry man in the doorway there
Just keep on walking like I don't care
Why you giving such and evil eye
Could it be you were ignored by every passerby

And it won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years

Play in the park for tobacco and food
Then I excuse myself but they think I'm rude
Tourist don't want me to end his show
But this colorful attraction got places to go

And it won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years

Sit at the pier watch the sun go down
Another lost little boy in a big old town
I want to laugh I want to cry
But no matter how hard I try

It won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years (2x)

And if I take a different tack
Well then forgive me if the long way round
Confuses up the point until you're numb enough to hear
That you're using the anointing oil like it's sacramental beer

And don't blame heaven or hell
You have to look to yourself
And nobody else will lift a light to make you see
Don't got to learn a damn thing
Part of being free

And I realize
When I buck my place
It's my feet but it's their race

And I don't run unless you try to chase me
And I don't leave unless you offer me a stay
And I won't fight unless I'm cornered or if I'm after what I want
What that is I wish that I could say

So forgive me or forget you
If you think you cannot bear
Believe me life won't let you
If you blink you shall not fare

But should you get the chance
Try to make for the fence

It's a subtle dance we do
To stay in from the cold
And the cleverest ones
Get to be real old

I may struggle
I may complain
But I'm just trying to grab at the reins

And I don't run unless you try to chase me
And I don't leave until you offer me a stay
And I don't fight unless I'm cornered or if I'm after what I want
What that is I wish that I could say

I don't run unless you try to chase me
And I don't leave until you offer me a stay
And I don't fight unless I'm cornered or if I'm after what I want
What that is I wish that I could say

And if I'm wondering where to go well then forgive me if I don't know

Every time the water breaks and soaks me to the bone
I remember what I left behind by sailing off alone
Pitch and yaw through hurricane, my position is unknown
And the bell rings seven times

Salted brine, I drink it down and breathe it through my nose
No sign of land but I hang on and do my best to close
But the swirling tidal undertow keeps pulling me below
And the bell rings seven times

All hands left on deck

An icy rest is waiting at the bottom of the sea
She tried her best to take me as I struggle to get free
But while I have a breath to breathe, she isn't taking me
And the bell rings seven times

All hands left on deck

No hope of rescue
No hope of dry ground
The siren calls all souls on board
To follow her down

Swirling silently beneath the noise and light up there
Push past the frozen arms and legs, ignore the lifeless stare
I grab a line that pulls me up for a precious gasp of air
And the bell rings seven times

All hands left on deck

Sometimes when you worry
The tendency to hurry
Can make your vision blurry
And blind you
You might shake and you might stammer
Or dance like MC Hammer
But could that pomp and glamour
Remind you
Of who you are and where you're going
And whose mind that you're blowing
And if your car needs towing
Don't move
Then calmly call the AAA you've got nothing to prove
As in all things, it's all in the groove

All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove

Well, if it's your destiny don't fight it
War between the states, unite it
It might be difficult but might it
Be worthwhile?
I ain't no Solomon from Babel
Abut my cards are on the table
And I swear that if I'm able
I'll run that mile
So if I'm rambling ignore me
If on the money then adore me
You know the pearls are cast before me
Oh, what to do?
Wish I could put it in a picture and hang it in the Louvre
But like I said before it's all in the groove

All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
For instance

The jam it swings and sways
As the groove funkily plays
And they say crime never pays
But this ain't no crime
It's just a life blood flowing water
That any son or daughter
Would send away for order
A celebration of time
So jam on, jam out, jam it in
Till it feels like it's a sin
And that's only when you begin
To improve
Don't mind if it's the rhythm, that's just only when you've
Got to let it all be all in the groove

All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove

I said "I love you"
She began to cry
She said she needed a friend
I said "I'll try"
Soon we'd say nothing
Somehow I never wondered why

You see, she left me
She left me
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone

I'd loved her always
She didn't know
I tried patience
Let a friendship grow
I tried to keep her
That's what made her go

You see, she left me
She left me
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone

Beauty and the beast
Was how it seemed to be
A love like hers
Ain't meant for guys like me
Some call me crazy
Some politely call me free
But either way you see

You see, she left me
She left me
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone

I'm trying to forget you but it just won't work
Think I'm losing my mind, think I'm going berserk
I love you with a passion that you just don't know
And I kinda wish right now that I was telling you so
I could rant, or rave, or play some little game
But when I look into your eyes, it all seems the same
That you weren't meant for me and that's a sad but true fact
Now I don't care how I look and don't care how I act
Cuz you set me free
I'm a man among men
But when I think of what I missed it starts all again

Now alone in the darkness of each new day
My heart is on its own
I wanna rip it from my chest and throw it away
Watch this bassman take me home

I guess some day
Love will soon be here
And maybe then
I'll see things more clear
I guess I got excited
Cause it felt so near
And

You see, she left me
She left me
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone

But I know I'd give my life
Just to hold her now
And who knows
I might see her around

Hopes can always go up
Tears can only come down

You see, she left me
She left me
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone
I'm alone
Hey...
You see she left me

Well I guess it bothers me
Because I can't convince her of a thing
I can't talk my way
I can't even sing
And it builds into this quest
Until I come to rest at last
And admit I couldn't tell
I could only ask
And then I'm freshly daunted
By the prospects of her eyes
As she lets me down
With a gentle lie
Bad luck to force an angel's smile
They say it only hurts a while
But I've been falling
For a thousand miles

Amber danced upon a flame
Nothing could be made the same
Not so much broken as changed
Amber far above the moon
Smiling down and shining through
I hope that I could get there soon
I want to see
If Amber waits for me

Well I hope I can appreciate how lucky I could be
If she only would
Take a look at me
Cause I think I could deserve someone Who could be so kind
It's new to me
But I don't mind

Amber danced upon a flame
Nothing could be made the same
Not so much broken as changed
Amber far above the moon
Smiling down and shining through
I hope that I could get there soon

Amber danced upon a flame
Nothing could be made the same
Not so much broken as changed
Amber far above the moon
Smiling down and shining through
I hope that I could get there soon

Amber sails to Timbuktu
There's nothing more that I could do
But not so much hopeless as blue
Amber makes me feel alive
And something in me does revive
But it only works if she believes my eyes
I want to see
If Amber waits for me

It's been a while since I've left home
But I'm coming on back today
Kinda funny but I picture it only exactly as it was back in the day
Sure enough when the train pulls in
There's so little that I recognize
Is it the scenery or my selective memory?
Or just a simple fact that I gotta realize
My friends have gone and their lives have moved on
And I guess that's just the way it is
If this town has grown beyond my home
I guess it all comes down to this

I close my eyes and feel like it was back in the day
But those times have long been through
The dying of the light is gone, but it's back in the day
Like a wish that comes half true

There was a time when it was easy to find
A hangout that you knew was yours by name
And mine or not I could find the same spot
But it's never gonna be the same
I've been away and I've seen too much
Looks like I've been moving on as well
And when I started to not really belong
I suppose I was unable to tell
But I ain't sad and no, it isn't bad
It's just one more thing I'm coming to know
If you're alive you didn't finish the ride
No telling where it's going to go

I close my eyes and feel like it was back in the day
But those times have long been through
The dying of the light is gone, but it's back in the day
Like a wish that comes half true

It's been a while since I've left home
But I'm coming on back today
Kinda funny but I picture it only exactly as it was back in the day

I close my eyes and feel like it was back in the day
But those times have long been through
The dying of the light is gone, but it's back in the day
Like a wish that comes half true

I close my eyes and feel like it was back in the day
But those times have long been through
The dying of the light is gone, but it's back in the day
Like a wish that comes half true

Bagheera walked into the bar and poured himself a drink
His fur was stained with the blood of monkeys and he needed time to think
The man at the bar said, "What are you doing here?"
Bagheera let go a low soft purr that kept the man from coming near
He said "I'm Bagheera, the mighty panther and the jungle is my home
I'm free, free in all I see and that makes me free to roam
Sometimes to feel the music of the jungle, it can cause you pain"
And the man heard Bagheera as the entire jungle joined in the big black cat's refrain

One dark night the man cub came to the big black cat afraid
The boy was sure that he was dying due to the endless stream of water that his eyes made
Yeah, the cat knew why when the boy said, "I don't want to die" for these are the ways of men
The boy cried, "Teacher, teacher I don't, understand this ache within me"
The great cat sighed and then softly he began
He said, "Indeed thou art a man's child now and the world is yours to give and take
The time has come now for your awareness to change forever, there's a choice you must make
You may remain here in the jungle and hunt with the free people
Or, if you feel the man's God calling you, return to your kind in the village and worship at his steeple
The only thing you must do is what you feel in your heart is true
I will hunt now and leave you on your own to decide what to do"
The mighty panther went on his hunt
The secret Lord of the jungle beneath the night sky
And some say if you could have seen him then you would have noticed a single tear fall from his majestic eye

Well I love no one and I don't care who knows
Don't care if you're far away
Don't give a damn if you're close
I'm the vacant distraction of a broken old man
I lack shape or color
Not even gray or even tan
I'd hate all I see but it makes me too tired
I'm much more at home when left uninspired
So damn me to hell and resist if you must
But lower your eyes once and I'll emerge from the dust

For I am nothing
Yes I am nothing
Yes I am nothing
And I love no one

Well I love everyone I am filled with delight
I understand all your feelings I don't see from wrong or right
I'm the look in your eyes when you're telling the truth
I'm the wisdom of age and the beauty of youth
I am shape substance color darkest black palest white
Speckled gond ringing mirror sharp soft and bright
I'm rage passion laughter and the need to know why
Come sample all my riches I'm pure stimuli

For I am everything
Yes I am everything
Yes I am everything
And I love everyone

Well I can only love someone I am just a person
My father loved my mother and I am her son
The preceding verses are the halves of my soul
I'm just the battlefield and that is my role
There's a tug of war between what I can and can't feel
The inevitable compromise determines the real
The equation the reason for my being here
The struggle resulting in my invention of the tear

For I'm only something
Yes I'm only something
Yes I'm only something
And I can only love someone

And it's the best I can do
It's the very best I can do
You're probably someone too
So perhaps I love you
Perhaps you'll love me too
Perhaps you'll love me too
Perhaps you'll love me too
(scat solo)

I can feel your pity
I can feel your pain
And they're never going to bother you again

Well I don't know how
And I ain't sure why
But I promise you I'm really gonna try
Believe me

I hate tribulation
I don't want no trial
I can conquer with my state of denial

And I want to save you
So I guess I can
When I grow up I'll be a faith healing man
Believe me

When all is said and done
Already won
When all is said and done
Already won

You feel like you're part of the plan
When you want to be a faith healing man
Believe me

All is said and done
Already won
When all is said and done
Already won

Oh precious life
How you loved to lie to me
So recklessly fragile
So beyond my power to see
And yet so demanding
By making me believe
That I am standing
In the way of my own reprieve

That all our days are numbered
No matter the amount
There's a first and then at last
There is finally the fact
That the numerals just don't count
And all our time is borrowed
No deposit, no return
And no promise of tomorrow or the next day
What was lent you can never earn

If I took care of you
And loved you all your days
I'd still have to let you go
Cause nothing ever stays
You taught me to stand
And then you left the job to me
Now as a man
I'm finally forced to see

That all our days are numbered
No matter the amount
There's a first and then at last
There is finally the fact
That the numerals just don't count
And all our time is borrowed
No deposit, no return
And no promise of tomorrow or the next day
What was lent you can never earn
What was lent you can never earn
What was lent you can never earn
What was lent you can never earn

Are you sleeping
Brother John
If you feel like weeping
Brother John
Please won't you hear me
Brother John
Just wait and see
Brother John

Can't you see by the will of your hand
You can give it a try and just name your price
And everybody in this rock & roll band
Don't wanna preach don't wanna give advice
But the music's playing and all we're saying
Is come along and jam
And it's hard to be believed what can be achieved
With an outstretched hand

Are you sleeping
Brother John
If you feel like weeping
Brother John
Please won't you hear me
Brother John
Just wait and see
Brother John

The things that hurt just won't go away
But neither will we
Doesn't really matter either way cause you're all you need
To set yourself free
It may sound hard but it's just a start
To ride that wind
And you ain't Peter Pan you're just a man
You'll get there again

Are you sleeping
Brother John
If you feel like weeping
Brother John
Please won't you hear me
Brother John
Just wait and see
Brother John

Are you sleeping
Brother John
If you feel like weeping
Brother John
Please won't you hear me
Brother John
Just wait and see
Brother John

Just wait and see
Just wait and see
Just wait and see
Just wait and see

Won't you rise and shine
Won't you rise and shine
Won't you rise and shine
Won't you rise and shine
Won't you rise and shine
Won't you rise and shine
Won't you rise and shine

Won't you wait and see

Sue him now and I'll tell you how
He's gonna milk like a cow
And if you want to fill a bucket
Simple as pie if you care to try
Just look him in the eye like you're high
And you want to die to cry
Fuck it
He's stuck it
Where it's ripe and I can pluck it
And it's a jewel
And it's cool
And hell I ain't no fool to school the rule

Business as usual
System never fails
Everybody's constitutional
Bargain back room sale

Bought and sold don't you catch a cold
It's going around I'm told
And it's survival of the healthy
Early to rise gonna win a prize
It's the other guys who realize
Their demises' size will fantasize
I'm stealthy I'll be wealthy
But they deny with a lie
As they try to sigh their sly good-bye
To like it or lump it
And if it's back is turned
The jump it so pump it out

Business as usual
System never fails
Everybody's constitutional
Bargain back room sale

Like it or lump it
And if it's back is turne
Then jump it or bump it or pump it
Have your tea and crumpet
On a stump it
Doesn't matter to me you see
If I can let it be then I'm free
In the sea of my destiny
And that's key for me
You know chi for me
And if rivalry is chivalry then c'est la vie
Or c'est la guerre
Let the buyer beware of the fare
And if you dare to bare the air to care
Then something is there
But if it's bought or leased
Let it be deceased
With the beast released
Then the palm is greased
And we can gather for the feast

Business as usual
System never fails
Everybody's constitutional
Bargain back room sale

Business as usual
System never fails
Everybody's constitutional
Bargain back room sale

I lied and told her I loved her,
She didn't care, but anyway
I told her we'd still be friends,
And she didn't care, but anyway
I tried last week for to call her,
She wasn't home, but anyway
I think I'll spend my life alone,
I really don't care right now, but anyway

It's a state of affairs and a state of emotions
The kind of thing that you must understand
I tell you one thing; you tell me another
We walk away, maybe then shake hands

I'm quitting cigarette smoking
It's bad for me, but anyway
I don't think the TV was joking
When it told me this, but anyway
The newsman said not to sit on strange toilet seats
It's my life he's trying to save, but anyway
I found out that I've got eye cancer
Too many television waves, but anyway

It's a state of affairs and a state of emotions
The kind of thing that you must understand
I tell you one thing; you tell me another
We walk away, maybe then shake hands

Some day an answer will find us
Quite a long shot, but anyway
I think the past, the past is behind us
Be real confusing if not, but anyway
I put all my hope in tomorrow
It's gonna be great, I can tell but anyway
I see a new, a new day a dawning
I like to sleep late, oh well, but anyway

It's a state of affairs and a state of emotions
The kind of thing that you must understand
I tell you one thing; you tell me another
We walk away, maybe then shake hands

I lied and told her I loved her,
She didn't care, but anyway
I told her we'd still be friends,
And she didn't care, but anyway
I tried last week for to call her,
She wasn't home, but anyway
I think I'll spend my life alone,
I really don't care right now, but anyway

It's a state of affairs and a state of emotions
The kind of thing that you must understand
I tell you one thing; you tell me another
We walk away, maybe then shake hands

I'm quitting cigarette smoking
It's bad for me, but anyway
I don't think the TV was joking
When it told me this, but anyway
The newsman said not to sit on strange toilet seats
It's my life he's trying to save, but anyway
I found out that I've got eye cancer
Too many television waves, but anyway

It's a state of affairs and a state of emotions
The kind of thing that you must understand
I tell you one thing; you tell me another
We walk away, maybe then shake hands

Some day an answer will find us
Quite a long shot, but anyway
I think the past, the past is behind us
Be real confusing if not, but anyway
I put all my hope in tomorrow
It's gonna be great, I can tell but anyway
I see a new, a new day a dawning
I like to sleep late, oh well, but anyway

It's a state of affairs and a state of emotions
The kind of thing that you must understand
I tell you one thing; you tell me another
We walk away, maybe then shake hands

You can't tell me I'm crazy
And have me care
If I'm not I won't believe you
If I am then I'm not there

You can't win true love
No you can't win true love

You can't change what has happened
No matter how much better you could do
And while we're on it you know you can't change me
And you can't change you (you shouldn't have to)

No you can't win true love
No you can't win true love

There is no race to run
No evil curse needs to be undone
No hope of changing what cannot be changed
Some things are true and they will never fade away
Or up or down or out or in
No you just can't win

You can't forget about me
No matter what the sign says
False advertising everywhere
Trial and error more or less

And you can't win true love
No you can't win true love

There is no race to run
No evil curse needs to be undone
No hope of making what cannot be made
Some things are true and they will never fade away
Or out or down or up or in
No you can't win

I can't tell if you are listening
And I can't get to have a say
And I can't see you when you're sleeping
And I can't change it all the way
That I can't make someone feel something
That I can't tell when it's enough
That I can't lose as much to seem to learn
And I cannot win true love
Oh you can't win true love

There is no race to run
No evil curse needs to be undone
No hope of making what cannot be made
Some things are true and they will never fade away
Or up or down or out or through or below or above
No you just can't win true love
No you can't

Autumn air it carries me there
Less than an hour to go
Six hundred miles an hour
And still it feels so slow
I'm trying to get back to Burlington
To a square in the center of town
To a spot on a wooden table
Where her feet didn't reach the ground
And shen she kisses me it tasted like cinnamon
And her skin smells of cider and rose
And when she looked at me we both got quiet
And my heart beats so hard we were in so close
Once for such a beautiful while that still makes me smile

And she called me her ugly American
And I would call her my Canadian flower
And I don't think that we'll ever get there again
We had such power
And she would call me her ugly American
And I'll remember my Canadian rose
Especially when the fall comes to Burlington
We were in so close

I finally made it this town looks rearranged
I don't know these people anymore
But in the best ways not much else has changed
From the way it was before
And at least they still have this certain table
Where I once carved a particular name
I run my finger through the weathered carving
And I almost can feel the same
And my mouth it almost tastes just like cinnamon
As I ponder what my pilgrimage means
And I try to figure out where Vancouver is from here
And I listen to the leaves
If only for a beautiful while that still makes me smile

And she called me her ugly American
And I would call her my Canadian flower
And I don't think that we'll ever get there again
We had such power
And she would call me her ugly American
And I'll remember my Canadian rose
Especially when the fall comes to Burlington
We were in so close

And every single hope and dream I could ever conjure up
Passionately springs in me and all things are possible
Plausible and perfectly both of ours forever after and every day
At least it seemed that way
Once for such a beautiful while that still makes me smile

And she called me her ugly American
And I would call her my Canadian flower
And I don't think that we'll ever get there again
We had such power
And she would call me her ugly American
And I'll remember my Canadian rose
Especially when the fall comes to Burlington
We were in so close

Canadian Rose


Autumn air it carries me there
Less than an hour to go
Six hundred miles an hour
And still it feels so slow
I'm trying to get back to Burlington
To a square in the center of town
To a spot on a wooden table
Where her feet didn't reach the ground
And when she kisses me it tasted like cinnamon
And her skin smells of cider and rose
And when she looked at me we both got quiet
And my heart beats so hard we were in so close
Once for such a beautiful while that still makes me smile

And she called me her ugly American
And I would call her my Canadian flower
And I don't think that we'll ever get there again
We had such power
And she would call me her ugly American
And I'll remember my Canadian rose
Especially when the fall comes to Burlington
We were in so close

I finally made it this town looks rearranged
I don't know these people anymore
But in the best ways not much else has changed
From the way that it was before
And at least they still have this certain table
Where I once carved a particular name
I run my finger through the weathered carving
And I almost can feel the same
And my mouth it almost tastes just like cinnamon
As I ponder what my pilgrimage means
And I try to figure out where Vancouver is from here
And I listen to the leaves
If only for a beautiful while that still makes me smile

And she called me her ugly American
And I would call her my Canadian flower
And I don't think that we'll ever get there again
We had such power
And she would call me her ugly American
And I'll remember my Canadian rose
Especially when the fall comes to Burlington
We were in so close

And every single hope and dream I could ever conjure up
Passionately springs in me and all things are possible
Plausible and perfectly both of ours forever after and
every day
At least it seemed that way
Once for such a beautiful while that still makes me smile

And she called me her ugly American
And I would call her my Canadian flower
And I don't think that we'll ever get there again
We had such power
And she would call me her ugly American
And I'll remember my Canadian rose
Especially when the fall comes to Burlington
We were in so close......

Trying to make a train by sunrise gonna have to run a red light
Trying to make a train by sunrise gonna have to run a red light
Tangling with my Carolina you know the girl kept me up all night
And when my Carolina throw down you know the girl knows how to fight

Don't think we're gonna make it there's nothing else that anyone can do
Don't think we're gonna make it there's nothing else that anyone can say
Almost got the feeling that Carolina's liking it that way
I'm waiting on the train man, to wait and take the pain away

All aboard
All aboard
Wait for me
Wait for me

Train man kept his promise gonna try and go on back to bed
Train man kept his promise gonna try and go on back to bed
Can't sleep anyway thinking 'bout what my Carolina said
And oh my Carolina running like a freight train through my head

Carolina Blues


Trying to make a train at sunrise gonna have to run
a red light
Trying to make a train at sunrise gonna have to run
a red light
Tangling with my Carolina you know the girl kept me up
all night
And when my Carolina throw down you know the girl knows how to fight

Don't think we're gonna make it there's nothing else that anyone can do
Don't think we're gonna make it nothing else that anyone can say
Almost got the feeling that Carolina's liking it that way
I'm waiting on the train man, to wait and take the pain away

All aboard
All aboard
Wait for me
Wait for me


Train man kept his promise gonna try and go on back to bed
Train man kept his promise gonna try and go on back to bed
Can't sleep anyway thinking 'bout what my Carolina said
And oh my Carolina running like a freight train through my head

Ya know,
There's this park, you see, in New York
That's what this song is about
Where we used to grow up
And, um, hang around
And then we started moving on
And started going on the road
We weren't home that much
But, back then they had this really great idea
When we hit town
These parks were prime real estate, you see
And if we could keep them nice-looking
We could charge more rent for the places around town
Now, I know you guys have that here around Boston
But, you know, in New York
They had this great idea that there had to be a crack-down
So we could sweep the park clean of the undesirable elements
And we figured, what could we do?
Besides vote
Perhaps we could tell a song
To you
Through the musical medium
And then you'll know
So here we go
I really hope so
Well, here it is...

Rich man smells smoke, he smells something burning green
Doesn't like the odor, better put some badges on the scene
Put a blue suit on everybody you see hangin' round
And if that don't work, we're gonna close that park down...
But anyway
Yesterday a man was busted trying to walk his dog
Cop didn't like his attitude, say that he was against the law
Shoot everybody with a mutt this side of the town
And if that don't work, we're gonna close that park down...
Preach on, my wounded Chandler

You know when you're walkin through that park one night
Whether your skin is black or white
And you feel that particular pressure on the back of your head
And the hairs on the back of your neck start to stand up
And you hear a (police call)
Trust those hairs
Because if you're big or burly
Or even short and surly
Or if your cat's named Shirley
You could be walkin through that park
And meet with the most undesirable disaster
Compliments of your taxes
I'm not saying its gonna happen
I'm not saying that it will definitely happen
But it could happen
Because it has happened
I mean, it could be you
Or you, or you, or you, or you
Those guys back there
Yeah, that guy, yeah definitely
Those three, easily
Yup, you
Yup, that guy
That guy
Him
Those guys up there
Stinky or Scarface
Anybody
Well, enough of my yacking

What about your truth and your mother's apple pie
I guess it's all another part of your grand designing lie
Should I tell you something pretty so you don't end my way of life
Or should I come up from behind with some stolen, bloody, rusty knife
Well maybe I should sit by and watch you kill my friends
And maybe I can learn to love you and hope you never end
Perhaps I can learn to hate you but I think I already do
All I know for sure right now, it's gotta be me or you
While your uncle rolls his joints with his fifty dollar bill
I'm off in some other park, and I'm laughing at you still
Laughing my saggy ass of at you baby
C'mon tell me all of your stories
Tell me about your politics
Tell me anything
Tell me how you blame your kids
Tell me

Hail to you my mountain climber, busy at your task
I know you're in a hurry but there's something I must ask
Do you ever get lonely, climbing up so high?
If you don't want to answer me I can understand why
If I told you a secret, would you want to know more?
I've got a challenge I hope you won't ignore

Conquer me
Figure me out and set me free
I got a hundred million things to show you
As many more to see
But only if you conquer me

Sometimes I get this precious view and the grand scheme shows its face
When all is in harmony it can be such a lonely place
The melody is sad and sweet and the dance I do is fun
Yes I love this precious view but I'm staring at the sun
For as pretty the picture, I share this view alone
Will anyone stoop to grasp this gauntlet I have thrown?

Conquer me
Figure me out and set me free
I got a hundred million things to show you
As many more to see
But only if you conquer me

Hail to all you mountain climbers, all you dreamers on the run
I'm your self appointed solicitor but now I speak to only one
Whoever she is now and whoever she'll become
I'd like to ask her to hurry please and if she's walking, could she run?
It's not my impatience though perhaps just there I lied
It's just I'm feeling invincible and it has me terrified

Conquer me, figure me out and set me free
Conquer me, figure me out and set me free
Set me free

I'm gonna ride you
Gonna ride you out like a witch on a broom
I'm gonna ride you
Gonna ride you out like a witch on a broom

It's the old give and take
And I've been took again
So give me room

I'm gonna watch you
Gonna watch you fall like a tower of cards
I'm gonna watch you
Gonna watch you fall like a tower of cards

Gonna land gonna land gonna land gonna land
No matter how hard

Crash
Burn
When will I learn
Crash
Burn
When will I learn

Crash
Burn
When will I learn
Crash
Burn
When will I learn

I'm gonna ride you
Gonna ride you out like a witch on a broom
I'm gonna ride you
Gonna ride you out like a witch on a broom

It's the old give and take
And I've been took again
So give me room

I'm gonna watch you
Gonna watch you fall like a tower of cards
Gonna watch you
Gonna watch you fall like a tower of cards

Gonna land, gonna land, gonna land, gonna land
No matter how hard

Crash burn
When will I learn?
Crash burn
When will I learn?

Crash burn
When will I learn?
Crash burn
When will I learn?

When you're living in a series of atmospheres
You don't stand upon the world, but within it
And the faster that you move, the lighter you become
The farther out you go, the better the view

And you wanna rise
So that you can last
Take it all in slowly
Real fast

The capsule goes at 17,000 miles an hour
To make the sky act like a pond
And if it should slow down
Then the mighty ship will sink
As if falling through the sea
And you wanna last

So your destination for the outskirts
Thinks the answer lies beyond
But the slower that you go
The more substantial you become
Come to rest against the pure and solid centre

And you wanna last
So that you might rise
Floating endlessly
From the decision of the skies
The decision of the skies

The farthest you can go is right behind you
And the closest you can come is nowhere near
And it could make you wonder where
When you're discussing here or there
And do you really have to get going?

When you're living, you're just a series of atmospheres
Whatever velocity appeals
And no matter how you move
You're going to become
You cannot end and there's no beginning

And nothing lasts
And only time really flies
And you're always free
From the decision of the skies
The decision of the skies

With an air of indignation
Smiles a painted porcelain face
And we're supposed to trust this
Decorum has its place
But you and I beyond that
With a question I might ask
How suddenly the smile doth crack
When we slip beneath the mask

And they're fallible
Yeah they're fallible
And we hold up a mirror
And we hate what we see
And we keep on trekking westward
Infallibly

God I wanna touch you
In the place you wanna hide
Dare you to come after me
Commit my "narcisside"
Punishing the guilty
Was never the intent
I just busted out of prison baby
That's really where I went

And I'm fallible
Yeah I'm fallible
And we hold up a mirror
And we hate what we see
And we keep on trekking westward
Infallibly

In the name of all the power
That's centered in your hand
If you crave some revolution
Take possession of your stand
It's the only one you'll get to make
In a moment come and gone
So do your best to stay awake
And own the path you're on

Cause you're fallible
Yeah you're fallible
And we hold up a mirror
And we hate what we see
And we keep on trekking westward
Infallibly

Infallibly

... Forgiving nothing

And if my two left feet could settle down and split the difference
Tripping over myself in every way that I know how
Perhaps in time I could surpass my coy facade of vast indifference
But I've already reached the maximum of what my law allows
You tell me to relax you tell me
Not to try so hard
But in the end it only makes me want to more
To figure out some way to play some major part

So I watch her move and I watch her work
Satisfy my voyeuristic quirk
Old habits they are hard to break
Just harder than it is to take
And when she looks away I tap my feet
I try my best to be discreet
Careful so she won't find out
How much I want to shout

Come on and dance with me Felicia
And show me how to do that step I never thought I could
You always move so gracefully
And I was never any good
But maybe if you'll dance with me
I'd feel as nimble as a cheetah Felicia
The momentary soaring of an eagle would be me
Come on Felicia set me free
And when you start to close your eyes
You know you move so beautifully
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia

I suppose the thing that gets me most is that if I'd bothered ever
I wouldn't feel so much like Casey who never got to bat
You cannot help but laugh at me singing better late than never
And more and more I realize I have no argument for that
I can almost work up the nerve for a declaration
I can almost hear me speak the words as I gain resolve
But then you move and you twirl and you smile at me
And my inhibition and my courage both dissolve

And so I'm standing there and I do not move
In spite of her momentous groove
And for a moment I can barely see
A glimpse of how good it could be
And then I must admit that I want to try
To look Felicia in the eye
And when the music starts to play
To smile at her and say

Come on and dance with me Felicia
And show me how to do that step I never thought I could
You always move so gracefully
And I was never any good
But maybe if you'll dance with me
I'd feel as nimble as a cheetah Felicia
The momentary soaring of an eagle would be me
Come on Felicia set me free
And when you start to close your eyes
You know you move so beautifully
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia

And so I'm standing there and I do not move
In spite of her momentous groove
And for a moment I can barely see
A glimpse of how good it could be
And then I must admit that I want to try
To look Felicia in the eye
And when the music starts to play
To smile at her and say

Come on and dance with me Felicia
And show me how to do that step I never thought I could
You always move so gracefully
And I was never any good
But maybe if you'll dance with me
I'd feel as nimble as a cheetah Felicia
The momentary soaring of an eagle would be me
Come on Felicia set me free
And when you start to close your eyes
You know you move so beautifully
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
Dance with me I want to dance with you Felicia

Raise your head
Meagerest of fledglings
And breathe in deep
And cease to cry
For life, it beats within you
To fix upon the sky
And fix upon the sky
And fix, fix upon the sky

Is beckoning your coming
Your feathered nest
Has grown too small
The wind
Is here to greet you
Spread your wings and simply fall
Spread your wings and simply fall
Spread your wings
Spread your wings and simply fall

Into the rushing air
In the struggle
Struggle and fight to rise above
And then surrender
To your freedom
For these are the many pains of love
And these are the many pains of love
And many, many are the pains
The pains of love

Oh, yeah
Oh, yeah

That frightening fall has become a friend
With gravity now do you play
Inches from death and the frozen ground
And then away
The clouds separate to reveal the warmth
Of the goldenest bright shining sea
Night falls and it's gone again
But now you're free
To give it chase
And to

Soar through heaven
Mightiest of eagles
And rule your minions
Of the sky
The earth
Is far below you
Once its prisoner, now do you fly
Once just a fledgling, now do you fly
Now my fledgling
Now my fledgling
Now you fly free

And when the mighty sea is heaving
And the mountain's gotten big
What anyone believes in
I never gave a fig

But I could never fully handle
The heart that bore the load
Something never spoken
Something forever owed

Till I can bring you home
Till I can bring you home
No I will never really be free
While you live in my memory

In awe and almost fearful
But I'll bet that you don't care
You're most likely thinking
About your brother still back there

Till I can bring him home
Till I can bring you home
I will never really be free
While you live in my memory

I can never have it taken
But I wanted you to know
That forever we're connected you and me
It doesn't matter where it goes
There are things we simply owe

Till I can bring you home
Till I can bring you home
Till I can bring you home
Till I can bring you home
Till I can bring you home
Till I can bring you home

Till I can bring you home
Till I can bring you home
No I will never really be free
While you live in my memory

No I will never really be free
While you...

I walk right by him and he's freezing his ass off
He could be dead I'm supposed to walk away
I won't remember a thing come the summertime
Handful of quarters make me feel okay

Ah ah who's gonna have to pay
Ah ah who do I love today

I love what's mine cause what's mine is all mine
Gives me a reason to go get more
Don't really care where I go to get it
I ain't too clear about "What's yours is yours"

You take it for granted
I guess that's what it's for
But before you demand it
Take a look out your back door

If you don't like a single thing that I'm saying
If you're offended when I demonstrate
Don't mean a damn to me and I shall continue
Hope you won't mind if I control my fate

Ah ah who will I have to fight
Ah ah to defend my created right

I'll defend what's mine cause what's mine will be all mine
It's what I'd fight for it's for what I'd bleed
I roll the dice on the grand experiment
While I am strong I will get what I need

You take it for granted
I guess that's what it's for
But before you demand it
Take a look out your back door

If you're concerned with the moral imperative
If you are tripping on the right thing to do
Come to my office with the exclusive screenplay
I think there's money in a book about you

Ah ah what have you got to lose
Ah ah which are you gonna choose

I choose what's mine so what's mine will be all mine
Gonna make a million on the folly of men
Don't even care about no consequences
Turn my damnation into chapter ten

You take it for granted
I guess that's what it's for
But before you demand it
Take a look out your back door

I walk right by him and he's freezing his ass off
He could be dead, I'm supposed to walk away
I won't remember a thing come the summertime
Handful of quarters make me feel okay

Ah, ah, who's gonna have to pay?
Ah, ah, who do I love today?

I love what's mine ‘cause what's mine is all mine
Gives me a reason to go get more
Don't really care where I go to get it
I ain't too clear about "What's yours is yours"

You take it for granted
I guess that's what it's for
But before you demand it
Take a look out your back door

If you don't like a single thing that I'm saying
If you're offended when I demonstrate
Don't mean a damn to me and I shall continue
Hope you won't mind if I control my fate

Ah, ah, who do I have to fight?
Ah, ah, to defend my created right

I'll defend what's mine ‘cause what's mine is all mine
It's what I'd fight for, it's for what I'd bleed
I roll the dice on the grand experiment
While I am strong I will get what I need

You take it for granted
I guess that's what it's for
But before you demand it
Take a look out your back door

If you're concerned with the moral imperative
If you are tripping on the right thing to do
Come to my office with the exclusive screenplay
I think there's money in a book about you

Ah, ah, what have you got to lose?
Ah, ah, which are you gonna choose?

I choose what's mine so what's mine will be all mine
Gonna make a million on the folly of men
Don't even care about no consequences
Turn my damnation into chapter ten

You take it for granted
I guess that's what it's for
But before you demand it
Take a look out your back door
Oh
Oh yeah

Gina, Gina
Don't you cry
Gina, Gina
Wonder why, I said wonder why

Gina, Gina
Dance all night
Gina, Gina
Feel all right

Gina, Gina
Can't you see
Gina, Gina
You're just free, I said you're just free

Well once upon a time
A long time ago
There was a rock'n'roll queen
We came to know
She kept on dancing
She'd dance till dawn
She'd dance till the people and the liquor were gone
She kept on dancing as the crowd grew large
When it came to grooving, you know, she was in charge
She still finds ways today to groove somehow
In fact she could be listening to this music right now

Gina, Gina
Don't you cry
Gina, Gina
Wonder why, I said wonder why

Gina, Gina
Don't you cry
Gina, Gina
Wonder why, I said wonder why

Gina, Gina
Dance all night
Gina, Gina
Feel all right

Gina, Gina
Can't you see
Gina, Gina
You're just free, I said you're just free

Well once upon a time
A long time ago
There was a rock'n'roll queen
We came to know
She kept on dancing
She'd dance till dawn
She'd dance till the people and the liquor were gone
She kept on dancing as the crowd grew large
When it came to grooving, you know, she was in charge
She still finds ways today to groove somehow
In fact she could be listening to this music right now

Gina, Gina
Don't you cry
Gina, Gina
Wonder why, I said wonder why

When all is said and done
I wish I needed no one
Never was up to me
Just something in her way that sets me free
It seems so easy
And, yeah, I try to pay attention
But there's only four things running through my mind

How hard will it be if she is nice to me?
How bad will it get if I let her get to know me?
Should she see the willing dog or should I be a jungle cat?
And most of all, my God, how does she make her eyes do that?
And I don’t need another girl inside my head
Girl inside my head

"Johnny be brave" I say inside
As I won't take a bite from an apple that she gave me
But that's not what I'm after
Still all along my mother's voice singing "treat her like a lady"
And, yeah, I try to pay attention
But there's only four things running through my mind

How hard will it be if she is nice to me?
How bad will it get if I let her get to know me?
Should she see the willing dog or should I be a jungle cat?
And most of all, my God, how does she make her eyes do that?
And I don’t need another girl inside my head
Girl inside my head

I'm not the only one to write her letters
It doesn't matter anyhow
The question isn't if, but

How hard will it be if she is nice to me?
How bad will it get if I let her get to know me?
Should she see the willing dog or should I be a jungle cat?
And most of all, my God, how does she make her eyes do that?
How hard will it be if she is nice to me?
How bad will it get if I let her get to know me?
Should she see the willing dog or should I be a jungle cat?
And most of all, my God, how does she make her eyes do that?
And I don’t need another girl inside my head
Girl inside my head

Gauntlets
Town one by one
See how
They run
And when the check doesn't clear
And it's time to pay the bill
Some are gonna ride it out
Some can't and they never will

'Cause it's a great big world calling you to take a ride
And it's a great big world singing come and see and come inside
Oh yeah a great big world reminding you you're not alone
So hold on this great big world we only get to rent we never get to own

Inches fill a yard stick
Feet slowly walk a mile
Make one move then another
And then you try to live a while
Keep your head and you might make it
But that ain't no guarantee
'Cause it take debt and obligation
To fly around so free

And it's a great big world calling you to take a ride
And it's a great big world singing come and see and come inside
Oh yeah a great big world reminding you you're not alone
So hold on this great big world we only get to rent we never get to own

Whatcha gonna do first
And where will you make your mark
How are you going to get there
And can you find a place to park
Seasons coming slowly
But still they always come
And then it feels like just a second
And then suddenly you're done

And it's a great big world reminding you you're not alone
And it's a great big world we only get to rent we never get to own
'Cause it's a great big world calling you to take a ride
And it's a great big world singing come and see and come inside
Oh yeah a great big world reminding you you're not alone
So hold on this great big world we only get to rent we never get to own

Grow old along with me
The best is yet to be
When our time has come
We will be as one
God bless our love
God bless our love
Grow old along with me
Two branches of one tree
Face the setting sun
When the day is done
God bless our love
God bless our love
Spending our lives together
Man and wife together
World without end
World without end
Grow old along with me
Whatever fate decrees
We will see it through
For our love is true
God bless our love
God bless our love

It doesn't matter what I say
So long as I sing with inflection
That makes you feel
that I'll convey
Some inner truth of
vast reflection
But I've said nothing so far
And I can keep it up
for as long as it takes
And it don't matter who you are
If I'm doing my job
it's your resolve that breaks
Because the hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook brings you back
On that you can rely
There is something a miss
I am being insincere
In fact I don't mean any of this
Still my confession draws you near
To confuse the issue I refer
To familiar heroes from long ago
No matter how much Peter loved her
What made the Pan refuse to grow
Was that the hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook brings you back
On that you can rely

Suck it in suck it in suck it in
If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn
Make a desperate move
or else you'll win
And then begin To see
What you're doing to me
this MTV is not for free
It's so PC it's killing me
So desperately I sing to
thee Of love
Sure but also rage and hate
and pain and fear of self
And I can't keep these feelings
on the shelf
I've tried well no in fact I lied
Could be financial suicide but
I've got too much pride inside
To hide or slide
I'll do as I'll decide and
let it ride until I've died
And only then shall
I abide this tide
Of catchy little tunes
Of hip three minute ditties
I wanna bust all your balloons
I wanna burn all of your cities
To the ground I've found
I will not mess around
Unless I play then hey
I will go on all day hear
what I say
I have a prayer to pray
That's really all this was
And when I'm feeling
stuck and need a buck
I don't rely on luck
because The hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie The hook
On that you can rely

It doesn't matter what I say
So long as I sing with inflection
That makes you feel that I'll convey
Some inner truth of vast reflection
But I've said nothing so far
And I can keep it up for as long as it takes
And it don't matter who you are
If I'm doing my job then it's your resolve that breaks

Because the hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook brings you back
On that you can rely

There is something amiss
I am being insincere
In fact I don't mean any of this
Still my confession draws you near
To confuse the issue I refer
To familiar heroes from long ago
No matter how much Peter loved her
What made the Pan refuse to grow

Was that the hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook brings you back
On that you can rely

Suck it in suck it in suck it in
If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn
Make a desperate move or else you'll win
And then begin
To see
What you're doing to me this MTV is not for free
It's so PC it's killing me
So desperately I sing to thee
Of love
Sure but also rage and hate and pain and fear of self
And I can't keep these feelings on the shelf
I've tried well no in fact I lied
Could be financial suicide but I've got too much pride inside
To hide or slide
I'll do as I'll decide and let it ride until I've died
And only then shall I abide this tide
Of catchy little tunes
Of hip three minute ditties
I wanna bust all your balloons
I wanna burn all of your cities
To the ground I've found
I will not mess around
Unless I play then hey
I will go on all day hear what I say
I have a prayer to pray
That's really all this was
And when I'm feeling stuck and need a buck
I don't rely on luck because...

The hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook...
On that you can rely

So I thought about my lifetime
How the days they are confused
As the moments they do roll by
Only some will follow you

They're the same every day
Think about what we do
If you take the time to look well
Any one of them could chase you

That's how you remember it
It'll find you soon
That's how you remember it
What will be the truth

From out behind the shadows
Every moment I have known
Like catching that first firefly
In a jar when I was back home

Summer rain on windowpane
The way she looked that night
And every second after
Going to radiate the light

That's how you remember it
It'll find you soon
That's how you remember it
What will be the truth

Looking at my photograph
Staring back 20 years ago
The man I am, the boy I was
The things I still don't know

That's how you remember it
It'll find you soon
That's how you remember it
What will be the truth

No matter how you remember it
It'll find you soon
No matter how you remember it
That will be the truth

Well
I don't wanna be a soldier mama
I don't wanna die

Well
I don't wanna be a sailor mama
I don't wanna fly

Well
I don't wanna be a faliure mama
I don't wanna cry

Well
I don't wanna be a soldier mama
I don't wanna die

Oh no
Oh no
Oh no
Oh no
Oh no

Well
I don't wanna be a rich man mama
I don't wanna cry

Well
I don't wanna be a poor man mama
I don't wanna fly

Well
I don't wanna be a lawyer mama
I don't wanna lie

Well
I don't wanna be a soldier mama
I don' wanna die

Oh no (12x)

Well
I don't wanna be a beggar mama
I don't wanna die

Well
I don't wanna be a theif now mama
I don't wanna fly

Well
I don't wanna be a church man mama
I don't wanna cry

Well
I don't wanna be a soldier mama
I don't wanna die

Oh no (11x)

I told you before, stay away from my door
Don't give me that brother, brother, brother, brother
The freaks on the phone, won't leave me alone
So don't give me that brother, brother, brother, brother
No!

I, I found out!
I, I found out!

Now that I showed you what I been through
Don't take nobody's word what you can do
There ain't no Jesus gonna come from the sky
Now that I found out I know I can cry

I, I found out!
I, I found out!

Some of you sitting there with your cock in your hand
Don't get you nowhere don't make you a man
I heard something 'bout my Ma and my Pa
They didn't want me so they made me a star

I, I found out!
I, I found out!

Old Hare Krishna got nothing on you
Just keep you crazy with nothing to do
Keep you occupied with pie in the sky
There ain't no guru who can see through your eyes

I, I found out!
I, I found out!

I've seen through junkies, I've been through it all
I seen religion from Jesus to Paul
Don't let them fool you with dope and cocaine
No one can harm you, feel your own pain

I, I found out!
I, I found this out!
I, I found out!