Harvey Danger

Slow to marry, swift to die,
We leave disasters where they lie,
I know these lines look crooked on paper,
But I swear I got it straight in my head,
And if you're looking for somebody to blame,
I recommend the dead, I recommend the dead,
'Cause they never answer back.

Skinny dipping in the lake,
I got the itch, I drank the wake,
Could somebody please hand me a towel?,
And now we're up on molehill mountain,
Scraping coins out of the fountain,
With a retinue of dirty old young, young men again.

But when I get back from Nashville,
I'm renting a room in the loyalty building,
I'm sure that the prospects are sound,
In the event of calamitous circumstance,
Or great good fortune,
There must be a reason, there must be a plan.

A palace in receivership,
A jester with a busted lip,
A catalogue of crooked answers,
We've all heard about the rapist nun,
She pulled a switch on everyone,
The altar boys are not having fun,
And the papacy is drawing up the papers behind closed doors.

But in the meanwhile,
I'm renting a room in the loyalty building,
I'm sure that the prospects are sound,
In the event of calamitous circumstance,
Or great good fortune,
There must be a reason, there must be a plan.

Let it sing
Let it cry
And roll out the carpets
No such thing.
Mustn't pry;
All hail to another confession...
And it's losing me.

Where have all the merrymakers gone?
Where have all the merrymakers gone?

Some people will surprise you with a real depth of feeling
And others still may shock, shock, shock you with all that they're revealing
But one thing's sure: there's always more information than you ask for.
Ask for this:
Just enough knowledge to know I don't know anything,
Anything, anything, anything
(I don't know. Nobody likes what I like; that's how I like it)
Some things are personal (at least they should be)
Or is it too much, much to ask you just to maintain a little
Maintain a little
Maintain a little
Maintain a little
Maintain a little
Maintain a little
(take the cynical saint to the stake and burn it)

It's radio, it's radio silence, silence
It's radio, it's radio silence, silence
It's radio, it's radio, radio silence
It's radio, it's radio, radio silence
It's radio, it's radio, radio silence
It's radio, it's radio, radio silence.

Tear down the bearing wall,
Put up a picture window,
Something to look through,
At the bastard colours,
Burnt sienna.

Put down the wrecking ball,
Who has a friend, who needs one?
I've got a way to get to work in almost any city,
Doesn't matter where,
Take a needle, I won't be there,
Privileges forsaken there,
Liberties I've taken take me nowhere.

Put down the wrecking ball,
Don't let a childhood linger,
They'll take the world apart and break my baby brother's finger,
So he can't shake my hand,
Guard the dead against my legacy,
And lack the wound no more.

Run from nowhere, nowhere follows you.

Burn down the house.
Make sure the family is inside;
Nothing more to tether you.
Also no one there to catch you crying.

Nothing but my famous pillow,
And my father's rocking chair,
(get a sliver when you sit there)
Every mess I make I make a run from nowhere,
Nowhere follows you,
Nowhere follows you,
Nowhere follows...

Here's something beautiful
Now smash it to bits
Save your little wheelchair empowerment films
Save your swoons, I'm spoken for
It isn't pretty to think so
But I can't feign interest now

Dreaming of the fistfight I never got into
Thinking of the mean shit I wish I'd said to you
Such a fancy lady, call her Secretina
She didn't get all the good stuff
But she looked like you

Like a zero drowning in a sea of higher numbers
Everything you say to me is dumb,
(at least it's stupid)

Twenty heavy hammers smashing down
Here's a doorstep you can never darken
You complain about an overflowing cup.
Don't forget that I'm the one who filled that fucker up
(one, two, three)

Like a zero drowning in a sea of higher numbers
I remain as ever intrigued but no more astounded
Like a zero drowning in a sea of higher numbers,
I think that I like you better when you just ignore me

So I sit and notice shadows growing
I think of how the clocks are slowing
Hoping hope's eternal flowing springs will do their thing
Do their thing, do their thing and save me from myself

Like a zero drowning in a sea of higher numbers
I remain as ever intrigued but no more astounded
Like a zero drowning in a sea of higher numbers
You want ego? I will show you ego
I'm jealous now.

Call me disruptive, say I break your concentration
Familiar patterns, like the waves that break too fast
What do you do when it's so brand new that it kills you?
Came on too strong, couldn't stand it slow,
Now I know
She can knock me back like a champ

Disembodied ringlets from hair that look like yours
Call me the looming shapes of winter dusk impending

She barely fits inside my head, but I feel something
Every element but one is in my thrall
Stop traffic as I lie down in your footpath
Like a simile, I paint suggestive pictures
(Of me and you)

Disembodied ringlets from hair that looked like yours
Call me the looming shapes of winter dusk impending
Call me freaky
Call me childish
Call me Ishmael
Just call me back
Call me back
Call me back and I'll follow you around

I forget (I forget)
What my friends look like (what they look like)
And they forget why they like me (and they forget why they like me)
But that's old hat. (it's old hat)
I'm so happy. (I'm so happy)
How do you write about that?
How do you write about that?

Disembodied ringlets from hair that look like yours
Call me the looming shapes of winter dusk impending

Disembodied ringlets from hair that looked like yours
Call me the looming shapes of winter dusk impending

Rake up all the leaves in pleasant valley,
It's the last day of my visit, (up-state New York)
To pay respects to the old man.
He's still got his sense of humour,
But his body fails him,
He's surrounded by loved ones,
And that only goes so far,
And does he know where he is?
I doubt it.

Jack the lion roaring his last,
Like a vision sent from the past,
Bedside, crying, holding his hands,
Strong hands.

Finally get a moment alone with the old man,
He's having trouble breathing,
And he's not the only one, only one,
He wonders where time goes,
And why we haven't spoken for so long.
He regrets it,
He forgets it,
And none too soon...
Because he's closing his eyes and fading.

Jack the lion roaring his last,
Like a vision sent from the past,
Bedside, crying, holding his hands,
Strong hands.

We thank you for uniting,
We thank you for the cause,
We thank you for the lion,
We thank you for the claws.

Come see him again,
Come see him again,
Come see him again,
Come see him again.

Bop, bop, bop.

Jack the lion roaring his last,
Like a vision sent from the past,
Bedside, crying, holding his hands,
Strong hands.

Jack the lion roaring his last,
Jack the lion roaring his last.

Cross through the border states
To the wrong side, wrong side
And look away, Virginia

him:
Spend every day like the past is a bridge
Crossing twenty years
Whispers away, not so much
Get your poison tongue out of my ear

Here's a fact you cannot rise above:
We'll have problems, yeah, then we'll have bigger ones

From damage to damned control
You wanted to go alone though
I never said no, I never said no.
I never said no, I never said no.

her:
Spiteful confrontations, trial separations,
It's just another present to get past
The man was very helpful but I knew he wouldn't stay
There used to be a baby but the baby went away

Forswear what you undergo
You wanted to go alone though
I never said no, I never said no.
I never said no, I never said no.

It doesn't make me cry to hear Dylan say
Most likely you go your own way
I'll go mine. I'll go mine.
I'll go mine. I'll go mine.
I'll go mine. I'll go mine.

Forswear what you undergo
You wanted to go alone though
I never said no, I never said no.
I never said no, I never said no.

I'm on a private helicopter with my favorite ex-girlfriend,
Tiny little cabin in the sky,
Now we're alone and we can remember how we felt before we were angry:
We were guilty and we were bitter,
(I must admit I said a few things, but...)

I'm still attracted to you,
Sorry we've been so, so cold, so,
Eight miles high and three hours to landing,
God, your hair smells really great.

I'm on a hovercraft to Paris with my former best friend,
We have to get to the cinematheque,
We're not alone but no one speaks English, so we're free,
To look into each other's minds,
And see what we're thinking like we always used to.

I miss talking to you,
But, but, you never draw me out so,
Cast off the ego scars and let's go hit the bars.

I reserve the right to hold my grudges,
Friends like you, you know the rest,
But all told, I hold on to my anger far too long,
Until it's a joke,
The night is cold,
The joke is old
(and poorly told, I told you once)

I'm on a private helicopter with my favorite ex-girlfriend,
No one to keep up appearances for
Now we're alone and we can remember how we felt at first;
The desperate need to be together
Must've been good for something, sugar

I'm still attracted to you (bap-bah bah-dah-dah-dah bap-bah)
No one's around to make us do what we're supposed to,
So lie here in my arms.
Lie here in my arms.
Lie here in my arms.
Lie here in my arms.
Lie here in my arms...

All I ever wanted to be
Was a woolly muffler on your naked neck
Double-wrap me when it's cold
But you pulled a little tight just now
And I'm afraid I feel a choke hold c-c-c-coming on
Yeah, I'm afraid feel a choke hold coming on

All I ever thought we might come to was second dates
And flirting eyebrows
Or maybe even psychic friends
And we could share a secret language
And almost definitely make more of it than it was
But everyone around us would know
Everyone watching would know

This is not a walk with walking wounded
Here's the ball, here's the pole,
Now where's the tether, where's the tether?
Hands can grow together
If you're not careful or grateful or whatever
And I never much cared much too much to begin with

I will not take your possibilities under my care
I will not see you on the bus
You want me to hold your hand
It's a courtship I can't stand
And here I thought you were crying
Because you were happy
But no...
No, no, no, no...
no, no, no...

Friends will turn against you
People disappoint you every time
So if you've got greatness in you
Would you do us all a favor
And keep it to yourself?
Keep it, keep it to yourself

A labored expat fantasy:
Quit your job and move away with me
Oh what bliss it would be
To pretend we never met

I'm elated now
I'm elated now
I'm elated now
I'm elated now
I'm elated now
I'm elated now

I had visions, I was in them;
I was looking into the mirror
To see a little bit clearer
The rottenness and evil in me.

Fingertips have memories
Mine can't forget the curves of your body
And when I feel a bit naughty
I run it up the flagpole and see who salutes
(but no one ever does)

I'm not sick but I'm not well
And I'm so hot 'cause I'm in Hell.

Been around the world and found
That only stupid people are breeding
The cretins cloning and feeding
And I don't even own a TV

Put me in the hospital for nerves
And then they had to commit me
You told them all I was crazy
They cut off my legs, now I'm an amputee, God damn you

I'm not sick but I'm not well
And I'm so hot 'cause I'm in Hell
I'm not sick but I'm not well
And it's a sin to live so well

I wanna publish 'zines
And rage against machines
I wanna pierce my tongue
It doesn't hurt, it feels fine
The trivial sublime
I'd like to turn off time
And kill my mind
You kill my mind, mind

Paranoia, paranoia
Everybody's coming to get me
Just say you never met me
I'm running underground with the moles (digging holes)
Hear the voices in my head
I swear to God it sounds like they're snoring;
But if you're bored, then you're boring.
The agony and the irony: they're killing me (whoa).

I'm not sick but I'm not well
And I'm so hot 'cause I'm in Hell
I'm not sick but I'm not well
And it's a sin to live this well
(one, two, three, four)

Jimmy Stewart follows Kim to where your portrait hangs on a wall.
Such a haunting vision, he forgets his partner's fall.

Jump into the San Francisco bay.
I'll follow you in.
I know you can't swim
When you've been dead 100 years. Carlotta!

Carlotta Valdez. Carlotta Valdez.
Carlotta Valdez, I will make you her.

And everything's subjective. Nothing lasts for Johnny O.
K, kiss Kim Novak where the redwoods grow.
I'll bleach her hair and pretend she didn't die.
Go up the mission stair.
I'll follow anywhere -- that is, until you climb too high,
'Cause I get vertigo. Vertigo. Vertigo!

Carlotta Valdez. Carlotta Valdez.
Carlotta Valdez: I will make you her.

What a thing to be the center of attention all the time.
He isn't really falling for this, is he?
He's getting dizzy,
And so am I.

Carlotta Valdez. Carlotta Valdez. Carlotta Valdez. Let her go, Jim!
Carlotta Valdez. Carlotta Valdez.; Carlotta Valdez, I will make you her!

When you base your whole identity,
On reaction against somebody,
It's the same as being in.

I tend to forget when I drink,
I'm doing it again I think,
A hand to hold, an ego to flatter,
Cause you were the wine skin,
I was the bladder.

Time passes; events fall away
(I don't think they'll hurry). hurry up!
I'm blacking out: high on the vapor;
'Cause I was the typo;
You were the Liquid Paper.

Talk it over, talk it, overtalk it,
The answer's still the same,
It's discontent, humiliation,
'Cause you were the theme and,
I was the variation.

Try to take a less dramatic course of action,
This attraction-introspection-
Diction predilection,
Is breaking my heart again,
Breaking my heart again.

And you can't see yourself in the mirror any more,
And you're alone and green and cold as the sea,
And if you go down I will follow you underground,
And you can't close your eyes any more,
And you can't dream.

Just because you fucked up doesn't mean it's ok,
To stand around pulling down the roof with your hands,
Hoping nobody notices,
But if you go far I will fill your mouth with the sour taste;
And you can't hear yourself any more;
And you can't sing...

What makes you think I won't ridicule you?
What makes you think I'll avoid you?
What makes you think I'll steal your fingerprints?
What makes you think I will forget this?
What makes you think I won't hurt you?
What makes you think I won't cut you?

And you just bleed for eternal time,
And we will confess like a sea, compressed. You need me.
And if you go far I will fill your mouth with the sour taste,
And if you rile I will meet you there on a higher plane,
And if you go down I will bury you underground.

Ooh ooh. Ooh ooh. Ooh ooh. Ooh ooh.
I have a stinger; I am a honey bee.
I am a razor; please cut your wrist with me.
You're supercommon; you flaunt your pedigree.
You're clear as water, oh whoa ah oh. (alright!)

I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo-ooo-ooo)
I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo-ooo-ooo)
Oh whoa ah oh.

I am a subject of your documentary.
You have a question? I am the third degree.
I am authentic; I'm authenticity
(I'm no such thing-a), oh whoa ah oh. (C'mon!)

I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo)
I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo)
Oh wa ah oh.

la la la la.

(Oh, it's a damn shame)

I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo)
I'm already spitting on your grave. (ooo)
Oh whoa ah oh!

Already spinning in my grave.
Already spinning in my grave.

Drive across the country, tell your story walking,
No one's keeping you captive, in the town that let you down, so sorry.
Blame it on the television, blame it on the company,
Don't blame it on the fundamental fact, that no one owes you something.

I've come about my share, I only want what's fair,
Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not greedy,
Like everybody else, I wanna pay my dues,
I only want someone to tell me who to make the check out to.

Maybe we could run away and start a little repertory movie house or something.
She said, "sorry but I think you might be just projecting but here's the dough."
Pike Street to Park Slope, Brooklyn.

A community of dabblers, who are vain and fond of biting backs,
We hate it when our friends become successful,
And a different school, whose energies are spent evading income tax,
And silicone enhancements by the breastful.

Maybe we could run away and start a little repertory movie house or something."
She said, "sorry but I think you might be just projecting on to me.
Why don't you try LA?"
Pike Street to Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Well when you like something, it's an opinion
But when I like something, it's a manifesto,
Pomposity is when you always think you're right
Arrogance is when you know.

Maybe we could start a little independent repertory movie house or something.
She said, "Sorry but I think you might be just protecting your investment
Or else assigning blame."
Pike Street to Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Ooh ooh. Ooh ooh. Ooh ooh. Ooh ooh.
I have a stinger; I am a honey bee.
I am a razor; please cut your wrist with me.
You're supercommon; you flaunt your pedigree.
You're clear as water, oh whoa ah oh. (alright!)

I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo-ooo-ooo)
I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo-ooo-ooo)
Oh whoa ah oh.

I am a subject of your documentary.
You have a question? I am the third degree.
I am authentic; I'm authenticity
(I'm no such thing-a), oh whoa ah oh. (C'mon!)

I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo)
I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo)
Oh wa ah oh.

la la la la.

(Oh, it's a damn shame)

I'm already spinning in my grave. (ooo)
I'm already spitting on your grave. (ooo)
Oh whoa ah oh!

Already spinning in my grave.
Already spinning in my grave.

One awkward conversation can ruin my whole day
In the company of strangers with some vulgar shit to say.
Cocktail hour social like an obsolete machine
Spitting anecdotes and boring jokes from someone else's spleen.

And I always seem to miss the point completely
(and here I am again).

Culture baron train wreck and it's hard to look away
But I'm yawning like a kid in a carpet store.
Refusing to be interesting is a funny way to go
But I guess you know your business --
You're the one who makes the windstorm blow.

And I always say I miss the point completely
(and here I am again, here I am again).

And I always wish you'd behave more discreetly;
It's kind of puzzling,
But you're falling into place
(it's what you do best).

You're a popular opinion,
You're an easy thing to foster,
You're an ostentatious tourist,
You're a predictable posture,
You are a record left on the dashboard,
You're a nasty little hang.

You miss the point completely
I get the point exactly
You miss the point completely
I get the point exactly
No you miss the point completely
No I get the point exactly
No you miss the point completely
No you miss the point-a!

Not another existential cowboy,
And no more "California champagne".
Not another saddle tramp --
Sick, sore, lonely, and out of place,
Cryin' in his coffee ice cream (come on).
Edith cannot fix another engine,
Nor paint another face on a rubbercan clown (woo woo woo).
She takes another temp job,
But in her secret heart she rides!

She's just a sad sweetheart of the rodeo (awooooo-ooooo)
Not an urban legend now
Sad sweetheart of the rodeo (awooooo-ooooo).

Give it a rest, give it a rest, give it a bad night's sleep.
Norman says that you should take a Valium
(or maybe something stronger)
'Cause he doesn't understand, uh,
How you get so excited watching "the lusty men".
"The Marlboro man died of cancer
And he wasn't a rocket scientist when he was healthy." ha ha ha.
She took one last gulp of soft city condescension
And blasted off from his little launch pad to parts west.

Sad sweetheart of the rodeo (awooooo-ooooo)
Not an urban legend now
Sad sweetheart of the rodeo (awooooo-ooooo).
(lonesome cowboy Bill, where are you?)

(wooo-ooo-ooo)

Sad sweetheart of the rodeo (awooooo-ooooo)
Not an urban legend now
Sad sweetheart of the rodeo (awooooo-ooooo).
(Awoooo-ooooo-oooo-ooo-ooo)