Jonathan Richman

Well I walked past just yesterday
And I couldn't bare that new mall no more
I can't expect you all to see it my way
But you may not know what was there before
And I want them to put back my old corner store.

Well I walked past just like I say
And I felt this hurt that would not go home
I can't expect that you're gonna see it my way
But you may not know the trees I've known
And I want them to put back my old corner store.

I know it costs more money to shop there
But this was love, this was love
I know you had to pay more money
I'll pay money, I'll pay more
I don't care what the mall has got
I want back that corner store

And what did I feel when I walked by slow
Sorrow sorrow, all around
Why I would feel sorrow I now know
I smell a ghost smell from the ground
That old wooden smell from the old corner store

Bam a nib a nib a nib way oh
Bam a nib a nib a way oh web oh
Bam a nib a nib a no Corner store Corner store
Bam a nib a nib a nib way oh
Bam a nib a nib a way oh web oh
Bam a nib a nib a no Corner store Corner store

I walked past one final time
And I wished the worst on the place I shop
Now I can't expect everyone to feel like I am
But I spot a trend that has got to stop
And I want them to put back that old corner store

Sometimes I think of only her
Sometimes no
I'm feeling delicate and
This must show

I'm so confused I'm so confused
I'm so confused I'm so confused

I like to do stuff but I
Best go slow
I look around nowadays but
I don't know

I'm so confused I'm so confused
I'm so confused I'm so confused

I think maybe I should just stay alone
But I'm too young to just stay home

I have to sigh now
Hah
I have to sigh-now
Hah

I must stay honest and
Not play apart
So when I meet someone
I say right at the start

I'm so confused I'm so confused
I'm so confused I'm so confused

(You're thinking too much)
I know
(You're thinking about this too much)
I know

I have to sigh now
Hah
I have to sigh now
Hah

I'm so confused I'm so confused
I'm so confused I'm so confused

I heard she's back with her old boyfriend
He don't challenge her, he don't contend with her
And she don't answer the cards you send
And so you're jealous of the time that he spend with her

Just let her go into the darkness
Let her learn from all the things there
Let her go into the darkness
Just let her go, let her go, let her go

You want to tell her that her boyfriend's no friend
You want to tell her that she don't know where he's at
But she won't listen, 'cause she's just not listening
Better take them sheets to the old Laundromat

And let her go into the darkness
Let her learn from all the things there
Let her go into the darkness
Let her go, let her go, let her go, oh

Course she's taking drugs, what did you expect?
An alcoholic, too, yeah, don't worry about that
It's all right, it's all right, it's all right
Laundromat, Laundromat, Laundromat

And let her go into the darkness
Let her learn from all the things there
Let her go into the darkness
Let her go, let her go, let her go

Oh, I see you've got your shoes on
What, you want to go take a walk?
But you're headed for her neighborhood
You want to talk to her, don't you?
She won't want to talk
You want to warn her that her boyfriend's no good?

No, no, no, just let her go into the darkness
Let her learn from all the things there
Let her go into the darkness
Let her go, let her go, let her go, oh, well, well

Well I had just met the girl and her boyfriend
She was ready for leaving him
And I was the way, I was the key,
I was her way to say, "I'm free"

And he would never talk about it, which made me sad
I didn't see what we'd done
That was so bad

We were all about twenty-one
My career as a homewrecker
Had just begun

I was thinkin' about the Boston rock scene one fine day
And found it too conservative, you might say
I knew her well, I knew him terrific
What's wrong if we wanted something specific?

He never talked about it, which hurted me
I never saw why such sorrow
Had to be

I was now about twenty-four
And I was called "homewrecker"
Once more

If someone's mad at me, why can't they tell me so?
Why do they just avoid me?
If someone's mad at me, why can't they tell me so?
Because I would want to know

Meanwhile out on the West Coast, I started wreckin' homes
Tryin' to convince girlfriends to leave and roam
Now I didn't touch 'em, 'cause I didn't want 'em
But I wanted to affect 'em, I wanted to haunt 'em

And this was the following year
My career as a homewrecker
Was in third gear

Another case of homewreckin' I half-did
Was the girl who loved me no matter what she said
She tried to hide it as long as she could
To save her boyfriend pain
But it did no good

You see I have certain trades and certain wants
Sometimes I'll try a certain thing to provoke a response
Sometimes I'll break a rule just to see who looks
Sometimes I'll knock on a door just to see what cooks

My career as a homewrecker is not yet through
There's all these homewreckin' things to do
Sometimes I'll break a rule just to see who cares
Sometimes I'll knock just to see who's there

That summer feeling (3X)

When there's things to do not because you gotta
When you run for love not because you oughta
When you trust your friends with no reason notta
The joy I've named shall not be tamed

And that summer feeling is gonna haunt you one day in your life

When the cool of the pond makes you drop down on it
When the smell of the lawn makes you flop down on it
When the teenage car gets the cop down on it
That time is here for one more year

And that summer feeling is gonna haunt you one day in your life

If you've forgotten what I'm naming
You're gonna long to reclaim it one day
Because that summer feeling is gonna haunt you one day in your life
And if you wait until your older
A sad resentment will smolder one day
And then that summer feeling is gonna haunt you
And that summer feeling's gonna taunt you
And then that summer feeling is gonna hurt you one day in your life

When even fourth grade starts looking good
Which you hated
And first grade's looking good too
Overrated
And you boys long for some little girl that you dated
Do you long for her or for the way you were?
That summer feeling is gonna haunt you the rest of your life

When the Oldsmobile has got the top down on it
When the catamaran has got the drop down on it
When the flat of the land has got the crop down on it
Some things look good before and some things never were
But that summer feeling is gonna haunt you one day in your life

Well when your friends are in town and they got time for you
When you and them are hanging around and they don't ignore you
When you say what you will
And they still adore you
If thats not appealing, its that summer feeling
That summer feeling is gonna haunt you one day in your life

Its gonna haunt you
Its gonna taunt you
You're gonna want this feeling inside one more time
Its gonna haunt you
Its gonna taunt you
You're gonna want this feeling inside one more time

When you're hangin around the park with the water fountain
And there's the little girl with the dirty ankles
But she's on the swings where all the dust is kickin up
And you remember the ankle locket
And the way she flirted with you
For all this time how come?
Well that summer feeling is gonna haunt you one day in your life

You'll throw away everything for it (2X)

When the playground that just was all dirt comes hauntin
And that little girl that called you a flirt
Memory comes tauntin
You pick these things apart they're not that appealin
You put them together and you'll get a certain feeling
That summer feeling is gonna haunt you one day in your life

His friends say stop whining,
they've had enough of that.
His friends would say stop pining,
there's others girls to look at.

They've tried to set him up with Tiffany and Indigo,
but there's something about Mary that they don't know.

Mary, there's just something about Mary.

Well, his friends say, look life's no fairy tale,
that he should have some fun, he's suffered long enough.
Well, they may now about domestic and imported ale,
but they don't know a thing about love.

Well, his friends would say he's dreaming
and living in the past,
but they've never fallen in love,
so his friends need not be asked.

His friends would say be reasonable,
his friends would say just let go,
but there's something about Mary that they don't know.

Mary, there's just something about Mary.

Well, it hurts from the bottom
and it hurts down to your soul
that's because true love is not nice.
And it brings up hurt from when
you were five years old
that's because true love is nice.

Oh, pain, pain, pain,
ain't that just love's name,
love can bring up hurt
from way down low.
It now be unforsized,
true love is just not civilized.
True love is not nice,
no, no.

Well, you've been hurt before,
but now you're hurt and sore.
True love is not nice.
And if it's real love then
that hurt won't go, well,
true love is not nice.

Oh, pain, pain, pain,
rain, rain, rain,
that's why you felt loves
arrow and said, oh,
Well, you knew from your first flirt,
that love was here to hurt.
True love is not nice,
no, no.

They were wild like the USA
A mystery band in a New York way
Rock and roll, but not like the rest
And to me, America at it's best
How in the world were they making that sound?
Velvet Underground.

A spooky tone on a Fender bass
Played less notes and left more space
Stayed kind of still, looked kinda shy
Kinda far away, kinda dignified.
How in the world were they making that sound?
Velvet Underground.

Now you can look at that band and wonder where
All that sound was coming from
With just 4 people there.

Twangy sounds of the cheapest types,
Sounds as stark as black and white stripes,
Bold and brash, sharp and rude,
Like the heats turned off
And you're low on food.
How in the world were they making that sound?
Velvet Underground.
Like this...

Wild wild parties when they start to unwind
A close encounter of the thirdest kind
On the bandstand playing, everybody's saying
How in the world were they making that sound?
Velvet Underground.

Well you could look at that band
And at first sight
Say that certain rules about modern music
Wouldn't apply tonight.

Twangy sounds of the cheapest kind,
Like "Guitar sale $29.99,"
Bold and brash, stark and still,
Like the heats turned off
And you can't pay the bill.
How in the world were they making that sound?
Velvet Underground.

Both guitars got the fuzz tone on
The drummer's standing upright pounding along
A howl, a tone, a feedback whine
Biker boys meet the college kind
How in the world were they making that sound?
Velvet Underground.

Wild wild parties when they start to unwind
A close encounter of the thirdest kind
On the bandstand grooving, everybody moving
How in the world are they making that sound?
Velvet Underground.