1. |
Beam
02:46
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He says, "Hey, darlin', you should smile.
You'll look much better for a while.
Why say that isn't what you feel,
When only surfaces are real?
What kind of a bitch would say no?"
You roll your eyes and off you go.
He thinks he flatters with his gaze,
But you know what's behind that praise:
He wants you to step meekly to the back of the line
And beam like a little ray of sunshine.
Step meekly to the back of the line
And beam like a little ray of sunshine.
He says, "Hey, sweetheart, you should know
You've gone as far as you can go.
No matter your skills or degrees,
You'll only advance on your knees."
The broken chromosome in charge
Makes his opinions overlarge.
And who'd believe you anyway.
Your ugly choice: submit or stay
And step meekly to the back of the line
And beam like a little ray of sunshine.
Step meekly to the back of the line
And beam like a little ray of sunshine.
He barrels over every word,
So don't imagine you'll be heard.
No matter what your expertise,
Just nod and smile, don't say your piece.
That's what he'd tell you if you stayed,
But you'll do what makes him afraid:
Ignoring him's an injury,
The baby step that sets you free.
So don't step meekly to the back of the line
And beam like a little ray of sunshine.
Step meekly to the back of the line
And beam like a little ray of sunshine.
Discretion makes you a modern girl,
Modesty makes you a modern girl,
Temperance makes you a modern girl,
And abstinence makes you a modern girl.
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2. |
House of Order
01:40
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The house of order will not fall
That isn't in our protocol
This mighty house forever stands
Over the lone and level sands
Take a drink and maybe then you'll see
No wine stronger than hypocrisy
Here is no need to explain
While they're popping the champagne
Raise a glass in praise of laissez-faire
My, but you look very debonair
So why does your eyelid twitch?
Pull this off without a hitch
The house of order will not fall
That isn't in our protocol
This mighty house forever stands
Over the lone and level sands
Ever the anointed one,
Now it's time to have some fun
Close your eyes and spin around
Unsoiled feet don't touch the ground
Stairways here lead only up
Conscience but a buttercup
In these beds the best will rest
Now, now, don't look so distressed
The house of order will not fall
That isn't in our protocol
This mighty house forever stands
Over the lone and level sands
Check out the view from above
Who would think to give a shove?
Hubris is its own reward
Be a dear, pass that petard
After all, someone must keep control
Stick a posy in that buttonhole
If the past is all our own,
The future holds a waiting throne
The house of order will not fall
That isn't in our protocol
This mighty house forever stands
Over the lone and level sands
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3. |
The War at Home
02:53
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The war at home is over, but you soldier on
You won't feel sated 'til every light is gone
So banish the dawn and pretend you're a savior
You've done us a favor after all, 'cause nothing aches like hope
And you've brought the rope to hang us all
You got your wish; that's why I'll never pray again
We hold our breath, 'cause it's not whether, only when
No sign this will end, but at least you feel braver
You've done us a favor after all, 'cause nothing aches like hope
And you've brought the rope to hang us all
And achieved your greatest goal
Celebrate your triumph now
On empty streets, in silent towns
Celebrate your victory at home
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4. |
Echo
04:00
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Shushing doors and stark routine
And it's clear what those averted eyes mean
Embarrassed by wide-open despair
Anguish sits on waiting room chairs
Cold, hard, sliding, wedged in ribs
An image wriggles to the surface
Gaping mouths, a punctured hollow
Appear, submerge, peek through, are swallowed
Tiny and relentless, oh there's nothing more
And it's the obvious truths that shake you to your core
Assurance comes off cold and hard
And out into the parking lot,
Where heat burrows to the blood
So vulnerable in its jerky dance
No other choice but to trust what you can't
Water spills on summer pavement,
Swirls back up to reunite with clouds,
Wispy like the ones your helicopter clipped
The day they rushed to crack open your chest
And cold and hard as we had been,
You lay there twitching and I thought I'd lost you
Instead beat on for two swift hummingbird hearts
Fluttering in tiny chests in murky images
Fragile, caged, and senseless, oh there's nothing more
The more you plug your ears, more powerful's the roar
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5. |
Quislings
00:32
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Do you remember their names,
the ones who gave in?
Sorry to make a fuss,
but your manners are wearing thin.
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6. |
Sunshine
03:29
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To average lives, in crept the darkness
A steady slide into a deep abyss
On tree-lined streets, shell follows shell
My children daily walk through hell
But for now I'll carry the image of a sidewalk cafe in my mind
Oh sunshine, sunshine
Oh sunshine, sunshine
We sold our lives for six miles' passage
Piled in a raft, three to a life vest
We founder in the open sea
While wisps of hope drift far from me
But for now I'll carry the image of a swiftly-rising shore in my mind
Oh sunshine, sunshine
Oh sunshine, sunshine
One day I'll spy a flock of white doves
Circling the sky over the home I love
Here unknown words and wary stares
Punish me for the scars I bear
But for now I'll carry the image of a welcoming smile in my mind
Oh sunshine, sunshine
Oh sunshine, sunshine
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7. |
Shiny Object
02:26
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Bright shiny object, dangling in reach
Hard to resist, looks like all that you seek
Always appears at the opportune time
Viewed through a lens that soft-focuses crime
Casual meetings, three feet apart
Seems unrehearsed, though there's clearly an art
Pregnant with meaning, or nothing at all?
I'm far too unpracticed to make that call
Imagination runs to extremes:
Complete the arc in a dozen daydreams
Anticipating the big episode,
I rehearsed my speech, but you never showed
All for the best -- might fail that test
Former diversion, shoved to the side
Make it a practice to avert your eyes
What never happened, it never began;
Shake from my brain what it can't understand
Just let it go -- best not to know
Wave it all away, wave it all away
I spin on my heels and wave it all away, wave it all away
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8. |
Life Lesson #1
02:57
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Put in the work to craft a winner,
But your just deserts grow ever thinner.
The quickest way they'll steal the credit
Is smile and betray, as if you'd forget it.
That's right, the assholes always win
They'll never take one on the chin
They'll just smile and kick you in the shin
Somehow those bastards always win
The biggest spoils go to the victor
And past results are the best predictor.
They redraw lines, it's too transparent
And no judge denies excuses incoherent.
That's right, the assholes always win
They'll never take one on the chin
They'll just smile and kick you in the shin
Somehow those bastards always win
The best you'll get's a trigger warning
With your breakfast--not your best morning.
It excavates all that you buried;
Can't get relief from his obituary.
That's right, the assholes always win
They'll never take one on the chin
They'll just smile and kick you in the shin
Somehow those bastards always win
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9. |
Stars
03:03
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Tell me about your stars
Tell me about your stars
Did you unfold them with awkward fingers
From their big glass jar?
I think you might have stumbled,
Spilling them around me
What use could I have ever made of
This swirling galaxy?
You could have drilled them at the night sky,
Puncturing the void
The world would peer up, read their meaning,
Go to sleep overjoyed
Did you mean to scatter stars around ordinary us?
Sensible, I think, put them back
Keep them tucked away until it's real for you
But let me spin in stars just once before you do
I think of you and I see silver
I think of you and I see silver
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10. |
Shimmer
02:34
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Now notice, in this corner,
A failed experiment, a warning
No longer merits attention,
Barely worth a mention
Burst the energy, touch with alchemy
Fling the laws out wide, watch the churn subside
Spinning, racing still, infinite to fill
This and more to come, which will to be done
They still tell tales of past glory,
In righteous oratory
Insisting that the summit's achieved
They can't imagine more conceived
Burst the energy, touch with alchemy
Fling the laws out wide, watch the churn subside
Spinning, racing still, infinite to fill
This and more to come, which will to be done
In the periphery of your view
Earth shimmers, distant, blue
Each particle, each motion they discover
One small piece of an infinite puzzle
Burst the energy, touch with alchemy
Fling the laws out wide, watch the churn subside
Spinning, racing still, infinite to fill
This and more to come, which will to be done
Swimming in the impossible
At odds to solve the riddle
They think they're special, and they absolutely are,
Like everything swirling around a billion stars
Burst the energy, touch with alchemy
Fling the laws out wide, watch the churn subside
Spinning, racing still, infinite to fill
This and more to come, which will to be done
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11. |
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Who wants to hang with pessimists,
Always glowering, never getting kissed?
Doom puts a damper on the party
Off to the corner with you, smarty
'Cause there is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
Alerts interrupt vacation
It's just the welfare of the nation
Rules interfere with massing wealth
It's obvious, no need for stealth
And there is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
They mainline hatred from the TV
No need for thought, it's all so easy
Such a joke, there's no need to worry
Cute how they arm up in a hurry
There is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
It looms enormous in the rearview
And what approaches doesn't fear you
It looms enormous in the rearview
And what approaches doesn't fear you
But there is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
There is no cause for alarm
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12. |
Weak
01:58
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How kind to offer such potent poison
I know what's coming -- false promised fun
Just keep my mouth shut, such basic defense
But nothing stays buried, O audience
I knew I would do it
I couldn't resist
I'm weak as they come
A single lit match opens the doorway
It doesn't hurt much not to obey
Teen self-destruction beats being ignored
Small risk and small scars not to be bored
I knew I would do it
I couldn't resist
I'm weak as they come
This bag of silver will go a long way
What harm in one kiss, would I betray
It's just a cartoon, drawn to offend you
And if it works well, I'm fodder too
I knew I would do it
I couldn't resist
I'm weak as they come
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