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A SHOT OF ROMANCE WITH A CHASER OF CASH
I was in need of a fix
I was in lack of a bash
But along came the ballroom, the girls for the mash
The shimmer of the formal gown
The booze that wipes away the frown
And I’m feeling like a spring chicken again
I was making prose
Now I'm feeling like a poet again
We are the makers, we are the dreamers
We make the party and we’re never late for the bash
The sea of the party is wide and inspiring
And it gave me the romance that I needed, at last
It gave me a shot of romance with a chaser of cash
No one can call me tired
No one can say I’ve lost my charge
‘Cause fortune has thrown me a bone
And all of the elegance in the shimmer of a glass
In the shimmer of the dull sound
Of the cocktail conversation, the soft drone
The soft kiss, the soft sky
The impenetrable loss in the baby’s eye
We are the makers, we are the dreamers
We make the party and we’re never late for the bash
The sea of the party is wide and inspiring
And it gave me the romance that I needed, at last
It gave me a shot of romance with a chaser of cash
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2. |
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THE RAGE YOU CAN’T SUPPRESS
Man, I felt half-cocked on Madison
The wings had all been jettisoned
The cocktail minstrel, he dribbles
As the bluegrass band play fiddles
We traveled to the Indian coast
The locusts surrounded us like ghosts
We are so powerless in the hail
We dodge the weather, we start to flail
We start to realize that it is best
To accept the rage you can’t suppress
The holy pomp of kitschy art
The families who are torn apart
The magic in the love divine
The simple magic of the shrine
We traveled to the Indian coast
The locusts surrounded us like ghosts
We are so powerless in the hail
We dodge the weather, we start to flail
We start to realize that it is best
To accept the rage you can’t suppress
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3. |
Lovely Light
02:45
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LOVELY LIGHT
She heard the stilted cold winds whistle
And the mannered voices of the guests
The hearth was decorated with holly and thistle
When she pulled her lover to her breast
I cannot make this world up right
I cannot paint a pretty face on the night
It is what it is
We are what we are, just like the fire
And we make a lovely light
Her hand rested upon his back
She felt the joy of love unwrap
She was at the point when the climax snaps
This was the point when love was under wraps
I cannot make this world up right
I cannot paint a pretty face on the night
It is what it is
We are what we are, just like the fire
And we make a lovely light
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4. |
Talk Is Cheap
06:15
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TALK IS CHEAP
I walked with you
Under the stars
And carried your pain along
We held until
The morning broke
And you felt you could get along
And now what sad child
In this sad country
Would cast her rock away?
Send him into the sea
And forget what he provided
As he sinks into the gray
The run is long
It doesn’t have to be cheap
But when friends turn you out it
Cuts too deep
Remember the way
You knew you
Weren’t alone
The hill is steep
And talk is cheap
I waited by the
Railroad tracks
As you said you wanted to proceed
To bid goodbye
This tainted town
And fulfill your greatest need
But what direction did you
Think I meant when I
Pointed to the sky?
Did you think I had
Some grand plan
That your age could belie?
The track is long
The trail is deep
Why can’t you see that
I couldn’t weep?
For long enough
When you
Earned your keep
The heart is deep
And talk is cheap
I carved your name
Into the tree
And threw a stone out to sea
The fireworks burst
Up above
And you made a promise to me
And if I die
Before I get the chance to
Slip down to Brandon’s Cove
Don’t you know that there is never enough
Time to keep you up in this grove?
The town is old
Age is tough
Don’t you know that with hours you just can’t
Have enough?
Don’t watch the clock
Don’t call its bluff
Because if it loses
It won’t pay up
I read a book
And it came so alive
Ripped a page from my soul
It pushed me into the world
That God built in stride
I felt it gave me a goal
But what sense can one make
Of experience
What fact can you disprove?
Find the wise man
With the green and gray eyes
And ask him what we have to lose
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5. |
Take Me Out of the Race
03:18
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TAKE ME OUT OF THE RACE
So let’s slow down the pace
Let’s plop ourselves down on the bench
Let’s watch from the sidelines
Let’s make fun of the wench
We’ll drink Gatorade
And our thirst will be quenched
By the fact that we never had to lose
Losing is tough
Losing feels cold
The coach slammed the door in your face
And your faith, he stole
Oh, please get me out of the race
We all want to be great
We all want to stand out from the crowd
We all want to yell for our cause out loud
We all want to make sure the folks are proud
But victory rarely leaves you in a safe place
So, I think we might win
When we take ourselves out of the race
After all, you should be thankful
That you have a computer
The phone lines work
And you’re a seasoned commuter
You know the best rates
You’re respected within the gates
Or your safe community
Losing is tough
Losing feels cold
The door slams in your face
As your faith has been sold
Oh, please get me out of the race
We all want to be great
We all want to stand out from the crowd
We all want to yell for our cause out loud
We all want to make sure the folks are proud
But victory rarely leaves you in a safe place
So, I think we might win
When we take ourselves out of the race
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6. |
Life as a Movie
02:47
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LIFE AS A MOVIE
I know that I need a place to stay
Some place to dig my roots
Into the soil, not into clay
For foundation I’ll wear stronger boots
Where did all the characters go?
That, in your story, you did know?
What are their sins, what opportunities did they blow?
That made them all burn out so slow
And if I staggered from this movie
Into the real world
I fear that it would be too cold
The doors all closed
The seats all taken
Relationships, always close to breakin’
Wives who want to leave their home
Lovers who’d rather be alone
Friends who don’t know loyalty
Families who shame their pedigree
Billows of smoke on top of buildings
Normal affairs, always close to tragedy
Tea cups, Sunday dinners, and empty streets
Empty, empty, empty
Whatever floats your boat, I guess
Whatever way you decide to feel
That what you’ve done with all your days
Is not just a movie, but something real
Thanks for the speech about art and culture
Thanks for setting me straight
I knew that this was a thankless job
I knew that the void was great
And if I staggered from this movie
Into the real world
I fear that it would be too cold
The doors all closed
The seats all taken
Relationships, always close to breakin’
Wives who want to leave their home
Lovers who’d rather be alone
Friends who don’t know loyalty
Families who shame their pedigree
Billows of smoke on top of buildings
Normal affairs, always close to tragedy
Tea cups, Sunday dinners, and empty streets
Empty, empty, empty
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7. |
Paranoia After Liquor
02:44
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PARANOIA AFTER LIQUOR
Thompson spoke of the paranoia after getting wasted
I always get the feeling that he got more wasted than I ever do
A weekend of lost thoughts, cloudy pictures, ridiculous conversations
But I know that the feeling is true
I called a friend at 12:30am
He suspected I was drunk
Otherwise, why would I call at that hour?
He could tell that something stunk
It is me
And I know it’s not polite
To get hammered and stumble blindly into the night
But it’s OK as long as you can tell yourself that you feel all right
Paranoia after liquor
Lost words, the memory flickers
Into the stupor I quickly sunk
I offended some with talk of finance and social class
It always feels a bit crass
To talk of business at a social gathering
I called a friend at 12:30am
He suspected I was drunk
Otherwise, why would I call at that hour?
He could tell that something stunk
It is me
And I know it’s not polite
To get hammered and stumble blindly into the night
But it’s OK as long as you can tell yourself that you feel all right
Paranoia after liquor
Lost words, the memory flickers
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8. |
Dos and Don'ts
02:15
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DOS AND DON’TS
Don’t bring your baby to the ball
Don’t force your glory days to be recalled
Don’t gossip about the girl next door
Don’t gossip about the company whore
Dos and don’ts
Dos and don’ts
Dos and don’ts
Don’t put your ideology on display
Who cares if you’re republican, vegan, or gay
This is not the place to eulogize
It’s a capricious move, you must stay wise
Dos and don’ts
Dos and don’ts
Dos and don’ts
Don’t criticize your spouse, my friend
Don’t push it to some uncertain end
Don’t disparage the décor
A negative attitude will ruin you, for sure
Dos and don’ts
Dos and don’ts
Dos and don’ts
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9. |
Roots
03:30
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ROOTS
You say, “The sea is beautiful, the sea is old
Its wisdom bright, its tranquility bold
The sea has many in its hold
Its romantic curl, its incessant fold”
I say that the sea cares nothing for you, actually
I can only curse it for cursing me
But when I throw my regrets into the wind
Sure, a few will blow back at me like sand
You threw down some roots
And I watched as they grew
I think that putting down roots has been good for you
But eventually they’ll sink in the sea
And lift this foreboding weight off of me
For altering the force of gravity
And the old friend who, every so often, stops by to visit me
Oh, Jesus I’m so sorry, too
That I couldn’t follow the sermons you threw
But I feel like there is reason for the crowds you drew
And all of the sad emotions you once knew
You threw down some roots
And I watched as they grew
I think that putting down roots has been good to you
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10. |
Missing the Plan
02:37
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MISSING THE PLAN
He looks into house
It’s messier than he’d like
The bathroom’s in neglect
And he can hardly lift the pen to sign the checks
To pay the bills
And his girlfriend wants to go
Where married people go
The Cayman Islands, in the sun
If life was different, it would be fun
This wasn’t what you planned for
This wasn’t what you planned for
This isn’t what you imagined, not at all
This is what happened when you were making plans
Life happens when you’re making plans
He sits in the dining room
And crunches numbers in his bathrobe
The sinking feeling tells him run
But he knows his duty here’s not done
This wasn’t what you planned for
This wasn’t what you planned for
This isn’t what you imagined, not at all
This is what happened when you were making plans
Life happens when you’re making plans
Is he but 22?
Or is he 45?
He can’t remember in the dark
He’s numb to inside the house
Outside the car is parked
What a crappy car
This wasn’t what you planned for
This wasn’t what you planned for
This isn’t what you imagined, not at all
This is what happened when you were making plans
Life happens when you’re making plans
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Ben Mish Seattle, Washington
Ben Mish writes songs and performs them frequently.
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