- A Mind of Her Own
Dear, unlock the door, you're acting like a child. When you said it yourself, we are at war. How dare you turn on me now, right when I need you most.
I wish I could have seen their faces when they heard the news. Now that's the sort of smack that leaves a bruise.
The victory is ours at last, I beat them at their own dirty game. They perverted the words of godly men, for their own selfish gain. I took their wrong and I took their lies, and I made them right, I made them right.
Oh, look who it is. It's my supportive wife and she thinks she's going to squeal. Hey where do you think you're going? Don't you walk away from me. You put down that telephone, you're not calling anyone. You put down that telephone, you're not calling anyone. You put down that telephone, you're not calling anyone, you're not calling anyone
- Almost There
at least in my dreams
when i'm sleeping
it seems that the needle is full endlessly
but you keep on waking me
i'm almost there
it's on the tip of my tongue
and it never goes away
it never comes to stay
- Bad Things to Such Good People
My dress shoes on
The well kept cemetery lawn
Both of them weeping
Their one good son now was gone
The irony to see my dad
Down on his knees
Crying out to Jesus
- Big Trucks
dad, dad, why did you let that man push you around like that
you should've beat him down - down to the ground - down to the ground for that
he says, 'son, you're still young and you always jump the gun'
there are real people in the big, big trucks
that you flip off when they get in your way
you get so hacked, that you pay no mind to the great big sign that says oversized load
do you really think they can go as fast, as you in your 87 trans am
- criticism as inspiration
I saw in your bedroom, the drawers had been emptied. Looking for answers but you won't admit it now. You don't need a reason, that's what you tell me but I still don't buy it. You drink yourself silly night after night.
It makes me feel so good to always tell you when you're wrong. The big man that I am to always have to put you down, put you down.
Then there's your girlfriend, she opens her legs and gives your life meaning. Is that what you love her for? The angel is always looking down, he's perfect without frown, the bully always wins.
It makes me feel so good to always tell you when you're wrong. The big man that I am to always have to put you down, put you down.
- Don't Wanna Move
More desert highways
In the heart of a twelve year old
Who can't spot misdirection
Can't risk more disconnection
Two kids, mom & dad
Monsoon out backseat glass
More rain than the cloud can hold
I see you
- Indian Summer
Ultra-violet rays wash over
All the boys and girls
As their moms lay tanning by the pool
Oh, look, their dad's arriving home
All the children hug his neck
Unaware of their inheritance
All the experts say you ought to start them young
- Invention
Crazy people know
the special place to go
when the pressure is on.
Neurons re-align
'til the feeling is fine
or the trouble is gone.
They're in the business of inventing saviours.
- June 18, 1976
You were born in KC, Missouri to a girl who wasn't married
After your birth she brought you to the nursery
Kissed your head and told you not to worry
And then quietly she turned and slipped away
In the elevator her heart began to pound
To the rooftop in her slippers and her gown
On the edge, she took one last look around
- Nothing
If only the rules were
Built upon philosophy that I embraced
I'd hug your neck and kiss your face,
But it's very obvious
That your ideals are not for me.
You'll tell me what to do
But you will see that I do as I please.
- Of Up And Coming Monarchs
Sunken ships rest
Upon the ocean floor
Where I've made my home
To dodge the draft once more
There once was a time
One could flee to the north
But Canada's not what she used to be
- Options
We were walking, holding hands
With our bare feet in the sand
And the seagulls overhead
When I broke the spell and said
"I could never divorce you
Without a good reason
And though I may never have to
- priests and paramedics
paramedics brave and strong
up before the break of dawn
putting poker faces on
broken bodies all day long
the neighbors heard a fight
someone had a knife
it must have have been the wife
husband's lost a lot of blood
- Promise
I'll take something to believe
Something with long sleeves, cause it's unpredictable
That Jesus said He'd fill my needs, but my heart still bleeds
He's just not physical
Why can't I see?
If I look up and the sky's not there
Is there any reason that I should be scared?
- Rapture
This is how we multiply
Pity that its not my wife
The friction of skin
The trembling sigh
This is how our bodies move
With everything that we could lose
Pushing us deeper still
- Simple Economics
The volunteers were tired
Heads were hanging low
The news had spoiled their appetite
For stuffing envelopes
Twelve points was an awful lot
To be down in the polls
With only two weeks to go
Shouldering the phone
- Slow And Steady Wins The Race
All the way to grandma's house I stayed on the narrow path
But my brother wandered off deep into the woods
Bitten twice by rattle snakes, tangled up in poison oak
He fell down and broke his legs into a great ravine
When I arrived at grandma's house she had made us tea and cake
She asked me where my brother was and I said I don't know and ate
When I get to Heaven I'll be greeted warmly
- Suspect Fled the Scene
old friend
your horse is ready to ride
when morning comes
from this church town
where damning rumors drip
from holy tongues
- the longest winter
spring comes slowly
to this old friend
still i'm frozen
and still live alone
in time
memories fade
senses numb
one forgets how it feels
- The Poison
the poison makes its way through my body slowly
into the pleasure centers of my brain
if you were here i would admit that i'm an asshole
but now it's over and i can't stay sober
though it isn't like i've tried
on the front porch or on an airplane on vacation
or out for dinner in a nearby town
i was so proud just to have you sitting with me
- When They Really Get to Know You They Will Run
what makes you think that it won't grow back
in a day or two
husbands in winter, they know the truth
but what can they do
i don't like girls the way they are
so shave their legs, and make them look like movie stars
then we can pretend it's natural
put on whatever makes you attractive
- Whole
A hole that big I'd never seen before
In the tummy of a good ol' boy who always wanted more
Then just yesterday I saw him satisfied
It seems he'd met the Hole-Fixing Man
Much to his surprise
But are you for real
Mr. Hole-Fixing Man?
You fixed my friend, can you fix me?