1. |
Things I Do
05:04
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Things I Do // I came to this city all alone, and you’re so far away back home. When I call you on the telephone, we’re disconnected in a dead zone. I guess we’re blowing smoke. Cheap food, cheaper beer, cigarettes and friends are what I keep near. All these things, but I ain’t got you. From the balcony, the falling rain hits the pavement, leaves a stain. The road I’m on ain’t never changed. It’s been so long it don’t need a name. Watch it go up in smoke. Early morning, late night. Linger on the twilight. Blue moon, ever clear. Whiskey on the rocks is what I keep near. High noon, disappear. Under the covers, I was never here. I do these things cause I ain’t got you. Oh, the things I do.
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2. |
Kiss on the Hand
04:22
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Kiss on the Hand // Woke up this morning, and I wrote you a letter. Said I wished that we were together. I think it's something you'd like to read. But I never sent it. I sobered up. Spilled my guts, and I lost my lunch. I know you're somewhere I'd rather be. I try not to see you in the day. I try to hide from you when I can. I try not to think of you every night, but then I feel you like a kiss on the hand. Woke up this evening, and I took a long walk. Thought about reading, kept checking the clock. I think time is working against me. Cause the more I have, the less I need. Curse this avenue, this street. Curse the distance from you to me. Days turn into even longer nights, stretch on and on like Highway 69.
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3. |
Overpass
03:39
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Overpass // Drunk under an overpass. Feels good, and I hope it lasts. Feels good, and I hope it stays long enough to take the Greenway back to Cherry. Drunk under an overpass. Starts slow, then it goes real fast. Starts slow, then it picks up speed. The lights are turning up on Franklin Street just to spite me. Take me somewhere else. I just can't be by myself. I get to thinking. I get to wishing. I get to drinking my inhibitions. I get to praying. No one's listening. Like 11:11 ain't worth missing. I don't need it. Drunk under an overpass. Cars are moving in a blink, a flash. There's something moving in the world out there. I can't see it, but I know it's where I wanna be.
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4. |
How To Float
03:52
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How To Float // Floodwater's coming. Coming down the line. Gotta make my ends meet. I'm burning both of mine. Where I'm from the trees are all pining for the sky. When it rains, they drown. And when it don't, they die. But I just wanna know how to float along the banks of the Ohio like a piece of driftwood or an origami boat. But I'm getting old. These dotted lines can't always fold. Floodwater's leaving. Leaving its design. On the plastered levee, I pass a wishbone by. You gotta make your own luck to make it right. I know you can't hold a candle to the morning light.
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5. |
Off Main
05:49
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Off Main // I’ve been sifting downtown on the weekend between Vine and Court. Staring at the sun as it falls, and I’m done. There’s nothing new to report. So I dream of a city where the streets have no name. Bono did that in the 80s. I guess some things never change. Ain’t it just strange? I know the light at the end of the tunnel is just a bar off main. Might as well serve me from a funnel cause you’re gonna watch me drain. I’ll be sifting downtown on the weekend out on NW 4th past the no parking signs and the traffic lights to some bar I ain’t been to before. And I’ll dream of a city with a real expressway. It’s a two-way street and a one-way ticket, life in the fast lane. When I’m washed up, washed out, all but washed away, busted like blacktop asphalt, the urban decay, don’t try to fix me. I was born to break. It’ll dissipate.
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6. |
Faint Red Glow
05:00
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Faint Red Glow // My growler’s empty, so it’s gonna be a long night. If I don’t drink, I might dissolve. All my friends are as real as starlight. I can almost reach them on the phone. And I try so hard. But sometimes I embellish the truth. Please do not ask me for the proof. This town is empty, so it’s gonna be a long night. Even longer through a fixed window. Past my reflection, I can see a streetlight from my bedroom such a faint red glow. I just need my fill, but it takes all my energy, so I’m waiting everstill. This house is empty, so it’s gonna be a long night. Nothing moves here when you’re not home. Here’s to being stuck and hopelessly finite but still pretending that we don’t die alone.
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7. |
Just One Spark
03:50
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Just One Spark // The night’s under fire at the meteor shower. We grabbed a blanket, up and left town. You brought a bottle, but it’s never enough cause I can always put at least another one down. But it won’t change anything. The night’s under fire at the meteor shower. And frankly, I feel as though I am too. I feel so small when I look to the sky. You tell me I’m not, but you haven’t a clue. At least tell me I’m doing something right. That’s all I need from you tonight. Every shooting star you find looks like the spark that flickers in your eye. The night’s under fire and well under way. I can’t think of anything clever to say. But at least I ‘ve got this moment. And if the here and now is here and now upon us. Well, at least you’re happy. Cause I can’t change anything. The night’s under fire with just one spark. You gotta burn through the dark.
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8. |
Texaco
04:03
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Texaco // No sleep till Texaco. Got a long way to go. Home is where you make it hit me like a freight train. Now that I am derailed, I’m getting on track again. But I don’t have a good idea of where I’m going. It’s either north or south. If I don’t shut my mouth, I’ll never have my moment. Home is where the heart is. That’s what the hardest part is. Cause I’ve only got so much to give. Life and death aren’t brothers. They’re a couple star-crossed lovers. Guess I’ll be waiting between their lips. But it ain’t all bad. That’s what I tell myself. Who needs a legacy when I still got my health? And I don’t have a good idea of where I’m going. It’s either east or west or my best guess. All I know is if I don’t rest, I ‘ll never have my moment. But I’ll keep digging. Maybe I’ll strike gold. The well’s run dry, but this is ground zero.
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9. |
A Little More Time
03:59
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A Little More Time // When I left home long ago, oh I know, I turned to dust. The wind it took me high and low. It still blows, and my wheels rust. When I get to where I go, oh I know, it won’t be enough. I pass by every liquor store. They’re all closed. I can’t oil up. And now it’s been so long, it feels like a brand new day is rising on the motorway. If you see me riding on a long black train, if you hear me singing in the evening rain, just hum along to the lonely melody. We’re only temporary, don’t be afraid. We’ve all got a little more time to learn to pray. When I left home long ago, oh I know, I turned to dust. A tumbleweed out on the road, it just rolls and don’t gather much.
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10. |
Orbiting
04:37
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Orbiting // Orbiting for you. From up here, you look so blue. I’ve got a satellite point of view. A constellation of solitude. And I think I’ve got it all figured out. I’m keeping my feet off the ground. I know there’s no coming back down, but maybe I’ll come around. I‘m picking up on the signals you send to me through space. My transistor, can’t resist your frequencies and waves. We’ve all got a soapbox. We’re still racing matchbox cars. So even if it’s wheels off, you know we’ll be getting ours. And we’ve all got a rocket reaching toward the stars. Maybe I’m just sputnik and so thick to think I could have gotten that far. I may never be homeward bound. If we’re all celestial, someway, somehow, then maybe I’ll come around.
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