The EP

01. TRAMPOLINE

we've been locked out again
I'll be the indian and you be the cowboy
we'll terrorize the girls walking home from school in their uniforms
I wore a yellow skirt covered with stains and dirt
just a hand-me-down we wrestle on the grass your legs upon my back
push my face in the ground

black-top parking lot

and the funniest thing I'd ever seen was you
jumping on the trampoline

they're turning on the lights it's time to go inside
don't answer when she calls you
let's hang out in the park wait there until it's dark
then sneak into the pool we do this every day
it keeps them all at bay
you go while I stand guard
hang out with boys we know I'm late 'cause I run slow
ghost in the graveyard

black-top parking lot

the funniest thing I'd ever seen was you jumping on the trampoline

Verse C#m E F#m A Bridge F#m C#m A Chorus E A

02. REPULSION

I'm locked up and all alone experiments happen when you're not at home
and you should see me dressed up in my nighty if you could see me you'd say i don't look all right
this is repulsion writing on glass in the dark was it my suggestion (don't blame me) that you come over? so don't blame me (don't you dare) if you never leave and this is no happy accident on the postcard that you sent this is my world caving in arms and walls are inside this is repulsion writing on glass in the dark this is repulsion

03. ASTRONAUT

 

I hold faith while you drift in space alone, crossing the big black sky and a girl could go to rot married to an astronaut but I'm gonna watch and wait for you to return someday as you breathe silently on the opposite side of the bed I circle stars, you said your rockets blare you're seven thousand million miles away from me

04. FLICKER

 

Christmas lights hung up outside in the middle of the day middle of July, don't ask me why
holidays are best that way, anytime you, please
hang up lights on ceiling fans, and hang them up on trees
watch them flicker, watch them flash
get used to the fact that she's not coming back

you've gone out of style there's no Christmas in July

and since she's gone the world goes on and you? you still exist
you're surprised you've realized that no one gives a shit
about your bad tv reception, or your broken heart
sit down in your favorite chair, suffer in the dark
and watch them flicker, watch them flash
get used to the fact that she's not coming back

you've gone out of style and there's no Christmas in July

she's gone away and you think that you might die
but you're a strong boy, you'll survive
you sit around and contemplate the things you might say if she calls but she's never gonna call

05. DOCUMENT

I use my best penmanship
I hold my hand steady and make sure that it doesn't slip
I am here to document to get it right and to bear witness
I drive alone these days
everybody has gone away
I keep the place warm until they return

you think of the end
I think of decay
I guess that it's better to leave it that way

breathing makes a sound makes things reappear
coming up for air, do you think that they hear me? coming up for air, do you think that they care?

I drive alone these days
everybody has gone away
I keep the place warm until they return

Shirley temples and Roy rogers are the things that I remember
don't forget to say your prayers is what she said to me don't forget to say your prayers
Jesus lost and found, over and over again

06. HORSE & CARRIAGE

everybody's got big plans for you
everybody's telling you what to do
it's making you nervous
it's making me nervous too
how 'bout you rely on me and I'll rely on you?

then we can wait until the coast is clear
and then we'll make our great escape
I've got all we need I got a rope, and twine, and sticky tape
I know a place where we can go
nobody has to know
I'll take you there, I'll take you there to my secret place
'cause I have got a map inside my head I got it from some books I've read
and certain things that you said to me
'cause your voice it ricochets and I'm off making plans again I'm not listening to them anymore

so let me be the horse on your carriage I will take you where you wanna go
I'll take you there, I'll take you there
let me be the horse on your carriage
I will take you where you wanna go

The LP

01. THESE DAYS ottamwa heights is just a name council bluffs, i never been a fire came and burned away the only thing she'd have liked to save do you remember? do you recall? anything at all about her eventually, you'll get the hang as you try to navigate some bars you'll learn not to go in some hearts, you'll learn, you should not win face down, linoleum everybody knows how such stories go do you remember? do you recall? anything at all about her face down on linoleum everybody knows that these days i'm trying to be better than i used to be 02. NEW MACHINE babe in the woods in those days over and over still you learn a lot that way so i will remain right here the clouds go as they will something has got to give it might as well be me me and my new machine no goodbyes i didn't know what you wanted i couldn't hear what you shouted seems like a long time ago stick-figures drawn on window fog over and over still i missed a lot you said so i will remain right here i'm already gone now something has got to give it might as well be me me and my new machine no surprise i didn't know what you wanted i couldn't hear what you shouted seems like a long time ago and don't believe the things that they will say it's not hard to deceive it doesn't mean anything to me now it doesn't mean anything anyhow 03. LOVEY all you wanted was all your friends to circle 'round where you lay and watch your rocket's red glare hear the girls at the top of the stairs think they're calling your name pretty sure that they're calling your name seems like everyone's off having fun left you here by yourself and you'd give your right arm to get yourself in harm's way you waited all summer i think that you can wait another day don't you know that it's all in your head? a retraction of everything i've ever said close the windows, get ready for bed won't you stop what you're doing and listen? and if you want to say that everything's okay go ahead, because no one will you stop you here open up your ears and tell me what you hear don't you know that it's all in your head? a retraction of everything i ever said close the windows, get ready for bed won't you stop what you're doing and listen? 04. MORE SAD ROBOTS tape-recorder, length of rope lack of focus, shred of hope a piece of string is all that holds this ship together in this room, you've lost your heart document and catalogue think of how the past gets bogged down underneath your feet turn this off when it starts to sound familiar it will always be incomplete and no one can say that maybe someday your prayers won't be answered rewind take her word, she's always right she's always there, your darkest night you must go on, what else is there for you to do now? and when you think you've lost your way she'll hide the razors, draw the shades you'll try to find the last good memory you have turn this off when it starts to sound familiar it will always be incomplete and no one can say that maybe someday your prayers won't be answered rewind i'm sorry i didn't get to see you so sorry i didn't keep in touch my friend, i've been missin' you so very, very much well, you know it goes away if you give it time 05. THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU a backwards glance in a borrowed dress the taste of something imprecise what's the story there? what'd you wanna come here for? what did you think you'd find? what do you think you'll find without me? calling from far away and you, fumbling for what to say but you know, you will never be so free if you wanna know the truth about you the smallest hands can still wring necks some things i never will get straight what's the story there? what'd you want to come here for? what did you think you'd find? what do you think that you'll find without me? always unhappy, always dark always the last one to the start and how you made it look so easy i just wanna know the truth about you and how you made it look so easy and what did you want from me? you cannot remember what did you hope you'd see? could it have been better? what did you think about when you thought about me? i will never know the truth about you 06. CONEY ISLAND instrumental 07. PORCH no more questions it's too early for that yet find some sunglasses and claim a nice spot on the porch and there we'll wait for dawn to come because it comes for everyone the night was too long i lost my bearings out at sea gas station bathroom mirrors telling secrets just to me so i must wait for dawn to come because she comes for everyone so you thought you'd like to go there but you didn't give it any thought so when you find yourself in trouble just remember one thing that they told you amazing how just a little sun brightens up the darkest night and we must wait for dawn to come and you thought you'd like to go there but you didn't give it any thought so when you find yourself in trouble just remember one thing that they told you amazing how just a little sun brightens up the darkest night 08. THE ACCIDENT do you remember the way? does it mean anything to you at all? if the voices, they say something you thought you had it before but i can promise you this there's only way it can go stick with me if you want but i do not know the answer to the things that you're looking for i don't believe, but i think that somehow we'll get where we're going in time pay the man for his sleight of hand it's not the one that you want look alive as my dad would say what did you think it would cost? think i knew you from a long time ago do you remember name? does it mean anything to you now? and you don't have to say it's been fun it's been swirling around in my head and it keeps me awake at night i could tell you a thing or two but i'd rather just sit in this room watching the shadows grow long do you know how it happened? did you see the car approach? did you realize just how close you'd come? did it feel like being alive?