1. |
Before You Met Rick
01:30
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I don't want to sound like a major prick
but I think I liked you better
before you met Rick
sneaking out of the high school dance
Slidin' in and out of high school pants
or maybe you don't know what I mean
maybe you don't know what I mean
I liked the way you said my name
before you flushed it down the drain
my head was spinnin' it happened so quicked
shoulda had one more tumble before you met Rick
or maybe you don't know what I mean
maybe you don't know what I mean
It didn't cost you much
It didn't cost me much
Now you're married, you got his ring
you gave him a baby you gave him everything
But early memories are the ones that stick
like getting it on before you met Rick
or maybe you don't know what I mean
maybe you don't know what I mean
you
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2. |
Image Burns In
05:12
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Unnoticed
under tables
a long, long time
barriers
revelations
solid in before your eyes
when it goes
nebulous goes
no surprise
It all seems holy,
fragile and thin
then apotheosis
and the image burns in
space collapses
world lays down
time slips its chain
bodies and asphalt
wheels and fire
enigmas remain
phantoms in the dreaming
electric in the blood
heaven and rain
invitations
revelations
stars the same
It all seems holy,
fragile and thin
then apotheosis
and the image burns in
Take it all to the mountain
give it to the wind
the last flare of sunset
and the image burns in
Sugared nights
saline days
Advent calendar doors
endless and inane
magic or mundane
this elevator stops at every floor
then, hardly noticed
Under starships
a short, short time
It all seems holy,
fragile and thin
then apotheosis
and the image burns in
Take it all to the mountain
give it to the wind
the last flare of sunset
and the image burns in
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3. |
One Of These Nights
03:50
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You've got a kind heart
that's where you keep your love
you have bright eyes
that's where you keep your light
And I know
one of these nights
I'm gonna take your heart
pull out your light.
You've got a strong mind
that's how you sleep at night
in the darkness
where you spend your time
And I know
one of these nights
I'm gonna take your heart
pull out your light.
(I gotta kind-hearted woman
she studies evil all the time)
And I know
one of these nights
I'm gonna take your heart
pull out your light.
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4. |
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Christmas lights on her bedroom wall
her cherry red lips against skin like a China doll
her shoulder tattoo and her vintage clothes
her pin-up girl hair and ring in her nose
She's a girl with a ukulele
a young thing with a flower behind her ear
strumming away on YouTube like she's on some South Pacific isle
because she knows we'd rather be there than here
Her cat's eye glasses are all the rage
and she cuts her bangs like Bettie Page
she prowls the night for Tiki bars and tacky kitsch
and just the right vinyl to scratch that itch
She's a girl with a ukulele
she tries to find beauty every day
and sitting here in my cynical forty-two
I wish I could see life her way
She'd be at home singing to sailors on a beach
Pearl Harbor before the war
blowing kisses to swabbies beneath a Hawaiian moon
a sultry strum to remind them what they're fighting for
She's a girl with a ukulele
we should walk a thrift store mile in her shoes
we should all be more like the effervescent, pixie girl
We'd all see the world sparkle like when it was new
Mahalo, girl with a ukulele
I probably love you, you passing strange
a simple tune to bedazzle a weathered soul
and a life that's her's to change
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5. |
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She moved in on Monday
by Tuesday night she was all alone
in that violent silence
when her friends had all gone home
I guess it's worse when the night comes
and the bottles have all been drained
the evening stretches on for hours
and then too late to bed again
And I guess that's how she found me
my guitar drifting through the night air
a knock on my front door
and I found her standing there
She said
"Sorry, you don't know me
but I think I know this song.
I know it's awkward but could I
come in and sing along?"
4 hours later
when we'd finished 2 bottles of wine
she left without telling me her name
and I never told her mine.
Some night months later
when a storm had knocked out the light
I sat strumming in the hot dark
with the windows open wide
she called up from the courtyard
"Hey guitar boy, could you use some lights?"
I said "I could use a singer
and I just opened a bottle of wine."
For years I saved a bottle
in case she appeared at my door
I finally drank it at a party
I can't remember now what for
I moved out on Monday
I cleaned it up and got my deposit check back
but I still heard her in the floorboards
in the place where she sat
When She said...
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6. |
Stars Over Taos
04:17
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7. |
Blue Glass
04:17
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I carry a torch
for this old porch
I ain't got much
but the shade
the wood is old
the brick is tired
but they've absorbed
everything that's transpired
I like firelight
through blue glass
a cooling line
of dripping wax
an old gin bottle
from porch nights past
throwing shadows
on the grass
day or night
sun or rain
it's where my body sits
it's where my body stays
'til these sunken eyes
roll back in my head
wood, brick and blue glass
greet the dead
And when I meet the Devil
at The Wicked Source
he says you won't see no blue glass
forever more
I say "I'll be damned
if I can't sit on my porch
I'll light my own damn self
gimme a torch"
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8. |
Drowsy
02:08
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August stars on lazy water
palm fronds on inky blue
drowsy lovers in a row boat
drifting, bobbing fro and too
White sand shimmers in the moonlight
campfire on the beach
rum and oil in their kisses
hands entangle, bodies meet
The air is cool around them
the sand, still warm from the day
a sleeping seabird rides the surf
then he wakes and flies away.
The night carries on without them
now they've slipped away to dreams
Their campfire burns down to embers
and the moon slides into the sea
memories of distant lives
drift in and out as they wake
as the lose themselves in each other
and forget how long they've been away
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9. |
Why You Love Me Now?
02:08
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Why'd you come down here
I was feeling alright
why'd you come down here
where there is no light
I was just putting this damn thing
back together
who do you think you are?
And tell me why...
why you love me now?
I was burning cold but
I was picking up steam
I was tired of drinking
myself into dreams
So why'd you come down here
and kick me back down
Who do you think you are?
And tell me why
why you love me now?
I don't have more money than I had before
did I lose weight since you kicked me out the door
did you have a change of heart and see things more clear
is that what brought you back round here?
Tell me
Why you love me now?
Why'd you come down here
and break my flow
why'd you come down here
when my resistance is low
If I'm the hero you're the Kraken at the gate
So you can go
unless you let me know
Why you love me now?
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10. |
A Song For Constants
03:50
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Two lovers walking
one walking backward
begging the other one not to go
one has accepted
the other knows it
but it's just too hard to admit they know
Let me lay my body down
'cause the only thing constant is the ground
At 4 A.M.
stronger gravity
pulls her to the center of the world
in the tiny, dark apartment
she listens to the breathing
learning to love her baby girl
Let me lay my body down
'cause the only thing constant is the ground
One last breath
before the curtain
one last breath
before the show
Before I step out
and crack myself open
and I'm never sure
how it will go
Let me lay my body down
'cause the only thing constant is the ground
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11. |
Someone Else's Dream
03:50
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Let me in from the rain
because I've had an awful day
and there's something else
that I want to say
but I won't
because you're someone else's dream
This is not how I expected it to be
I thought you were so right for me
I can say
you took my breath away
But now where are you?
You're someone else's dream
Now the sun is going down
throwing phatoms at the ground
I want to tend the garden
I want to settle down
but I can't
because you're someone else's dream
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12. |
Spiderdust Sarah
04:02
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13. |
Shouldn't Be Alone
03:31
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I think my software is glitching
cause my finger is intching
I shouldn't be alone
Don't make this a deal
because that makes it real
I shouldn't be alone
I shouldn't be alone
Keep this between you and me
I don't want others to see
that I shouldn't be alone
but the picture is clear
You should prob'ly be here
I shouldn't be alone
I shouldn't be alone
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14. |
Bardolino
03:08
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Given the circumstances
I think things are best left unbalanced.
A breathing bottle of Bardolino
next to some unused plates and napkins
and I never know where I stand
knowledge of the footing
only gives me confirmation
and I don't want confirmation
Given the way she's looking
I think it's best if I go back to my place
friends shouldn't be dancing
and leave that question hanging in the free space
they should never know where they stand
because the offer and the offing
only lead to complications
and I don't want complications
Given this uneasy feeling
I think it's best if I sit out this round
I can lose my self in drinking
and wind up running this thing aground
And I never know when to stop
knowledge of my limits
only leads to validation
and I don't want validation
Given recent history
I think it's best that I become a hermit
We'd be sated then complicated
and in the end neither of us would deserve it
but I never know where to hide
because the hiding and the finding
only lead to expectations
and I don't want expectations
Given that I'm still talking
I think it's best that I stop the drinking
This empty bottle of Bardolino
but no one here, the hell was I thinking
And I never know if you'll show
and hopes for your arrival
only lead to disappointment
and I know disappointment
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15. |
Giving Notice
03:22
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I've been watching
from the high winds
losing patience
losing ground
I've been moving
along the iceflow
just waiting for
the world to go down
I've been washing
the feet of sinners
all night long
all year round
I've got no time
for a cup of coffee
time to take a day
and get out of this town
Sorry to leave this way
what can I say?
I'm exhausted
down to my spirit
through muscle
into bone
I know there's no
easy replacement
but I'm burned out
you're on your own
Sorry to leave this way
what can I say?
What can I say?
What can I say?
You can't make me
a better offer
my mind is clear
I'm out the door
I've given you
the best years of my life
and in return
you always want more
Sorry to leave this way
What can I say?
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16. |
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Don't you tell me that it's so
don't you tell me that you know
there's only one way to go from here
only one way to go
Don't touch your lips to mine
I won't touch your lips of wine
we don't have that much time
there's only one way to go
Should it wash away this time
Should our love sink like a stone
should our mouths trip our hearts
that fall is harder than bone
Should I climb up these stairs
to find your love as bare as the sand
Only then will I see
these are only human hands
Don't tell me all your dreams
'cause I can't deny your screams
No matter how real it seems
there's only one way to go
Don't tell me that you know
Don't tell me that it's so
there's only one way to go from here
only one way to go
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17. |
The Pity Party Song
01:28
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Don't give a shit about this song
sounds like all my other songs
don't give a shit about this song
don't give a shit about much since you're gone
Don't give a shit about my hair
it doesn't do a damn thing up there
Don't give a shit about my hair
you didn't give a shit, so why should I care?
Don't give a shit about my health
Everything I put in my mouth just tastes sad
Don't give a shit about my health
Maybe I'll get real sick and you'll feel bad
Don't give a shit if I die
like you'd care if I do
Don't give a shit if I die
If I do that'll show you
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18. |
Maybe One Day
04:20
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All those years ago
before you and me
how could we know
we would be
eyes across
the room
at one more
costume party
cowgirl in the corner
with the tilted smile,
your own constellation
of light and arrival.
wandering boy
wearing the worn-out heart
held too close too many nights
until I found your stars.
we stole a quiet corner
talked all night
like no one else was there
talked all night
about who,
what and why
until the party was over
and we didn’t want to go
We said, “maybe one day”
we would find the answers
“maybe one day”
all our hopes and dreams
“maybe one day”
it would be you and me
us against the world
Fifteen years later
the answers aren't all known
But we have
house and home
been to grief
we've begun again
never alone
summer skies or winter winds
Whatever
happens next
growing old
or nothing new
every mile
we have left
I’ll be walkin
right next to you
We said, “maybe one day”
we would find the answers
“maybe one day”
all our hopes and dreams
“maybe one day”
it would be you and me
us against the world
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19. |
The Waxie's Dargle
02:29
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20. |
Give You The Lightning
02:40
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If I was a preacher
I'd forgive you
If I was an umpire
I'd call you safe
If I was a gumshoe
I'd drive out and find you
If I was a punch clock
you'd never be late
If I was a farmer
I'd call you in from the fields
If I was the Black Plague
I'd pass by your door
If I was a Norse god
I'd give you the lightning
If you only needed one
I'd give you three more
If I was Pac Man
I'd leave your ghost alone
If I was a match head
I'd ignite on first strike
If I was a clear day
I'd show you forever
If I was Saturn
I'd watch over you all night
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21. |
Mix Tape
04:33
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Did you get the tape I made?
It said everything I wanted to say
I hope you had a chance to play it
That way I don't have to say it
Because I'm a fumbly, inarticulate ape
I made you a mix tape
Do you want to drive around
listening to it with the windows down?
We could hear every song
and hang with the Plaza Rats all night long
Because I'm a fumbly, inarticulate ape
I made you a mix tape
Put your pinky in, wind the tape
cue it up and don't waste any space
print real nice, stay inside the lines
use an inside joke for the name on the spine
Will that make you mine?
It took all night I couldn't stop
threw in little punk and a little pop
but I snuck the love songs in
that way you would barely notice them
Because I'm a fumbly, inarticulate ape
I made you a mix tape
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22. |
Inevitability
03:32
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23. |
Some Place Better
02:22
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By the time you get this letter
I'll be some place better
Because I'm jumping free
you don't have to watch me leave
I'm walking away clean
this slate pristine
By the time you get this letter
I'll be some place better
On a night when it's clear
you can see someplace better from here.
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Eric Peter Schwartz Aurora, Illinois
Acoustic rock and some instrumental rock. Where heart and quirk collide.
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This is my album on the ZyngTapes label! Check it out. It's available on cassette, CD and download.
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