01. Lowland Wood
02. How Do I Know
03. Wisdom In Cans
04. Once In A While
05. Give It To Me Straight
06. I Could Fall In Love With You
07. Afternoon Love
08. Big Surprise
09. Broken Man
10. Say You Love Me A Little
11. It's All The Same To Me
12. Love, Beer And Such

Lowland Wood

pick up the poker, pick up the rod
there's cold water in my blood
take the spear, grab a harpoon
let's take a walk by the light of the moon

i'm not the man i ought to be
i don't know what caught me
i am not the man i ought to be
heaven knows what caught me
i mean it's hard to come up with things to say
and even harder to put them the right way
call it shyness, call it cowardice
i'm doin' my best, but i'm really bad at this

i have no fear, only trust
i'll even live if i must
i will live if i must
i have no fear, only trust
take me to the clear in lowland wood
all i want is to make good
i'll do whatever is thought right
cause i've lost the will to fight

the truth is, she took my heart
we should've faced it from the start
that's the truth: she took my heart
and we should have faced it right from the start
there's nothing more powerful than a secret
it covers the world, you can't even see through it
you go through the motions, and life goes on
that's what you do when your heart is gone

now that you have a new love
there's one thing i'm sure of
this one thing, i'm sure of
now that you have a new love
the day is gonna come, the night is gonna fall
we'll hear the drum and the owl call
she will leave with me
and if we die, we'll die free

How Do I Know

take a pew, please breathe
it's gonna be a cinch, a breeze
there, there, third row on the left
row five for me is the best
i always wait until you're seated
i like this scene repeated
oh how, how, how do i know
that your voice will be soft like the snow

the pastor was standin' at the pulpit
making a portrait of me as the culprit
but i turned to mary, and i showed her
the back of your neck, and the start of your shoulder
he said a tree was known by its fruits
neither by its trunk nor by its roots
so how, how, how do i know
that your skin is gonna taste like cocoa

for now i just sit and watch you pray
but i have a good mind to talk to you someday
you're so hot i get cold feet
every time you pass me by on the street
and it isn't done, oh it just isn't done
and by the time i turn around, you're gone
so how, how, how do i know
that you're gonna stick with me, and never let me go

Wisdom in Cans

there is a truth beneath experience
films and books are made of it
reality, like dogs
only bites when you're afraid of it

if ears can hear, and eyes can see
then the brain's a pretty useless device
but my ears and eyes play tricks on me
so i turn to my dreams for advice

i'm going to wipe all that gunk out of the next sunrise
if i have to cross my Ts and dot your Is
and you will come around, come around by and by
when the sun is higher in the sky

my life is heavy in my hands
so i keep it close to the ground
my friends are usually short
the tall ones aren't always around

and it's good to speak from the heart
but don't forget who's in front of you
there's only so much one can take
and they might have a different point of view

i find my wisdom in cans
that i buy, or someone else does
amidst all the sensible crap
there aren't really so many lies

and if you love me, and yes, you do
then maybe i'll need a little sleep
but if you tell me that you... love me not
true or false, it's not gonna be so deep

Once In A While

i'm weary of the war and its rules
i'm weary of the king and his fools
let's call a truce, let's close the file
cause i like a little change once in a while

once in a while, once in a while
i like a little change once in a while

switch off all machines, i mean all of them
if they don't wanna leave a message, they will call again
let's welcome the season in style
i like a smidgen of life once in a while

once in a while, once in a while
i like a smidgen of life once in a while

the weather's unpredictable and sad
the food is scarce and goes bad
but give me your attention and your smile
cause i like a bit of love once in a while

once in a while, once in a while
i like a bit of love once in a while

i like a dash of wine in my stew
i like a drop of brandy in my brew
who, who, who, tell me who
who in the world is better than you

who, who, who, who
who in the world is better than you

Give It To Me Straight

well i've been down at the pub
and you know i don't go there for the grub
i drank myself silly, i drank myself sick
i acted stupid, i acted like a dick

but no matter how hard i tried
i couldn't get you out of my mind
i'm useless, i'm lost without you
tell me, what did i do

give it to me straight, give it to me straight
don't spare me, don't make me wait
just give it to me
and give it to me straight

i don't have to tell you the truth, you see
cause anyway, you see right through me
trouble is: it's fun to make up lies
and ignore what stands before your eyes

anyone with eyes could see that now i mean it
anyone with eyes could see that
give me just a little clue
tell me, what did i do

the law are breathing down my neck
my executioner's on deck
the soldiers are lining up in front of us
my life is getting monotonous

i sneaked out the back with grace
but then i fell flat on my face
still repeating to myself, “i wish i knew”
tell me what did i do

I Could Fall In Love With You

i could fall in love with you
it would be fun, it would be great
i could fall in love with you
because your eyes get smaller when it's late
i could fall in love with you
because your mouth opens when you sleep
i could fall in love with you
because of all the little secrets you keep

we almost kissed, but did not
at sunrise, on the rooftop
i hardly took your hand
so you had to make a move in the end
you showed me your shanks without warning
later, in the morning
as i looked i shook but, alright,
i'd been drinking coffee all night

i could fall in love with you
cause you smile and look up when you get caught
i could fall in love with you
cause you sweat when it's hot

you put your hair up in braids for me
then you knelt down and played me a melody
i said, cheers, that was nice
but i thought of givin' you some advice
it wasn't about your technique
your hair looked neat, and your playing was sleek
but there is no swing where there is no heart
i say you've got to take pleasure from the start

i could fall in love with you
cause you shiver when it's chilly
i could fall in love with you
cause when you're drunk you're silly

Afternoon Love

afternoon love is little and big
afternoon love, the kind that i dig
afternoon love is big and little
afternoon love, like water in the kettle

forever is now, i always say
judgment day is every day
red skirt and heels at ten o'clock
makes love to her phone and can hardly walk
tall blonde with tresses pouts, but waits
girl in green is running: she's late
but the first real pretty girl i see
is coming here to see me

six flights of stairs is a long way
i could have stayed until doomsday
you pulled off your gloves so eagerly
me, i wondered what you were seeing in me
i sat in the swivel chair, in underwear
and you got up to stroke my hair
deftly put on your clothes without a shower
still smelling like a flower

i was thinking on the bus
death is a small thing in front of us
then i got myself some shut-eye
and seven minutes went by
what can't be helped can't be helped
oh how soundly i'd slept
then tooting broadway, the geese at three kings pond
pease pottage, the sea, and the setting sun

Big Surprise

in spite of all the violence and lies
humanity is a big surprise
despite all the violence and all the lies
humanity is a big surprise
every time i peek, it's up to some trick
it makes me tick, it gives me a kick
it's always different, never the same
it trips and starts all over again

they teach each other to read, they try
they follow the lead, they fail
they cut the trees into books, they try
they cut the words into hooks, they fail

sharp words and smart looks
always beat numbers and books
smart words and sharp looks
always beat numbers and books
go to the country, and see what people do
they just watch more tv, and they drive more too
we're fine in the big town
you've got yours and i've got mine

they make their buildings taller, they try
they make their rooms smaller, they fail
they make robots and ships, they try
they toil, and the cd skips, they fail

sometimes i just can't tell
a man's face from a coconut shell
sometimes i just can't tell
the face of a man from a coconut shell
but i like a rhythm in the music
i like to think of a word, and then use it
i don't wish i was a monkey
i like my tonks funky and honky

they customized their feet, they try
cars took over their streets, they fail
they made sex a co-comedy, they try
they made flesh a commodity, they fail
they made knowledge a business, they try
they made knowledge dishonest, they fail
they gave the people a choice, they try
one sheep, one voice, they fail

Broken Man

i cleared my throat
grabbed my coat
stepped out to see if anything went down

had a drink on the square
saw no-one there
hopped the next streetcar into town

me, a broken man
broken by the times

the coast is clear
the enemy's here
the way of life is going down the drain

no-one fought
and it's a sore thought
we'll never be the same again

i'm a broken man
broken by the war

i'll tell you something
we had it coming
i can't be angry, or nervous

don't think too deep
you will sleep
focus on the details, the surface

i'm a broken man
broken by the world

Say You Love Me A Little

say it in calypso, say it in tongues
say it in your choice of songs
say it in double-entendre, say it as a riddle
but say you love me a little

elizabeth, enough of your shenanigans
i've yielded to your whims so many times
if you're not gonna get off your throne
i'd just as soon be alone

stop the nibblin' and chit-chattin'
it's time for refreshments, time for action
it's getting hot, it's getting late
knock yourself out, don't hesitate

i missed most of the dinner, but i lucked out
i was in time for the strudel, you'd had sauerkraut
here, have a swig of this, or have it all
cause what i need is one more highball

i know i've been driving you bananas
a frenchman such as i, with no manners
but in my pidgin english, i ask you, pray
let the chips fall where they may

It's All The Same To Me

i miss the warmth of your body
when it's cold at night
but i don't wanna hear about a party
and i don't wanna see the daylight
and i don't wanna move at all
i'd stop in the middle and fall
and i don't wanna know what you came to see
it's all the same to me

i'm trapped inside a flight of fancy
and the wind is wailing like a banshee

tears are streaming down my cheeks
the river babbles and the willow weeps

and it ebbs away, the memory
but the bats are flyin' in the belfry

Love, Beer And Such

geraldine and stephanie
were the prettiest girls i'd ever known
they both agreed with me
which led me to end up all alone
stephanie tore my shirt apart
and geraldine said i had to choose
hungover with a broken heart
i learned the meaning of the blues

there's no such thing as the right amount
of love, beer, and such
i've tried to keep a close account
it's always either not enough or too much
i was bound for failure from the start
with more than one iron in the fire
hungover with a broken heart
i called my inner self a liar

i went out to call you
but there was a madman in the phone booth
i would have sounded true
cause i would have been telling the truth
instead i took a little walk across the park
and missed the tree for the wood
hungover with a broken heart
i lost whatever faith i had for good