Claps

I stayed at the Pacific for a week. It felt like two at least. My room was so bare i was surprised someone had cared to put a bed in it. Nicely located on the fourth floor too, with a neat little linoleum stairway that led straight to the corridor at the end of which i could get to my door after only two left turns. But no fuss, and no shady business as far as i could tell. The guests watched television, they fall asleep to television, most of them simply never switched it off. Even when you heard groans and screams, you had to assume some post-war movie was on. If ever any utterance actually came from a three-dimensional human being, it was usually a child crying, or a man snoring, or on lucky days a woman who'd seen a mouse.

01. Here I Am
02. Blood In The Gutter
03. They Don't Have A Clue
04. Beware Of The God
05. I Will Run
06. Still Rockin' In Babylon
07. Time
08. Give It All To Me
09. Track 25
10. Cloud 9
11. Cloud 9 Variation

Here I Am

i found her dizzy and bleary eyed
showing exactly what she tried to hide
that is: an unfathomable need
a longing, a greed
i was bashful, she was brazen
her dancing was amazin'
i was a goof, she was a scream
straight out of a dream

there's compensation in this mess
it's just as even as it gets
for every gain there is a loss
for every destiny, a choice
for every end there is a start
for every song, a broken heart
for every woman, a man
and here i am

there's more to see than what is shown
and i have a will of my own
i believed she winked my way
so i found something trivial to say
i could have made a mistake
she wore her hair like veronica lake
long, wavy, and all on one side
keeping one eye in hide

for every hill there is a down
for every silence, a sound
for every lock there is a key
for every you, a me
for every will there is a way
for every night there is a day
for every boom there is a twang
and here i am

Blood On The Gutter

the shirt i'm wearing is a hand-me-down
the sleeves are blue but the collar is brown
it smells a lot just like an ashtray
but at least it doesn't reek like the flavor of the day
what works with habits also works with taste
they are so easily replaced
thanks you, world economy
for making it clear for me

ti dee di dee di dee di
no more crying, not i
ti dee di dee di dee dee
not a tear, not me

stop sleeping and eating, go on a binge
who's the girl with the pony fringe
pick the boys and lead the pack
you won't ever need to look back
greater men have done it before
in days of yore
thank you, electricity
for bringing back the dead for me

why do you have to be so rude
when deep inside you know you are good
where's the sense in fighting
you step on the moon: it's not that exciting
i don't claim to be so smart
but i got a couple years head start
i say i'm ready, ready for murder
i say blood, blood in the gutter

They Don't Have A Clue

the people you love
they don't have a clue
the people who love you
they don't have a clue
your brothers and sisters
they don't have a clue
your friends and neighbors
they don't have a clue
sam spade, phil marlowe
they don't have a clue
even columbo
he don't have a clue
and sherlock holmes
he don't have a clue
and doctor watson
he don't have a clue
and the lord in the heavens
he don't have a clue
and his myriads of angels
they don't have a clue

they don't have a clue
how hard it's been for you

they don't know how broken your heart is
they've no idea how many pieces
they can never feel the pain
of being there once, and never again
and how hard you tried to get some sleep
but you kept falling, and the slope was steep
they don't know how high a hill
they don't know, and they never will

and when you're lying in your bed
and thoughts are spinning in your head
it's not just a bad dream
that'll vanish at the sound of a scream
it's a jigsaw puzzle, it's a maze
it's a virgin jungle, a fiery haze
a revolution, a civil war
like no-one has ever seen before

Beware Of The God

beware of the god
i heard the death knell chime
he's thirsty for blood
it's gonna be payback time

there's gonna be a flood
there's gonna be a fire
all in all
they might even cancel each other

hell is low
and heaven is high
but it's warm down here,
and it's cold up there in the sky

all around the dotted line
adventure is easy to find
have a sip of this wine
it'll help you make up your mind

if we stick together, we'll be alright
so are you in, or are you out
there's always fire, there's always light
beyond the shadow of a doubt

Still Rocking In Babylon

who's still rockin' in Babylon
who brings the night when the light is on
who brings the night on
but me, still rockin' in Babylon

the stingy elders and the rowdy youths
are equally disturbed by the mighty truth
hail future, welcome to the past
will you save me a pint of the hemlock draft
i may sound a bit bitter at first
but who loves best criticizes worst
i'm an entertainer, a clown
it's part of my job to put people down

you won't get anywhere without a dash of honesty
drowned in a whale of a load of lowdown diplomacy
well i'll take the dash and leave the whale
and if i don't succeed, then i'll just fail
i'll hear with my ears, and see with my eyes
what's not here, i'll call it lies
i'll taste with my tongue, and feel with my hands
and what's nobody's choice, i'll call it chance

ta-dah, it's me, back at the mic again
playin' the same old manner of game
for all these years i've been awake
for all these years i've been trying to make
the unseen seen and the unheard heard
using my feet and the power of the word
now i'm old and grumpy and strange
loiterin' in the way of inevitable change

Time

time is a wonderful thing
RING-A-DING-A-LING-A-DING DING
time is a wonderful thing
RING-A-DING-A-LING-A-DING DING
it makes you wanna get a lot done
while the iron is hot, and the heat is on
RING-A-DING-A-LING-A-DING DING
time is a wonderful thing

time is a wonderful thing
RING-A-LING-A-DING-A-LING DING
it blows a candle, then again it lights it
i wouldn't wanna live without it
RING-A-LING-A-DING-A-LING DING
time is a wonderful thing

livin' is learnin', life is a lesson
pain is an angel, and death is a blessing
the path is long if you make it so
the more you stray, the further you go
there would be no fun without time
the grape would never turn into wine
and i wouldn't move across the line
that lies between your body and mine

time is a wonderful thing
RING-A-LING-A-DING-A-LING DING
it blows a candle, then again it lights it
i wouldn't wanna live without it
RING-A-LING-A-DING-A-LING DING
time is a wonderful thing

time is a wonderful thing
RING-A-DING-A-LING-A-DING DING
time is a wonderful thing
RING-A-DING-A-LING-A-DING DING
it makes you wanna get a lot done
before the stars come up, and the day is gone
RING-A-DING-A-LING-A-DING DING
time is a wonderful thing

Give it All To Me

give me grief, give me tears
give me all the salt in the sea
give me sorrows and fears
give it, give it, give it all to me

let me know if you're hungry or thirsty
silence is mean, silence hurts me
let me know if you're tired and cold
let me take what you can't hold

i don't like soft, and i don't like sweet
i want salt, salt in all i eat
but if you wanna feed me candy
i'll take whatever you hand me

if you have a lot on your mind
just come and sit by my side
we'll watch the people go by
and the changing colors of the sky

Track 25

we met in a bar called Track 25
one night that the moon was low
i'd been lonely for a while, so i jazzed up my jive
and she learned all there is to know
about me
and my philosophy

we talked about the power of the word
and how people's religions are rather interesting
silly as hell, and absurd,
they don't stand a chance when they start messing
with me
and my philosophy

she said the end of the world was coming
she said it was gonna be hard
she smiled, poured a little bit more rum in
my tea, and we walked out to the yard

the end of this world isn't coming, it's here
tell me, what are you gonna do about it
if you got a tough break, if you've had a bad year
you sure don't need to shout it
at me
and my philosophy

she said the end of the world was coming
she said it was gonna be hard
she smiled, she was just having fun, and
we caught the morning off guard

Cloud 9

don't fret about me
i'm a big boy, i've learned to cry
don't fret about me
i always get by

if you've made up your mind
i'm not going to bend the line
but one more try sounds fine
we'll take a walk on cloud nine,
this time

All songs by Stanley Brinks. 2011