1. |
The Best War
03:39
|
|||
|
A grimy crew are marching by
In the shopping malls and stores
They aren’t fully satisfied
They want another war to end all wars
There’s the war on drugs and homelessness
Like the war on poverty
They can talk about them ’til they’re blue in the face
But there’s not enough blood to see
Chorus:
Singin’ “Hey! Is everybody ready?
Ready on the cannon? Ready on the guillotine?
Ready on the tanks and torture chambers?
Ready for the best war you’ve ever seen?”
Well our enemies were so clear cut
Only twenty years ago
But the whole world’s turned around since then
And the men are feelin’ sluggish and slow
The bad guys then are the good guys now
They don’t know who they’re supposed to fight
But they know they wanna do a lot of killing soon
And they’d like to get started tonight
(Chorus)
Oh, maybe we can kill those radicals
Who’d burn our flag so true
Maybe we can kill rap music stars
Or put ‘em all in a big zoo
Maybe we can kill the vegetable lovers
And the homosexuals too
Or maybe we’ll just kill you
You know you never can tell what a person like you might do
Oh yeah
Their blood pressure rises
With every day without the first blow
The whole world’s already shaken up
You know a battle’s coming soon, you know
What’s the harm in a little war?
The fighting turns boys to men
And now that nuclear bombs have hit the peace tom-toms
We can have a front line again
And we’ll go in …
(Chorus)
Don’t move too fast or they’re gonna getcha
Cuz you know their trigger finger’s itchy
And they’re all just singin’
“Hey! Is everybody ready?
(Ready to defend your noble Uncle Sam?)
Ready on the cannon? Ready on the guillotine?
(Ready to kill the crummy scum who don’t give a damn?)
Ready on the tanks and torture chambers?
(Ready for another chance to win Vietnam?)
Ready for the best war you’ve ever
Ready for the best war they’ve ever
Ready for the best war there’s ever been?"
|
||||
2. |
Justify
04:36
|
|||
|
I visited the airport on a busy day
To seek wisdom at the crossroads
It seemed the only way
For though I wasn’t panicked
I was feeling unaligned
I had no idea which path that lay ahead was mine
An old man at the terminal raised a wrinkled hand
Said, “Follow not your whims, my boy
Make sure your time is planned
For on the day of judgment when the trumpets fill the sky
Your every waking moment you will have to justify
Justify, Justify
Justify your means and ways
For at the end you’ll have to pay
For all the days you cannot justify.”
The woman next to him agreed
“He’s right about the plans
But all you must make sure about is money in your hands
For though there’s many causes and the world outside is tough
Keep your family comfy and you’re justified enough.”
Her husband spoke in monotone
“The money’s all you need
I hear that when you’re rich enough you overcome your greed
That’s why I work long hours in an office building high
Making so much money I won’t have to justify
Justify, justify
Justify with dollar bills
Money covers all your ills
Until you will not have to justify
You may nod your head or swear they’re all insane
There are many, many pathways (as was becoming plain)
But by seeing the directions I could not bear to go
Another path was made clear and now my way I know
I don’t believe in judgment, I don’t believe in plans
And any fool will tell you that it’s hard to believe in man
I don’t expect a day when God will never more forgive
But I know there’s only one way I have found to live
I will not be a monster for money or for land
I will not sit here quietly and say that life is grand
But as the time keeps rolling on until the day I die
It’s to myself and to my God that I must justify
Justify, justify
Justify each step I take
Make each gift that I can make
Care when many will not care
Speak when many will not dare
Live a life that’s got some worth
Keep in mind both God and Earth
And that’s a path that I can justify
Justify
Justify
|
||||
3. |
Bitter By And By
03:47
|
|||
|
If no one was to listen and nothing was to break
My innocent remark would count as quite a big mistake
I’ve never been to Normandy although I’ve climbed a tree
And I’ve never called you anything but ‘she’
The titles in my library are really too obscure
But the undertow is grinning as a wave breaks through the shore
If Malcolm is a lighthouse keeper, I’m a drunken fish
From the Philippines en route to Natchitoches
And the days drag on like hours and the years plod on like seconds
As a girl I don’t know beckons from the inside of the sky
For I’ve never felt so frazzled* or so rhythmically distracted
As my patience is refracted in a haze of when and why
St. Patrick’s Day was frozen through a magnifying glass
But it’s all been torn to ribbons by a diplomat on grass
And the altar boys are busking in a new sidewalk café
With their cocoa butter soaking up the hay
Do the raindrops seem to tremble at a glance from Katmandu
With a pocket full of promises and a bucket full of shoes?
Though I see the lifeguard drowning, he’s talking out of key
To a fellow with a bureaucrats degree
And the days drag on like hours and the years plod on like seconds
As a girl I don’t know beckons from the inside of the sky
Though I’ve never seen a compass made from leftover tattoos
I would love to watch you use one in the bitter by and by
Is that Nancy in the window?
Is she eating feta cheese?
Cuz the rats are watching Jeopardy and falling on their knees
As the gas truck hits a racetrack and begins to pick up speed
All the congressmen have voted to proceed
No, you can’t just sit there, stupid, no, you have to grab a shoe
Cuz the rats are getting restless and there’s so much you can do
Be the hero, be the villain, be the one that got away
Nothing comes from nothing gained, I always say
And the days drag on like hours and the years plod on like seconds
As a girl I don’t know beckons from the inside of the sky
And the occupants are joining forces, praying to the dishes
And their words are mean and vicious and they will not wear a tie
And the days drag on like hours and the years plod on like seconds
As a girl I don’t know beckons from the inside of the sky
For I’ve never felt so frazzled or so rhythmically distracted
As my patience is refracted in the bitter by and by
|
||||
4. |
Misfits of the World
04:58
|
|||
|
Poor little Malcolm Malcontent
Hears how much is said and knows how little is meant
But his chance to do a thing about it just sorta came and went
Poor little Malcolm, Malcolm Malcontent
Poor little Susie Sad-But-True
Sees the world's corruption like only a very few
But she knows despite her horror that there's nothing she can do
Poor little Susie, Susie Sad-But-True
Chorus:
And if the misfits of the world should unite and take over
It wouldn't mean the world would be all roses and clover
Cuz people will be people, people make mistakes
And it always takes more people to set it straight
And Runaway Ronald has to run on by
Careful not to look anyone in the eye
They just might see down in his soul
How far he is from being whole
Poor little Danny Dump-On-Me
Knows he'll be abused by everyone he sees
And his face of resignation just makes everyone agree
With poor little Danny, Danny Dump-On-Me
(Chorus)
Beligerent Brenda makes the world step back
Takes no guff and she gets no flak
And no one even wants to look her way
But that's the price she's gonna have to pay
Poor little Malcolm Malcontent
Wrote this song to show that his concern was not all spent
But I don't think it's gonna go too far towards paying the rent
Poor little Malcolm
|
||||
5. |
Vision
03:10
|
|||
|
If every dog can have a day
I know that I can get my way
I wonder when I'll reach the date
And make a killing in real estate
Chorus:
If you've got something to say, you might as well talk to a wall
Cuz I'm a man with a vision and I can't hear you at all
Get a partner, Make a deal
Get a big car and hang around with big wheels
Seize a company losing ground
Buy a mansion, buy a town
(Chorus)
I'm gonna live the American dream
There's only one American dream, so it seems
And if they could, they'd all live the American dream
I have no ethics or convictions
I will succumb to drug addiction
Rehab will make me a drug fighter
And I'll make a million with a good ghost writer
(Chorus)
I'm gonna live the American dream
There's only one American dream, so it seems
Make tons of money with a morally bankrupt scheme
When you're on top you can't hear your victims scream
And if they could, they'd all live the American dream
When I get old, I'll have respect
Beautiful yuppies all hanging off my neck
Won't leave my money to my family
I'll find a way to take my cash along with me
|
||||
6. |
Harder Way To Die
02:47
|
|||
|
There's a lot of people walking round with nothing on their mind
It seems some time ago they up and left the world behind
They don't know what they're doing, they don't know how to try
But that's a hard way to live your life and a harder way to die
There's a lot of people walking round with scars left on their hearts
They don't talk to anyone for fear of pulling the seams apart
Some folks call them crazy, some just call them shy
But that's a hard way to live your life and a harder way to die
Some people are just so sad that they can't even cry
Some people even think the whole idea of truth is a lie
There's a lot of people talking round that no one wants to hear
The public tunes the public out 'til the voices disappear
Everyone wants to change the world and no one cares about why
It's such a lonely world out there it makes you want to cry
And that's a hard way to live your life and a harder way to die
|
||||
7. |
Cigarette Ash
07:39
|
|||
|
(You'll have to listen)
|
||||
8. |
On Another Day
04:14
|
|||
|
On another day, for another reason
I walked our street all alone
At a different time, with a different outlook
Your image was held aloft by questions
Why are you like you are?
How did we make it that far?
And my mind burned like a star on another day
On another road I set my soul to wanderin'
Fighting the impulse to head for home
I see through different eyes, it's like a new dimension
Here are the phantoms I'd forsaken
I was blind to pretend
We would never meet again
Or that we'd meet as friends on another day
Slowly orbiting the jetsam
I try in vain to picture the whole
It's hard to miss what you can hardly imagine
But I feel a vacancy deep in my soul
On another day I dusted off the history
Turned pages past all reckoning
Took another breath, smiled another heartache
Let memory wash over my solitude
Waves on an unfocused shore
'Til I could reflect no more
And I softly shut the door on another day
|
||||
9. |
Rain Dance
03:55
|
|||
|
Better get the children inside
Better close the windows tight
They're saying on the radio
There's gonna be a thunderstorm tonight
It's been too dry too long now
The grass has all turned brown
See that cumulonimbus forming
Gonna wash some life into this town
You can almost hear the garden saying Thank you
You can almost feel relief beneath the ground
Hear the rock 'n' roll men hummin'
That the thunderstorm is comin'
I been so dry I wish that I could drown
Wish that I could drown
Everybody's made of water
Everybody smells the rain
Listen for the sound of thunder
Make us feel like animals again
Better than the sweetest music
Better than a mandolin
Better get the big umbrella
Look at all the goosebumps on my skin
You can almost see the flowers doing warm-ups
You can almost see the trees stretch out their limbs
Doesn't matter what you're doin'
You know the storm is brewin'
You can feel it in the whistle of the wind
Whistle of the wind
Say you wanna go outside
Say you wanna take a ride
Well be advised the skies are lookin' gray
You don't wanna be exposed
When this kind of weather shows
But I might just go dancing on the lawn today
Are you ready for the rain now?
Better get the children inside
Better close the windows tight
They're saying on the radio
They're gonna wash the gullies out tonight
There's gonna be a storm
And you can almost hear the garden saying Thank you
You can almost feel relief beneath the ground
Doesn't matter what you're doin'
You know the storm is brewin'
And I been so dry I wish that I could drown
Wish that I could drown
So bring it down now
|
||||
10. |
Glowing
03:30
|
|||
|
Saw her by the riverside
Looking like a blushing bride
And glowing
Eyes as clear as mid-July
Lips still damp from a kiss goodbye
Glowing
She was a lover who was never mine
But I can't forget the way she shined
Moon and the stars and the sun combined
She was glowing, she was glowing
Walking by the riverside
As though created by the tide
Glowing
Dressed in document and song
Smile surpassing right and wrong
Glowing
Other thoughts were banished by the curve of her hand
And the perfect footprints in the dampened sand
There was nothing left to contemplate or to understand
She was glowing, she was glowing
And when I left the riverside
My heart she still occupied
Glowing
She told her life in serenade
With every movement that she made
Glowing
She was a lover who was never mine
But I can't forget the way she shined
Moon and the stars and the sun combined
She was glowing, she was glowing
|
||||
11. |
Must Go
03:35
|
|||
|
If you feel that you must go
Then how can I slow you down?
If the answer must be no
How can I make you come around?
Even though you're sitting with me
It's like you're already gone
You're on the highway zipping through Dallas
And the words I say too far away
If you feel that you must go
Then I'm just wasting both our times
I didn't really want to know
But now I know there's no denying
I might as well just kiss you goodbye
And wish you good luck and so and so
And you might as well get on the road
If you must go
If there's nothing to decide
Then what am I supposed to do?
Yes it's true, you never lied
That's what I love so much about you
But I wish I had another chance
Before you start your life again
And if you don't want to hear this
Then why's your car still in our yard?
If there's nothing to decide
Why should I even state my case?
All I can say is that I tried
And if I failed there's no disgrace
I might as well just kiss you goodbye
And wish you good luck and so and so
And you might as well get on the road
If you must go
If you really go tonight
I hope you don't forget my name
I hope you call, I hope you write
I know you won't, cuz you're still the same
I might as well just kiss you goodbye
And wish you good luck and so and so
And you might as well get on the road
If you must go
|
||||
12. |
Coming Down
05:21
|
|||
|
I am not trying to avoid you
But I know it looks that way
I am not trying to cut off
What you're trying to say
Don't get discouraged, we'll talk on another day
Okay?
It's just that the rain is coming down
The rain is coming down
And I wanna go inside where it's warm and dry
I don't disparage you motives
I know your heart is good
You'll make it out of the woods real soon
Knock on wood
Am I not paying attention as well as I could?
I should
It's just that the pain is coming down
The pain is coming down
I can barely stand up when I feel you cry
I feel the pull of the life I have built
Out of comfort and cowardice, stiffness and guilt
And it stops me from staying too long
Your situation is bad
And I'm glad you reached out to me
Previous plans just prevent me
From being the key
Maybe you'll find someone else
Who can set your soul free
We'll see
But I feel my world is coming down
World is coming down
And it keeps me from making heartfelt try
Cuz I don't believe in the future or past
Like a normal man
I just keep stretching the present
As far as I can
And when you say yesterday
Might as well be The Sudan
(Or Japan or Iran)
And I feel the time is coming down
Time is coming down
And tomorrow's a good way to say goodbye
And I feel the pull of the life I have built
Out of comfort and cowardice, stiffness and guilt
And it stops me from staying too long
And it stops me from staying too long
This is not just an excuse
But I know it will sound that way
It's hard enough for me to fight my way back
Through the gray
Don't get discouraged, we'll talk on another day
Okay?
It's just that the rain is coming down
The rain is coming down
And I wanna go inside where it's warm and dry
|
||||
13. |
April Snow
06:01
|
|||
|
Peeking through the blinds again
Another Monday morning dressed in white and gray
It's preying on my mind again
It's not supposed to still be this way
But the time is coming 'round again
When green grass is gonna push on through
And it should've happened weeks ago now
But who am I to tell this planet what to do?
We are born again in Springtime
Mother Nature rolls the stone away
But not today
And I can hear you say
"Oh no! Not another April snow!"
So I put on my boots again
And I'm headed out the door
There's not enough snow to shovel this morning
There's just enough to make me wonder what it's here for
Is it a reminder to the world
To take things as they fall?
Will we all love the spring so much better now
Or maybe there's just no good reason at all
No, not at all
I have reveled in the winter
I was making snow angels on the lawn
And now, I'm just waiting for it all to go
We are born again in Springtime
Mother Nature rolls the stone away
But not today
And I can hear you say
"Oh no! Not another April snow!"
An April snow
And who can you complain to
Except your passing friends and say
"Looks like another winner of a day, huh, Jane?"
And "When d'ya think this mother of 'em all is gonna end?"
Cuz the time is coming 'round again
When green grass is gonna push on through
And it should've happened weeks ago now
But who am I to tell this planet what to do?
I have reveled in the winter
I was making snow angels on the lawn
And now, I'm just waiting for it all to go
We are born again in Springtime
Mother Nature rolls the stone away
But not today
And I can hear you say
"Oh no! Not another April snow!"
And you can hear me say
"Not another April snow!"
And it won't let go
|
||||
14. |
Magnificent Loser
04:25
|
|||
|
I was once the sorest of sore losers
Faced defeat with anger and with shame
Then one day I woke to my good senses
Thankfully I've never been the same
I've learned to smile with wild abandon
When I shake the consolation hand
I can say "Good game!" with heartfelt pleasure
As if losing was the very thing I'd planned
I'm the king of all good sports
It's a victory of sorts to say that
I'm a magnificent loser
And I can take embarrassment with glee
I'm a magnificent loser
And now everybody wants to play with me
Play with me
Everybody wants to play with me
Before I came to my conversion
Life was never like I thought it should
Couldn't bear the smallest of small failures
And on top of that, I wasn't very good
Now that I've learned to be a loser
I have no fear of better men
I can look the victor in the eyeball
And ask him " Do you want to play again?"
I'm the king of all good sports
It's a victory of sorts to say that
I'm a magnificent loser
And no one has more grace in their defeat
I'm a magnificent loser
I guess I've got a knack for getting beat
Getting beat
I guess I've got a knack for getting beat
If he makes you happier, of course you have to go
On that point I know we both agree
I can think of nothing that would bring a warmer glow
Than to think of you as happier than me
Happier than me
So when life brings its disappointments
No one will know I feel a thing
I'll just keep laughing like a madman
I'll throw my shoulders back and then I'll sing
I'm the king of all good sports
It's a victory of sorts to say that
I'm a magnificent loser
And I can take embarrassment with glee
I'm a magnificent loser
And now everybody wants to play with me
A magnificent loser
And I can take my downfalls with a grin
I'm a magnificent loster
And I don't know what I'd do if I should win
I won't win
But I don't know what I'd do
I don't know what I'd do if I should win
|
||||
If you like John Voorhees, you may also like:
If you have a fondness for expertly wrought roots-rock with sharp lyrics and aching vocals, look no further—“Strangers” is for you.
go to album
Darkness begins to creep into the corners on the latest from Itasca.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Feb 6, 2024
go to album
24th Street Blues
by Tom Heyman
Tom Heyman documents life in San Francisco circa 2023, refusing to succumb to easy characterization & instead capturing the city’s nuance.
go to album
Drag All the Lights Inside
by Nesting
From Seattle comes this tumultuous art rock record, full of intricate songs that alternately whisper and kick.
go to album
A collection of short stories set to music, the latest from Dave Perkins pairs evocative writing with rustic Americana arrangements.
go to album
Write The Soil Lighter
by Mother Juniper
“Write The Soil Lighter” is full of beguilingly mysterious folk-adjacent music, shrouded in shadow and atmospherics.
go to album
