REM

Airportman

He moves efficiently
Beyond security.
Great opportunity awaits.
Airport fluorescent
Creature of habit
Laboured breathing and sallow skin
Recycled air
Moving sidewalks
Great opportunity blinks
Great opportunity blinks.
Discounted.

The people mover
The people mover
Discounted.

At my most beautiful

I've found a way to make you
I've found a way
A way to make you smile

I read bad poetry
Into your machine
I save your messages
Just to hear your voice
You always listen carefully
To awkward rhymes
You always say your name
Like I wouldn't know it's you
At your most beautiful

I've found a way to make you
I've found a way
A way to make you smile

At my most beautiful I count your eyelashes, secretly
With every one, whisper I love you
I let you sleep
I know you're closed eye watching me, listening.
I thought I saw a smile.

I've found a way to make you
I've found a way
A way to make you smile

Daysleeper

Receiving department, 3 AM
Staff cuts have sucked up the overage
Directives are posted
No call backs, complaints
Everywhere is calm

Hong Kong is present, Taipei awakes
Talk of circadian rhythms

I see today with a newsprint fray
My night is coloured headache-grey
Daysleeper, daysleeper, daysleeper

The bull and the bear are marking their territories
They're leading the blind with their international glories

I'm the screen, the blinding light
I'm the screen, I work at night

I see today with a newsprint fray
My night is coloured headache-grey
Don't wake me with so much
Daysleeper

I cried the other night
I can't even say why
Fluorescent, flat, caffeine lights
It's furious balancing

I'm the screen, the blinding light
I'm the screen, I work at night
I see today with a newsprint fray
My night is coloured headache gray
Don't wake me with so much

The ocean machine is set to nine
I'll squeeze into heaven and Valentine
My bed is pulling me, gravity, daysleeper
Daysleeper, daysleeper, daysleeper, daysleeper

Diminished

I watched you fall
I think I pushed
Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe diminished
Maybe I'm innocent
Maybe I'm finished
Maybe I blacked out
How do I play this?

I will give my best today
I will give myself away
I have never hurt anything
Is the jury wavering
Do they know I sing?

Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe diminished
How do I,
How do I play this?
Jealous lover, self defence
Protective brother, chemical dependence
I'll consult the i-ching
I'll consult the tv
Ouija, oblique strategies
I'll consult the law books for precedents
Can I charm the jury?

I will give my best today
I will give myself away
I have never hurt anything
Is the justice wavering?
Does she know I sing that song?
Sing along
Sing along
Sing along
(I will never hurt anything)

I watched you fall
Maybe they'll see me
Maybe they'll say
"I can see the truth in his statement.
Smallpox blanket? No way"
Can I charm the jury, my defence?
Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe diminished
Maybe I loved you
Baby I loved you
Baby I loved you
Baby I loved you
Baby I'm finished

I will give my best today
I will give myself away
I have never hurt anything
Is the justice wavering?
Does she know I sing
That song?
Sing along
Sing along
Sing along
(I will never hurt anything)
I have given myself away
I have given my best today
I have never hurt anything
Is the justice wavering?
Does she know I loved you
Does she know I loved you?
Does she know I sing?

Falls to climb

I'll take the position, assume the missionary part
You work by committee, you had me pegged from the start
I'll be pounce pony, phony marony, pony before the cart
I'll be pounce pony, this ceremony only fills my heart

Who cast the final stone?
Who threw the crushing blow?
Someone has to take the fall
Why not me?

A punch toy volunteer, a weakling on its knee
Is all you want to hear and all you want to see
Romantically you'd martyr me and miss this story's point
It is my strength my destiny this is the role that I have chosen

Who cast the final stone?
Who threw the crushing blow?
Someone has to take the fall
Why not me?

Gentlemen mark your opponents fire into your own ranks
Pick the weakest as strategic move. Square off. To meet you enemy
For each and every gathering a scapegoat falls to climb
As I step forward silently. Deliberately mine

Who cast the final stone?
Who threw the crushing blow?
Someone has to take the fall
Why not me?
Why not me?
Had consequence chose differently, had fate its ugly head
My actions make me beautiful and dignify the flesh
Me. I am free. Free.

Hope

You want to go out Friday
And you want to go forever
And you know that it sounds childish
That you've dreamt of alligators
You hope that we are with you
And you hope you're recognised
You want to go forever
You see it in my eyes
I'm lost in the confusion
And it doesn't seem to matter
You really can't believe it
And you hope it's getting better

You want to trust the doctors
Their procedure is the best
But the last try was a failure
And the intern was a mess
And they did the same to Matthew
And he bled 'til Sunday night
They're saying don't be frightened
But you're weakened by the sight of it
You lock into a pattern
And you know that it's the last ditch
You're trying to see through it
And it doesn't make sense
But they're saying don't be frightened
And they're killing alligators
And they're hog-tied
And accepting of a struggle

You want to trust religion
And you know it's allegory
But the people who are followers
Have written their own story
So you look up to the heavens
And you hope that it's a spaceship
And its something from your childhood
You're thinking don't be frightened

You want to climb the ladder
And you want to see forever
You want to go out Friday
And you want to go forever
And you want to cross your DNA
To cross your DNA with something reptile
And you're questioning the sciences
And questioning religion
You're looking like an idiot
And you no longer care
And you want to bridge the schism
A built in mechanism to protect you
And you're looking for salvation
And you're looking for deliverance
You're looking like an idiot
And you no longer care.
'Cause you want to climb the ladder
And you want to climb the ladder
And you want to see forever
And you want to go out Friday
And you want to go forever
You want to go forever

Lotus

Hey hey!

I was hell
Sarcastic silver swell.
That day it rained
Tough spun, heart won. No
Ocean flower aquarium
Badlands, give a hand.
Honey dipt, flim flam
Hey hey, hey hey.
That cat can walk like a big bad man.

So happy to show us
I ate the Lotus
Say haven't you noticed?
I ate the Lotus.

Storefront window, I reflect
Just last week I was merely heck
Tip the scale, I was hell
Pick me up and then I fell
Who's this stranger? Crowbar spine
... and I feel fine
Let it rain, rain, rain
Bring my happy back again

So happy to show us
I ate the Lotus
Say haven't you noticed?
I ate the Lotus

Let it rain, rain, rain
Save me from myself again
Wash away my ugly sins
Opposing thumb, dorsal fin
That monkey died for my grin
Bring my happy back again
Let it rain, rain, rain
Bring my happy back again

So happy to show us
I ate the Lotus
Say haven't you noticed?
I ate the Lotus
I ate the Lotus
I ate the Lotus

Parakeet

You wake up in the morning
And fall out of your bed
Mean cats eat parakeets
And this one's nearly dead.
You dearly wish the wind would shift
And greasy windows slide
Open for the parakeet
Who's coloured bitter lime.

Open the window
And lift into your dreams
Lately baby
You can barely breathe

A broken wrist
An accident
You know that something's wrong
You fold the leavings of your past
No-one knows you've gone
The sunspot flares of the early
Nineties light u you wings
And scan the shortwave radio
It's tracking outer wings.

The tectonic dispatcher shifts
To smooth the ocean floor
And flattens out to warmer winds
Of Brisbane's sunny shore
Where buddahs tend to mending wrists
A tea made from the leaves
Of eucalyptus fragrances
And corriander seeds

You wake up in the morning
To warm Pacific breeze
Where mean cats chew on licorice
And cannot climb the trees

Open the window
And lift into a dream
Baby, baby
Baby starts to breathe

Sad Professor

If we're talking about love
Then I have to tell you
Dear readers: I'm not sure where I'm headed
I've gotten lost before
I've woke up stone drunk
Face down in the floor

Late afternoon the house is hot
I started, I jumped up
Everyone hates a bore
Everybody hates a drunk

This may be a lit invention
Professors muddled in their intent
To try to rope in followers
To float their malcontent
As for this reader
I'm already spent

Late afternoon the house is hot
I started, I jumped up
Everyone hates a sad professor
I hate where I wound up

Dear readers, my apologies
I'm drifting in and out of sleep
Long silence presents the tragedies of love
Note the age, get afraid
The surface hazy with attendant thoughts
A lazy eye metaphor on the rocks

Late afternoon the house is hot
I started, I jumped up
Everyone hates a bore
Everybody hates a drunk
Everyone hates a sad professor

I hate where I wound up
I hate where I wound up

Suspicion

Now my suspicion's on the rise
I have known, I have known your kind.
Please don't talk, don't make me think
Order up another drink
Let me let imagination drive.

Can't you see
I need
Nothing too deep?

Imagination
Come alive
Suspicion
Tonight, I'll dream tonight.

Listen to the devils in my ear.
Tell me what, what I want to hear
You're so funny, you're so fine
You're so perfect, you're so mine
That I never had an opportunity to hide
No I never had a chance

Can't you see
I need
Nothing too deep?

Imagination
Come alive
Suspicion
Tonight, I'll dream tonight.

Look into my eyes
They hypnotise
The lights, the drinks
Let the music carry you away

My eyes
My sights are limited
Am I sensing a familiar twinge?
No I never had a chance

My eyes are blurred
My sights are limited
Am I sensing a familiar twinge?

Please don't speak
Make me think
It's all too deep

Imagination
Come alive
Suspicion
Step down, I'll dream tonight

Step down, I'll dream tonight
You're so naked baby
Carry me away
Dream, dream

The apologist

The call me the apologist
And now that I'm at peak
You know at first it really hurt
We joke about these things
I've skirted all my differences
But now I'm facing up
I want to apologise for
Everything I was. So
I'm sorry, so sorry ...

Did you understand me right?
The people here are good
They tell me what I should have done
And offer what I could
I'm good, all is good
All's well, no complaints
When I feel regret
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm sorry, so sorry...

I live a simple life
Unfettered by complex sweets
You think this isn't me?
Don't be weak
There I go
I'm so sorry

Thank you for being there for me
Thank you for listening, goodbye
I can forfeit selfishness
I hope that you apply
This happiness
This peacefulness
I'm sorry, so sorry ...

I live a simple life
Unfettered by complex sweets
You think this isn't me?
That's so sweet
I'm so sorry

Walk Unafraid

As the sun comes up
As the moon goes down
These heavy notions creep around
It makes me think, long ago
I was brought into this life
A little lamb
A little lamb
Courageous, stumbling
Fearless was my middle name
But somewhere there
I lost my way
Everyone walks the same
Expecting me to step the narrow path they've laid
They claim to walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold my love me or leave me high

Say "Keep within the boundaries if you want to play"
Say "Contradiction only makes it harder"
How can I be
What I want to be?
When all I want to do is strip away these stilled constraints
And crush this charade
Shred this sad masquerade
I don't need no persuading
I'll trip, fall, pick myself up
And walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold my love me or leave me high

If I have bag of rocks
To carry as I go
I just want to hold my head up high
I don't care what I have to step over
I'm prepared to look you in the eye
Look me in the eye
And if you see familiarity
Then celebrate the contradiction
Help me when I fall
To walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold my love me or leave me high
Walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold my love me or leave me high

Why not smile

The concrete broke your fall
To hear you speak of it
I'd have done anything
I would do anything
I feel like a cartoon brick wall
To hear you speak of it
You've been so sad,
It makes me worry
Why not smile?
You've been sad for a while
Why not smile?

I would do anything
To hear you speak of it
Why not smile?
You've been sad for a while
You've been sad for a while

You're in the air

You wanted a challenge that's calling you higher
I landed on my feet by crawling
I Remember standing alone trying to forget you idling
I hate to admit that that's my reference point but there it is
You say you want me

I'm what you found I'm upside down you're in the air
You're in the air and I am breathing

Brighten the stars the weather is lifting
The heavens love a love like this
It's pulling you higher twist it and turn this around
It lights from within it dribbles your chin now brings a smile
I'm lost again
I'm lost again

I'm what you found I'm upside down you're in the air
You're in the air and I am breathing you

I want the stars to know they've won if only to beguile the sky
Has opened up again in heaven reconciled I want you naked
I want you wild I want the stars to know they win
Give me that smile just give it me
Just turn it on I'm lost again

I'm what you found I'm upside down
You're in the air
I'm what you found I'm upside down
You're in the air
I'm what you found I'm upside down
You're everywhere you're in the air
And I am breathing you