City of Fireworks

In this city of fireworks the nightly explosions
rattle the tableware, and the opposing rowhouses
flicker with an unreal air.

They were right about the tourists, for the tourists came
They were wrong about the benefits, for our lives were otherwise the same.

In this city of fireworks a gentle fallout of ashes
drifts slowly past, settling on shiny parked cars
tuned to the stereo simulcast.

Take a look at the budget, look at the line items
Flinch at the cost of fireworks, wince at the cost to light them.
We shrug our shoulders, and close the blinds,
and pay attention to things happening inside..
We shrug our shoulders as the night is flickering,
and the fantastic has become routine.

In this city of fireworks our civic pride
squirms uneasily, but we do not even bother
to call the talk shows to register our opinion.

We shrug our shoulders, and roll our eyes,
and pay attention to things happening inside.
We shrug our shoulders as the night is flickering,
and the fantastic has become routine.

Steelers' Fight Song

A yacht with the big bold name Antagonist
was the first to dock on the morning of the Steelers game,
and as I walk by I guess that makes me the protagonist
though it was assuredly not my aim.

I can hear those parting words of my boss reverberating,
"An idea isn't worth anything, until it can be sold."
I have nothing to offer that could convince them of anything
They would riddle me thoroughly full of holes.

The October sky shining gloriously overhead
The all-too-familiar strains of the Steelers' fight song
Glasses are raised triumphantly on the top deck,
as I imagine a fight song of my own.

Potomac

Andrew, we're caught on the chain bridge
It is minus five degrees
Andrew, we're broken down on the chain bridge
Won't you please answer, please?

Andrew, the taxicabs say they won't come down
They don't respond to such emergencies
Andrew, the taxicabs say they weren't born yesterday
Come on now, this is Washington, DC

Three of us are huddled in the back
And I'm running across the Potomac
Three of us are huddled in the back
And I'm running across the Potomac

Andrew, if I've ever sounded cold to you before
If our dealings have been strained
Well, Andrew, some more coldness is in store
But I promise it won't remain

Andrew, you're a hard man to get through to
You are a hard man to reach
Please on this single occasion
Can't we overlook those qualities

Three of us are huddled in the back
And I'm running out of quarters across the Potomac
Three of us are huddled in the back
And I'm running out of hope across the Potomac

The Clean Slate

I'm leaving with my senses intact
Together I will get my act
Without fanfare, without regret
I'll move along and make the best of it

I've got a clean slate coming my way

No longer will I have to pretend
My prospects here are meaningful and genuine
Without apprehension, with much relief
Watch my detractors as they sink beneath the horizon line

I've got a clean slate coming my way

I'm having a yard sale for everything
That I'm not planning to bring
Who, you might ask, would want to buy
a card table full of unrealized, unfulfilled, frustrated attempts
to get off the ground?

I've got a clean slate coming my way

Insincerity Showcase

One fine evening my friend comes over
Her latest creation in hand
A videotape of herself driving over
I'm scrambling to have made some other plans

What do I say?
I say nothing at all
I say "that sounds o.k."
Does my insincerity show?

My feelings about applauding
Mediocrity are mixed
This mutually supporting network
Showcasing our mutual brilliance

What do I say?
I say nothing at all
I say "that sounds o.k."
Does my insincerity show?

Entertainment is endurance
We have a wonderful time
Like everything that you see, uncritically
And it will like you back just fine

What do I say?
I say nothing at all
We have a wonderful time
We have a wonderful time

Hot Apple Pushover (to be an optimist)

My New Year's resolution is not very high
Things are as cloudy as the five day forecast sky
As the smoke from this section, smoking designated
Another revolution around the sun gets celebrated

Seated at a booth of authentic Naugahyde
The truth tastes synthetic, like the food pictured inside
the menu, from the top view. Ready to order
Some of your weak coffee and a hot apple pushover

It seems the server this evening forgot to mention
On holidays they do not offer the reduced-esteem selections
The diner on the boulevard of broken dreams, this was surely not
My mistake, I forgot

To be an optimist.

Maraschino

Maraschino!

Going to New Mexico

I didn't make it in the barrio, I couldn't take it in the presidio
With head held kind of low, there's no need to say "I told you so"
The labor shortage was overrated, the housing shortage was understated
Retreating against the demographic flow, because
Kinko's wages are the same
wherever you go.

Looked at the cost of living, looked at the cost of leaving
I find myself right back here.
This great devising; misguided enterprising
I find myself right back here.

My resume was roundly ignored, a fact further underscored
By the lack of a permanent residence
This grand and dashing move was supposed to make life improve
But there's this lack of compelling evidence

The view was pretty decent, but the architecture was much too recent
And the altitude seemed kind of strange, and the
seasons weren't going to change
The romance of points west is hard to deny; what looks good in pictures
doesn't necessarily fly
There is something to be said for a city nearly dead,
or at least in protracted decline.

Platitude Man

Working for the platitude man
Working for the platitude man
Just like a computer program
Working for the platitude man

Just like a see-n-say
Pull the string ten hours a day
Seven days are in a week
When you reach the end, repeat

Dale Carnegie leadership class
Learn what you need to learn to pass
Sincerity can't be affected
When absolutely disconnected

Hangin' tough guys, way to go, there is no 'I' in teamwork, etc.

Working for the platitude man
Working for the platitude man
Just like an empty fuel can
Just like a flow chart diagram

Could've, Should've

If could have and should have were wit and charming
I would find that to be pleasantly disarming
If could have and should have were an exotic liqueur
I would need some assistance getting off the floor

If could have and should have were chips and pretzels
The beer distributor must have been having quite a special
If could have and should have were a new pair of shoes
I would prefer to wear a pair comfortably used

How do I disconnect?
It's relentless.

Analysis and commentary
Pounding in my head, involuntary
Could have, should have, might have, maybe
Memory is sharp but conviction is hazy

How do I disconnect?
It's relentless.

The Eye Opener

Don't ever drive to Chicago
Hearts get left in dumpsters in Chicago
And your glasses could get kicked around
On the floor of the Lounge Ax

Yes, it's true, I thought I could see clearly for miles

Don't ever drive to Chicago
Without a contingency plan
In the event it should be raining
And the time is 3 am

Yes, it's true, I though I could see clearly for miles

I picked up old drink stirrers
Mottled together with grime
Finally a pair of glasses
That turned out not to be mine

Yes, it's true, I had a vision, oh so clear

Don't bet on a sure thing in Chicago
Upsets happen in Chicago
Like that fire that burned down everything
And speaking for myself

I had a vision, oh so clear, yes it's true
I had a vision, and the disposition to see it through






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