ABCD (All Of The Above)

It's not A, do I love you
It's not B, do I love to hold you
It's not C, do I care for you
It's just D, all of the above

Absence Of Fear

Inside my skin
There is this space...
It twists and turns
It bleeds and aches

Inside my heart
There's an empty room.
It's waiting for lightning;
It's waiting for you

I am wanting, and...
I am needing you
To be here
Inside the absence of fear

Muscles and sinew
Velvet and stone...
This vessel is haunted
It creaks and moans

My bones call to you
In a separate skin.
I make myself translucent
To let you in, boy...

I am wanting, and...
I am needing you
To be here
Inside the absence of fear
There is the splendor of this
Secret inside of me
And it knows that you're no stranger,
You're my gravity
My hands will adore you
Through all darkness, and they will
Lay you out in moonlight
And vent(?) your name

For I am wanting, and...
I am needing you
To be here...
I need you near...
Inside the absence of fear.

Adrian

Adrian came home again last summer
Things just haven't been the same around here
People talk
People stare
Oh, Adrian, come out and play
An unfortunate accident in a canoe
Dr. said, 'I'm sorry, not much I can do'
The air was so still
His eyes did not blink
Oh, Adrian, come out and play
Little Mary Epperson liked him
She vowed always to watch after him
Still he did not move
Dr. said it's no use
Oh, Adrian, come out and play



BRIDGE: She sat by his side, watched the years fly by
He looked so fragile, he looked so small
She wondered why he was still alive at all
Everyone in town had that 'I'm so sorry look'
They talked in a whispered hush, said
'I'd turn the machines off'
But still she sat by his side
Said, 'life he won't be denied'
Oh Adrian, come out and play
Yellow flowers decorate his bedroom
Sign above his door says Welcome Home
But he just sits and stares
He's awake but still not there
Oh, Adrian, come out and play


BRIDGE And little Mary Apperson grew up lovely
She still comes to visit him on Sundays
He's like an unused toy
He's got big hands but the mind of a little boy
Oh, Adrian, come out and play
Adrian came home again last summer
Things just haven't been the same around here

Afraid It's Too Late

She sits at the window
All dressed in white
Been a long time since she's cried
Tears called ....tumbling down
She remembers her childhood brown
She's afraid it's too late

She steps out on the porch
Takes a minute from her day
Just like when she was a child
To listen what the wind would say
She was carefree like the children are today
Say, ?? loves you, won't you come out and play
She's afraid it's too late

When she was a child
She had crowns hiding gold
With such awe, each flower she did hold
And she...the grass beneath her feet
How she hated things that were already late

They took away her laughter
They took away her crown
They said "hey girl, you gotta keep your feet on the ground"
She said "oh, but they are"
They say "Well laughter won't pay your bills"
A flower fell from her hand, falling still
They taught her to be respectable
Responsible somehow
They taught her to be in every....
She forgot how it felt to have leaves of grass beneath her feet
Now every thought screams to return to her childhood royalty
She's afraid it's too late

She takes one last moment
Before going inside
She takes a coat
To dry her eye
She ... and it all becomes clear
It's probably laughter that gets you what you need
....More than here
She's afraid it's too late

La la la la
la la da da laaah


Ain't No Lookin Back (September 1996)

All of your ghosts
Litter the horizon
Glittering carcasses
I guess that makes twice then
Just like your daisies
And all of your buffallo
You dont worry
The children will mend what you tore

You dress yourself in sharkbites
You kill yourself in spoonfuls
You damn all the beehives
You make love to potholes
Your attention is a junkie
It has a wandering vien
And all of your thoughtlessness
Is dried up rain

Aint no lookin back, now---Is there kid?
You always look to the west
You throw caution to the wind
You're on a one way track
But you cant buy caution back---Can you kid?

You killed a man
Because you made him borrow
One suicide is made up
Of ten thousand tiny sorrows
America's great
Its the land of the free
We're so independant
That we forgot how to breathe

Aint no lookin back, now---Is there kid?
You always look to the west
You throw caution to the wind
You're on a one way track
But you cant buy caution back---Can you kid?

Show me one hero
Who ain't afraid of fear
Show me one adult
That knows how to hear
"We are the future"
At least thats what you said
I wanna know:
Who's the hope of today?

There's no lookin back now for you---Is there kid?

All of your ghosts
Litter the horizon
Glittering carcasses
I guess that makes twice then
Just like your daisies
And all of your buffallo
You dont worry
The children will mend what you tore

All the Animals

All the animals
agree you and me
should be a team

And they walk on parade
say that we were made
to be a team

And my flesh melts beneath your tongue
I am your little comunion

And all the rainbows
Tell me that they know
We're a perfect pair

And the birds up in the sky
Say they can see it from way up high
We're a perfect pair

And my wings weaken beneath your will
And before you I am trembling and still

All the birds know it
One and one is two
All the birds see it
Tell me why don't you

And all the light of the sun
Doesn't help me out none
Cuz you still can't see me

Amen

You're mothers' child
But night lays you down
Hair aflame, wild look in your eyes
Naked belly to the ground
A forest fire
Nibbles at your veins
Crawls up your arm
runs away with your mind
And burns dry thoughts like leaves
Amen
Eyes stare up
But something's in the way
In the Bible only angels have wings
And the rest must wait to be saved
A dry tongue
Screams at the sky
But the wind just breathes words in
As a strange bird tries to fly
Amen
Pieces of us die everyday
As though our flesh were hell
Such injustice, as children we are told
That from God we fell,
Where are my angels?
Where's my golden one?
Where's my hope
now that my heros have gone?
Some are being beaten
Some are being born
And some can't tell
the difference anymore
Amen
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Angel Needs A Ride

Said, "Angel, Do you want a ride?"
Said, "Angel, I'm tired and I'm lonely
And I need somebody by my side"

It's a long road that stretched from Vegas to nowhere
But it'd been an even longer time
Since he found some piece of mind
And he lived off of bubblegum and cigarettes
And got his nourishment from all-night stores
Thought he'd just keep driving
Til he outdrove his sorrow

He said, "Angel, Oh do you want a ride?"
Said "Angel, I'm tired and I'm lonely
And I need somebody by my side"

Her feet were warm and tired
But as determined as a soul
She left with no regrets
But also no posessions did she own
Her heart was as fragile as her thin, loving arms
She's praying to god to take away her lonely
When he pulled on aside of the road

And he said, "Angel, Oh do you want a ride?"
Said, "Angel, I'm tired and I'm lonely
And I need somebody by my side"

The highway goes on forever
I've seen a thousand men like him before
And I've seen a thousand angels that
Got into the car
They're just a couple of lost souls
Looking to rekindle some sort of forgotten dream
I hope they find what they're looking for
In the solace of the road

They said, "Angel, Do you want a ride?"
Said, "Angel, I'm tired and I'm lonely
I'm tired and I'm lonely
I'm tired and I'm lonely
I'm tired and I'm lonely
And I need to have somebody
By my angel"

Angel Standing By

All through the night I'll be standing over you
All through the night I'll be watching over you
And through the bad dreams I'll be right there, baby
Holding your hand, telling you everything is all right
And when you cry I'll be right there
Telling you you were never anything less than beautiful
So don't you worry
I'm your Angel standing by