Throwing Copper

 

The Dam At Otter Creek

When all that's left to do
Is reflect on what's been done
This is where sadness breathes
The sadness of everyone

Just like when the guys built the
Dam at Otter Creek
And all the water backed up,
Backed up, backed up
Deep enough to dive 

We took the dead man in sheets
To the river flanked by love
Deep enough to dive
Deep enough to dive
Be here now 

We took him three and three
In a stretcher made from trees
That had passed in the storm
Leave the hearse behind
To leave the curse behind
Be here now.


Selling the Drama


And to love: a god
And to fear: a flame
And to burn a crowd that has a name 

And to right or wrong
And to meek or strong
It is known, just scream it from the wall 

I've willed, I've walked
I've read, I've talked
I know, I know
I've been here before 

Hey, now we won't be raped
Hey, now we won't be scarred like that 

It's the sun that burns
It's the wheel that turns
It's the way we sing that makes 'em dream 

And to Christ: a cross
And to me: a chair
I will sit
And earn the ransom from up here

I Alone

It's easier not to be wise
And measure these things by your brains
I sank into Eden with you
Alone in the church by and by
I'll read to you here, save your eyes
You'll need them, your boat is at sea
Your anchor is up, you've been swept away
And the greatest of teachers won't hesitate
To leave you there by yourself
Chained to fate 

I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
Fear is not the end of this! 

It's easier not to be great
And measure these things by your eyes
We long to be here by his resolve
Alone in the church by and by
To cradle the baby in space
And leave you there by yourself
Chained to fate 

Oh, now we took it back too far
Only love can save us now
All these riddles that you burn
All come runnin' back to you
All these rhythms that you hide
Only love can save us now
All these riddles that you burn
Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Iris

I liked the way my hand looked
On your head
In the presence of my knuckles
But the beauty of this vision alone
Just like yesterday's sunset
Has been perverted by the sentimental
And mistaken for love 

The felix of your truth will always break it
And the iris of your eye will always shake it
And the armies, the armies I have created
Will always hate it
Will always bait you on 

I liked the way my hand looked on your head
In the presence of my struggle
But the beauty of this vision alone
I can't shake from my tree just yet
It keeps invading all my private moments
Listen to me now

Lightning Crashes

Lightning crashes, a new mother cries
Her placenta falls to the floor
The angel opens her eyes
The confusion sets in
Before the doctor can even close the door 

Lightning crashes, an old mother dies
Her intentions fall to the floor
The angel closes her eyes
The confusion that was hers
Belongs now, to the baby down the hall 

Oh, now feel it comin' back again
Like a rollin' thunder chasing the wind
Forces pullin' from the center of the Earth again
I can feel it 

Lightning crashes, a new mother cries
This moment she's been waiting for
The angel opens her eyes
Pale blue-colored iris presents the circle
And puts the glory out to hide, hide.

Top

This is not helping me at all
What you are doing here
In the name of God and love
It's the distribution of fear
Pyramids, healing wines, analysts with fame
I haven't got your degree and I forgot your name 

Pick me up and put me on the ground
Set me up and spin me all around
No, you are not the one I wish to see 

This is not helping me at all
Where did we get this plan?
That you give to me
What I might already have
Pyramids, healing wines, a musician's fame
I volunteered you my eyes
In place of facing me 

Oh Hitler, in a robe of truth
My emptiness has built your altar
And I've worshipped myself in you forever
Until now!

All Over You

Our love is like water
Pinned down and abused
For being strange
Our love is no other
Than me alone
For me all day
Our love is like water/angels
Pinned down and abused 

All over you, all over me
The sun, the fields, the sky
I've often tried to hold
The sea, the sun, the fields, the tide
Pay me now
Lay me down

Shite Towne

The Weavers live up the street from me
The crackheads, they live down the street from me
The tall grass makes it hard to see
Beyond my property
Hey, man this is criminal,
This hard line symmetry of people and pets 

We don't bother anyone
We keep to ourselves
The mailman visits each of us in turn
We don't bother anyone
We keep to ourselves
The mailman visits each of us in time 

Gotta live, gotta live, gotta live
In Shite Towne
Gotta live, gotta live, gotta live
In our town.

T.B.D.

In the moment I was losing my head
Readin' too much and losin' my head
And I was
Reachin' forward, I was already there
Readin' too much and losin' my head 

This information caused a cut in the line
Now I'm rememberin' God and
Readin' too much; it's so nice
The print is smaller than the ants in the grass
I'll have to put it away now
In the morning there are things to be read
Words to be said, food to be fed
But I won't be there
I'll be clutchin' on a megaphone pointed at my head
Could you be there?
Would you kindly
Read this word for word so loud and clear
I can't remember it all
It needs to be clear, I tell you
If the feeling drops out of your voice,
Would you kindly pick it up? 

This is how I'll go out tonight
Dressed in blue, by the book tonight
This is how I'll go out tonight
But I don't need a book 

We're talkin' anchors, talkin' ships
We're talkin' seas, we're talkin' everything you need
You should be workin' now, not only askin' how,
And the whereabouts of where you'll be
I don't suspect you will be thinking
When the brain is dead
And the mind has taken over
This is a skill, this is not a game
Where have you been?
Are you with us?
Can you hear us?
Got the megaphone pointed at you.

Stage

I wanna feel
I wanna try
I wanna rock in the city tonight
I wanna deal
Don't wanna die
I wanna bring my captain hook into the light 

People I've seen my day
Ranting and raving this beauty away
We are by and large the same
But words are too feeble, they cannot contain 

He was a "rock and roll messiah"
She was known for her child care
The truth is gonna give up the world
If you can give up the stage
If I can give up the stage
If we can give up the stage 

Come to this; I can't come to you
Don't do this; wake me up tonight
Come to this; I can't come to you
Don't do this; wake me up tonight

Waitress

Come on baby, leave some change behind
She was a bitch, but I don't care
She brought our food out on time
And wore a funky braid in her hair 

Come on baby, leave some change behind
She was a bitch, but good enough to leave some change
Everybody's good enough for some change
The girl's got family
She needs cash to buy aspirin for her pain
Everybody's good enough for some change 

We all get the flu, we all get AIDS
We've got to stick together
After all, everybody's good enough for some change
Some fucking change!

Pillar of Davidson

Warm bodies, I sense
Are not machines that can only make money
Past, perfect, tense
Words for a feeling in all I've discovered
I'll be along, son
With medicine supposed to, designed to make you high
I'll be along, son
With words for a feeling in all I've discovered 

Old, bad eyes
Old, bad eyes
Old, bad eyes 

On loneliness comes
Go see the foreman, go see the profiteer
On loneliness drives
We're takin' our time movin' shit for this holy slime 

Old, bad eyes
Old, bad eyes
Old, bad eyes
Almighty fear 

The shepherd won't leave me alone
He's in my face and I
The shepherd of my days
And I want you here by my heart
And my head, I can't start till I'm dead 

Here I am locking horns with a stallion
Failing to hold my head up, I'll go back again
Pillar of Davidson, feeling too hard to go down
Cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon
Deeper and deeper in love so I'll hold my head up
Cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon
Pillar of Davidson, feeling too hard to go down.

White, Discussion

I talk of freedom
You talk of the flag
I talk of revolution
You'd much rather brag
And as the decibels of this disenchanting discourse
Continue to dampen the day
The coin flips again and again and again and again
As our sanity walks away 

All this discussion
Though politically correct
Is dead beyond discussion,
Though it leaves me quite erect
And as the final sunset rolls behind the Earth
And the clock is finally dead
I'll look at you and you'll look at me
And we'll cry a lot
And this'll be what we said
This'll be what we said: 

Look where all this talkin' got us baby. 

I warned you, I prepared you,
I instructed you, I told you what to expect;
Other times and seasons together today 

Do yourself some service
That the day so cometh