Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

Front Row

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; Music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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do you go to the dungeon to find out how to make peace with your days in the dungeon writing a letter

to you didn't make me feel any more peaceful than how i felt when we weren't speaking because i

didn't cop to what i did. i can't love you because we're supposed to have professional boundaries. i'd

like you to be schooled and in awe as though you were kissed by god full on the lips. I'm in the front

row the front row with popcorn i get to see you see you close up i'm too tired to recount the

unpleasantries one by one minute i want to banish you the next i want to be on

a deserted island with you along with my three favourite cd's ambivalent yet in your

bed we've yet to acknowledge what really happened

slid into the ditch i have this overwhelming loss of ambition we said let's name thirty good reasons why

we shouldn't be together i started by saying things like "you smoke" "you live in new jersey (too far)"

you started saying things like "you belong to the world" all of which could have been easily

refuted but the conversation was hypothetical I am totally short of breath for you why can't you shut

your stuff off...... I'm in the front row the front row with popcorn i get to see you see you close up

and i laughed until my lungs hurt I love how you bust my chops you don't always

feel seen sometimes you feel erasable unfortunately i cannot reciprocate in my

current state i think we should be careful of how much time we spend together

.....for a while while i'm speaking to you know how much you hate to be interrupted maybe spend some

time alone fill up your proverbial cup so that it doesn't always have to be about I've been wanting

your undivided attention I like the fact that you're nothing like me are you not burdened by the lack of

perspective people have of your charmed life (seemingly)? I'm in the front row the front row

with popcorn i get to see you see you close up you never meant to be ungrateful nor held up to

be whipped or wept for certainly not analyzed prodded at more ways than one

apparently you've been misrepresented dealing with the concept of arrows being

slung towards your outrageous fortune

hey i'm not mad at you guardian i'm mad at myself for spending so much time with you and your

jeckyl and hydeness i'm glad i figuratively slapped you on the wrist you laughed a wicked laugh

and said "come here let me clip your wings!" (i know he's blood but you can still turn him away you

don't owe him anything) "raise the roof" he yelled "yeah raise the roof!" I yelled back (unfortunately

you needed a health scare to repriortize.) no thanks to the soap box. having me rile against them

won't make an ounce of difference.... I'm in the front row the front row with popcorn i get to see

you see you close up oh the things i've done for you many a stitch a friend a man's

been left for you oh the books i've read for you the tongues i've bitten for you many

a new city for you many a risk taken for you (not a single regret.)

 

"Baba"

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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I've seen them kneel

with baited breath for their rituals

I've watched this experience raise

them to pseudo higher levels

I've watched them leave their families

in pursuit of your nirvana

I've seen them coming to line up

from switzerland and america

 

How long will this take, Baba?

How long have we been sleeping?

Do you see me hanging onto every word you say?

How soon will I be holy?

How much will this cost, guru?

How much longer till you completely absolve me?

 

I''ve seen them give their drugs up

in place of makeshift altars

I've heard them chanting

kali kali frantically

I've heard them rotely repeat your

teachings with elitism

I've seen them boasting robes and

foreign sandalwood beads

I've seen men overlooking god in

their own essence

I've seen their upward glances

in hopes of instant salvation

I've seen their righteousness

mixed without loving compassion

I've watched you smile

as the students bow to kiss your feet

 

give me strength all knowing one

how long 'til enlightenment?

How much longer 'til you

completely absolve me?

 

--Chanting--

 

Thank U

Lyrics By Alanis Morissette; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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how 'bout getting off of these antibiotics

how 'bout stopping eating when I'm full up

how 'bout them transparent dangling carrots

how 'bout that ever elusive kudo

 

thank you India

thank you terror

thank you disillusionment

thank you frailty

thank you consequence

thank you thank you silence

 

how 'bout me not blaming you for everything

how 'bout me enjoying the moment for once

how 'bout how good it feels to finally forgive you

how 'bout grieving it all one at a time

 

thank you India

thank you terror

thank you disillusionment

thank you frailty

thank you consequence

thank you thank you silence

 

the moment I let go of it was

the moment I got more than I could handle

the moment I jumped off of it was

the moment I touched down

 

how 'bout no longer being masochistic

how 'bout remembering your divinity

how 'bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out

how 'bout not equating death with stopping

 

thank you India

thank you Providence

thank you disillusionment

thank you nothingness

thank you clarity

thank you thank you silence

 

Are You Still Mad?

Lyrics and music by Alanis Morissette

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are you still mad i kicked you out of bed?

are you still mad i gave you ultimatums?

are you still mad i compared you to all

my forty year old male friends?

are you still mad i shared our problems

with everybody?

 

are you still mad i had a an emotional affair?

are you still mad i tried to mold you into

who i wanted you to be?

are you still mad I didn't trust your intentions?

of course you are

of course you are

 

are you still mad that i flirted wildly?

are you still mad I had a tendency to mother you?

are you still mad that i had one foot out the door?

are you still mad that we slept together even after

we had ended it?

of course you are

of course you are

 

are you still mad i wore the pants most of the time?

are you still mad that i seemed to focus

only on your potential?

are you still mad that i threw in the towel?

are you still mad that i gave up long before you did?

of course you are

of course you are

 

Sympathetic Character

Lyrics and music by Alanis Morissette

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I was afraid you'd hit me if i'd spoken up i was

afraid of your physical strength i was afraid

you'd hit me below the belt i was afraid of your

sucker punch i was afraid of your reducing me

i was afraid of your alcohol breath i was afraid

of your complete disregard for me i was afraid

of your temper i was afraid of handles being

flown off of i was afraid of holes being punched

into walls i was afraid of your testosterone

I have as much rage as you have

I have as much pain as you do

I've lived as much hell as you have

and i've kept mine bubbling under for you

 

Chorus:

you were my best friend

you were my lover

you were my mentor

you were my brother

you were my partner

you were my teacher

you were my very own sympathetic character

 

i was afraid of verbal daggers i was afraid of the

calm before the storm i was afraid for my own

bones i was afraid of your seduction i was afraid of

your coercion i was afraid of your rejection

i was afraid of your intimidation i was afraid of

your punishment i was afraid of your icy silences

i was afraid of your volume i was afraid of your

manipulation i was afraid of your explosions

 

I have as much rage as you do

I have as much pain as you do

I've lived as much hell as you have

and i've kept mine bubbling under for you

 

(Repeat Chorus X2)

 

you were my keeper

you were my anchor

you were my family

you were my saviour

and therein lay the issue

and therein lay the problem

 

That I Would Be Good

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; Music by Glen Ballard and Alanis Morissette

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that I would be good even if i did nothing

that I would be good even if i got the thumbs down

that I would be good if I got and stayed sick

that I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

 

that i would be fine even even if I went bankrupt

that i would be good if I lost my hair and my youth

that i would be great if I was no longer queen

that i would be grand if i was not all knowing

 

that i would be loved even when i numb myself

that i would be good even when i am overwhelmed

that i would be loved even when i was fuming

that i would be good even if i was clingy

 

that i would be good even if i lost sanity

that i would be good

whether with or without you

 

The Couch

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; Music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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you hadn't seen your father in such a long time

he died in the arms of his lover how dare he

your mother never left the house

she never married anyone else you took it upon yourself to console her

 

you reminded her so much of your father

so you were banished and you wonder why you're so hypersensitive

and why you can't trust anyone but us

but then how can i begin to forgive her so many years under bridges with dirty water

she was foolish and selfish and cowardly if you ask me

 

i don't know where to begin in all of my 50 odd years

i have been silently suffering and adapting perpetuating and enduring

who are you younger generation to tell me that i have unresolved problems

not many examples of fruits of this type of excruciating labour

 

how can you just throw words around like grieve and heal and mourn

i feel fine we may not have been born as awake as you were

it was much harder in those days we had paper routes uphill both ways

we went from school to a job to a wife to instant parenthood

 

i walked into his office i felt so self-conscious on the couch

he was sitting down across from me he was writing down his hypothesis i don't know

i've got a loving supportive wife who doesn't know how involved she should get

you say his interjecting was him just calling me on my shit?

 

just the other day my sweet daughter i was driving past 203 i walked up the stars in my minds eyes

i remember how they would creak loudly

she was only responsive with a drink he was only responsive by photo

i was only trying to be the best big brother i could

 

i've walked sometimes confused sometimes ready to crack open wide

sometimes indignant sometimes raw

can you imagine i pay him 75 dollars an hour sometimes

it feels like highway robbery

and sometimes it's peanuts

i wish it could last a couple more hours

 

so here we both are battling similar demons (not coincidentally)

you see in getting beyond knowing it solely intellectually you're not relinquishing your majestry

you are wise you are warm you are courageous you are big

and i love you more now than i ever have in my whole life

 

Can't Not

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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i'd be lying if I said I was completely unscathed

I might be proving you right with my silence or my retaliation

would I be letting you win in my non reaction?

how would I explain?

how would I explain this to my children if I had them?

because I can't not

because I can't not

because I can't afford to be misread one more time

would it be whining if I said I needed a hug?

would you feel slighted if I said your love's not enough?

and how can I complain?

and how can I complain when I'm the one that reaches for this?

because I can't not

because I can't not

because I cannot walk without my crutches

because I can't not

because I can't not

because I can't help wonder why you ask me

to all the unheard wisdom in the school yard

you think you're the right ones

you swear you're the charmed ones I'm sure

but how can you go on with such conviction?

who do you think you are when you question me?

because we can't not

because we can't not

because we can't help laugh at underestimations

because we can't not

because we can't not

because we can't afford to be misled one more time

because we can't not

because we can't not

because we cannot help without your willingness

why do you affect me? why do you affect me still?

why do you hinder me? why do you hinder me still?

why do you unnerve me? why do you unnerve me still?

why do you trigger me? why do you trigger me still?

 

UR

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; Music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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burn the books they've got too many names and psychoses

all this incriminating evidence would surely haunt me

if someone broke into my house

suits in the living room

do you realize guys i was born in 1974

we've got someone here to explain your publishing

we know how much you love to be in front of audiences

hopeful you are

schoolbound you are

naive you are

driven you are

take a trip to new york with your guardian

and your fake identification

when they said "is there something anything

you'd like to know young lady?"

you said "yes i'd like to know what kind of people i'll be dealing with"

precocious you are

headstrong you are

terrified you are

ahead of your time you are

don't mind our staring but

we're surprised you're not in a far-gone asylum

we're surprised you didn't crack-up

lord knows that we would've

we would've liked to have been there

but you keep pushing us away

resilient you are

big time you are

ruthless you are

precious you are

 

I Was Hoping

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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as we were talking outside it was cold we were shivering yet warmed by the subject matter

my wife is in the next room we've been having troubles you know please don't tell her or anyone

but i need to talk to somebody

you said "wouldn't it be a shame if i knew how great i was five minutes before i died i'd be filled

with such regret before i took my last breath" and i said "you're willing to tell me this now

and you're not going to die anytime soon"

and i said i haven't been eating chicken or meat or anything and you said yes

but you've been wearing leather and laughed and said we're at the top of the food chain

and yes you're still a fine woman and i cringed

i was hoping we could heal each other

i was hoping we could be raw together

we left the restaurant where the head waiter (in his 60's) said "good-bye sir thank you for your business sir you're

successful and established sir and we like the frequency with which you dine here sir

and your money" and when i walked by they said "thank you too dear" i was all pigtails and cords

and there was a day when i would've said something like "hey dude i could buy and sell this place so kiss it"

i too once though i was owed something

i was hoping i was hoping we could challenge each other

i was hoping i was hoping we could crack each other up

i too thought that when proved wrong i lost somehow

i too once thought life was cruel

it's a cycle really you think i'm withdrawing and guilt tripping you i think you're insensitive

and i don't feel heard and i said do you believe we are fundamentally judgmental? fundamentally evil?

and you said yes i said i don't believe in revenge in right or wrong good or bad you said

"well what about the man that i saw handcuffed in the emergency room bleeding after beating his kid

and she threw a shoe at his head.

i think what he did was wrong and i would've had a hard time feeling compassion for him"

i had to watch my tone for fear of having you feel judged

i was hoping i was hoping we could dance together

i was hoping i was hoping we could be creamy together

 

One

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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I am the biggest hypocrite

I've been undeniably jealous

I have been loud and pretentious

I have been utterly threatened

I've gotten candy for my self-interest

the sexy treadmill capitalist

heaven forbid i be criticized

heaven forbid i be ignored

 

i have abused my power forgive me

you mean we actually are all one

one one one one one one one

i've been out of reach and separatist

heaven forbid average (whatever average means)

i have been compensated for my days

of powerlessness

 

i have abused my so-called power forgive me

you mean we actually are all one

one one one one one one one

 

did you just call her amazing?

surely we both can't be amazing!

and give up my hard earned status

as fabulous freak of nature?

 

I have abused my power forgive me

you mean we actually are all one

one one one one one one one

always looked good on paper

sounded good in theory

 

Would Not Come

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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if I make a lot of tinsel then people will want to

if I am hardened no fear of further abandonment

if I am famous then maybe i'll feel good in this skin

if I am cultured my words will somehow garner respect

i would throw a party still it would not come

i would bike run swim and still it would not come

i'd go traveling and still it would not come

I would starve myself and still it would not come

if I am masculine I will be taken more seriously

if I take a break it would make me irresponsible

if i'm elusive I will surely be sought after often

if I need assistance then I must be incapable

i'd be filthy rich and still

it would not come

I would seduce them and still

it would not come

I would drink vodka and still

it would not come

i'd have an orgasm and still

it wouldn't come

if I accumulate knowledge

i'll be impenetrable

if I am aloof no one will know

when they strike a nerve

if I keep my mouth shut the boat

will not have to be rocked

if I am vulnerable I will be

trampled upon

i would go shopping and still

it would not come

i'd leave the country and still

it would not come

i would scream and rebel still

it would not come

i would stuff my face and still

it would not come

i'd be productive and still it would not come

i'd be celebrated still it would not come

i'd the the hero and still it would not come

i'd renunciate and still it would not come

 

Unsent

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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dear matthew I like you a lot I realize you're in a relationship with someone right now and I respect

that I would like you to know that if you're ever single in the future and you want to come visit me in california

I would be open to spending time with you and finding out how old you were when you wrote your first song

dear jonathan I liked you too much I used to be attracted to boys who would lie to me and think solely about themselves and

you were plenty self-destructive for my taste at the time I used to say the more tragic the better the truth is

whenever I think of the early 90's your face comes up with a vengeance like it was yesterday

dear terrance I love you muchly you've been nothing but open hearted and emotionally available and supportive

and nurturing and consummately there for me I kept drawing you in and pushing you away I remember

how beautiful it was to fall asleep on your couch and cry in front of you for the first time you were the best platform from

which to jump beyond myself what was wrong with me

dear marcus you rocked my world you had a charismatic way about you with the women and you got me

seriously thinking about spirituality and you wouldn't let me get away with kicking my own ass but I could never really feel

and it's kinda too bad because we could've had much more fun

dear lou we learned so much I realize we won't be able to talk for some time and I understand that as I do you

the long distance thing was the hardest and we did as well as we could we were together during a very tumultuous time

in our lives I will always have your back and be curious about you and your career your whereabouts

 

So Pure

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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you from new york you are so relevant

you reduce me to cosmic tears

luminous more so than most anyone

unapologetically alive knot in my stomach

and lump in my throat

I love you when you dance when you freestyle in trance

so pure such an expression

supposed former infatuation junkie

I sink three pointers and you wax poetically

I love you when you dance when you freestyle in trance

so pure such an expression

let's grease the wheel over tea

let's discuss things in confidence

let's be outspoken let's be ridiculous

let's solve the world's problems

I love you when you dance when you freestyle in trance

so pure such an expression

 

Joining You

Lyrics by Alanis Morissette; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard

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dear dar(lin') your mom (my friend) left a message on my machine she was frantic

saying you were talking crazy that you wanted to do away with yourself

I guess she thought i'd be a perfect resort because we've had this inexplicable connection since our youth and

yes they're in shock they are panicked you and your chronic them and their drama

you this embarrassment us in the middle of this delusion

if we were our bodies

if we were our futures

if we were our defenses i'd be joining you

if we were our culture

if we were our leaders

if we were our denials i'd be joining you

I remember vividly a day years ago we were camping you knew more than you thought you should know

you said "I don't want ever to be brainwashed" and you were mindboggling you were intense

you were uncomfortable in your own skin you were thirsty but mostly you were beautiful

if we were our nametags

if we were our rejections

if we were our outcomes i'd be joining you

if we were our indignities

if we were our successes

if we were our emotions i'd be joining you

you and i we're like four year olds we want to know why and how come about everything

we want to reveal ourselves at will and speak out minds and never talk small and be intuitive

and question mightily and find god my tortured beacon

we need to find like-minded companions

if we were their condemnations

if we were their projections

if we were our paranoias i'd be joining you

if we were our incomes

if we were our obsessions

if we were our afflictions i'd be joining you

we need reflection we need a really good memory feel free to call me a little more often

 

Heart of the House

Lyrics and music by Alanis Morissette

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you are the original template

you are the original exemplary

how seen were you actually?

how revered were you (honestly) at the time?

why pleased with your low maintenance?

you loved us more than we could've love you back

where was your ally your partner in feminine crime?

oh mother who's your buddy

oh mother who's got your back

the heart of the house

the heart of the house

all hail the goddess!

you were "good ol'"

you were "count on 'er 'till four am"

you saw me run from the house

in the snow melodramatically

oh mother who's your sister?

oh mother who's your friend?

the heart of the house

the heart of the house

all hail the goddess!

we left the men and we went for a walk in the gatineaus

and talked like women to women would

womyn to womyn would "where did you get that from?

must've been your father your dad"

I got it from you I got it from you

do you see yourself in my gypsy garage sale ways?

in my fits of laughter?

in my tinkerbell tendencies?

in my lack of colour coordination?

 

Your Congratulations

Music and lyrics by Alanis Morissette

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I wouldn't have compromised as much

so much of myself for fear of

having you hating me

I would've sung so loudly

it would've cracked myself!

I became self-conscious

of anything exuberant

I wouldn't have sold myself short

I wouldn't have kept my eyes

glued to the ground

if I hadn've known my invisibility

would not make a difference

I would've run around screaming proudly

at the top of my voice

I wouldn't have said it was in fact luck

i'm talking idealism here

I would not have been so self depricating

I wouldn't have cowered

for fear of having my eyes cut my comfort off

I wouldn't have feigned needlessness

I would not have discredited

every one of their compliments

it was your approval I wanted

your congratulations