1. |
On On
04:21
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slow and getting slower
over each and every item
only any time it comes to stopping
i’m on top again
against all logic
write on, right? write on, right on
dusk ain’t dawn, dusk ain’t dawn, dusk ain’t dawn
it’s like a test, i guess, a present tense
a tension that demands attention
man, i hope i make it
i intend to make it
write on, right? write on, right on
good ain’t gone, good ain’t gone, good ain’t gone
woe, woe, woe
woe is over, woe is overturned
go, go, go
go and show ‘em
show ‘em what you’ve learned
this is the poignant part
the part that has a point
i’ll point it out, and disappoint it all apart
- - it’s my heart - -
woe, woe, woe
woe is over, woe is overturned
go, go, go
go and show ‘em
show ‘em what you’ve learned
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2. |
A Liger With No Pride
03:26
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i’m just a liger on the inside
born and torn in two
i’m not a child of the wild
livin’ in captivity, and this line stops with me
but i kinda wanna carry on
another minute with you
lions and tigers, oh my my, i am one of you
do me a favor and observe my behavior
livin’ in obscurity, and this line stops with me
but i kinda wanna give the kids
a little somethin’ new
a liger on the inside, i got no pride
all the same, i got no shame, i got nothin’ to hide
i’m just a liger with no pride
tell me what to do to earn my stripes
in this world of phenotypes
and definitions of what’s right
teach me how to be a better me
and make it so you can see
the premonitions i believe
a liger on the inside, i got no pride
all the same, i got no shame, i got nothin’ to hide
i’m just a liger with no pride
tell me what to say to make it
plainer than an uninspired name
it’s time i claimed my mane
a liger on the inside, i got no pride
all the same, i got no shame, i got nothin’ to hide
i’m just a liger
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3. |
Rain Rain Go Insane
03:30
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rain rain, go insane
come again to entertain a tragedy of light
i dare you
imaginary fights and false delights
there is only one way, and that is all ways
run around in a circle when the song plays
not black or white, and i reserve the right
to change your mind a hundred times tonight
this old man, he played all alone
nobody wants to give no dog no bone
i told you
disconnected phones and broken homes
there is only one way, and that is all ways
run around in a circle when the song plays
when the song plays, and it can play for days
it can play for days, it can play for days
and that is always, and that’s the only way
rain rain, go insane
half a brain, or twice a brain
or brainless as it were
don’t matter
extraordinary names and perfect aim
it’s all the same
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4. |
Wake / Die
02:47
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if i should die before i wake
then that would be a grave mistake
then i’ll have died for pity’s sake
if i should die before i wake
but if i wake before i die
none shall be less grave than i
then i’ll forsake my pity sigh
if i should wake before i die
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5. |
Tequila & Gin
04:01
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now young lad
start sharpening your silver blade
and readying the wagon
father has agreed to let you ride with him
beyond those cliffs tonight, to slay the dragon
spill some blood, she’s yours for the killing
when she falls, i know she will
wipe the blood from your cheeks
and the tears from your eyes
and the look of surprise
go back inside and nevermind
‘cause with the dragon slain, we grow again
and the world gets drunk on tequila and gin
like we were raised to
‘cause with the damage done
we cling to one another, and to
the fairy tales we’ve spun
like we were raised to
go back inside and never mind
go back inside and never mind
dragons’ eyes are only fierce when they’re alive
and threatening survival
father said that when they’re dead
those eyes of hers can fetch a handsome price
on your arrival
lay them down, they’re yours for the claiming
don’t you frown, son, you’ve done well
she was a beast, you were a knight
at least it was your right
go back to bed, sleep through the fright
‘cause with the dragon slain, we grow again
and the world gets drunk on tequila and gin
like we were raised to
‘cause with the damage done
we cling to one another, and to
the fairy tales we’ve spun
like we were raised to
go back inside and never mind
go back inside and never mind
go back to bed, sleep through the night
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6. |
Impossible to Love
04:19
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impossible to love, impossible to love
maybe i’m impossible to love
if i am a princess, i’m either a jill on the hill
or i’m a jill in the box, unconscious
to the knocks of my love
obnoxious oblivion - i’m so sorry, hon
but what’s it gonna take to make it to the hill?
i wanna be that kind of jill
if i am building to something
it’s either a bridge or a wall
and if it’s a wall, it’s not my fault
i’m a brick pig - i’m addicted to suffering
but what’s it gonna take to build that bridge?
i wish i could tell you, kid
taking more than you give, that’s no way to live
having all that you have and not giving a damn
impossible to love, impossible to love
what if i’m impossible to love?
if i am a soldier, i’m either the bomb or a blank
and i oughta thank my lucky scars
that you’re friendly
got a tank full of white flags
and i’m not afraid to use ‘em
as long as you refuse ‘em
i treat my friends like enemies
but what’s it gonna take to end this war?
don’t even know what i’m fighting you for
taking all that i throw, that’s no way to go
seeing all that i am and not giving a damn
could i be a worthy girl? you seem to think so
you think i’m a worthy girl and not a sinkhole
impossible to love, impossible to love
you say no one is impossible to love
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7. |
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the sky is where polka dots go to die
wish i could tell you they’re immortal
but that would be a lie
the stars you think are sweet are really not
see, every star is just a rotting, dead polka dot
why can’t they play all day?
why do they have to fade away?
once there were rows and rows of them
why do these happy times end?
patterns...
the polka dots are floating in the air
they used to live on my umbrella
and ribbons in my hair
their bodies bloat and shrivel and deflate
i wonder what they could’ve done
to deserve this awful fate
why can’t they play all day?
why do they have to fade away?
once there were rows and rows of them
why do these happy times end?
patterns...
you were man’s best friend
without you...
we cannot clash or make a splash
we have to blend
why do these happy times end?
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8. |
Citizens of Atlantis
04:45
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your surface is as certain as a specter
your purpose is poetical and pure
you’re always blue
and nothing’s true but absolution
and darling, i’m never sure
i wonder what goes on inside that head of yours
what thoughts preoccupy your troubled mind
i wanna break inside of you and rescue your light
but darling, my hands are tied
and the tide’s coming in, and the avalanches
sink while you swim, citizens of atlantis
cynics and romantics, the floor is yours
the home advantage, citizens of atlantis
your message in a bottle was abysmal
tryna turn that water into wine
invisible and miserable, you drown your sorrows
but darling, the water’s fine
‘cause if we don’t exist anymore
will it matter what we stood for?
getting rich and waging a war
it feels so shallow here on the shore
and the tide’s coming in, and the avalanches
sink while you swim, citizens of atlantis
cynics and romantics, the floor is yours
the home advantage, citizens of atlantis
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9. |
Dead Man's Hand
03:30
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was he wearing long hair?
did he house a twisted soul?
knowing what i know now, am i astounded
by his self control?
was he king of the world, in so many words?
the answer is yes, anything you say
total investment today, anything you say
say what you will, i wish you no ill
aces and eights, i still see your face
on my dollar bill
the dead man’s hand directs where i stand
aces and eights, phantoms and fates
are at the command of the dead man’s hand
don’t you go pullin’ my strings
i’m too wise to wear his wings
i’ll revisit the grave and say his name
but i’ve had it with kings
no more blood for your love, it’s over and done
the question is when?
there you are again, playing your instrument
there you go again
the dead man’s hand directs where i stand
aces and eights, phantoms and fates
are at the command of the dead man’s hand
the man is dead in my head
but he’s alive outside
he puts his hands through me
and touches others’ lives
i wear a talisman, i want to banish him
the man is dead in the flesh
but he’s alive within
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10. |
Spirit of Progress
05:54
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all the answers i can offer
hover under these eyelids
i aspire to walk on water
climb and conquer pyramids
better plan it, fear’s a sphere of
failures and achievements
poised and paralyzed
awaiting some near death experience
and that’s when i hear it, the voice
of the spirit of progress
work like a dog, to be a good dog
in itself’s a success
standing is what’s done in preparation
for the leap
this premise is a promise
cross my heart and hope to start
assembling a sense i’m free
all the questions i can ponder
wander out ahead of me
prison breaks and fire escapes
and i’m too far away to see
poised and paralyzed
assuming i’ll consume eternity
and that’s when i hear it, the voice
of the spirit of progress
work like a dog, to be a good dog
in itself’s a success
standing is what’s done in preparation
for the leap
this premise is a promise i will have you keep
neck relaxed and shoulders back
hold the pose till you’re old
it’s a balancing act
ball is rolling, so’s the scroll
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11. |
Play God
04:25
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i let my batteries die
my clocks all tell the wrong time
making a mess of things even worse
without blinking an eye
building a semblance of self
on words i choose just ‘cause they rhyme
details everywhere, keep looking
the devil’s in there
but i just wanted to play god
that’s all i wanted today
lookit what i gone and done
they say it’s easier for some
they say a lot of things they don’t mean
they don’t mean to make fun
i say i’m saving myself for me, i don’t see anyone
fighting with closed fists
and wishing on unfinished lists
why am i doing this? doing that?
doing anything but the task at hand?
si comme ci, si comme ça
si je suis si seule, en fait qui est moi?
qui est moi?
parce que je voudrais jouer roi
c’est cette idée que je crois tous les soirs
i wanna play god, i wanna play, god i wanna play
god i wanna play someone sane enough to stay
someone brave enough to say
“someone save me from this day”
god i wanna play god
i wanna play, god i wanna play
i wanna play it for keeps
and hear the muse when it speaks
i wanna be everything you need
i don’t know what that means
i wanna play, god i wanna be
god, is that so obscene?
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12. |
You Are Here!
04:46
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it says “you are here” - where else would you be?
maybe it’s referring to the fact that you are free
got a little load - everybody does
carrying the carcass of the person that he was
wear it on your back like a turtle shell
wear it on your feet and you can
stomp around like hell
sing a little song, tell a little joke
why bother dreaming
if you’re scared of getting woke?
hey, be water, be an adapter, or fall with one hit
vengeance on your psychotic captor
or wallow in the pit
work together, t-rex the raptor, triceratops shit
are you starving for adventure now
or are you full of it?
too young to be old, too old to be too young
to hold on to what we’re told
misery loves company
and company’s a ribbon that’s unrolled
nothing left to do but dig for gold
is it the strangest era because it’s not what it was?
is it the strangest era because we’re still in love?
is it the strangest era because they held the applause?
is it the strangest era because all of the above?
well this is what we call a disaster
but isn’t it nice?
eat your worries, put them to pasture
and swallow some advice
fight the monster, become the master
‘cause fire melts ice
is it purge-a-tory that we’re in
or is it fair-a-dise?
too young to be old, too old to be too young
to hold on to what we’re told
misery loves company
and company’s a ribbon that’s unrolled
nothing left to do but dig for gold
is it the strangest era because it’s not what it was?
is it the strangest era because we’re still in love?
is it the strangest era because they held the applause?
is it the strangest era because all of the above?
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Nire Nah Chicago, Illinois
Influences include Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Aimee Mann, Rilo Kiley, Daniel Johnston, The Decemberists
Album Art by Nire Nah
Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis
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