1. |
Two Steps from the Grave
05:07
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Two steps from the grave
No one
Her hair was dark with silver streaks
And she had a lot to say
Her hair was dark with silver streaks
And it was beautiful that way
And I was but a drunken sailor
Trying to ride the wave
By the time I became the one she wanted
I'd be two steps from the grave
I told her that I loved her whole
And I never told a lie
I told her that I loved her whole
Was at least an honest guy
But she painted me into a corner
Then turned it just because
By the time I became the one she wanted
She'd be missing the one I was
Two steps from the grave
No one
Of all my daily visions then
There were some that shook me more my friends
Two little stones a plot a wedding band
It seemed as if we just belonged
A jukebox of neglected songs
And then one day my dear
You just were gone
She liked my fancy three-piece suit
So I wore it at the start
She liked my fancy three-piece suit
But it was covering up my heart
So I started peeling back the layers
But she screamed you made a mess
By the time I became the one she'd want
I'd be the image of all her stress
I met an eligible man
In a mansion on a hill
I met an eligible man
And he bragged about his pills
He said these can help to ease your worries
And quiet up your mind
By the time I became the one she wanted
I'd be waving goodbye to mine
Two steps from the grave
No one
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2. |
Lonesome Trust
03:08
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Oh man
Why you
Why would I pick someone
Who doesn't approve how I do
Oh boy
Why me
Why would you pick something
That you'd never want to be
I got a lonesome trust
That's begging to be freed
I got a broken crutch
And two suspicious feet
Oh well
Who knows
Maybe the greatest things
Are only ever borrowed
Why then
Why them
We all know people
Who got only one way to think
I got a lonesome trust
I need to pick up again
I got a broken crutch
Can't get these wheels to spin
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3. |
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Special DVD cult B movies
Somewhere down the road
She'll look back at me
Then collapse her hands quietly in her lap
And hide her eyes beneath the brim of her new hat
A formulation of scenes
Storyboarded with trust
Ghostwritten by needs
Larry Cohen blues
It ain't secret news
We're all previously viewed
Back when we first met
She said she'd never seen a film like me yet
She didn't think that she could
And hey are you even real
But I was a character thing
With the budget of an old shoestring
One more nameless hero
Found down the fantasy aisle
A formulation of scenes
Storyboarded with trust
Ghostwritten by needs
Larry Cohen blues
It ain't secret news
We're all previously viewed
And all I wanted was just to binge with her everyday
No expectations of congratulations
Fanfare or fame
Come on baby let's be so bad it's good
Don't leave me on the shelf
Or turn on something else
Special DVD cult B movies
Somewhere down the road
She'll look back at me
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4. |
Belly up
02:56
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I got no one to impress anymore
No one's there when I hold the door
Chivalry ain't dead
It's just been left to bleed out on the floor
I got no one to impress these days
I made one too many mistakes
One too many beers
One too few careers
She got straight As
And I
I had big plans
Big old plans for us
'Til I woke up late
Belly Up
Sometimes I think life's a game of Battleship
You make a guess and hope it hits
Or maybe feel relieved
And maybe love's a galaxy
I've heard about but hardly seen
Lead to believe it lasts infinitely
And I
I had big plans
Big old plans for us
'Til I woke up late
Belly Up
I got no one to impress tonight
No one to fall asleep beside
So I'll bring my milk to bed
Sing a song inside my head I call hindsight
I got no one to impress only me
Hope I respond positively
Wish my grievances would stop
But my mind's a china shop
I keep asking the bulls over for tea
And I
I had big plans
Big old plans for us
'Til I woke up late
Belly Up
Yes I woke up late
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5. |
Follow and Like
03:42
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I met a movie star
She works at several bars
She makes a drink called the remake
I was her magic man
Then just a sleight of hand
Scooping the ice between takes
Oh
Her mind's alright
Polluted nice
With follows and likes
Oh follow and like
Drinks on the patio
I like to think that both of us know
I do these feel good things too much
But I like this neutral gear
I make plans year after year
To try to be someone I'm not
Oh
My mind's alright
Polluted nice
With follows and likes
Oh
Living the meme
We've all be discovered
And some tellingly
How much do you want to know
About me
So many ways to be
Captive completely free
Sometimes I click
To unsubscribe
There goes the middle class
Please do not tap the glass
Forever and ever as advertised
Oh
Your mind's alright
Polluted nice
You got your follows and likes
Oh follow and like
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6. |
Zydeco
06:00
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Come and see my little place in Baton Rouge
Where I'm living with my daughter Alafair
You can meet the noble mon Mr. Clete Purcell
I think you're gonna like this delta air
If you come I'll give you half of my po' boy sandwich
We can kick the pecans 'round the yard
I'll introduce to my fat old pet raccoon
Easy living doesn't have to be so hard
It winds and it binds me
And soon you may see
It's killing me
First I thought about moving to Huntsville Texas
Because that's a place where you can sleep for a very long time
I even rented out a room for a couple hours
But I couldn't bring myself to draw the blind
We could eat beignets in the old French Quarter
We could people-watch at the Sazerac bar
We could learn about the past in the state library
Maybe after we could even bury ours
It winds and it binds us
And soon you may see
It's killing me
I think you're gonna like the sound of the screen door slamming
When we're leaving for the Livingston Parish fair
I got a conscious as clear as the light blue sky
With a little black cloud 'cause you're not here
Sometimes I hear your voice calling down the bayou
I like to pack a lunch and chase it for awhile
There's evocation in the ripples of the water
I see your face when you were just a little child
And ain't it nice to think of being somewhere else
When you're stuck in one place for way too long
I understand that I overstayed my welcome
So I found Louisiana in a song
It winds and it binds me
And soon you may see
It's killing me
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7. |
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Christmastime at the Black Cat cafe
You and I eye to eye
Smartly dressed and so well behaved
All those days gone by
Ring the bell
Ring the bell
Our time's over now
How I wish for just one more round
Ring the bell
Ring the bell
Our time's over now
I guess your heart has moved out
From the house by the woods
With the sunflower beds
And a couple old hounds
You left in my head
Now try not to worry
About her well-being
What would happen if she got real sick
It's stupid to worry
I've been scrapped from her story
But I still want to know how it ends
Halloween did you like all my friends
Boy did they like you
Sorry Al hope you make amends
And the ghost just said boo-hoo
Ring the bell
Ring the bell
Our time's over now
How I wish for another go-round
Ring the bell
Ring the bell
Our time's over now
I guess your heart has moved out
From the boat on the lake
'Neath the Eau de Nil moon
So full in the sky
Setting too soon
And who's your person now
Does he really see you
Like you said I did
Does he really see you
Like you saw me too
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8. |
Leko
03:07
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Leko was a good dog
The kind of dog I could own
And I'll tell you what
I miss that mutt
When I'm alone
Hey
We could take a walk every single day
Leko sit stay okay
Girl
You got that bow-wow going
(Stay little Leko won't you sit and stay) Bow-wow
Girl
Pour one out for Leko
Because my tail's been between my legs
And I can't restart
'Till her little heart
Learns how to stay
Hey
We could take a walk every single day
Or just get it out of the way
Girl
You got that bow-wow going
(Stay little Leko won't you sit and stay) Bow-wow
Girl
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9. |
Dying to Know
04:16
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Missiles launched
Target in sight
You blew up my heart
I put up a fight
Yeah I suppose
You took me out
Everything was assured
Until everything was in doubt
Now I'm back on my own
Me and my history
They don't teach it in class
But you can take it from me
It feels like time moves real slow
When you're dying to know
If you love someone
You gotta let them go
But you're gonna be dying to know
Where they are in a year
If they think about you
If there's anything you can do
And it's Goddamn hard to live
If you're dying to know
Why can't I figure it out
Why can't I just move on
It's been over a year
Since my best friend has gone
She was the greatest era
Of this tired scene
Why do I try to defect
Why do I sabotage me
I wish words could explain
What I'd say to her now
But they were never enough
Be them insults or vows
It feels like time moves real slow
When you're dying to know
If you love someone
You gotta let them go
But you're gonna be dying to know
Where they are in a year
If they've met someone new
Is there anything you can do
And it's Goddamn hard to live
If you're dying to know
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10. |
Clownshoes
04:42
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Pace yourself
You're going to throw up
Then we'll have to throw down
Old sad clown
Old sad clown
Many times you've spoke
Of leaving the circus
Thinking that life outside
Well it might give you purpose
It might give you purpose
Listen up
There's clouds over here
And there's clouds over there
The sky's everywhere
Disguise everywhere
What would the bearded lady do
No one to fawn over
No one to go to
When she loosens here evening gown
And the real circus comes to town
Or how 'bout the world's strongest man
He'll be left all vulnerable and
He'll have no one to be stronger than
What will he do
If he can't be the stronger man
The snake man will shed his skin again
And everywhere we'll find traces of him
The fire-eater's mother will call
Caught him smoking in the bathroom stall
The lobster boy might lose his way
And wind up on your dinner plate
And the lion tamer will hang up his whip
Tell those lions just to get a grip
And let me tell you what's really out there man
A crazy carnival and you can't comprehend it
And in the highest office of them all
Is the biggest act and he's making calls
So sad clown don't feel misled
There's a reason to look ahead
And you're never as bad as you think are
Or all these folks wouldn't come from afar
To see you dancing underneath the tent
To see you working in your element
To see you always going out of your way
To let us know we're all allowed to play
To see your colours warp and twirl
To hear the kids on the tilt-a-whirl
You can sweep the spotlight in the dustpan too
Life outside is just clownshoes
Pace yourself
You're going to throw up
Then we'll have to throw down
Old sad clown
Old sad clown
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11. |
Thank You for Dancing
01:57
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Thank you for coming
Thank you for coming to my show
I was sad to go
But the coffee's flowing
The wind is blowing
Sunday fun day
Someday I'll be back I hope
We're not upended
We're just suspended
Amending blending bending backwards
See you somewhere over the rainbow
And ain't she a cutie
My little beauty
We're almost eye-to-eye on her tiptoes
I sure do miss her
I wanna kiss her
I wrote her name in frost on my window
Thank you for dancing
Thank you for dancing with me
In the kitchen
I don't know why you are so uptight
It's only life let's just be smitten
We're not devoured we just lost power
The hours soured flowering into a million nights unwritten
And ain't she a cutie
My little beauty
We're almost eye-to-eye on her tiptoes
I sure do miss her
I wanna kiss her
I wrote her name in frost on my window
I wish she'd hurry up and just come home
She told me things the world may never know
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Al Grantham Toronto, Ontario
Drawing equally on the lyrical density of 60s folk, the irreverence of punk-rock and the experimental leanings of the alternative and anti movements, Al Grantham weaves a unique tapestry of music and words.
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