Rainy Day | 10000 Maniacs

[ 10,000 Maniacs ]



On bended knee I've looked through every window then.
Touched the bottom, the night a sleepless day instead;
a day when love came, came easy like what's lost now found.
Beneath a blinding light that would surround.
We were without, in doubt,
we were about saving for a rainy day.
I crashed through floors of laughter, then.
In a blind science, no ties would moor us to this room.
A day when love came, came easy like what's lost now found.
And you would save me, and I held you like you were my child.
If I were you, defiant you, alone upon a troubled way.
I would send my heart to you to save it for a rainy day.

More Than This | 10000 Maniacs

[ Bryan Ferry ]



I could feel at the time
There was no way of knowing
Fallen leaves in the night
Who can say where they're blowing
As free as the wind
And hopefully learning
Why the sea on the tide
Has no way of turning

More than this - you know there is nothing
More than this - tell me one thing
More than this - you know there is nothing

It was fun for a while
There was no way of knowing
Like a dream in the night
Who can say where we're going
No care in the world
Maybe I'm learning
Why the sea on the tide
Has no way of turning

More than this - you know there is nothing
More than this - tell me one thing
More than this - (you know) there is nothing

oooh...

Love Among The Ruins | 10000 Maniacs

[ 10,000 Maniacs & Jules Shear ]



The sky was falling, heaven was calling.
When danger crashes, rose from the ashes.
Like two statues hidden inside ancient rock,
we were praying for the secrets to unlock.
And when the sun had turned its back on us,
in the dark our love kept track of us,
pushed together by the lack of love.
We held each other tightly through our hell of dreams.
I still hear the never-endig echo of those screams.
But it's a life not made for reliving,
it's a life that makes your soul forgiving.
We sealed our bond from the beginning.
Aching, affection, vulnerable protection;
falling, captured, crawling, rapture.

In The Quiet Morning | 10000 Maniacs

lyrics/music - Mimi Fari'a
In the quiet morning
there was much despair
and in the hours that followed
no one could repair

That poor girl
tossed by the tides of misfortune
Barely here to tell her tale
Rolled in on a sea of disaster
Rolled out on a mainline rail
She once walked tight by my side
I'm sure she walked by you
Her striding steps could not deny
Torment from a child who knew

That in the quiet morning
there would be despair
and in the hour that followed
no one could repair

That poor girl
she cried out her song so loud
it was heard the whole world round
[ A symphony of violence
The great southwest unbound ]
In the quiet morning
there was much despair
and in the hour that followed
no one could repair

That poor girl
tossed by the tides of misfortune
Barely here to tell her tale
Rolled in on a sea of disaster
Rolled out on a mainline rail

Once A City | 10000 Maniacs

Music by 10,000 Maniacs - Lyrics by Mary Ramsey & John Lombardo

This was once a city
harmony a common theme
but these complications
now make life a bit uneasy
hallowed buildings scrape the sky
voices ride the airwaves
once a city years gone by
will they still be standing in thecenturies ahead
going underground little children hiding,
bullets never meant for them
must there be such bloodshed in our hearts, our homes, ourheads'
will I be walking, walking so free'
this was a city once
this was once a city
harmony a common theme but these complications
once a city, once a dream.

Smallest Step | 10000 Maniacs

Music by 10,000 Maniacs - Lyrics by Mary Ramsey & John Lombardo

When the day ends
and church bells are ringing
when the valley is shroudedin snow,
when you're feeling that hope somewhere vanished
and there's no poetry left to console you,
with the smallest step you'll find a way
oh of fate borne and life is a jewel
but stone will tarnish as dust will descend
take a minute and wipe free the lustre,
it'll mirror a day without end
with the smallest step you'll feel
it starts a journey your way.
oh they tried to tell me
but I'll learn for myself
and when they tried to tell me
you know the words disappeared on the wind
I was running away
and when the laughter echoes through you
in a pale beaming ray and you'll know always
and ever within you anyway.

Somebody's Heaven | 10000 Maniacs

Music by 10,000 Maniacs - Lyrics by Mary Ramsey

There like a feather you fell someone's heaven above me
floating so fickle tempting me teasing my ways
thrown from its clutches I struggle to free what escapes me
Absalom hanging like you I'm caught in between
heaven then earth then heaven between you
release me untangle my hair
Absalom hanging like you I'm caught in between
heaven then earth heaven between you
patient I wait as I hold a small feather
that floated from somebody's heaven.

Time Turns | 10000 Maniacs

Music by 10,000 Maniacs - Lyrics by Mary Ramsey & John Lombardo

I saw time turn
so much there to unlearn,
you were envy you wouldn't say
you tore heart strings that sorry day
dark light hid the tears one
for each of the years
love has reasons
reason never knows
time turns over
love overflows
I should have spoken
sooner on that sorry day
your arms are open
and I wondered why
wondered why
five years passed to the day
time heals some people
say when you hurt the ones
I love you're also hurting
me and time turns over
turning you from me
I thought you'd never reach me
on that sorry day
your arms were open wide
and I wondered why

Fifty, Fifty / 50-50 | 1001 Vies D'Ali Baba, Les

Mme Cassim:
Nous sommes des leaders, vous et moi
Capitaine:
Des s'urs jumelles, des fr'res siamois
On a chacun eu nos fardeaux
Mme Cassim:
Vous ces crétins, moi mon idiot
Capitaine:
Quel hasard de se rencontrer
Mme Cassim:
D'unir nos vues et nos pensées
Mais qu'avons-nous fait de nos vies
Capitaine:
Deux vraies faillites, un pur gâchis

Refrain:
Mme Cassim & Capitaine:
Fifty-fifty, cinquante-cinquante
Main dans la main, si ça nous chante
Fifty-fifty, partageons tout
Qu'un jour nouveau se l've enfin pour nous

Mme Cassim:
Je vois dans vos yeux bleu d'azur
Une tentation, une aventure
Capitaine:
Refaire nos vies sans penser
Loin de ces gens intéressés
Vous 'tes la belle au bois dormant
Mme Cassim:
Vous serez mon prince charmant
Capitaine:
Dans notre palais sans compter
Mme Cassim & Capitaine:
Nous n'laiss'rons rien aux héritiers

Refrain

Mme Cassim:
O' allez-vous m'emmener, grand fou
Capitaine:
Chez moi c'est pris, allons chez vous
Mme Cassim:
Qu'importe, moi c'est voyager
Dans vos bras qui me fait r'ver
Capitaine:
Ne perdons pas un seul instant
Mme Cassim:
Pour nous le temps c'est de l'argent
Mme Cassim & Capitaine:
De l'argent

Refrain

Mme Cassim: Pour nous

Et Si(Le Temps Venait Tout Reprendre) | 1001 Vies D'Ali Baba, Les

Yasmina:
Et s'il ne fallait plus rien attendre
Et si plus rien n'devait m'arriver
Et s'il valait mieux s'étendre
Laisser aller

Et si nous avions tous deux ' apprendre
Et si tu m'laissais te regarder
Et si tu désirais m'entendre
Et accepter
Et si ce garçon pouvait me surprendre
Et si je ne passais pas ' côté
Et si un jour nous voulions nous comprendre
Et nous aimer

Tous:
Et si le temps venait tout reprendre
Et si tout devait nous séparer
Et s'il fallait encore redescendre
Tout effacer
Et si nous n'avions plus rien ' défendre
Et si le vent nous faisait dériver
Et si nos c'urs pensaient se méprendre
Et oublier

Et si le temps venait tout reprendre
Et si le feu osait nous éclairer
Et si nous renaissions de nos cendres
Recommencer

Et si nous n'avions plus rien ' défendre
Et si plus rien n'pouvait nous arriver
Et si le ciel devait nous entendre
Et nous aider

Yasmina:
Et si ce garçon pouvait me surprendre
Et si je ne passais pas ' côté
Et s'il valait mieux s'étendre
Et nous aimer
Ooooh...
Et nous aimer
Et nous aimer

C'est Moi Le Patron | 1001 Vies D'Ali Baba, Les

Cassim:
Allons ne soit pas capricieuse
Regard' ici, tout est tranquille
Tu n'es pas la plus malheureuse
Je vais te présenter ma ville

Ici tout l'monde croit ce qu'il pense
Tout le monde pense avoir raison
Je vais te faire une confidence
C'est moi l'patron

Je suis l'aîné de cet Ali
Lui aussi voulait t'acheter
Mais il n'a pas un sou d'vant lui
Il passe son temps ' r'vasser

Regarde ma femme, quelle élégance
M'me si elle porte le pantalon
Je vais te faire une confidence
C'est moi l'patron

Cassim: Tu es
Yasmina: Ça y est
Cassim: Tu es
Yasmina: Ça y est
Cassim: Tu es ' moi
Yasmina: Ça y est
Cassim: Elle est
Yasmina: Ça y est
Cassim: Elle est
Yasmina: C'est ce qu'il croit

Yasmina:
Faut pas se fier aux apparences
Il a beau me faire les violons
Je ne crois pas ses confidences
C'est pas l'patron

Cassim: Tu es
Yasmina: Je suis
Cassim: Tu es
Yasmina: Je suis
Cassim: Tu es ' moi
Yasmina: Ça y est
Cassim: Elle est
Yasmina: Ça y est
Cassim: Elle est
Yasmina: C'est ce qu'il croit

Mme Cassim:
Qu'est-ce que c'est qu'ça, mon pauvr' Cassim
(' Cassim): Non mais c'est pas vrai, il l'a fait
Quand je vois ça, ça me déprime
Tu sais bien que j'ai un projet
Il nécessite quelques finances
Et toi tu dépenses sans raison
(' Yasmina): Je vais te faire une confidence
C'est moi l'patron

Hey bouge-toi d'l', t'as du boulot
La cave, la chambre et la cuisine
T'attends quoi, tu veux ma photo
J'vais inspecter, j'veux qu'tout soit clean

Tu te crois peut-'tre 'tre en vacances
Ne te fais pas trop d'illusion
Je vais te faire une confidence
C'est moi l'patron

Mme Cassim: Tu es
Yasmina: Ça y est
Mme Cassim: Tu es
Yasmina: Ça y est
Mme Cassim: Tu es ' moi
Yasmina: Ça y est
Mme Cassim: Elle est
Yasmina: Ça y est
Mme Cassim: Elle est
Yasmina: C'est ce qu'elle croit

Yasmina:
Il faut se rendre ' l'évidence
Il faut bien se faire une raison
Comme un cauch'mar qui recommence
Elle c'est l'patron

Mme Cassim: Tu es
Yasmina: Je suis
Mme Cassim: Tu es
Yasmina: Je suis
Mme Cassim: Tu es ' moi
Yasmina: Ça y est
Mme Cassim: Elle est
Yasmina: Ça y est
Mme Cassim: Elle est
Yasmina: C'est ce qu'elle croit

Ch'urs: C'est pas l'patron
Cassim: C'est moi l'patron
Ch'urs: C'est pas l'patron
Mme Cassim: C'est moi l'patron

Ch'urs: C'est pas l'patron
Cassim: C'est moi l'patron
Ch'urs: C'est pas l'patron
Mme Cassim: C'est moi l'patron

Ch'urs: C'est pas l'patron
Cassim: C'est moi l'patron
Ch'urs: C'est pas l'patron
Mme Cassim: C'est moi l'patron

' Quoi Bon | 1001 Vies D'Ali Baba, Les

Ali:
' quoi bon rester ici
Cette vie n'est pas ma vie
' quoi bon tous les matins
Il n'y a que des chagrins

Je sais bien, je ne sers ' rien
' quoi bon 'tre un bon ' rien
J'en ai r'vé, la nuit, le jour
Mais je n'ai pas trouvé l'amour

' quoi bon
' quoi bon vivre sur cette terre
' quoi bon avoir un fr're
' quoi bon

Cassim:
' quoi bon, toujours subir
Etre obligé de te trahir
' quoi bon tous les matins
Il n'y a que des chagrins

Une fois de plus, je t'abandonne
Je ne serai jamais personne
J'ai vu passer les nuits, les jours
Je ne sais pas parler d'amour

' quoi bon
' quoi bon vivre sur cette terre
' quoi bon toujours se taire
' quoi bon

Ali & Cassim:
' quoi bon, c'est terminé
On se regarde se séparer
' quoi bon, nos souvenirs
Passe le meilleur, reste le pire

C'est une douleur qui partira
' quoi bon, c'est toujours comme ça
On a r'vé, la nuit, le jour
En espérant trouver l'amour

' quoi bon
' quoi bon vivre sur cette terre
' quoi bon avoir un fr're
' quoi bon

Yasmina:
' quoi bon, cette pauvre vie
Finir prisonni're ici
' quoi bon tous les matins
Il n'y a que des chagrins

Je reste avec seul bagage
Mon c'ur ' vide et mon courage
J'en ai r'vé, la nuit, le jour
Mais je n'ai pas trouvé l'amour

Ali,Cassim & Yasmina:
' quoi bon
' quoi bon vivre sur cette terre
' quoi bon et pour quoi faire
' quoi bon

' quoi bon
' quoi bon vivre sur cette terre
' quoi bon et pour quoi faire
' quoi bon

Ali:
' quoi bon

Yasmina:
' quoi bon

Cassim:
' quoi bon

Everyday Is Like Sunday | 10000 Maniacs

Take me now, baby, here as I am
Hold me close, try and understand
Desire is hunger is the fire I breathe
Love is a banquet on which we feed
Come on now, try and understand
The way I feel under your command
Take my hand, come under cover
They can't hurt you now
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us
Have I doubt, baby, when I'm alone
Love is a ring on the telephone
Love is an angel, disguised as lust
Here in our bed 'til the morning comes
Come on now, try and understand
The way I feel under your command
Take my hand, come under cover
They can't hurt you now
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us
With love we sleep, with doubt the vicious circle turns, and burns
Without you, I cannot live, forgive the yearning burning
I believe in love too real to feel, take me now, take me now, take me
now
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us

City Of Angel | 10000 Maniacs

Heaven, is this heaven wher we are' See them walking, if youi
dare , if you call that walking. Stumble, stagger, fall and drag
themselvesalong the streets of heaven.
Where is the blessed table to feed all who hunger on earth,
welcomed and seated each one joyfully served' See them walkinf, if
you dare, if you call that walking. Stumble, stagger, fall and drag
themselves along the streets of heaven.
Where is the halo that should glow 'round your face, and where
are the wings that should grow from your shoulder blades' Show them
to me.
These are sobering sights I've seen in the City of Angels have
all been one rude awakening that was dues to me in heaven.
There would have been heavenly music I was convinced before.
A host of the dearly to meet me with Hosannas sung at the door, but
these are sobering sights I've seen in the City of Angels have all
been one rude awakening that was dues to me in hevean. In this city
of fallen angels.

Who Knows Where The Time Goes | 10000 Maniacs

Across the evening sky, all the birds are leaving
But how can they know it's time for them to go'
Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming
I have no thought of time

For who knows where the time goes'
Who knows where the time goes'

Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving
Ah, but then you know it's time for them to go
But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving
I do not count the time

For who knows where the time goes'
Who knows where the time goes'

And I am not alone while my love is near me
I know it will be so until it's time to go
So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again
I have no fear of time

For who knows how my love grows'
And who knows where the time goes'

(Copyright ' 1967 Sonet Music)

Green Children | 10000 Maniacs

[ 10,000 Maniacs ]



An Augist day in the hills of Spain,
a pair of children emerged from a cave.
The strangest sight there alone they stood,
with skin of green and words no one had heard.
The girl was stronger, the boy was weak,
with her new mother she learned to speak.
And wove a tale of a dying sun,
they had left darkness, a dark world come undone.
They travelled so far.
Believing they came from a star.
She fell through life, through time, through parallel lives.
The men of science, the men of fame,
the men of letters tried to explain:
Was it parallel worlds or a twist of time
to make her think she'd fallen from the sky'
A whirlwind spun them all alone,
took them from their twilight home.
Believing they came from a star.

Girl On A Train | 10000 Maniacs

[ 10,000 Maniacs ]



Waking on a train dreaming, charmed alone they started speaking.
Captured in his artist way before the memories fade away.
To remember a face, and you're home or want to.
Certain they would meet soon, paint a portrait of a family.
Sigle light on, single way, single light away.
The night fell.
Saw a painting on the stairwell to mourn the passing of a daughter dear.
Her soul upon the train so far so near.
Just close your eyes and you're home.

Even With My Eyes Closed | 10000 Maniacs

Even with my eyes closed,
Funny how I know
it's harder, it's harder now.
Young girl
in my young girl days,
thinking I could live for always.
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside
and I know.
Seasons pass
like sand inside a glass
and nothing, nothing returns.
Standing with the friends I've made,
I'll race them to the grave.
Well who won,
won the extra days'
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside...
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside
and I know.
When you the years toll
on the waters wide,
shallow high and low.
In the autumn sky,
happy to know I'm going home.
Even with my eyes closed,
funny how I know
it's finally,
has it finally begun'
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside...
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside
and I know...
and I know...
and I know...

Even With My Eyes Closed | 10000 Maniacs

Even with my eyes closed,
Funny how I know
it's harder, it's harder now.
Young girl
in my young girl days,
thinking I could live for always.
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside
and I know.
Seasons pass
like sand inside a glass
and nothing, nothing returns.
Standing with the friends I've made,
I'll race them to the grave.
Well who won,
won the extra days'
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside...
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside
and I know.
When you the years toll
on the waters wide,
shallow high and low.
In the autumn sky,
happy to know I'm going home.
Even with my eyes closed,
funny how I know
it's finally,
has it finally begun'
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside...
But like an ocean tide,
I'm drawn back inside
and I know...
and I know...
and I know...

Big Star | 10000 Maniacs

[ 10,000 Maniacs ]



I saw a big star running from me,
a world from a record on my bed.
Turn the tables on me,
what would happen if I fell to the tune of a dreamer,
to the tune of my heart'
A big start running from me,
I saw a world out sunning on my head.
Turn the tables on me now.
I would fall from heaven and ring your bell.
Baby, catch me in the middle of a lie.
The boys are out tonight,
yeah the boys are out tonight.
The big shots singin' from me,
I saw a world out sunning on my head.
Pity my heart signals:
center of a storm inside my head.
Center of my heart,
center of my out of time simple mind.
From the moon out my window a wink and a blink and a nod.
Had a wish on a start but now it's falling.
The boys are out tonight,
big skies above me signal in my horoscope it said:
never heed a caution,
never fought a lover,
never cross a street alone in the middle of a signal red,
middle of a drinker's heart,
middle of a big parade,
a signal in my horoscope.

All That Never Happens | 10000 Maniacs

[ 10,000 Maniacs ]



She walks alone on the brick lane,
the breeze is blowing.
A year had changed her forever,
just like her grey home.
He used to live so close here,
we'd look for places I can't remember.
The world was safe when she knew him,
she tried to hold him, hold on forever.
For all that never happens and all that never will be,
a candle burning for the love we seldom keep.
The earth was raw in her fingers,
she overturned it.
Considered planting some flowers,
they wouldn't last long,
no one to tend them.
It's funny how these things go,
you were the answer to all the questions.
The memories made her weary,
she shuddered slowly,
she didn't want to.
As a distant summer he began to whisper,
and threw a smile her way.
She looked into the glass,
liquid surface showing that they were melding,
together present past.
So where can I go from here'
The color fading,
he didn't answer.
She felt him slip from her vision.
She tried to hold him, hold on forever.
So close forever,
in a silent frozen sleep.

Across The Fields | 10000 Maniacs

[ 10,000 Maniacs ]



Well they left then in the morning,
a hundred pairs of wings in the light moved together.
In the colors of the morning
I looked to the clouds in the cirrus sky and they'd gone.
Across the marshes, across the fields below.
I fell through the vines and I hoped they would catch me below.
If only to take me with them there,
tell me the part that shines in your heart on the wind.
And the reeds blew me in the morning.
Take me along to the places you've gone when my eyes looked away.
Tell me the song that you sing in the trees in the dawning.
Tell me the part that shines in your heart
and the rays of love forever, please take me there.

A Room For Everything | 10000 Maniacs

[ 10,000 Maniacs ]



You were looking away from me, western skies calling you.
Colors spilling, running dazzling you.
I was looking the other way, voices call from the east,
I saw my roots of the trees there planted at my feet.
It could be I'm searching for a place so small
with room for everything where worlds on worlds revolve.
But how can we wait'
I wouldn't hold you back.
Suppose I was the clever one and words came easy to me.
I could say I was writing a song about you and me.
Maybe that verse is yet to be found, but waits inside of me,
a secret room a tangled web to unweave.
But how can we wait knowing our ways, how can we hold on,
still you know it's not too late.

Noah's Dove | 10000 Maniacs

You won a prize for that,
for telling lies like that
So well that I believed it.
And I never felt cheated.
You were the chosen one,
the pure eyes of Noah's dove.
Choir boys and angels
stole your lips and your halo.
In your reckless mind,
you act as if you've got more lives.
In your reckless eyes, you only have time and your love of danger
to it you're no stranger.
In that August breeze
of those forgotten trees,
your time was set for leaving,
come a colder season.
In your reckless mind,
you act as if you'Š'e got more lives
In your reckless eyes,
it's never too late for a chance to seize some final breath of freedom.
Very, so very wise.

Don't reveal it. I'm tired, tired of knowing
where it is you're going.
In your reckless mind,
you act as if you've got more lives.
In your reckless eyes,
it's never too late for your love of danger
to it you're no stranger.
In your reckless mind,
you act as if you've got more lives.
In your reckless eyes, it's never too late
for a chance to seize some
final breath of freedom

Jezebel | 10000 Maniacs

[ Merchant ]


[ cello: Larry Corbett/violin: Bruce Dukov/viola: Pamela Goldsmith/violin: Ralph Morrison (quartet arranged and conducted by Paul Buckmaster) ]

To think of my task is chilling.
To know I was carefully building the mask I was wearing for two years, swearing I'd tear it off.
I've sat in the dark explaining to myself that I'm straining too hard for feelings I ought to find easily.
Called myself Jezebel.
I don't believe.

Before I say that the vows we made weigh like a stone in my heart.
Family is family, don't let this tear us apart.

You lie there, an innocent baby.
I feel like the thief who is raiding your home, entering and breaking and taking in every room.
I know your feelings are tender and that inside you the embers still glow.
But I'm a shadow, I'm only a bed of blackened coal.
Call myself Jezebel for wanting to leave.

I'm not saying I'm replacing love for some other word to describe the sacred tie that bound me to you.
I'm just saying we've mistaken one for thousands of words.
And for that mistake, I've caused you such pain that I damn that word.
I've no more ways to hide that I'm a desolate and empty, hollow place inside.

I'm not saying I'm replacing love for some other word to describe the sacred tie that bound me to you.
I'm not saying love's a plaything.
No, it's a powerful word, inspired by strong desire to bind myself to you.
How I wish that we never had tried to be man and his wife, to weave our lives into a blindfold over both our eyes.

If You Intend | 10000 Maniacs

[ Merchant ]



If you intend to live again,
then open your eyes and don't pretend you're feeling there's nothing worth believing.

God, if you persist you'll die like this,
and wither in the midst of your first season,
cut down with no reason.
How can you be so near and not see everything'

If you intend to live again,
then take the outstreched hand of the one that needs you.
It's been so long, we've missed you.
Why do you intend to speed your end'
Lie in the dark and let your limbs grow weaker, sinking low then deeper.
How can you be so near and not see everything'

Feel what might be. See what I see.
Again and again and again and again say you don't.
You say you don't, but you will.
How can you be so near and not see'

I'm Not The Man | 10000 Maniacs

[ Merchant ]


[ bassoons: Kim Laskowski & Atsuko Sato ]

It crawls on his back, won't ever let him be.
Stares at the walls until the cinder blocks can breathe.
His eyes have gone away, escaping over time.
He rules a crowded nation inside his mind.

He knows that night like his hand.
He knows every move he made.
Late shift, the bell that rang, a time card won't fade.
10:05 his truck pulled home.
10:05 he climbed his stair, about the time he was accused of being there.

But I'm not the man.
He goes free as I wait on the row for the man to test the rope he'll slip around my throat...
and silence me.

On the day he was tried no witnesses testified.
Nothing but evidence, not hard to falsify.
His own confession was a prosecutor's prize,
made up of fear, of rage and of outright lies.

But I'm not the man.
He goes free as the candle vigil glows, as they burn my clothes.
As the crowd cries, "Hang him slow!" and I feel my blood go cold, he goes free.

Call out the KKK, they're wild after me.
And with that frenzied look of half-demented zeal,
they'd love to serve me up my final meal.
Who'll read my final rite and hear my last appeal'
Who struck this devil's deal'

How You've Grown | 10000 Maniacs

[ Merchant ]


[ viola: Mary Ramsey ]

"My, how you've grown."
I remember that phrase from my childhood days too.
"Just wait and see."
I remember those words and how they chided me, when patient was the hardest thing to be.
Because we can't make up for the time that we've lost, I must let these memories provide.
No little girl can stop her world to wait for me.

I should have known.
At your age, in a string of days the year is gone.
But in that space of time, it takes so long.
Because we can't make up for the time that we've lost, I must let those memories provide.
No little girl can stop her world to wait for me.

Every time we say goodbye you're frozen in my mind as the child that you never will be, you never will be again.
I'll never be more to you than a stranger could be.

Every time we say goodbye you're frozen in my mind as a child that you never will be, will be again.

Gold Rush Brides | 10000 Maniacs

[ Spoken intro from: Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey (by Lillian Schlissel) ]

"While the young folks were having their good times
some of the mothers were giving birth to their babies.
Three babies were born in our company that summer.
My cousin, Emily, gave birth to a son in Utah,
forty miles north of the Great Salt Lake one morning.
But the next morning she traveled on
'til noon when a stop was made and another child was born,
this time Susan Mollmeyer.
And gave the baby the name Alice Nevada."

Follow the typical signs, the hand-painted lines, down prairie roads.
Pass the lone church spire.
Pass the talking wire from where to who knows'
There's no way to divide the beauty of the sky from the wild western plains.
Where a man could drift, in legendary myth, by roaming over spaces.
The land was free and the price was right.

Dakota on the wall is a white-robed woman, broad yet maidenly.
Such power in her hand as she hails the wagon man's family.
I see Indians that crawl through this mural that recalls our history.

Who were the homestead wives'
Who were the gold rush brides'
Does anybody know'
Do their works survive their yellow fever lives in the pages they wrote'
The land was free, yet it cost their lives.

In miner's lust for gold, a family's house was bought and sold, piece by piece.
A widow staked her claim on a dollar and his name, so painfully.
In letters mailed back home her Eastern sisters
they would moan as they would read accounts of
madness, childbirth, loneliness and grief.

Few And Far Between | 10000 Maniacs

[ Merchant ]


[ alto sax: Maceo Parker/tenor sax: Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis/trombone: Fred Wesley (together: The JB Horns) ]

Times are far between, and few I bet, when we can look upon our lives without regret.
Of all the things I have done, you think I'm proud of everyone without exception'

'Till you make your peace with yesterday, you'll never build a future.
I swear by what I say.
Whatever penance you do, decide what it's worth to you and then respect it.
However long it will take to weather your mistakes, why not accept it'

My hands, for now, are tied.
I'm a body frozen.
I'm a will that's paralyzed.
When will you ever set aside your pain and misery'
No matter how I beg, no matter how I wish or plead, you'll never be more than alive.
You'll never do more than survive until you expect it.
Do you want to build a world with our lives'
You better soon decide or you can forget it.

My hands, for now, are tied.
I'm a body frozen.
I'm a will that's paralyzed.
'Till you drop that heavy baggage you're dragging behind, there won't be room for us to both go this ride.

Eden | 10000 Maniacs

[ Buck/Drew/Gustafson/Augustyniak/Merchant ]



We are the roses in the garden, beauty with thorns among our leaves.
To pick a rose you ask your hands to bleed.
What is the reason for having roses when your blood is shed carelessly'
It must be for something more than vanity.

Believe me, the truth is we're not honest, not the people that we dream.
We're not as close as we could be.
Willing to grow but rains are shallow.
Barren and wind-scattered seed on stone and dry land, we will be.
Waiting for the light arisen to flood inside the prison.
And in that time kind words alone will teach us, no bitterness will reach us.
Reason will be guided another way.

All in time, but the clock is another demon that devours our time in Eden, in our Paradise.
Will our eyes see well beneath us, flowers all divine'
Is there still time'
If we wake and discover in life a precious love, will that waking become more heavenly'

Circle Dream | 10000 Maniacs

[ Buck/Drew/Gustafson/Augustyniak/Merchant ]


[ percussion: Paulinho Da Costa ]

I dreamed of a circle, I dreamed of a circle round.
And in that circle I had made were all the worlds unformed and unborn yet.
A volume, a sphere that was the earth, that was the moon, that did revolve around my room.

I dreamed of a circle, I dreamed of a circle round.
And in that circle was a maze, a terrible spiral to be lost in.
Blind in my fear, I was escaping just by feel.
But at every turn my way was sealed.

I dreamed of a circle, I dreamed of a circle round.
And in that circle was a face.
Her eyes looked upon me with fondness.
Her warmth coming near, calling me "sweetness," calling me "dear."
But I whispered, "no, I can't rest here."

I dreamed of a circle, I dreamed of a circle round.

Candy Everybody Wants | 10000 Maniacs

[ Drew/Merchant ]


[ alto sax: Maceo Parker/tenor sax: Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis/trombone: Fred Wesley (together: The JB Horns)/percussion: Paulinho Da Costa ]

If lust and hate is the candy,
if blood and love tastes so sweet,
then we give 'em what they want.
Hey, hey, give 'em what they want.

So their eyes are growing hazy 'cos they wanna turn it on,
so their minds are soft and lazy.
Well, hey, give 'em what they want.

If lust and hate is the candy,
if blood and love tastes so sweet,
then we give 'em what they want.

So their eyes are growing hazy 'cos they wanna turn it on,
so their minds are soft and lazy.
Well... who do you wanna blame'

Hey, hey, give 'em what they want.

If lust and hate is the candy,
if blood and love tastes so sweet,
then we give 'em what they want.

So their eyes are growing hazy 'cos they wanna turn it on,
so their minds are soft and lazy.

Well... who do you wanna blame'

The Latin One | 10000 Maniacs

[ lyrics: Wilfred Owen/music: J.C. Lombardo ]



bent double like old beggars in sacks
knockkneed and cursing or coughing like hags
men marched on sleeping some without boots
fatigue drunken deaf still to the hoots
of breaking gas shells
dropping softly behind
but limped on bloodshod
all went lame all went blind

gas gas quick boys fumbling helmets in time
someone still screaming a man in fire or lime
under a grey cloud dim dark through green light
in all my dreaming before my helpless sight
he plunges at me
choking guttering drowning
put in a wagon he had to keep pace
as his eyes melt to his face

if you could hear blood
gurgling from ruptured lungs
if you could witness
vile sores on innocent tongues
you would not tell me
not with such pride and such zest
the lies of history
dulce et decorum est
pro patria mori
some desperate glory
pro patria mori
as witness disturbs the story
pro patria mori
stand firm boys breathe the glory

Tension | 10000 Maniacs

frail hinges pivot
on a cases door
commemorative
souvenirs from places
containers change
with each occasion

cellophane encased
displaying paper
certificate
credit years of service
a tool of
central enterprises

the early hope
for permanence the
words the rings
consistency
and social security the
miracles high tragedy


a thought mistaken
for a memory
dress lenghts
assassinations
fractured family ties
christenings

local posts they
list your friends
in order of
disappearance
lawn scattered tins
feed birds the
portion baked for
absent guests

mass edition icon
god sent comfort is
your salvation
but who grants
absolution for sins
that never were committed

tension
makes a tangle
of each thought becomes
inconvenience
sound never penetrate
as servile edges
break and faint

a thought mistaken
for a memory
clear the dust from
smiles in boxes
cross a patterned floor
recall the voices

Poor De Chiciro | 10000 Maniacs

[ Lombardo/Merchant ]



Oh my dear friend
My dear friend Giorgio
How has this time Breton
Discouraged your liaison with the
Eye styled metaphysical
Incongruous scenarios
Dauntly jaunt about through nostalgic despair
Within childlike renderings
Of a nightmarish recall
"All my images Fragments
I've shored upon my ruins
Pictor classicus sum
I am pure"
Step solemn with the
Air of reluctant manes
As rod and hoop shadow children
Scatter through a henna arcade
Figures indentured to a windless landscape
Enduring silence and flame
Da Da da
No loyalty to the nonsensical
Scorned their nihilist pageantry

Planned Obsolescence | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Dennis Drew/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



science
is truth for life
watch religion fall obsolete
science
will be truth for life
technology as nature
science
truth for life
in fortran tongue the
answer

with wealth and prominence
man so near perfection
possession
it's an absence of interim
secure no demurrer
defense against divine
defense against his true
image
human conflict number five
discovery
dissolved all illusion
mystery
destroyed with conclusion
and illusion never restored

any modern man can see
that religion is
obsolete

piety
obsolete
ritual
obsolete
martyrdom
obsolete
prophetic vision
obsolete
mysticism
obsolete
commitment
obsolete
sacrament
obsolete
revelation
obsolete

Pit Viper | 10000 Maniacs

[ lyrics: Natalie Merchant/music: Steve Gustafson ]



in the cruel garrison of affection
if worth of lore is true
you know the face of a temptress
pit viper

a witch or enchantress
pit viper

with the malign venom of conceit
she tries
civil men
conceal fear
misgivings
when night entreats them
a greater chill sustains
stains her
darkness
shall not inhibit death blow

know this skin does not restrict her
tear and shed the coil
fall of garland leaves
below the soil

Orange | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: John Lombardo/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



lineage closed
dissolved
in its birth
tragedy
prelude a balance
is a synergy
of reason
malicious hope
as techno atrocities
lapse their effects
associate these ends
their clarity
demands your revenge
please compensate
not deny

jungle revenge
infanticide
crosses
very thin walls
latent casualties
arrive
from fatal initiation
no longer recessive
genetic aliens abandoned
plain deceit
in the mirage of
a just one time cause
we'd all changed
the clocks

no ladies auxiliary to kiss
their blistered cheeks
gone

National Education Week | 10000 Maniacs

[ lyrics: Natalie Merchant/music: Dennis Drew ]



honor salute and speak
to the corner standing flag
do you remember how the days of school were
indivisible separate worlds
compare contrast
these dreams absurd
placid classroom faces
breathe in the features
of a demographics death map trilogy
children read them well
not to bury 3 of 4 sons
as the likes of chivalry
not to take 6 of 30 bills
to manufacture corpus christi
and so you think it can be so serene
history's most intolerable famine
has clutched our global tranquility
reaped the lives of children
maladies collaborate
with cyclic despair
infanticide clamors to 20 times more
in 4th and 5th Worlds
the poor have always been
beside us
amid us
death has always been
as million cease 15 million that's an annual reap
add divide multiply sum 41 thousand!

Katrina's Fair | 10000 Maniacs

[ lyrics: Natalie Merchant/music: Robert Buck ]



greta's cedar hope chest
is full of pamphlets
glass shelves of romantic vignettes
a journal laced with sedimentary prose

norma gathers and collects vintage photoplays
hair combs valentines

lillian allows the animals to scratch
leather crack
mail collect in the box coatings peel

agnes veiled cathedral dweller
smiles with benevolent pain
it's katrina's fair tuesday morning
as she with caution unlatches the flat door
she alone cascades to the basement
careful not to spoil her
calico printed pinafore
composite traits mannerists
all others dissipate

margauritte vigilant dwells upon frigid casements

sarah's thoughts in the velocity
accusations always pierce and pass

clara abandons her passions for distastes
miss lenora p. sinclair
early for coffee in the pool
"i'm resituating all your words"
capital
space
colon
paragraph

sylvia keeps beasts in jars labeled
kingdom phylum class order family genus species

Groove Dub | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: John Lombardo/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



imitate that soured old song

there is no individuality
only guises
shades of
nonconformity
there is no individuality
selling vantage points
low rate
there is no individuality
questions ancient
no words claimed
perform motions borrowed
thoughts following
ima tima ima tima intima
dation
respected
head-he-go-round-men
gesture display
customer
limits appeal
media dictates the latest
role
totalitarian
motions borrowed
selling vantage points
low rate
for you
media begged
suffered
numbers
pain

Death Of Manolete | 10000 Maniacs

[ lyrics: Natalie Merchant/music: J.C. Lombardo ]



there were women holding rosaries
on the day manolete died
teenage girls in soft white dresses
standing silent peace respecting
groups of boys held in their hands
the fragments of a shattered idol
the old men with their traditions challenged
refrained from tears

neck neck hook
poles of wood
the picadores stood eyes ablaze
to view brutal contest
in the vale of years

courage unfailing
agility exhausted
youth entered challenge
reached for title shelved

patrons in attendance
to disarm a common myth
homage played to the victor of immortality
cloaked in bold tones

in the stockyard the beasts
did climb their barriers
bid by a frenzied ring

bred for one purpose only
to die in man's sport
dash against his spindle

an instant fell to wounding
on the day
swords penetrating
on the day
torches igniting
on the day
flower wreaths encircling
the day
on the day

Anthem For Doomed Youth | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: John Lombardo/lyric: John Lombardo adapts Wilfred Owen ]



for whom the bells toll
when sentenced to die
the stuttering rifles
will stifle the cry
the monstrous anger
the fear's rapid rattle
a desert inferno
kids dying like cattle

don't tell me
we're not prepared
i've seen today's marine
he's eighteen and he's eager
he can be quite mean

no mock'ries for them
no prayers or bells
the demented choirs
the wailing of shells
the boys holding candles
on untraveled roads
the fear spreads like fire
as shrapnel explodes

i think it's wrong
to conscript our youth
against their will
when plenty of our citizenry
really like to kill

what sign posts will lead
to armageddon's fires
what bugles will call them
from crowded grey shires
the women sit quiet
with death on their minds
a slow dusk descending
the drawing of blinds

make the hunters all line up
it's their idea of fun
and let those be forgiven
who never owned a gun
was it him or me
or the wailing of the dead
the laughing soldiers
cast their lots
and you can cut the dread

You Happy Puppet | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Robert Buck/words: Natalie Merchant ]



How did they teach you to be just a happy puppet dancing on a string'
How did you learn everything that comes along with slavish funnery'
Tell me something, if the world is so insane,
is it making you sane again to let another man tug at the thread that pulls up your nodding head'

How did they teach you to be just a happy puppet dancing on a string'
How do you manage to live inside this tiny stage you can't leave'
Tell me something, if the world is so insane,
is it making you sane again to let another man tug at the thread that pulls up your nodding head'

A dullard strung on the wire.
When the master's gone you hang there with your eyes and your limbs so lifeless.

How did they teach you to be just a happy puppet dancing on a string'
How do you manage to speak, your mouth a frozen grin'

A dullard strung on the wire.
When the master's gone you hang there with your eyes and your limbs so lifeless.

Tell me something, if the world is so insane,
is it making you sane again to let another man tug at the thread that pulls up your empty wooden head'

Your hollow head, your marble eyes, your wooden hands and your metal jaw pins
all wait in limbo for the man who knows how to move you this way.

Trouble Me | 10000 Maniacs

Trouble..
Trouble me... disturb me with all your cares and your worries.
Trouble me... on the days when you feel spent.
Why let your shoulders bend underneath this burden
when my back is sturdy and strong'
Trouble me.

Speak to me... don't mislead me, the calm I feel means a storm is swelling.
Speak to me... there's no telling where it starts or how it ends.
Speak to me... why are you building this thick brick wall to defend me
Speak to me... when your silence is my greatest fear'
Why let your shoulders bend underneath this burden
when my back is sturdy and strong'
Speak to me.

Let me... have a look inside these eyes while I'm learning.
Let me... please don't hide them just because of tears.
Let me... send you off to sleep with a
"There, there, now stop your turning and tossing."
Let me... let me know where the hurt is and how to heal.

Spare' Spare me' Don't spare me anything troubling.
Trouble me... disturb me with all your cares and you worries.
Speak to me... and let our words build a shelter from the storm.
Let me... And lastly, let me know what I can mend.
There's more, honestly, than my sweet friend, you can see.
Trust is what I'm offering if you trouble me

The Lion's Share | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Natalie Merchant & Dennis Drew/words: Natalie Merchant ]



Can I be unhappy'
Look at what I see: a beast in furs and crowned in luxury.
He's a wealthy man in the poorest land, a self-appointed king,
and there's no complaining while he's reigning.
The lambs are bare of fleece and cold; the lion has stolen that, I'm told.
There must be some creature mighty as you are.
The lambs go hungry (not fair), the biggest portion is the lion's share.
There must be some creature mighty as you are.

Can I be unhappy'
Listen and agree, no words can shame him or tame him.
The lambs are bare of fleece and cold; the lion has stolen that, I'm told.
There must be some creature mighty as you are.
The lambs go hungry (not fair), the biggest portion is the lion's share.
There must be some creature mighty as you are, as you are.

Razor claws in velvet paws, you dunce in your guarded home,
'til a stronger beast will call on you and pounce upon your throne.

Do we pay' Dearly, for the lion takes so greedily
and he knows that what he's taken, it is ours.
That's how the wealth's divided among the lambs and king of the beasts, it is so one-sided.
Until the lamb is king of the beasts we live so one-sided.

The Big Parade | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Jerome Augustyniak/words: Natalie Merchant ]



Detroit to D.C. night train, Capitol, parts East.
Lone young man takes a seat.
And by the rhythm of the rails, reading all his mother's mail from a city boy in a jungle town postmarked Saigon.
He'll go live his mother's dream, join the slowest parade he'll ever see.
Her weight of sorrows carried long and carried far.
"Take these, Tommy, to The Wall."

Metro line to the Mall site with a tour of Japanese.
He's wandering and lost until a vet in worn fatigues takes him down to where they belong.
Near a soldier, an ex-Marine with a tattooed dagger and eagle trembling, he bites his lip beside a widow breaking down.
She takes her Purple Heart, makes a fist, strikes The Wall.
All come to live a dream, to join the slowest parade they'll ever see.
Their weight of sorrows carried long and carried far, taken to The Wall.

It's 40 paces to the year that he was slain.
His hand's slipping down The Wall for it's slick with rain.
How would life have ever been the same if this wall had carved in it one less name'
But for Christ's sake, he's been dead over 20 years.
He leaves the letters asking, "Who caused my mother's tears, was it Washington or the Viet Cong'"
Slow deliberate steps are involved.
He takes them away from the black granite wall toward the other monuments so white and clean.

O, Potomac, what you've seen.
Abraham had his war too, but an honest war.
Or so it's taught in school.

Poison In The Well | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Dennis Drew/words: Natalie Merchant ]



Tell me what's gone wrong.
I tilt my head there, under the faucet, but when I turn it on -- dry as paper.
Call the neighbors.
Who's to blame for what's going on'
In the dark without a clue I'm just the same as you.

O, they tell us there's poison in the well,
that someone's been a bit untidy and there's been a small spill.
Not a lot, no, just a drop.
But there you are mistaken, you know you are.
I wonder just how long they knew our well was poisoned but they let us just drink on.

O, they tell us there's poison in the well,
that someone's been a bit untidy and there's been a small spill.
All that it amounts to is a tear in a salted sea.
Someone's been a bit untidy, they'll have it cleaned up in a week.
But the week is over and now it's grown into years since I was told that I should be calm, there's nothing to fear here.
But I drank that water for years, my wife and my children.

Tell me, where to now, if your fight for a bearable life can be fought and lost in you backyard'

O, don't tell us there's poison in the well,
that someone's been a bit untidy, that there's been a small spill.
All that it amounts to is a tear in a salted sea.
Someone's been a bit untidy, they'll have it cleaned up in a week.

Please Forgive Us | 10000 Maniacs

"Mercy, mercy," why didn't we hear it'
"Mercy, mercy," why did we read it buried on the last page of our morning
papers'
The plan was drafted, drafted in secret.
Gunboats met the red tide, driven to the rum trade for the army that they
created.
But the bullets were bought by us, it was dollars that paid them.

Please forgive us, we don't know what was done,
Please forgive us, we don't know what was done in our name.

There'll be more trials like this in mercenary heydays.
When they're so apt to wrap themselves up in the stripes and stars and find that
they are able to call themselves heroes and to justify murder by their fighters
for freedom.

Please forgive us, we don't know what was done.
Please forgive us, we didn't know.
Could you ever forgive us' I don't know how you could.

I know this is no consolation.
Please forgive us, we don't know what was done,
Please forgive us, we didn't know.
Could you ever believe that we didn't know'
Please forgive us, we didn't know.
I wouldn't blame you if you never could.
Please forgive us, we didn't know.
I wouldn't blame you if you never could.
Please forgive us, and you never will.

Jubilee | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Natalie Merchant/words: Natalie Merchant ]


[ musical arrangement: Jason Osborn/first violin: Krista Bennion Feeney/second violin: Mitsuru Tsubota/viola: Louise Schulman/cello: Myron Lutzke/bassoon: Dennis Godburn/harpsicord: Robert Wolinsky (all belonging to The Sait Luke's Chamber Orchestra)/classical guitar: Scott Kuney/double bass: Frank Luther (all directed by Jason Osborn) ]

He fills the flower vases, trims the candle bases, takes small change from the poor box.
Tyler has the key.
He takes nail and hammer to tack up the banner of felt scraps glued together reading,
"Jesus Lives In Me."
Alone in the night he mocks the words of the preacher: "God is feeling your every pain."
Repair the Christmas stable, restore the plaster angel.
Her lips begin to crumble and her robes begin to peel.
For Bible study in the church basement, hear children Gospel citing, Matthew 17:15.
Alone in the night he mocks the arms of the preacher raised to the ceiling,
"Tell God your pain."

To him the world's defiled.
In Lot he sees a likeness there;
he swears this Sodom will burn down.
Near Sacred Blood there's a dance hall where Tyler Glen saw a black girl and a white boy kissing shamelessly.
Black hands on white shoulders, white hands on black shoulders, dancing, and you know what's more.
He's God's mad disciple, a righteous title, for the Word he heard he so misunderstood.
Though simple minded, a crippled man, to know this man is to fear this man, to shake when he comes.
Wasn't it God that let Puritans in Salem do what they did to the unfaithful'

Boys at the Jubilee slowly sink into brown bag whiskey drinking and reeling on their feet.
Girls at the Jubilee in low-cut dresses yield to the caresses and the man-handling.
Black hands on white shoulders, white hands on black shoulders, dancing, and you know what's more.

Through the tall blades of grass he heads for the Jubilee with a bucket in his right hand full of rags soaked in gasoline.
He lifts the shingles in the dark and slips the rags there underneath.
He strikes a matchstick on the box side and watches the rags ignite.
He climbs the bell tower of the Sacred Blood to watch the flames rising higher toward the trees.
Sirens wailing now toward the scene.

-- Matthew 17:15 --
-- Lord have mercy onmy son
-- for he is a lunatick, and
-- sore vexed: for oftimes he
-- falleth into the fire and
-- oftimes into the wate

Headstrong | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Natalie Merchant/words: Natalie Merchant ]



To your common sense firm arguments
I won't listen to your voice of reason trying to change my mind.
I mind my feelings and not your words.
Didn't you notice I'm so headstrong even when I know I'm wrong'
Take this to your heart and into your head now:
before you waste your time, call a truce and call a draw.

What's the use in mapping your views out in orderly form
when it does nothing but confuse and anger me more'
I mind my feelings and not your words.
Didn't you notice I'm so headstrong.
You're talking to a deaf stone wall.
Take this to your heart and into your head now:
the old wives' tale is true, I'll repeat it.
All is fair in love and war, that's how the famous saying goes.

Open up your eyes, see me for what I am:
cast in iron, I won't break and I won't bend.
Take this to your heart and into your head now:
the old wives' tale is true, I'll repeat it.
All is fair in love and war, that's how the famous saying goes.

If I told you we were out to sea in a bottomless boat,
you'd try anything to save us, you'd try anything to keep us afloat.
And if we were living in a house afire,
I don't believe that you could rush out and escape it and not rescue me.
Take this to your heart and into your head now:
the old wives' tale is true, I'll repeat it.
All is fair in love and war, that's how the famous saying goes.
Listen, I think they were talking to you.

Hateful Hate | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Natalie Merchant/words: Natalie Merchant ]



In the dark night a giant slumbered untouched for centuries
'til awakened by a white man's cry: "This is the Eden I was to find."
There were lands to be charted and to be claimed for a crown,
when a hero was made by the length he could stay in this dangerous land of hateful hate.

Curiosity filled the heads of these, there was an upper room they had to see.
Curiosity killed the best of these for a hero's hometown welcoming.
Still they moved on and on.

Who came building missions'
Unswerving men of the cloth who gave their lives in numbers untold so that black sheep entered the fold.
Captured like human livestock, destined for slavery.
Naked, walked to the shore where great ships moored for the hellbound journies.
Bought and sold with a hateful hate.

Curiosity filled the breasts of these with some strange ecstasy.
Curiosity killed the best of these by robbing their lives of dignity.
Still they moved on and on.

Calling men of adventure for a jungle bush safari.
Come conquer the, his claws and teeth.
See death in his eyes to know you're alive.
European homesteads grew up in the colonies with civilized plans for wild hinterlands, their guns and God willing.
Such a hateful hate.

Curiosity spilled the blood of these for their spotted skins and ivory.
Curiosity filled the heads of these madmen with the lies of destiny.
Curiosity spilled the blood of these, then blotted their lives from history.
Curiosity filled the heads of these, one man claimed all that he could see.
Curiosity still entices these madmen with a lusting and a greed.
Their legacy, legacy, legacy...

Eat For Two | 10000 Maniacs

O, baby blankets and baby shoes, baby slippers, baby spoons, walls of
baby blue. Dream child in my head is a nightmare born in a borrowed
bed.
Now I know lightning strikes again. It struck me once, then struck me
dead. My folly grows inside of me. I eat for two, walk for two,
breathe
for two now.
Well, the egg man fell down off his shelf. All the good king's men
with all their help struggled 'til the end for a shell they couldn't
mend.
You know where this will lead, to hush and rock in the nursery for the
kicking one inside of me. I eat for two, walk for two, breathe for two
now. Eat for two, walk for two, breathe for two now.
When the boy was a boy, the girl was a girl, they found each other in
a wicked world. Strong in some respects, but she couldn't stand for
the
way he begged and gave in. Pride is for men; young girls should run
and
hide instead. You risk the game by taking dares with "yes".
I eat for two, walk for two, breathe for two now. Eat for two, walk
for two, breathe for two now.
I walk for two' I'm stumbling. I walk for two'
I'm stumbling. Breathe for two' I can't breathe. I can't breathe

Dust Bowl | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Robert Buck/words: Natalie Merchant ]



I should know to leave them home.
They follow me through the store with these toys I can't afford.
"Kids, take them back, you know better than that."
Dolls that talk, astronauts, T.V. games, airplanes, they don't understand and how can I explain'
I try and try but I can't save.
Pennies, nickels, dollars slip away.
I've tried and tried but I can't save.

My youngest girl has bad fever, sure.
All night with alcohol to cool and rub her down.
Ruby, I'm tired, try and get some sleep.
I'm adding doctor's fees to remedies with the cost of three day's work lost.
I try and try but I can't save.
Pennies, nickels, dollars slip away.
I've tried and tried but I can't save.
The hole in my pocketbook is growing.

There's a new wind blowing they say, it's gonna be a cold, cold one.
So brace yourselves my darlings, it won't bring anything much our way but more dust bowl days.

I played a card in this weeks game.
Took the first and the last letters in three of their names.
This lottery's been building up for weeks.
I could be lucky me with the five million prize, tears of disbelief spilling out of my eyes.
I try and try but I can't save.
Pennies, nickels, dollars slip away.
I've tried and tried but I can't save.
The hole in my pocketbook is growing.

There's a new wind blowing they say, it's gonna be a cold, cold one.
So brace yourselves my darlings, it won't bring anything much our way but more dust bowl days.

The Colonial Wing | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Robert Buck/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



here is the store house of Her Majesty
well guarded by sentry
but looks are free

call this the rayless and benighted age
witches by tallow candles shifted
shifted their shapes
here is the pestle and mortar
that ground the poison seed
a lute, a suit for jousting
and the poems of a balladeer
when all the Latin books were copied off
in golden script
well hoarded away in
a monastery crypt

superstition
superstition beyond belief

over mountain, over dune and over sea
crude map and compass lead the caravan
and lead the fleet
here's the loot and plunder
they bore home
ivory tusk inlaid with precious stone
raw silk and spices by the barrel load
a soft skin drum with mallets
of human bone

a world wide rampage
rampage of greed

so here the tour concludes
The Colonial Wing
the rooms of the most refined
museum property
an early pair of spectacles
a claw footed divan
ornate clocks with birds that strut
on the half hours and quarter hours

hear them chime

Tension Makes a Tangle | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: John Lombardo/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



as frail hinges
pivot on a case's door
commemorative
souvenirs from places
containers change
with each occasion

a cellophane encased
display of paper
certificate
to credit years of service
a tool of central enterprises
the early hope
for permanence
the words
the rings
consistency
the social security
a miracle is high tragedy

thought mistaken
for a memory
clear the dust from
smiles in boxes
pass a patterned wall
recall their voices

a local post
will list your friends
in order of
disappearance
the lawn scattered

tins feed birds
a portion baked for
absent guests
and the mass edition icon
God sent comfort
your salvation
but who grants absolution
for sins that
never were committed

tension makes a tangle
of each thought
becomes an inconvenience
sound as it never penetrates
as servile edges
break and
feint

thought mistaken
for a memory
a dress length
assassination
a fractured family tie
another christening

christening
christening
christening

Scorpio Rising | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: John Lombardo & Robert Buck/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



power
dizzy with it stumble
detail
a chance for us to quarrel
anger
my head is shaken violent

if i could calm or restrain you
for the sake of pity
save the pistol
save the cynics tongue
save the cool white stare
and treat me to an honest face sometime

amaze me now

trust is
the greatest human error
empty
used me as a vessel
ruthless
you're not known for subtlety

if i could calm or restrain you
for the sake of pity
save the pistol
save the cynic's tongue
save the cool white stare
and treat me to an honest face sometime

amaze me now

artful
well there's quite a skill to torture
half smile
was it all you could deliver
token
so hard to be pleasant

if you could calm or restrain it
for the sake of pity
save the pistol
save the cynic's tongue
save the cool white stare
and treat me to an honest face sometime

amaze me now

My Mother The War | 10000 Maniacs

[ lyrics: Natalie Merchant & Michael Walsh/music: J.C.Lombardo ]



she borders the pavement
flanks avenues
parades pass white glove attended by
my mother the war

she'll raise a shaft
lift a banner
toss a rose
my mother the war

she's made every effort
to salvage the few
bought fourteen liberty bonds
my mother the war

mother the war

she knows every neighbor
chats at their doors
compare econosize electric appliances
my mother the war

share tea and a seat
by my cradle with
my mother the war

mother the war

caressing the globe
touch on his isle
she wrings hands in pensive waiting
my mother the war

haunts her doorway
begs her postman
is there word for
my mother the war

momentos of distant vigil
three years each tour
"hands of god enfold him" prayed
my mother the war

mother the war

in bitter defiance
she's spitting the corps
she's wet a brood short league for combat
my mother the war

well acquainted with sorrow
left millions in grief
my mother the war

fold
laced
carrion
blood
soaked
robes

mother the war

Maddox Table | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Natalie Merchant/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



the legs of Maddox kitchen tables
my whole life twisted on a lathe
in a foreman's torrent
my first English was
"faster boy if you want your pay"
barking commands
loud and simple
we could all obey

then I was forever pulling silvers
rubbed the sawdust always
deeper in my eye
varnish vapor that could linger
on my skin
it held tight
the whine of spinning blades
still echoes to bother my sleep at night

see that ox
stamped dead center
on the letter head of the company mail
four decades a spitting image
of the animal I portrayed
at Maddox Table a yoke was carved
for my neck

sun through the window oil spattered
and in mason jars
tricked plenty seeds thrive
the standing joke
around the shop was
with my green thumb
anything'd grow
my part was to laugh
show and ornery jig had
cut it at the knuckle bone

see that ox
trade mark burned
into every stick of furniture
from horn to tail
four decades a spitting image
of the animal I portrayed
at Maddox Table a yoke was carved
for my neck

was tailor made

o my Dolly was a weak
not a burdened girl
treat her to a piece of vaudville
a Wintergarden moving picture show
Bemus Point on July Sundays
by trolley we'd go

to your benefit we's strike or bargain
with the waving fist a union man
not just for
smokes spirits candy and cologne
but for
automobile keys
cash in the bank
and the deed
on a place called home

Lilydale | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Robert Buck/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



come as we go far away
from the noise of the street
walk a path so narrow
to a place where we feel at ease

some think it is haunting
to be drawn to the cemetery ground
as we
there's a stillness here
thankful found

child's pose angelic
a stone lamb at her feet
part the matted overgrowth
to read the carven elegy

some think it so haunting
to be drawn to the cemetery ground
as we
there's a stillness here
thankful found

born in New Albion
of Rice family elite
wed to Myron Bilowe
thrice with sons
blessed was she
some think it so haunting
to be drawn to the cemetery ground
as we
God's acre is a fenced in
hollow ground

here soon to rise up
Amelia tender and sweet
her last words spoke
all is well
all is peace

some think it so haunting
to be drawn to the cemetery ground
as we
God's acre is a fenced in
hollow ground

Just As The Tide Was A Flowing | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Traditional/lyric: arranged by 10,000 Maniacs ]



on one morning
in the month of May
when all the birds
were singing

I saw a lovely maiden stray
across the fields at break of day
she softly sung her roundelay

the tide flows in
the tide flows out
twice every day returning

her cheeks were red
her eyes were brown
her hair in ringlets hanging down
upon her face to hide the frown

just as the tide was a flowing
the tide flows in
the tide flows out
twice everyday returning

a sailor's wife at home must bide
she halted heavily she sighed
"he parted from poor me , a bride
I'm widowed by the sea" she cried

just as the tide was a flowing

the tide flows in
the tide flows out
twice every day returning

Grey Victory | 10000 Maniacs

[ lyrics: Natalie Merchant/music: J.C.Lombardo & Robert Buck ]



there was light and atomic fission
swelling wind
rising ash
tide of black rain
cement seared shawdow traces
reminiscent of their last commands

instantly one thousand flames arising
ill scent the burning hides surrounding
a settlement debased entirely
enola gay had made a casual delivery

please build a future, darling
with our bomb
cherish and love it
for the sake of
earth bound kingdom come

the undersides of fallen metal trusses
evil debris of human bodies
each window's glass shards pelted
secure confines
brittle collapse

neighbors lay beside
each other unknowing
faces scorched of all familiar bearing
too few hands
many wounds for closing
marred by
thirsting
anguish
fear lamenting

here we stand
at the door to gold atomic age
don't spoil your face with worry
trust in
earth bound kingdom come

Everyone A Puzzle Lover | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: John Lombardo/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



why are some men born
with minds that earn degrees
the loving cups
gilded plaques
grace their study walls
hide the cracks
while their genius is turned
to works of tyranny then
off to market to market
go selling these

with words so fiery and persuasive
they steal cunningly
riches no one can exceed

and why are some men born
with a fate of poverty
one firm bed
for a swollen back
year by year
the bodies wracked while
their obedience is had
with gradual defeat
by the pace by the pace
and the urgency

through a muddled thought
they phrase it
God knows we're deceived
barter for
what they need

and where they go
disdain and jeering
for fools to call
the noble peasantry

o how it puzzles me

I pressed flat the accordion pleats
that had gathered in his cotton sleeves
while he thumbed
yes thumbed I wouldn't say caressed

the final piece
a mountain's crest
soon to reply assuredly

o for man aged ninety years
no words to waste on sermons
he'd be pleased to answer
short and sincere

girl there's a nonsense
in all these heaven measures
it's a heathen creed
so your grandma says
but better to live by...
drink it all in before it's dry

he ended there with a rattle
cough cough
I took away the long gone cold coffee cup
as a trail of Camel ashes fell
on the floor

Daktari | 10000 Maniacs

[ lyrics: Natalie Merchant & J.C. Lombardo/music: J.C. Lombardo ]



like a weasel in the clover
you tilt toss pop turn over
sit down!
tremble and weave like a moth
by flame deceived
sit down!
spill with your words caught up
dance in your room
slide like you're buttered up
roll back the tomb
sit down!

bolt scuff jilt chase circle riddle
shake in haste
sit down!

when the thunderclouds sound
ants scatter to high ground

Cotton Alley | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: John Lombardo/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



one time
you made me cry
be proud that I
remember

my chin is sore
the bruise is gone
but the spot is tender

gave my hand a sister coy
to Cotton Alley where
you did enjoy
your wicked games
you curious boy

tied my laces up together
when I fell
you laughed
until your belly was sore

in the brick laid aisle behind
the five and dime store

that's how
I made you blush
but doubt if you
remember

were my tears genuine
or those of a skilled
pretender

nothing precious
plain to see
don't make a fuss over me
not loud
not soft
but somewhere in between
say sorry
let it be
the word you mean

I was a little pest who
never took a hint
could never
take a hint

you pinched my fingers
in a door
tossed my coloring book in a
rusty barrel

pulled spiders from my hair
fingers in the door

my favorite blue blouse
stained on the back
running from a berry war

can you hear me scream
in Cotton Alley
scream in Cotton Alley
in Cotton Alley

Can't Ignore The Train | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: John Lombardo/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



Steep is the water tower
painted off blue to match the sky

can't ignore the train

night walks in the valley silent
you could swear the earth just moved

can't ignore the train

dust to be kicked up
in the crack faced
idle sinister town
screen door to the rail station
devil in her shoe

ran along side the wasted tracks
hem pins darted her calves

can't ignore the train

one spoiled girl with the tidiest apology
some how wedged inside her throat

can't ignore the train

patience their virtue
but I never could abide by that
dungeon life with electric light
a clean towel and a basin
mantle figures mind their place
laughs where they belong

through adventure we are not adventuresome

rage to share with a wardrobe mirror
in a room so beige and cold

can't ignore the train

window days saw the children pick their
street games on thirty afternoons

Molly the boys are
starting in the rhymic again
teasing more and more....

the second daughter
how she fell
young locked in Some Folk's Prison
made to dwell
til they're braiding
her grey hair

sitting in the wishing chair
sitting in the wishing chair
sitting in the wishing chair

Back O' The Moon | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Dennis Drew/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



Jenny

Jenny you don't know the nights I hide
below a second story room
to whistle you down
the man who's let to divvy up
time is a miser
he's got a silver coin
only lets it shine for hours
while you sleep it away

there's one rare and odd style of living
part only known to the everybody Jenny
a comical where's the end parade
of the sort people here would think unusual

Jenny

tonight upon the mock brine of a Luna Sea
far off we sail on to Back O' The Moon

Jenny

Jenny you don't know the days I've tried
telling backyard tales
so to maybe amuse
o your mood is never giddy
if you smile I'm delighted
but you'd rather pout
such a lazy child
you dare fold your arms
tisk and say that I lie

there's one rare and odd style of thinking
part only known to the everybody Jenny
the small step and giant leap takers
got the head start in the race toward it

Jenny

tonight upon the mock brine of a Luna Sea
far off we sail on to the Back O' The Moon

that was a sigh
but not meant to envy you
when your age was mine
some things were sworn true
morning would come

and calendar pages had
new printed seasons on
their opposite sides

Jenny

Jenny you don't know the nights I hide
below a second story room
to whistle you down
o the man who's let to divvy up
time is a miser
he's got a silver coin
lets it shine for hours
while you sleep it away

there's one rare and odd style of living

part only known to the everybody Jenny
out of tin ships jump the bubble head boys
to push their flags into powdered soils and cry
no second placers

no smart looking geese in bonnets
dance with pigs in high button trousers
no milk pail for the farmer's daughter
no merry towns of sweet walled houses

here I've found
Back O' the Moon
not here
I've found
Back O' the Moon

Arbor Day | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Natalie Merchant/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



wide open falsehood
the clan destine truths
rival till the end
in a series of duels
pardon the drapery language I choose

Waltz in Vienna has taught me to use
every tall room a fiction
leather bound treasure books
up to the ceiling
gold spine upon spine

the guile and the treason
the faith and allegiance

wide open falsehood
the clan destine truths
rival till the end
in a series of duels
pardon the drapery language I choose

the author grew fat to imagine
his lead pen careening
gave voice to the scheming
an Aryan cabale to dethrone

the guile and the treason
the faith and allegiance
to the empire unknown

the baron and his mistress
dine in fine banquet hall
as rebel insurgents plot in
the attic space crawl

wide open falsehood
the clan destine truths
rival till the end
in a series of duels
pardon the drapery language I choose

his small hand did strive
to explain all the
rants and raves of
a people enslaved

by the cant of the shrewdest
capable men

the guile and the treason
the faith and allegiance
now lie in my hand

the guile and the treason
the faith and allegiance
now lie in my hand

Among The Americans | 10000 Maniacs

[ music: Robert Buck & Dennis Drew/lyric: Natalie Merchant ]



dance to the sun
a kiss to the earth
embrace a stone

come the small black book
come the brandy cask
one strange disease
the well worded paper
signed by the drunken
hands of thieves

and suddenly
they were told to leave

as the snake uncoiled on a road
the length was eighty miles
wagons' weary horses
lead the feverish exiles
barefoot in the early snow
on a ridge
where they beheld their home
coarse and barren
not the haven
promised by the Father

Jaksa Chula Harjo
Jaksa Chula Harjo
Jaksa Chula Harjo **

the Red Sticks first and
the Dancing Ghosts were
pierced with arms of fire
and the weeping widows
left could not avenge
so the Western Star manifest its will
drove them clear into the Pacific O

gone the way of flesh
turned pale and died
by your god's decree

for he hated me

** Cherokee name for Andrew Jackson
the 7th president of the U.S.A.

What's The Matter Here | 10000 Maniacs

That young boy without a name
Anywhere I'd know his face
In this city the kid's my favorite
I've seen him
I see him every day
Seen him run outside
Looking for a place to hide
From his father
The kid half naked
And said to myself
"O, what's the matter here'"

I'm tired of the excuses
Everbody uses
He's their kid
I stay out of it
But who gave you the right
To do this'

We live on Morgan Street
Just ten feet between
And his mother
I never see her
But her screams and cussing
I hear them every day
Threats like
"If you don't mind
I will beat on your behind"
"Slap you, slap you silly"
Made me say
"O, what's the matter here'"

I'm tired of the excuses
Everybody uses
He's your kid
Do as you see fit
But get this through
That I don't approve
Of what you did
To you own flesh and blood

I'm tired of the excuses
Everybody uses
He's your kid
Do as you see fit
But get this through
That I don't approve
Of what you did
To you own flesh and blood

"If you don't sit
In your chair straight
I'll take this belt
From around my waist
And don't you think
That I won't use it!"
Answer me and take your time
What could be the awful crime
He could do at such young an age'
If I'm the only witness
To your madness
Offer me some words to balance
Out what I see and what I hear
All these cold and rude
Things that you do
I suppose you do
Because he belongs to you
And instead of love
And the feel of warmth
You've given him these cuts
And sores won't heal
With time or age
I want to say
"What's the Matter here'"
But I don't dare say
"What's the Matter here'"
But I don't dare say

Verdi Cries | 10000 Maniacs

[ Natalie Merchant ]


[ piano: Don Grolnick/cello: Dennis Karmazyn/viola: Novi/bass: Bob Magnusson/string arrangement: David Campbell ]

The man in 119 takes his tea alone.
Mornings we all rise to wireless Verdi cries.
I'm hearing opera through the door.
The souls of men and women, impassioned all.
Their voices climb and fall; battle trumpets call.
I fill the bath and climb inside, singing.

He will not touch their pastry
but every day they bring him more.
Gold from the breakfast tray, I steal them all away
and then go and eat them on the shore.

I draw a jackal-headed woman in the sand,
sing of a lover's fate sealed by jealous hate
then wash my hand in the sea.
With just three days more I'd have just about learned the entire score to Aida.

Holidays must end as you know.
All is memory taken home with me:
the opera, the stolen tea, the sand drawing, the verging sea, all years ago.

The Painted Desert | 10000 Maniacs

[ Jerome Augustyniak/Natalie Merchant ]



The Painted Desert can wait till summer.
We've played this game of just imagine long enough.
Wait till summer'
When I'm sure the rains have ended, the blooms have gone,
everyone killed by the morning frost.
Is a cactus blooming there in every roadside stand
where the big deal is cowboy gear won in Japan'

The Painted Desert can wait till summer.
We've played this game of just imagine long enough.
Wait till summer'
When I'm sure the rains have ended and the blooms have gone,
everyone killed by the morning frost.
Is a cactus blooming there upon the Northern rim
or in the ruins of the Hopi mesa dens'

You met a new friend in the Canyon, or so you wrote.
On a blanket in the cooling sand you and your friend agreed that
the stars were so many there they seemed to overlap.

The Painted Desert can wait till summer.
We've played this game of just imagine long enough.
Wait till summer'
When I am sure the rain has ended, the blooms have gone,
everyone killed by the morning frost.
Was a cactus blooming there as you watched the Native boy'
In Flagstaff trailer court, you wrote the line:
"He kicked a tumbleweed and his mother called him home where the Arizona moon met the Arizona sun."

I wanted to be there by May at the latest time.
Isn't that the plan we had or have you changed your mind'
I haven't read a word from you since Phoenix or Tucson.
April is over will you tell me how long before I can be there'

The Painted Desert | 10000 Maniacs

[ Jerome Augustyniak/Natalie Merchant ]



The Painted Desert can wait till summer.
We've played this game of just imagine long enough.
Wait till summer'
When I'm sure the rains have ended, the blooms have gone,
everyone killed by the morning frost.
Is a cactus blooming there in every roadside stand
where the big deal is cowboy gear won in Japan'

The Painted Desert can wait till summer.
We've played this game of just imagine long enough.
Wait till summer'
When I'm sure the rains have ended and the blooms have gone,
everyone killed by the morning frost.
Is a cactus blooming there upon the Northern rim
or in the ruins of the Hopi mesa dens'

You met a new friend in the Canyon, or so you wrote.
On a blanket in the cooling sand you and your friend agreed that
the stars were so many there they seemed to overlap.

The Painted Desert can wait till summer.
We've played this game of just imagine long enough.
Wait till summer'
When I am sure the rain has ended, the blooms have gone,
everyone killed by the morning frost.
Was a cactus blooming there as you watched the Native boy'
In Flagstaff trailer court, you wrote the line:
"He kicked a tumbleweed and his mother called him home where the Arizona moon met the Arizona sun."

I wanted to be there by May at the latest time.
Isn't that the plan we had or have you changed your mind'
I haven't read a word from you since Phoenix or Tucson.
April is over will you tell me how long before I can be there'

My Sister Rose | 10000 Maniacs

[ Jerome Augustyniak/Natalie Merchant ]



Big plans are being made for my sisters wedding day.
We'll have a ball at the Sons of Roma Hall.
Family, friends come one and all.
First the best man makes a toast to Rocky and my sister Rose,
"A life of years free of tears. Bottoms up and lots of luck!"
`
Polka, tango everyone, cha-cha, mambo Rose and Rock alone.
Frankie Rizzo and his Combo play on.

Single girls all hear the call from a crowd at the back wall
and when the bouquet flies each one tries to be the best catch and next years bride.
Uncle Sam and Uncle Joe take their places in the row.
They're standing by side to side for dollar dances with the bride.

Polka, tango everyone, cha-cha, mambo, Rose and Rock alone.
"He's a banker, she'll be well off now."

Sister Rose take your mother's place.
Trade your home and your maiden name.
For a list of vows and a veil of lace made a wife of you today.

Now they cut the five tier cake, "That Colucci, he can bake."
A frosted tower of sugar and flour for the couple of the hour.

Polka, tango everyone, cha-cha, mambo Rose and Rock alone.
She was born to wear that gown.

Sister Rose take your mother's place.
Trade your home and your maiden name.
For a list of vows and a veil of lace made a wife of you today,
but you're my sister Rose the same.

Gun Shy | 10000 Maniacs

[ Natalie Merchant ]



I always knew that you would take yourself far from home
as soon as, as far as you could go.
By the 1/4 inch cut of your hair and the Army issue green,
for the past eight weeks I can tell where you've been.
For I knew, I could see, it was all cut and dried to me
there was soldier's blue blood streaming inside your veins.
There is a world outside of this room and when you meet it promise me
you won't meet it with your gun.

So now you are one of the brave few, it's awful sad we need boys like you.
I hope the day never comes for
"Here's your live round son. Stock and barrel, safety, trigger, here's your gun."
Well I knew, I could see, it was all cut and dried to me
there was soldiers blue blood streaming inside your veins.
There is a world outside of this room and when you meet it promise me
you won't meet it with your gun taking aim.
For I don't mean to argue, they've made a decent boy of you
and I don't mean to spoil your home coming,
but baby brother you should expect me to.

"Stock and barrel, safety, trigger, here's your gun."

So now does your heart pitter pat with a patriotic song
when you see the stripes of Old Glory waving'
Well I knew, I could see, it was all cut and dried to me
there was soldier's blue blood streaming inside your veins.
There is a world outside of this room and when you meet it promise me
you won't meet it with your gun taking aim.
I don't mean to argue, they've made a decent boy of you
and I don't mean to spoil your homecoming my baby brother Jude
and I don't mean to hurt you by saying this again,
they're so good at making soldiers but they're not so good at making men.

Don't Talk | 10000 Maniacs

[ Dennis Drew/Natalie Merchant ]



Don't talk, I will listen.
Don't talk, you keep your distance
for I'd rather hear some truth tonight than entertain your lies,
so take you poison silently.
Let me be. Let me close my eyes.

Don't talk, I'll believe it.
Don't talk, listen to me instead,
I know that if you think of it, both long enough and hard
the drink you drown your troubles in is the trouble you're in now.

Talk talk talk about it, if you talk as if you care
but when your talk is over tilt that bottle in the air,
tossing back more than your share.

Don't talk, I can guess it.
Don't talk, well now your restless
and you need somewhere to put the blame for how you feel inside.
You'll look for a close and easy mark and you'll see me as fair game.

Talk talk talk about it, talk as if you care
but when your talk is over tilt that bottle in the air
tossing back more than your share.
You talk talk talk about it, you talk as if you care.
I'm marking every word and can tell this time for sure,
your talk is the finest I have heard.

So don't talk, let me go on dreaming.
How your eyes they glow so fiercely I can tell your inspired
by the name you chose for me. Now what was it' O, never mind it.
We will talk talk talk about this when your head is clear.
I'll discuss this in the morning, but until then you may talk but I won't hear.

City Of Angels | 10000 Maniacs

[ Robert Buck/Natalie Merchant ]



Heaven, is this heaven where we are'
See them walking, if you dare, if you call that walking.
Stumble, stagger, fall and drag themselves along the streets of heaven.

Where is the blessed table to feed all who hunger on earth,
welcomed and seated each one joyfully served'
See them walking, if you dare, if you call that walking.
Stumble, stagger, fall and drag themselves along the streets of heaven.

Where is the halo that should glow 'round your face,
and where are the wings that should grow from your shoulder blades'
Show them to me.
These are sobering sights I've seen in the City of Angels
have all been one rude awakening that was dues to me in heaven.

There would have been heavenly music I was convinced before.
A host of the dearly to meet me with Hosannas sung at the door,
but these are sobering sights I've seen in the City of Angels
have all been one rude awakening that was dues to me in heaven.
In this city of fallen angels.

Cherry Tree | 10000 Maniacs

[ Robert Buck/Natalie Merchant ]



Over your shoulder, please don't mind me
if my eyes have fallen onto your magazine
for I've been watching and wondering
why your face is changing with every line you read.

All those lines and circles, to me, a mystery.
Eve pull down the apple and give taste to me.
If she would be wonderful, but my pride is in the way.
I cannot read to save my life, I'm so ashamed to say.

I live in silence, afraid to speak
of my life of darkness because I cannot read.

For all those lines and circles, to me, a mystery.
Eve pull down the apple and give taste to me.
If she could it would be wonderful.
Then I wouldn't need someone else's eyes to see what's in front of me.
No one guiding me.

It makes me humble to be so green
at what every kid can do when he learns A to Z,

but all those lines and circles just frighten me
and I fear that I'll be trampled if you don't reach for me.
Before I run I'll have to take a fall.
And then pick myself up, so slowly I'll devour every one of those books in the Tower of Knowledge.