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1. |
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What is this form that I have taken?
I do not recall asking for this
But now I’m here, I am alive; I have dreams to realize
And though it’s a very heavy burden of life, I must try
Yeah, I must try to live or be ready to die
So now I’m dying to live
Oh this must be life
Oh this must be life
Oh this must be life
And how much water is in your well?
To put out the fire that’s in your hell?
Well, it’s not about the problems that you know
It’s how you cope
It's how you cope
And I’ve spent my existence just trying to be happy
And though that may be unrealistic, I’m still going to try
For we can be a waste and let ourselves down
Or do nothing about it and hope that it all works out
But that’s not the answer that I’ve come to realize
And I’m dying to live
Oh this must be life
Oh this must be life
Oh this must be life
And how much water is in your well?
To put out the fire that’s in your hell?
Well, it’s not about the problems that you know
It’s how you cope
It's how you cope
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2. |
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A mediocre character, nothing special here
No gift for enchantment, no delight in the mirror Just a slim, fruitless being or an ordinary pawn
But you’ll be the talk of the town after you’re gone
In passing you quietly, they never look twice
Not sought for your thoughts, much less your advice You could be completely naked, but they’d still look on But you’ll be the talk of the town after you’re gone
So who are then? You must be new here
Oh I never would have guessed that you’ve been around for years Well maybe I’ll see you though probably not
Until you're the talk of the town after you’re gone
Now you’ve got something happening, but there’s something else to do Oh I made other plans and they don’t include you
But perhaps maybe the next time if there’s nothing else going on
Until there won’t be a next time after you’re gone
And I heard you had aspirations, had something up your sleeve But until they are realized, you’re just a child with a dream But if you’re not here with the rise of the sun
You’ll be the talk of the town after you’re gone
Now the clock’s adding time and you’re counting down the days Until your absence is apparent and they'd wish that you had stayed So you try to announce that you’re the chosen one
But you’ll only be the talk of the town after you’re gone
Now I heard you were someone, but I had no idea
Why didn’t you shout it from the heavens so we’d know that you were here? You just seemed so ordinary until we saw what you had done
And you’re the talk of the town now that you’re gone
So when are you returning? We miss you so much We always adored you and all that you touched
You had a golden grace, just ask anyone
For you’re the talk of the town now that you’re gone
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3. |
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Living true and free, won't you tell me what that means?
How can I be a winner like you?
I'm just a man from The States, so won't you show me your ways?
Oh can't you see I haven't got a clue?
Can you repeat that?
Can you repeat that please?
Can you repeat that?
Isn't it obvious nothing's obvious to me?
Can you repeat that?
Can you repeat that please?
Can you repeat that?
And maybe this time I'll understand what you mean
I'm no longer in the need for self-discovery
So won't you please tell me more about you?
I've got all the time on my hands so please tell me about your plans
Oh isn't it obvious I'm understanding too?
Can you repeat that?
Can you repeat that please?
Can you repeat that?
Isn't it obvious nothing's obvious to me?
Can you repeat that?
Can you repeat that please?
Can you repeat that?
And maybe this time I'll understand what you mean
And I'm not one of a kind
I'm just another who can't seem to get it right
And I've learned a lot in this life
But I guess the application just never came to mind
Can you repeat that?
Can you repeat that please?
Can you repeat that?
Isn't it obvious nothing's obvious to me?
Can you repeat that?
Can you repeat that please?
Can you repeat that?
And maybe this time I'll understand what you mean
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4. |
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Gone but not forgotten
Alive but not a lot and
I am living on the edge of a dream
A foreigner in a city
But it's ok because it's pretty
And beauty speaks every language fluently
And I feel I've live more than most
But not enough to boast for I am no better
I'm just existing differently
And perception is subjective
Though vision can be selective
Providing explanation for different beliefs
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5. |
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I tasted the sweet fruit of serenity
And beauty was lingering at its core
There was a promise that was made to the morning
Though the sincerity of which, I’m not sure
But I who have hung around your stations
And contemplated boarding every train
Those that have caused me to ponder the infinite
As I do not shy away from thinking this way
But again I digress to my reflections
I about face to the future tense
I deliver myself from my transgressions
And I hold dearly to wandering wind
For I did not come here to make a masterpiece
Nor to fool you into thinking I may
For was it not I you embraced with humanity?
Who taught to love with the passion of razor blades?
But the beauty of your Lord often takes many forms
Sometimes kneeling and others bowed down
“But I” I said then, “could never lie at the hem
Of a God who has not tried his experiments”
Yet again I digress to my reflections
I about face to the future tense
I deliver myself from my transgressions
And I hold dearly to wandering wind
Then noticing the clock that was ticking
Must have been doing so all evening
And the darkness would soon attract the cold
So “I”, I said kindly, “must depart if you don’t mind me
Before these fruits ripen to soften to mold.”
But again I digress to my reflections
I about face to the future tense
I deliver myself from my transgressions
And I hold dearly to wandering wind
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6. |
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Feeling down, been spun around
Once again I bear the weight
Counting the times I wake up to find
The sky the same shade of grey
I'm not alone in how I feel,
But the though seems so real sometimes
Holding my breath yet I can't forget
The way things used to rhyme
But you, oh who are you and where have you been?
But you, oh who are you and where have you been?
Life transitions can be so hard
Falling in and out of love
What was it I was supposed to do?
Oh did I do it well enough?
Is there a right way or a wrong way?
Or just how much of a fit?
Couldn't feel more uncertain
Couldn't feel more outlived
But you, oh who are you and where have you been?
But you, oh who are you and where have you been?
But you, oh who are you and where have you been?
But you, oh who are you and where have you been?
Oh you, oh who are you and where have you been?
Oh you, oh who are you and where have you been?
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7. |
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A chance encounter
With a perfect stranger
Upon destiny, who was I to intrude?
A future lost and
A dream forgotten
My life existing without the ones that I never knew
Those loving feelings
That I’m not feeling
A heart not broken in two
Those endless hours
And unbought flowers
A steaming kettle not left long enough to brew
And all the best to you in all that you do
You’re the reason to stay that I’ve left behind
A torch not burning
Two hearts not yearning
No tears felt protruding through the phone
No longing passions
Or guilty attractions
No comparisons for a current state alone
So remember me when
Your mind is screamin’
That you chose the wrong fork in the road
And I’ll be out there
With your same prayer
When the memory is all that I can hold
And all the best to you in all that you do
You’re the reason to stay that I’ve left behind
And I’ve found time to be the meaning of life
Moving on after another frame has died
Recycled into an unforgotten shrine
Of the moments once possible to find
And all the best to you in all that you do
You’re the reason to stay that I’ve left behind
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8. |
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The moment was so perfect while it lasted
But the expirations seem to be all I know to collect
Strolling down memory lane I keep going past it
Analyzing and reanalyzing when there's nothing really nothing to dissect
And I'm only let down because I let you
And I'm only let down because I let you
And I'm only let down because I let you
Build me up
And how come so much of my life is so dependent
On finding someone with whom it could be shared?
Thinking time is so valuable until you spend it
Wondering if you would have been better off not even being there
And I'm only let down because I let you
And I'm only let down because I let you
And I'm only let down because I let you
Build me up
And how many honest sorrys will it take?
And how many honest sorrys will it take?
And how many honest sorrys will it take?
To make me feel whole
Again
And I'm only let down because I let you
And I'm only let down because I let you
And I'm only let down because I let you
Build me up
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9. |
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Your eyes upon the rose
I'm naked and you're clothed
You did the laundry and hung my heart on the line
And there are words to express
The emotions we digest
But I read ahead so you stopped the time
And we're so bad, bad, bad
Bad at being in love
so bad, bad, bad
Bad at being in love
And my plane was leaving town
But you stayed on the ground
You never could afford to fly anyway
But you entertained the thought
Until you drew first and shot
I was surprised you'd think better of my place
And we're so bad, bad, bad
Bad at being in love
so bad, bad, bad
Bad at being in love
And this water knows how to reflect
The things I seem to neglect
What's a moment like this to the sea?
Yet I can't help but regret
Every word I've ever said
It's the poison of being born free
And we're so bad, bad, bad
Bad at being in love
so bad, bad, bad
Bad at being in love
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10. |
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Streets are empty
Ruins aplenty
Hopes left out to dry
Fear for safety
Lucky if maybe
We get out of here alive
Holding our breath for the grace of mercy
Holding our breath pleading for security
Holding our breath trying to keep our dignity
Holding our breath all longing to be free
Danger lurking
So undeserving
Trying just to make sense of the pain
Can you help us?
We don't mean to be a burden
The matter is not by choice
Holding our breath for the grace of mercy
Holding our breath pleading for security
Holding our breath trying to keep our dignity
Holding our breath all longing to be free
Oh can't you spare a little bit of humanity?
Oh can't you spare a little bit of decency?
Oh can't you tell it's all for our lives that we flee?
Oh can't you tell we just want to be free?
Holding our breath for the grace of mercy
Holding our breath pleading for security
Holding our breath trying to keep our dignity
Holding our breath all longing to be free
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11. |
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I have bore witness to events that are not my business
While exercising persistence and unintentionally improving fitness
For it is not my mission to arrive in this position
To talk as people listen for I am but a simple musician
And I fear the future moving in
While striving for perfection under constant dissection
Others seeking motivation but end up with frustration
Show me a saint who’s not a sinner or justified faith in a beginner
An answer to all our problems from that new face whom wants to solve them
Still I fear the future moving in
For it doesn’t matter which platform you support
Nor the reasons that you purport
As each is but a stone in the wall
Just elected to fall
So look upon those with power, once obtained becoming sour
Perhaps a mission cast upon us, to not keep what they promise
Or maybe the position overwhelming, unaware of what they’re selling
And you can say what you will, still you’re stuck with the bill
And I fear the future moving in
Finding solidarity demanding change, but none can be arranged
Still having to work within the system, even though you are against them
Trying to flee from oppression, but it’s in every direction
And you may
think you have some time still, but history works in cycles
And so I fear the future moving in
For it doesn’t matter which platform you support
Nor the reasons that you purport
As each is but a stone in the wall
Just elected to fall
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12. |
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Man wakes up 7:30 in the morning
Breaks up with the woman of his dreams
Takes the train downtown and elevator up
And he's stare all day at a 30 inch screen
And the hours pass and the minutes get longer
And the coffee burns at the bottom of the pot
And the elevator goes from the top of the building
To the bottom of the building and then back to the top
Saying "tell me, can I get a witness?"
Oh one of these day's I'm gonna run up and quit this
Middle Class Clown coming down with the sickness
Oh this rat race is really none of my business
So "tell me, can I get a witness?"
Oh one of these day's I'm gonna run up and quit this
Middle Class Clown coming down with the sickness
Oh this rat race is really none of my business, oh no
Oh no, oh no, oh no
And down on the street there's a man with a paper cup
Laying down beats, just trying to keep his spirits up
He's drumming on a trash can, trying to make a living
But it's every 3.50, 40 ounces, bottoms up
And the hours pass, the days get longer
And the rain trickles down to the bottom from the top
And the people walk by and they can't even pay
And he'll spend all night at the Greyhound stop
Saying, "tell me, what did I do to deserve this?"
Slipping through the cracks in the sidewalk surface
All this pressure makes a man lay his head on a curb this
Is no kinda life, you know this is not my purpose
So "tell me, what did I do to deserve this?"
Slipping through the cracks in the sidewalk surface
All this pressure makes a man lay his head on a curb this
Is no kinda life, you know this is not my purpose, oh no
Oh no, oh no, oh no
Housewife in a black dress, married young
Sipping on her third cocktail in her new high heels
And her husband does well, but she can't stand herself
And money cannot buy words for the way she feels
And the days get shorter and the years get longer
And the kids want something or another non stop
And she thinks of the pills in the bottle when she listens
To the dripping of the faucet and the ticking of the clock
Saying, "take me to the man behind the curtain,
Born to be more than the beast of your burden
Or the labor and pain, is this the fruit of the servant
I give and I give, what do I get for my hurtin'?
So "take me to the man behind the curtain,
Born to be more than the beast of your burden
Or the labor and pain, is this the fruit of the serpent?
I give and I give, what do I get for my hurtin'?
So run, come, smash down the system
I don't want to play for the innocent victim
I see big wheel turnin' burns with friction
Picking up speed for a head on collision, oh no!
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13. |
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If you’re waiting for a miracle or something good to happen
You might be waiting for your whole entire life
For there is no promised land and if you see two footprints in the sand
It’s quite possible one’s from your other personality
And I once believed in God but now I find it so odd
That people who have nothing cling to it in another form
But if that works well for them, then I really don’t have a problem
As long as they politely distance their judgments from me
And you don’t have to be a scientist to explain away the world
But if you don’t understand something, it doesn’t mean it’s magical
And if you don’t believe me, then why do you choose to believe
In an invisible man controlling your destiny?
Now I once was lost but now I am found
By reason and logical thinking
For I talked to the sky, but I’m still awaiting a reply
And I probably will be for the rest of my life
And while your kind thoughts are nice, wishful thinking does not change lives
It just shows your unwillingness to actually do anything
So you can cast your hopes out to the wind, but when it changes direction
Will you or your god be responsible for your fate?
And you don’t have to be a scientist to explain away the world
But if you don’t understand something, it doesn’t mean it’s magical
And if you don’t believe me, then why do you choose to believe
In an invisible man controlling your destiny?
And I’ll hope you are well when I see you at the gates of hell
And we realize we were both wrong and laugh about it
But we only have these lives to lead
And there is no eternity
There’s just these forms we see
At least that’s what I believe
At least that’s what I believe
At least that’s what I believe
At least that’s what I believe
At least that’s what I believe
And you don’t have to be a scientist to explain away the world
But if you don’t understand something, it doesn’t mean it’s magical
And if you don’t believe me, then why do you choose to believe
In an invisible man controlling your destiny?
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14. |
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From a small town in the countryside
Knowing if I stayed they'd bury me alive
Lucky for me I got out just in time
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Feet so heavy I can barely stand
Everything is according to mysterious plans
Cause my dreams never told me that I can't
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Mama, won't you carry me home?
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Mama, home for me is on the road
So Mama, won't you carry me home?
Everything I own is on my back
Got no burdens nor dreams that I lack
Nothing I need I forgot to pack
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Been around so long I forgot where I am
Makes it hard when asking directions
Try to show me where to go without using your hands
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Mama, won't you carry me home?
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Mama, home for me is on the road
So Mama, won't you carry me home?
Second hands and one-night stands
Each roadmap is a change of plans
Each entrance is an exit for another man
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Never was into old folk songs
That you can make up as you go along
Guess the next line for you can't be wrong
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
Mama, home for me is on the road
So Mama, won't you carry me home?
Home, is on, the road
So tell me how to dream and I'll tell you where to go!
Oh Mama, won't you carry me home?
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15. |
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As soon as we met I knew you were
One of my kind
Arrived just in time
Now you're on my mind,
Oh you're on my mind
You're on my mind
The city made the backdrop
And our shadows less defined
In how the evening was designed
In all the moments that we keep in mind
And I hope that someday
Somewhere down the road
I will return to find these memories
Just as beautiful
I used to see my life metaphorically as the sun
So slow to rise but before you know it, oh it's all gone
It's all gone
The mind reflects the infinite
To see what it can weave
As a voice ripples through the silence
Proposing that we are what we perceive
And I hope that someday
Somewhere down the road
I will return to find these memories
Just as beautiful
Oh but the beauty of the moment that I found
Oh but the beauty of these moments that I found
Oh the beauty of the moment that I found
Is that it only lasts for so long
And I hope that someday
Somewhere down the road
I will return to find these memories
Just as beautiful
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16. |
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17. |
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Soon after we first met, you joked I'd write you a song
And I said I probably would if you stuck around that long
Though the words would come easier if everything had gone wrong
Oh but that's not the case oh that's not the case at all
And I wanted to sing how I felt but I didn't know how
As if my heart was disconnected from my brain and my mouth
Maybe feeling afraid I couldn't think of the words that I should
I first wrote "if I could write you into a song, I would"
And now you're away with your parents and I'm realizing the truth
You said that all of my friends here are just you
And I haven't left my place since the day that you left
Though these tendencies I had long before we ever met
And even now that you like me, I'm still trying to impress
I guess I get my validation from those I like most and respect
But you said it's not a matter of how you feel
For though opinions are important, it's what I think that's real
And this caused an epiphany from advice I'd never taken
For I'm 25 years old yet still seeking direction
On how to feel about myself, but it should be my own game to play
Yet I'm still waiting by the telephone just to hear what you have to say
And I thought I'd wasted all my good ideas on previous relationships
But I still have so much oh I still have so much oh I still have so much
Left to give
And it goes without saying that I think you're adorable
So it's probably not necessary to mention how much I think you're cute
And if you weren't in my live I'd probably be so much more productive
But I couldn't care to do anything when I'm with you
And now I've changed the rhyme scheme but I'm not changing the subject
For I need ABAB for the holy literary repetition
Because AB's what you call me; your American boy
And it's totally stupid but this and everything else you do, everything you do, everything you do,
Just reaffirms my Aforementioned notion
And I thought I'd wasted all my good ideas on previous relationships
But I still have so much oh I still have so much oh I still have so much
Left to give
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18. |
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19. |
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20. |
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Nothing makes me feel more at home than you do
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