1. |
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Threepenny and a blood red strat
Never trust a man who pulls his living out of top hats
I used to play this for my high school
I used to play this for my friends
I used to dream of moving inward to the city
'Cause their venerating love felt like imprisonment
So now I get kicked out of bars for not drinking
But all the same I'm too profane for the music hall
I fought a baritone in the alley
Behind where he'd just finished singing Strauss's opera about the dead John
Oh! Jochanaan
To see your head on a spike
And as she kissed your lifeless lips
The thought ocurred to me
That must be what power tastes like
I think I'll try a bite
I used to play this for my girlfriend
Before that all came to an end
I used to fake my fucking friendships and not know it
'Cause I thought that love and music were both synonyms
So now I wander by the lakeshore
I find it peaceful on the pier
I watch the drowning men and the freighters
To see them bellow out their sorrows
It's like music on my deaf ears
Oh! You delicate faun
I've got you dead in my sights
Ever since Clair de lune's bubbling harmonies
Taught me what love sounded like
I'm stepping out tonight
Threepenny and a blood red strat
Never trust a man who pulls his living out of top hats
Hey, spare some change
Throw a buck on the ground
Threepenny and a blood red strat
Never bet on a man who'd borrow money from a black cat
It's okay, take my hand, I'd like to show you around
And you can trust me darling
I'll never let you down
You can count on me darling
I'll never let you down
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2. |
Man/Thing
03:39
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I was born on a standpipe
Flopping onto land like
The creature from the Flint lagoon
Michigan she raised me
A wolf and a baby
Kill our food and howl at the moon
I've been called a body resurrected at the foot of Krakatoa
A tape delay echo of a supernova
A wave of radiation burning shadows into pavement like a
Like an atom
Like an atom
I used to believe them but that's all over
What I really am is dislocating my shoulder
Pulling frantically against the straitjacket's hold
Over a case of undiagnosed claustrophobia
Like an atom
Like an atom
'Cause I'm smart
But I ain't rich
I think it's safe to say you don't know who you're messing with
Do you know who you're messing with?
I'm gonna kill this city
Slit its skyline and bleed its streets
There's malice in its shadows and it's taken all my pride from me
And I've been called a lazy hypochondriac who can't get a real job
An overeducated and potential wasting art snob
Trying to learn to farm while stumbling naked in the garden like I'm
Like I'm Adam
Like I'm Adam
I used to believe them but that's all over
I used to believe them but that's all over
I used to believe them but that's all over
I am everything I am
Everything I am everything
I am everything I am
Everything I am everything
I am everything I am
Everything I am
Everything
I am everything
I'm an atom
I'm an atom
|
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3. |
Golden One Ball
05:17
|
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|
Last call, last call, get out you've had a
A one too many and I don't need no more fights
(Whoa-oh whoa-oh whoa-oh
It's gonna be a long night, better run before the demon comes)
Black out, black out again
Back to the dreams and the fire guess I'll see you in the daylight
(Whoa-oh whoa-oh whoa-oh
It's gonna be a long night, better run before the demon comes)
So I hum a little tune but it's just for me
Cause not everyone deserves their own elegy, it goes
Nana na na na na nana na na
Nana na na na na nana na na
Nana na na na na nana na na na na
With my golden one ball
I'll tear your throat out
Leave you dying on the pavement
With my golden one ball
I'll bash your skull in
Leave you dying on the floor
And if you're tryin' to say shit
Well allow me to be clear
You're used to being the tough guy
Well tough guy, how's the view from here?
Put my cigarette out on the felt, leaving the cue behind
Building a better brutal plan
(Whoa-oh whoa-oh whoa-oh
It's gonna be a long night, better run before the demon comes)
Step out with a simulacrum of a .44 Magnum heavy in my hand
(Whoa-oh whoa-oh whoa-oh
It's gonna be a long night, better run before the demon comes)
So I hum a little tune while you beg and bleed
Cause not everyone deserves a little empathy, it goes
Nana na na na na nana na na
Nana na na na na nana na na
Nana na na na na nana na na na na
With my golden one ball
I'll smash your teeth in
Leave you dying on the pavement
With my golden one ball
I'll tear your jaw off
Leave you dying on the floor
It came up out of the basement
Q-q-q-quivering with fear
Can't buy your way out of this one
Sorry your money's no good here
Your jaw hangs down
A downturned snout
The streetlight casting shadows
Painting silhouettes like dogs
Your jaw hangs down
Teeth rattle on the ground
The streetlight casting shadows
Painting silhouettes like dogs
Silhouettes like dogs
Silhouettes like dogs
Nana na na na na nana na na
Nana na na na na nana na na
Nana na na na na nana na na na na
Na nana na na na na nana na na
Nana na na na na nana na na
Nana na na na na nana na na na na
With my golden one ball
I'll tear your throat out
Leave you dying on the pavement
With my golden one ball
I'll rip your soul out
Leave you dying on the floor
I think it's all over
Down at the Wilted Clover
Calling all calling all cars
Calling all officers, over and out
I think it's all over
Down at the Wilted Clover
Calling all calling all cars
Calling all officers, can anyone help
Calling all calling all cars
Calling all calling all cars
Calling all
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4. |
The Approximate Girl
05:36
|
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The first time that they met he caught her gazing at the night sky
She said, "If you think I'm beautiful, you've never watched a star die"
She had a quote from Tristan Tzara tattooed on her like an anklet
He traced its letters with his fingers 'til she whispered "Boy you'll break it"
And oh, Miss Harlowe
How's a dame like you flying solo?
She set to sail one summer leaving love along the shoreline
Seasick solitude that comes with chasing distant satellites
Telegraphs come crackling in her head when it gets late
Repeating over again
"Hey Elizabeth, can't you see he's over it?"
She used to kiss him deeply but pull back when he'd hold her
She'd sneak into a party and jitterbug with soldiers
She talked of moving west and happiness would surely meet her there
With her head upon his chest just like his heartbeat wasn't even there
Oh, Miss Harlowe
Why's a dame like you lying so low?
Life flows 'round like water endless sea in all directions
Troubled tufts of stars dissolve when fingers intersect them
She splashes forward desperately
The light she sailed her life to reach
Reflections, nothing more
Catherine Elizabeth, captain of a sinking ship
Hey Elizabeth, can't you see he's over it?
Catherine Elizabeth, captain of a sinking ship
Hey Elizabeth, I can't believe you're needing him
Catherine Elizabeth, you know you're better than this
Hey Elizabeth, what'd you stop believing in?
Find where your power is and flip it like a rocker switch
Hey Elizabeth, just change the tide you're drowning in
Catherine Elizabeth, the last one on a sinking ship
Catherine Elizabeth
Hey Elizabeth
Oh, Catherine Elizabeth
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5. |
Rabid
03:56
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|
"Right away, Bethany," he'd reply
A glimmer of hope hidden in his misshapen eyes
He'd fetch a paper from her locker
What an honor to be given commands
He asked here then behind the bleachers
Not a sound
As a furrowed concern covers his sloping brow
And as he snarls over crooked teeth
And her giggles turn to shrieks
"You're a monster and a freak
And your puppy love means nothing to me"
Oh I heard you, Bethany
You told me to run away, run away
But no one's laughing at the Dogman now
At the Dogman now, no
And you know I follow what you say, what you say
Well no one's laughing at the Dogman now, at the dog
I ran away and joined the circus
Where we make sure nobody hurts us
Never again
"Right away Casey," they reply
All the hope draining from their terrified eyes
He'd squeeze them out a little harder
With his claws all digging into their necks
The ending's never ever easy
Even now
As his trail of bodies turns him inside out
They're playing tricks on his mind
And the Dogman starts to cry
And he's howling at the sky
When they die they all have Bethany's eyes
But in his broken mind
She tells him to
Run away, run away
But no one's laughing at the Dogman now
At the Dogman now, no
And you know I follow what you say, what you say
Well no one's laughing at the Dogman now, at the dog
I ran away and joined the circus
Where we make sure nobody hurts us
Never again
You never asked me to stay
But here I'd sit
Obedient, every day
You know they let me bark the orders now
It's nothing personal, I just wanna
Make them proud
And you're the one who said to run away, run away
But no one's laughing at the Dogman now
At the Dogman now, no
And you know I follow what you say, what you say
Well no one's laughing at the Dogman now,
A rabid dog just ran away and joined the circus
Those motherfuckers all deserve this
I ran away and joined the circus
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6. |
Tin Laurels
03:56
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When you got to the city
You had two hundred dollars
A photo of your father
You thought that that was all you'd need
Once you got settled in your corner
Out your dirty window
Was a four-story monster
Wearing the outline of a crown
Graffito coronation
He was up on every billboard
You heard him on the air
Every meal from tin cans
You listen to your neighbors pray
"He takes all the desperation away"
Don't give up on this city
I'm no different from you
And I need you
(Has anyone ever been in love like this?
Has anyone, anywhere, ever been in love like this?
Has anyone been in love like this?)
Has anyone, anywhere?
Paper idols in their tin laurels
We will take them as they come
And we will take them as they come
Paper idols in their tin laurels
We will take them as they come
And we will take them as they come
And we will
Take them as they come
And we will take them as they come
And we will take them as they come
And we will take them as they come
And we will take them as they come
And we will take them as they come
And we will take them as they come
And we will take them as they come
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7. |
Freakshow
05:23
|
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|
I wasn't born a freak
I was born who I am
The circus came later
When they couldn't understand
To be born under punchlines
When all I want is to breathe
Turned out not quite what they wanted
Sold off at thirteen
And what a fuckin' relief
I keep my anger in notebooks
And my passion on the stage
I sell out night after night after night after night
And every Sunday a parade
Come see me in the parade
Yeah, every Sunday a parade
Wish I could grab 'em all and say
That now that I'm who I want
All anybody seems to want is to stare
The only monsters in the freakshow
Have paid to get their ass in those chairs
I'm not a Sunday School lesson
Just decided not to live my life scared
The only monsters in the freak show
Lurk in the closet under the stairs
I found some love for the first time
She's as removed as myself
Paired up we swim against the current
Like a couple mermaids from Hell
I hear you call me Rob as in Robert
That's a mistake no that's not who I am
The bearded lady's what the barker calls me
But to you it's YES MA'AM
YES MA'AM
YES MA'AM
I wasn't born a freak
I was born who I am
The circus came later
When they couldn't understand
Couldn't understand, couldn't
Now that I'm who I want
All anybody seems to want is to stare
The only monsters in the freakshow
Have paid to get their ass in those chairs
I'm not a Sunday School lesson
Just decided not to live my life scared
The only monsters in the freak show
Lurk in the closet under the stairs
I wasn't born a freak
I was born who I am
The circus came later
When no one could understand
No one could understand
I wasn't born a freak
I was born I was born who I am
The circus came later
When no one could understand
No one could understand
I wasn't born a freak
I was born who I am
The circus came later
When they couldn't understand
I wasn't born a freak
I was born who I am
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8. |
Different Constellations
04:50
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|
Please come and find me
Once all the gawkers depart
A day of being stared at, laughed at, spit on, cat-called
And it made me want to lock up my heart
To everyone but you
You look at me the way that people are supposed to
Or that's how it is in books
To be honest, there's not too many people I'm close to
Oh my
My little landslide
You know I love you even when you fall
And oh, I
I want more than this world can provide
But on our last day
We'll catch a glimpse of worlds of color and clay
And different constellations in the summer sky
Today a man came
And threw a brick at the stage
The one thing they leave out when they say to be yourself
Is what the hell to do with all of that rage
So I give it all to you
We turn it into something we can use in your bedroom
And the lions roar from their pen next door
And I stare up at the ceiling from our canvas on the floor
And maybe there's a universe much closer than I think
Where I'm allowed to be myself without always feeling like a freak
But it's only just a dream
Just a stupid fucking dream I tell you
Oh my
My lucky cat's eye
I know you love me even when I fall
And oh, I
I'd like the honor of being your bride
And every night
We'll get to dream of worlds of oceans and light
With different constellations in the summer sky
And when you tell me
"My father never wanted me"
I never know just how to react
And when you tell me
"I've been a lot of girls I'm not proud of"
How many times I gotta tell you I don't care about your past
You tell me
"I'm dangerous, I'm a runner babe"
I tell you that I'm pretty quick myself
And when you tell me
"I don't deserve somebody to love me"
I tell you that I'll never run away
That I'll never run away
That I'll never run away
That I'll never run away
Oh my
My little landslide
You know I love you even when you fall
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9. |
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|
I'm sick of being outside
Let me in I wanna pretend like I'm not gonna die
We're all freezing outside
Let me in, father, I have sinned and now I'm gonna die
There will be no parties when the war comes
There will be no parties when the war comes
There will be no parties when the war comes
There will be no parties when the war comes
I'm sick of being left alone
I hear voices begging me to kill them through the radio
I'm sick of being locked below
Everyone has violent thoughts, so why can't I go home?
There will be no parties when the war comes
There will be no parties when the war comes
There will be no parties when the war comes
There will be no parties when the war comes
I'm sick of being outside
Let me in I wanna pretend like I'm not gonna die
We're all freezing outside
Let me in, father, I have sinned and now I'm gonna die
I hear voices begging me to kill them through the radio
Well they all laugh and argue like the end was theoretical
Well no one lives forever, our generation learned the hardest way
Let's party in your panic room and drink and hope that you don't die today
There will be no parties when the war comes
There will be no parties when the war comes
There will be no parties when the war comes
There will be no parties when the war comes
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10. |
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From Sanibel Hollow it seems like the only thing left in this town are the clouds
Cutting through the static
The technicolor girls sing whoa-oh-oh
The ever-gray skies keep the sunset from our eyes
We're lit by the moonlight and the TV's glow
I hate the city lights and all the neon rainbows
Prefer the silver fog that rolls over all hills like test tubes overflow
Give me a white sheet of paper and a black marker
I'll draw you vibrant illustrations of the people that I've hurt in this town
Sanibel Hollow
It's been a long time but I'm coming home again
Stop me if you've heard this joke before
What's black and white and red and white and red all over
Dorothy's dead, swept up in the tornado
You'll understand it when you're older
You'll understand it when you're older
I used to color in the world with nothing but my mind
Every color of the rainbow glowing bright in vibrant black and white
I saw you on TV, through the snow and noise you shine
Baby you look so, baby you look so good in black and white
A comet zips right over the playground, we watch the light show-oh
We give it a name and we talk of how it came from planet Lanulos
I dream of little green men and their red death rays
I know they'll land here any second and they'll take me far away from this town
Sanibel Hollow
It's been a long ten years but I'm coming home again
Stop me if you've heard this joke before
What's black and white and red and white and red all over
Looks like ol' Pete threw Steamboat Willie overboard
You'll understand it when you're older
You'll understand it when you're older
I used to color in the world with nothing but my mind
Every color of the rainbow glowing bright in vibrant black and white
I saw you on TV, through the snow and noise you shine
Baby you look so, baby you look so good in black and white
From Sanibel Hollow it seems like the only thing left in this town are the clouds
All alone in Kodachrome
All alone in Kodachrome
All alone
In Kodachrome
Sitting pretty as a painting
Oh, for an eternity of waiting
All alone
In Kodachrome
Sitting pretty in the window
Oh, homecoming king of limbo
All alone
In Kodachrome
Sitting pretty in my coffin
You know I don't dress up too often
Heaven is blue skies
The devil's crimson eyes
Ask anyone who's died
They'd kill for black and white
From Sanibel Hollow it seems like the only thing left in this town are the stars
The stars
The stars
The stars
Forgotten tomorrow, the ruins of Sanibel Hollow
Stop me if you've got some place to go
What's black and white and red and white and red all over
Our monochrome past, killed by a technicolor rainbow
You'll understand it when you're older
You'll understand it when you're older
I used to color in the world with nothing but my mind
Every color of the rainbow glowing bright in vibrant black and white
I saw you on TV, through the snow and noise you shine
Baby you look so, baby you look so good in black and white
Heaven's clear blue skies
The devil's crimson eyes
Ask anyone who's died
They'd kill to get back to black and white
I saw you Catherine
Through the snow and noise you shine
Baby you look so good in black and white
|
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11. |
Devil's Night
04:43
|
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|
Pull the stakes out now, boys
The higher they get, the more they pin you to the ground
Abandon all your factories
We're here to free you from the royalty that runs this town
Though they won't soon forget who runs it now
Come run away and join the circus
It's time to hurt the ones that hurt us
Don't pull the trigger just yet, boys
If they're willing to beg then we can give them what they want
"Just a little bit more time," they cry
That's fine 'cause when they see the show we've got in store
They'll be regretting what they're wishing for
"Let us go, you don't know who you terrorize
I own all of the downtown assembly lines"
That a fact? How about that
Got a bigshot in a death trap
Like throwing stolen wages at the cage will save you, ha ha!
Where do you think he found us?
And where do you think he found us?
And where do you think he found us?
And where do you think he found us?
Seems the giant just woke boys
We're his claws in the dirt, so keep your ears down to the ground
The clapping hands and stomping feet
The drums, the heartbeat of the skeleton of stone and steel
They sought to sacrifice this holy meal
But if you offer up a body and extinguish all the bright lights
Make sure that when the clouds clear up you're standing on the right side
We are the gods that found it
And we are the gods that found it
Now we'll be the ones to judge you
You bargain utter lunacy
Your wealth buys you no sympathy
We'll be the ones to judge you
A pitchfork for the devils who have fallen from the ivory
Fallen from the ivory
Where do you think he found us?
Where do you think he found us?
A pitchfork for the devils who have fallen from the ivory
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12. |
Juno
05:40
|
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|
Juno never wakes up refreshed
You pack your spaceman suit inside your tattered leather message bag
And Juno's got a right to be depressed
Electrons in your vision with two hands dirtied by age and rags
Hey baby, what's got into you?
Lately you're all elbows and jawbones
Hey, where's my man tonight?
Can you read my mind?
Oh baby, come to bed
Oh, can't you read my mind?
Oh
The people in charge haven't earned your respect
All they deserve is your boot on their neck
The fat men in suits haven't earned all your time
We're not getting younger
And I keep what's mine
And you're mine
Oh, you're mine
Juno dreams technicolor dreams
But life is black tile hallways lit with white fluorescent ceiling beams
Not the rocketeer that he thought he'd be
It's not too late to start all over
Find a way to kill infinity
Hey baby, what's got into you?
Lately you're all whiskey and nosebleeds
Hey, where's my man tonight?
Can you read my mind?
Oh baby, grab my hips
Oh, can't you read my mind?
Oh
The people in charge haven't earned your respect
All they deserve is your boot on their neck
The fat men in suits haven't earned all your time
We're not getting younger
And I keep what's mine
And you're mine
Oh, you're mine
We may never make it to the moon
But if it's not to be
Can we never leave this room?
We may never make it to the moon
So promise me
Can we never leave this room?
We may never make it to the moon
So promise me
Can we never leave this room?
We may never make it to the moon
So promise me
Can we never leave this room?
We may never make it to the moon
So promise me
Can we never leave this room?
|
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Dalton Deschain New York, New York
Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show are a pulp-punk band from NYC that tell stories loudly. Get ready for a weird-ass tale about circus freaks, nuclear war, and demonic possession that you can sing along to. Visit daltondeschain.com for details.
Dalton Deschain recommends:
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