1. |
I Live Here
02:09
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I live here.
I used to live there.
I moved here sometime last year.
Smell the air!
We live here.
And that’s our gravel.
We might move again next year.
We travel!
Very, very, very, very, very deep roots.
Very, very, very, very, very dark soil.
Very, very, very, very, very sweet fruits.
Very little turmoil.
I live here,
and I like where I’m at.
I like our dog, and I like the deer.
I like our cat.
We live here.
And that’s our driveway.
There’s nothing strange about it here.
It’s Tuesday.
Very very very very very dark roots.
Very very very very very little soil.
Very very very very very deep fruits.
Very sweet turmoil.
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2. |
County Fair
02:34
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Everyone is laughing at the county fair.
Little white chickens
and the children everywhere.
Everyone is talking at the county fair.
Only 82 pigeons and one billionaire.
Everyone is riding at the county fair.
Little white ponies
and a spotted Tennessee mare .
Everyone is smiling at the county fair.
Only 93 ducks and that one billionaire.
Okay, everybody, thanks for being here, now, everybody—
Okay, everybody, thanks for being here, now, everybody—
visit the information booth to find out more about Cook Medical Group!
Everyone is dancing at the county fair.
Twirling milk maidens,
and that pretty Tennessee mare.
Everyone’s colliding at the county fair.
All us regular people and that one lousy billionaire.
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3. |
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When it's springtime in the Rockies
I am coming back to you.
Little sweetheart of the mountains
With your bonnie eyes of blue.
Once again I'll say I love you
While the birds sing all the day.
When it's springtime in the Rockies—
in the Rockies far away
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4. |
Like a Dust
05:03
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Three-hundred big, black crows
settle like a dust.
Three-hundred big, black crows.
Is it wanderlust?
Ten silver mourning doves
on a thin, black wire.
Do they come here for the quiet?
Appeasing some mysterious desire?
Does the quiet soothe disquiet,
Appeasing some mysterious desire?
Three-hundred big, black crows
on a big, black tree.
Three-hundred big black crows
and a chickadee.
Ten silver mourning doves
on a big, black fence.
Do they come here for the quiet?
Do they understand it in that sense?
Does the quiet soothe disquiet?
Do they understand it in that sense?
Fickle as the twine
that demarcates the borderline.
Fickle as the air
that takes the crows and the mourning doves over there.
Or anywhere.
Anywhere at all.
Three-hundred big, black crows
congregate downtown
right on top of city hall.
Is the mayor stepping down?
They’d run us just as good.
They’d run us just as fair.
Do they come here for the quiet?
Do they feel a trembling in the air?
Does the quiet soothe disquiet?
Do you feel that trembling in the air?
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5. |
Reaching Around
02:24
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Reaching around to reach you
like our dog stretching out on the ground.
Waiting around to meet you around.
Feeling around to feel you
like a flag on a pole in a fairground.
Waiting around to meet you around.
Thoroughly salted and thoroughly pruned.
Certainly pickled and now quite festooned
with tears of the righteous shed all around
and sweat of the populace fell on the ground.
Reaching around to reach you
like our dog stretching out on the ground.
Waiting around to meet you around.
Feeling around to feel you
like a flag on a pole in a fairground.
Waiting around to meet you around.
Thoroughly salted and thoroughly pruned.
Certainly pickled and now quite festooned
with tears of the righteous shed all around
and sweat of the populace fell on the ground.
Salt of the earth or salting the earth?
Is it what we deserve or is it all that we’re worth?
I feel like I’m being a little dramatic
and I actually feel like it’s actually worse.
Reaching around to reach you
like our dog stretching out on the ground.
Waiting around to meet you around.
Feeling around to feel you
like a flag on a pole in a fairground.
Waiting around to meet you around.
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6. |
Before the Fall
03:22
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Birds are more than feathers
and you are more than flesh.
Words and music, mind and heart,
they grow apart, and they mesh.
So you, and I, and all of us
we try and try to recall
how you, and I, and all of us
behaved before the fall.
At night, when your eyes like the new moon close,
and you’re left alone with silver visions,
don’t you wonder at the power of the darkness,
sightless sight, and new collisions?
So you, and I, and all of us
we try and try to recall
how you, and I, and all of us
behaved before the fall.
When sparks fly from ice in the sun
and your eyes flicker over with mist,
don’t you wanna dance?
Don’t you wanna dance?
Don’t you wanna dance?
Don’t you wanna dance?
Birds are more than feathers
and you are more than flesh.
Words and music, mind and heart,
they grow apart, and they mesh.
So you, and I, and all of us
we try and try to recall
how you, and I, and all of us
behaved before the fall.
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7. |
Youth
02:05
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In the sunny days of youth,
when every moment promised truth,
I wander, grinning, through the ivy,
admiring the grinning, lively youth
who wanders vainly seeking truth.
But truth, alas, he never finds—
at least not there. And as he winds
along through marble halls and bowers,
sniffing flowers which he finds
in the circle which he winds,
he comes upon a glittering void,
and all at once, the illusion’s destroyed.
Before he wanted to move on,
his youth is gone, thanks to the void,
and all his fantasies destroyed.
Now since that gloomy coming of age,
he sits quite still, not wise nor sage,
not young or old, but in-between,
dreaming of scenes from a bygone age,
just wishing he were old and sage.
But in the sunny days of youth,
when every moment promised truth,
He wanders, grinning, through the ivy,
admiring the grinning, lively youth
who wanders vainly seeking truth.
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8. |
Adult
02:33
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I had food, I had shelter,
had a mom and a dad,
had a brother and a sister,
But I still felt sad.
'Cause whether cloudy or sunny,
a-short or along,
I just knew that something was wrong.
But we did it. We made it!
Now we’re both adults.
We made a few changes
and we found good results.
There may have been problems,
but we all have our faults.
And we did it. We made it!
Now we’re both adults.
Had a good education,
had a good Catholic Church.
Never talked back to God,
never dad’s name besmirched.
But at the end of the pew,
though I tried to pray along,
I just knew that something was wrong.
But we did it. We made it!
Just look how grown-up!
We made a few changes
and we’re both ownin’ up.
And sure, there were problems,
but still I phone up,
'cause we did it. We made it!
Just look how grown-up.
…
Was it love and affection?
Was it fear and resentment?
Was it pain and rejection?
Was it health and contentment?
Was the whole situation
why we didn’t get along?
All I knew was that something was wrong.
But we did it. We made it!
Now we’re both adults.
We made a few changes
and we found good results.
There may have been problems,
but we all have our faults.
And we did it. We made it!
Now we’re both adults.
Yes I did it! I made it!
Now I’m an adult.
I made a few changes
And I found good results.
I may have my problems
and I may have my faults,
But I did it. I made it.
Now I’m an adult.
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9. |
Roadkill
02:40
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How many pounds
of flattened wings,
scattered thorns,
limp bodies,
and broken horns?
How many pounds
of roadkill
did we pass by alone today?
How many gallons
of oozing blood—
what a waste—
liquified brains
like tomato paste?
How many gallons
of roadkill
did we pass by alone today?
Roadkill
Roadkill
Rivers of blood they flowed still
Roadkill
Roadkill
Roadkill
Roadkill
Rivers of blood they flowed still
Roadkill
Roadkill
How many pounds
of flattened wings,
scattered thorns,
limp bodies,
and broken horns?
How many pounds
of roadkill
did we pass by alone today?
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10. |
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I'm not afraid of death,
and that's because I’ve never died.
I'm not afraid of hell,
and that's because I've never lied.
I may not go to heaven,
that's just because I've never tried.
So I'm not afraid,
no, I'm not afraid of death.
I'm not afraid of death,
And that's cause death I’d never feel.
I'm not afraid of hell,
and that's cause I almost never steal.
Well, I may not go to heaven,
But that's just because heaven isn't real.
So I'm not afraid,
no, I'm not afraid of death.
I'm not afraid of death
because I think it might be cool.
I'm not afraid of hell
Because I think it's probably full.
Well, I may not go to heaven
that's just cause heaven's a bunch of bull.
Because I’m not afraid,
no, I’m not afraid of death.
I am afraid of life,
and that’s because I’ve lived a lot.
I am afraid of getting old,
afraid of losing what I’ve got.
But I wouldn’t ever want to be a kid again—
just think of all that snot.
So I’m not afraid,
No, I’m not afraid of death.
I’m not afraid of death,
even though I know that I must die.
I’m not afraid of hell,
even though I know I’ve often lied.
Don’t know if I’ll ever get to heaven,
But, hell, I’m gonna try,
Because I’m not afraid
No, I’m not afraid of death.
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11. |
Things
02:24
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Greeting, parking, meeting, marking, doing, undoing, diluting.
Stopping, starting, d'hôte or À la carte-ing,
unbinding, unwinding, unfinding.
These are the things that we love, these are the things that we need, these are the things we do but only if we want to proceed,
These are the things that we like, these are things that we make, these are the things we think are alright and the things we mistake.
Succeeding, inventing, defeating, preventing, winning, sinning, grinning,
growing, decaying, deceiving and delaying
binding, winding, finding
These are the things that we love, these are the things that we need, these are the things we do but only if we want to proceed,
These are the things that we like, these are things that we make, these are the things we think are alright and the things we mistake.
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12. |
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Your life is made of many lives,
your body many bodies.
Your head contains so many heads
who knows what you have thought?
Your foot is made of many tiny feet,
and your liver many livers.
Your heart contains so many hearts
who knows why you’re distraught?
You’re just alone—
you’re not alone.
You’re just alone—
you’re not alone.
A stone is made of many stones,
a quarry many quarries.
The sand contains so many grains of sand
who knows where it begins?
An egg contains a million eggs
so life it may continue.
A sperm contains so many tiny sperms
who can worry ‘bout might-have-beens?
They’re just alone—
they’re not alone.
They’re just alone—
they’re not alone.
The world is made of many worlds,
the country many countries.
The state contains so many states
it’s hard to nail ‘er down.
A people’s made of a buncha different people,
and a person many persons.
There’s more than one verse in the universe
and the chorus is sung in a round.
We’re just alone (we’re just alone)
we’re not alone (we’re not alone)
We’re just alone (we’re just alone)
we’re not alone (we’re not alone)
We’re just alone (we’re just alone)
we’re not alone (we’re not alone)
We’re just alone (we’re just alone)
we’re not alone (we’re not alone)
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Nick Witzeman Bloomington, Indiana
Singer-songwriter based in Bloomington, IN.
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