1. |
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The magic of being a loser
Is that nobody has to find out
At times you’ll get swept by the pace of the river
But if you keep your head over then you probably won’t drown
i hope this won't ruin the rest of your summer
the best that you’ve had in some time
By next september know that you’ll have forgotten
from top of mind into a passing thought
Keep that in mind when beams are about to give out
Being a loser’s a gift though it don’t seem like it now
Midwestern US of A’s
Got a habit of putting a smile on most anyone’s face
Ooze of dark crawls in and then just as quick as it came
Ooh, It takes the smiles away
Some stay here, some move away then come back
Because they miss the hiss of the sprinklers or
the smell of shellac but the fact stands that all
backhand gestures come from in the
Realm of this god-given land
Adjust the dial and tune into that
Signal that you hear then can’t unhear
Plenty of folks never will, but you did, loud and clear now you’re
so skeptical, there must be
more to this than they're telling me
a hush from the crowd's got me paranoid,
How am I supposed to believe they shut that fountain spout down
apartment museums, family’s disapproving
old friends all a burden, don’t buy it, you’re searching
you think you got it all figured out
you’ve done it over and over and over and over
you think the answer's right there it’s so clean
i've done it over and over and over. i'm over that.
so, nothing is true and the shit you scraped off of your shoes
Wasn’t shit to begin with, and only through you and your soi-disant penchant for clues
Was it able to be shit
you’ve climbed too deep on down inside of the hole
trying to spend the fourth of july without gravity
I Gotta tell ya i’m not willing to go
If that’s the place that you’re trying to drag me
Can ya blame me? i’m
so skeptical, there must be
more to this than they're telling you or me
no, i'm not taking it lightly
i'm doing this on behalf of this whole fuckin' city
yeah, city, yeah, they’ll call it a city
when the breakthrough breaks through they’ll call this unit a city
And i’ll know where we are, and i’ll know who to thank
Maybe sit next to jay, i mean jimmy
by god, i’ll be great
Dreamt that someday i might play minor league baseball
Get called up at an opportune moment
And never wait around for nothing again
they’d be lining up for chances at friendship
Problem is past the eight grade i stopped playing baseball
Didn’t like to practice or jive with the mindset
Now i’m here waiting ‘round for nothing again
i’m here, sitting down, static day out and day in
a revolution igniting; the opposite motion
Is the notion it may not be worth it to dwell
On that old private hell in your fucked head
Get it staged up real nice, try to sell the homestead
To new buyers unopposed who see the growth being posed
And you can put money down on a new plot instead
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2. |
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let me set the scene
in lieu of the corkboard; the photos connected by string
i'll explain
But give me a sec for finessing the mess in my brain
it's developing news
it's a skin being shed you could say i outgrew
these street lamps glow with an iridescent green
only seen by the shadows in the know
and it rattles my bones
I guess you'd call it an undertone
why'd you think yr flyers all got taken down
from every telephone pole and breezeway across this
town and it rattles my bones
we're all avoiding the undertone
slow to arrive put your life on silent
it's dark outside
and i certainly don't need any of you
You can find a better hobby this one’s long in the tooth
no, i certainly don't need any of your
assistance. No, you’d fuck it off.
yeah, i'm sure.
From a bench where i like to sit
as a place, i won't argue, the spot’s pretty pleasant
but it plans. yeah, it plans
and every so often you can see the outlines of its plans
i've got this spiral bound notebook
i've kept it since i was a kid
Where i write down anything that doesn't add up
so i can show it to god in the end and say “i know whatcha did”
ooh it rattles my bones
I guess you'd call it an undertone
why'd you think your car got towed while you were inside paying out your ticket
to the ones who brought you inside
ooh, don't it rattle your bones
you learned to live with the undertone
there's sides to the world that you'd never be shown
until you shoot a bullet through the globe
and i certainly don't need any of you
There are things i’m absolutely sure about without proof
No, i certainly don’t need any of your opinions
So stifle the cough
Weather’s gone dismal like it or not
Leave me to me and leave me to rot
I’m a lot, i’m a lot
Oo, don’t it rattle your bones
Now that you notice the undertone
I can’t be alone, i can’t be alone
Now, Tell me you notice the undertone
Hope that you’re resting your bones
I’ve been mistaking the undertone
Outrun, overblown,
I mistook a day for an undertone
and i told ya
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3. |
Wanderparty
03:27
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where do you wander and where do you party?
nobody knows where you wander or party
everyone wanders, everyone parties
but not like you wander and not like you party
still getting used to the ones that i love
Leave be the ones that i don’t
Not lack of interest or a sense i’m above
Jury’s still out regarding lack of a soul
Control, control, my lifeblood
Only thing that really gets me through my day
Control, control, my livelihood
Sometimes the things you rely on gotta be taken away
So ask me over now before i say no
In the form of a text with an excuse,
Ooh i’m caught, a facade, i can practically hear the nod
“Okay, no problem” “Anyway, have fun”
So tempting. So stop me before i react to reality kicking in doors, closing in,
oh won’t you show me how
where do you wander and where do you party?
nobody knows where you wander or party
everyone wanders, everyone parties
but not like you wander and not like you party
Come on
There was a time several years ago
When this all came more natural to me
I knew the songs and i knew where to go
only the radio static got freaky
Now that’s the new normal, like a new form of currency
Take it away. watch what the fuck happens to me.
Is that how it goes? Or am I uniquely boring? If I’m uniquely boring, is that bad?
Beckon the peers and you’ll hear
Mixed responses, which have never been helpful
Beckon the shrink and you’ll see
Hesitation, you know exactly what that means
Thus, to you I turn, whoever you may be
Tell me: What do you think of me?
What if i told you my new year’s eve
Consisted of scouring twitter alone or illegally streaming Batman Beyond
Come on
where do you wander and where do you party?
nobody knows where you wander or party
everyone wanders, everyone parties
but not like you wander and not like you party
holy, put me on life support,
i've been talking all in my sleep
in your trash cans digging around
while the porch light's on and the curtain’s peeking
when's the last time you salted these stairs, so dimly lit, someone's gonna slip
there's only one way, only one way way outta here
i guess we're looking at it
there's only one way, only one way way outta here
i think we're looking at it
there's only one way, only one way way outta here
i think we're looking at it
where did you wander and where did you party?
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4. |
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Might be cumulative
Might be the time of day
Sodium or caffeine intake
what have you read? if i may
ask: these questions of yourself
what purpose does they serve?
Aside from dampening the mood
And making you feel worse
apartment shopping online
for about the 8 or 9th time
checkboxing bathrooms and avoiding neighborhoods
calling or email works best
reply immediate with bad
news like not there or no pets
Although the
listing said nothing to that effect
And now i’m clenching my jaw
We’ll be out of the van by the first of the month
If this luck continues along
Good god, have i become so tightly wound
i can’t stop it anymore
And in the quiet when there's no one else around
how long do i let it go for?
Interestingly enough, we
Eventually found residence
It has two, count ‘em two, bathrooms
One for each of us
There’s room for the dog to run and everything
it took a little less than a week of looking, too
But where does my brain wander, where does it party?
What if I hadn’t put in the work?
What’ll we do next year? And the year after that?
Mind you, we haven’t moved out or in yet
Good god, have i become so tightly wound
i can’t stop it anymore
And in the quiet when there's no one else around
how long do i let it go for?
Combustion loop repeating
It doesn’t have to be that hard
What’ll be top of mind come winter
If you make it through the fall?
For those in back, repeat it
It doesn’t have to be that hard
You’ve drawn yourself a circle.
It doesn’t have to be that
It doesn’t have to be that
It doesn’t have to be that hard
Good god, have i become so tightly wound
i can’t stop it anymore
And in the quiet when there's no one else around
how long do i let it go for?
Good god, have i become so tightly wound
i can’t stop it anymore
And in the quiet when there's no one else around
how long do i let it go for?
Good god, have i become so tightly wound
i can’t stop it anymore
And in the quiet when there's no one else around
how long do i let it go for?
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5. |
Sirens
00:59
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focus on the sirens
focus on the pain you used to feel
my dear
works for some but not for others
all depends on just how well you deal
my dear
no one made you sign the page
life can't change in a day
no one told you you can't walk away
oh, that's within you
focus on the silence
focus on the pain you used to fear
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6. |
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1-2 what are you gonna do
can't just squander aimlessly
No rest, probably in your best
Interest to search underneath
The 40 foot high waves and all that tend to rock the boat
The serpentine plate backed beasts will shake you clean
Or so they told you
Building up your database of everyone who ever wronged you
the hep cats who didn’t watch your set to the chick who sold you percodan off of 29
with the face tat of birds flyin', hadn't seemed to heal quite right and
You can drop them
They forgot
They could be dead or southern baptist; flat earthers, fraught
Won’tcha
fold in on your alibis now
move in, apply pressure, and let ‘em bleed out
On down the road you’ll have to lighten your load
Or chimney rock may be the last stop that you ever call home
brass tacks:
where do you go to relax
to free your conscience of quandaries
A brand new studio is right on your street where you can
Sign up to sit comfortably
And the room files in; sun salute the doyenne
couple candles lit, lids closed but
i'm peeking, i'm peeking, god only knows that i'm peeking and
i'm taking mental note of the folks without a heavy set a guilt & dread
as we bend our legs in front of our heads, try to read their palms, try to read their minds
from a distance. it's easy if you know what you're trying to find
Look to buy higher power or guidance
Get in quick and toss the bags out from under the eyes
alright
fold in on your bottom half now
breathe in. when you do, don't forget to breathe out
Watch the tone as you hang up your foam roll
Fake it till you make it so they leave you alone
Oh, i just don't know
where do all these people go
the stepford vibes are bubbling up so slow
suspicious as it sounds
they were lost but now are found
in a church of inner peace
with a monthly and annual fee
you're being unfair
got your mind made up and you lead
you get off on a rebuttal prepared
no matter to you: the only audience listening
lean in, buddy, what are you scared of?
your minivan’s
Custom tint on the side
Why’d you pay more for that if you truly got nothing to hide
Your family; friends, they’ll keep you in the clear
Fact is you’ve no idea earthly idea who you’re dealing with here
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7. |
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Faucet dripping loud
The landlords been round
Don't want the guy to have to come over again
So now it's a crack
a chip in the glass
seems you're my only friend now, baby
i can't change, for you, i would
you know i would've back in the early days
that early phase. emaciated. quaint & strange.
Could i fall on this sword?
as i so gracelessly side-step my own
do you mind if i fall on this sword
would you prefer i fell on yours again? Would that be different?
inadequacy
feels good to ID
he says it tokenizes the mystery
FSA runs out
when it's gonna run out
still, no one e'er foresees the drought
until it's come and your eyes are dry
and there's dust on your tongue
Could i fall on this sword
as i interminably side-step my own
would you mind if i fell on this sword
would you prefer i fell on yours again? would that be different?
“I’ll never understand,” you said, “How we got it so wrong, and we can’t stop now, we’ve been at it far too long. A team’s can’t be shit but their plan of attack; how we grew world war three from a monkey on the back
God
I don’t have the energy. We don’t have the time. These lines are lacking synergy. Hope that answer will suffice.
to impact someone's life like you have mine's a feat that most would not dare try
congrats, you made it!
i assume it can't be smooth; that it can't be fun; that it cannot be rewarding
You assume, well, the opposite
you've been able to move
been able to shake me
but you don't
in spite of the bullshit,
loaded words,
dust gathering in grooves we didn't know were there
And i'm not sure who sent you here
but i'm thankful that they did
i can't stay calm while i’m trying to relay it
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8. |
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maybe in another place, another time
coming through a different light, another sign
I'd have been the king or queen, but here am i
trying to stay but disappear
i feel the darkness in this place
as time goes by
i’ve been told that's simply growing up
no, that's been fine
And it really can't come quick enough
i'm burning out on
Grocery store acquaintances
who couldn't give less of a fuck
now, give me something to do
Can’t muster much although i know i need to
Give me something to do
To say i hit the wall is nothing short of...
Finally got some friends who drive
Figures as much that those friends are dropping off like flies
Don’t got the time for a sunset dick who hates themself
look in my eyes and tell me you believe it
Part time work from 5 to 9; most every night fielding
Um’s from clueless pioneers; romanticized
In my head some edward hopper dive, awakened rudely
when i hear some right wing dad mumble sweet potato fries
give me something to do
My sense of self can only take so much abuse
Give me something else to do
I can’t believe i’ve reached the peak
Might be nice to hear i’m just beginning
Once in a while but who’s catching on to that
Sent home early for a cluster headache
Because boredom and dissociation
Making eight-fifty an hour makes me sound like such a scab
Might be nice to hear i’m just beginning
Once in a while but who’s latching on to that
The wall-sized signs will tell them what they need to know
Just let me hang out in the freezer in the back
With all the ribeyes and the soup no one knows comes in a bag
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9. |
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sweating buckets, shortness of breath
job secure but there's an itch i gotta scratch
sensation's post-vacation
craving novel stimulation
no one asks or knows they should
worst part is knowing if you asked them then they would
but your head's down, and you're nodding,
tell your reflection that it's stalling
always a chance that the plane's going down
and you won't get where you're going
what all that daytime TV’s been telling you
is spinning gears, no use, validating rumors
you don't inspire me like you used to
you don't inspire me like you used to
and i didn't sign up for any of this.
Well, you don't inspire me like you used to do
Don’t inspire me like you used to do
"take more time out to note all the victories"
"yeah, but doc, imagine moving to the beach!
I don't mean actually on the beach,
but somewhere there's ocean, at least, nearby
what a life that could be"
the envy of my former colleagues
pictures of sunsets from branches of palm trees
highways'd part on sight of the RV
I live in, what's the limit?
fleeting at best, and it fleeted away
floor of the ashtray by the end of the day
way home, lost the key to the lock on my lockbox
rammed an elbow straight through a plate glass window
you don't inspire me like you used to
you don't inspire me like you used to
oh, i didn't sign up for any of this
Well, you don't inspire me like you used to do
Don’t inspire me like you used to do
Don’t inspire me like you used to do
Never wonder how the story breaks down
The Story’s up to you
Never wonder how nor why you break down
It’s all a part of you
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10. |
Manila
04:14
|
|||
packing all expressions away
folding the tiny fastener down
another day will see this manila
envelope opened again,
where will you be, my friend? oh
Balcony at a piece of performance art, or the back booth of a culver’s,
or a marriott courtyard in some suburb of some metropolitan area you've never been
when will you be opening it again?
cannonballing off of the pier
with your new bleach blonde hair
i remember you well, but not why we were there
twenty-07, twelve years ago,
an impressionist old canvas of impressionable ego
and although i suppose i could take it as proof it's all makeshift,
the way the sun looks from inside of an eyelid,
right now it makes me angry which we've learned
is merely sadness pushing outward, ever outward till it bursts
Oh, we know you can't be perfect
could you at least try to be good
so you can say "this came out better than I thought it would"
ideally, by the time you settle down,
you'll bring a lightness to your town and all those around
Remember: every mayor, beloved NBA player, every saint's
been caught in the perennial cliche you’re living now
Siphon off a bit of the poise you seek
Shaking your head glibly when they try to read your face and they guess you’re a pisces
As if you’ve ever thought of it for longer than a minute
As if you want to be here or give a shit
Assume they’re giving one back, at this point a leap,
“I’m taurus” you crack, and they ask if you have weed
And for the first time in at least a decade, you do truly wish you could say,
“Yes I do and it’s really good, let us go obfuscate
This kitchenette we’re in,
because i’m tired of my two friends,
I’m tired of congenial misery”
But lying don’t come easy anymore, a hundred shoes outside the door but you can’t find yours,
And Life is full of subtle changes, this ain’t one, to some you’re lame; but you’re comfortable
Maybe by the time you leave your town
And get a thousand miles down you’ll turn around
Because you miss the stale emotion and the sounds of train stops passing
and all that you can’t stand to even think about right now
|
Telethon Wisconsin
Powerpoppunkrock for the modern kids
Thank you for listening.
telethonband@gmail.com
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