1. |
Careful
04:10
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i’ve never been in the right place at the right time
i keep goin’, goin’, goin’ while i leave a trail of pain behind
and when i get scared i always find a new way out
of sophisticated love… you know i’ve always had my doubts
and i must admit i’ve made my share of bad mistakes
but something tells me if i stay with you
i think i might just suffocate
and i don’t want to suffocate
you suffocate when you’re too careful
chorus
careful not to make the same mistakes
oh so careful
careful not to fall for the things that i created in my head
things i should have done instead
before i got so careful
i’ve always been too careful
you infect me with your laugh
while i tease you w/ rhymes and riddles
and i’ll keep going, never knowing
that i’m the monkey in the middle
of a sophisticated life
in the past i’ve made mistakes
but you see kids, a dog, a house, a family car
you just can’t seem to wait
so i must admit that in my life there’s only two
reasons i keep going and the second one is you
i use to have a few more… right before
i got so careful
chorus
i’ve never been in the right place at the right time
i keep goin,’never knowin’ i’m the man you always had in mind
when i get scared i always take a few steps back
i see my life in twenty years when i drop dead of my third heart attack
so there it is, that’s my sophisticated fate
and the only way to look at you and find a way to hesitate
you’re the reason why men hesitate
and this is why they hesitate
they’re careful
chorus
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2. |
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take your grande, soy latte
and shove it up your ass
it’ll go so well with your low fat smoothie
and your shot a wheat grass
did ya get those fabulous dreadlocks
at a ritzy uptown salon
yeah i gotta few problems with you
in fact your life wrote this whole god dam song
and the list is so long
chorus
this is the anthem of the last real boy
dum, didi dum dum da dum
here’s the thinking of the real mccoy
dum, didi dum dum da dad a dum
your life doesn’t change
its stays the same
and still you play the blame game
but i’ve told you a few 1000 times
that real progress comes w/ oh… real pain
still you lead your life like a dead show
sponsored by j crew… yeah you know that you do
but you don’t have to hide those button flied chinos
i have a pair too… but boy do they look better on you
chorus
bridge #1) (it’s all right now, it’s okay now, i’ll never leave now, i am here now)
allegations, accusations… they bring miscommunication
no discussion, segregation… we are lacking conversation
new relations, complications… same old sexual frustrations
find religion, life transitions… now we’re on some kind of mission
and oh… you called me up on a saturday
“honestly hensley i didn’t think my life would turn out this way”
…that’s just what we all thought that you’d say… i say
“i’m sorry for everything i’ve ever said and i ever done
i’ve been a terrible father, and a god awful husband and no kind of son”
chorus
bridge #2) (it’s all right now, it’s okay now, i’ll never leave now, i am here now)
we use to have that perfect hippie reputation but the times changed so we rearranged
with a coke revival turned suicidal but that night we just hit the bottle
double vision, indecision, you were killed in the collision
yes I did it and I admit it every time I pay the boy a visit
di di dum dum da da dum dumb….
chorus
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3. |
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(nick hensley and joe carey)
there’s a barefoot prophet in my front yard
who can’t afford to lease the apartment upstairs
he can’t afford the rent
so i lent him the tent that my mom gave me when i was fourteen
it was for the boy scouts but they through me out
‘cause i had some doubts about god
maybe this guy’s my sign
turnin’ water into wine
is he pissin’ on my neighbors plants
this guy outside is pissin’ on my neighbor’s plants
ahh shit… i’ll blame the dog
chorus:
there’s a barefoot, drunken prophet
livin’ in a tent in my front yard
tellin’ every passer by
i’ll save your soul if you take my card
i watch their faces
they cop out, they’re just like me
but if this guy ain’t barry gibb
who else could this mo fo be
can you guess
who…………
there’s a barefoot prophet in my front yard
he’s handed out cards and selling sour pink lemonade
‘cause he still can’t afford the rent…
of the upstairs apartment
he spent every cent on pulltabs
at the neighborhood bar… that’s where all the sinners are
but the saints they hang out there too
maybe i’m losin’ my mind
but i think i just gotta sign
the virgin mary’s on my egg mcmuffin
there’s a virgin mary on my egg mcmuffin
cleatis i found jesus at macdonalds
well all right…
chorus:
there’s a barefoot, drunken prophet
livin’ in a tent in my front yard
tellin’ every passer by
i’ll save your soul if you take my card
i watch their faces
they cop out, they’re just like me
but if this guy ain’t john lennon’s ghost
who else could this mo fo be
can you guess
who…………
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4. |
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so i met her in a tavern in saint paul
she was wearing the tightest david bowie t-shirt i think i ever saw
it seemed the only thing we had in common was our love for alcohol
i was watching her, she was staring at him
some blue eyed, blonde haired kid … who musta spent his life in the gym
well ya can’t compete with that
i ordered up a shot of jager mister… that’s jager…that’s mister
she went west and became and actress
starred in porno films with only one mattress
on the floors of motels you and i would never stay
just outside of la …she’s
chorus:
a midwestern child
with midwestern style
and misguided dreams of … hollywood
3 years later she came back
2 weeks after my father’s heart attack
and it seemed old california knocked that smile right off her face
but that’s okay we all make the same mistakes
so i moved in for one last chance
but not before captain kickass named lance
got her in his blue iroc and got her out of her pants
guys named lance… they’re the kings of romance
so there was nothing i could say or do
oh until i heard that her and lance were through
seems old lance liked to knock that smile off her face too
these days what the hell you gonna do… when you’re
chorus:
got word that she moved back out west
but not another ‘til the hollywood press
photographed her sexual adventures
with a state senator’s daughter
sure as hell she headed right back
the day i got the world’s worst record contract
so i left minnesota
on a sunday… morning… now i’m
chorus:
next thing i know it’s 9/11
so i move back home… now i’m 27
and i get a real job
and let all those dreams go
‘cause i don’t believe in love at fourth sight
but if i could go back to the first night
i’d kick the shit out of lance
and then i’d let you know… what I think you always have known
chorus:
(and i’m… too)
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5. |
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let’s call it what it is… ‘cause this is not a break
call it what it is….for both our sakes
when there is only you…starin’ back at me….
i know you see your whole world…and that world’s behind me
so call it what it is… this is not a break
let’s call it what it is… own up to our mistakes
and if the problem here is me… holding on to you
i will let you go…it’ll be the last honest thing i ever do… for you
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
call it what it is… this is not a break
i’ll call it what it is
for both our sakes
when there is only me
starin’ back at you
yes i see my whole world
and yes that world’s behind you
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
so call it what it is… this is not a break
call it what it is… own up to our mistakes
if the problem here is me… holding on to you
i will let you go… it’ll be the last honest thing we…… ever do
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
so we call it what it is
‘cause we don’t believe in breaks
we’ll call it what it is
for both our sakes
when there is only (it’s always been you)
starin’ back at me
i know you see your…whole wide world
and that world’s … behind me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
so is this all it is
is this just a break
or should we call it what it is
and own up to our mistakes
if we call this what it is
can we alter our fate
can we reinvent our lives
before it’s too late
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6. |
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i buy her a drink
and i cheers to our health
but she’s scouting out the bar looking for someone else
ohhh.. another night i lend a hand to myself
and then she laughs with me
or does she laugh at me
still gotta few hours left ‘til last call
so i order up another drink
to get the courage to take another fall
now i’ve got big beer muscles now
and oh i’m tequila tall
chorus
and here i am again
passed out on the floor again
and i better stay down
here on this sacred ground
and by know you outta know
i’ve gotta friend called the danimal
well i use to hit the bar right next store
but now a days, i’m not welcome there anymore
they called me a drunk, i guess i’d been there before
but i had the last laugh when they cut my tab in half
happy hour’s over but i stay and i drink alone
i stay ‘cause i’m happier here then i’ve ever been at home
sometimes when its busy i’ll even answer the phone
like a t shirt away from staff
full chorus
and here i am again
passed out on the floor again
and i better stay down
here on this sacred ground
the smell is so familiar hear
cigarette butts and shitty beer
still i choose to stay down
here on my sacred ground
and by know you outta know
i’ve gotta friend called the danimal
sometimes on sundays i go and hide out in northeast
w/ just a little blackberry just to tame the wild beast
maybe a little more just to help me get some sleep
‘cause barkeep i need my sleep
well i know i’ve been this drunk before
but i can’t remember when
it must have been that time i said i’d never drink again
but when i get drunk, i write love songs for angry men
and i’m just trying to make you all laugh
with the only thing left i still have
chorus
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7. |
Content
04:22
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8. |
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so carry on with yourself
you’ll be better off w/ somebody else… anybody else
and i guess i’ve always known
that i’m better off on my own
chorus:
but all of this honesty
it never pays out for me
like every indication that this was gonna work
i shoulda lied through my teeth
to avoid all the hurt but like a jerk
oh i stayed behind
and tried to be a father
without remembering mine
and that’s why i
stay…
well it’s come to my attention
oh that this is all my fault
so if i can make one suggestion
‘cause i can see right through your thoughts
stay away from fools
‘cause i'm a fool w/ a simple mind
and i can be so cruel
when i take comfort in my lies
chorus:
but they never pay out for me
like every indication that this was gonna work
i shoulda lied through my teeth
to avoid all the hurt but like a jerk
oh i stayed behind
and tried to be a father
but this time remembering mine
and that’s why i
stay…
but you couldn’t
stay
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9. |
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you broke my heart on january 22nd
it was snowing like a bitch
when i put the jeep into a ditch
and when the cops came to pull me out
i realized i took the wrong route
when they made me walk the line
like johnny cash when he went blind
i spent the night in some god forsaken podunk jail
just waiting, contemplating if you’d ever post my bail
but the hours past so fast into a second night
until i finally realized we must have had our last great fight
chorus:
sometimes we just push too far
and the greatest fights
they leave the deepest scars
so be careful how you wage your wars
‘cause you might not be worth fighting for
now court’s in session
my confession dui
“i can’t believe you’re still alive son
you blew a .35
so sorry judge
i don’t know what the hell i was thinkin’
ya see, my baby and i had our greatest fight
and i just started drinking
“son everybody has their troubles
and everybody strives and struggles
but nobody in my town’s gonna drive
when they’re seein’ double”
but he let me off with just a little slap on the wrist
i paid a few fines and the whole damn case was dismissed
god bless you judge, i’ll never drink in your town again
he said “son, booze ain’t your problem, it’s pride that’s your sin”
chorus:
(repeats 1st verse)
chorus:
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10. |
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he shook my hand with brutal honesty
and he stared me down and with his blood shot eyes
he promised me …he’d be back
but when a year turned into three
now i feed the dog and mow the lawn
twelve years… i pass some guy on some street
he stares me down like i’m his son
does he want to meet me
but that ain’t my old man
not with sneakers on his feet
now i feed the dog and mow the lawn
‘cause my dad feed the dog and mowed the lawn
chorus:
and then i…
rewind… now it’s 1984
and it’s 400 miles from detroit to the front door
of our new house in the suburbs
with new problems to ignore
still i feed the dog and mow the lawn
and i sure as hell
don’t miss my dad’s advice
like “son, don’t you ever let your whisky melt your ice”
well yes sir, that’s quite a metaphor for life
like feed the dog and mow the lawn
since all you did was feed the dog and mow the lawn
chorus:
and then i…
my wife signed for a package
it must have been the end of june
a few years late “congratulations to the bride and groom”
with a p.s. “your father died on a monday afternoon”
he fed the dog and mowed the lawn
fast forward… i’m holding my wife’s hand
she’s waiting on her baby boy and i on daddy’s little man
and with honest eyes he stares me down as if he understands
you fed the dog and mowed the lawn
‘cause your dad fed the dog and mowed the lawn
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11. |
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our complicated lives
come with complicated problems
and sometimes we all just wanna forget about ‘em
‘cause it’s easier than tryin’ to change the world
but do these complicated times
justify a decision
to start a never ending war and then blame it on religion
‘cause it’s easier than tryin’ to change the world
chorus:
let’s change the world
just a little bit everyday
we can change the world
get off the fence
what do you say…
what do you say
we’re a complicated race
with such a colored past
what race is that boy talkin’ ‘bout
well it’s sad you had to ask
but it’s easier than tryin’ to change the world
our complicated lives
they may take our innocence
and of course you’re always right
‘cause you’re always sittin’ on the fence
where it’s easier than trying to change the world
chorus:
let’s change the world
just a little bit everyday
we can change the world
get off the fence
what do you say…
what do you say
what do you say
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12. |
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i travel around from town to town
i’ll play anywhere and i’d like to think i got my own sound
and i travel light, i see all the sights
sometimes i drink all day but mostly at night
and i’m gettin’ old, too old for the road
they say i shoulda quit, when i was bought and i was sold
but i get in my car, still hit the next bar
‘cause this is my life …i’m a pretend rock star
-----------------------------
i dropped outta school, what a rock n roll fool
to trade his whole life, for an old bar stool
it seemed like a lot to wage, but at least now i’m on stage
instead of dying everyday in a midnight shift cage
and i may never be on top, if this record’s a flop
i may never be justified, in this here world of pop
and i may not get far, playin’ these old bars
that i call home ...’cause i’m a pretend rock star
-----------------------------
i met a few girls; blondes, red heads one with curls
legs they wrap round your head and then your whole god dam world
so when i met you, brunette and new
i honestly tried not to fall in love with you
but i was gettin’ old and my bed was gettin’ cold
just don’t ever ask me to quit was the only thing you were told
but you didn’t hear a thing, as i slipped on the ring
you’ll be the rock n roll queen …and i’ll be the pretend rock king
------------------------------
so love conquered all ‘til the big wigs gave me the call
‘cause when you chart at 87 you gotta tour in the fall
so we made up our minds over smokes and cheap wine
she stayed to keep hers, i left to get mine
so i’m back on the road, just a couple records sold
but at night i lay awake in my motel room and dream of records made of gold
oh you travel so far, 18 weeks, 80 bars
but this is my life …and i'm a pretend rock star
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13. |
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it’s a shame we never talk
but truth be told, i never listened anyway
promised everything i had to give
but this time i’ve given enough away
chorus:
i rise above them all
just to seek the truth behind the light
and then i crawl right through the remaining days of my afterlife
but when i fall, i’ll fall hard enough to break us both apart
…you broke us both apart
faded pictures in my mind
reminders of our decision
promised never to forget
but i haven’t thought about you in a while
stories i gave you are haunting me now
who was i to pretend
simply to be a man
doing the best he can
chorus:
i rise above them all
just to seek the truth behind the light
and then i crawl right through the remaining days of my afterlife
but when i fall, i’ll fall hard enough to break us both apart
…you broke us both apart
the truth is i ain’t never had the nerve
to go out and get things i think that i deserve
this time it’ll be the beautiful curves of your body
this time it’ll be the beautiful curves of your body
right next to mine
and if we find middle ground
we’ll stand very, very still
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14. |
It's All The Same War
04:55
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yeah i’ve been to texas once
and it was all right
yeah i’ve been to cleveland once
had to stay the night
got stoned and missed my flight
but i… i ain’t never been
to all the places that you’ve been
and i… i ain’t never gonna go
but who the hell knows
when it’s all the same war
chorus:
we’re still drawin lines in the sand
while we’re waiving white flags
stained w/ blood from our hands
ohh we’re policing the world
and askin so much of these boys …and my girl
my father… he went to vietnam
while my mother stayed home
the same sun but different sunsets
for 9 months alone
but i… i ain’t never been
to all the places that you’ve been
and i… i ain’t never gonna go
but who the hell knows
when it’s all the same war
chorus:
i had a granddad
fought in world war two
fought that war so his grandchildren wouldn’t ever have to
and the faded photographs of men ready, willing, able
still underneath the glass of grandfathers coffee table
but i… i ain’t never been
to all the places that you’ve been
and he hoped i’d never have to go
but who the hell knows
when it’s all the same war
chorus:
white collar fat cats
find new ways to line their pockets
with their own souls and their oil shares in the stock markets
and you know damn well you’ll never see their boys dodgin’ rockets
not in this war, ‘cause this is their war
now i… i ain’t never been
to all the places you have been
and i… i ain’t never gonna go
but who the hell knows
when it’s all the same war
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