Tears of Rage

Last Years Man


The rain falls down on last year's man,
that's a jew's harp on the table,
that's a crayon in his hand.
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled
far past the stems of thumbtacks
that still throw shadows on the wood.
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
and all the rain falls down amen
on the works of last year's man.
I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the dark
oh one by one she had to tell them
that her name was Joan of Arc.
I was in that army, yes I stayed a little while;
I want to thank you, Joan of Arc,
for treating me so well.
And though I wear a uniform I was not born to fight;
all these wounded boys you lie beside,
goodnight, my friends, goodnight.

I came upon a wedding that old families had contrived;
Bethlehem the bridegroom,
Babylon the bride.
Great Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for me,
and Bethlehem inflamed us both
like the shy one at some orgy.
And when we fell together all our flesh was like a veil
that I had to draw aside to see
the serpent eat its tail.

Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for Cain
so I hang upon my altar
and I hoist my axe again.
And I take the one who finds me back to where it all began
when Jesus was the honeymoon
and Cain was just the man.
And we read from pleasant Bibles that are bound in blood and skin
that the wilderness is gathering
all its children back again.

The rain falls down on last year's man,
an hour has gone by
and he has not moved his hand.
But everything will happen if he only gives the word;
the lovers will rise up
and the mountains touch the ground.
But the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
and all the rain falls down amen
on the works of last year's man.

Let's Not **** Ourselves (To Love And Be Loved)
by Bright Eyes

Well the animals laugh
From the dark of the wilderness
A baby cries hard
In an apartment complex

As I pass in a car
Buried under the influence
The cities driving me out
of my mind

I've seen a child he's caught
In the sad trap of gravity
He falls from the lowest
Branch of the apple tree

And lands in the grass
And weeps for his dignity
Next time he will not aim so high
Yeah, next time neither will I

Now, a mother takes loans out
Sends her kids off to colleges
Her family's reduced
To names on a shopping list

While a coroner kneels
Beneath the great wooden crucifix
He knows there's worse things than being
Alone.

And so I've learned to retreat
At the first sign of danger
I mean, why wait around if
It's just to surrender

And ambition I've found
Can lead only to failure
I do not read the reviews
No I am not singing for you
[Woo]

Well I stood droppin' a coin
Into the pit of a well
And I would throw my whole billfold
If I thought it would help

With all these wishes I make
I should buy something real
At least a telephone
Call home

Well my teachers they built
This retaining wall of memory
All those multiple choices
I answered so quickly

And got my grades back
And forgot just as easily
But at least I got an A
And so I don't have them to blame

Well I should stop pointing fingers
Reserve my judgment
Of all those public action figures
And cowboy presidents
So loud behind the bull-horns
So proud they can't admit
When they've made a mistake

While poison ink spews
From a speech writers pen
He knows he don't have to say it
So it don't bother him

Honesty accuracy
It's just popular opinion
And the approval ratings high
And so someone's gonna die

Well ABC NBC CBS bullshit
They give us fact or fiction
I guess an even split
And each new act of war's tonight's entertainment
We're still the pawns in their game

As they take eye for an eye
Until no one can see
We must stumble blindly forward
Repeating history

Well I guess we all fit into that slogan
On your fast food marquee
Red blooded white skinned and oh the blues
Oh and the blues I got the blues that's me

Well I awoke in relief
My sheets and tubes were all tangled
Weak from whiskey and pills
In a Chicago hospital

And my father was there
In a chair by the window
Starin' so far away
I tried talking just whispered
So sorry so selfish
He stopped me and said
Child, I love you regardless
There nothing you could do
That would ever change this
I'm not angry, it happens
But you just can't do it again

And so now I try to keep up
I been exchanging my currency
While a million objects
Pass though my periphery
Now I'm rubbin' my eyes
'Cause they're starting to bother me
I been staring too long at the screen

But where was it when I first heard
That sweet sound of humility
It came to my ears in the
Goddamned loveliest melody

How grateful I was then
To be part of the mystery
To love and to be loved
Lets just hope that is enough

This song is amazing, and I am going to listen to it right now.

i like bright eyes a lot

"Why (What's Going On?)" by the Roots

WHY?? [6 x's]

Sky's the limit so you know I'm gonna rise and shine
I gotta do my thing, I'm kinda getting a little tired of all that's hidden
That's the reason I'm a speak my mind, keep from going insane
Now work with it, we in the last innin'
The world keeps spinnin', my peoples steady losin' while the rich keep winnin'
It's like we neva smilin' and the devil steady grinnin'
killin' what we representin'
Even our children and women, 2K4, livin' above and under the law
Young teen joins the marines, says he'll die for the core
Inducted up into the goverment's war as if the land of money and oil
Funny how ain't none of it yours
I can't sleep yo I'm paranoid, it's code orange
It's far from right, I guess that's why it feels so wrong
To see the world get stripped out of every resource
And people pray to Coca-Cola now instead of the gods
What's goin' on?

WHY?? [6 x's]

Keepin' your head above water, hustlin' to survive
Some people chasin' a dream, others just chasin' a high
Some people blind leading the blind, they chasin' a lie
Some people chokin' backs broken barely makin' it by
But still they workin' all they live, they pushin' for the light
Givin' everything they got to stitch them swishes on ya Nike's
Puttin' pockets on our jeans, mining diamonds for them rings
Rewarded with small change and bullets in they brains
And it makes me feel strange everything we take for granted
At times I feel stranded on this planet of mine
Now should I pull the hammer, clap it out, and laugh about it
Or stand up, be counted while I cast my ballot
When the undertaker's busy and the prison's is crowded
People livin' in fear because they vision is clouded
But the sky's the limit, I ain't cryin' you a river
Gotta move me a mountain, I'm a git up and shout it

WHY?? [6 x's]

When I dream it's hounds on my heels gainin' momentum
I'm tired, can't get uninspired or quit runnin'
I can feel they only inches behind, I escape, I survive
Some how I gotta decide how much I want it
Or is anybody listenin' without a pot to piss in
If I disappear I wonder if the world will know I'm missin'
Who my support system, it's not the court system
Gotta letter, what it said is you will not avoid prison
People 'neath the microscope 'cause we defining the culture
They smile and insult you like you shinin' their loafers
Them old heads say we need a modern day Moses
When the leaders is posers we needing some soldiers
It's the X generation, The anger in the nation
Got the writing on the wall so clear that I can taste it
Like a kid sniffing glue somewhere trying to escape
Because we vulnerable and naked
Gotta show 'em we can make it

WHY?? [hook repeats out]

My Life

My life was once a joy to me,
Never knowing, I was growing, everyday.
My life was once a toy to me,
And I wound it and I found it ran away.
So I raced through the night
with a face at my feet, like a god I would write,
All the melodies were sweet, and the women were white.
It was easy to survive, my life was so alive.

My life was once a flag to me
And I waved it and behaved like I was told.
My life was once a drag to me
And I loudly, and I proudly, lost control
I was drawn by a dream
I was loved by a lie, every serf on the scene
Begged me to buy.
But I slipped through the scheme
So lucky to fail
My life was not for sale.

My life is now a myth to me
Like the drifter, with his laughter in the dawn.
My life is now a death to me
So I'll mold it and I'll hold it till I'm born
So I turn to the land
Where I'm so out of place
Throw a curse on the plan
In return for the grace
To know where I stand
Take everything I own
Take your tap from my phone
And leave my life alone
My life alone.

Subterranean Homesick Blues

Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten

Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D. A.
Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't try "No Doz"
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows

Get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But losers, cheaters
Six-time users
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders
Watch the parkin' meters

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles

Rainy Day Women # 12 and 35


Well, they'll stone ya when you're trying to be so good,
They'll stone ya just a-like they said they would.
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to go home.
Then they'll stone ya when you're there all alone.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

Well, they'll stone ya when you're walkin' 'long the street.
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to keep your seat.
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' on the floor.
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' to the door.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

They'll stone ya when you're at the breakfast table.
They'll stone ya when you are young and able.
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to make a buck.
They'll stone ya and then they'll say, "good luck."
Tell ya what, I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

Well, they'll stone you and say that it's the end.
Then they'll stone you and then they'll come back again.
They'll stone you when you're riding in your car.
They'll stone you when you're playing your guitar.
Yes, but I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

Well, they'll stone you when you walk all alone.
They'll stone you when you are walking home.
They'll stone you and then say you are brave.
They'll stone you when you are set down in your grave.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

AND THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA Lyrics


"And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"
- Eric Bogle

Now when I was a young man, I carried me pack, and I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback, well, I waltzed my Matilda all over.
Then in 1915, my country said son, It's time you stopped rambling, there's work to be done.
So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun, and they marched me away to the war.

And the band played Waltzing Matilda, as the ship pulled away from the quay
And amidst all the cheers, the flag-waving and tears, we sailed off for Gallipoli
And how well I remember that terrible day, how our blood stained the sand and the water
And of how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay, we were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
Johnny Turk he was waiting, he'd primed himself well. He shower'd us with bullets,
And he rained us with shell. And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia.

But the band played Waltzing Matilda, when we stopped to bury our slain.
We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs, then we started all over again.
And those that were left, well we tried to survive, in that mad world of blood, death and fire
And for ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive, though around me the corpses piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head, and when I woke up in my hospital bed,
And saw what it had done, well I wished I was dead. Never knew there was worse things than dyin'.

For I'll go no more waltzing Matilda, all around the green bush far and free
To hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs-no more waltzing Matilda for me.
So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed, and they shipped us back home to Australia.
The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane, those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay, I looked at the place where me legs used to be.
And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me, to grieve, to mourn, and to pity.

But the band played Waltzing Matilda, as they carried us down the gangway.
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared, then they turned all their faces away
And so now every April, I sit on me porch, and I watch the parades pass before me.
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march, reviving old dreams of past glories
And the old men march slowly, old bones stiff and sore. They're tired old heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, what are they marching for? And I ask myself the same question.

But the band plays Waltzing Matilda, and the old men still answer the call,
But as year follows year, more old men disappear. Someday no one will march there at all.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by that billabong, who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?

Handsome Johnny

Hey look yonder, tell me what's that you see,
marching to the fields of Concord
It looks like Handsome Johnny with a musket in his hand
Marching to the Concord war. Hey, Marching to the concord war.

Hey look yonder, tell me what you see
Marching to the fields of Gettysburg
It looks like Handsome Johnny with flintlock in his hand
Marching to the Gettysburg war, Hey marching to the Gettysburg war

INTERLUDE:

Hey, it's along the hard road It's a long hard road
It's a long hard road Before we'll be free.

Hey look yonder, tell me what's that you see
Marching to the fields of Dunkirk
It looks like Handsome Johnny with a carbine in his hand
Marching to the Dunkirk war, Hey marching to the Dunkirk war

Hey look yonder, tell me what you see
Marching to the fields of Korea
It looks like Handsome Johnny with an M1 in his hand
Marching to the Korean war, Hey marching to the Korean war

Interlude

Hey look yonder, tell me what you see
Marching to the fields of Viet Nam
It looks like Handsome Johnny with an M15
Marching to the Viet Nam war, Hey marching to the Viet Nam war

Hey, look yonder, tell me what you see
Marching to the fields of Birmingham
It looks like Handsome Johnny with his hand rolled in a fist
Marching to the Birmingham war. Hey, marching to the Birmingham war

Interlude

Hey what's the use of singing this song
Some of you are not even listening
Tell me what it is we've got to do
Wait for are fields to start glistening
Hey wait for the bullets to start whistling

Hey here come the hydrogen bombs
And here come the guided missile
Here come the hydrogen bombs
I can almost hear its whistle; I can almost hear its whistle

Sky Pilot


He blesses the boys as they stand in line
The smell of gun grease and the bayonets they shine
He's there to help them all that he can
To make them feel wanted he's a good holy man
Sky pilot.....sky pilot
How high can you fly
You'll never, never, never reach the sky

He smiles at the young soldiers
Tells them its all right
He knows of their fear in the forthcoming fight
Soon there'll be blood and many will die
Mothers and fathers back home they will cry
Sky pilot.....sky pilot
How high can you fly
You'll never, never, never reach the sky

He mumbles a prayer and it ends with a smile
The order is given
They move down the line
But he's still behind and he'll meditate
But it won't stop the bleeding or ease the hate
As the young men move out into the battle zone
He feels good, with God you're never alone
He feels tired and he lays on his bed
Hopes the men will find courage in the words that he said
Sky pilot.....sky Pilot
How high can you fly

You'll never, never, never reach the sky
You're soldiers of God you must understand
The fate of your country is in your young hands
May God give you strength
Do your job real well
If it all was worth it
Only time it will tell

In the morning they return
With tears in their eyes
The stench of death drifts up to the skies
A soldier so ill looks at the sky pilot
Remembers the words
"Thou shalt not kill"
Sky pilot.....sky pilot
How high can you fly
You never, never, never reach the sky

Comin' In On A Wing And A Prayer
(harold adamson & jimmie mchugh)

One of our planes was missing
Two hours overdue
One of our planes was missing
With all its gallant crew
The radio sets were humming
We waited for a word
Then a noise broke
Through the humming and this is what we heard

Comin' in on a wing and a prayer
Comin' in on a wing and a prayer
Though there's one motor gone
We can still carry on
Comin' in on a wing and a prayer

What a show, what a fight, boys
We really hit our target for tonight
How we sing as we limp through the air
Look below, there's our field over there
With our one motor gone
We can still carry on
Comin' in on a wing and a prayer

Comin' in on a wing and a prayer
Comin' in on a wing and a prayer
With our full crew on board
And our trust in the lord
We're comin' in on a wing and a prayer

Ballad of a Crystal Man


Walk along and talk along and live your lives quite freely
But leave our children with their toys of peppermint and candy.
For seagull I don't want your wings,
I don't want your freedom in a lie.

Your thoughts they are of harlequin, your speeches of quicksilver.
I read your faces like a poem, kaleidoscope of hate words.
For seagull I don't want your wings,
I don't want your freedom in a lie.

As you fill your glasses with the wine of murdered Negroes
Think you not of beauty that spreads like morning sun-glow.
For seagull I don't want your wings,
I don't want your freedom in a lie.

On the quilted battlefield of soldiers dazzling made of toy tin
The big bomb like a child's hand could sweep them dead just so to win.
Seagull I don't want your wings,
I don't want your freedom in a lie.

Vietnam, your latest game, you're playing with your blackest Queen
Damn your souls and curse your grins, I stand here with a fading dream.
Seagull I don't want your wings,
I don't want your freedom in a lie.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar Carols play
And wide and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth good will to man

I thought as now this day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rung so long the unbroken song
Of peace on earth good will to man

And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and marks the song
Of peace on earth good will to man

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead nor does he sleep
The wrong shall fail the right prevail
With peace on earth good will to man

You laugh at the people who walk outside on the sidewalk
And you talk to yourself so much
when you see other people you can't talk
This time it's true
The charade is through
And you can't seem to run away from you
Away from you
And the haggard ex-lover of a long-time loser
Stands rejectedly by the door
Doesn't Lenny live here anymore?
Are you sure?

You sit at the desk
To lose your life in a letter
But the words don't seem to come and you know that they're(?) better
and it's all so strange
Pictures lose their frame
And I'll bet you never guessed
There was so much pain
So much pain
Until the haggard ex-lover of a long-time loser
Stands rejectedly by the door
Doesn't Lenny live here anymore?
Are you sure?

The moon, she shines too soon and simply sadly
You loved your love so much that you'd strangle her madly
And it's all so slow
Time has ceased to flow
And the whistling whore knows something you don't know
And the haggard ex-lover of a long-time loser
Stands rejectedly by the door
Doesn't Lenny live here anymore?
Are you sure?

You swore you'd store your love for one time only
Now you searched the books in vain for better word for lonely
And you're torn apart
No other love will start
And you, you'd like to steal a happy heart
A happy heart
Then the haggard ex-lover of a long-time loser
Stands rejectedly by the door
Doesn't Lenny live here anymore?
Are you sure?

The fat official smiles at the pass on the border
And the hungry broom makes sure that the room is in order
You pull the shade
All the beds are made
As your lips caress the razor of the blade
Of the blade
And the haggard ex-lover of a long-time loser
Stands rejectedly by the door
Doesn't Lenny live here anymore?
Are you sure?

The soul of the sun shines just outsde of the winter
The shoulders charged, the boards of the barricade is splintered
Now at last alone
The flashlight is shown
Hello inside is there anybody home?
Anybody home?
It's the haggard ex-lover of a long-time loser
Standing rejectedly by the door
Doesn't Lenny live here anymore?
Are you sure?
Are you sure?
Are you sure?

The Beatles
Eleanor Rigby
(Lennon/McCartney)

Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved

All the lonely people (Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people (Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all belong?

Rehearsals for Retirement

The days grow longer for smaller prizes
I feel a stranger to all surprises
You can have them I don't want them
I wear a different kind of garment
In my rehearsals for retirement

The lights are cold again they dance below me
I turn to old friends they do not know me
All but the beggar he remembers
I put a penny down for payment
In my rehearsals for retirement
Had I known the end would end in laughter
I tell my daughter it doesn't matter

The stage is tainted with empty voices
The ladies painted they have no choices
I take my colors from the stable
They lie in tatters by the tournament
In my rehearsals for retirement

Where are the armies who killed a country
And turned a strong man into a baby
Now comes the rabble they are welcome
I wait in anger and amusement
In my rehearsals for retirement

Had I known the end would end in laughter
Still I tell my daughter that it doesn't matter

Farewell my own true love, farewell my fancy
Are you still owin' me love, though you failed me
But one last gesture for her pleasure
I'll paint your memory on the monument
In my rehearsals for retirement

the gunners dream

floating down through the clouds
memories come rushing up to meet me now
in the space between the heavens
and the corner of some foreign field
i had a dream
i had a dream
goodbye max
goodbye ma
after the service when your walking slowly to the car
and the silver in her hair shines in the cold november air
you hear the tolling bell
and touch the silk in your lapel
and as the tear drops rise the meet the comfort of the band
you take her frail hand
and hold on to the dream

a place to stay
enough to eat
somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
where you can speak out loud
about your hopes and fears
and what's more no-one ever disappears
you never hear their standard issue kicking in your door
you can relax on both sides of the tracks
and maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
and everyone has recourse to the law
and no-one kills the children anymore
and no-one kills the children anymore

night after night
going round and round my brain
his dream is driving me insane
in the corner of some foreign field
the gunner sleeps tonight
whats done is done
we cannot just write off his final scene
take heed of his dream
take heed

get your filthy hands off my desert

brezhnev took afghanistan
begin took beirut
galtieri took the union jack
and maggie over lunch one day
took a cruiser will all hands
apparently to make him give it back

the fletcher memorial home

take all your overgrown infants away somewhere
and build them a home a little place of their own
the fletcher memorial
home for incurable tyrants and kings

and they can appears to themselves every day
on closed circut t.v.
to make sure their still real
it's the only connection they feel
"ladies and gentlemen, please welcome reagan and heig
mr. begin and friend mrs. thatcher and paisley
mr. brezhnev and party
the ghost of nixon
and now adding colour a group of anonymous latin
american meat packing glitterati"

did they expect us to treat them with any respect

they can polish their medals and sharpen their
smails, and amuse themselves playing games for a while
boom boom, bang bang, lie down your dead

safe in the permanent gaze of a cold glass eye
with their favourite toys
they'll be good girls and boys
in the fletcher memorial home for colonial
wasters of life and limb

is everyone in?
are you having a nice time?
now the final solution can be applied