My favorite lyrics.

Best Imitation of Myself
Ben Folds Five

I feel like a quote out of context
withholding the rest
so I can be for you what you want to see
I got the gestures and sounds
got the timing down
it's uncanny, yeah
you'd think it was me
do you think I should take a class
to lose my southern accent?
did I make me up
or make the face 'til it stuck?
I do the best imitation of myself.

The "problem with you" speech
you gave me was fine
I liked the theories about
my little stage
and I swore I was listening
but I started drifting
around the part about me
acting my age
and now if it's all the same
I've people to entertain
I juggle one handed
do some magic tricks and
the best imitation of myself

Maybe I'm thinking
myself in a hole
wondering who I am
when I ought to know
straighten up now
time to go
fool somebody else
fool somebody else

last night I was
east with them
and west within
trying to be for you
what you want to see
But I can't help it
with you the good and bad
comes through
don't want you hanging out
with no one but me
now if it's all the same
it comes from the same place
and if my mind's somewhere else
you won't be able to tell
I do the best imitation of myself
yes it's uncanny to see
you'd really think it was me
the best imitation of myself
do the best imitation of myself

The State I Am In
Belle & Sebastian

I was surprised, I was happy for a day in 1975
I was puzzled by a dream, it stayed with me all day in 1995
My brother had confessed he was gay
It took the heat off me for a while
He stood up with a sailor friend
Made it known upon my sisters wedding day

I got married in a rush to save a kid from being deported
Now she's in love
I was so touched, I was moved to kick the crutches
From my crippled friend
She was not impressed cause I cured her on the Sabbath
I went to confess
When she saw the funny side, we introduced my child bride
To whisky and gin
To whisky and gin

The priest in the booth had a photographic memory
For all he had heard
And he took all of my sins and he wrote a pocket novel called
"The State I Am In"

And so I gave myself to God
There was a pregnant pause before he said ok
Now I spend my day turning tables round In Marks & Spencer's
They don't seem to mind

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

Oh love of mine, would you condescend to help me
Cause I'm stupid and blind
Oh and desperation is the Devil's work, it is the folly of a boy's empty mind
Now I'm feeling dangerous, riding on city buses for a hobby is sad
Why don't you lead me to a living end
I promised that I'd entertain my crippled friend
My crippled friend

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
And I've been there and back again
Oh yeah

Mary Jo
Belle & Sebastian

Mary Jo, living alone
Drinking tea, on her own
She wants, I don't know what you want

Mary Jo, living alone
Drinking gin the telly's on
She wants

The night to follow day and back again
She doesn't want to sleep
Well who could blame her if she wants?
The night to follow day and back again
She doesn't want to sleep
Well who could blame her, if she sleeps?
Well who could blame her, if she sleeps?
Well who could blame her, if she's sleeping?

Mary Jo, back with yourself
For company, keep telling yourself you're young
And It'll happen soon

Mary Jo, no one can guess
What you've been through
Now you've got love to burn

It's someone else's turn to go through Hell
Now you can see them come from fifty yards
Yeah you can tell
It's someone else's turn to take a fall
And now you are the one who's strong enough to help them
The one who's strong enough to help them
The one who's strong enough to help them all

Mary Jo, you're looking thin
You're reading a book, "The State I Am In"
But oh, it doesn't help at all
What you want is a cigarette
And a thespian with a caravanette in Hull

Yeah, life is never dull in your dreams
A pity that it never seems to work the way you see it
Life is never dull in your hand
A sorry tale of action and the men you left for
Women, and the men you left for
Intrigue, and the men you left for dead

His Time Ran Out
The Beautiful South

I was about to write a song about the fear and the doubt
But my pen ran out
It captured the emotions of a lover and a lout
But my pen ran out
So the picture wasn't painted and the story wasn't told
No one knows the author 'cause the record never sold
And I know they never will until he's bitter and he's old
His time ran out

I was gonna share my blues with a nation full of blues
But my pen ran out
I was gonna spread the news of the way I always lose
But my pen ran out
So I'll keep an envelope with all the words I should have said
Hide it in a tiny box underneath my bed
And written on the outside will be 'open when he's dead'
And written on the outside will be 'open when he's dead'

His time ran out, his time ran out
His time ran out, his time ran out

The Stone Roses
I Am The Resurrection

Down down, you bring me down
I hear you knocking at my door and I can't sleep at night
Your face, it has no place
No room for you inside my house I need to be alone

Don't waste your words I don't need anything from you
I don't care where you've been or what you plan to do

Turn turn, I wish you'd learn
There's a time and place for everything I've got to get it through
Cut loose, you're no use
I couldn't stand another second in your company

Don't waste your words I don't need anything from you
I don't care where you've been or what you plan to do

Stone me, why can't you see
You're a no-one nowhere washed up baby who'd look better dead

Your tongue is far too long
I don't like the way it sucks and slurps upon my every word

Don't waste your words I don't need anything from you
I don't care where you've been or what you plan to do

I am the resurrection and I am the light
I couldn't ever bring myself to hate you as I'd like

I am the resurrection and I am the light
I couldn't ever bring myself to hate you as I'd like

I'll Sail This Ship Alone
The Beautiful South

If, if you choose that we will always lose
Well then I'll sail this ship alone
And if, if you decide to give him another try
Well then I'll sail this ship alone

Well they said if I wrote the perfect love song
You would take me back
Well I wrote it but I lost it
And now will you take me back anyway

Now if, if you insist that this is for the best
Well then I'll sail this ship alone
And if, if you swear that you no longer care
Well then I'll sail this ship alone

I'll sail this ship alone
Between the pain and the pleasure
I'll sail this ship alone
Amongst the sharks and the treasure
If you would rather go your way then go your way
I'll sail this ship alone

If, if you're afraid that I won't make the grade
Well then I'll sail this ship alone
And if, if you agree to him instead of me
Well then I'll sail this ship alone

Well they said if I wrote the perfect letter
That I would have a chance
Well I wrote it, and you burnt it
And now do I have a chance anyway

If, if you swear that you no longer care
Well then I'll sail this ship alone

I'll sail this ship alone
Between the pain and the pleasure
I'll sail this ship alone
Amongst the sharks and the treasure
If you would rather go your way then go your way
I'll sail this ship alone

Well they said if I burnt myself alive
That you'd come running back

Mary Jo reminds me of Marcie, Joni's tribute to urban lonelyness...

Marcie in a coat of flowers
Steps inside a candy store
Reds are sweet and greens are sour
Still no letter at her door
So she'll wash her flower curtains
Hang them in the wind to dry
Dust her tables with his shirt and
Wave another day goodbye

Marcie's faucet needs a plumber
Marcie's sorrow needs a man
Red is autumn green is summer
Greens are turning and the sand
All along the ocean beaches
Stares up empty at the sky

Marcie buys a bag of peaches
Stops a postman passing by
And summer goes
Falls to the sidewalk like string and brown paper
Winter blows
Up from the river there's no one to take her
To the sea

Marcie dresses warm its snowing
Takes a yellow cab uptown
Red is stop and green's for going
Sees a show and rides back down
Down along the Hudson River
Past the shipyards in the cold
Still no letter's been delivered
Still the winter days unfold

Like magazines
Fading in dusty grey attics and cellars
Make a dream
Dream back to summer and hear how
he tells her
Wait for me

Marcie leaves and doesn't tell us
Where or why she moved away
Red is angry green is jealous
That was all she had to say
Someone thought they saw her Sunday
Window shopping in the rain
Someone heard she bought a one-way ticket
And went west again

Window Shopping For Blinds
The Beautiful South

One day I'm loaded, next day I'm broke
Spent all my money on whisky and coke
Riding high 'till the rock hit the spoke
It's like window shopping for blinds

Spent all my money on a sunbed tan
Spoke the best that a young girl can
Ended up with a blind drunk man
It's like window shopping for blinds

It's like the heartbreak hotel,
with the heartbreak but nowhere to stay
The doors are shut on us,
the neon light fading to grey

They say I drink too much, to me, well that's just profound
How do you know you can't swim, until you have drowned?

Well there's always a drop in the bottle lady
Always a sip of the wine
The glass doesn't seem quite so empty
When window shopping for blinds

It's like gatecrashing a field, that's not true,
they've a harvest they yield
Save your tears for your evening meal,
when you're window shopping for blinds

One day you're sober, next day you're not
One day remembered, the next day forgot
Spent all my money on cocaine and pot
It's like window shopping for blinds

Covered in bruises from head to toe
No-one to speak to, and nowhere to go
A map of nowhere, and nowhere I know
It's like window shopping for blinds

It's like the heartbreak hotel,
with the heartbreak but nowhere to stay
The doors are shut on us,
the neon light fading to grey

They say I drink too much, to me, well that's just profound
How do you know you can't swim, until you have drowned?

Well there's always a drop in the bottle lady
Always a sip of the wine
The glass doesn't seem quite so empty
When window shopping for blinds

But what if my husband should come?
Well tell me what have you done?
I've cherished my vodka, I've cherished my rum
Don't mind us, we're just licking our wounds in the sun

It's like writing 'I love you' in snow
You know when you write it the message will go
I want a message my lover will find
Don't mind us, we're just window shopping for blinds

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
The Smiths

Take me out tonight
Where there's music and there's people
And they're young and alive
Driving in your car
I never never want to go home
Because I haven't got one
Anymore

Take me out tonight
Because I want to see people and I
Want to see life
Driving in your car
Oh, please don't drop me home
Because it's not my home, it's their
Home, and I'm welcome no more


And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten-ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine


Take me out tonight
Take me anywhere, I don't care
I don't care, I don't care
And in the darkened underpass
I thought Oh God, my chance has come at last
(But then a strange fear gripped me and I
Just couldn't ask)


Take me out tonight
Oh, take me anywhere, I don't care
I don't care, I don't care
Driving in your car
I never never want to go home
Because I haven't got one, da ...
Oh, I haven't got one


And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten-ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine


Oh, There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out
There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out
There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out
There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out
There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out
There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out
There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out
There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out
There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out

goddamn, these may be the saddest lyrics ever

Keep Me In Your Heart
Warren Zevon

Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath
Keep me in your heart for awhile

If I leave you it doesn't mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for awhile

When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun
Keep me in your heart for while

There's a train leaving nightly called when all is said and done
Keep me in your heart for while

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for while

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for while

Sometimes when you're doing simple things around the house
Maybe you'll think of me and smile

You know I'm tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Keep me in your heart for while

Hold me in your thoughts, take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you

Engine driver's headed north to Pleasant Stream
Keep me in your heart for while

These wheels keep turning but they're running out of steam
Keep me in your heart for while

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for while

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for while

Keep me in your heart for while

Poor, Poor Pitiful Me
Warren Zevon

well i lay my head on the railroad tracks
waitin for the double E
but railroad dont run no more
poor poor pitiful me

poor poor pitiful me
poor poor pitiful me
theese young girls wont let me be
lord have mercy on me
woe, is me

well i met a girl in west holywood
i aint namin names
she really worked me over good
she was just like Jesse James
she really worked me over good
she was a credit to her gender
she put me through some changes lord
sort of like a waring blender

poor poor pitiful me
poor poor pitful me
theese young girls wont let me be
lord of mercy on me
woe is me

whoo!

poor poor pitiful me
poor poor pitiful me
theese young girls wont let me be
lord have mercy on me
woe, is me

well i met a girl at the rainbow bar
she asked me if i'd beat her
and she took me back to the Hyatt house
i dont wanna talk about it

poor poor pitiful me
whoo!
poor poor pitiful me
hot little mamma(faint)
poor poor pitiful me
whoo hoo!
poor pitiful me

Mr. Sellack
The Roches

O Mr Sellack
Can I have my job back?
I've run out of money again.
Last time I saw ya
I was singing Hallelujah
I'm so glad to be leavin' this restaurant.

Now the only thing I want
Is to have my old job back again.
I'll clean the tables;
I'll do the creams;
I'll get down on my knees and scrub
behind the steam table.

O Mr. Sellack
I didn't think I'd be back.
I worked here last year
Remember?
I came when Annie
Was going on vacation
And I stayed on almost till December.

Now the only thing I want
Is to have my old job back again.
I won't be nasty to customers no more.
When they send their burger back I'll tell them that
I'm sorry.

Waiting tables ain't that bad.
Since I've seen you last, I've waited
for some things that you would not believe
To come true.

Give me a broom and I'll sweep my way to heaven.
Give me a job;
You name it.
Let the other forty-million three-hundred and seven
People who want to get famous.

Now the only thing I want
Is to have that old job back again.
I'll clean the tables;
I'll do the creams;
I'll get down on my knees and scrub
behind the steam table.

http://www.atamanhotel.com/nazim.html


I COME AND STAND AT EVERY DOOR

I come and stand at every door
But none can hear my silent tread
I knock and yet remain unseen
For I am dead, for I am dead.

I'm only seven, although I died
In Hiroshima long ago.
I'm seven now, as I was then -
When children die, they do not grow.

My hair was scorched by swirling flame;
My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind.
Death came and turned my bones to dust,
And that was scattered by the wind.

I need no fruit, I need no rice.
I need no sweets, or even bread;
I ask for nothing for myself,
For I am dead, for I am dead.

All that I ask is that for peace
You fight today, you fight today.
So that the children of this world
May live and grow and laugh and play!

Original Turkish poem by Natzim Hikmet
English translation by Jeanette Turner
Music by James Waters ("The Great Silkie")
Adaptation by Pete Seeger (1962)
Text (c) 1966 by Stormking Music Inc.
Music (c) 1966 by Folk Legacy Records
All Rights Reserved

I never felt magic crazy as this
Never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
Never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now your here
Brighten my Northern Sky.

Nick Drake-Northern Sky

Two of my favorites from Harry .... everyone ready to cry?


The Shortest Story
Harry Chapin

I am born today, the sun burns its promise in my eyes;
Mama strikes me and I draw a breath and cry.
Above me a cloud softly tumbles through the sky;
I am glad to be alive.

It is my seventh day, I taste the hunger and I cry;
my brother and sister cling to Mama's side.
She squeezes her breast, but it has nothing to provide;
someone weeps, I fall asleep.

It is twenty days today, Mama does not hold me anymore;
I open my mouth but I am too weak to cry.
Above me a bird slowly crawls across the sky;
why is there nothing now to do but die?


and....



Flowers Are Red
Harry Chapin

(Spoken)Your son marches to the beat of a different drummer,
(Spoken)But don't worry,
(Spoken)We'll have him joining the parade by the end of the term

The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said.. What you doin' young man
I'm paintin' flowers he said
She said... It's not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There's a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You've got to show concern for everyone else
For you're not the only one

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

Well the teacher said.. You're sassy
There's ways that things should be
And you'll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me.....

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

The teacher put him in a corner
She said.. It's for your own good..
And you won't come out 'til you get it right
And are responding like you should
Well finally he got lonely
Frightened thoughts filled his head
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen

Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
And this is what he found
The teacher there was smilin'
She said...Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower
So let's use every one

But that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
This is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.

Taxi
Harry Chapin

It was raining hard in 'Frisco,
I needed one more fare to make my night.
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down,
She got in at the light.

Oh, where you going to, my lady blue,
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain.
She just looked out the window, and said
"Sixteen Parkside Lane".

Something about her was familiar
I could swear I'd seen her face before,
But she said, "I'm sure you're mistaken"
And she didn't say anything more.

It took a while, but she looked in the mirror,
And she glanced at the license for my name.
A smile seemed to come to her slowly,
It was a sad smile, just the same.
And she said, "How are you Harry?"
I said, "How are you Sue?
Through the too many miles
and the too little smiles
I still remember you."

It was somewhere in a fairy tale,
I used to take her home in my car.
We learned about love in the back of the Dodge,
The lesson hadn't gone too far.
You see, she was gonna be an actress,
And I was gonna learn to fly.
She took off to find the footlights,
And I took off to find the sky.

Oh, I've got something inside me,
To drive a princess blind.
There's a wild man, wizard,
He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind.
Oh, I've got something inside me,
Not what my life's about,
Cause I've been letting my outside tide me,
Over 'till my time, runs out.

Baby's so high that she's skying,
Yes she's flying, afraid to fall.
I'll tell you why baby's crying,
Cause she's dying, aren't we all.

There was not much more for us to talk about,
Whatever we had once was gone.
So I turned my cab into the driveway,
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns.
And she said we must get together,
But I knew it'd never be arranged.
And she handed me twenty dollars,
For a two fifty fare, she said
"Harry, keep the change."
Well another man might have been angry,
And another man might have been hurt,
But another man never would have let her go...
I stashed the bill in my shirt.

And she walked away in silence,
It's strange, how you never know,
But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for,
Such a long, long time ago.

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly.
She took off to find the footlights,
And I took off for the sky.
And here, she's acting happy,
Inside her handsome home.
And me, I'm flying in my taxi,
Taking tips, and getting stoned,
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned.

All I Wanna Do
Sheryl Crow


Hit it!
This ain't no disco
It ain't no country club either
This is LA!

"All I wanna do is have a little fun before I die,"
Says the man next to me out of nowhere
It's apropos
Of nothing
He says his name's William but I'm sure,
He's Bill or Billy or Mac or Buddy
And he's plain ugly to me
And I wonder if he's ever had a day of fun in his whole
life
We are drinking beer at noon on Tuesday
In a bar that faces a giant car wash
The good people of the world are washing their cars
On their lunch break, hosing and scrubbing
As best they can in skirts in suits

They drive their shiny Datsuns and Buicks
Back to the phone company, the record store too
Well, they're nothing like Billy and me, cause

[Chorus]
All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard

I like a good beer buzz early in the morning
And Billy likes to peel the labels
From his bottles of Bud
He shreds them on the bar
Then he lights every match in an oversized pack
Letting each one burn down to his thick fingers
before blowing and cursing them out
And he's watching the bottles of Bud as they spin on
the floor

And a happy couple enters the bar
Dangerously close to one another
The bartender looks up from his want ads

Chorus

Otherwise the bar is ours,
The day and the night and the car wash too
The matches and the Buds and the clean and dirty
cars
The sun and the moon but

Chorus

The Boy in the Bubble
Paul Simon

It was a slow day
And the sun was beating
On the soldiers by the side of the road
There was a bright light
A shattering of shop windows
The bomb in the baby carriage
Was wired to the radio
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all
The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky
These are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry baby, don't cry
Don't cry

It was a dry wind
And it swept across the desert
And it curled into the circle of birth
And the dead sand
Falling on the children
The mothers and the fathers
And the automatic earth
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all
The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky
These are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry baby, don't cry
Don't cry

It's a turn-around jump shot
It's everybody jump start
It's every generation throws a hero up the pop charts
Medicine is magical and magical is art, think of
The Boy in the Bubble
And the baby with the baboon heart

And I believe
These are the days of lasers in the jungle
Lasers in the jungle somewhere
Staccato signals of constant information
A loose affiliation of millionaires
And billionaires and baby
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all
The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky
These are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry baby, don't cry
Don't cry

Good stuff Tico...reminded me of my favorite Cheryl. I always sing the monotone harmony in the chorus.

I hitched a ride with a vending machine repair man
He said he's been down this road more than twice
He was high on intellectualism
I've never been there but the brochure looks nice
Jump in, let's go
Lay back, enjoy the show
Everybody gets high, everybody gets low,
These are the days when anything goes

[Chorus]
Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer feeling fine

He's got a daughter he calls Easter
She was born on a Tuesday night
I'm just wondering why I feel so all alone
Why I'm a stranger in my own life
Jump in, let's go
Lay back, enjoy the show
Everybody gets high, everybody gets low
These are the days when anything goes

[Chorus]

I've been swiming in a sea of anarchy
I've been living on coffee and nicotine
I've been wondering if all the things I've seen
Were ever real, were ever really happening

(still my favorite Sheryl Crow)

God, I feel like hell tonight
Tears of rage I cannot fight
I?d be the last to help you understand
Are you strong enough to be my man?

Nothing?s true and nothing?s right
So let me be alone tonight
Cause you can?t change the way I am
Are you strong enough to be my man?

Lie to me
I promise I?ll believe
Lie to me
But please don?t leave

I have a face I cannot show
I make the rules up as I go
It?s try and love me if you can
Are you strong enough to be my man?

When I?ve shown you that I just don?t care
When I?m throwing punches in the air
When I?m broken down and I can?t stand
Will you be strong enough to be my man?

Lie to me
I promise I?ll believe
Lie to me
But please don?t leave