1. |
Exploratory Reformery
02:46
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Tried it all twice
It's so lonely being this forgiving
Take your own advice
And I'll ask if I want your opinion
I shouldn't be here
(But I was) Promised a show
I'll suffer 'til tomorrow
Cause there's nowhere else to go
And they say
Life is the setup
And death is the joke
You'll get it when you're older, kid
Now leave those thoughts alone
Don't take it home
Maybe it's this dirty, humid air
Little leaded legend legionnaire
It could be anything
And I've tried almost everything
I swear
It's so good to see you
My how you've shrunk
You're shaking like an oil rig
One pump from blowing up
We tried but
Trains weren't coming
And space was a bust
So if you're hearing violins
It wasn't one of us
That you can trust
Maybe it's the flooding up the stairs
Dirty water caught her unprepared
It could be anything
And I've tried almost everything
I swear
Tried it all twice
It's so lonely being this forgiving
Take your own advice
And I'll ask if I want your opinion
Maybe it's this dirty, human air
Living leaded legend legionnaire
It could be anything
And I've tried almost everything
I swear
I can feel you trying hard to care
It's just beginning, thinning out my hair
It could be anything
And I've tried almost everything
I swear
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2. |
Mr. Permanent Excuse
03:46
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Take whatever you need
It's important to me
That you get what you want
It's a shame and a scene
Not to say what you mean
When it's the best that we've got
Heartbreaker strawberry blonde
You've got a lot going on
Don't have to take it from me
Don't want your life to feel long
There's something totally wrong
With holding freedom from reach
I get what's mine
Didn't mean to get you
All this time
You don't really want to
Don't take a new beating
Get sad and get even
Come and put it to use
I am the last to arrive
But I'm the first to goodbyes
You know me
I'm Mr. Permanent Excuse
Easier said than it's done
Pretend we're all having fun
Can't give your feelings away
Who taught you how to behave?
There's nothing left here to save
That isn't missing today
Love maker blueberry noose
Do you feel lively & loose?
Did all this make you complete?
Find out the hangman's reply
Was just a comfortable lie
Once it's too late to retreat
I get what's mine
Didn't mean to get you
All this time
You don't really want to
Don't take a new beating
Get sad and get even
Come and put it to use
I am the last to arrive
But I'm the first to goodbyes
You know me
I'm Mr. Permanent Excuse
I'm just a fool same as you
Mistaking "scary" for "cool"
Kicking myself when it's done
I guess it's better to know
How far the fantasy goes
Before it's no longer fun
Don't take a new beating
Get sad and get even
Come and put it to use
I am the last to arrive
And I'm the first to goodbyes
You know me
I'm Mr. Permanent Excuse
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3. |
The New Nostalgia
02:35
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Goddamn we sleep all the time
About a third of our lives
So why the hell am I exhausted morning through night?
I go to work in a fog
And just get worse on the clock
Can't even tell you what my boss said
I just forgot
It doesn't matter how long
I'm out I still feel as wrong
Not even March and all my sick days are already gone
Another zombie in drag
Without the will to attack
And nothing helps cause I'm a headcase
But I'll take it black
I've got a lot of time to think in fact
I think I've got too much
Who would ever want to live like that?
I'm drowning in good luck
Seeing clearly now I'm looking back
I guess that I grew up
But why'd it come so quick?
I try to sit but it hurts
And standing only feels worse
I'll take a Tylenol or death
Whichever comes first
I'm worried sick for my health
Don't want to ask you for help
"Oh don't you know that if you're stressed it triples itself?"
Do you remember the view
Before your life would intrude
This new nostalgia's pretty rough in
Setting the mood
Now you're responsible and
You're a respectable man
Who's up at 3 AM for nothing
Fear what you can
I fear I failed to impress
Myself with all my regrets
Won't get awarded unless
That counts as its own success
So all the outfield cadets
Distracted chasing insects
Have we admitted it yet
That they're as right as it gets
Goddamn we sleep all the time
About a third of our lives
So why the hell am I exhausted morning through night?
I go to work in a fog
And just get worse on the clock
Can't even tell you what my boss said
I just forgot
It doesn't matter how long
I'm out I still feel as wrong
Not even March and all my sick days are already gone
Another zombie in drag
Without the will to attack
And nothing helps cause I'm a headcase
But I'll take it black
Yeah nothing helps cause I'm a headcase
But I'll take it black
Oh nothing helps cause I'm a headcase
But I'll take it black
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4. |
Prime Of Your Life
03:16
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What's gone wrong again?
Mornings are weathermen
Forecast an hour at a time
Front page interview
Live from the fainting room
Hope there's no thunder inside
If I started anew
There's still nothing I'd do
I'm your unethical
Soft and symmetrical
Vaguely identical twin
I'm your better path
Edited photograph
Fossilized mid-laugh again
Love the sentiment
Wish it was relevant
I'm in the prime of your life
It's always something
And never adjusting
With no chance to make up the time
I settle down when I can
Like it's something I planned
I'm your unethical
Soft and symmetrical
Vaguely identical twin
I'm your better path
Edited photograph
Fossilized mid-laugh again
I'm your unethical
Soft and symmetrical
Vaguely identical twin
I'm your better path
Edited photograph
Fossilized mid-laugh again
I'm your unethical
Soft and symmetrical
Vaguely identical twin
I'm your better path
Edited photograph
Fossilized mid-laugh again
Molotov mannequin
Soaking up oxygen
Fit like a skeleton key
Taking for granted
The life you demanded
The gift I've been handed for free
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5. |
Forest For The Shore
05:20
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Part 1: Alright
All alone in the city
All alone in the open ocean
I fear that everyone gets me
Afraid denial just keeps it going
"Yours and mine"
A waste of time
You've got a lot of spine
To get it right
Well I'm a dotted line
To sign behind
You wanna change my mind?
That's fine
Certifiable mainstay
Sentimental for mind in motion
Like I'm special in history
Like believing's the same as knowing
Don't you dream
In ads and memes
An end-of-work routine
To swap my screens
And build my self esteem
On being seen
A little dopamine
Latrine
We're more alike than you'd know
Listening to talk radio
We breathe the same microplastic oxygen
And in the morning we rise
Wiping the sleep aids from our eyes
Awake in a nightmare once again
~
Part 2: Okay
Caught you wishing
Now you're living
It goes fast
Shame it isn't
Ever really gonna last
Take a little
More to keep you on the up
Lost the middle
Now you're really, truly fucked
Didn't mean to call you up
When I was losing hope
Hard to fight forgiveness in a call
Feeling more myself today
Live in between the peaks & valleys
Sadly they don't think of me at all
Goddamn the power's out again
You can add up all the stars tonight
And count them on one hand
I don't want to say I understand
I'll just bury my toes deeper in the sand
~
Part 3: Very Cool
He's an institution
He's the city's oldest cliche
No kidding
Saw him on the subway
Chasing one that's driving away
He should be the mayor
He can hear the planet's retreat
Keep spinning
We're the party favors
New Year's litter choking the streets
Everybody's fine and all
We are doing great
All our fears went aerosol
Rained into the lake
Lazy river waterfall
Give the guy a break
It's hard to see the forest for the shore
I look better bored
It's all I can afford
But I was fine before
So maybe it's not more
That we've been looking for
Hard to see the forest for the shore
For the shore
Give me more
Give me more
Give me more
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6. |
Top Of The Food Chain
03:55
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In a roundabout way
I guess I came around
To this modern life
And this ringing sound
You know it's hard to go backwards
When you wouldn't survive
Without this modern prescription
At this modern price
Don't be like that
You're looking at
The top of the food chain
A monument of opposites
Torn down by a migraine
In a manner of speaking
I'm the pinnacle of
All this human achievement
It's a labor of love
You know it's easy to forget
When it's there all the time
"You don't seem like you're that sick"
"No, you look fine"
Don't be like that
You're looking at
The top of the food chain
A monument of opposites
Torn down by a migraine
They say you've gotta ground yourself first
Before the feeling gets worse
Tried that
Didn't work
My stomach hurts
Don't be like that
You're looking at
The top of the food chain
A monument of opposites
Torn down by a migraine
Who thinks like that?
You're looking at
The top of the food chain
An obstinate old monument
Torn down by a migraine
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7. |
The Bedpan King
01:39
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This bar ain't open
You might have to wait outside
This body's broken
You're gonna have to hitch a ride
I heard that pain is just a weakness of the mind
This body's broken
You might have to say goodbye
I've tried redecorating
Always keeping clean
I've tried ignoring it
Like it was just a dream
Don't take directions well
That's always been my thing
I've tried ignoring it
But it won't ignore me
This isn't someone else
I can't control myself
I am the bedpan king of east wing, 7th floor
I am the bargain bin
You keep your garbage in
Destined for landfill but pretending to be more
Just one more lane and all this traffic will be fixed
Just one more pill and you won't have to live like this
They hate this one trick
It's the living that you've missed
Just one more pill and you can live the life you wished
I feel like someone else
I can't control myself
I am the bedpan king of east wing, 7th floor
I am the bargain bin
You keep your garbage in
Destined for landfill but pretending to be more
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8. |
Easy For You To Say
03:11
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Who's that pillar of perfection
Staring back in my reflection
If I'd only paid attention
Listened from the wrong direction
One day life will make corrections
'Til then I survive infection
Spread the word, evade detection
I beat natural selection
Oh I'm the luckiest guy
Must feel so good all the time
Thank the heavens everyday
That's easy for you to say
Punch card pharmacy prescription
Rent to not own scam subscription
Profit is its own affliction
Stronger in the wrong position
Living is a contradiction
Fine print hid in the description
Soldiers birthed into conscription
'Til inevitable eviction
Oh yeah I get what I take
Made the best from a brutal break
Inspiration, head the parade
That's easy for you to say
I walked all night in search
Of someone else's words
To help me break this spell
Aren't you the perfect friend?
You know me better than
I even know myself
What would I ever do
If I did not have you
How would I still go on?
If this is "how we're made"
Would you not want to trade?
Would it not make you strong?
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Maybe someday when I'm stupid
I'll believe there's been improvement
Thought it but I couldn't prove it
Settled for my own amusement
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9. |
Animal
02:37
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I'm an animal
Understandable
You'd run away
Only borderline
Almost all the time
Maxed at "okay"
If I wanted to
I could lie to you
I'm in control
Love, you're better off
With your fingers crossed
Knowing the whole
Save your own soul
A little poison needle in my skin
Didn't mean to let you in
Didn't mean to let you in, oh no
Tranquilize my need to feed again
Didn't mean to let you in
Didn't mean to let you in
I'm a predator
Under pressure or
Nothing at all
Still a basket case
On those perfect days
Farther to fall
Fuck the edifice
There's no truth in this
I have a home
In the open door
Of the forest floor
Keyed in my bones
I've always known
Don't say you don't
A little poison needle in my skin
Didn't mean to let you in
Didn't mean to let you in
Tranquilize my need to feed again
Didn't mean to let you in
Didn't mean to let you in
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10. |
Remission*
03:47
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You are the ball
You keep me running
Above it all
Can't give me nothing
No stone to push
No rock to carry
All as it should
And temporary
It's never really gone
It's always gonna be your true condition
You'll be dead before too long
And then you will finally see remission
It's never really gone
It's always gonna be your true condition
You'll be dead before too long
And then you will finally see remission
Your big mistake
Was still believing
You make your fate
And all ends even
You're not alone
Your consolation
Turn off your phone
Try meditation
And medication
Intoxication
It's never really gone
It's always gonna be your true condition
You'll be dead before too long
And then you will finally see remission
I actually feel okay today
I wonder how long that's gonna last
Gonna enjoy this hollow break
Before it comes back
It's never really gone
It's always gonna be your true condition
You'll be dead before too long
And then you will finally see remission
It's never really gone
It's always gonna be your true condition
You'll be dead before too long
And then you will finally see remission
It's never really gone
It's always gonna be your true condition
You'll be dead before too long
And then you will finally see remission
I actually feel okay today
I wonder how long that's gonna last
Gonna enjoy this hollow break
Before it comes back
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Charlie Foxtrot Cincinnati, Ohio
Bedroom recordings for basement people
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