1. |
Birth Of A Salesman
03:40
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I was sent down through the ages with a message in my hand
I’m forever in supply, cause I am always in demand
Struck a deal for an empire of everlasting flame
Every man is a target, every man will know my name
You'll sell out for a savior and trade the future before it starts
Put a knife in your brother for every threat you feel in the dark
But, you’re the sinner in the center of an everlasting hate
If fate is a razor, well I've sharpened every blade
I am the gold in your coffers, I’m the fires of industry
I can take any form, in any place you want me to be
All I need is your attention, all I demand is your pride.
My words are your promise, my promise is your guide
You were born into abundance, with a longing to be free
I've got what you need, just don't ever turn your back on me.
For many years I have traveled, countless lies I have told
Hell, I’d say by my count you’ve already been bought and sold
It’s a story old as time, and you know how this is all ends
The devil is at your door, and you let him right on in
I am the devil at your door, and you welcomed me, right on in.
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2. |
Cadillacs In The Sky
03:58
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Gave your all to earn it all, a chosen man of the faith
White-knuckled underneath a golden crown.
Holy-roller modern king, with an ace up every sleeve
Illuminated light in a stained-glass house
So lead them all with your own heart
And bury everyone else in your wake
With all glory be to God on high,
All you see are Cadillacs in the sky
Blessed are the hearts planted at the foot of a man
In sunken ground that won't ever stay dry
You sold them keys to the kingdom, but changed the lock on every door
If they gave an inch you always took a mile
So carve your name across the stars
In that good old American way
Absolve every sin, and let your flag fly high
Way up near those Cadillacs in the sky
If you were once lost, well now you can be found
Taken underneath these righteous wings
Are you washed in the blood, by the shepherd that you seek?
Why would you speak the truth when there's no need?
So lead them all into God's own heart, and may your fortune light your way
Recite those old time hymns through a polished smile
While whispers on the wind speak an unholy lie
Now swing for the fence son, it’s the bottom of the ninth,
Before you can see those Cadillacs in the sky
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3. |
Mercy Kill
03:37
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Spun out wheels under a white limousine.
As the curtain tore and fell.
And your fingerprints? Nah, they ain’t too hard to find.
So name your price, see how it sells.
Cause Momma said bow your head when Gabriel comes blowin’ his horn
I learned long ago I don’t need the man to ever tell me the score.
Hide your voice under a dark and bitter flag
Call me any ugly name you choose
As you scream out from the shadows with a smile on your face
But, you should know my aim is true
Oh King Lear, despite your fear, your daughters they’ve all had quite enough
I assure you, I don’t need a man to ever tell me which way is up
Every empty window and shuttered door
Every man and woman stood still.
All the banks in the world cash your check, but I’m dressed to kill.
Throwing echoes through a canyon with a bold and forceful song
Model behavior is a passing season gone
Lined up at the gates, as your thread unwinds in front of us.
Diamond headlights in the blinded eyes of fools
Ask yourself how much is enough for you?
Cause, I’m on my feet and my aim is true.
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4. |
Good Man's Countryside
03:34
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Sit up high in the saddle
There are storms rising over the West
Be mindful of what you carry
Your hard luck will shoulder the rest
It’s a bad man’s world
But, it’s a good man’s countryside
When he tells you to own it and smile
Let him know you weren’t born to hide
Twenty year drought
With smoke and mirrors on the wall
They’ll always shout a good man down
But they ain’t saying nothing at all
God orbits the Earth
Like some far away satellite
There’s a rumor floating around
He’s on his way, spoiling for a fight
When the rain starts falling, you’ll keep your head down low
With your knife blade sharpened, cut your way as you go
Ride on and find that girl
The one with the sweet southern name
She might ask you to sing along
Cause she’s the real thing
Make a home in your heart
Be brave and take your stand
Ease your way up the trail ahead
Live like a good man
When the rain starts falling, you’ll keep your head down low
With your knife blade sharpened, cut your way as you go
With your knife blade sharpened, cut your way as you go
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5. |
Gaslighter
03:36
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I chewed on my tongue for damn near thirteen years
Collected your excuses while she wiped away her tears
I put em in a box out of sight but never out of mind
I don’t think I’ve ever met a man so god damn insecure
With your red and tattered flag you hang with pride above your door
You’re singing, “Everyone else here is the problem, it’s not me.”
Ooh what a shame you had to throw it all away
Ooh just a sheep in wolf’s clothing
A catalog cliché
You spent your days lighting secret little fires to keep you satisfied
A slow burn from the edges moving in
And now you’re making your bed in a burning house
And panic as the flames start to lick at your skin
Bless your pathetic little heart – how did you honestly think this would all end?
No one to throw petals at your feet or kiss your crown of conceit
Seems to be more than your mind can comprehend
Ooh cold and callous til the walls start closing in
Ooh you can burn that midnight oil but there ain’t no savior for your sin
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6. |
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Born with a steady hand from my dad long ago
And a peaceful heart from my mom cause she knows
The salt of the earth has always been on my table
Lost somewhere off a two lane stretch of road
I feel a low ache for the winds back home
I beg for mercy like a white hot shotgun blast
When Texas calls me home, I will lay my weary heart to rest
I’ll head to the coast if I can find my way
I need the salt air in my lungs for days
Swing by Hemingway’s grave, I’m feeling strange
Cause I’m a six-toed cat drowning in the waves
Old soldiers waterhole on the rise
I ain’t the same kid I once left behind
But I remember my name in the shade of the live oak trees
Tornadoes rip through the Red River draw
I owe it to the hands who’ve eased my fall
I narrow my eye with a pellet gun by my side
Knocking over every single tin can I find
I feel alive in a country dying slow
The courthouse still stands, for all I know
Where you are headed, I cannot go
Cause I’m a first born son on his way back home
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7. |
Friendly Fire
04:05
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I earned a mouthful of blood with some words I said.
Might’ve lost a fight, but never lost my head.
If there’s poison in my drink I’ve got no complaints.
Cut my teeth on nothing less than a fool’s blind faith.
I’ve got an atheist lover, she’s my favourite kind.
She runs a hundred miles an hour towards the finish line.
I heard her say, “Baby, you and me, oh we’re a world-class mess,
And I’ll die in a dancehall wearing my favourite dress.”
If I can manage to age gracefully.
Well, I won’t worry too much about the coming night.
Gotta be faster than the hell hounds chasing me.
I’ll drown in a wave of neon lights.
Some people have money, some are lucky in love.
Some folks would murder for control of the heavens above.
Well, I don’t want the piss poor luck of a Kennedy.
So I took aim and shot the horse out from under me.
Educated on a dime that I haven’t paid back.
For a guaranteed dream in a brown paper bag.
When the words lost meaning and the meaning was a lie.
I sold that dream beneath the neon lights.
If I can manage to live patiently.
Well, I won’t worry ‘bout living underneath the knife.
You might serve someone, but I’m damn sure free.
So I can drown in the wave of the neon lights.
So I can drown in the wave of the neon lights.
I won’t toe the line, I’m a bad man.
I won’t toe the line, I’m a bad man.
I won’t toe the line, cause I’m a bad man.
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8. |
Avenue A
03:49
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Well I’m back.
Back on the barstool where I buried my priors, became a bold liar.
Kindled the fires from the ashes, smoldered and died.
And I collapsed,
Collapsed in the corner where I lost my balance, in a broken down palace.
The bartender Alice assists my suicide.
Last night, had a fight with Crown Royal,
Crawled blocks off of Bleeker, curled up with a speaker,
Just blaring Bob Seeger, rekindling them Hollywood nights.
And I’ll try, I’ll try to forget ‘em,
The fucked up recollections, reality suspensions,
The bad dream collections that’ll linger the rest of my life.
It’s a beautiful Sunday in Lower Manhattan.
I’m hoping that one day these pains fade away.
They won’t serve bloody mary’s until twelve hours till Monday,
And I’m shakin’ and waitin’ on Avenue A.
Well it’s trite, in spite of my bitching
When I bring up the bad days, bought in to full ash trays.
Bruises on my legs have prayed for a betrayal too long.
So I’ll write.
Write for ears that won’t hear me and won’t even attempt to,
I’ll defend all my friends who made all my fears come true by screaming
For all my sad songs.
And it’s a beautiful Sunday in Lower Manhattan.
I’m hoping that one day these pains fade away.
They won’t serve bloody mary’s until twelve hours till Monday,
And I’m shakin’ and waitin’ on Avenue A.
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9. |
Unrequited
04:54
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I watched you from afar
The summer sun reflecting off your olive skin
A cloud of smoke from your cigar paints a picture in my mind of regret of what might have been
But I’m not one to wait
For things I want to fall into place
I need to taste your lips, touch your face
How can I make you see how happy we could be?
Summer faded, by the time the leaves were crisp beneath our feet
You were my only one
My mind intoxicated by the love you make
I’m drowning and I don’t want no help from anyone
Lay me down
Tell me that you’ll never leave me
Hold me close
I don’t know how to be alone
Then it comes and is it any wonder?
I see you hide your face at the crazy things I say
I don’t know how to keep myself from going under
Can’t keep these demons at bay…anymore
I hear you say, what happened to my girl
Now all that’s left is the ghost of a smile
I hear you whisper, what happened to my girl
I swear to god I catch a glimpse once in a while
Once in a while
But I’d kiss your poison lips a thousand times
If I knew that it would bring you back to me
So I’ll sit here with these pills to ease my god-forsaken mind
And write the words that I know you’ll never see
Sweetheart, come
I watched you from afar
The summer sun reflecting off your olive skin
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10. |
Golden Age
03:54
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You appeared through the door
In a moonlit daydream long ago
I can still name the song - when you caught my eye
Playing through the old radio
We stumbled blind through the southern states
Watched the country through your windshield
You once said, "we'll always show our sharpest teeth
While our youth is a weapon to wield"
I will never forget how you looked up there on that stage
I will remember you in your golden age.
You were stoned-drunk, barely upright as you sang, but my God you could turn a phrase
I stood in awe of you in your golden age.
Bar fights under neon lights
We never knew which way was up
You kept a wooden cross, I kept a pocket knife,
And your grandma's old ring for luck.
Shined your boots like you shined up a room
I'd watch you till my eyes were sore
You were the last blinding bright blue pilot light
Roman candle of the western world.
I fell through the floor for you in some wayward formless haze
Time carved a scar on me in your golden age
You moved with such speed and grace even the devil himself got out of the way
You were untouchable in your golden age
We give away promises in life that we can't keep
But I danced with you under lamp light, alone in an empty street
I’ve stitched up all my sorrows and bow my head in eternal thanks
Cause I witnessed you catch fire in your golden age
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11. |
Last Call
03:15
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Drop the flowers in a vase, straighten that old picture frame
Don’t forget to turn out every light
Dime store shirts to polish our reflection
While we sleep-walk through our days in wild desire
I could tell you what I think, but nothing matters anyway
Inside an old dancehall on Sunday afternoon
Reckless thoughts and eager contemplations
Call it what you want, it's called the truth
Cool and collected down the line
Your white t-shirt and blue jeans brought it home
I held you in the highest, when all is said and done
Lost in the neon afterglow
Let’s sit still and make no sound, explosions echo all around
I saw falling stars, or maybe satellites
Vanish like two tail lights through the wreckage
We’ll make our way out by morning light
I hope you know you’re on my mind
The sirens scream we’re out of time
We've got one last cigarette before it all goes up in smoke
Dance on through the ashes as we go
Pour one more drink and tip the band
Play a three chord waltz that never ends
Silhouetted by the moon, you were dressed up all in blue
The night I watched this world end with you…
The night I watched this world end with you…
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12. |
Empire Falls
04:42
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I long for your marquee eyes, they're all I prefer to see
Tear gas settles under the morning sun, so I hide myself in my dreams
The fountain from which we all drink is dried up and headed straight for hell
Toss a few cents in while a fever descends and pretend we're all wishing it well
Like bullets flying through the hallways I'm merely an afterthought
I can’t stand all this talk about the good old days, when maybe we should all be alarmed
I pull up my boots as I run from the news while the hypocrites speak in tongues
Blood on the streets while the monuments sleep, I believe we're all pushing our luck
I've grown so weary and I imagine that you have too
I see all of these strange faces
Dressed up in the red, white, and blue
They're storming the walls while the empire falls
And all I can think of is you
I heard frailty in a madman's voice, pouring salt in open wounds
I lit a candle in a broken room, the low light looks good on you
He's screaming with rage, while the lunatics wave, and that damned ol' freedom won't ring
If you raise your sword, well you'd better be sure, cause you know I won’t kneel for the king
Throw your arms around me, we're long overdue
I hear all these empty phrases
And not a single one telling the truth
They're storming the walls while the empire falls
And all I can think of is you
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