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1. |
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norman mailer was being heckled
by some international students at harvard
who asked him why he was there
and why they should listen to what he had to say'
he answered that he had been invited
to speak at this fundraiser
for the journal he had founded
when he was a student there
this is what freedom used to be
was it really that long ago
and are we (you and me) the last hope
for american literature
carol gilligan and harold bloom
were discussing hedda gabler
on the stage of the american repertory theater
gilligan claimed gabler
was the prototype of the modern femininst
while bloom saw her as a tragic negation
an embodiment of evil
on a par with king lear's edmond
and that every woman in that audience
should be glad
to have nothing in common with her
the audience applauded gilligan
and booed bloom
who walked off the stage in disgust
this is what freedom used to be
was it really that long ago
and are we (you and me) the last hope
for american literature
naked lunch was banned in boston
when a book is banned it is a crime
to publish it. read, it sell it, or mail it
and those who do so can go to prison
schools add to and remove books
from their curriculum with regularity
these books are still available
to buy and to borrow to publish and to read
they have not been banned
there are no court trials
people should be more concerned
about books being written today
that are deemed unpublishable
because they conflict with
community standards and party line morality
of the ruling elite
because such books will never exist
while the books these same people
claim are being banned
remain a vital part of our heritage
in american literature
this is what freedom used to be
was it really that long ago
and are we (you and me) the last hope
for american literature
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2. |
Ed Sheeran
02:43
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ill ski down mount everest
on two broken legs
then climb prehistoric towers
to eat a pterodactyl's eggs
ill stand up tall against
the things im a fearin'
but ill never click on a playlist
that includes ed sheeran
ill paddle through a school of electric fish
to face a 20 foot surfing wave
and ill go without a flashlight or a can of raid
into the deepest darkest spider cave
ill volunteer to be a test case
and go on psychotronic trips
ill look straight into the sun
during a full eclipse
ill stand up tall against
the things im a fearin'
but ill never click on a playlist
that includes ed sheeran
i can swallow a snake and pull it out of my ass
and barbeque a chicken in the belly of a whale
fly a one propeller plain through a code 4 hurricane
to deliver twenty bags of contaminated mail
ill kiss the voodoo lady
until she sticks me with a pin
ill do a juggling act
with nitroglycerin
ill stand up tall against
the things im a fearin'
but ill never click on a playlist
that includes ed sheeran
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3. |
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1.Hear the march
from the dark abyss
Get Hades
darkest kiss
Hear the bombs
roar far behind
Only shadows
in your mind
Ch
Run dear mother
run for you child
Run dear sister
, run and hide
Run from the bombs, from the guns
from the tide
Run for the once
who died
2 Hold on, fall down
and pray
To wake up
anorher day
Hold on to
your mothers hand
As you run
on the blod stained sand
Run dear mother
run for you child
Run dear sister
, run and hide
Run from the bombs, from the guns
from the tide
Run for the once
who died
Bridge
Their bloody hands are infected
by the endless words of hate.
As you hear them marching down your street
Every step screams “ it is to late!”
Ch
Run dear mother
run for you child
Run dear siste
, run and hide
Run from the bombs, from the guns
from the tide
Run for the once
who died
3 You sleep between
swaying islands
At the ship you still hear
the sirens
Safe, far away
from bombs
You hear screams from those
who lost their moms
Ch
Run dear mother
run for you child
Run dear siste
Run and hide
Run from the bombs, from the guns
from the tide
Run for the once
who died
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4. |
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the ancient fortune teller
saw it in her crystal ball
the industrial revolution
from the beginning to the fall
the rise of automation
the cities built on vice
from the shuffling of the cards
to the last roll of the dice
we loved the giant monsters
men shrinking from radiation
never knowing we were watching
our own extermination
we loved the giant monsters
men shrinking from radiation
never knowing we were watching
our own extermination
the children of the atom bomb
at a saturday matinee
saw the future on a movie screen
brighter than the day
we saw it on the movie screen
the soul of man expire
from the night the sky exploded
to the day the earth caught fire
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5. |
WHEN YOUR FATHER DIES
02:52
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when your father dies
it is the beginning
of your own demise
when your mother dies
it is the end of your family
and the death of the first born
marks the end of your generation
and if your wife dies before you
you will be dead, though walking
and if your children die while you still live
you should never have been born
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6. |
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we catch more fish with his net
but the fish belong to the man
we catch less fish with our spears
but those fish remain in our hands
when she was working for the mack
she earned two dimes a crack
but only got to keep one
when the night was done
now she is working for herself
nobody takes a slice
out of her price
she only makes two nickels
but she gets to keep both nickles
we chased the rich man away
some say it was foul play
and maybe it was
but we did it because
his nets got in our way
now we catch our own fishes
and wash our own dishes
and thats how its gonna stay
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7. |
The Chairs
01:27
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words are not things
they represent things
the picture of your wife
s not your wife
yet you love the picture
more thanyou love your wife
and the word love
can represent almost anything
except love itself
that is why i dont lock in
i dont use symbols
i move by counterpoint
not chords
the word "chair" provokes the idea of a chair
but is not itself a chair
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8. |
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Turns out the rumor going round this town, is really true
The Wisemans called it quits out of the blue, and split for good
David found Lyn out there by the pond going at it with Mr Wood
I told David you tried your best, you did all you could
I heard the Wilsons had a fight last night, outside the bar
Eve caught Sam with Sally in a car, he's quite the cheat
They were yelling pretty loud, and throwing punches, right there in the street
Then Eve went home, threw out the bed and burned all her sheets
These days a happy marriage is rare
A long one a thing of the past
So keep telling me again and again
And again and again
How our love is gonna last
How our love is gonna last
How our love is gonna last
How's our love gonna last?
It seems people all around us they're all breakin up
no one ever so much as bats an eye
Everyone just expects it nowadays
Nobody notices or even acts surprised
These days a happy marriage is rare
And a long one a thing of the past
So keep telling me again and again
And again and again
How our love is gonna last
How our love is gonna last
How our love is gonna last
How's our love gonna last?
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9. |
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Everyone liked cowhand Luke
But he had a shadow past
Nobody would believe him
Even though he was an outcast
Some say old Jim was a victim
But he's buried neath that tree
He had quarreled with Luke
After sleepin' with Marie
Chorus
Some of his victims stayed 'round
Didn't go on as they should
They wanted revenge and wouldn't rest
Because they knew he was no good
Yeah, they knew he was no good
Seemed he could do no wrong
Though some had questions still
He stayed in the darkness
He had a destiny to fulfil
Some of us knew the truth
But Luke he put on a show
He took care of widow women
Seems they didn't want to know
Repeat chorus
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10. |
An American Dream
01:11
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he loves the feel of her body
through the black and white dress
but finds her more attractive
in colorful clothing
she wears the colorless dress
to bring him closer
and he closes his eyes
as she pushes a well placed ice pick
through the back of his neck
he didnt die right away
he lived long enough
to watch her walk across the room
and put the two bitsfrom the table
into her alligator purse
as she opened the door to leave
he asked her "Why?"
"What did you expect from a whore?"
she replied
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11. |
IT WAS ONLY A SONG
01:52
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i spend my nights
in grey and blue
lost in the sky
remembering you
life was long
and then it was wrong
or maybe i was wrong
it was only a song
i was chewing your cud
now i am coughing up blood
just because you are scared
doesnt mean you cared
she tells me that she cares
but love is more than being scared
im on a guerney, there she goes
how can she dance on arthritic toes?
babies give birth
some die and never bloom
some die in childbirth
some give birth in the tomb
some are dry as cactus
split open in the sun
others wet as rainfall
in the barrel of a gun
i ask her a question
she treats me like toast
maybe she would answer
if i were a ghost
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12. |
12 BELLS
03:12
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we spread out a blanket
by the river
and sang our songs
beneath darkening skies
i felt so close to you
in the moonlight
That should have been our night
But we let it pass us by
(chorus)
i did not realize then how i loved you
nor did i suspect you felt the same
I should have held you close until the dawning
but at the toll of the twelve bells i walked away
(verse two)
many years have passed by
as i wandered
ive sung my songs
alone from town to town
i often think of you
in the twilight
a lifetime without love
what is lost cannot be found
(chorus)
i did not realize then how i loved you
nor did i suspect you felt the same
I should have held you close until the dawning
but at the toll of the twelve bells i walked away
(bridge)
So kiss me once
before this night is over
And I will hold so dear
the memory
With bittersweet regret
And sweet surrender
This love that should have been
Was not to be
(chorus)
i did not realize then how i loved you
nor did i suspect you felt the same
I should have held you close until the dawning
but at the toll of the twelve bells i walked away
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13. |
Finally Alone
03:04
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I finally found my home
A place to take or make my happiness
Where I can be alone
And do the things I love the best
This is where I will play
Nobody will get in my way
Finally alone
I think I’ve found my home
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