1. |
||||
in a way that makes it easier. on second thought that's fine. you're so strong that you don't need me. i'm so tough that i don't mind. if this is how you want to end it. you hold your breath and i'll hold mine. the last one standing is the winner. the first to give up is divine. you left some stuff behind. a book of matches from the place we went that time. a credit card receipt. a crossword puzzle book with every page complete. and then a thought came over me. i had a flash so suddenly. i took a box and labeled it. everything i should forget. and made it fit
|
||||
2. |
I'm Not Leaving
04:04
|
|||
i laid it on too thick. sometimes the sound of my own voice makes me sick. the entertainer is a dangerous trick. i feel so desperate when i give you my arm. and when i turn on the charm. you offered me a drink. i spelled it out in my invisible ink. i hypnotize you by repeating your name. it's a confidence game. but i'm not leaving 'til you tell me you're in love. until no other man could ever be enough. i'm hoping to inspire. an ounce of your desire. but i'd settle for your touch. you laugh and you say that depends. i guess i love you as a friend. but for tonight can't we pretend that it's more. i wore too much cologne. we're at a restaurant having dinner alone. i reach across and take some food from your plate. okay it isn't a date. you give in. i am never giving up. i'm not leaving 'til you tell me you're in love. and all that is required. is to make me feel desired. i need it too much
|
||||
3. |
||||
i picture you sleeping. when i am not there. i think of you smiling. extending yourself to the edge of the mattress. i see our apartment. the clothes on the floor. the books on the nightstand. your breath on my face and your hair on the pillow. you told me that you were so happy. in that dress that the sun shone right through. i will come back from the war. and then i'll marry you. the ocean is wide and it's deep. but the undertow pulls me to you. we leave in the morning. i'm terribly scared. i want to return as the man that you saw wave goodbye at the station. i will try to be careful. i will button my coat. i will count the days backward. i will concentrate and will the bullets to miss me. you told me that you were so happy. it turns out that i'm happy too. i make a lousy soldier. my heart isn't in it that's true
|
||||
4. |
The Only One
03:03
|
|||
you said i had a temperature. and ordered me to bed. you held a cool cloth to my face. and kissed me on the head. i guess i'm not dead yet. you told me your philosophy. without you i'd be lost. a self-fulfilling prophecy. that living has a cost. that everybody pays. then you shut my mouth. and promised me you'd stay. but don't be surprised if i decide to lie to you. or hang around to spy on you. and then she said explicitly. the only one you ever need is me. and so you nursed me back to health. you spoon-fed me your grace. saltines and ginger ale. put color in my face. and me back in my place .with your feather touch. and your clinical embrace. but don't ever think that i will just rely on you. your love's a post you tie me to. if you study your history. the only one i ever need is me
|
||||
5. |
||||
alison traced an outline in the sand. and watching the waves come in. she let it trickle through her hand. graham she said i've thought about it. and i've made a choice. there ain't no way to change my mind. i'm sick of california and i'm tired of your voice. i hate to be unkind. but what's done my boy is done. it's a miserable life for everyone. they spread out all their possessions on the floor. they took turns selecting things they swore they'd share forever more. he wished that he had written his initials in his books. she took some things he wanted out of spite. he wondered if he'd married her for love or for her looks. his mother had been right. remember this my son. it's a miserable life for everyone. and if there really is a hell. i suppose it's just as well. you go there or you don't. death's a bitter pill. but life is crueler still. the pilot got up and locked the cockpit door. this dirty world he said holds no attraction anymore. this is captain graham he said. and gave a nervous cough. i'm afraid a change of plans has just been made. the autopilot's on and now the seatbelt sign is off. please don't be afraid. we're headed toward the sun. it's a miserable life for everyone
|
||||
6. |
||||
concerto for cello and cuckold in a. the orchestra tuned down to four thirty-five. i left you for dead on the spot where you lay. maybe there in his arms you were finally alive. the traffic rang out in a dissonant chord. an ambulance coughed up a cloud of exhaust. i tried to be angry. but all i could manage was bored. i looked at my watch. and when the light changed i crossed
|
||||
7. |
Better Than Nothing
03:53
|
|||
a perfect crime is never discovered. they registered under a phony last name. they'd pull down the blinds and pretend they were lovers. it helped to fill up the space. when they ran out of things to say. in the parking lot of some motel. he told himself oh well. at least it's something. that's better than nothing. he started the car and turned on the headlights. pulled out of the lot onto sycamore lane. he thought he could hear a part of him leaking. but it was just the sound of tires. on the asphalt in the rain. as his alibi began to jell. life isn't short it's long. so who's to say what's wrong. and as he washed his hands for supper. he noticed his hair was now totally gray. he watched his daughter set the table. he threw his arms around his wife. and asked her so how was your day. she wiped her hands off on her dress. and said okay i guess
|
||||
8. |
||||
we spent the afternoon downtown. the day before you let me down. as gently as you could. all the adult things that you bought. at field's and carson pirie scott. meant we were done for good. i asked you in the elevator. you said i'll tell you later. you said you had a list of things you wanted in your purse. but was i on it. you can be honest. i guess it could be worse. we fogged the window in your car. i wrote d.s. plus f.a.r. you laughed and i felt good. i turned the radio up loud. to take my mind off of the sound. from underneath my hood. it got so dark in such a hurry. i told you you looked worried. you said that you were fine. you just thought that it looked like snow. but you were lying. you started crying. and said you had to go. i can remember when you were in school. the way you let your hair run wild. you were so free. you were so fucking cool. so unafraid to be a child. and now you're all grown up. it's like that person went and died. so don't regret her. you can't forget her. i know because i've tried. so when you give up and come back. i won't be hanging on the rack. between couture and shoes. i'll be with all the other rejects. irregulars and defects. the stuff that no one wanted. in such saturated hues. i can still manage. i'm slightly damaged but hardly used
|
||||
9. |
Right Of Way
02:17
|
|||
i'll wait 'til jill comes tumbling after. you can but you don't have to concentrate. i'll wait while you make your decision. your vision and revision separate. the car's in the driveway to take you away. the river pours its heart out into the bay. i love you the most when you're letting the ether hold you in its sway. your arms limp at your sides. with the right of way
|
||||
10. |
I'll See You In The Moon
04:42
|
|||
i fell asleep while i was thinking about second chances. the parking lots of high school dances. and driving down your street. i fell asleep of course i had my walkman on. it was that leonard cohen song. you always said was sad and sweet. i left a sweater in your room. so it would smell like your perfume. so innocent and true. and if i close my eyes i'll see you in the moon. so fall asleep. we cannot change the past now can we. your orange and vanilla candy kisses i will keep. and if i never said the things we both were thinking. i'll drive my parents' car through lincoln park. to whisper in your sleep
|
Deep Elm Records
With nearly 280 releases in its catalog, fiercely independent Deep Elm Records continues to build a better label - one that operates for glory, not gold. Deep Elm is about bands and fans coming together as one and experiencing music's awesome ability to inspire, comfort and console. We're not just making music together, we're making history. Dream / Create / Record / Release - Now for 27 Years. ... more
Streaming and Download help
If you like Civil Wars, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp