POETS

      (Drum Intro)

      (Guitar starts up, followed by another)

      Spring starts when a heartbeat's poundin'
      When the birds can be heard above the reckoning carts doing some final accounting
      Lava flowing in Super Farmer's direction
      He's been gettin' reprieve from the heat in the frozen-food section, ya

      Don't tell me what the poets are doing
      Don't tell me that they're talkin' tough
      Don't tell me that they're anti-social
      Somehow not anti-social enough, all right

      And porn speaks to it's splintered legions
      To the pink amid the withered corn stalks in them winter regions, yeah
      While aiming at the archetypal father
      He said with such broad and tentative swipes why do you even bother, yeah

      Don't tell me what the poets are doing
      Those Himalayas of the mind
      Don't tell me what the poet's been doing
      In the long grasses over time

      { Instra }

      Don't tell me what the poets are doing
      on the street and the epitome of vague
      Don't tell me how the universe is altered
      When you find out how he gets paid, all right
      If there's nothing more that you need now
      Lawn cut by bare-breasted women
      Beach bleached towels within reach for the women gotta make it that'll make it by swimmin'

      (Guitar, drum ends)

      PUTTIN' DOWN

      Held a bird’s egg between her breasts
      There’s reasons for the road, I guess
      To document the indigenous
      To paint and sketch, paint and sketch
      I’m starting to fail to be impressed

      United state of ricochet
      From the boardwalk to the Appian way
      The diamond files, the corporate raves
      You’d practically kill not to be afraid
      And I’m starting to choke on the things I say

      Putting down, I’m putting down, I’m putting down
      I’m putting down, I’m putting down, I’m putting down
      I’m putting down, I’m putting down, I’m putting down
      D…o…w…n      (Down)         < small break >

      Browbeaten out from underneath your dress
      The documented indigenous
      Civilization flipped its desk
      You know the rest, there is no rest
      And I’m starting to fail to know what’s best

      I’m Putting down, I’m putting down, I’m putting down
      I’m putting down, I’m putting down, I’m putting down
      I’m putting down, I’m putting down, I’m putting down
      D…o…w…n     (Down) (5x)
       

      SCARED

      I could make you scared, if you want me to
      I'm not prepared, but if I have to
      He said, I can make you scared, It's kinda what I do
      If you're prepared, Here's what I propose to do
      You're in Russia, And more than a million works of art
      Are whisked out to the woods
      So when the Natzis, Find the whole place dark
      They'd think God's left the museum for good
      I can make you scared, If that's what I do
      If you're prepared, if I have to
      If I make you scared and you pay me to
      If that's the deal, now here's what I can do for you
      Now there's a focus group, that can prove
      This is all nothin' but cold calculation
      Tests have shown, that suspicious or hostile
      They're lives need not be shortened
      Truth be told, they can live a long, long while
      Tickled to death by their impo...o.o.rtance
      If you make me scared, If that's what you do
      If I'm unclear, can I get out of this thing with me and you
      If you feel scared, a bit confused
      I gotta say this sounds a little beyond anything I'm used to
      Now there's a precious few, that can prove, that at the root
      This is all nothing but cold calculation
      Clearly entranced, you're leaning back now
      Defanged destroyer limps into the bay
      Down at the beach it's attracting quite a crown
      As kids wade through the blood, out to it to play
      OK, you made me scared, you did what you set out to do
      I'm not prepared, you really had me going there for a minute or two
      He said, you make me scared too
      I wasn't sure I was getting through
      I gotta go, it's been a pleasure doing business with you 

      700 FOOT CEILING

      Let's go to the park, let's go watch 'em floodin'
      Out there after dark, don't have ta think of nothin'
      And I love that for, for the way I'm feelin'
      700 foot, 700 foot ceilin'
      Let's take it to the top, of the tobacco nation
      We can aim the dish, for hardcore invitations
      And I hate that for, for the things I'm thinkin'
      When the clouds are low, 700 and sinkin'
      It's part hard, hard to remember
      It's part hard to say
      Parts unknown, unknown for ever
      And those parts fade away
      But leanings toward, to-ward a full-stops
      All I hear you say
      One foot on the stump, the others on the pulpit
      700 foot, 700 foot pulpit
      And I love that for, for the way I'm feelin'
      700 foot, 700 foot ceilin'
      In our own backyard, we can do some floodin'
      When it's cold and dark, don't have ta think or nothin'
      Don't have ta think or nothin' 

      SHE DIDN'T KNOW

      Yeah, oh yeah
      Born a queen up on her side, and she felt it too
      There's a lot you can see when there's nothing to do
      She got down on her knees and she dug herself o..o.ut
      Slipping to the east side and prancin' abo..out..na...na
      Learn a language baby it's that kind of place
      Low card is hunger, and high card is taste
      And trouble is small change when daddy's around
      You know that she learned a lesson when she happened do..hown
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, no, no, no
      { Instra }
      One eye on the table, one eye on the floor
      She got beat for her pride with her back to the do..hor
      She be digging the spotlight and call it her o..o.wn
      But you know it's over when everyone's go..hon
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, who, ta know..o..w
      { Instra }
      Stealing seconds together, the day is the night
      You can fly your own colors as long as they're right
      The trigger invites you, and so do the bo..h..oys
      But if there ain't no one listening, there ain't no noise
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, well...
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, the barrel was loaded
      She didn't know, She didn't know, She didn't know 

      SMALL TOWN BRINGDOWN

      Been to Reno, drives an El Camino,
      Can you dig that sty..y...yle
      Hip canteen, you always make the scene
      Your a crazy chi..i..i..ld
      It's a sad thing, Bourbons all around
      To stop that feelin' when your livin' in a small town
      Your long and lean,
      But things don't get you down
      You're a top ten kingpin in the borders of your home town
      Can't get hip, you work the jobs I've quit
      Don't you dig that sty..y...yle
      Won't admit, you just don't give a shit
      Cause your minds gone wi..i..i..ld
      It's a sad thing, Bourbons all around
      To stop that feelin' when your livin' in a small town
      Your long and lean,
      But things don't get you down
      You're a top ten kingpin in the borders of your home town
      Can't live to die too easy, why stick around
      I want my life ta please me, not another smalltown, hometown, bringdown
      This is it, you might as well get pissed
      Don't cha dig that sty..y...yle
      Make your trip, there ain't that much to miss
      When your minds gone wi..i..i..ld
      It's a sad thing, Bourbons all around
      To stop that feelin' when your livin' in a small town
      Your long and lean,
      But things don't get you down
      You're a top ten kingpin in the borders of your home town
      Within the borders of your home town
      Within the borders of your hometown
      Your hometown, Your Hometown, Your hometown, ya

      SOMETHING ON

      Your imaginations having puppies

       It could be a video for new recruits
      Just stare into the camera
      And pretend that you got the flu
      Or dreams of impossible vacations
      And get all teary from the wind
      Look as though you're standing at the station
      Long after the train came in

      And see how the space tautens
      Like there's something on
      And you're never more hot then
      When you've got something on

      Picture a century of water
      Bury the pipeline guy right here
      Kill the dream of possible vacations
      With the sweep of a mapping pioneer
      Outside there's hectic action
      The ice is covering the trees
      And one of em's interconnecting
      With my chevrolet caprice

      Black out to phantom power
      And like there's nothing on
      And hammering the tower
      And now there's nothing on

      We'll ride the monorail
      Rocking gently home on the trail
      You wanna to show me the moon

      I know you're standing at the station
      I know there's nothing on
      I know the alienation
      I know the train's long gone
      I can see how your face tautens
      Like you've got something on
      It makes me feel just rotten
      But you've got something on

      SPRINGTIME IN VIENNA

      Instructions from the manual
      Could not have been much more plain
      The blues are still required
      The blues are still required again
      Past territorial piss-posts
      Past whispers in the closet
      Past screamin’ from the roof-tops
      We live to survive our paradox-es(3x)
      Men here of the secret
      They pass in upholstered silence
      They only exist in crisis
      They only exist in silence
      Past territorial piss-posts
      Past whispers in the closet
      Past screamin’ from the roof-tops
      We live to survive our paradox-es
      We’ll live to survive our paradox-es
      We live to survive our paradox-es
      We’ll live to survive our paradox-es
      We live to survive our paradox-es
      We’ll live to survive our paradox-es

      38 YEARS OLD

      Twelve Men broke loose in '73
      From Millhaven Maximum Security
      Twelve pictures lined up across the front page
      Seems the mounties had a summer-time war to wage
      The chief told the people they had nothin' to fear
      Said the last thing they wanna do is hang around here
      They mostly came from towns with long french names
      But one of the dozen was a home town shame
      C Same pattern on the table, same clock on the wall
      Been one seat empty, eighteen years in all
      Freezin' slow time away from the world
      He's 38 years old, never kissed a girl
      He's 38 years old (pause)
      Never kissed a girl
      We're sittin' round the table, heard the telephone ring
      Father said he'd tell 'em if he saw anything
      Heard the tap on the window in the middle of the night
      Held back the curtains for my older brother Mike
      See my sister got raped, some man got killed
      Local boy went to prison, man's buried on the hill
      Folks went back to normal when they closed the case
      They still stare at their shoes when they pass our place
      My mother cried the horror has finally ceased
      He whispered yeah, for the time bein' at least
      Over her shoulder, on the squad car megaphone
      Said let's go Michael son, we're takin' you home
      C Same pattern on the table, same clock on the wall
      Been one seat empty, eighteen years in all
      Freezin' slow time away from the world
      He's 38 years old, never kissed a girl
      He's 38 years old, never kissed a girl
      He's 38 years old (pause)
      Never kissed a girl 

      THREE PISTOLS

      Alright
      Well, Tom Thompson came paddling past
      I'm pretty sure it was him
      An' he spoke so softly, in accordance to the,
      Growing of the dim
      He said "Bring on the brand new Renaissance,
      Cause I think I'm read..ee..y
      I've been shakin' all night lo..hong,
      But my hands are steady...e..e"
      Three pistols (Yeah seep them all away) came
      And three people we..hent on their way
      Three pistols stro...o..hong
      And three people spent, yeah..e..yeah..a..ha
      Well he found his little lonely love
      His bride of the northern woods
      But she took me to the Opera Ho..oo.ouse
      Like she said she would
      Then she sighed and he fell from the balcony..e..he
      Shakespeare's bent to tough
      She never had any time for me..he
      Cause I didn't protest enoug..h..of
      Three pistols (Yeah seep them all away) came
      And three people we..hent on their way
      Two pistols stro...o..hong
      And three people spent, yeah..e..yeah..a..ha
      Alright ( repeat 7 times )
      Little girls come on Remembrance Day
      Placing flowers on his gra..a..have
      She waits in the shadows till after da..hark
      To sleep them all away
      I say "Bring on the brand new Renaissance,
      Cause I think I'm read..ee..y
      I've been shakin' all night lo..hong,
      But my hands are steady...e..e"
      Three pistols (Yeah seep them all away) came
      And three people we..hent on their way
      Three pistols stro...o..hong
      And three people spent, yeah..e..yeah..a..ha
      Three pistols (Yeah seep them all away) came
      And three people we..hent on their way
      One pistol stro...o..hong
      And three people spent, yeah..e..yeah..a..ha 

      THUGS

      Everyone's got their breaking point
      With me it's spiders
      With you it's me
      Thugs in perpetuity
      When we're excited little birds, around the feeder
      The cat's indifferent or he's just
      Furious it seems that he's never neither
      I do the rolling, you do the detail
      I do the rolling, you do the detail
      { Pause with drums }
      Hairbird plucks a - hair from a sleeping dog
      Ta build her nest
      She said I've looked around, and I like your hair the best
      I do the rolling, you do the detail
      I do the rolling, you do the detail
      Ruby...whew, honey are you mad at your man
      Ruby...whew, honey are you mad at your man
      Aw, honey are you mad at your man
      I do the rolling, you do the detail
      I do the rolling, you do the detail
      I do the ro..o.lling, you do the detail 

      TRICKLE DOWN

      Old lion's dyin', got left behind
      Cut your teeth, lose your meat
      An man it's just a matter 'time
      Key's to the cuffs, you might be king
      That's it that's all, that's e..e..every thi..ing
      Skeletons, come here to dance
      Where barrooms beat their brothers into a bloody trance
      What's the deal? What did I do?
      Who cops all the cops is all I a..ask of yo..ou
      Linin' up, waitin' on the trickle down
      Somethin's up, takin' time to get a ro..ound
      Belly up, all the drinks are on the cro..o..own
      Just a matter of trickle down
      Twenty miles, before the crash
      That's the style for a while
      An man I think it's gonna last
      "Hit the breaks" is all you can say
      Conductor says we'll save them for another rainy da..a..ay
      Linin' up, waitin' on the trickle down
      Somethin's up, takin' time to get a ro..ound
      Belly up, all the drinks are on the cro..o..own
      It's just a matter of trickle down
      A...a { Instra } A..a
      Old lion's dyin', got left behind
      Cut your teeth, lose your meat
      An man it's just a matter 'time
      Key's to the cuffs, you might be king
      That's it that's all, that's e..e..every thi..ing
      (2x) Linin' up, waitin' on the trickle down
      Somethin's up, takin' time to get a ro..ound
      Belly up, all the drinks are on the cro..o..own
      It's just a matter of trickle down
      It's just a matter of trickle down
      No, it's just a matter of trickle down 

      TWIST MY ARM

      Thar she blows, Jacques Cousteau
      Hear her sing so sweet and low
      Lull me over - board out cold
      Gathered in and swallowed whole
      Ya do I want to? With all that charm?
      Ya do I want to? Twist my arm
      You just hit me where Ilive
      I guess it looked quite primitive
      What was that supposed to prove?
      Throw the calf or he'll throw you
      Do I want to? With all that charm?
      Do I want to? Twist my arm
      Ya, do I want to? With all that charm?
      Do I want to? Twi..i..st my a..a..rm -- Woo
      Sucked in by the victim world
      Thirsty as a cultured pearl
      Culled and wooed, bitten, chewed
      It won't hurt if you don't move
      Do I want to? With all that charm?
      Do I want to? Twist my a..a..rm
      Ya, Do I want to? With all that charm?
      Do I want to? Twist my arm
      Ya, musical chairs, double dares, memorized stares
      Shootin' off flares, springtime hares - broken-down ma..hres
      Ya, coward phones, big soup stones, priceless loans
      Grill-sick crows, motel moans -- big fat Jones -- Woo -- Woo
      { Bass break }
      Martyrs don't do much for me
      Though I enjoy them vicariously
      After you, no after me, no I insist! Please after me
      Do I want to? With all that charm?
      Do I want to? Twist my a..a..rm
      Ha, Do I want to? With all that charm?
      Do I want to? Twist my a..a..rm -- Ahh -- do it

      VAPOUR TRAILS

      Titillations been replaced, by interstate brickface & coffemate
      And by a list of phonecalls, you’ll like ta make
      Where you could sit on the edge of your bed
      And you could stare into your own shoes
      And in the pools of light there, go wherever you choose
      Just rig up a complication, and if it derails
      You can throw away the rudder, & float away like vapour trails

      There’s nothin funnier than pride, in an utterly confident stride
      So I pulled the car on over, to give you a ride
      Damn this sleepy weather he said, as he marched in soppin’ wet shoes
      Through rainpools evaporatin’, says in this sign I’ll conquer you

      I pulled the car on over, to give you a ride
      But there’s nothin’ uglier than a man hittin’ his stride
      Past Mexicans all dressed in beige shirts, leanin’ over their hoes
      Now the mornin’s over, it’s time to let those sprinklers hose

      Past hills of chambermaids’ dark bare arms
      And feilds of muscles quilted to the bone
      Right now I’m flyin’ over, Ya right now I’m flyin’ home
      Where I can sit on the end of my bed
      And I can stare into my own shoes
      And in the pools of light years, go wherever I choose
      And throw away the rudder, float away on vapour trails
      I rigged up a complication, totally derailed
      So I throw away the rudder, float away like vapour trails
      I pulled the car on over, (It’s time to let those sprinklers hose)

      Woo…Woooo….Woooo    -    Throw away the rudder (4x, 1x, 2x)

      WHEAT KINGS

      Sundown in the Paris of the Prairies
      Wheat Kings have all t' treasures buried
      N..All ya hear are the rusty breezes
      Pushin' around the weather vane Jesus..hus
      In 'is zippo lighter he sees the killers face
      Maybe it's someone, who's standing in a killers place
      Twenty years for nothin', well that's nothin' new
      Besides, no one's interested in somethin' you didn't do
      Whe..he..heat Kings and pretty things
      Let's just see what the morin' brings
      There's a dream he dreams where the highschool's dead and stark
      It's a museum, and we're all locked up in it after dark
      The walls are lined all yellow-gray and sinister
      Hung with pictures of our parents' prime ministers
      Whe..he..heat Kings and pretty things
      Wait and see what the morrow brings
      Late breaking story on the CBC
      A nation whispers we always new that -- he'd go free
      They add you can't be fond of livin' in the past
      Cause if you are then there's no way that you're gonna last
      Whe..he..heat Kings and pretty things
      Let's just see what tomorrow brings
      Whe..he..heat Kings and pretty thin..hings
      Naaaa that's what tomorrow brings
      { Instra ending with slide } 

      WHEN THE WEIGHT COMES DOWN

      Afternoon, see a guy, with rubies on his head
      An he's shiftin' like, shiftin' like he was dead
      An he's hearin' somethin', she never said
      On 'is way back home, under his bed
      When the weight comes down, When the weight comes do.o..own
      In the night a girl who doesn't mind her ragged sleeves
      Knowin' someone soon, is gonna grieve
      Han-a-man he tell her a sto..o.ory, she just don't beli..hieve
      Called "A..a..adam, never could do right by Eve"
      Oh, When the weight come down, when the weight come do.o..own
      When the weight come down, Waya-down on you, do.o..own on me..e
      An a girl walks by the burnin' bush, she asks "what's gone wrong here man?"
      An he smiles, an-did-a, "open wide, wide, W..i..i..i..ide
      { Instra }
      In my dreams, candy coated train come to my do..hor
      With a little girl, I can't have any mo..ore
      Han-ya know a le..e..etter, washes up to the sho..o..hore
      That I can-not read, and I probably should igno..ore
      Oh No, When the weight come down, And the weight comes do.o..own
      When the wei..ght, when the wei..ght, come down
      Aha, down on me. down on me, down on me..e..he
      No, no, now I cannot breath, I cannot breath, a ho
      A who, Wa, get out, get out, get out, get out, get ou..o..out
      No, no, A ha, No, Ah no, Oh no, Oh, no, no, no