1. |
Late August Days
04:03
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Here’s one for the big mistake
Here’s one for the heartache
Here’s one for the kid with the flu
In the middle of her March break
‘Cause we’ve all seen reasons
Swallowed up in the rhymes
And just hoped it would’ve made more sense
After one of these times
A good heart loves gently
A good mind lives mentally
But now and then their lines get crossed;
They mix up accidentally
But I believe that it’s alright
Considering all they do
For any time that you weren’t OK
They’ve come to carry you through
When it hits -
The glimpse of how you need to stay
You give a lot
To keep some little part of you this way
And late August days - you tuck a few away
‘Cause sometimes a winter’s hard
And sometimes love fades
If what makes you smile has a funny style Of slippin’ away
You keep a spot inside you for
The late August days
Last weekend I set sail
In my mind at a rummage sale
I pushed off in a parish hall
Feeling lost in the belly of a whale
I rationed out some baked goods
Wondering if I’d survive
Found my map in a cross-stitched verse
And stumbled out alive
So here’s one for the “can’t go home”
Here’s one for the “always alone”
Here’s one for the “just needs ears”
Without a “nose in a cellphone”
The late August days don’t last
So when the sun don’t shine
Just take it on the chin and grin
And try to have a good time
When it hits -
The glimpse of how you need to stay
You give a lot
To keep some little part of you this way
And late August days - you tuck a few away
‘Cause sometimes a winter’s hard
And sometimes love fades
If what makes you smile has a funny style Of slippin’ away
You keep a spot inside you for
The late August days
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2. |
Missing Myself
02:53
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I woke up at 3 a.m.
To the sound of the telephone ringing
“This is your captain speaking”Ah, it’s just the ol’ captain again
With a foghorn and an offer
That’s getting hard to refuse
“All-inclusive holiday cruise”
And it’s beginning to feel
Like I’ve got a real good friend
That I ain’t met
Made up answers to stupid questions
That no one’s asked me yet
I’ve just been missing myself
Since right around the time you left
I’m working on some kind of ending
But I don’t know where to begin
Is it cool to just phone this in?I mean, no one has gotta know...
Holed up in a basement apartment
Out on the hard scratch of town
Skipping work, just bumming around
‘Cause I ain’t ready to leave
This ugly reprieve
In the glow of the T.V. set
Had a look through the numbers and books
Yet, I act like I lost a bet
I’ve just been missing myself
Since right around the time you left
Now I’ve got nothing on the line
While near and dear assure me
Everything has turned out fine
I second-guess it every time
That you come screaming
Back through my mind
I woke up at 3 a.m.
Knowin’ I had nothing to say
I‘ll just leave it alone today
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3. |
True True Love
03:21
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I’m gonna find that true, true love
I’ve heard the rumours in my years
Yet, I’ve seen golden days still end in tears
Then I get these little doubts
Then I can’t stop thinking about
The times it all just disappears
But true love would never part;
Though you feel some pieces fade
They’re making room for other things to start
As rare as diamonds deep
As far as stars above
I’m gonna find that true, true love
There are places I have known
Where, though I’ve been, I was not proud to go
But they’ve kept me moving along
And they’ve left their meaning upon
Every step I feel below
But true love will always see
That all the places you have been
Were just the places you once had to be
As rare as diamonds deep
As far as stars above
I’m gonna find that true, true love
If it’s a matter of fact, maybe I’d better rethink
Oh, but it’s a natural instinct
I’m just reading the signs
Yet, my only relief is hangin’ on the belief
That this matter of the heart
Is really just a matter of time
True love will always know
All the things your words can’t say
Are just the things that true love has to show
As rare as diamonds deep
As far as stars above
I’m gonna find that true, true love
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4. |
Nights and Days
05:17
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What’s new here on the scene?
Never got around to that connection,
You and me
I hear what you refuse to say,
And I agreeBut we’ve both grown older, so it seems
How did we miss this in our teens?It’s not like we pissed away
All those good years in-between
But it’s life and kids, it’s homes and jobs, It’s bills and dreamsAnd we’ve just grown older, so it seems
Nights and days and separate ways
Line all the dreams up with a plan
Each compromise so slight and wise
Till we’ve forgotten where we stand
We’ll never know just what it means
But, like finding a crumpled-up twenty
In your favourite pair of jeans
Take this for what it is
Then a glad surprise is over
And we just grow older, so it seems
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5. |
Stick to the Plan
03:34
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Lost touch with the worn-out loves I’ve met
Lost count of the nights that I regret
I still ain’t certain where I’ll land just yet
But I’m going
Flash friends come and go like heartbeats
It’s fast times, we all keep footsteps fleet
Just sparks in catenaries over the street
Am I changing?
“Don’t stop. Don’t Split.”
Oh, but what have I done?
How far have I run?
Is there still time to quit?
“Oh, baby. Oh, man.
Are you kidding yourself?
Go put it back on the shelf
And let’s just stick to the plan.”
Stepping out of the road
Into a new set of headlights
If this is some kind of joke,
You know, it’s coming off as backbite
Yeah, sure, no one’s laughing
But I suspect that they’re just being polite
‘Cause I see it. I feel it, alright
“Don’t stop. Don’t Split.”
Oh, but what have I done?
How far have I run?
Is there still time to quit?
“Oh, baby. Oh, man.
Are you kidding yourself?
Go put it back on the shelf
And let’s just stick to the plan.”
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6. |
This Is Where It Ends
03:50
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I don’t buy everything I read
I haven’t even read everything I’ve bought
I don’t cry every time I bleed
My eyes are dry by they’re bloodshot
I have faith in medication
I believe in the Prozac nation
You play doctor, but I’ve lost patience
This is where it ends
This is where it ends
Call the police and call the press
But please, dear God, don’t tell my friends
This is where it ends
This is where it ends
Where’s my pride? Where’s my self-esteem?
Does it show in the drinks I’ve bought?
I don’t hide every time I’m seen
But I try not to get caught
Make excuses for behaviour
Can my illness be my saviour
Hid my heart while you still gave yours
This is where it ends
This is where it ends
Call the police and call the press
But please, dear God, don’t tell my friends
This is where it ends
This is where it ends
She said she wants to live in a movie
I said I want someone else
To stand behind me and write it all down
‘Cause I can’t be bothered doing it myself
And I don’t want the responsibility
Of proving its importance
I have loved and I have waited
Been picked up and been sedated
Mental health is overrated
This is where it ends
This is where it ends
Call the police and call the press
But please, dear God, don’t tell my friends
This is where it ends
This is where it ends
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7. |
Familiar Bends
03:08
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It’s the same day in a harder way
It’s the streets you used to know
But the homes have changed
And when some peace of mind
Is all you wish you’d find
It’s the cheap shot;
Trouble likes to hit from behind
‘Cause nobody tells you when
It’s gonna all fall down again
It’s life’s lost and found
And we’re scrounging for a few good friends
Among the odds and ends
Odd, that when you’re on the mend
You can’t slow down
To get around familiar bends
It kinda came and went
Like a cheque for the rent
It had a crowbar to pull a heart out
Like a nail that bent
They say that once you fall
You learn to stand up tall
Must be a real comedian behind it all
Anyways, don’t be afraid to call
‘Cause nobody tells you when
It’s gonna all fall down again
It’s life’s lost and found;
We’re just scrounging for a few good friends
Among the odds and ends
Odd, that when you’re on the mend
You can’t slow down
To get around familiar bends
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8. |
Being There
03:01
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Look too close and you might see
Something changing, perfectly
But being there is a dangerous thing
If you can’t help yourself
Don’t you fix what ain’t broken, now
Don’t you question your good thing, now
Being there shouldn’t raise such questions
In everything
But you got a way
To raise something out of me
It easy if you keep your distance
Moving close defeats resistance
Being there is a dangerous thing
That you bring on yourself
I’ve seen it stand in the cold light of day
I’ve seen pretending and I’ve heard the claims
I’ve seen it all and now it all just seems the same
But you got a way
To make something out of me
I’ve looked too close - but what’s fair is fair
And being there is being there
And what I’ve seen is a dangerous thing
And I can’t help myself
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9. |
Made to Last
03:45
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The thrill of a lifetime,
The moment of pain
May be on the approach
Or the turning away
Blessed are the eyes
That may greet these displays
How lucky are we to know such great days?
But you know, it’s not made to last
The time comes to ease off the clutch
And touch on the gas
Now we’re rolling away
Wave goodbye and watch it fade
Measured by memory,
Pressed by the past
Some stones they are gathered
While some stones are cast
Arrive at your own place,
Your own grace will follow fast
How lucky are we to ever have what we have?
But you know, it’s not made to last
The time comes to ease off the clutch
And touch on the gas
Now we’re rolling away
Wave goodbye
We drove out to that depot
Down in Northeast, PA
To feel a Conrail pound by us
From ten yards away
We climbed up in your old CJ
And we headed back upstate
You had the top down
And you were grinnin’
And I was dreaming it was just the beginning
But I should have known
It’s not made to last
The time comes to ease off the clutch
And touch on the gas
Now we’re rolling away
Wave goodbye
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