1. |
bourbon (and boobs)
02:37
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have you met my old friend Jim?
Kentucky-born and good to me
and have you met the twins?
from a shady Clermont street
ain't got nothin' left to lose
that's the way it oughta be
in the gutter can't crawl no lower
after all what she done to me
i got bourbon
i got you two
i got hammered
i got screwed
but i deserve half these kicks
on a bender, i'm an SOB
but the other half're just outta spite
on a bender, she's just as mean as me
she got bourbon
she got those two
we got hammered
i got screwed
well i'm a man of simple tastes
my truck is old, my dog is new
he's more loyal than i'll every be
but less fun than my latest bruise
i got from bourbon
i got from you two
i got hammered
i got screwed
oh, she got bourbon
she got those two
we got hammered
i got screwed
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2. |
Circle Me
04:20
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remember those awkward days in geometry & algebra
teenage stumbling malcontents?
calculus, trigonometry - these words were so Greek to me
like your beauty in the back of class
that time was so long ago
do these constants still apply?
circle me, square me, divide and multiply me
derive and quantify me, too
circle me, square me, divide and multiply me
i am a function of you
and in this is the awful truth, an awful proof, a stolen sound
it rings from you, rings from me: this tune
these sines and waves, plots and points, graphs of uncertainty
this one sure thing i have from you
that time was so long ago
what do these parameters still do?
circle me, square me, divide and multiply me
derive and quantify me, too
circle me, square me, divide and multiply me
i am a function of you
i hold my breath so as not to sing aloud
there is news up on your wall
what is your formula, these sets, these proofs, parabola
in this expression you are my all
that time was so long ago
why does this all seem so new
circle me, square me, divide and multiply me
derive and quantify me, too
circle me, square me, divide and multiply me
i am a function of you
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3. |
where you can go
04:10
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oh i look for wisdom
in every word you say
there is only madness
when you lead me astray
you don't really mean it
your intentions never cruel
but you are made of matches
i am made of fuel
wherever you can go
whatever you may need
whatever you may want
however high the fee
my good friend leo tolstoy
wrote of anna based on me
he said you gotta be perfect
he said you gotta be free
and chuck bent over backwards
that soused up albatross
he said much the same thing:
steal away from loss
wither thou would go
i will follow; i am blind
however hard the blow
these are the ties that grind
wither thou would go
i will cleave to thee
however hard the blow
however deep the sea
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4. |
occupy my heart
03:37
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there ain't no permits needed
no one's wearin' riot gear
i don't have a sign to wave
i just want you here
but i'll take your red tent cities
i'll take your 99
i'll take your white-hot anger
i just want your hand in mine
and it's funny cuz you're next to me
but we're a long time apart
come on over, the space is free
why don't you occupy my heart
this world is going down (in flames!)
and i spend my nights alone (drinkin' whislkey!)
there may be a body there
but you are long, long gone
come back for the revolution
come back and sing along
come back for the retribution
just come back - i was wrong
and it's funny cuz you're next to me
but we're a long time apart
come on over, the space is free
why don't you occupy my heart
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5. |
The Only French I Know
03:59
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The only French I know is "café au lait" and "s'il vous plaît,"
"Parlez-vous anglais" and "Je ne sais pas."
All of those "useful" things that aren't so much
When a tall glass of Cabernet sits beside you on the plane
Tout mon anglais ne suffirait à décrire
Comment ses yeux agissent sur mon âme
Mais c'est sa voix plutôt qui me rend totalement fou
Elle parlait toute à l'heure et on dirait un ange...
Comment dire?
What to say?
Un simple mot...
I don't know, but I think -
Mais je crois -
I think I might -
Je crois aussi que je -
- Salut
- Hi
The only French I learned will never get this right
But I can't fuck this up; it's a six-hour long flight
Am I ready for this? I don't even know what "this" is
Am I ready to kiss him?
Tout mon anglais ne menerait jusqu'à ses pieds
Toutes les bêtises que j'ai commises déjà
Comment lui tendre la main, ô pourquoi est-ce que
La couleur de ses joues me fait de choses pareilles ?
Comment dire?
What to say?
Un simple mot...
I don't know, but I think -
Mais je crois -
I think I might -
Je crois aussi que je -
- You're from ...
- Lyon. Et toi ?
- Cleveland.
The only French I know will never be enough
But all of my English fails me, too.
Can he see through my eyes, deep inside
What is this tongue we've found?
Tout mon anglais ne suffirait jamais
Mais mon français m'a également failli
Peut-elle me voir derrière les yeux, ô cieux !
Quelle est cette nouvelle langue ?
- Oui, je te comprends
- I understand you, too.
- Est-ce que tu m'aimes ?
- I do
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6. |
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I.
The trouble is the ship left without me. Also I cut a hole
in the sunset-tinged sail. Not a hole; a heart shape.
I almost forget they’re the same. The scissors sank like
live weights, flashing their teeth at the mackerels.
Summer ends with a settle of silver and sand.
II.
A woman alone is an alien thing. The dock rejects her heft.
Mouths open to the sky, golden birds pray for rains
and the wormtails of truths. Wishes can break your neck
if you don’t cant your face three degrees to the right.
of the mast. Look at me, quick. There’s nowhere else to go
III.
but down. Last night the boatman had tomorrow for eyes.
There was no place left to slot my coins. Think of that face
like the ones drawn on rice—a curio to scare the children with.
My muse slunk off with a half-cocked heel and a man
half her age. If I believed in gods, I’d fuck them all.
IV.
Once I was younger. Every word was a seaweed scrawl of bracken,
every line a breaking wave of wood. Who wants to be a bird
when I can be me? Song was never mine for pyre. My hair is spun
of golden scales. When the ship sinks, let’s say it was never my fault.
Let’s say I really wanted to go all the way.
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noah mclaughlin Atlanta, Georgia
Appalachian distortion, folk samples, and ancient myths.
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