My Best September

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

I recall it was in Autumn, near the end of September

The leaves were turning, bet you didn’t think that I would remember

A Black & White wedding in Queens, I met your whole family

Afraid somehow I might make a scene

On my best behavior drinking Pepsi in the hall

But coke in the stall

CHORUS

My best September – Like our own movie scene

My best September – Rockin’ ‘round in NYC

And thanks to you, Gina T., it forever will be

In my thoughts, and my dreams

In my heart, thanks to your schemes

My best September – My best September

My little social guide, you taught me all the sites of Manhattan

A city girl who knew the world, and just how everything happens

You took me to your favorite haunt, that West Broadway restaurant

Underneath the table cloth, you slipped your foot between my legs, as if to say

You could always laugh me off

CHORUS BACKING VOCALS

Memories aren’t always quite what occurred

But they fill in the blanks, crystalize what was blurred

It’s Not Fair

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

I went down to the river; they say that’s where you’re supposed to go

I didn’t know what I’d find there, my crooked river doesn’t even flow

I don’t know, where to go, I’m emotionally sore

So I think, then I drink, that just upsets me even more

I don’t….Just don’t….Oh, no

Tried to…Tried to…Oh, no

Stumbled down to the railroad tracks, I used to walk them as a kid

The way I felt then did not come back, but the words…they finally did

Now I know, what to say, but I don’t want to be “that guy”

I guess you, knew it too, so I’ll just have to try to say

CHORUS

I don’t love you anymore

Tried to tell you so many times before

It’s just that I have no other choice, and it hurts me just to think it, but

I don’t love you anymore

It’s not fair

Wandered into a local church, head in my hands down on my knees

Back to basics and first thing’s first, I prayed my best “God help me please”

You don’t know, how this feels, I never pictured it this way

It’s not fair, just not fair, but I’m the one who has to say it

CHORUS

Instigators

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

Well, the Instigators are just Fabricators

They’re invested in a narrative they never show

They’re always up-tight, outa sight, talking trash afraid to fight

They claim to be the experts, but they never know

But I know…

MINI CHORUS (2, 4, 6, 8….who do we appreciate?)

Well, the indoctrinators show up some time later

They’re the ones who cannot do, they teach your kids and you

They’re ivory tower pencil necks who navigate to moral wreck

They really hate their lives, and hope that you do too

And it’s true…

CHORUS

It aint nothing but beautiful lies

                (1, 2, 3, 4….we’ve got more than you can score)

And they’re programmed to prey on your minds

                (5, 6, 7, 8….we’ve got more than you can take)

If you wanna be lemmings, I don’t mind

(9, 10, 11, 12….we’ve got more than you can spell)

But I can’t take it

Now those instigators become promulgators

They feed it to the talking heads, they’re really dumb

They got their scripted talking points, they hang out at the same old joints

They inundate your senses ‘til you’re really numb

But I know…

CHORUS

(1, 2, 3, 4….let me hear you stomp the floor)

(push ‘em back, push ‘em back, way back)

(hold that line, hold that line, kick ‘em in the ass and do it one more time)

Point Of No Return

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

I never said that this would be easy

We always knew this could be so hard

Our temporary has finally gone too far

 CHORUS

And it took years to get here

Through all those smoke-filled juke box joints

But now we finally got here

We’re at the point…of no return  

Broken promises, broken people

There isn’t really much more to say

A sentimental fake kiss

And we’re on our way

Don’t pretend this is not the end

Don’t pretend that we can be just friends

No more rules to break

No more rules to bend

CHORUS

Yes it took years to get here

I really hate to disappoint

Because we finally got here

We’re at the point…  

It took so long to get here

But it was quick to disappoint

Looks like we finally got here

We’re at the point…of no return  

BRIDGE

We finally reached that place

Turning back’s just not an option

And both of us realize that now

But if ever we hit a patch

And fall in to despair

I know you would still care (you would still care)

And I’d go anywhere (I would go anywhere)

We know we both would always be there

CHORUS

And it took years to get here

I really hate to disappoint you

But we finally got here

We’ve reached the point…  

It took so long to get here

I really hate those Juke Box Joints

Looks like we finally got here

We’re at the point…of no return  

REPEAT CHORUSES AND “LA-LA’S” WITH SOLO

Rings of Saturn

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

I can still see the rings of Saturn

Dancing in her eyes

But all at once it just didn’t matter

And much to my surprise 

CHORUS

It was over in moments

Not hours, not days, not weeks (“not months” on last chorus)

Don’t know what they told her, but I know her

And I’ll never get her back

Sometimes I think that this isn’t real

I like to fool myself

Hard to express how I really feel

At least to someone else

Don’t make the same mistake

Don’t look into my eyes

There are no planets there

Just the tears I’ve cried

CHORUS

BRIDGE

Something tells me that deep inside, something’s just not right

But this time it is just black or white

She either lying, or just a fool, only one who knows is her

I’m not sure which one I prefer

CHORUS

I can still see the rings of Saturn dancing in her eyes

Merry-Go-Round

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

Well I got my spot, my lucky spot

I hope tonight that spot is hot

And I can still kick back a couple of drinks

Cuz on the Merry-Go-Round you don’t have to think, and

 CHORUS

I don’t care what people say

I’m gonna play it anyway

And you can bail me out from the lost & found

I got my little white ball, and my Merry-Go-Round 

Well I met a little girl down Reno way

She taught me how to play the game a different way

We ended up in Tahoe, and we changed our names

Then she took me upstairs to play a different game, but

CHORUS

I don’t care what people say

I’m gonna play it anyway

And you can bail me out from the lost & found

I got my little white ball, and my Merry-Go-Round 

BRIDGE

I hope it’s black

Or maybe just red, if that’s what I said

Black or red, no in-between

Unless of course, it turns up green

And if it’s green, that’s not my scene

I’m better off banging on a slot machine

Odd or even is not my style

I pick a couple of numbers, play my lucky pile (alright)

INTRO

When we got downstairs, she proposed a dare

The black and red, she said, just didn’t seem fair

And when it hit green, it paid off seventeen

So I bought that girl a diamond ring because

CHORUS

I don’t care what people say

I’m gonna play it anyway

And you can bail me out from the lost & found

I got my little white ball, and my Merry-Go-Round 

BRIDGE

I hope it’s black

Or maybe just red, if that’s what I said

Black or red, no in-between

Unless of course, it turns up green

And if it’s green, that’s not my scene

I’m better off banging on a slot machine

Odd or even is not my style

I pick a couple of numbers, play my lucky pile

When I bet black, I don’t look back

Sometimes it’s red, if that’s what I said

Black or red, no in-between

Unless of course, it turns up green

Inside Your Dream

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

I think for just one night

I slept inside your dream

It was a pleasant sight

With flowing gentle streams

There was a beautiful garden there

Truly quite the picturesque scene

Humming birds and flowers there of yellow and green

Last night I slept inside your dream

It was a beautiful thing

Along the path, I ran into

Someone who looked like me

He asked me where I could find you

And then, what did I see

That beautiful garden

Was slowly turning brown

No longer flowers and trees there of yellow and green

Last night I slept inside your dream

Didn’t mean to change anything

BRIDGE

Dreams aren’t intended to be heard or seen

Certainly not to be shared

But, if by chance, you sleep in someone’s dream

You might learn too much, more than you care

SOLO

I tried to find a way to leave

A door to get me out

The flowers now had poison leaves

The humming birds, now owls

I finally found a portal crack

And when I turned around

The garden colors were changing back to yellow and green

Last night I slept inside your dream

Didn’t mean to change anything

Last night I slept inside your dream

Epic Fail

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

I had a real good plan

At least it felt that way

It was a victimless pseudo-crime

But now I rue that day

It started with a telephone photograph

But it spiraled out of all my control

I thought maybe it would be good for a laugh

But now I know (It’s just another fail)

Now everybody in New York

And all those dregs in L.A.

Even my friends up in Cleveland

Aren’t sure what they should say

I always thought I could be somebody

But reality has finally set in

I guess I realized I’m nobody

Is that my sin?

Within a week, I’m infatuated

Within a month, I’m stuck here in jail

And all those dreams that I inflated

Well, they’re just another epic fail

I’m going through the motions

My empty bag of tricks

I finally stumbled on the notion

This is something I can’t fix

I had a thousand-dollar bill in my pocket

But I ended up in Florida Hell

No matter how I try to spin or ignore it

This won’t end well

Within a week I’m making bank

Within a month, I’m stuck here in jail

I guess I know who I should thank

It’s just another epic fail

SOLO

At first, I was riding so high

I never thought that I would land in jail

Now all my friends are waving goodbye

It’s just another epic fail

I’m stuck here in a Florida prison

I really wish someone would pay my bail

Unless there’s something here that I am missing

This is just another, just another, just another epic fail

There Goes The Bride

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

He met her at a kissing booth

At the County Fair

He should have known right then

He should have known right there

There was something with this girl that’s not quite right

Perhaps she even posed a future risk of flight

CHORUS 1

There goes the bride

Streaming tears down her face 

She can’t decide

If this is her time or place

And her friends have seen this all before

It never gets too old, I’m sure

Bye-bye, Bye-bye

There goes the bride  

A wedding set for June

So it could be outdoors

It seemed to me too soon

Had she done this before?

Something about her struck me as obsolete

Like land lines, cursive, 8-track tapes, head-over-feet

CHORUS 2

There goes the bride

Crocodile tears down her face 

She couldn’t decide

Just what she wanted to face

And she creates another pretty mess

As she collects another wedding dress

Bye-bye, Bye-bye

There goes the bride  

BRIDGE

She got something old and something new

She got something borrowed and something blue

All those things her mother told her to do

Now the only thing she doesn’t have…Is the groom

SOLO

CHORUS 3

There goes the bride

Streaming tears down her face 

She can’t decide

If this is her time or place

Now her friends and family are not sold

They’ve seen it all before, or so I’m told

Bye-bye, Bye-bye

There goes the bride   There goes the bride  There goes the bride…

I Think

(Words & Music by Jim Butterfield)

I Think, therefore I am

Don’t think, you can change me, you can’t

If you really want to be confused, walk a mile in my shoes

It’s the least that you can do…..I think

I walk, like a man with a plan

I talk, like I know who I am

If I really had this figured out, I’d be a billionaire, no doubt

But until then let’s twist and shout…..I walk

BRIDGE

They say that all good things will come to those who wait

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

They seem to say so many things, but who the hell are they?

I’ve said it before, I won’t wait too much longer

I sing, cuz I never liked poetry

I shrink, at the thought of notoriety

If I really had a master plan, I’d be the nazz I’d be the man

Instead I do the best I can…..and I sing

And I walk

And I think

Oh yes, I think

Paradise

Just another day in paradise

As I stumble down this crooked road

Livin’ the dream and getting’ bad advice

‘Til my brain encounters overload

I won’t forget, but no regrets, I realize I’m not dead yet

Seems like this happens every day (every day)

A little medicine might do me good

But I took that cure three years ago

Know what I shouldn’t do, and what I should

And what I shouldn’t do, I’ll just let go

Don’t hang me up, don’t let me down

I feel better when you’re around

This doesn’t happen every day

 BRIDGE

Impossible circumstances clouded all my dreams

They followed me everywhere, every day (every day)

But improbable happenstances were not all they seemed

I can make everything okay (alright, alright, alright)

My latest day here in paradise

Was the same as any other day

The only difference is I realize

It’s up to me to make this all okay

Yes now I know, it’s plain to see

I’m like a prisoner set free

I hope this happens every day (every day) 

The One That Got Away (This Bird Has Flown) 

Went for a ride in Bill’s brand new car

And we didn’t have to drive too far

Bird and a friend were having trouble

Bill and I were seeing double

We ended up at Ganim’s Bar

And now it didn’t take very long

Maybe the drinks Al poured were double-strong

It wasn’t quite the same

For Bill and “What’s-Her-Name”

But Bird and I sang Karaoke, off-key all night long

                That was the one who looked my way

                But she’s the one that got away

Now you know it isn’t much like me

I don’t impress the girls that easily

We had a million things in common

Like Beatles, gin and ramen

So we knew that it was meant to be

Just like a train you can’t slow down

Well, we were seen all over town

And one night it was official

When the contents of her satchel

Were a toothbrush, pillow and “Goodnight Moon” nightgown

                She was the one that came to stay

                But she’s the one that got away

Now if I had one hundred bucks

For every time I’ve had bad luck

I’d be rich as Rockefeller

But not a happy fella

Cause I’m always getting myself stuck

Now depending on whose side you own

It’s hard to say which one felt more “out-grown”

And even Billy was surprised

He read it with his own two eyes

The simple note she left just said “This Bird has flown”

                This Bird has flown

                She’s the one that got away

No Way To Roam

Ginny and Pete met at the Greyhound station

Planning their latest trip to God-knows-where

They had enough money saved from working Interstate exits

To buy a couple of one-way fares

Now Ginny looks cute in a tramp kinda way, and Pete can pretty much hold his own

So when they clean up from working at the Interstate exits

You could swear they both have jobs and a home

CHORUS

They might think they’ve found the way  (he/they/you)

But I guarantee it’s not

Stumbling through another day

Just remember what you’ve got

Listen to what people say

Not every house is a home

Wandering far from home  (all alone)

Is no way to roam

Now Suicide Jack with his hair slicked back

He thinks he’s some kind of self-made man

In an era gone by you’d call him some kind of grifter

Or at least maybe a confidence man

When he’s not dealing smack, he’s in his basement pitch-black

Playing GTA ‘til break of dawn

And when he wakes up at four, he does it all like before

Can’t figure out where all his money has gone

Ginny and Pete stepped off the Greyhound bus

Under the desert sun of God-knows-where

Pete puts on a stolen pair of Ray-Ban glasses

The sun shines bright on Ginny’s platinum hair

Now Ginny loves Pete, and it’s a fait accompli

When he presents her with a pawnshop ring

The platinum band matches her bleached hair strands

Cubic Zirconia’s her new favorite thing

When Crystal Shatters

 I had a plan I thought was Oh, so fine

My perfect masterpiece was crystalline

But as it often seems to go these days

Everything changed when life got in the way (now I say)

CHORUS

I tell myself that it doesn’t matter

I tell myself oh well, hell, who cares

The problem is that when crystal shatters

Shards fly everywhere

Pretty soon I’m on the second verse

It isn’t better, it just might be worse

I’m digging holes and running out of time

This plan is really not so crystalline (Oh, I know)

BRIDGE

Stumbling through broken glass and twisted debris

A wasteland as far as the eye can see

All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men

Couldn’t put my crystal back together again 

So now it’s come down to a matter of time

A shattered masterpiece, once crystalline

Just one more thing before I have to go

I’d say “I’m sorry”, but I think you know

Psycho Girl

Psycho Girl came to town last week

Looking to hone her ubique mystique

Along with her sidekick, “Space Cadet”

This duo is something you can’t forget

She messes with lives and she plays with minds

Not what you’d call the empathetic kind

If screwing up lives is a superpower

Then Psycho and Space are “Girls of the Hour”

CHORUS

And everyone knows by now

There’s no match for that psycho power

She appears to be everywhere

Then vanishes in thin air…. she’s The Psycho Girl

When I met her I was quite unaware

Of the mystical powers she could share

She seemed like a mild-mannered girl

Like everyone else in this mixed-up world

Then eventually as if by fate

I discovered the Psycho Girl too late

Her powers immense, and her mission clear

To make my life miserable, now and here

Bridge

She’s an alternate universe Superman

Wreaking chaos and pain the best she can

With her fists on her hips, she does proclaim

Lies, Injustice, and The Psychotic Way!

Psycho and Space left as they came

Surviving to fight another day

If you want your own upside-down world

Find your own personal Psycho Girl

Jersey Mary

I met a Jersey Girl, who thought she knew the world

I think it happened in a club down in Soho

She gave me such a dirty glance, and after just one dance

Tried to convince me that I shouldn’t stay solo

CHORUS

Mary, Mary, Mary you look so fine

But I just don’t have time, to train another one

Mary, Jersey Mary, you’re so damn cute

But you’re a substitute, this just couldn’t be fun (no way)

Mary had too much to drink, at least that’s what I think

She ended passed out on the bar in a coma

The only I.D. I could make, was obviously fake

She’s not some California girl from Sanoma (she’s from Jersey)

LONG CHORUS

Mary, Mary, Mary you look so fine

But I just don’t have time, to train another one

Mary, Jersey Mary, you’re so damn cute

But you’re a substitute, and this just couldn’t be fun

You’re so fine, but not mine

Maybe another place, or just some other time

Mary, Jersey Mary, gotta get you home

But I was on my own, and she was no help at all (Oh, no)

I carried Mary to the PATH, and with a little math

I figured twenty’d get her halfway through Jersey

I pinned a letter to her sweater, for the Transit Cops who met her

“Hi, I’m Mary.  I live somewhere in Jersey” (get down)

END CHORUSES

Mary, Mary, Mary you look so fine

But I just don’t have time, to train another one

Mary, Jersey Mary, you’re so damn cute

But you’re a substitute, and this just wouldn’t be fun

You’re alright, not tonight

I gotta balance all my options, pick the one that seems right

Mary, Jersey Mary, it was fun for a while

But it’s just not my style, to look the other way

Fine, fine - Mary of mine

You were the Valentine, that I never had

Mary, Mary, Mary you look so fine

But I just don’t have time, to train another one

Mary, Jersey Mary, you’re so damn cute

But you’re a substitute, and this just wouldn’t be right (no way)

(No….not tonight)

It’s All Good

She twirls the curls in her hair, and mentions something distracting

It’s better to let her pretend, it’s almost like she’s play-acting

She stares off in space to a place, a place where no one can hurt her

And repeats, and repeats, and repeats as if I never heard her

She says

CHORUS

It’s all good…..But I don’t believe her

I don’t wanna leave her   2) She’s my little deceiver 

It’s just I’m not a believer  2) I just wish I believed her

It’s all good…..She tells me over and over

Like that song Crimson and Clover  2) It’s just like crimson and clover 3)Some kind of crimson and clover

Sometimes I don’t even know her   3) Not sure that I even know her

Once upon a time, back in time, the answers came before I would ask her

All the goals we set were always met, they ended happily ever after

But fairy tales often fail, at least that’s what the cynical tell us

I don’t wanna believe that it’s true, but only heaven can help us

Now she says

CHORUS

If a friend can pretend, not to notice the pain that’s inside her

Then  it’s better to let her go on, as if I didn’t know her

I don’t wanna say it’s Okay, and hope she’ll finally discover

Maybe someday or someway, she’ll realize that I really love her

Until then, she says

That’s What You Get 

The Punks and the Rockers, Motor-Town Hip-Hoppers

Think they got it all figured out

Rock-A-Billy Poets who don’t really know it

Some just twist, and some just shout

Glamor Rocker Wannabe’s, and indie has-beens just like me

Looking for a wink and a nod

Don’t forget the K-Pop, Grunge and Modern Power Pop

They’re auto-tune Rock Legend Gods

Lock ‘em in a padded room, and give them each a gun

They’ll form a circular firing squad

That’s what they’ll get…..That’s what they’ll get

The girls in the back seat, groovin’ to the down-beat

Waiting for the drugs to kick in

They don’t pretend to care about, anything you talk about

They’ll tell you when it’s time to begin

Everything is better when you tell her that you’ll let her

Just pretend it’s one big joke

The new age is back stage, never act your real age

Can’t fix something if it ain’t broke

A friendly game between friends of Russian Roulette

But don’t forget which one of you last spoke…..That’s what you get

CHORUS

That’s what you get

You stupid Get

This ain’t over yet

That’s what you get

The latest iteration of a dysfunctional nation

Is appearing right before your eyes

Dystopian Nirvana with a hint of Che Guevara

Telling pure sectarian lies

A Marxist protégé’s your daughter’s latest fiancé’

But he’s telling you he knows where it’s at

They’ll infiltrate your T.V. set, invent a proletariat

You shoulda known better than that

The FBI and IRS are in on the joke

I guess we know who’ll get the final laugh…..That’s what you get

BRIDGE

A little bit of common sense can go a long way

But none of that is common today

Did you miss the warning signs, or did you forget?

Be careful what you wish for, or you just might regret

Be careful what you wish for, or you just might regret

Be careful what you wish for, or you just might regret

You ain’t seen nothin’ yet…..That’s what you’ll get

The Secular Society replaced religiosity

The lemmings all joined the same team

The Congress and the Parliament became the latest sacrament

Genuflect before the machine

Five thousand years of moral law, and lessons learned from Ma and Pa

They’re all just so “passé”

A narcissistic generation, supersedes good education

For ego, fortune or fame

When God becomes a party joke

To neo-cons and common folk

That’s just “end of game”…..That’s what you get

Donna

Jimmy and Donna sat on the rug, but they didn’t know what to say

So they started to hug, and they thought about love, but they didn’t know what to say

And all day long I am sitting singing songs

Singing to the little girl who never sings along

But Donna, I could have told you this would happen

‘Cause you never do things the way I want you to

And Donna, I always knew that this would happen

‘Cause you never do things the way I want you to

Now Jimmy and Donna had a big fight, weren’t sure what it was all about

So they fought, and they fought, and they fell out of love

Never figured out what it was about

And all day long I’m still sitting singing songs

Singing for a little girl who never sings along (like this)       

-BRIDGE-

Now Jimmy and Donna drifted apart, and they went their own separate ways

And they knew from the start, in this matter of heart, they just didn’t know what to say

And all day long I just sit here singing songs

Singing for the little girl who never sang along

But Donna, she always told me this would happen

‘Cause I never did things the way she asked me to

Yes Donna, we always knew that this would happen

‘Cause we never did things the way we needed to

Every once in a while, I’m on the rug and I smile, and I think of that little girl

And I just kinda shrug, when I think of her love, the difference it could have made to my world

Take It Back

It seemed so obvious to me, that this is how it’s meant to be

I had it figured out, without a doubt, I finally was going to be free

Guess not so obvious to you, that memo didn’t make it through

You liked the status quo, go with the flow, and all the time you thought that I did too

CHORUS

So now I’m tossing and turning from burning my bridges before

I knew the facts and confirming that I just can’t take this back

Thought this was temporary love, not something sent from up above

Thought this was one-and-done, a little fun, but now it seems that push has come to shove

You say you’ve heard it all before, but this was going to be more

Not just a passing thing, a two-week fling, you say it’s time to even up the score

DOUBLE CHORUS

So now I’m tossing and turning from burning my bridges before

I knew the facts and confirming that I just can’t take this back

I’m coming and going; I’m flowing with punches before

I knew the facts, and now knowing that I just can’t take this back

Sometimes you get what you deserve, this time my life threw me a curve

It’s time to suck it up, drink the cup, and show that I can muster up the nerve

You are not without any blame; this thing will never be the same

We’ll have to change the rules, and change the tools, this thing called love is no longer a game

Turn Out Well

I had a dream, at least it feels like that today

It wasn’t what it seemed, so what more can I say?

That’s my story that I’m sticking to, that’s the story I will tell

Things like this never turn out well

Her form was ever-flowing, a Siren in the mist

Her lips a hologram, I never could quite kiss

Imagination is a funny thing; it never lets you down

Opportunities you think you lost, well they’re eventually all found

And every story has a perfect ending so much so that I fell

But things like this rarely turn out well 

In that moment of hesitation, you search inside your soul

In the blink of an eye, it slips away

If you measure accomplishments by everything you’ve gained

No reason it has to end this way

That form’s no longer fleeting, it’s right here in my midst

And talk of true love can be sealed with a kiss

Real life is a funny thing, we’ve both learned that my friend

Opportunities and risks untaken, they rarely come again

If you’re looking for a happy ending, you’re the one who has to sell

How It Goes

This is how it starts

Thick as thieves whenever we’re together

Never far apart

Always seems it’s getting so much better

In between the sheets

And in between the promises

Always let your feelings show

Glass three quarters full

And always filling up again

And everybody knows…

CHORUS              

That’s just how it goes

Where it goes, nobody knows

Chasing dreams, don’t let them go

Cuz that’s just how it goes

This is where it leads

Those routines you follow to the letter

Never what it seems

Always feels like something could be better

In between routines

Life gets complicated

Someone let their feelings show

Glass is still half full

But leaks are almost everywhere

And everybody knows…

CHORUS

SOLO

This is how it ends

Never thought for worse instead of better

Tough to comprehend

Guess it’s true that nothing lasts forever

In between the schemes

We’ve broken all the promises

Never let your feelings show

The world will little note

It’s best to just get over it

Cuz everybody knows…

CHORUS

CHORUS

CHORUS

Last Angel in the Typing Pool

You weren’t the first, you won’t be the last

But you’re the only one

Try another strategy, but not too fast

‘Cause you’re the only one

Check the roster of the company

Take a look around the room

You’re the last angel in the typing pool

Some girls like you think they’re the best

But they can never wait their turn

If you think you’re better than all the rest

You’ve got a lot to learn

All I ever wanted first was just a day or two

But the bad turned to worse, so now it’s up to you

Take a hint from Mother Nature

Take a look around the room

You’re the last (last angel)

You’re the last (last living angel)

You’re the last (last) angel in the typing pool

Everybody in the office is so amused

All the other secretaries are so confused

But Laurie, this time, I think that you could be the one

‘Cause you’re the last (last) angel in the typing pool

SOLO

You’re the last (last angel)

You’re the last (last living angel)

You’re the last (last) angel in the typing pool

Last angel in the typing pool

Last angel in the typing pool

Let Me Out

Life doesn’t happen in a vacuum

Things don’t just magically appear

I’m re-evaluating, I’m re-incorporating

And I don’t have much

But I know what I have, it just isn’t enough

And there must be more

I gotta find out a way, I gotta even the score

Let me out, I can’t take this

I’ve never been a quitter, but it’s time to reset

Let me out, I can’t fake this

Before I do a foolish thing I’m sure I’ll regret

Let me out!

Pretending used to be an option

But I can’t play that anymore

No matter what the cost is, it’s time to cut my losses

And I’ve paid my dues

I’m sick of this losing, singing the blues

And enough’s enough

I gotta get out of town; I’m finally calling your bluff

Let me out, I can’t take this

Smoke and mirrors are infectious, but you don’t have a clue

Let me out, I can’t fake this

The bridges are all burned, nothing else I can do

The things you do are hurting me bad

The things you say are making me sad

I’m sorry to be leaving you on such a low note

But I’ve run out of options and we’re not gonna vote

Let me out! Let me out! 

SOLO

And I don’t have much

But I know what I have, it just isn’t enough

And there must be more

I gotta find out a way, I gotta even the score

Let me out, I can’t take this

I’ve never been a quitter, but it’s time to reset

Let me out, I can’t fake this

Before I do a foolish thing I’m sure I’ll regret

The things you do are hurting me bad

The things you say are making me sad

I’m sorry to be leaving you on such a low note

But I’ve run out of options and we’re not gonna vote

Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!

Dream Sequence

Not sure I really deserved this

I doubt that anybody does

Reliving with a persistence (over and over and over)

But still the answer’s “just…..because”

I can see you in colors

(And black and white)

I can feel you in sound

(But not in sight)

No sounds I cannot hear

This picture’s crystal clear

But something doesn’t seem right

Feels like a…

CHORUS

Dream Sequence…..Almost aware, but never quite there

Dream Sequence…..Grasping at straws, and gasping for air

Dream Sequence…..This is where it always seems to end

2) Sometimes seems like it will never end

3) God, sometimes I wish that it would end  

And now it haunts me too often

No way to fool or to pretend

The jagged edges won’t soften (over and over and over)

A burden hard to comprehend

When the plot starts to thicken

(The band starts to play)

It’s really leading nowhere

(Not much to say)

I try to rearrange

There’s nothing I can change

It always plays the same way

Feels like a…

CHORUS

SOLO

Somehow it never changes

(Same old mistakes)

And every time it’s not fair

(Too much to take)

Don’t fade away on me

There’s so much more to see

Afraid that I might awake

From this strange…

CHORUS

END

Wake Up

Jeannie thinks I’m crazy

She’s been telling me that for years

I tell her “No, I’m just lazy”

But that won’t wipe away her tears

So wake up (wake up!)…Get up (get up!)…the alarm clock won’t stop ringing

Get up (get up!)…Wake up (wake up!)…the opportunity is fleeting

The definition of insanity

Is in the dictionary next to a big picture of me

If you were in my shoes I’m sure that this is what you’d do

It’s not that easy…..It isn’t easy at all

Co-workers say that I’m lazy

They’ve been telling me that for a while

I go through motions half-hazy

I just won’t go that extra mile

Wake up (wake up!)…Get up (get up!)…Those telephones keep ringing

Get up (get up!)…Straighten up (wake up!)…the opportunity is waning

The definition of insanity

Is in the dictionary next to a big picture of me

I never thought that it would get so bad, or go so far

It’s not that easy….Or maybe, really it is

I had an even chance

Just like everybody else

But I forgot to dance

And now I’ve scripted this tragic, comic romance

SOLO

 Jeannie still thinks I’m crazy

I haven’t seen her now for months

I guess I better, just maybe

Have a plan, at least this once

Wake up (wake up!)…Get up (get up!)…the pendulum is swinging

Get up (get up!)…Wake up (wake up!)…all I do is sit here thinking

Wake up (wake up!)…Straighten up (get up!)…my ship’s not coming in

Get up (get up!)…Wake up (wake up!)…I guess I better learn to swim

Wake up (wake up!)…Get up (get up!)…my Titanic’s slowly sinking

Get up (get up!)…Wake up (wake up!)…and that band just won’t stop playing

Fine Fine Fine

I was drinking when I wrote this song

So excuse me if the words don’t rhyme

Then again, you know, it doesn’t matter

‘Cause it’s really just a matter of time

Just a matter of time

Before I change all the words

Convince myself that I didn’t really mean it

And it comes out sounding just absurd

But I’m fine

If you wanna be something you’re not

It’s as easy as just losing your mind

But your mind is the best thing you’ve got

So don’t lose something you might not find

I guess I’m better off fooling myself

That way only one person gets hurt

Or be painfully true to myself

I’m not sure I know which one is worse

CHORUS

But I’m fine, at least here in my mind

I tell myself all the time, it drives me out of my mind

1) And I made that line rhyme 2) And another line rhymes 3) And now the whole song rhymes

Because I’m fine, fine, fine  

The funny thing about all of this shit

Is that friends all think they know what’s best

They give advice ‘til they think that it fits

But I’m the one who puts it to the test

I’m not sure if I’m fooling myself

But I’m sure that something really hurts

This can’t be good for my physical health

Can’t go on for even one more verse

CHORUS

BRIDGE

Just like Alice, I mix love with malice

And I’m stuck inside this looking glass

Eat this, drink that, Tweedledum and tweedle that

And grin just like a Cheshire Cat

I had a dream, I met a Queen,

But I woke up in a pool of tears

I’m as tired as a dormouse, stuck inside a small house

It doesn’t really matter

“Cause I’m mad as a Hatter

 CHORUS

Don't Close That Door

Don’t close that door again

If you do you’ll lose your only friend

And then you’ll be lost at such a cost and all alone again

Don’t turn your back in vain

Don’t treat this like it’s some kind of game

The faster you choose, the harder you lose

The more you inflict the pain

Half the way’s not far enough

All the way’s not better

To find a way means such a lot to you

But don’t close that door again

If you do you’ll lose your only friend

And then you’ll be stuck, and out of luck, and on your own again

Just give it one more try

A soulmate is oh so hard to find

It’s better to give, and finally live

Surrender and find out why

Everything you want you have to wait for

Tomorrow always seemed so far away

When, in fact, it’s better than that

But you never let me in

Just let me in…..Please let me in

Half the way’s not far enough

All the way’s not better

To find a way means such a lot to you

But don’t close that door again

If you do you’ll lose your only friend

And then you’ll be lost at such a cost and all alone again

Don’t turn your back in vain

Don’t treat this like it’s some dumb game

The faster you choose, the harder you lose

The more you inflict the pain

Don’t close that door again

Don’t close that door again

Tropical Shuffle

I took a major leave of absence

A minor interlude to island nations

A culture now within my access

An introduction to the slowing process

A foreign concept, involving rhythm

It’s not like anything at all

The Tropical Shuffle

It’s just the Tropical Shuffle

I wish I’d stayed around there

It’s far too late, now I’ve gone away

I let that tropical feeling…..slip away

Returning home I found it shocking

That no one knows this form of foreign dancing

Misunderstanding what I’m feeling

A puzzled look at what I find appealing

It’s like a slowdown, it’s not a Motown

It’s not like anything at all

The Tropical Shuffle

I miss the Tropical Shuffle…..DO IT!

I wish I’d stayed around there

It’s far too late, now I’ve gone away

I let that tropical feeling…..slip away

Now it’s a permanent vacation

I’ve left behind a fading generation

The satisfaction I’ve recovered

I won’t go back until they’ve all discovered

And now I’m happy, so very happy

Someday they’ll see what I have found

The Tropical Shuffle

I do the Tropical Shuffle

Slip away, slip away, slip away

Misinformation

Nobody ever cared, what I would have to share

Nobody ever asked me why, nobody even dared

Now they can’t win, they’re all invested in – Misinformation

No way anyone can avoid – Misinformation

The people in the bar, all walked me to my car

They said it was frustration, but I know it’s not that far

I don’t know why, those people by – Misinformation

Somebody told me I was breaking down

I never read it in the news, how did that get around?

My family says I’m crazy, and my friends agree

I guess it’s just a question of what each one sees 

I didn’t catch the name, never learned to play this game

But now I’m in the driver’s seat and I don’t feel the same

Now everybody knows, but nobody cares – Misinformation

Picture of a man who never got a break

The scene of retribution was my last mistake

I’d contemplate solutions if I only could

Without the information, this just can’t be good

CHORUS

I’ve got my own way of living (you’re on your own)

I’ve got a new set of values (you’re on your own)

Some kind of new revelation (you’re on your own)

Misinformation’s everywhere/never free

SOLO

And now I have to laugh, I’m never going back

I’ve played out all my options, now the chance has turned to fact

I can’t stand pat, I have to fight all that – Misinformation

Somebody told me I was breaking down

I never read it in the news, how did that get around?

My family says I’m crazy, and my friends agree

I guess it’s just a question of what each one sees 

CHORUS

Luckiest Guy In The World

I don’t know, when I knew

But I knew it must be somewhere

Any day, every day

Was the same as being nowhere

Now every day is like a revelation

And everything’s brand new

I finally realized…

CHORUS

I’m the luckiest guy in the world

And now I know

And I should never have doubted

The luckiest guy in the world

I learned out how

I wanna jump up and shout it

The luckiest, luckiest, luckiest guy in the world

I’m the luckiest guy in the world

I guess I always knew

It’s all because of you

You might say, in a way

I ran out of second chances

Growing up, giving up

In and out of life’s romances

Funny how when things are least expected

They hit you in the head

Now it’s plain to see… 

CHORUS

BRIDGE

Don’t need to dwell upon mistakes made in the past

That’s not gonna change things anyway

I just need to tell myself that you are here at last

The past doesn’t matter

No, it doesn’t really matter

It doesn’t matter anymore…’cause

CHORUS