1. |
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I stole every word of every line of every song I ever wrote.
Standing in the darkness with an empty drink
Tapping against my leg like a tambourine.
Every song’s a copy of a copy of a feeling I had once
Maybe we should just give up on metaphor
Thinking that the modern day’s unworthy of
Future introspection or dramatic verbs
Singing about the internet and mobile phones
How our lives are just performances in binary code
I had an abortion yesterday
And it got me wondering how our lives could change but stay the same
My bloods too thin. There’s water in my veins.
Your brilliant strategy’s toast
Your brilliant strategy waste all my money complaining
It’d be the best for us both
We got no energy left to keep us going each day
You’re brilliant strategy’s toast
To spend each summer back in Philadelphia
Waiting for the boys you love most
To both come to their senses and change that juvenile name
We got no energy left, what I if isn’t okay?
Every song sound better when it’s from the lips of one you love the most.
Johnny sang it to me down on South Gerard
Called him up on stage and made him play guitar.
Every song’s a copy of a copy of a punchline to a joke
I don’t even recognize this place no more
Your favorite couples grow up and then get divorced.
Who could really blame them? You’re an anxious boy.
Maybe you should just give up that perfect search
No one really loves you ‘til they love your words
I drank from the ocean yesterday
And the salty water caused my organs one by one to fail
Now everyone’s got something else to blame.
Your brilliant strategy’s toast
Your brilliant strategy waste all my money complaining
It’d be the best for us both
We got no energy left to make our demos, okay?
You’re brilliant strategy’s toast
To work each summer for the Warminster mafia
Waiting for the boys you love most
To both come to their senses, so we can get ourselves paid
We’ve got no energy left, so let’s call it a day.
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2. |
Dodgy Disco
03:18
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I don’t like your dodgy disco
I don’t like the way you kiss those little boys
I don’t like the way you’re pretty
I don’t like it in this shitty town of yours, where they don’t lock their doors
Sometimes you still amaze me
Sometimes I want to punch you in the neck
Sometimes you drive me crazy
But I can’t help I like the way you use your attitude
And she goes on
Pleased to meet you
And she gets off
It’s a pleasure
And she goes on
Will you stay with us forever?
And she stays in
You can marry
And she goes out
My daughter
And she stays in
Her name is Jolianne
Cheapskates and rotten cynics
Myopic music critics, all we are
Insomniacs and zombies
Big eyes just like you’re mommy’s little girl all ribbons and curls.
And she goes on
It’s so safe here
And she gets off
And so precious
And she goes on
We’re so faithful. God bless us.
And she stays in
You can marry
And she goes out
My daughter
And she stays in
Her name is Jolianne
And she goes on
Pleased to meet you
And she gets off
It’s a pleasure
And she goes on
Will you stay with us forever?
And she stays in
You can marry
And she goes out
My daughter
And she stays in
Her name is Jolianne
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3. |
Sunshine
03:19
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We’re here to have fun
Don’t think about anyone but yourself
Don’t think about death
Or how many terrible haircuts you have left
You’re not alone
Cause all of your friends live you on your phone
You quiet the constant nagging tone
While you’re sitting on your toilet bowl.
I guess I like to hear the sound of my voice sometimes
I’m writing down my Netflix info won’t you
Come on home, avoid the sunshine.
We’re here to have fun
Crack open a Yuengling in the sun
Don’t think about death
Or which of the days you’ve lived has been your best
You’re not alone
You’ve got all the stuff that’s in your home
Like decaying isotopes
Of the shit you thought you had to own.
And wouldn’t it be easier to mate for life?
Find that perfect person who will
stay at home, avoid the sunshine.
Turn your brain off
Watch the TV
Just you and me.
If I don’t wake up
Who will miss me?
Who will know I’m gone?
We’re here to have fun
Don’t think about anyone but yourself
Don’t think your depressed
Just count up the days it’s been since you’ve had rest.
You’re not alone
You’ve got all the stuff that’s in your home
Like decaying isotopes
Of the shit you thought you had to own.
And wouldn’t it be perfect if we did it right?
Turned back to the ocean
cause we plainly don’t deserve the sunshine.
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4. |
Who Could've Let You Go
03:58
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You called in tears, from a Texas roadside diner
Haven’t talked to you in years, and it’s the day before my birthday but you
Haven’t said a thing cause you’re
Too broken up to speak because you
Haven’t slept a wink because you
Can’t believe he said those things.
You said the day you left that I’m the only one gets you
If I were nicer day to day we could avoid this in the first place.
And if I hadn’t messed this up
that we could be the kind of friends
who had sex every now and then
And didn’t bicker every day.
Who could have let you go?
Who could have let you say those awful things, your dirty mouth
Who could have let you smoke those cigarettes inside the house
You called in tears, from a Texas roadside dinner
Haven’t talked to you in years, and you’re still working in that café, since your
French and English literature
Double major didn’t work out
Quite the way your parents hoped
But maybe they’ll still help you float
You said the day you left, oh how your father was enraged
And I remember how he poured his whiskey on your grandmother’s grave
And if I hadn’t fucked things up
You’d be with me til the end
And we would have all of the cash we need
From your inheritance
Who could have let you go?
Who could have let you write those phony checks all over town
Who could have let you stay in bed all day and run around
And if I hadn’t fucked things up
You’d be with me til the end
And we would have all of the cash we need
All the money we could spend
Who could have let you go?
Who could have let you take the bus when both your tires blew out
Who could have let you kiss those indie boys and turn you down?
Who could have let you bake a birthday cake and throw you out
Who could have touched you in the basement of your parents’ house?
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5. |
The Good/Bad Old Days
04:27
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I’m sick of singing ‘bout the good old days, I’m
Sick of singing about how we used to sleep together
We’d judge our best friends by the food they ate, we’d
Ride our fixes like we knew we wouldn’t live forever.
I got hit by a car
And now my knee clicks.
We’d talk about it almost every day, we’d
Buy a van so we could crash on couches through our 20s
You’d know the words to every song we play, you’d
Drink too much and then go write on home good with a sharpie.
You jumped in the front yard
It was our birthday.
But we were 22,
And our bodies change
We didn’t want them to,
So I’m trying not to feel betrayed
You broke the word you gave me on that
Summer day
Full of rock and roll
When I heard your bass
Thumping through the floor.
We were the best of friends
At such a lonely age
What good is rock and roll
If you can’t get laid?
I’m sick of ripping off the friends we made
I’m still so jealous of the kids who used to do it better
The nights we spent on Brooklyn fire escapes
The Monday mornings when we couldn’t hold our shit together
The mistakes that we made
So infrequent
You punched me in the face
That time in Cleveland.
But we were 22,
And our lives had to change
We didn’t want them to
So I’m trying not to feel betrayed
You broke the word you gave me on that.
Summer day
And it’s been so long
Since I heard you play
Through my bedroom wall.
We were the best of friends
At such a lonely age
What good is rock and roll
If you can’t get laid?
We looked up to adults, but not really.
We just thought they had it all figured out.
You admitted it once, you don’t need me.
You just liked have people around
So I’m trying not to feel betrayed
You promised me you’d stay.
On that
Summer day
Full of rock and roll
When I heard your bass
Thumping through the floor.
We were the best of friends
At such a lonely age
What good is rock and roll
If you can’t get played?
Those were the summer days
Full of rock and roll
When I heard your bass
Thumping through the floor.
And if I knew then,
What I know today,
What good is rock and roll
If you can’t get famous?
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6. |
College Party Mixtape
03:58
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Now’s not the time to get sentimental
About how things used to be at the bottom of Pratt Street
Cold winter nights somehow always ending
With us pantsless in the street, running away from the police.
I called you baby doll, you called me your sweet darling
You were so beautiful; I couldn’t help from falling.
But when the coppers came
You made a big mistake, darling
Cause when your song came on
You had to sing it at the top of your lungs
If we only sing loud enough
Then we’ll never have to face that we’ll be just like our folks someday.
So we can stay here
And make the same mistakes
Cause third eye blind and
BTMI can
Make sure the cops come in double time, and
Maybe next Friday, we’ll all be loud enough
To get through college party mixtape volume one.
You turned up the volume and played my demo
And made everybody sing just to try to embarrass me.
And I thought we’d live there for forever
But we all were fast asleep as the fire burned down the street
But when the coppers came,
You gave us all away, darling
Cause when your song came on
You had to sing it at the top of your lungs.
And I’m so fucking tired of living in
A perpetual state of adolescent rage.
But we’ll just stay here
And make the same mistakes
Cause third eye blind and
BTMI can
Make sure the cops come in double time and
Maybe next Friday, we’ll all be wise enough
For college party mixtape volume one.
You made a big mistake
There was a noise complaint
Cause when your song came on
You had to sing it at the top of your lungs.
Sing side by side with
Sisters and brothers
As we all try to sing louder one another
And we’ll just stay here
And make the same mistakes
Cause 30 lives and
BTMI can
Make sure the cops come on the double
Maybe next Friday, we’ll all be wise enoguh
To live through college party mixtape volume one.
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7. |
12 Miles
02:43
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I got 12 miles down the road and the van died
The cops had to push us up I-95
We won’t even have a place to stay
For 34 more goddamn days.
And even then, we’re probably gonna fry.
And this is everybody’s fault but mine
Everybody’s fault but mine
If I say it enough, I’ll convince myself this time.
You won’t even have a thing to hear
For almost three more goddamn years
If I’d know that it would take this long, I probably would’ve given up.
We won’t age a single day until we die.
Our faces, frozen in the ice
So you can watch when you’re alone at night.
We won’t age a single day until we die
Our voices trapped there for all time
No consequences no real lives
And this is nobody’s fault but mine
Nobody’s fault but mine.
If I say it again, you can tell me it’s all right
And we have that same old song to sing
Each night for two free goddamn drinks
It’s in my DNA I swear
I hear it in my sleep, and it goes
If I got mine
That would be nice
We won’t age a single day until we die.
Our faces frozen in the ice,
No consequences no real lives
We won’t age a single day until we die.
We’re the ghost in the machine
We’re the way you always thought you’d be.
I got 12 Miles down the road and the van died
I got 12 Miles down the road and the van died
I flirt with Indie Anna, see
She always had a thing for me
I think she has a baby now
Cause life just never could slow down.
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8. |
Better
03:42
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At seventeen
Yeah, life is better, better, better, better than it seems.
The world is ever, ever, ever, ever expanding
And you’ll forever, ever, ever, ever be chasing those dreams.
And waiting…
Cause no one ever gets the thing they want, so what?
Unless you drain your blood
You’ll be as hollow as a tomb, cause no one
ever really breaks free from the one they love. No matter who you fuck.
And all the twisted shit she wants
At thirty-three
No one cares whether, whether, whether, whether you’re happy
Your life is better, better, better, better as machines
And you will never, never, never, never be at peace or free.
Just empty.
Cause no one ever leaves the place that they grew up.
It’s in the blood you pump.
And no one ever gets the thing they want, so what?
No matter who you fuck
One day I’ll be happy cause I never will be lonely without you.
Yeah it’s true.
One day I’ll be lonely cause I never can be happy without you.
Oh that too.
Cause no one
ever really breaks free from the one they love.
No matter who you fuck
And it won’t come true for us cause no one
ever really leaves the place that they grew up.
It’s in the blood you pump
Cause no one
ever really breaks free from the one they love.
Unless you drain your blood.
Cause no one
ever really gets just what they want. (so what)
No matter who you fuck
The words you sing, the words you sing to me,
Sound better, better, better, better off key.
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9. |
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Just tell me, darling,
does your brain still play tricks on your body?
You swear that I’m next to you sleeping?
You swear you can still hear me breathing?
So tell me, darling,
Does your brain still play tricks on your body?
You’re starting to think you are haunted.
Why would you ever be haunted?
I remember your face, not all the things that you’d say.
Might be shallow, I guess, but in my defense, your friends all feel the same.
Except when you said, we’d build a home in my bed.
You swore to the sky, you weren’t a liar, HA! HA! HA! There’s egg on your face.
And your mother with fret, “That boy is bad for your head!”
That boy, he just wants you fed. “That boy is trying to kill you.”
But you’re lit
to the gills
And you blame it on your chemicals
Well goddamn, baby,
won’t her face be red.
And you want
to go home
‘cause your shivering like an icicle.
Just one more cigarette And you’ll tell me
“Darling!”
Does your brain still play tricks on your body?
You swear that I’m next to you sleeping?
That’s probably because you’re not eating.
So tell me, darling.
Does your brain still play tricks on your body?
You hate it when I call you baby.
‘Cause you say that it’s so fucking lazy.
I remember your grace, the forty-four dollars you ate.
What good is a meal at a four star hotel if you just throw up the steak?
But you try to save face, and blame all the people you hate.
If you stand statue still, then maybe you will just evaporate.
But you’re dead
on your feet,
and you swear you just forgot to eat.
Well goddamn, baby,
isn’t my face red?
And you want
to go home,
‘cause you’re shivering like an icicle.
Just one more broken bone
And you’ll call me
Darling.
Does your brain still play tricks on your body?
You swear that I’m next to you sleeping?
That’s probably because you’re not eating.
So tell me, darling,
Does your brain still play tricks on your body?
You’re starting to think you are haunted.
And I’m starting to think you are haunted.
So tell me, darling,
Does your brain still play tricks on your body?
You swear that I’m next to you sleeping?
That’s probably because you’re not eating.
So tell me, darling,
just bury your bones in the garden.
And maybe you’ll grow something perfect
that won’t make you feel fucking worthless
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10. |
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I’m packing up my amp and my guitar
Your little sister cries ‘cause we will practice no more
We’ll play one last song with every single chord
Shaking all the dishes breaking plates on the floor
The neighbors cried from down the street
We’ll call the cops if you don’t turn down
We’re starting fights and kicking teeth
Thrown out of bars at 17
We are young and dumb and stoned and full of hope
We are the gods of— we are the gods of rock and roll.
I’ll call you when I get to where I’ve gone
And read you all the lyrics to our one last song and
One day you’ll get married
And have a baby and
I still go crazy
Singing songs from sixteen years ago
We’ll drift apart
And now our band’s reduced to pictures on your wall
And all those songs
And how it kills me that never talk at all
I’m still out saving people’s souls
I am the god of rock and roll
And if I hadn’t moved away
Would you have stayed and made it big with me?
Or would you’ve grown up anyway?
Would you have quit when things got dirty
Did you give up on your dreams?
Or am I stunted, feeling things you only
feel at 17.
Singing songs in basements and begging for a place to sleep.
Is it me who pities you or is it you who pities me?
Is it me who pities you or is it you who pities me?
And I’m packing up my amp and my guitar
Your little sister cries ‘cause she will hear us no more
One last song with every single chord
Reminding me I’m broken
That things only get worse.
We all get old
And fat and bald
We all complain about our taxes
And our jobs
We’re fucking slobs
But maybe one last song
Will make us less alone
I’ll stop by next time I’m home.
We’ll play the ones your sister knows.
Our ear drums ring, voices coal
We’re still the gods of rock and roll.
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Jacob The Horse Los Angeles, California
Jacob the Horse met on a Greek island when our daughter tricked us into coming to her wedding in order to figure out which
one of us was her real father.
Interest includes: loud guitars, catchy melodic hooks, and cramming as many words into their songs as possible.
They’ve been called “too loud” and “fun, but with depressing lyrics” by friends and enemies alike.
... more
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