Broke down on the side of the road
I’ve got nothing left
But the sweet taste of a Virginia morning
And a cigarette
Strange without you right here by my side
What am I up against
There’s always time for livin
And there’s time for runnin
Can’t find no time to rest

I said now...

Might seem like 10 months searching for a muse
Ain’t worth the hell I’ve faced
That a young man should be out there workin
Until he finds his place
But that ain’t me
I’d rather be pocket poor, and still livin rich
Under a pagan sky
Livin by the by until the currents switch

I’d rather be…
Broke down on the side of the road
I’ve got nothing left
But the sweet taste of a Virginia morning
And a cigarette
Strange without you right here by my side
What am I up against
There’s always time for livin
And there’s time for runnin
Can’t find no time to rest

I said now...

It was a cheap motel
She was a dirty girl
But I wasn’t lookin for love
Wasn’t even lookin for her
She was pink-haired demon
Out of who-the-fuck-knows-where
But she liked what she saw
And I was too lonely to care

There was no love made beneath those sheets
Just two lost beasts releasing heat
The sweat of it all left me tired and cold
My ashtray full of extinguished souls

The sun and moon did their tango
I never batted an eye
I got lost in my head
While I was chasing my mind
I’ve been driving for miles
Spent months now out on the road
It seems all that I’ve learned
Is that I’m truly alone

There was no love made beneath those sheets
Just two lost beasts releasing heat
The sweat of it all left me tired and cold
My ashtray full of extinguished souls

There was no love made beneath those sheets
Just two lost beasts releasing heat
The sweat of it all left me tired and cold
My ashtray full of extinguished souls

Those old tennis shoes that once hung down
From the telephone line by Rocky’s house are gone
Tommy’s daddy passed away
But there’s still mouths to feed and bills to pay
So Tom’s back fighting far away
Mom still drinks whenever he’s around
The car still makes that buzzin sound
That used to drive you mad
They painted the old Smurf House white
No, things around here, they ain’t felt quite right
Since the day you left this town

I know you’ve gone your way
And I know I must go mine
But at night I often pray
That you’ll be back here by my side
Someday…

It’s been quiet on the boulevard
The angry woman and her shopping cart
Have vanished in the fog
I never thought I’d be sad to see her leave
But I’m clutchin tight to every memory
That brings you back to me
Your laugh still echoes through these city walls
The curtain of my swagger falls
Into a heap upon the ground
I tried taking walks alone at night
But things around here, they ain’t felt quite right
Since the day you left this town


I know you’ve gone your way
And I know I must go mine
But at night I often pray
That you’ll be back here by my side
Someday…

Those old tennis shoes that once hung down
From the telephone line by Rocky’s house are gone
It’s kinda sad, we always said
Those shoes would hang long after we were dead
But I guess perhaps we are…

I know you’ve gone your way
And I know I must go mine
But at night I often pray
That you’ll be back here by my side
Someday…

Oh my love
Will I lose you completely
If I ever discreetly let go of your hand
How far can I roam
Before my ties will be severed
Banished forever to a life spent alone

Can I stand
Upright on my own
Estranged from my home
With just my mind and this hope
This one-man band is preparing his show
Walking this line
Thin as a rope

Constructing my fall
On the whim of a breeze
Let them drop to their knees
To feel some control
Will this war ever end
I am wounded and bleeding
But my heart is still beating
Somewhere deep in my chest

Can I stand
Upright on my own
This one-man band is preparing his show
Letting loose in the stars
This hope of all hopes
I will trust in my mind
And I will lead with my soul

Oh my love
Have I lost you completely
Perhaps someday you will understand

In this wasteland when it rains it fucking pours
Yellow ribbon on your sleeve but the blood ain't yours
Feel the hot sun burning holes straight through your skin
The helpless future paying for your sins

It's a devil's day
Said a devil's day
It's a devil's day
Said the devil's day has come

Souls are dropping to the ground like flies
Guilt has got you drowning in your lies
Boiling sweat comes seeping through your pores
Bodies stacking up along the shores

It's a devil's day
Said a devil's day
It's a devil's day
Said the devil's day has come

At that station down in Memphis
After a night I thought I’d freeze
I had dirt smeared across my eyelids
I had scabs on both my knees
First time she smiled at me

She’d often come around to listen
To my words and melodies
And when she put her hands together
I envisioned crowds that filled the streets
In front of me

She said
Keep singing until your voice gets heard
Keep singing until they memorize the words
And then they’ll sing them back at you
Somehow perfectly in tune
It’ll seem as if they’d been there all along
Cause you were born to sing them songs

We hitched a ride to South Dakota
Got swept up by the breeze
The sky opened up to guide us
Her beauty brought me to my knees
Whole world in front of me…

We caught our wave to California
Sat upon her whitest beach
Bared our souls to the horizon
Nothing seemed far out of reach
With her there next to me

Said I’ll keep singing until my voice gets heard
I’ll keep singing until you memorize the words
And then you’ll sing them back at me
With that perfect melody
It’ll seem as if you’d been there all along
Because I was born to sing you…
I was born to sing you…
I was born to sing you songs

If you see my baby
Tell her I'm fine
Tell her I'm fine
If you see my baby
Tell her I'm fine
Tell her I'm fine

I miss her strong cups of coffee
The cheap bottles of wine
And what they led to in time
I miss our walks down to the river
Her hand brushin mine
The way we'd straddle the line

Tell her don't come lookin for me
That man has died
The man she knew has died

The clouds been weeping for weeks now
Made a sponge of my mind
It'll drown me in time
So I'm heading west to California
Got the sun in my eyes
And redemption to find

I'll take my songs to San Francisco
Down on Mason and Pine
I'll play for nickels and dimes
With my eyes closed on that corner
I'll play for my life
I'll play to survive

If you see my baby
Tell her I died
The man she knew has died
If you see my baby
Tell her I died
Tell her I died

Perversion is the word
An imitation painting smeared with motor oil
Today the truth tastes sour
Like a jug of milk left in the sun to spoil

Human mannequins they walk the streets
Independent from all that’s left that even matters
An empty chest waits up above
As they bite and claw their way up on the ladder

Wake up, Child!
Your dream’s about to turn!
Get up and run!
Your world’s about to burn!

The final chill will jolt you
As the moonlight meets the dawn
Will the moment that it hits you
Be the moment all is gone?

The obscene is celebrated
Raise your glass to toast that which makes you ill
Two cups of coffee for the headache
And a cotton candy chaser for your sleeping pill

Hold tight to what feels safe
Any sudden movements might awake the sleeping beast
I hope you brought your appetite
Tonight the chef’s prepared you quite the feast

Wake up, Child!
There’s reason for concern!
Get up and run!
Your world’s about to burn!

The final chill will jolt you
As the moonlight meets the dawn
Will the moment that it hits you
Be the moment all is gone?

There is poison in your think tank
There’s a filter on your soul
There is reason in this suffering
Consequence that rides control
A hand that reaches out for nothing
Will grasp the first thing it beholds
It’s a sleepwalk off a chasm
Your pillow won’t always catch you when you fall

Wake up, Child!
There’s reason for concern!
Get up and run!
Your world’s about to burn!

The final chill will jolt you
As the moonlight meets the dawn
Will the moment that it hits you
Be the moment all is gone?

Locks on every door
Locks on every door
We all stand naked, just like before
A lock on every door
No one’s got a home no more

Locks on every door
Locks on every door
It makes no difference if you are rich or poor
A lock on every door
No one’s got a home no more

Locks on every door
Locks on every door
Revolution ain’t the way no more
A lock on every door
We ain’t welcome here no more

She swore to me
That everything would be alright
She promised me
That everything would turn out fine
But in my time of need
She vanished out of sight
And her promises
Quickly turned to lies

Things go wrong
Before they ever go right
Here’s to tonight
Things go wrong
Will they ever go right
Here’s to tonight

All my life
I was forced between the lines
All my life
I was told to read the signs
Well, now I sit alone
Completely paralyzed
With no direction home
Waiting patiently to die

Things go wrong
Before they ever go right
Here’s to tonight
Things go wrong
Will they ever go right
Here’s to tonight

Is it too late
For me to change my mind
Is it too late
For me to press rewind
It seems my life
Is full of wasted time
Searching aimlessly
For something that I’ll never find

Things go wrong
Before they ever go right
Here’s to tonight
Things go wrong
Will they ever go right
Here’s to tonight
Things feel so wrong
Here’s my chance to make them right
Here’s to tonight

Her hands were folded at the news desk
Readin the words upon the screen
A smiling introduction
Meets the death of a teen

She stops in mid-sentence
Her eyes, they look away
Thinks, whose words am I reading?
Why were they written this way?

A young man, up and coming
Accepts a job for high pay
Speaks eloquently of nothing
Puts his life on display

Prestige it surrounds him
But he can feel something weigh
Thinks, whose dreams am I living?
How did I end up this way?

Mother sips on a cocktail
The sun hot on her face
Lord always smiled down upon her
She’s never struggled a day

But the mansion feels empty
And she’s just an actress in a play
Thinks, Whose tears am I cryin?
Why am I feelin this way?

Big man on campus
Never travels alone
Stumbles upon a young girl
Dressed in men’s clothes

As they call her a faggot
And they take her pride away
He thinks, whose thoughts am I thinking?
Why am I acting this way?

I’m sitting at the crossroads
Of tomorrow and today
Watching kids told not to question
Brilliant minds washed away

I watch their movements turn awkward
As they are molded like clay
Why are we always pretending?
Why are we living this way?