Songs from “thesilentwheel” (1st album,
recorded and released as Aqueduct)
When you wake with a start and your arms are
asleep
And she’s left in the night with her things
Will you think of the time we made time stand
still
And cried, and lied, no regrets
Hope you call me up before then
Before it’s all washed out to sea
Before you wake up to a note on the door
Hope you call me up before then
Hmmm, hmmm (verse)
Now you finger your sleeve
As the evening drones on
And notice a fly in your drink
You think of the time
Forget what she said
And cry, and lie, and regret
Hope you call me up before then
Before it’s all washed out to sea
Before you wake up to a note on the door
Hope you call me up before then
Hope you call me up before then
Hope you call me up before then
Got new strings on my guitar
It’s like I’m back from war
And there’s just so much more
To life than you and yours
Got this old tattoo
Reminds me of you
You and that old song
We used to think was really great
Now I got a love
It just might even last
I’m not thinking about you at all
Or was it just last night
Your shadow crossed my wall
Was it just last night
Your shadow paid a call
Now I got a love
It just might even last
I’m not thinking about you at all
Or was it just last night…
Got new strings on my guitar
It’s like I’m back from war
Came in outta the sun with his hair on fire
No one ‘round here’d seen his like before
With his singin’ spurs and his tumbleweed
heart
He’s a man on a mission
If he can find one good man
He can rest at last
One good man in this city of saints
One good man
One good man
One good man
Her hands are tired and her boots are worn
No one here remembers
The way she smiled when he walked in
Like she’d made a decision
If she can find one good man
She can rest at last
One good man in this city of saints
One good man
One good man
One good man
(repeat)
Repeat 1st verse
Don’t know how to tell you what I feel
‘Cause I’m not really sure myself
You can say that that’s okay
But I can tell it’s really not
And when you drop me off this time
I’ll wonder whether I was clear
Or did I just confuse you more
Or maybe it doesn’t even matter
What’s the difference
It’s all gonna end someday
You’ll play an encore
Watch the crowd fade away
It doesn’t matter
If we played our songs to perfection
‘Cause it’s just an indie pop song
And it always ends this way
I could run away across the world
Get a job and never leave
Trade my guitar in for a horse
Maybe drive a taxi
And you can build your pyramid
Across the sea, finally get what you need
Get the perfect haircut
Start another rock band
What’s the difference
Y’know it’s all gonna end someday
You’ll play an encore
Watch the crowd fade away
It doesn’t matter
If we played our songs to perfection
‘Cause it’s just an indie pop song
And it always ends this way
Don’t know how to tell you what I feel
‘Cause I’m not really sure myself
You can say that that’s okay
But I can tell it’s really not
Sweet lady Fay
Take my hand
I’ll be your man
Sweet lady Fay
Close your eyes
I’ll be your sky
Ahhhhhh ahhhh ahhhah
Please don’t go
I’m
lost in space
Each
passing day
Your
frozen face
Floats
by my window
Like
a worry line
‘Round
and ‘round
This
silent earth
Day
into night
I’m
flying
I’m
flying
I’m
flying
I’m
so high
Like
a princess you wait
I’m
a feather
Like
a camera
I
count this time
Like
a worry line
‘Round
and ‘round
This
silent earth
Your
frozen face
I’m
flying
I’m
flying
I’m
flying
I’m
so high
I’m
so high
I’m so high
TV
glows through the chicken wire
Sunset
grows these shadows higher
Daydream
breaks as the screen door slams
There’s
not much time
There’s
a train goes right by here
Destination
unclear
Seen
that look on a face before
Whistle’s
blowing, there’s the door
I
know you’ve got a big sad soul
Just
like mine, mama told me so
Don’t
leave me here when it’s time to go
All
alone with my big sad soul
All
alone with my big sad soul
Ooooh,
oooh, ooooh
Ooooh,
oooh, ooooh
Thought
by now there’d be a sign
Some
kind of peace, at least a prize for trying
Now
that red horizon’s calling
Mama’s
in the kitchen bawling
I
know you’ve got a big sad soul
Just
like mine, mama told me so
Don’t
leave me here when it’s time to go
All
alone with my big sad soul
All
alone with my big sad soul
Ooooh,
oooh, ooooh
Ooooh,
oooh, ooooh
Ooooh,
oooh, ooooh
Ooooh,
oooh, ooooh
Walking
around in LA
Guess
it’s just one of those days
When
everything seems kinda lazy
Nothing
matters at all
Now
I can’t remember your number
But
I can remember your face
We
used to go down by the river
Flake
out under a tree
Make
our own private asylum
Make
like nothing mattered at all
Now
I can’t remember your number
But
I can remember your face
Walking
around in a haze
Just
like that day in LA
When
everything seemed kinda lazy
Nothing
seemed out of place
Now
I can’t remember your number
But
I can remember your face
Now
I can’t remember your number
But
I can remember your face
Punk Rock Dream
Say goodbye to your Daydream Nation
Say goodbye to your bag o' weed
Say goodbye to your rusted Rambler
Say goodbye to your punk rock dream
Say goodbye to your empty vessel
Say goodbye to your Summer Babe
Say goodbye to your broken angel
Say goodbye to your punk rock dream
Say
goodbye to your Daydream Nation
Say goodbye to your bag o weed
Say goodbye to your days of torment
Say goodbye to your punk rock dream
Is
she thinking of you and smoking in her gray city
Does
she still wear the coat that you bought – the one in the window
Is
she drowning or swimming – is she making the most of the day
Just
because she don’t call – don’t mean there’s nothing to say
Does
she still
Sing
That
song
That
beautiful
Beautiful
song
Does
the morning sun warm her and send her out into the day
Can
she feel the tide changing – feel the clouds drifting away
Is
she running or crying – is she playing her red guitar
All
you want is a cigarette – fresh from her kiss in the city
Does
she still
Sing
That
song
That
beautiful
Beautiful
song
Driving
in America
Driving
in America
Living
like an astronaut
Getting
high on dinosaurs
This
was not the plan
Forget
me in this restaurant
Gimme
all your debutantes
This
room is full of elephants
I
can barely see
Don’t
you feel alone
Don’t
you feel afraid
It’s
beautiful inside
Let’s
just all go home
Your
tower made of cellophane
Nose
against a windowpane
Now
there’s nothing left but rain
This
was not the plan
Don’t
you feel alone
Don’t
you feel afraid
It’s
beautiful inside
Let’s
just all go home
Driving
in America
Living
like an astronaut
Getting
high on dinosaurs
This
was not the plan
This
was not the plan
This
was not the plan
This
was not the plan
This
was not the plan
This
was not the plan
This
was not the plan
I
heard the saddest news today
Heard
it in a funny way
Tuning
my guitar between songs
About
a hundred years ago
Just
another band on MFO
But
for a moment we felt like stars
We
sang:
Doo
doo doot doo – doo doo doot doo doooooo X2
I
know I’ve got that tape somewhere
The
one with Mikey on the air
Laughing
at our terrible jokes
Sitting
on that fire escape
Smokin’
butts while we waited
To
play our songs On The Town
We
sang:
Doo
doo doot doo – doo doo doot doo doooooo X4
I
heard the saddest news today
Heard
it in a funny way
Tuning
my guitar between songs
Got a half harvest moon
And a bittersweet smile
Boots on the landing
Then nothing at all
No note on my window
No anger, no pain
No one to take from me
My nothing at all...
Chorus:
Aw, nothing / I got that in spades
When you've got nothing / They can't take it away
And nothing / nothing would make me feel better
Then nothing / nothing at all...
...but a half harvest moon
And a full cup o' wine
Filled up with nothing
Nothing at all
The circle is broken
Just one in a chain
Of thoughts never spoken
Of nothing at all
Chorus x 2
'Til You're Gone
He won't love you 'til you're gone
Then he'll write a little song
While all the leaves are falling down
When all the kids come back to town
He'll miss the color of your hair
And he'll see you everywhere
And he'll forget he put you down
When all the kids come back to town
Repeat 1st verse
While all the leaves are falling down
When all the kids come back to town
If I die of hope
Please bury me where the sun comes up
And if I die of shame
Just lay me down on a moonless night
Chorus:
Because life is long
It goes on and on
Make no mistake
There's no escape
If I die alone
Please bury me where the cows come home
And if I die at peace
Bury me at sea
Chorus x2
If I die of hope
Please bury me where the sun comes up...
I
was drunk when I wrote this song
Watching
my feet as I walked along
One
Two Three – baby you and me
One
Two Three and now it’s raining on the street
Think
I’ll go to Pennsylvania
Heard
about a railroad job
Waiting
for a man like me
Today
I walked with Hari Krishnas
Today
I dropped a dime in a cup
Today
I think I used up all my change
Today
I musta called you fifty times
Guess
I’ll go to Pennsylvania
Heard
about a certain girl
Waiting
on a certain corner
Waiting
for a man like me
Waiting
just for me
I
was drunk when I wrote this song
Watching
my feet as I walked along
One
Two Three – baby you and me
One
Two Three and now it’s raining on the street
Think
I’ll go to Pennsylvania
Heard
about a certain girl
Waiting
on a certain corner
Waiting
there she’s waiting now
I
hear her
Waiting
Waiting
for a man like me
Waiting
just for me
Waiting
for a man like me
Shoe
(spoken)
Walked
out on the tracks looking for a squashed penny
Thinking of a photograph of a boy tying his shoe
The lines of the track stretch off to forever
The lines on his back are starting to itch
Color of morning, fog breath like death
And maybe that's where these lines converge
Shrug off the cold and you'll never get old
Just walk and walk, walking is the cure
He kicks a rock as he adjusts the straps
Hot lines as he shoulders his pack
Night fills his eyes and to push the tears back
Back inside where the light is
Walk forever, never smile
Except on the outside where the lines collide
Don't give it away because nothing is free
Nothing is free but this night and these trees
These tracks stretch on for days and the nights are eternal
There's someone who loves him somewhere off in the future
Where the tracks never meet and the lines never itch
And the fog never rises and the stars aren't so cold
Walked out on the tracks looking for a squashed penny
Watching all the lines converge
Thinking of a photograph
A photograph of a boy tying his shoe
Please don't break my heart again
Don't think I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
You have retreated
To a distant place
Don't think I can take it
Your eyes have changed
And you're losing grace
Such a beautiful face
Lost to empty space
It's killing you
And it's killing me
Don't you know
It's murder
Please don't say that word again
Don't think I can take it
Don't think I can fake it anymore
You used to gleam
It made me scream inside
So glad to be beside you
Now you’ve edged on down the bench
And there's nothing here beside me
But an empty space
And your empty face
It's killing you
And it's killing me
Don't you know (X3)
It's murder
Please don’t break my heart again
Don’t think I can take it (X3)
Box
Paris souvenir
Snapshot of an ear
Photo booth in Rome
4 pictures in a row
Box of precious things
Radio Air Force wings
Ticket stubs and cards
Keys to your old car
Now I know it's much too late
You’ve gone too far away
Forgive me if you can
Another lonely man
With a box of precious things
Lousy poems and rings
Pocket knives and change
Miniature plastic brain
Miniature plastic brain
Miniature plastic brain
Paris souvenir
Snapshot of an ear
Photo booth in Rome
When are you coming home?
Lost it Again
It's a major chord
In a major key
But it's so sad
Yeah it's so sad
I'm coming back
From another land
I found my way
And lost it again again again
Again again again again again again
Tattooed star
On your belly
It makes you famous
It makes a scar
And it's too late
To make a better plan
To find your way
And lose it again again again
Again again again
Again again again...
Repeat 1st verse, then keep repeating repeat
"again again again" with these line-pairs overlapping
And it's so sad
Yeah it's so sad
Are you coming back?
When are you coming back?
I'm still waiting
waiting and waiting
I found my way
And
lost it again again again again again