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Singles 2010

by Matt roi Berger

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1.
Uh-Oh 03:28
Three boys and a world to see We gotta keep our heads together, gotta follow the leads And the villain is the bug gonna put us to sleep Gonna make us shake fists put the knife in the dream Well kick me once and I’m still asleep But you could wake me with yer backyard beats The boys hit the wall and they thumpin they feet Get my body in da motion get me sayin to me, I say: Uh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! I got hands and a heart that heaves For the sticky sweet scent of the bum-bully bees But the jelly sink low in the junkyard heat Need the rattle of a breath just to keep its feet We like to keep it in the family tree I hit the guitar, he kicks the beats Then he lays line like electric pipes And the song spits back wid da bump and grind and go: Uh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! Wid a cherry on top we’re the sundae ta beat Feral like a weekend in ya memory So the songbird sings in the aural lights Puts the spikes in the honey like a porcupine Ain’t no one gonna take me to my bed but me And no one gonna tuck me but my loverly three Hear my voice bounce back in the harmony Hear my words send me off to the dark country, I hear a: Uh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
2.
Can't Sleep 03:33
If I blew myself a kiss Wouldn’t you think something was amiss? If I could grow myself again What to keep and what to weed away I need you If I put all my faith in you Just how soon would you make me regret the move? Like a cousin to the wind shapes ain’t cement, snakeskin’s all we’re in Still, i need you Can’t rely on anyone anymore Sell me something more than what you’d like Blood’s not enough, promise me you’re mine I can’t rely on anyone anymore I can’t sleep it’s all these dreams of all I’ve been before
3.
Timeblazer 02:29
4.
We Got It 03:52
Well someone blinded all the bulbs in the city of light And the fake plastic stars lose their glow; fall, leaving holes in the sky And everybody’s moving left, now moving back to the right Shake the styrofoam boats til the holes all close up overnight And tho I wish it were so easy As to stand around dumb and repeating That everything’s gonna be alright Cuz we’ve got the bomb And as we move through the west, all the ghost towns got wires coming out And the zombies check their phones, putting words instead of thoughts in their mouths And we’ve all heard good word thru the herd that we’ll be saved by the crown Gonna move the mountains upwards, put the devil back below underground And on that day we should believe it But til that day you’re just deceiving us When you say everything’s gonna be alright Cuz we’ve got the bomb Yeah they filled us up with stories And we stand along as tape recorders chorus That everything’s gonna be alright Cuz we’ve got the bomb
5.
When I was dry I was a devil The metal was heaven In the hot gates of my hand A love of the sun My mind was a kettle Steam the head of rebel hands commanded To tap the shallow veins of man But I was delivered Someone called my name I was a sinner And still am to this day And the river, knows the same Before I was wet Blood was a bargain A burden and carpet, I set To line the dirt beneath my pace The wild, a road A bed for a bleeder Never a dreamer I woke To find a drought of air embraced But I was delivered Someone called my name I was a sinner And still am to this day And the river, knows the same Bring on the river Bring on the rain Bring on the drowning And bring on the weight I was waiting for justice But no storm came And I’ll never Be dry again Chased by the cold Into a darkness Expected no harvest from my sins But a harbor was my fate I was delivered Someone called my name I was a killer And still am to this day And the river, knows the same
6.
Invasion 02:59
So I don’t wanna go, but I know how to breathe And all these secrets in me are making pieces of me There’s a dam around this city shaking hands with the sea And making plans to proceed, licking salt through its teeth And I don’t mean to complain But I don’t need to explain That I don’t want to be the last one to stay I don’t want to think about the violence in me But there are islands in me and each is dying to breathe And when the waters rise we’ll all belong to the sea And the invasion I fear is only I into me And I don’t mean to complain But I don’t need to explain That I don’t want to be the last one to stay Idle are the thoughts I don’t wanna believe Cuz that’s the label I give when I’m lyin to me And silence is the gift I’m spitting in the between And what is she to believe, but of a wreck and the weak She’s thinkin, I don’t mean to complain But I don’t need to explain That I don’t want to be the last one to stay
7.
Magazine 02:21
8.
Hygiene 03:05
9.
I’m Going 03:23
You can play your life Like a child’s game Play it set by set Play it frame by frame You can get your licks On the city’s dime People pay to see country boys bleed They do it every night I said I’m goin I’m goin I’m goin I said I’m goin I’m goin I’m goin I said I’m goin I’m goin I’m goin I said I’m goin I’m goin I’m gone You can entertain With your famous smile You can play it safe Claim a fear of flight And when the dining comes Yeah when the crime scene’s ripe They’ll cut the belly of the city open And you’ll see your device Chorus Ooo You can play your life Like a child’s game Win it set by set Lose it frame by frame You can spill you guts Market the crime But the only one who laughs in the end Is the one who kills the lights Chorus There’s no one ever right When there’s nowhere left to go We’re not all birds of flight And we’ve got a song that goes And it goes Ooo
10.
Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As man’s ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then, heigh-ho! the holly! This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, Thou dost not bite so nigh As benefits forgot: Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As friend remember’d not. Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then, heigh-ho! the hol
11.
Supernatural 03:11
Well, it’s a physical song When the air in my lungs Apes a shape of sunlight eating through spring But the simple suggestion Of your walk in my direction Sends the atoms into dangerous sprints Your work in the lab Is far past the attack That my matter is willing to mount But I’d listen for hours If you’d recount your day’s encounters Watch the shadows at the corners of your mouth They’re incredible And everything is moving At a supernatural speed Yeah the flies are in their heaven Singing gospel with the bees And the gnats and moths and beetles Humming interesting things To me It’s a quizzical thing When the air tastes like sweets And my teeth are beginning to rot So a tar-shaped black smile As guitar sings the tin That my hands and ears consider love songs And in the study of space time And advanced mathematics You’ve discovered just who you are But I’ll pay you ten bucks To come down to the docks And sit with me here for a time It’s unbelievable Cuz everything is moving At a supernatural speed Yeah the flies are in their heaven Singing gospel with the bees And the gnats and moths and beetles Humming interesting things To me Well elective was the treatment Of the heartbeat’s impeachment From the struggle of the stumbley squeeze But the overachievement Of your clinical agreement Equals heat vents in need of release So excuse my dull wit Cuz it’s coming to fits In attempts to comprehend all you love But I understand me And the birds and the bees And I’ll help you study both if you want It’s incredible Oh everything is moving At a supernatural speed Yeah the flies are in their heaven Singing gospel with the bees And the gnats and moths and beetles Humming interesting things To me
12.
Alright! 02:22
Alright! Baby, let’s go all night! Baby, hold you so tight! Holdin on you Oh my! Got the moves that so right! Got the look in yo eyes I don’t know what to do You rolled your eyes and spit my bones And sold the soul of every one I should have known what rabid bites can do Oh babe you hit me so hard Got some pieces knocked off Got me screamin “oh Lord What am I to do?” On guard Trippin from the work, hard Runnin from the wolf parts Don’t know what to do Playing in the fire cracks And giving boys their heart attacks I never thought to rack my brain on you But now I know the truly toll You cut my skin and bit my bones And shook the pieces left alone to brood
13.
Wide Eyes 03:15
You got a presence evident of sense so leave it alone Devoted celibate though vocalist when cover is blown But oh you blew it yourself so don’t come taggin along You look a child, Wide Eyes. Why you always smiling at me? I sense a siren, simmered silent with a violent streak. I fear the timing, but, oh, you gotta hear me, girl You’re not my baby, don’t come around, I said You know your worth – of course – you’re first to note it every time The casual run on of a verse rehearsed for subtle designs Oh, girl You’re not my baby, don’t come around, I said Wide Eyes, what cha aim to capture? Imagination - over active I seen your notebooks, read your letters Of each detail misremembered But, Wide Eyes fixing, undefeated Wild eyes always been my weakness Same mistake twice, Lord, here we go… You’re not my baby, don’t come around, I said
14.
RiverStomp 05:11
There was a man He spent a time He was filled in the night Yeah, he spilled and he died He wake a dream At the river edge See the line out to the water See the barge pulling in And the wind go: Ooo. He tippy toe He grope ahead See another hundred dozen Shufflin into the ship He push to lead His body red He starts a screaming For the captain’s head Yeah he said: … The water move The ship afloat And the man size up the captain Look a hundred years old He said: No son of mine Was lied to bed Where’s the treatment I’m awarded Since I paid for this trip (And the captain said:) Oh, my lovely son Oh, my child-born All my passengers Get what they think they earned When you think of me, You build your home at sea When you dream of me, I feel it. And on the way, some men were drowned For shore they swam, hearts weighed with doubt The man, he wait at captain’s hip And, soft, the captain said: I will go down with this ship.
15.
Son, there is a humbling To watch the light begun In your eyes Son, be a discoverer, Be no other boy Alive. Go, where you most wish you to be. Know that where you go you go with me. Son, what are you hiding from? What’s this bitter form In your eyes? Son, why are you poisoning All the waters and The sky? Sold on the anger of defeat Holding onto charcoal for the heat And if you will not even try I will not be your sympathizer, no And if your will is less than true You’ll do the same I did to you Son, what you running from? What has the dark begun In you? Son, but a single one Thing God has done You can undo. Go, where you most fear you should be Know you’ll be a stronger man than me Seek the stars that lead to you Your death is yours alone to choose in life The darkness knows nothing of truth It’s but a dream that seems to prove it’s right And, Son, don’t make a foe of you You far too strong to simply lose your life Son, you are the sky.
16.
Well nothing’s gonna beat the sting the honey achieved On the virgin first sip of the stick-ally sweet But when you close your eyes… Oh, when you close your eyes… I’m the wild’s fresh son, I’m the courteous beast I’m a sucker for the sap of the sugary heat And when you close your eyes Darlin, when you close your eyes Well you’re always in my heart Yeah you’re always on my mind And I never gonna fathom any moment to breath me Any deeper than the stairway leading us to our sleep First time you closed your eyes… Oh when you close your eyes… I was countin on my digits all the devilish nerves Til I heard the crack in mine and felt the curl a yours And when you close your eyes Darlin, when you close your eyes Well you’re always in my heart Yeah you’re always on my… Mind – my virtues, all my courage All my time’s spent in your service All these pleasures all are worthless Save the contents of these verses Mind – my figures are quite gilded Mine’s the triumph of the willing You’re the wolf I must belong to On and on and on and on… I’m a punch drunk with the muscle that is given to seethe And I never felt so sore til truly aimin to please And when you close your eyes… Oh, when you close your eyes… And I’m never gonna doubt that we got lungs that we share Cuz I’m never truly breathin til you’re gaspin for air Oh when you close your eyes Darlin, when you close your eyes Well you’re always in my heart Yeah you’re always on my mind And there’s no where to start And there’s nothing to hide And I feel it come apart - Every time you close your eyes Cuz you’re always in my heart - Yeah you’re always on my mind
17.
Old Country 03:24
I got my head but I’m living in a tough rut I have a dreamin but it’s never quite enough I made a state and my fate is only rust shut It leaves me wishing for another sort of living In the Old Country We could be happy In the Old Country I got a heart but it’s having such a hard time It’s got a chain with a weight and oh she’s all mine And in this state there’s no way to play a fault line You got me wishing for another sort of living In the Old Country We could be lovers In the Old Country And all mistakes are all my friends It’s all my fate this state I’m in There’s no escape from what I’ve come to be But, oh, to I think of where I was When I was me and I was young And all the world only mine to seek I got a skin but it’s feelin like a ghost hold There was a season it chameleon’d with the local Now it’s the armor that I’m wearing in the sinkhole It leads to reason that I was only dreaming Of the Old Country I was a savage In the Old Country And all mistakes are all my friends It’s all my fate this state I’m in There’s no escape from what I’ve come to be But, oh, to I think of where I was When I was me and I was young And all the world only mine to seek In the Old Country In the Old Country And all mistakes are all my friends It’s all my fate this state I’m in There’s no escape from what I’ve come to be But, oh, to I think of where I was When I was me and I was young And all the world only mine to seek
18.
Safari 03:48
What’s all the hurry? Where’s all the time? What was I learning? I don’t need it Find my a forest Fetch me the sky Where was my worry? I don’t need it I trade my lessons for a mend And lay my pressures to the fence I’ll pay my debtors from the end Cause hell this ain’t the end Let’s go on safari Let’s see what we find There’s no need to hurry I don’t mind it We’ve only our story We’ve no need for time If they find it boring I don’t mind it I wave my presence of pretense And save my questions for the end I trade my obsession of a sense The sense has met it’s end And oh I grew too fast Oh where was my heart? And I wanted death To quit a bleeding spark So back to the strain Of the far off run And I will chew my reign Because I am not done Let’s go where the dark is Let’s go where we fear We’ll try where the heart is I can find it We’ll dig up the bone yard We’ll burn what we see We’ll shoot the horizon I can find it I wave my presence of pretense And save my questions for the end I trade my obsession of a sense The sense has met it’s end And oh I grew too fast Oh where was my heart? And I wanted death To quit a bleeding spark So back to the strain Of the far off run And I will chew my reign Because I am not done It’s not like you lost a friend It’s not like you lost a brother It’s not like you lost your arm It’s only the end of the start And oh I grew too fast Oh where was my heart? And I wanted death To quit a bleeding spark So back to the strain Of the far off run And I will chew my reign Because I am not done
19.
High country side won’t you lie in the summer with me? Sleep with the sting of rocks they sling in heat They think they’re wild but not like I And each dull smile is all it hides My mother caught me laying so Lord has got a saying for me Boy the country fields will do you ill To the sister city chapel, get your proper fill, he say Dark lost trip, but my bags inside And I’m out the door, then I realize, that You can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk You can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk The saints got an eye, say you never can hide from they But I’m sweeping pews beneath their view all day And they never pay a thing to say Bout who I talk to, anyway- If they did it was hid with a smirk and a showing of faith And all my family and all my friends Must think I’m some sort of alien to stay Well, I’m homesick and I tell ‘em so But God’s got work for an adventurous boy and I can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk You can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk Hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk You can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk The summer’s hot but it’s getting dark What you say about Central Park? Smells like home in just about a hundred ways. Well, I’m homesick and I tell ‘em so But God’s got work for an adventurous boy and You can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk You can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk Hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk You can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk Hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk You can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk Hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk You can hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk hear boys talk
20.
Sci Fi 04:34
Set sail on the word of a tailor Tongue stuck out like you licking up manna High tide’s high time – decide to ride the brine. Hot tips from the congregation Gonna lock lips with the company statement Supplied inside! Sold by assigned timeline Shake with the hand of the nightly adders Gone to bed with a rope in the rafter Eyes tight! Sight lines aligned aside Sci-fi! Honesty, dear, you’re still my virtue Point on the doll where the good men hurt you Nighttime, roadside, divine, inside, high five! Call away Almost done Son of mine Empty one Sell the soil Wake the dead Change the names Who’d a guess? Get by on the information Ear to the ground picking up vibration Limelight-Inclined! Finite insight required! Buy thoughts from the evening game show Selling psalms to your grieving neighbors Defy! Deny! In time they’ll buy. Resign! Call away Almost done Son of mine Empty one Sell the soil Wake the dead Change the names Who’d a guess?
21.
It was a lover and his lass, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, That o’er the green corn-field did pass With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, In the spring time, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, Hey ding a ding, ding: Sweet lovers love the spring. Between the acres of the rye, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, These pretty country folks would lie, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, In the spring time, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, Hey ding a ding, ding: Sweet lovers love the spring. This carol they began that hour, How that a life was but a flower, And therefore take the present time, For love is crowned with the prime
22.
Fever 04:45
Old heart, it was already done You had your hand bright red at the neck of the gun And you’re never ever home when you’re given to run Split smart, we were already dumb Spending another summer Sunday a companion to none And when our aim’s this sharp then we’ve already won Old heart, you were already dead Using words out of a college that you didn’t attend But if you talk real loud then they’ll never suspect Truth ain’t failure, confidence a sin Suture jigsaw Ruthless tailors, our words build again Future Minotaur C’mon c’mon! It’s easy when you’re cheating C’mon c’mon! It’s more than just a feeling C’mon c’mon! You’re only ever dreaming C’mon c’mon! And get your body seething Old parts, but you’re almost as young And you only ever argue when you’ve already won And you’re never ever over when you haven’t begun Worth ain’t ease – misunderstand’s the word Morning cigarette First paint’s pealing, fundamental curse: The moment’s never over yet C’mon c’mon! It’s easy when you’re cheating C’mon c’mon! It’s more than just a feeling C’mon c’mon! You’re only ever dreaming C’mon c’mon! And get your body seething Hello, old friend, the years have been split cells Old heart of mine I think we should get well C’mon c’mon! It’s easy when you’re cheating C’mon c’mon! It’s more than just a feeling C’mon c’mon! You’re only ever dreaming C’mon c’mon! And get your body seething
23.
I Resolve 04:30
Living low in living means Never know the reasons why Living low and in between Never know but never hide And Lord please not the grieving me He always seek but never find He never drink, he never breath He never look you in the eye Oh no, don’t save a place for me For I will will settle till I die Please keep me paths enough to seek Please keep me reason nuff to try Please keep my eyes awake to see And I will see but what is nigh And only live the in between Not lives beyond or lives behind Living all before I end Never look where I begin I Resolve I’ll resolve Living slow is life enough But it don’t mean you never die And I have seen the stars above But not so like the one beside And she is diamonds in the rough But not so rough where diamonds lie And she is smiling - it’s enough Cause she got diamonds in her eye And I may take a different road And I may take a little time But I won’t rest my weary bones Til I may rest them at your side Cause we got miles in our shoes And lands we’ve left alone to climb But never lost, I’ll know to choose The way stars brighter than the sky’s Living all before I end Never look where I begin I Resolve I’ll resolve
24.
Hello Simone My, how you’ve grown I can’t help but admire What you’ve done in such short time How you wiggle when you walk How you tickle when you talk Singing, Hello, Simone, How you been? Hello Simone My, how you’ve shown Nature’s supplies Matter twice a number’s size How you wiggle when you walk How you tickle when you talk Singing, Hello, Simone, How you been? I long to hold you And keep you satisfied I promise never to scold you Or keep you up on a school night Hello Simone My, how it goes Seems like year since Your old man and I were friends How you wiggle when you walk How you tickle when you talk Hello, Simone, How you been? How I long to touch you And keep you satisfied I promise to always love you And keep this just between you and I Oh, my dear The irony is clear What you’ve taught me can not be surpassed I’ll see you next week in class
25.
We met at The office retreat You did not sweep me off my feet But I never yawned While you tutored me on Differed income laws Ain’t what you expect Ain’t what you earn The good Lord gives, for what it’s worth You got me a job On account of what you had taught And we were in love I didn’t want a ring Just a dining room set A yellow couch with birds on it We want the things we want Can’t count on what you choose But I was a-counting on you, oh love All I was, was counting on you We had the weekends I had Steve and Kathleen And we moved out to New Jersey I could account for no way These things wouldn’t stay You saw the world Travelin all the time When asked where you were Your daughter would point to a plane in the sky Then you asked me to stay up late to talk, but what about? So serious now Said you wanted out It wasn’t on account of the stress Or on account of lack of prayer It was on account of the woman you’d met somewhere out there I counted on rough times On not knowing what to do But I wasn’t counting on this from you But I wasn’t counting on this from you But then someone says something And then words are retired And everything suggested comes from someone we hired And the shrinks suggest it’s normal That there’s nothing you can do But tell your son daddy doesn’t love me but he still loves you And they remember more than I’d ever want them to Then I’d ever want to But what can you do? My lawyer was good I still send him flowers The kids stayed with me on account of good courtly powers And I know for a fact You weren’t a-countin on that And I can say with straight face I can declare with no glee She cheated on you just like you two cheated on me The good Lord gives for what it’s worth Things you could never ‘count for And the years have made symbols Of a story complex I’m sure you recall things that I forget And you spoke to the kids And you apologized to me And became something of the man I’d hoped you’d be Just a bit too late for Steve, Kathleen and me But still the man I’d hoped someday you’d be I account for the years For memories fading fast But I wasn’t counting on that Numbers are simple Just add, divide, reduce But I was a-countin on you
26.
No, I won’t go back to Park Slope Cuz that’s where the Devil lives If suicide were on my mind Well, then I’d plan the trip No, I won’t go back to Park Slope Not till the day I die And when I do I’ll fuck that Devil in the eye. Promises are promises to many Your mama says, you were never very smart I know all this is getting pretty heavy But wait till Hipsters stab you in the heart No, I won’t go back to Park Slope Cuz that’s where the Devil lives If suicide were on my mind That’s where I’d pay my rent No, I won’t go back to Park Slope Not till the day I die And when I do I’ll fuck that Devil in the eye. Honestly, I’d never thought of any Stoppages worth playing on in time If all of this was planned to pinch a penny Then why not grope a mother fucking dime No, I won’t go back to Park Slope Cuz that’s where the Devil lives If suicide were on my mind Well, then I’d plan the trip No, I won’t go back to Park Slope Not till the day I die And when I do I’ll fuck that Devil in the eye. No, I won’t go back to Park Slope Cuz that’s where the Devil lives If suicide were on my mind That’s where I’d pay my rent No, I won’t go back to Park Slope Not till the day I die And when I do I’ll fuck that Devil in the eye.
27.
Maya sleeps just 20 feet above me But I think she’s got a higher sense She can hear the wild woods’ wide walking The tremble of an eon’s step We were asleep at speed At the seething beat’s request And Maya called us to the patio’s edge And in the chorus of her limbs, we read Yeah they said: Oh Oh Oh-Whoa-Oh… We set our heads out to the fired horizon The orbit showing us it was there We sent our hands up to the sky’s dividers Fought the dryness in the error of air And in the stinging heat The beat’s repeated tow We made the water cover every inch Sung every leaf and herb and stone They shone, we go: Oh Oh Oh-Whoa-Oh… Oh Oh Oh-Whoa-Oh…
28.
I sh-sh-should have left you crying I c-c-could’ve been out clean Inst-st-stead I’m just up drying Pull the line and reel me in You’re hot to cold, I’m in between It’s too, too sweet and now it’s rotten And all these treats are cheats instead I had my wisdom, then I lost it You’re too filthy for me, friend And this ain’t healthy for my head I don’t know about you… You st-st-stole back what you slighted My guard was lured with tainted scores I’m sh-sh-sure this seems a riot If this is what you had in store You cleaned me out, let me assure - there’s nothing more I don’t know about you… Oh, don’t leave me tame. I don’t know about you, But I for one am done with all your shit
29.
Faith 04:08
What you saw? What’s the sign? What you say? What is ‘Faith?’ It’s all the mind. It’s all excited, What you saw. Hope, called astray. And, oh, if all you see is a sign, It’s only night. It’s a trick of the light. … What’s the con? What’s the pride? Knowing all, Though you never find. If I’m blind What’s to say World behind - Doubt is weight. And, oh, if all you see is a sign, Return the light, Make an oath to the night: I won’t be coming back no more…
30.
The place the heat of day will come to rest The cool of night will always start And where they meet and mix their interests Reminds me of my summer’s heart Her hair’s the coal before the fire’s lit, Her skin, the subtle heat stirred high by The lightning storms alight within her wit, The starlit shadows in her eyes I want to be up in the heights with you I’d be wherever it’s you are I must have been up lost somewhere before, cuz I fell fast and I fell hard The wild alive with every little thing And every bite the sweetest taste The restful silence always following The starlight danced across your face And like a sparrow’s flight Cut through a summer’s sky It’s in you that I’m alive In you I am alive And even when the storms are reckless They make amends with cool relief And all the bite marks on my shoulders Make worth the scratches on my knees And in the envy of the autumn’s sting And in the dead of winter’s hurt And in the tease that is another spring I promise summer all I’m worth And like a sparrow’s flight Cut through a summer’s sky It’s in you that I’m alive In you I am alive I can’t see what I’d be without you. And like a sparrow’s flight Cut through a summer’s sky It’s in you that I’m alive In you I am alive
31.
I put my number onto you I bit my lip and smiled I took my service under you Marveled outward at your device I made devices known to you I made for striking flint I made my rights alone to you Everyone must have been convinced I put my number onto you I bit my lip and smiled I saw the look come over you Flash of teeth, white hard cold and wide You put yourself at ease with me You put your fences down I never needed anything Thank God no one else was around And, oh, what you gave to me Was black black hands And sharp sharp teeth And, oh, what you never find Is hot hot blood That can wait its time I put my number onto you I waited far to long The silence followed all too soon Though the patience sweetened the draw I made devices known to you I made an awful mess Those teeth you shown were absolute Now my pocket’s equally dressed And, oh, what you gave to me Was black black hands And sharp sharp teeth And, oh, what you never find Is hot hot blood That can wait its time All I said is my dear boy you have to face it… And, oh, what you gave to me Was black black hands And sharp sharp teeth And, oh, what you never find Is hot hot blood That can wait its time And all I did was go and take what was my favorite And all I did was leave the rest out on the pavement And all I said was my dear boy you have to face it I’m gonna wear your teeth like a mother fucking charm bracelet
32.
High Strung 02:55
I never paid a price And, oh, the shame is far too great To, blind, ignore the time To find a fitter frame for faith. And though these shallow words seem hollow, Let them erase; I’ll find the strength tomorrow. And if I only could. And if you only knew; I’ve faith alone to step out on my own. High strung, I’m up again. I never sleep – I see the light, The weight of wasted time. The coming night has yellow eyes. And would I had the legs to stand in shadow, To prove I had the strength to walk on my own. And if I only could. And if you only knew; I’ve faith alone to walk out on my own. A crowded street; extended wire; A fallacy of dream’s desire - Oh, would it were the stuff of everyday. To find my footing, find my breath - Resolved to take another step: Heaven’s only just a step away. And though these shallow words seem hollow Let them erase, I’ll find the strength tomorrow And if I only could. And if you only knew; I’ve faith alone to step out on my own.
33.
Outside 04:07
Seems I was here before I’m never ever sure when I’ll return And every part of me Is, at the deepest heart of me, unsure But when I said I’d never rest I guess I kept my word We haunt the same damn rooms Our fathers haunted, fondly haunting us We wear our brothers’ suits In hopes the other ghosts won’t treat us rough Pretend we never knew - We know it’s not enough We saw the changes come I never felt them The timing’s everything I’ve never heard a lie so well rehearsed And when it’s all the same You never miss a thing so what’s the worth The second hand is always Thinking of itself first If there’s a difference, well I never feel it But I, I want to go outside I’ve never felt so tired I’ve needed to get right And I, I want to go outside I never found the time I never needed The ammunition’s here So why not put the fear of God in them? Like windows stand a chance ‘Gainst anything on which we lay our hands Outside! Take me, take me! But I, I want to go outside I’ve never felt so tired I’ve needed to get right And I, I want to go outside I never found the time I never needed
34.
Knives Out 02:41
It’s hard to fake it when you’re already wasted It’s hard to take back what you already said I need a rough up like a bat in a basement I need a tussle like a hole in the head You got a reason for a sudden engagement You got a reason that is perfectly sound You got a reason for the current arrangement I gotta reason up a cleaner way out Knives out, but I’m optimistic! It’s hard to reach you when you’re already wasted It’s hard to teach you when you’re already dead It’s hard to think when you’re laid out on the pavement It’s hard to concentrate, hands sticky and wet And in another place And in another time You got a different face I got a cleaner night You got your blood inside Knives out, but I’m optimistic!
35.
Sick sense but I’m numb to see That there’s a present hesitation in the coming feed So I pull my teeth Left flexed, but she feels the fool And that’s another paragraph that she’s swallowed whole She got a long ride home to get to eat You gotta lift right, Bite Size; Get set, get tight. So sell yourself a little clearance, come on You swing a left-right, chest height Split lip, red light You’re sick of spitting just what it mean Undone, but it only eats When you serve it like setting on a nightly beat So, oh, no, get yourself to sleep You gotta lift right, Bite Size; Get set, get tight. So sell yourself a little clearance, come on You swing a left-right, chest height Split lip, red light You’re sick of hearing just what I think But, oh, Sister, sister, no. A fitter picture, oh Stay close to me Oh, Sister, sister, no. A little self-control Stay on your feet
36.
That Bitch 03:39
That bitch, she stole all my money That wild girl, she stole all my youth But I could give a damn Yeah, I got the upper hand Cuz, bitch, I don’t believe in you Well, girl, you move it like you’re baiting Then when they hook you, oh you just act confused But the way you cut that dress It’s like you ask for it I ain’t gonna bite no more - I don’t believe in you Well Momma didn’t raise no lost boy I ain’t a child no more And though it’s imprecise I got a plan that works out fine And to take out all your sisters Is an adequate price That bitch, she messed up my mind, now Made me feel like my damn ass could fly Well keep your petty scores I’m done with dust I don’t want more That bitch, she stole all my money That wild girl, I gave her all my youth I could never land a blow I ain’t gonna hit you, so just know Oh, bitch, I don’t believe in you Well Momma didn’t raise no lost boy I ain’t a child no more And though it’s imprecise I got a plan that works out fine And to take out all your sisters Is an adequate price Well it looks like I did the trick But I ain’t done just yet Cuz I’m gonna clap to bring you back girl…
37.
Stacy Knows 02:18
Well Stacy knows just what she’s given to me She got her fingers in the things I know The pole position in the levity sweeps And all the buzzin in melodious glow And, God, rest my soul Stacy already knows And what Stacy knows She’s beginning to show Well Stacy knows just what she’s given to be She got band and a couple of jokes And Stacy knows just what she’s delivering When she’s repeating things I already know And, God, rest my soul Stacy already knows And what Stacy knows She’s beginning to show Cuz I can’t hardly wait – what you’re giving to me Is a high I haven’t felt since seventeen And you can get on by with your devious streak With me Well heaven knows what Stacy’s given to think She got a mind I can’t understand And all the nothing I been speaking all week It just charm of a helpless man And, God, rest my soul Stacy already knows And what Stacy knows She’s beginning to show Cuz I can’t hardly wait – what you’re giving to me Is a high I haven’t felt since seventeen And you can get on by with your devious streak With me
38.
Teenage Hipsters, where you headed? Useless answers, careless gestures Bored with all the simple and safe And giving everything a new name Teenage Hipsters, where you headed now? And all the boys got the ethics of the effortless heart down And all the girls bought a drink more than they can retain And every hour is a night in a life in the death of the charmers and saints And no one wants to dance, not even a little bit Teenage Hipsters, where you headed? Healthy weathered, heaven-scented Buried under what can afford Context for the hungry and bored Teenage Hipsters, where you headed now? I’m so bored with being bored Teenage Hipsters, what you covering? Harvard sisters, upward brothers And everything is getting young To the point where nothing’s ever done Teenage Hipsters, where you headed now?
39.
It's On 04:10
You can stay awake, if you wanna You can stay awake, if you wanna go If you wanna go We can steal a night, if we’re honest We can steal a night, if we wanna go If we wanna go And we’ll each go weaving in the shadows Sidewalk creeping, silent windows Past the fences, they can’t hold us For long. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon. We can chase the dark, if we wanna We can kick up sparks at every obstacle We go where we wanna go You can count on me, if you wanna You can count on me, I’m gonna count on you Like I want you to And we’ll each go walking in the moon’s eye Sideways stalking in the lamp light And there’s no caution, you at my side It’s on. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon. We’ll go speeding in the shadows Sidewalk creeping, silent windows Past the fences, they can’t hold us For long. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.
40.
Mary 03:41
Mary, I came into a view of what I came to know as you. Mary, I came to see a view of me: a sea so deep and new. Barley a thing to do but wait the day to wake to wait with you Faintly, I knew a shadow far across the sea was coming true. I knew the shape of what I felt. But I cannot remember well. Mary, I can’t undo the things I said - my head was soft as glue. At sea, I waited through the days to cool my head. I never knew.
41.
MineMineMine 01:49
You ask me “baby-baby what you gonna give to your girl?” I tell you “baby-baby, I’ma gonna give you the world” You tell me “baby-baby, take your time, Cuz when you finish it’s a mine mine mine” You tell me “come on in, a-sit right down and relax A-let me help you by-a taken that shirt off your back” You tell me “baby-baby, take your time Cuz when you finish it’s a mine mine mine” You say “oh baby, I’m so sorry for taking your things. I’ll take any any anything” “Oh take my heart and take my time Cuz when you take it your-a mine mine mine”
42.
All Ages 02:23
It wasn’t summer Smoked with our collars hiked high But it was summer It felt like summer inside Everything is shaking here But I’m too dumb to try Nothing could be made more clear at this time I’m feeling fine I wanted someone I wanted someone I could find And we’ll find someone Our bodies drunk and side-to-side Everything is shaking here But I’m too gone to try Nothing could be made more clear Then thick, electric lines And fists keeping time The night was hunger The day was coming for our time But was it summer? It felt like summer inside Everything is shaking here But I’m too gone to try Nothing could be made more clear at this time I’m feeling fine
43.
Your Kind 05:46
Rest your head before you give Catch your breath before you’re spent And in the end I’ll make your bed I’ll be the one to hold your hand All my sleep is static screened On the floor with you asleep And in the end I’ll make your bed I’ll be the one to hold your hand I never did more than you said I would But you need to stop drinking my blood Cuz oh I wanna get right! Right?? And love is a killer with forgiving eyes Watch you smothered; a disarming smile But oh I wanna get right! Don’t you wanna get right? And all the kids cheer old and deaf “Oh I wish I would known!” And it sounds like I’m screaming every time I sing And I never go out, I only stay at home, safe inside Inside I’m singing for the light And no one is no one is no one is no one is right And we burn down the wires, send signals, black, into night “Come find your kind! Come and find your kind!” Pack your foolish things I won’t be getting late Let’s leave this place for now And save what can be saved There is no end Just another bed I’ll be the one to hold your hand I’ll hold your hand - Come inside Inside we’re signing for the light And no one is no one is no one is no one is right And we burn down the wires, send signals - black - into night “Come find your kind! Come and find your kind!”
44.
Motorcade 02:42
You wanted something for nothing But no you ain’t too smart Ain’t got a face worth trusting Naw And it’s a sign sign sign Oh you called it a vision And it’s a nigh high time That you figured it out And it’s a fine fine line Between business and submission Well you can’t You gotta think about it You wanted just what I needed You got a sensitive mind You got no sense for believing It’s mine And oh, you’re blind blind blind But you called it a vision And it’s a nigh high time That you figured it out And it’s a fine fine line Between business and submission Well you can’t You gotta think about it Time Oh and it isn’t on your side You got a swift quick hole at the top of your neck You get swift quick hole in the side of your head You wanted something for nothing But no you ain’t too smart Oh I can see that you’re bluffing And oh, you’re blind blind blind But you needed a vision And it’s a nigh high time That you figured it out And it’s a fine fine line Between business and submission Well you can’t You gotta think about it Oh no don’t play with a flame that’s too big for your lighter Oh no don’t toy with boy who’s no time for your game You got an eye for the prize and and tongue that can cut And a fuse you just won’t snuff cuz you’re tough enough But how you gonna count the money when we’re holding your hands? Time Oh and it isn’t on your side You got a swift quick hole at the top of your neck You get swift quick hole in the side of your head
45.
46.
I don’t see what they’re saying ‘cept I know that they’re right And that they’re singing through their teeth with an envious eye Cuz the kindness in their signs doesn’t bleed from the heart And every kid has got good reason for his passionate scars They got a letter to editor – They’re begging a better her But they never sever ties – they got the eyes of a predator Only try’n’ to get next to her, endeavor to tether her And she’s warning me about their aims! She say. She got a taste like an anthrax outbreak mismatched Body like a battle-ax, blinding like a cataract So try to get your facts straight, send em off to Christ Camp Come home for the Holidays, won’t look you in the eye again I don’t see what the point is – I’m incredibly fine Like a pencil or a suit And the terrible parable isn’t half as unbearable As their chorus of disheartened abuse: Why do you bother? Why? Why do you bother to be in love? Why do you bother to try? She got a voice like a shark bite, sugar-covered knife fight Molotov cock tease, aching for a spit shine The science of her kindness doesn’t bleed from her heart She got a hundred open credit lines in passionate arms And the terrible terrible terrible terrible terrible Terrible terrible terrible truth Is that I’m honest to a fault line digging at a grave site Hanging by a trip wire tapping on a landmine Why do you bother? Why? Why do you bother to be in love? Why do you bother to try? Oh my God. Why do you bother? Why? Why do you bother to be in love? Why do you bother to try?
47.
Little Sin 03:35
I wanted something. I wanted something to believe. So I start my dig at the top of the spine. We’re gonna work on up, gonna see what we fine. I needed something. I needed something for relief. You got a stock car mouth and it’s out of control. You’ve gone a too far now, you shakin teeth with the road. A little something. A little sun coming over me. I got my head so light, it’s a part of the sky And I forget your name, but you were very polite Oh, And what you need is a sign. When you look at the light Say you ever believe. Oh, Losing track of the time. Waking up in the night. Feel a terrible thing. I needed something. A little sun coming over me. And I get so hot - it’s a bothersome thing. I need a quick release, need a something to breath. And there’s a nothing. There’s a nothing I believe But a one good word that I managed to save. He put the word in me and he told me, “behave.” Oh, And what you need is a sign. When you look at the light Say you ever believe. Oh, Losing track of the time. Waking up in the night. Feel a terrible thing. A little sin.
48.
“My son, my son, oh won’t you roam,” Said my father, as he gave to Sleep. “My son, you must take to the road, Before the earth does you as it does me. My words can not apologize For fear you see within my eyes; My son you’re twice the man as me.” And with that breath my father died My hands still pressing at his side. Done nothing t’stop the blood that wet the leaves. My love, my love, oh won’t we run, Find ourselves in the new country? Our legs are sapling spritely young. No roots are yet our company. And though the life you hold inside Is showing now, I think we time To beat this winter’s march and slip the scene Because, my love, I have this dream That comes to me persistently In forest dark, the voices ask of me: “Will you work till you’re scraps With the devil on your back In the shadow of an earthly beast? Will you lie on your life While you bleed from your side When they come for your family? Oh, when they come for your family…” My son, my son oh won’t you run, Call the heavens to horizon’s knees? And catch the subtle rising sun In your smile as you come to me? My son, oh won’t you sing again Through the dirt and still my hand That shakes with fear and rage but never stings. And oh, my son, I have this dream That comes to me persistently In forest dark, the voices ask of me: “Will you bury your pack With the devil on your back In the shadow of an earthly beast? Or will you fight for your life With the devil at your side When they come for your family? When they come for your wife And your daughter with a knife Will you lie on your side and bleed?” That won’t be me. Yes sir, yes sir, I’m on my feet And begging for my just release Yes sir, yes sir, I’m ready to be freed Your gracious gift of my last words Are but to say my earthly worth Has now another’s name upon it’s lease. Oh dear, oh my, but what a face Your open eyes do seem to make When one has slipped your guts down to your feet A call is off, but it’s too late, My legs are swift and so’s my blade That sings the words I answer now in peace “Will you work till you’re scraps With the devil on your back In the shadow of an earthly beast? Or will you fight for your life With the devil at your side When they come for your family? When they come for your wife And your daughter with a knife Will you lie on your side and bleed?” That won’t be me.
49.
In Repair 03:23
And in the dark I’m a watch the lights a go a crisscross slowly I get a ghost a breath and I watch it bleed And in my head is a single song playing sideways, holy God, it’s an old, old game and you’re a young, young thing All right! Never come in silence! All right! Never come in fear! You got a way with words like a hammer has a way with windows You got a smile that’s a part time auctioneer You got a way to your walk that I swear to God can injure I got a call from your friend; he was very clear All right! Never come in silence! All right! Never come in fear! All right! Never come in kindness! All right! Never come in here! I’m in repair, I I haunt the stairs and I Wait for you And in the dark I’m a watch the lights a go a crisscross slowly You get a ghost a breath and we watch it bleed You got a look to say you think this is a bad thing, mostly But in the end, we do the same bad thing All right! Never come in silence! All right! Never come in fear! All right! Never come in kindness! All right! Never come in here! I’m in repair, I I’ll be your alibi I’m in repair, I I haunt the stairs and I Wait for you Gonna wait for you
50.
Novelty Socks! Novelty Socks! Well, I bought my babe a pair of novelty socks She wore those things up, up and down the block She wore that pair most everywhere She wore them ‘til her feet were bare She loves her… Novelty Socks! Novelty Socks! Well, I could ‘a bought a book for my baby on ‘a Christmas Eve And I thought she’d like a heated pot a’ water and some Chinese leaves Well I almost bought her tickets to her baseball team. But I thought about it twice and I couldn’t be mean. She got her… Novelty Socks! Novelty Socks! Novelty Socks! Novelty Socks! Well, Christmas is the time for the gifting of the Novelty Socks But the Greatest Gift of All isn’t simply for the Gentile flocks If it’s the 2nd night of Kwanzaa or at Chanukah’s end And your feet are feeling chilly just ‘a slip them on in To your… Novelty Socks! Novelty Socks! Novelty Socks! Novelty Socks!
51.
We Go Run 03:45
I got this dream that keeps a bothering me That I’m asleep on my feet That I’m a passing up on more than my time It trace a funny design I can feel the city leaning on me I see her feeding on me She got these teeth; they’ razors, straight through your bone She tell me leave it alone. Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! I’m only looking for a coward like me Who got the fear of the sleep Who wanna stay awake and run til we through Kid, you got pretty good moves Let’s pack up quickly cuz the city got ears She need her dinner, I fear The subway moaning like electric delight We gonna leave it tonight I’m on my way I’m on my way Where I’m to find I cannot say Let’s get around Let’s get away We won’t be found Until we give it away I see a fire up on warning tonight Pitchforks a-warring tonight She got a level that she want you to know So she gone tell you it all “I’m merely saying what you’re calling to mind I ain’t the devilish kind I ain’t a saint but I ain’t wasting your time” Oh Lord, stop wasting my time. We smell the blood on the line And we go run for our life. That’s right! That’s right! I’m on my way I’m on my way Where I’m to find I cannot say Let’s get around Let’s get away We won’t be found Until we give it away Hey! You see a phantom on the boulevard The beaches haunted by the ancient gods We sneak the boardwalk and we slip into the sea If we can pass the torch we’re free I’m on my way I’m on my way Where I’m to find I cannot say Let’s get around Let’s get away We won’t be found Until we give it away Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
52.
Begin Again 05:50
You take a breath, but are you ever to start? You call it like you’ve known all along. You feel the weight from 20 years above you, The voices from forever beyond. It’s on your arm Just to tell you when the damage is done. You’re all you are And has that ever been enough to belong? You dream of everything that ever began But the curse is in the lack of the words You wonder numbers like the height and the speed, The distance to the slip of the earth It’s not too far When you compare it to the terrible run. You’re all you are When you’re screaming at the top of your lungs. Quiet star, it set it’s head and then begin again Liar’s heart, it detonate and then begin again Fire spark, it never stop, it just begin again Wild dark, you raise your head and you begin again But when you sleep it’s all the clouds and the sea Horizon ever echoing on And somewhere off you know that there there must be Exactly what you knew all along But just how far Will you reach until the battery’s done? You stop; you start. The sting is ever that which carry’s you on. Quiet star, it set it’s head and then begin again Liar’s heart, it detonate and then begin again Fire spark, it never stop, it just begin again Wild dark, you raise your head and you begin again You laugh aloud down from your infinite height The faces staring in disbelief They needn’t understand the fear of the flight For you to know your own victory You’re wild; you’re dark And you’re only ever what you have done You’re all you are When you’re screaming at the top of your lungs. Quiet star, it set it’s head and then begin again Liar’s heart, it detonate and then begin again Fire spark, it never stop, it just begin again Wild dark, you raise your head and you begin again

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Wrote a song a week for the year of our Lord 2010.

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released December 31, 2010

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Matt roi Berger Brooklyn, New York

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