When the Day is Long
I'm a pretender.
I didn't illustrate these, but I love them. They marry gorgeous music with the wonder of books using that delightful mid-century pulp-book vibe.
Moon —
What's real and what's performative? Look at it all from 10k feet, what does the continent of reality look like? Doors close, but the rooms on the other side don't disappear. Life becomes Schrödinger's existence.
End of the World —
Detonation. An old world is demolished, pieces litter the floor, the walls the ceiling and the halls. I never lied about being in trouble, only about feeling fine. Shock, defiance, survival. When the excrement hits the oscillating device, we find out what we are really made of. The heroes? They pick themselves up and crawl forward through the wreckage and rebuild.
Nightswimming —
Memory... pictures and privacy. Existence before weight, where any altitude seemed possible, and indeed, most were.
I forgot my shirt at the water's edge The moon is low tonight
You, I thought I knew you You, I cannot judge You, I thought you knew me This one laughing quietly
Haunting. Cutting. Bravado is done, if it ever existed. What's left is moonless nights and reflection. The quiet of nightswimming. There's nothing like it.
Frequency —
The maddening experience of communication without acceptance. Or presence without understanding. An invisible existence. The danger comes when you fall into the feedback loop of trying to understand a thing that once was instead of accepting it. The cigar being a cigar and all.
Stand —
All you can do is put your feet on the ground. Center. IDentify 5 things that are real and around you. Locate the self. Then, when you know where you are, go forward.
Losing Religion —
Obsessive emotional exposure: trying to keep up with someone, reading tiny signals, worrying you said too much, then worrying you didn’t say enough. Imagining that you saw them turn back toward you. Hoping a gesture meant something. Then realizing: that was just a dream. It is love caught between confession and humiliation.
Driver 8 —
A journey exhausting the people making it. On this shift too long. And yet there’s that heartbreaking phrase: We can reach our destination, but find it is on different planets. IS there a wormhole that delivers two paths to a single destination? Or is it just the reality of acceptance? IN any case, there's a long journey to travel before teh destination comes.
Everybody Hurts —
No coming back. No hail mary's... the person left alone after all the remembering, questioning, decoding and longing. When the day is long. When the night belongs only to you. When you feel you’ve had enough.
Hold on.
The songs say: enormity. Revised geography. Gravity shifted, but orbits that remain.
Man on the Moon End of the World Nightswimming Frequency Kenneth Stand Losing Religion Driver 8 Everybody Hurts
“Man On The Moon”
Mott the Hoople and the game of Life yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Andy Kaufman in the wrestling match yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Monopoly, Twenty one, checkers, and chess yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Mister Fred Blassie in a breakfast mess yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Let's play Twister, let's play Risk yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I'll see you in heaven if you make the list yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Now, Andy did you hear about this one? Tell me, are you locked in the punch? Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Hey, baby Are we losing touch?
If you believed they put a man on the moon Man on the moon If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve Then nothing is cool
Moses went walking with the staff of wood yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Newton got beaned by the apple good yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Egypt was troubled by the horrible asp yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Mister Charles Darwin had the gall to ask yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Now, Andy did you hear about this one? Tell me, are you locked in the punch? Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Hey, baby Are you having fun?
If you believed they put a man on the moon Man on the moon If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve Then nothing is cool
Here's a little agit for the never-believer yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Here's a little ghost for the offering yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Here's a truck stop instead of Saint Peter's yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Mister Andy Kaufman's gone wrestling yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Now, Andy did you hear about this one? Tell me, are you locked in the punch? Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Hey, baby Are we losing touch?
If you believed they put a man on the moon Man on the moon If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve Then nothing is cool
If you believed they put a man on the moon Man on the moon If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve Then nothing is cool
If you believed they put a man on the moon Man on the moon If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve Then nothing is cool
If you believed they put a man on the moon Man on the moon If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve Then nothing is cool
“It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”
That's great! It starts with an earthquake Birds and snakes, an aeroplane and Lenny Bruce is not afraid
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn World serves its own needs, don't mis-serve your own needs Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no strength The ladder starts to clatter with fear of height, down height Wire in a fire, representing seven games In a government for hire and a combat site Left of west and coming in a hurry With the furies breathing down your neck
Team by team reporters baffled, trump, tethered crop Look at that low plane! Fine, then Uh oh, overflow, population, Common Food But it'll do. Save yourself, serve yourself World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed Tell me with the rapture and the reverent in the right, right You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light Feeling pretty psyched
It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
Six o'clock. TV hour Don't get caught in foreign tower Slash and burn, return Listen to yourself churn Lock him in uniform and book burning, bloodletting Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate Light a candle, light a votive Step down, step down Watch a heel crush, crush Uh oh, this means no fear; cavalier Renegade and steer clear! A tournament, a tournament A tournament of lies Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives And I decline
It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone) I feel fine
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)
The other night I tripped a nice Continental drift divide Mountains sit in a line Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev Lenny Bruce, and Lester Bangs Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly beans, boom! You symbiotic, patriotic, slam, but neck, right? (Right!)
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)
“Nightswimming”
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night
The photograph on the dashboard taken years ago, turned around backwards so the windshield shows. Every street light reveals a picture in reverse Still it's so much clearer
I forgot my shirt at the water's edge The moon is low tonight
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night I'm not sure all these people understand It's not like years ago The fear of getting caught The recklessness in water They cannot see me naked These things they go away Replaced by every day
Nightswimming, remembering that night September's coming soon I'm pining for the moon And what if there were two Side by side in orbit around the fairest sun? The bright tide forever drawn Could not describe nightswimming
You, I thought I knew you You, I cannot judge You, I thought you knew me This one laughing quietly Underneath my breath Nightswimming
The photograph reflects Every street light a reminder Nightswimming Deserves a quiet night Deserves a quiet night
“What's The Frequency, Kenneth?”
“What's the frequency, Kenneth?” is your Benzedrine, uh-huh I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed I thought I'd pegged you an idiot's dream Tunnel vision from the outsider's screen I never understood the frequency, uh-huh You wore our expectations like an armored suit, uh-huh
I'd studied your cartoons, radio, music, TV, movies, magazines Richard said, “Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy” A smile like the cartoon, tooth for a tooth You said that irony was the shackles of youth You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh I never understood the frequency, uh-huh
“What's the frequency, Kenneth?” is your Benzedrine, uh-huh Butterfly decal, rear-view mirror, dogging the scene You smile like the cartoon, tooth for a tooth You said that irony was the shackles of youth You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh I never understood the frequency, uh-huh
You wore our expectations like an armored suit, uh-huh I couldn't understand You said that irony was the shackles of youth, uh-huh I couldn't understand You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh I couldn't understand I never understood, don't fuck with me, uh-huh
“Stand”
Stand in the place where you live Now face north Think about direction Wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work Now face west Think about the place where you live Wonder why you haven't before
If you are confused, check with the sun Carry a compass to help you along Your feet are going to be on the ground Your head is there to move you around
So stand in the place where you live Now face north Think about direction Wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work Now face west Think about the place where you live Wonder why you haven't before
Your feet are going to be on the ground Your head is there to move you around If wishes were trees, the trees would be falling Listen to reason, season is calling
Stand in the place where you live Now face north Think about direction Wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work Now face west Think about the place where you live Wonder why you haven't before
If wishes were trees, the trees would be falling Listen to reason, reason is calling Your feet are going to be on the ground Your head is there to move you around
So stand (Stand!) Now face north Think about direction Wonder why you haven't before
Now stand (Stand!) Now face west Think about the place where you live Wonder why you haven't
Stand in the place where you live Now face north Think about direction Wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work Now face west Think about the place where you live Wonder why you haven't before
Stand in the place where you are Now face north Stand in the place where you are Now face west Your feet are going to be on the ground (Stand in the place where you are) Your head is there to move you around, so stand
“Losing My Religion”
Oh life, it's bigger It's bigger than you And you are not me The lengths that I will go to The distance in your eyes Oh no, I've said too much I set it up
That's me in the corner That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion Trying to keep up with you And I don't know if I can do it Oh no, I've said too much I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try
Every whisper Of every waking hour I'm choosing my confessions Trying to keep an eye on you Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool, fool Oh no, I've said too much I set it up
Consider this Consider this, the hint of the century Consider this, the slip That brought me to my knees, failed What if all these fantasies come Flailing around Now I've said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try
But that was just a dream That was just a dream
That's me in the corner That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion Trying to keep up with you And I don't know if I can do it Oh no, I've said too much I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try
But that was just a dream Try, cry, why try That was just a dream Just a dream Just a dream, dream
“Driver 8”
The walls are built up, stone by stone; the fields divided one by one. And the train conductor says, “Take a break Driver 8, Driver 8 take a break we've been on this shift too long”
And the train conductor says, “Take a break Driver 8, Driver 8 take a break We can reach our destination, but we're still a ways away” I saw a treehouse on the outskirts of the farm. The power lines have floaters so the airplanes won't get snagged. Bells are ringing through the town again, Children look up, all they hear is sky-blue, bells ringing
And the train conductor says “Take a break Driver 8, Driver 8 take a break We can reach our destination, but we're still a ways away”
Way to shield the hated heat. Way to put myself to sleep. Way to shield the hated heat. Way to put myself, my children to sleep.
He piloted this song in a plane like that one. She is selling faith on the Go Tell crusade. Locomotive 8, Southern Crescent, hear the bells ring again. Field to weed is lookin' thin
And the train conductor says “Take a break Driver 8, Driver 8 take a break We've been on this shift too long.” And the train conductor says, “Take a break Driver 8, Driver 8 take a break. We can reach our destination, but we're still a ways away”
“Everybody Hurts”
When the day is long And the night, the night is yours alone When you're sure you've had enough Of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go 'Cause everybody cries And everybody hurts sometimes
Sometimes everything is wrong Now it's time to sing along When your day is night alone (Hold on, hold on) If you feel like letting go (Hold on) If you think you've had too much Of this life, well hang on
'Cause everybody hurts Take comfort in your friends Everybody hurts Don't throw your hand, oh no
Don't throw your hand If you feel like you're alone No, no, no, you are not alone
If you're on your own in this life The days and nights are long When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on
Well, everybody hurts sometimes Everybody cries And everybody hurts sometimes And everybody hurts sometimes
So hold on, hold on Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on Everybody hurts
No, no, no, no you are not alone
A lifetime of masks are useful. Though, they may no longer be necessary. LIke the Joker said, 'Wait 'til they get a load of ME!'
