snake

snake
shed my skin and leave it on the bed
that's the only part of me you can have
you're working out your desire and i'm working out my plan

when you least suspect i'll slip the coils around your neck
you can choke for all i care

snake
holding the venom in my mouth
waiting for the right moment to spit it out
you're consumed with yourself and i'm consumed with revenge

when you least suspect i'll slip the coils around your neck
you can choke for all i care

bullet

i watch at windows when you're gone
sun crawls across the limitless sky
clock-tick and heart-beat never seemed so long
silence is stalking me again tonight

killing me slow, killing me slow, killing me slow
give me the bullet, give me the bullet, a quick release and let me go

you think i'm a spider fed on your blood
weaving listless webs of winter white
to wrap you up in the trap of my love
a cruel cocoon to keep you from flight

killing me slow, killing me slow, killing me slow
give me the bullet, give me the bullet, a quick release and let me go

if you have any kindness left, let me go
if you have any mercy left, let me go

cowboy

the way i feel about him, no one understands
his wind-blown hair and sun-burned hands

at dusk my dusty cowboy went riding
into sunsets and out of hiding
and i'm ok, but i'll never feel this way
again

he played the hero to my damsel in distress
but rescue ain't a cure for this kind of loneliness

at dusk my dusty cowboy went riding
into sunsets and out of hiding
and i'm ok, but i'll never feel this way
again

a quick roll in the hay then he pulled on his boots and rode away
without saying goodnight, without waving goodbye, without saving my life
at dusk

at dusk, my dusty cowboy went riding
into sunsets and out of hiding
and i'm ok, but i'll never feel this way
again

pride between us

nail me firmly to the wall
one more butterfly in thrall
almost feel the pin sliding through my abdomen
a fine specimen of flesh for your collection

we'll always have pride between us

hold your hand out for the lash
lift your face for me to smash
what i can't have i have to kill, bend it over to my will
grind it down under a conqueror's bootheel

we'll always have pride between us

when it doesn't hurt it feels so good
ask whether you can, not if you should
love occupies the head but never sleeps in a sinner's bed

we'll always have pride between us

sleepwalker

i'm free, i'm free to think
if guns were pens, if bullets were ink
we'd fight, we'd fight our wars with words instead of blood

sleepwalker
i litter dreams in subway tunnels, in concrete streams
i can't see where these paths I travel are leading me

i'm free, i'm free to believe
if rhetoric was rhythm, if doctrine was melody
we'd fight, we'd fight our wars with songs instead of blood

sleepwalker
i litter dreams in subway tunnels, in concrete streams
i can't see where these paths I travel are leading me

leave a light on

flame, flame an october sky
rain, rain come to keep me dry
dead, dead leaves drift to the ground
like my heart, heart breaks without a sound

i see a light on but it's not on for me
your light's on, it's not on for me

flame, flame-lit cigarette tips
i'll blow, blow your name from my lips
smoke, smoke spinning black and blue
my heart, heart breaks at the thought of you

i see a light on but it's not on for me
your light's on, it's not on for me

now, now i am going home
to a light of my own
somebody leave a light on

i see a light on but it's not on for me
somebody leave a light on

ice queen (then, go)

you told me today you are going away- well then, go
you're going the same, with or without my approval
i know birds of summer can't survive the snow
and it's not half as cold as the shadow cast by my soul
well then- go

i'm like a puzzle, reassembled from memory
it's better to quit if you can't get the pieces to fit
i know birds of summer can't survive the snow
and it's not half as cold as the shadow cast by my soul
well then- go

i can't be touched, you talk too much and say nothing
mouth forming words i've already heard, i'm not listening
i know birds of summer can't survive the snow
and it's not half as cold as the shadow cast by my soul
well then- go

bastilles

safe from conversation, the shots we exchange
skim hissing down the bastilles of our skin like rain
lured by refracted phantoms, floating in glass
familiar orbit of foreign bodies, make another pass

keep shaking, taking a deep breath
keep dying the same slow, quiet death

sometimes i hate everyone
sometimes i hate everyone
sometimes i hate everyone- for not being you

seething beehive voices lavishly proclaim
the crowning pleasure found within our palaces of pain
flirting with death, dancing over graves
with dangling cigarettes, tightening the slipknots at our necks

keep shaking, taking a deep breath keep
dying the same slow, quiet death

sometimes i hate everyone
sometimes i hate everyone
sometimes i hate everyone- for not being you

now my colours run a little bit darker
& i parcel out my skin with barbed wire marker
you can come up to the line
look through to the other side
this far may you come but no farther

sometimes i hate everyone
sometimes i hate everyone
sometimes i hate everyone- for not being you

sweet nothing

i am the one who lives or dies
stung by the devil dancing in your eyes
baby, you could make me happy tonight
a few white lies and it's all alright

i am the one who'll cherish fear
you never tell me what i want to hear
but baby, you could make me happy tonight
i'm your sweet nothing and it's all alright

i'm your sweet nothing
i'm yours

nothing lasts- dust to dust, ash to ash
shooting stars land on my back
terrified you could make me try
to heal the rupture in the sky

will i find a dream worth dying over
if i try just a little harder?

i am the one who cares too much
trailing your steps like a sad, lost pup
baby, you could make me happy tonight
i'm your sweet nothing and it's all alright

i'm your sweet nothing
i'm yours

lipstick

pull that blind and cover that window up
too much light in my eyes, i'm going blind
from the drink and the drug

how can i get high when you always bring me down?
one more cheap trick
a fresh coat of lipstick
another one down

talk dirty baby, play me your shaky guitar
nothing gives me the blues like your blue eyes
begging alms at the back of the bar

how can i get high when you always bring me down?
one more cheap trick
a fresh coat of lipstick
another one down

only bartender (farrah's song)

i know that you adore me every time you pour me
grey goose, extra olives, just a little bit dirty
and how do i love you? let me count the ways
in patrons, coronas, and grand marniers

now i'm in trouble, the room's spinning, i'm seeing double
but no matter how wasted i might seem
don't you ever doubt my sincerity
oh baby, you're the only bartender for me

margarita is sweeter, jaeger's got more flavor
when i see you smiling behind the counter
i know i should go home, but i've hardly begun
on the captain, the jameson, the malibu rum

now i'm in trouble, the room's spinning, i'm seeing double
but no matter how wasted i might seem
don't you ever doubt my sincerity
oh baby, you're the only bartender for me

believe me when i say, i'm only drinking when you're gone
cuz i miss you, i need the liquor to help me carry on
oh baby, you're the only bartender for me

Mermaids at Midnight

he used to be my friend, then he stopped talking to me
clever way to bait the line, plenty women in the sea
throw a girl out and reel her back
mermaids are the boy's favorite snack

he said he was my friend, and no one tried to warn me
i believed in him, never doubted his sincerity
reel a girl in and turn your back
mermaids are the boy's bedtime snack

he used to be my friend, then he took a bite out of me
now i shrug and disappear, supposed to go quietly
pull a girl in and throw her back
mermaids are the boy's midnight snack

wrong island, wrong city

gone a little past sunset, not quite twilight yet
if i had my way i'd spin over the highway
music turned up too loud, windows rolled halfway down
gonna shake off my blues once i shake this town

take it all, take it all and leave it all behind
wrong island, wrong city
it's driving me out of my mind

ribbons of pavement look like redemption
with an entrance and exit. baby, are we there yet?
line's drawn straight and wide, just try to stay inside
put some distance between my disappointments and me

take it all, take it all and leave it all behind
wrong island, wrong city
it's driving me out of my mind

feeling a little better, always recover
don't take a doctor, a preacher, or a lover

take it all, take it all and leave it all behind
wrong island, wrong city
it's driving me out of my mind

I. O. U.

Thought I lost my head
Thought the scorn in my eyes would kill you dead
Beautiful bones, we're both sleeping alone
and finally no one but me will take you home

You've done so much for me
I'm gonna write the i.o.u. all over you
Pierce your skin with my tattoo
You said you wanted it, didn't you?

Thought you were gone
Thought I stripped the last breath from your lungs
Throttling fingers, one lingering caress
Guess it was only my imagination

You've done so much for me
I'm gonna write the i.o.u. all over you
Pierce your skin with my tattoo
You said you wanted it, didn't you?

starlight in jam jars

built up my defenses, layer upon layer
wanted you to see the truth of me nestled at the center
push against the skin until it bursts apart
and shorn of all my thorns you'd find a tender heart

used to watch fireflies flicker on summer nights
fascinated by the romance of twilight dances
then i tried to hide a little bit of starlight
in jam jars with the lids on so tight
in an airless sanctuary, i killed what i loved
but i always meant well
i only meant for good.

ripples of emotion stir the becalmed surface
a dangerous camouflage, brilliant colour on a canvas
now i'm stretched so thin. this delicate fabric deceives
maybe if i wasn't so strong, i could learn to breathe

used to watch fireflies flicker on summer nights
fascinated by the romance of twilight dances
then i tried to hide a little bit of starlight
in jam jars with the lids on so tight
in an airless sanctuary, i killed what i loved
but i always meant well
i only meant for good.

Doesn't Matter

Now that I feel better I can tell you what you want to hear
Maybe even make you believe that I mean it
Nothing stays the same, I forget how much people change
Wanna hold 'em down, pin 'em in place, but I cannot do it

If you were to say "Everything's gonna be okay,"
what would it matter?

I figure the trouble is, I've got too much pride to admit
When I am wrong, I know you're not right
Must be my fault, after all I never watch my step
and you should know, you told me so

If you were to say "Everything's gonna be okay,"
what would it matter?

Gimme another nice cliche
To say when my heart's been shattered
It's gonna be okay?
What does it matter?

Kinda Beautiful

The truth about me is I can be pretty ugly
The truth about me is I can be kinda beautiful
When I'm with you, you sorta take the two
and blend them into something no one else can see

I don't believe that there are any accidents of fate
I don't believe it's just the way things happen

The truth about you is you can be very cold-hearted
The truth about you is you can be unbearably kind
When I'm with you, I sorta take the two
and blend them into something no one else can see

I don't believe that there are any accidents of fate
I don't believe it's just the way things happen

When I get too discouraged
put your hand under my chin and point me in a new direction

I don't believe that there are any accidents of fate
I don't believe it's just the way things happen

To Be Alone

Where can you go when you want to be alone in the city?
I'm sitting by the highway playing make believe
I can turn the sound of traffic into ocean foam
Let the breakers wash over me ceaselessly

If I don't have a good reason to cry, maybe you could
If I don't have a good reason to cry, maybe you could give me one

I can't think of anyone I want to see today
Couldn't bring myself to get up out of bed
Got too many skeletons piling up in the closet
Restless bones wreaking havoc with my head

If I don't have a good reason to cry, maybe you could
If I don't have a good reason to cry, maybe you could give me one

My hands are shaking violently- I want a drink
The bar light's humming, calling me inside
Didn't say a word but I know my face is telling tales
Take me home, I'm too screwed up to drive

If I don't have a good reason to cry, maybe you could
If I don't have a good reason to cry, maybe you could give me one

Liquid Courage

Live on liquid courage, booze for blood
6 am, going to bed with the sun coming up
I can't seem to walk away when they refill my cup
Squeeze a lifetime into a single day, I'm gonna die young

I don't need no saving, I've been saved everyday in all kinds of ways
I don't need no saving, unless someone can tell me how to save me from me

Used to believe in God but he did me wrong
Said 'here's your cross girl, pick it up, I made you plenty strong'.
Now when misled messiahs sidle up to me at the bar
Laugh to think, guess a drink's become the price of my heart


I don't need no saving, I've been saved everyday in all kinds of ways
I don't need no saving, unless someone can tell me how to save me from me

proverbs

tulips, two lips, spread open, widen to receive
pagan offerings, lost lovers dropping breadcrumb kisses
trouble imagining the creamy skin rippling-
hitched dress, two horses harnessed to the carriage of flesh

proverbs are only words, words, words
proverbs are only words

roses, bruises, crushed azure petals pooling
vicious lashes cooling the abyss of milky absences
abandoned blonde limbs pressed firmly to the pavement
living bodies lining altars to the freedom of choosing nothing

proverbs are only words, words, words
proverbs are only words

spurs & bridles, blinders & whips
the trappings of faith break the spirit to bits
delirium- the ecstasy of speaking in tongues,
in words.