Carbon Copies
LIKE WHO THE HELL YOU ARE
The band strode to their instruments
A quickened air of confidence
Permeates the hangar for the day's appointed shoot
They lay it down, attack the song
Catch lightning for eternity
And swagger back to sunlight as the notes escort them out
chorus:
Forged within the core
And cauldron of a star
So live your life
Like who the hell you are
Infinite lifescapes -
Familiar to bizarre -
Revel on through Time
Like who the hell you are
The artist paints, his glare intense
A theme runs bold and evident
The sense he's on to something fills the Paris afternoon
And there it is, the masterstroke
The feeling no one dared evoke
A canvas revolution in the making starts to bloom
(chorus)
CARBON COPIES
Carbon copies, carbon, carbon copies...
Carbon copies, carbon, carbon copies...
Born with all the spit and polish
The family name could muster
Casting shadows in the light
Of the neighboring star cluster
The cobwebs of connections
Old money fuels that big head start
Your pick of prized professions
From corporate law to modern art
chorus:
Carbon copies, carbon, carbon copies and the numbers don't drop
Error, error, error upon error and the printer won't stop
Carbon copies, carbon, carbon copies pages black & white
Terror, terror, terror upon terror with no end in sight
bridge:
Carbon copy socialite
Imprinted with its pretty face
Such are the perks of taking breaths
At the right moment in time and space
Carbon copy business suit
Brain-dead brute gets a clothing line
Tailor-made to market the brand
Pushing hand-me-down white collar crime
Carbon copies, carbon, carbon copies...
Carbon copies, carbon, carbon copies...
Deep in all the grime and gravel
History's neglected kid
Playing catch up all your life
With Maslow's lofty pyramid
A mine field of directions
Sideline big plans for making good
Adult-like obligations
Weighing down a stolen childhood
(chorus)
bridge:
Carbon copy service job
Young lives fettered in retail chains
The nameless, faceless worker drone
Cheap labour as your life blood drains
Carbon copy shooting spree
A copycat case of life gone wrong
Trials summed up in a sentence
To run consecutive life-terms long
(chorus)
fade out:
Carbon copies, carbon, carbon copies...
Error, error, error upon error...
PARDON MY APPEARANCE
(a drinking song)
I don't mean to disturb you
With minor interference
Please pardon my intrusion
And general appearance
I see you're having dinner
I know it's not my business
But your wife and I are lovers
For years she's been my mistress
Believe me I'm embarrassed
It's hardly fair to you
We let it go for far too long
Unsure of what to do
chorus:
So sorry for this mess, dear
I know it seems abrupt
It's something that's been building
So please don't interrupt
Yes I have been drinking
But it never bothered you before
I may not earn a fortune
But I own stock in her
An investment of a lifetime
In daydreams as it were
That has to count for something
A love grown so obsessed
To simmer in the shadows
Don't say you're not impressed
Believe me I'm embarrassed
It's hardly fair to you
We let it go for far too long
Unsure of what to do
(chorus)
So if you would so please
Accept at my insistence
Apologies for my misdeeds
And general existence
Now if you'll beg my pardon
I'll bow and take my leave
Never meant to cause such drama
What a tangled web we weave
TYCOON
How much do you want for this dream?
Don't be stubborn - name your price
I'm a connoisseur and know when I see
High quality merchandise
I've seen all sorts of dreams in my time
But this one's the cat's meow
Looks like someone tried to make it real
And maybe didn't know how
chorus 2x:
I'm a tycoon of second hand dreams
And I'm here to make a deal
Tycoon of second hand dreams
And I'm here to make some real
I've seen this town before the wars
Before the crisis hit
Before right-wing talk radio
Turned everything to shit
I've seen the best dreams come and go
I've seen the worst ones rule
I've seen some dreams bait everyone
With no one left to fool
(chorus)
bridge:
From the lonely girl on the rooftop
To the runaway at the bus stop
From the unknown artist in the studio
To the one-hit wonder on the radio
Every town's got its own crop
(chorus)
CHARGED PARTICLES
Pull up a chair
Outdoor French cafe
Gazette under arm
Merlot on the way
Try to relax
Browse a series of articles
I suddenly sense
A wave of charged particles
chorus 1:
Flashes of you
Charged particles - ricochet through
Tableau pour deux - Two ravenous hearts
Love on the menu
Window gazing
A second hand store
Familiar signage
"Please use other door"
Enter and browse
Rummage through the old articles
I suddenly see
A haze of charged particles
chorus 2:
Drawing my view
Charged particles - vignette in blue
So déjà vu - Strolling hand-in-hand
Moonlit avenue
bridge:
Like shadows of your long lost ghost
All the moments that I miss the most
Like Nature took a video
And trapped it in a moonbeam's glow
To play it back when the light is right
Your images so plague my sight
(chorus 1 + 2)
BIBLE BELT GUN SHOW
Who knew putting up a fight
Meant putting on a show
One too many times in court
And now you've got to go
All crowd around the golden calf
Commander-dolt-in-chief
As he's led away in handcuffs
To their shock and disbelief
chorus:
Bible Belt gun show
It keeps them entertained
The politics that fools and tricks
The bored and addled brained
Bible Belt gun show
You showed them who's in charge
How fast you go from cult hero
To fugitive at large
Bible Belt gun show (Jesus in camo)
Bible Belt gun show (scripture meets ammo)
Bible Belt gun show (backwoods G.I. Joe)
Bible Belt gun show (Jehovah to bravo)
It was one long heart attack
From Clinton through Obama
Subjecting every tortured soul
To all your needless drama
Lashing twisted tongues
Grotesque legal contortions
Ratchet up the crazy
To unheard of proportions
Condemn the un-American
And make your little speech
As you peddle your religion
Borrowed from the Middle East
Guns going into Starbucks
On family Christmas cards
Popping up in campaign ads
Like victims in graveyards
(chorus)
You got the nurses, the teachers
The school boards on the run
What was it you were saying
Mister good guy with a gun?
You claimed it's for your self-defense
Claimed it's for protection
As you crowd around the ballot box
To shoot out an election
Got you foaming at the mouth
At their Pavlovian bell
A little neural programming
And you're angry as all hell
Boycott the social sites
Boycott the NFL
Drive those lizard-brain resentments
Into every gun they sell
(chorus)
EMAIL COLLECTION
I told my friend I'd meet you
I owed him a favour
I'm sure that it's an honor
One day that you'll savor
But I can't make promises -
Guys like me are in demand -
Let's chill out over drinks
Then I'll tell you where we stand
I must warn you, my standards are high
I'm not some bum you dated or average guy
chorus:
Yes a girl she should know how to behave
Show deference to her man and heed his direction
But your air of self-reliance
Speaks volumes in defiance
Yeah and I was set to show you my email collection
To think I planned to show you my email collection
But you can't even seem to manage the ounce of respect that I crave
Let's give our little dance
An honest direction
As you're the weaker sex
You need my protection
And my higher income bracket -
Gender has its rewards -
With all the perks and status
A man's world well affords
I must warn you, my love isn't cheap
I'm not some beta cuck chump or internet creep
(chorus)
PSYCHIATRY AT GUNPOINT
You will not let us fix it
You will not let me out
I try to break away
And like a baby you just pout
Therapy's a no go
It's an acid to your pride
I try to leave you gently
And you threaten suicide
I know it's controversial
And lacking peer review
It reeks of desperation
But what else am I to do?
chorus:
Psychiatry at gunpoint
Let me line up our first session
Psychiatry at gunpoint
With a licensed Smith & Wesson
Attendance, though essential,
Remains wholly confidential
Guaranteed
We don't share any interests
We move in separate spheres
Keep conflicting schedules
Incompatible careers
You know we have no future
But won't let me move on
I tell you but you won't accept
My love for you is gone
I know it's controversial
And lacking peer review
My professional credentials
Hang there helpless against you
(chorus)
You seem to willfully embrace
This constant air of tension
As skillfully you bob and weave
Attempts at intervention
You won't accept my counsel
Shun all suggested treatment
What did you think would happen
Living years in disagreement?
(chorus)
CULTS & COSTUMES
A planet in search of an identity
That lingering phase of immaturity
We grow out of roles but the acting resumes
A planet of cults and costumes
Some ride out in packs joining leather clad gangs
Or grow into fictional vampire fangs
Some wield a guitar in the world of hair bands
Or buzz cut their skulls as some leader commands
chorus:
Products of fads and demo targeting
We fall prey to heroes of slick marketing
Fresh out of schoolyards and sheltered playrooms
We all choose our cults and costumes
Some play the role of militia recruits
Kevlar and camo and thick combat boots
Some copy the walk and the slang of street toughs
Or dwell underground wielding whips and handcuffs
Some cover their tracks, lugging camping equipment
To hide in the forest from worldly commitment
Some rule over flocks in imperious robes
Or tattoo and pierce from their toes to earlobes
chorus:
Products of trends and the spells on tv
We Bogart the first hat that fits to a T
Fresh out of patience for corporate boardrooms
We all choose our cults and costumes
bridge:
The core of ourselves can get buried so deep
Far too weighted down and neglected
We take our escapes to unhealthy extremes
To fit in and not feel rejected
Some slip into armor of scholarly tweed
A clever defense built with all that they read
Some come to regret the gang colors they've worn
And seek new respect in a clean uniform
We rummage wardrobes for respectable shirts
To cover the scars where our wounded pride hurts
Ashamed of ourselves and the humans we are
Sometimes our centered self wanders too far
(chorus)
IF ALL ELSE FAILS
Not everyone is born to win
Sometimes our fortunes say we suffer
Bear the brunt of life's indignities
With only simple joys as buffer
But if it's any consolation
I come bearing good news
And if it brings you any peace
Here's a bit of information
chorus:
If all else fails
Your life derails and goes off track
Take confidence
What put you here has got your back
If all else fails
Evil prevails and wins the day
Take comfort in
The joys of Nature will replay
If all else fails
Now don't look so incredulous
That the Universe has powers
To transcend space from dark and dead
To a sun-drenched field of flowers
But if you need some confirmation
I bid you look around
You're here and there's your evidence -
Life is all reanimation -
(chorus)
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