1. |
Life Can Be Long
04:50
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I used to wander Halsey
Backwards in the bike lane
Had afternoon for breakfast
And loitered in parades
Then a symphony of sirens
Wailed inside my brain
And all my lines escaped me
The curtain collapsed on the stage
(Ah) Tell me this do I exist
Or am I just bearing witness
To some god whose got some mill to grist (Ah)
Please end this confusion soon
I canāt get out of my living room
All I see is doom and gloom and tombs (Ah)
Life can be long when you donāt belong here
Now Iām kneeling for the masses
That call for heads to roll
If itās sacrifice theyāre after
Well Iām grateful for the role
The dizziness of freedom
Churns like a tilt a whirl
No effervescent tablet or eucharist
Could keep me from needing to hurl
(Ah) Mount me to a crucifix
Just so people know that I exist
And Iāll relish in their boos and hisses (Ah)
Wafting through the muggy air
I smell popcorn, whiskey, and despair
Smiling on the electric chair (Ah)
Life can be long when you donāt belong here
So long
If I could do it over
Iād savor every miss
Build statues of my juries
Save my pennies and ditch the wish
I would yodel in the mountain
I would battle in the dome
I would wander on forever
And always feel at home
Life can be long when you donāt belong here
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2. |
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Itās been cloudy since I moved to LA
They mustāve known that I was headed this way
Just ask Norman Lear
Heās been here for years
He says heās never seen it this way
I hear the weather In Brooklynās been nice
Yeah they finally got rid of the mice
Since Iāve been gone
It didnāt take very long
So itās no surprise to say
Thatās itās been cloudy since I moved to LA
Oh jealousy is such a tragedy
When the paradise you pine
Just becomes a place to a hide
The grass is always green
Thatās how itās meant to be
Thereās no pot of gold waiting
Underneath the 103
Sometimes I think Iāll move to Cancun
Though I much prefer my living room
They got Fer de Lance snakes
And I got Jonathan Frakes
So thereās really no room for debate
And Iād love to go home back to Philly
To me thereās nowhere else quite as pretty
Please donāt judge me
I needed vitamin D
And I never intended to stay
But itās been cloudy since I moved to LA
Oh jealousy is such a tragedy
When the people that you love
Donāt even seem quite good enough
The grass is always green
Thatās how itās mean to be
It doesnāt matter where you are
Unless youāre terraforming Mars
But Golden stars
And hip juice bars
Wonāt ever cure my ails
And all the clowns in tinsel town
They only bring me down
So you see
Learn from me
It doesnāt make much sense
To take a plane
or change your name
To try and run away
Cause itās been cloudy
Since I moved
To LA
Yeah itās been cloudy
So fucking cloudy
Since I moved
To LA
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3. |
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As I recline on the leather
Free-associating
I think you must like me better
Than the patients you keep waiting
Or clients as you call them
Are you bored with their problems
Do my stories make you teary
Or do you just have just allergies
Oh no woe woe
Picked last for the kickball game
Oh no woe woe
Wet the bed and cried in shame
Oh no, woe woe
The bully said my shoes were lame
Oh no woe woe woe
I bet youāve never heard problems like this
I bet you never met someone
This troubled since Oedipus
Iām gifted
Iām drama
Stop asking ābout my mama
Hereās a tissue if you starting to mist
Oh Iām In love with my therapist
I donāt know much about you
Except a few simple facts
You live somewhere out in Jersey
With two birds and a cat
And after spilling all my secrets
I think I deserve a little more
Than telling me your favorite
Girl Scout cookie flavor is sā more
Oh no woe woe
Did I step over the line
Oh no woe woe
When I texted you happy 4th of July
Oh no woe woe
Iāll only text you if itās an emergency next time
Oh no woe woe woe
Nobody listens to me like you do
And if I didnāt have ya
Oh I just wouldnāt have a clue
About my feelings or my thoughts
Or the memories I lost
Or the meanings of my dreams
And my patterns and my schemes
Itās only been a few weeks
But it feels like itās been more
Since you took a long vacation
To some Caribbean shore
And I try talking to my friends
But they only try to fix me
And I try talking to my girlfriend
But she only wants to kiss me
Oh no woe woe
All the walls are caving in
Oh no woe woe
Iām fighting noonday demons
Oh no woe woe
Iām crying to Cat Stevens
Oh no woe woe woe
I bet youāve never heard problems like this
I bet you never met someone
This fucked up since Oedipus
Iām gifted
Iām drama
Stop asking ābout my mama
Hereās a tissue if youāre starting to mist
Oh Iām in love with my therapist
Not my barber not my pharmacist
Oh Iām in love
Oh Iām in love
with my therapist
In love
With my therapist
In love
With my therapist
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4. |
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Putting my feet in your face
Watching the new will and grace
Saving money living at my momās place
Iām not unemployed
Just in transition
My poison Ivyās in remission
I cook with every single pan
In the kitchen
Oh how can you resist
A long sensual kiss
From the guy who shares your bathroom
The stakes are just too high
To risk touching your thigh
I know my love is real
But itās the opposite of sex appeal
Walking back to the car
A couple of dudes outside the bar
Just canāt wait to tell you how
Pretty you are
I feel my chest tightening
I make a face thatās menacing
It doesnāt seem to matter that youāre wearing a ring
Oh how can you resist
A person who insists
The safest bet is just to run away
Oh my evolutionary advantage
Is that I prefer in marriage
I know my love is real
But itās the opposite of sex appeal
I depend on you too much
To ask for what I need
Iām not gonna distract the captain
When weāre lost at sea
Iād rather jump overboard
Iād rather jump overboard
Than let you see me
Unspoken expectations
Diluted adulation
Forgotten celebrations
Private self-gratification
I know my love is real
I know my love is real
I know my love is real
Oh but itās the opposite of sex
The opposite of sex
The opposite of sex
The opposite of sex
The opposite of sex
The opposite of sex appeal
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5. |
Stuck With Me Too
04:42
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Hugs and Kisses
Dinner and dishes
Thinking of something to say
When you ask about my day
I went here
I did that
I read this
I saw that
Anything of interest
Iām keeping to myself
I wanna write you a love song
But my heart broke
And my throatās dry
I wanna know I turn you on
But youāre yawning
And I know why
Cause weāre in a three way with my phobias
When I meet you I kept them hidden from ya
Like I was some kind of fucking casanova
Woo Hoo
Lucky you
Now youāre stuck with me too
I Canāt ride
On planes
I canāt sleep
On trains
I canāt look at the GPS without
Getting a migraine
Iām Grumpy
Dopey
Bashful
And Sneezy
I tried to give you only one gift
For Christmas and your birthday
They only fall a few days apart
So I thought it would be ok
I wanna write you a love song
But my heart broke
And my throatās dry
I wanna know I turn you on
But youāre yawning
And I know why
Cause we're in a three way with my neuroses
When I met you you thought they were endearing
Now you spend every other day in therapy
Woo Hoo
Lucky you
Now youāre stuck with me too
I know I can do better
It isnāt easy
Itās not easy for me
I know you deserve better
Iām working hard
More than you can see
Iām taking hints from your vision board
And the way you talk about you co-worker
How he listens to you and holds open doors
Bet he drools over you
Iād be a fool to lose you
I wanna hear all your stories
About Colin
The HR guy
Iāll make vegan cacciatore
If you want it
And I know why
Cause finally itās just you and me
And thereās nothing between us except the TV
And now weāre self-described Trekkies
Woo Hoo
Lucky you
Now youāre stuck with me too
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6. |
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New York will never be mine
New York will never be yours
So letās quit wasting our time
Pack up and move on a dime
New York will never be mine
New York will never be real
New York lies and it steals
So if thatās how you feel
Itās your right to appeal
New York will never be real
So cry if you wanna
Lie if you gotta
Just get out while thereās still time
I know thereās kings and thereās queens
But theyāre all yesterdays dreams
Now itās all Goldman and Sachs
JPMorgan and rats
Preying on us furry frisbees
And then thereās Staten Island,
Iād rather cut off my hand
Too many bloodthirsty cops
Loitering outside of shops
Theyāll kill you and lie on the stand
This land is your land
This land is my land
Until the rent gets
Just too damn high man
Another Whole Foods
But weāre still hungry
This lands not made for you and me
And I donāt want to live in a city that never sleeps
I donāt feel brand new when Iām walking these streets
Not really inspired
Just tired
New York will always be there
New York will always not care
And If you make it there
You wonāt make it anywhere
Because youāre literally trapped
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7. |
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A dream of my old apartment
Three hundred and twenty square feet
Not even fit for a sardine
Lingers on through the morning
Vinegar and linoleum
Cardboard boxes and Kirkland rum
Goodbye to all of that
Gotta get off of this track
And Iām never looking back
Iām just looking for some meaning
But Californiaās just a feeling
The salty air gently seeps in
Through the open window
God I never felt so low
Rubbing sugar on the wound
Wonāt ever make it go away
From east to west I ricochet
The ocean seems so small
When I'm staring at the wall
And Iām dreaming of the fall
Iām just looking for some healing
But Californiaās just a feeling
And who cares if the grass is always greener
If you spend all your time sitting in a beamer
Rolling down the freeway, five miles an hour
Bragging to your family about your SAG screeners
And you wish that you were jumping in leave piles
Drinking pumpkin spice lattes and picking apples
At the Biergarten while loading up sauerkraut
Youāll find something else to complain about
So Goodbye to all of that
I Gotta get off of this track
And Iām never looking back
Iām just sick of all this seeming
And Californiaās just a feeling
Donāt go chasing fireflies
Just to put āem in a cage and watch āem die
Let āem fly
Free, and high
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8. |
Our Last Day
04:39
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That morning you woke me up
You started slamming the door
You told me to rise and shine son
Was still stoned from the night before
Rolling down West River Drive
I played a Jens song I loved
It didnāt impress you much
But I caught you humming along
We didnāt talk about much
Football and bagels and stuff
I didnāt know this was the last time
Iād hear your voice
Or see your face
This way
On our last day
On our last day
On our last day
Together
We got to the party late
I met cousins that Iād never seen
Old ladies wearing sunglasses
Playing cards and eating ice cream
I made you a plate of food
That you were in no state to eat
Then you said "son letās leaveā
And I had just rolled a nun
We didnāt talk about much
Religion and cancer and stuff
I didnāt know this was the last time
Iād hear your voice
Or see your face
Waving goodbye I worried
That youād make it home ok
But I worried in vain
It wasnāt the car that would take you away
From me
And from the family
That you loved
And adored
No that would be
Too easy
We didnāt talk about much
Living and dying and stuff
I didnāt know this was the last time
Iād hear your voice
Or see your face
This way
On our last day
On our last day
On our last day
Together
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9. |
Lorelai
04:33
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Walking down the quiet side
Of Nebraska Avenue
You set the pace and I abide
Weāre getting nowhere very soon
The same fire hydrant
The same patch of grass
The same barking migrants
Distract you as we pass
Lorelai, all the words I say to you
Slip away like red balloons
And get lost in the clouds
Lorelai, you know my sky is falling down
And youāre the cover that Iāve found
So donāt you ever leave
Some days I worry youāll get loose
And chase the squirrel thatās taunting you
Iāve got a few gates on the stoop
A GPS collar to boot
Donāt follow your paws
Donāt chase that ball
Wonāt put a poster of your face
On the laundromat wall
Lorelai, all the words I say to you
Slip away like red balloons
And get lost in the clouds
Lorelai, you know my sky is falling down
And youāre the cover that Iāve found
So donāt you ever leave
As your lounging on the bed
Twitching your leg to a dream
I think of something I once read
About a dog who lived to be twenty-three
I research his diet
His exercise plan
I want you to try it
But you think itās too bland
One day when you have to go
Iāll walk Nebraska all alone
Singing to you my sweet Lo
And taking pictures on my phone
Of your favorite dumpster
And subway stairs
I canāt wait to show you
When I meet you up there
Lorelai, all the words I say to you
Slip away like red balloons
And get lost in the clouds
Lorelai, you know my sky is falling down
And youāre the cover that Iāve found
So donāt you ever leave
So donāt you ever leave
So donāt you ever leave
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10. |
Barry
05:03
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Where did you go
On that afternoon
Locked in that sterile room
Bet you couldnāt wait to escape
My heart breaks
Thinking of things unsaid
The voices inside your head
Did they come to
Can you hear me calling your name
Can you hear me singing in vain
Do you still feel all of this pain
Do you still feel pain
No
No
All night I weep
All day I sleep
And speak to you in dreams
Now Iām chasing you
Itās just not fair
They stole you from me
Itās not the life I knew
Not without you
Can you hear me calling your name
Can you hear me singing in vain
Do you still feel all of this pain
Do you still feel pain
This pain
This pain
This pain
This pain
When itās my time
Weāll be never lonely
Weāll live by the sea
In a land called Honalee
But as for now
I miss your dearly
And without your fearless roar
I canāt be brave
Can you hear me calling your name
Can you hear me singing in vain
Do you still feel all of this pain
Do you still feel pain
Can you hear me calling your name
Can you hear me singing in vain
Do you still feel all of this pain
Do you still feel pain
No
No
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11. |
Say the Words
04:43
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I take a peek over your shoulder
See your eyes twitch in the night
Youāre a ship and Iām the iceberg
But Iām still way out of sight
I remember when you told me
Love is not a match for swords
But your voice whispers me to
Say the words
Say the words
Say the words
I
L, O
V, E, Y, O
You, You
You
It isnāt hard to do
Just say it if itās true
But you make it seem so easy
You come like an early spring
Melting all my dirty sleet
Teaching all my birds to sing
Now weāre fighting in the driveway
About the trip we canāt afford
Iād rather go to central PA
Than say the words
Say the words
Love is hanging in the balance
Tightrope walking over spikes
You can feel it for a second if you try
But if you lean too hard
To the left or to the right
You can lose it all before youāve taken flight
And then weāll just be strangers in the night
In the frozen food aisle
Looking for some ice cream
I recognized a smile
Reflecting back at me
And a man awkwardly turning
Makes a joke thatās just for you
Though he stumbles I can hear him
Say the words
Say the words
Say the words
I
L, O
V, E, Y, O
You, You
You
It isnāt hard to do
Just say it if itās true
Just say it if itās true
Just say it if itās true
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12. |
...For What?
04:31
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Every day I see you walking
Down the street with your human
Fetching the ball
Portraits in the mall
And gourmet treats made of salmon
But here I am laying in filth
Waiting my turn to be slaughtered
They call it humane
You get it a cute name
They murder me and my daughters
For what
For what
Hot dogs by the beach
For what
For what
Cancer and heart disease
I hope that theyāre worth more than me
The cow goes moo
And they kill them too
The chicks get thrown in the grinder
Could they be this mean
All for protein
I wish they felt this way about fiber
Has broccoli gone out of style
In the grocery aisle
Ironic itās true
Itās killing them too
But theyāre really good at denial
For what
For what
Stinky pink lagoons
For what
For what
Tsunamis and monsoons
I hope they figure out it soon
Thereās really no difference between us at all
I can solve puzzles
And you can come with youāre called
You go woof and I go oink
But I think thatās really beside the point
A life is a life no matter itās form
From the dumbest human
To the smartest worm
For what
For what
For what
For what
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Alex Kahn Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
recovering popcorn addict
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