1. |
Insincerity Showcase
03:32
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One fine evening my friend comes over
Her latest creation in hand
A videotape of herself driving over
I’m scrambling to have made some other plans
What do I say?
I say nothing at all
I say “that sounds ok”
Does my insincerity show?
My feelings about applauding mediocrity are mixed
This mutually supporting network
Showcasing our mutual brilliance
What do I say?
I say nothing at all
I say “that sounds ok”
Does my insincerity show?
Entertainment is endurance
We have a wonderful time
Like everything that you see, uncritically
And it will like you back just fine
What do I say?
I say nothing at all
We have a wonderful time
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2. |
The Eye Opener
03:54
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Don’t ever drive to Chicago
Hearts get left in dumpsters in Chicago
And your glasses could get kicked around
On the floor of the Lounge Ax
Yes, it’s true
I thought I could see clearly, for miles
Don’t ever drive to Chicago
Without a contingency plan
It the event it should be raining
And the time is three a.m.
Yes, it’s true
I thought I could see clearly, for miles
I picked up old drink stirrers
Mottled together with grime
Finally a pair of glasses
That turned out not to be mine
Yes, it’s true
I had a vision, oh so clear
Don’t bet on a sure thing in Chicago
Upsets happen in Chicago
Like that fire that burned down everything
And speaking for myself ―
I had a vision, oh so clear
Yes, it’s true
I had a vision
And the disposition
To see it through
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3. |
Steelers' Fight Song
03:29
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A yacht with the big bold name Antagonist
Was the first to dock on the morning of the Steelers game
And as I walk by I guess that makes me the protagonist
Though it was assuredly not my aim
I can hear the parting words of my boss, reverberating
“An idea isn’t worth anything, until it can be sold”
I have nothing to offer that could convince them of anything
They would riddle me thoroughly full of holes
The October sky shining gloriously overhead
The all-too-familiar strains of the Steelers’ fight song
Glasses are raised triumphantly on the top deck
As I imagine a fight song of my own
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4. |
Maraschino
02:01
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5. |
Potomac
03:24
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Andrew, we’re caught on the Chain Bridge
It is minus five degrees
Andrew, we’re broken down on the Chain Bridge
Won’t you please answer, please?
Andrew, the taxicabs say they won’t come down
They don’t respond to such emergencies
Andrew, the taxicabs say they weren’t born yesterday
Come on now, this is Washington, DC
Three of us are huddled in the back
and I am running across the Potomac
Andrew, if I’ve ever sounded cold to you before
If our dealings have been strained
Well Andrew, some more coldness is in store
But I promise it won’t remain
Andrew, you’re a hard man to get through to
You are a hard man to reach
Please on this single occasion
Can we overlook those qualities?
Three of us are huddled in the back
and I am running across the Potomac
Three of us are huddled in the back
and I am running out of quarters across the Potomac
Three of us are huddled in the back
and I am running out of hope across the Potomac
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6. |
City Of Fireworks
03:10
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In this city of fireworks
the nightly explosions
rattle the tableware
and the opposing rowhouses
flicker with an unreal air
They were right about the tourists
for the tourists came
They were wrong about the benefits
for our lives are otherwise the same
In this city of fireworks
a gentle fallout of ashes
drifts slowly past
settling on shiny parked cars
tuned to the stereo simulcast
Take a look at the budget
Look at the line items
Flinch at the cost of fireworks
Wince at the cost to light them
We shrug our shoulders and close the blinds
and pay attention to things happening inside
We shrug our shoulders as the night is flickering
and the fantastic has been routine
In this city of fireworks
our civic pride squirms uneasily
though we do not even bother
to call the talk shows
to register our opinion
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7. |
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My New Year’s resolution is not very high
Things are as cloudy as the five-day forecast sky
As the smoke from this section, smoking designated
Another revolution around the sun gets celebrated
Seated at a booth of authentic naugahyde
The truth tastes synthetic, like the food pictured inside
The menu, from the top view. Ready to order
Some of your weak coffee and a hot apple pushover
It seems the server this evening forgot to mention
On holidays they do not offer the reduced esteem selections
The diner on the boulevard of broken dreams this was surely not
My mistake, I forgot
To be an optimist
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8. |
Platitude Man
02:04
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Working for the platitude man
Working for the platitude man
Just like a computer program
Working for the platitude man
Just like a See-n-Say
Pull the string, ten hours a day
Seven days are in a week
When you reach the end, repeat
Oh platitude man
Dale Carnegie leadership class
Learn what you need to learn to pass
Sincerely cannot be affected
When absolutely disconnected
Oh platitude man
Hangin’ tough, guys!
Way to go!
I’m right there with you all the way!
There is no I in teamwork!
Teamwork makes the dream work!
Working for the platitude man
Working for the platitude man
Just like an empty fuel can
Just like a flow-chart diagram
Oh platitude man
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9. |
The Clean Slate
02:52
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I’m leaving with my senses intact
Together I will get my act
Without fanfare, without regret
I’ll move along, and make the best of it
I’ve got a clean slate coming my way
No longer will I have to pretend
My prospects here are meaningful and genuine
Without apprehension, with much relief
Watch my detractors as they sink beneath the horizon line
I’ve got a clean slate coming my way
I’m having a yard sale for everything
That I’m not planning to bring
Who, you might ask, would want to buy
a card table full of unrealized, unfulfilled,
frustrated attempts to get off the ground?
I’ve got a clean slate coming my way
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10. |
Going To New Mexico
04:36
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I didn’t make it in the barrio, I couldn’t take it in the presidio
With head held kind of low, there was no need to say I told you so
The labor shortage was overrated, the housing shortage was understated
Retreating against the demographic flow
Because Kinko’s wages are the same wherever you go
Looked at the cost of living, looked at the cost of leaving
I find myself right back here
This great devising, misguided enterprising
I find myself right back here
My resume was roundly ignored, a fact further underscored
By the lack of a permanent residence
This grand and dashing move, supposed to make life improve
But there’s this lack of compelling evidence
Looked at the cost of living, looked at the cost of leaving
I find myself right back here
Well, the view was pretty decent, but the architecture was much too recent
The altitude seemed kind of strange and the seasons weren’t going to change
The romance of points west is hard to deny
But what looks good in pictures doesn’t necessarily fly
There is something to be said for a city nearly dead
Or at least in protracted decline
This great devising, misguided enterprising
I find myself right back here
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11. |
Could've, Should've
02:53
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If could have and should have were wit and charming
I would find that to be pleasantly disarming
If could have and should have were an exotic liqueur
I would need some assistance getting off the floor
If could have and should have were chips and pretzels
The beer distributor must’ve been having quite a special
If could have and should have were a new pair of shoes
I would prefer to wear a pair comfortably used
How do I disconnect?
It’s relentless
Analysis and commentary
Pounding in my head, involuntary
Could have, should have, might have, maybe
Memory is sharp but conviction is hazy
How do I disconnect?
It’s relentless
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12. |
||||
Harriet Records Port Jefferson, New York
I ran Harriet Records between 1989 and 1998 out of Cambridge, MA. I released 10 CDs (most of which are available here) and
45 singles. There are 11 "new" releases so far, most recently the Coronets (London, ca 2000) and Kisswhistle (Pittsburgh). New releases next year by Chris Barickman, the Lookout Honeys, and a follow-up Ekphrastics CD!
-- Tim Alborn
... more
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