Last Winter (1994)

the trees glitter like glass
shimmer like chandeliers, clattering
their crystal with each wind-creak,
shivering in shadows like silver
silhouettes as pigeons pirouette
on park benches and sparrows speak
and scatter on backyard fences, then
leap and gather on winter wires
while smoke twists and curls from
furnace fires, the birds fret their
fur and fuss their wings, then still
like statues on a string before
bursting into flight as clouds swirl
and part and the sun ignites
each bough; branch; and bark:
lit by flash, split by flame;
they burn; blaze; spark; 'til all
is singed with light, fringed with
fire, unhinged and unnamed.

The Disguise

when you take off your disguise
who's staring out of your eyes?
is it the man or the mask?
perhaps it's better not to ask...

What about Us?

i’m still an open wound
oozing blood & pus
how can you even ask,
what about us?

Used Car

my upholstery might be a little worn
& my battery might need a jumpstart
but there's plenty of room for you
in my big ol' damaged heart...

That Kind of Man

you've been struttin' like a rooster
and crowin' like a cock
you've been tomcattin' around
with every pussy
on the block

Image

the clouds
wispy & skeletal
like bones
on an x-ray

Trick of the Light

you were like a mirage
shimmering
in the distance

were you really there?
no one was
sure
of your existence

The Return

he came home a hero
but doesn't seem the same
he drinks himself to sleep
and screams out in pain

Weddings & Funerals

and i still see all my old friends
at weddings & funerals
there's at least one a year --
and that's not unusual

Night Life

everybody's favorite catatonic
is makin' the scene
he's havin' a seizure in the corner
while he swills his gasoline

Get Strange

things happen
people change
what are you gonna do
when life gets strange?

If

if you still want me to leave
i'll disappear into the fog
and shroud myself with mist.
but if we ever meet again,
just blow me a kiss...

Invisible War

Fighting an invisible war

An unseen enemy at the door

Fear is what we live for

Fighting an invisible war

Too many soldiers on foreign shores

Don't want to think about it anymore

Out of My Face

you're crampin' my style
& crowdin' my space
take your toothpaste smile
& get the #&? out of my face

Past Present

she's slowdancing in the gym
like a ghost from the past
she's holding on to him
like it will always last

it's our high school reunion--
10 years gone in a flash
she still looks beautiful
and I'm still drinkin' fast

Stop It... Stop It Now!

Quit jerkin' my chain
I'm in enough pain
Quit jerkin' my chain
Don't do it to me again

Old Timer

the days appear & disappear
with withered women & draft beer
i'm just an old man
in a baby's world
dy-ing
as fast as i can
in this baby's world


the old men come & go
talking of Joe Dimaggio
it was a grand time,
wasn't it, though?

Invisible Man

i have vanished into thin air
like an unanswered prayer
i am the invisible man
bump into me if you can

Mad to Live

i've been drinking battery acid and playing fascist
with the paranoids in the park,
i've been killing time with a friend of mine
following shadows into the dark.

Journey

where are you going?
where have you been?
are you being virtuous?
or do you worship sin?

Surplus Saturday

with your flamingo fingers
& your licorice lips
with your flashing eyes
& your hula hips


in the dungeon
of despair
where martyrs
swing in the air

Double Trouble

I've got a mouthful of ashes
plenty of dents & scratches
but I'll keep playin' with matches
until something catches...


Don't beg me
to come back
Been there,
Done that!

Two for Tuesday

If I could only put you back together
as easily as you fall apart,
If I could only make it all better
every time you break my heart...


I gave it my best shot
but nothing went as planned,
She looked me over and said
"You're so last century, man."

She’ll turn your head
And twist your mind,
She’ll break your back
For a good time.

She knows the ways of the world
She’s a Baltimore girl

there's a hole
in my chest
where my heart
used to be,

the girl that
I loved best
did this
to me.

time slips away
into the void
forever lost
but not destroyed

The First Post

I've been writing lyrics on and off since I was a teenager. Over the years, I've had the good fortune of collaborating with a few musicians, but most of my lyrics are unpublished... until now, that is.

Every day I plan on posting 4-8 lines from songs, poems, half-finished ideas, etc.

If you like what you see or even if you don't, post a comment.

Well, here's the first post of the unknown lyricist...

the octopus is in the accident

but the fox fled the scene.

the walrus was a witness

but he doesn’t know what it all means

the tiger’s talking tough

And the lion’s licking his wounds.

when everyone’s had enough,

they all just blame the raccoon.