LYRICS: TALES FROM THE SELF-HELP SECTION
1. Friends
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I got friends
I don't know how they found me
I got friends
To clean & dress my wounds
I got you
To love me something fierce
No matter what I do
Despite the mess I make of things
I got you
I got friends
To keep my whistle blowin'
I got friends
Karaoke in the middle of the night
I got you
To excise all my demons
They're scared of you
& the light that you let shine
I got you
When it gets hard
To get by
I think of you
How in the hell did our worlds collide?
I got friends
You know I might be biased
Because my friends
Get me higher than a Pink Floyd track
When I got you
There is no denyin'
Bullet-proof
To the shrapnel swirlin' around
When I got you
We're dancing on
A thin red line
But where would I be
Without these friends of mine?
2. Growing Up So Fast
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one day you're born, one day you die
eyes shut, open wide
one minute everything is fine
the next day you're caught beneath the landslide
you're growing up so fast
don't blink or you'll miss it
you're growing up so fast
love
i know days can come & go
& the dog ones seem to get you on your knees
so you harden up your heart
you're convinced this world is only for the crooks & thieves
but you know you've gotta live
life's too short to not forgive
& I know days can come & go
but today is not the one where you should let go
let go
breakin' hearts, broken bones
you threw the sticks, been hit with stones
you'll feel alive, you'll feel alone
with no guarantees what you'll face tomorrow
but you don't have to face it all on your own
chorus
you're growing up...
3. Lemonade
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this world it wears me out
& hard times get me down
so baby won't you come around
you could take this field of hate
& turn it into lemonade
the sugar it could take away the pain
you could be the candle in the window of my heart
the light when my eyes focus on the dark
the oil when my engine seems to refuse to spark
you could be the missing part
when family turns their backs
& enemies set their traps
you & I will find our own path
'cause you are such a sweet delight
tucked into a western sky
where I don't need a lullaby tonight
chorus
you could be my human altar
where i'll lay my body down
won't you take the mess I was
& burn it to the ground?
4. Caught Up
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It's no surprise
That Heaven was right underneath
Like birds we'll fly
Like colors we will blend & bleed
It's no surprise
That everything will turn out alright
That heavy weight you're carrying will turn to dust
Over time
Don't get caught up
Losin' sleep
You've got everything you need
Heal the hurt
Embrace the weak
By all means
For every little thing you wish you had
There's someone else who's happier with half
Don't get caught up
Don't get caught up
Ooooh
You close your eyes
You fear the fire all around
Just play it cool
Like a polyester button-down
Don't be surprised
When you wake up & you still see the sky
This kind of race
Will run you right into the ground
Every time
Chorus
Let go of your reservations
Cast off all your expectations
We're on a spinning rock'round some black holes
Don't you think it gives a whole new meaning to a roller coaster?
For every little thing you wish you had
There's someone else who's happier with half
For every little thing you think you need
There's someone else who's thankful just to be
5. Naive
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you could paint me naive
you could call me anytime
sing all your soliloquies
they don't even have to rhyme
but sometimes it pays
to be a little naive
we don't need to know everything
we could have it so easy
& I don't think that it's a crime
you could dance with two left feet
& I still think you're lookin' fine
sweet darlin', how I wonder
sweet darlin', I
6. If I Can't Break Your Heart
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You know I wanted this to work so very bad
We can't rebuild something we never had
Maybe you & I were victims of the times
But there will be no vacancy tonight
Oh, I've tried everything & you were silent still
But if I can't break your heart
Darling no one will
You & I can end this prayer we're living on
'cause you & I are good as dead & gone
For so long I wanted fire in your eyes
But they only left me numb & paralyzed
Chorus
I've tried everything & you were winter chill
To realize everything is such a bitter pill
Oh, I've tried everything & you were silent still
But if I can't break your heart,
If I can't break your heart,
If I can't break your heart,
Darling no one will
7. Scare Yourself
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Drive down Canadian highways in the winter
Fly down mountains when it's 15 below
Tell that boy in English class you think you might need him
He may feel the same, you'll never know
Life can be sugar sweet
Like candy in July
& it could have a darker side
So leave some slack on the safety belt
When you get on the ride
'gotta scare yourself sometimes
Jump out an aeroplane from the big blue ceiling
See how small you are compared to this land
Learn to ask the questions when nobody knows an answer
It's time we try to understand
Chorus
Stand under the lights playing songs that make you nervous
Pray to God you might open some eyes
Choose the one you love not based on rules or religion
Fall for who you love & don't ask why
Life can be a beauty queen
Long may she reign
Or Halloween every day
She sends those chills with a smile
Straight down your spine
'gotta scare yourself sometimes
8. Garden
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Got my hands dirty diggin' a garden
But I'm never there to see it grow
Was it too much to ask to be here for a moment?
To experience what I have sown
I didn't intend to be your Chambord
I only know how to run like the Seine
Shame on me for thinkin' that I could be more
Than the son of a son of a running man
It's hard to imagine her face at daybreak
The sheets are drawn; my pillow's cold
And I don't know how much more of it I can take
This running game's got a hold of my soul
I didn't intend to settle the score
It's hard enough just finding a friend
I'm tired of fighting a vagabond's war
'cause I was born with the blood of a running man
My shadow creeps
My soul it sneaks around
My feet fall weak
When they're on solid ground
I didn't intend to be your Chambord
'Cause these legs of mine, they just run like the Seine
Shame on me for thinking that I could be more
Than the son of a son of a son of a son of a running man
9. Life Is A Song
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she fell in love with a Costco Jesus
a kleptomaniac in disguises
he said she was a silversmith
she said that she was losing grip
she looked herself in the mirror & never realized
that life is a song
she didn't even notice
she's been singing along
after all these years
we go through our days
without even thinking
when those little things go wrong
they sure do make a beautiful song
she was a military wife & a country singer
until a car crash took everything
& the cheatin' husband took the kids
now a melody is all there is
she said “hittin' rock bottom is the best foundation”
& it made me think
that life is a song
she didn't even notice
we've been singing along
after all these years
we go through our days
without even thinking
when the bigger things go wrong
they sure do make a beautiful song
well we've all worn styles we're not too proud of
we've all said things that we'd kill to take back
but we were different people then
different hair & different friends
just the same old soul with a daily disguise
but life is a song
& now that you know this
you'll be singing along
through all your tears
go through our days
with no second guessin
when the turns you take go wrong
they sure do make a beautiful song
10. Big Sur
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my dreams they come when I'm wide awake
lost in some trans-lucid state
the guilt & the shame of wanting a life
big sur's where I go these days
I place my soul 'tween the rock & the wave
how long will it take to give up the grave?
I wanna break like a fever
& blow like the chance I was given
& I wanna burn like I wanna burn for you again
I see a string of corresponding lies
when I ride shotgun 'cross the sky
I ask myself why, but there's no reply
big sur's where I'll be tonight
Pacific headlight silhouette you'll find
the salt on my skin
the memory in my eyes
I wanna break like a fever
go back for the love I was given
& I wanna burn like I wanna burn
I wanna burn for you again
11. Buddha's Backyard
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I met Jesus in Buddha's backyard
they were both barefoot
they were both laughin'
they said 'why do you make life so hard?
we gave you free will
so why are you still a slave to yourself?
I met Jesus in Buddha's backyard
I saw God in the eyes of a child
& in the reflection I saw where we came from
'cause we don't arrive fearfully wired
we're not born racist
we're born with mercy
how soon we forget
& I saw God in the eyes of a child
So let the Earth be thy church
& let love be your temple
If you want heaven
Build your own heaven
It's really that simple
I'll find grace in the invalid
Grace in the poor
I'll find grace in the palm of my hand
I'll see grace in the atheist
The Torah, Quran
I'll find grace in whatever I can
12. Nemesis
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I stare at the ceiling
I stare at my phone
I stare in the mirror
I'm lonely, but never alone
'cause deep under the surface
deep under these bones
deep under's my nemesis
We share a body, we share a home
How do you win a war when you're the only one keeping score?
When you're the warden & the one on your knees?
How do you stay dry when you're the hurricane spinnin' over your life?
When you are your own worst enemy
'cause I've tried meditation
& I've tried to get by
& I've tried doubling medication
All it gave was a really bad high
Chorus
You might see me smiling
You might see a drink in my hand
You might see a functioning human
But I'm an alien in a foreign land
'cause my mind takes no prisoner
my my mind's like the wind
my mind is the master of disguise
I think I'm good, then I'm gone again
So how do you shut the door on the things that you don't want no more?
When you're the one with the janitor's keys
& how do you survive when your nemesis is after your life?
When you are your own worst enemy